Miami Dolphins

Who could have envisioned this eight weeks ago?The Detroit Lions in first place without Barry Sanders.The St. Louis Rams in first place without Trent Green.The Kansas City Chiefs in first place without Marty Schottenheimer.The Washington Redskins in first place with Norv Turner.Anything goes this year. In one of the NFL's strangest seasons, only the AFC East and AFC Central have held relative form through the first two months.And that is stretching it because the New York Jets were expected to contend for the Super Bowl out of the East before they lost Vinny Testaverde and collapsed.

Jack Kent Cooke and Joe Robbie were strong-willed, self-made men who came up with their own money to build stadiums for their NFL teams in an era when most other owners were demanding that taxpayers build them with public funds.Cooke, a multimillionaire, used his own funds to build the $160 million stadium in Landover, although the state of Maryland kicked in $70 million for roads and infrastructure.Robbie, who didn't have a personal fortune, used the revenue from the sale of club seats to finance the $115 million stadium for the Miami Dolphins that opened in 1987.

A year ago, Ravens defensive tackle Larry Webster was planning to celebrate a homecoming, finally being able to play NFL games in front of friends and relatives from his hometown of Elkton. Instead, he was sent home, embarrassed and ashamed, after having been suspended for violating the league's policy on substance and alcohol abuse.Webster was suspended for a year last Aug. 20 for testing positive a third time during a five-year career."I went through a whole gamut of emotions," said Webster, 28, from his room at the team's training facility on the campus of Western Maryland College.

The Ravens have agreed to a four-year contract with Dallas Cowboys free-agent safety Brock Marion, said Ozzie Newsome, the team's vice president of player personnel, last night.Terms of the deal were not available, but Marion made a base salary of $226,000 and received a $135,000 signing bonus last season. He has been considered one of the best young safeties in the free-agent market.Marion, 26, started 10 games for the Cowboys last year before a fractured left scapula sidelined him for the rest of the season.

MIAMI -- Their domination was so complete that at the end, the only question left for the Dallas Cowboys was whether to kneel or run it up.They had rolled over the Miami Dolphins for 482 total yards, 27 first downs and a shocking 24-minute advantage in time of possession.With two minutes left and the ball on the Miami 7, they had a chance to rub it in against their former coach, Jimmy Johnson. On the sideline, co-conspirators Jerry Jones and Barry Switzer debated the call.Switzer, the coach, chose the high road.

BaseballAtlanta Braves: Activated IF Ed Giovanola in place of injured SS Jeff Blauser.CollegeTexas Christian: Suspended RB Andre Davis for yesterday's game pending an investigation into allegations of contact with an agent.BasketballCleveland Cavaliers: Rescinded trade with Toronto Raptors, in which it acquired C Victor Alexander for G Harold Miner and a 1996 second-round choice, because Alexander failed to pass a physical.FootballGreen Bay Packers: Waived OL Joe Sims. Activated RB LeShon Johnson.

Auto racingNASCAR Winston Cup -- Fined Jim Murray and Dick Bown, crew chiefs, $500 for installing transmissions without a reverse gear and Bob Labonte and Cliff Greene, crew chiefs, $100, for using air filters that didn't meet NASCAR specifications.BasketballGolden State Warriors -- Released C Manute Bol.Miami Heat -- Named Tony Fiorentino assistant coach.Philadelphia 76ers -- Signed G Kevin Pritchard to a 10-day contract. Placed G B. J. Tyler on the injured list.Los Angeles Lakers -- Activated C Sam Bowie.

Joe Croghan, whose play-by-play broadcasts of Orioles, Colts and Washington Senators games during the 1950s and 1960s earned him the loyal following of listeners and broadcasters alike, died of cancer Monday at Manor Care Ruxton. He was 74.Mr. Croghan worked for WBAL-TV and radio from the early 1950s until 1964 and was the organization's first sports director. He was a member of the Orioles announcing team in the early 1960s, working with such legendary broadcasters as Chuck Thompson, Herb Carneal and Bob Murphy.

