Matt Stover

Matt Stover was willing to walk away last spring without regret. He was willing to pack up his memories and trophy footballs and move on with life. After 19 years of kicking in the NFL - 13 with the Ravens - he could have closed the book on a distinguished career. That he didn't walk - and now finds himself kicking for the Indianapolis Colts in Sunday's Super Bowl in South Florida - is one of this week's most compelling stories. It might also be a story of divine intervention, Stover says.

N ews item : Former major league outfielder Curt Motton, a member of the great Orioles teams of the late 1960s and early 1970s, died Thursday after a yearlong bout with stomach cancer. He was 69. My take: The testimonials from his former teammates speak for themselves. Curt was a nice player, but - more importantly - he was one of the nicest people ever to wear an Orioles uniform. Godspeed. News item: During his season-ending news conference Tuesday, Ravens coach John Harbaugh would not rule out the possibility that the team would bring back kicker Matt Stover next season.

A season of high hopes came crashing down for the Ravens a week ago in Indianapolis. The Ravens expected to be playing in Sunday's AFC championship game. They expected to be fighting for the right to advance to the Super Bowl. But coach John Harbaugh wants his players to remember the 2009 season with more feelings of pride than pain. He believes his second year as coach represents another significant step in reaching their ultimate goal. "I want them to understand how well we played this year," Harbaugh said a couple of days after the Ravens' 20-3 divisional playoff loss to the Colts.

A season of high hopes came crashing down for the Ravens a week ago in Indianapolis. The Ravens expected to be playing in Sunday's AFC championship game. They expected to be fighting for the right to advance to the Super Bowl. But coach John Harbaugh wants his players to remember the 2009 season with more feelings of pride than pain. He believes his second year as coach represents another significant step in reaching their ultimate goal. "I want them to understand how well we played this year," Harbaugh said a couple of days after the Ravens' 20-3 divisional playoff loss to the Colts.

In the end, the problems that existed all season cost the Ravens in the playoffs. The only way the Ravens were going to beat the Indianapolis Colts in the second round of the AFC playoffs was if they could run the ball, Colts quarterback Peyton Manning had an off night and the secondary could turn in a strong effort for a second straight week. The Ravens didn't succeed in any of the three as the Colts knocked them out of the playoffs Saturday night with a lopsided win at Lucas Oil Stadium.

INDIANAPOLIS - Ravens coach John Harbaugh celebrated his team clinching a playoff berth two weeks ago by waving a shovel and a sword in the locker room. These are the symbols of his midseason rallying cry -- dig in and fight -- and they now adorn T-shirts for the players and patches worn on their practice jerseys. But Harbaugh's influence goes beyond clothing, props and speeches. His own ability to dig in and fight has been a steadying force in a season in which the Ravens have gone from a wildly inconsistent team a few months ago to one that is clashing with the top-seeded Indianapolis Colts in tonight's AFC divisional playoff game.

1. Indianapolis lands some shots on Flacco. The Ravens shut out Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis in the last meeting, so the pass rushers will be motivated to hit the hobbled quarterback. 2. The Colts continue their success on third down. No team was better on third downs than Indianapolis, but the Ravens' defense was sixth best in stopping teams. 3. Matt Stover gets revenge. Stover's last playoff field goal lifted the Ravens over the Tennessee Titans in the AFC divisional round.

Matt Stover looked out the window of his downtown Indianapolis condominium this week and saw all the way to Baltimore. In his 20th NFL season, Stover has become a man for two cities, splitting time between his workplace in Indiana and his home in suburban Baltimore. Pulled in both directions, the 41-year-old Stover will figuratively be caught in the middle when the Indianapolis Colts face the Ravens on Saturday night in an NFL elimination playoff game at Lucas Oil Stadium. After being stripped of his kicking job by the Ravens last summer, Stover sat out the first five weeks of the 2009 season before the Colts gave him a contract.