BaseballAtlanta Braves -- Signed C Andrei Selivanov, an 18-year-old Russian, to a minor-league contract.Florida Marlins -- Extended the contract of GM Dave Dombrowski through the 1998 season.Montreal Expos -- Invited Sioux City Explorers P Jeff Letourneau to spring training.San Francisco Giants -- Signed free-agent P Wally Whitehurst.Abilene Prairie Dogs (Texas-Louisiana League) -- Named ex-Houston Astros P Charley Kerfeld manager.BasketballNBA -- Suspended Phoenix Suns G Danny Ainge for one game without pay and fined him $7,500 for striking Portland Trail Blazers C Chris Dudley in the face during a game.

The Detroit Lions and the New York Jets have several things in common.Both have low-key owners who like to stay in the background (William Clay Ford of the Lions and Leon Hess of the Jets), both have gone decades without a championship team (the Lions last won in 1957 and the Jets in the 1968 season), and both had frustrating finishes this past season that featured a critical loss to the Miami Dolphins.The Lions went to Miami on Christmas night for their regular-season finale, needing a victory to clinch their division title.

Brendon Ayanbadejo, a three-time Pro Bowl player for his achievements on special teams, had no doubts he could contribute on both defense and special teams. Convincing his coaches required a little more effort. "I always believed in myself, but I knew it was going to take a coach to back me up and support me and believe in my skills," Ayanbadejo said. "Obviously, it did take awhile. I just told coaches: 'Give me a chance. Just put me in there, and you can't just throw me in for one play and you can't just throw me in for two plays.

In the afterglow of Sunday's 31-26 win at San Diego, it's still difficult to label the Ravens. Is the once-feared defense showing some cracks after allowing so many big plays? Who should be the lead running back, Ray Rice or Willis McGahee? Has the Ravens' offense taken over the personality of this team? As the Ravens (2-0) sit atop the AFC North, there's only one identity that can't be disputed: They're establishing themselves as one of the best road teams in the NFL. Since Week 7 of last season, the Ravens have won eight of 10 games on the road (including playoffs)

INDIANAPOLIS - Rex Ryan never met a quarterback he didn't think he could rattle. Never faced an offense he didn't believe he could confuse. Never drew up a blitz he wasn't confident would work. The new coach of the New York Jets is no introvert. Ask him about playing in the AFC East and he doesn't give you a politically correct answer. "I'd rather focus on what they're up against," Ryan said yesterday, addressing the national media during the NFL scouting combine. "We're going to have a team that's a physical football team.

Back on Aug. 7, would you have predicted that either of these quarterbacks would be starting in an NFL playoff game today, against each other, no less? Joe Flacco, the Ravens rookie from small-time Delaware, going 0-for-3 and losing a fumble while mopping up in his preseason debut that night? Chad Pennington, legendary noodle arm for the New York Jets, released that day (and eventually salvaged by the lowly Miami Dolphins) so the Jets could make room for Brett Favre? Would you, in fact, have guessed that of the three aforementioned players, Favre would be the one sitting at home this weekend, absorbing abuse from fans, media and even teammates for not doing, with everything on the line, what Pennington and Flacco did for their teams?

Bart Scott is no longer getting attention for the wrong reasons. Rare are the emotional outbursts that earned the Ravens linebacker penalty flags and additional scrutiny from NFL officials. Nearly as infrequent are the vitriolic comments that garnered him scorn from media pundits and his opponents. An additional topic that has not surfaced with much regularity is the possibility that tomorrow's AFC wild-card playoff game against the Miami Dolphins could be Scott's last as a Raven. But Scott, who is only 28 years old, isn't worried.

The Ravens clinched the fifth playoff berth in team history, but they did it in a way unknown in this era of Baltimore football. Realizing they had to win to get in - the New England Patriots had won about 20 minutes before kickoff - the Ravens completed a surprising regular season by riding a big-play rookie quarterback to a 27-7-victory yesterday over the Jacksonville Jaguars before an elated 71,366 at M&T Bank Stadium. Joe Flacco threw for a season-high 297 yards as the Ravens (11-5)

There was linebacker Bart Scott throwing the official's flag into the stands. There was Steve McNair setting an NFL record for futility. And there was the worst loss in the nine-year Brian Billick era. When it comes to playing before a national television audience, the Ravens' history is an unbecoming one. Their prime-time losing streak has grown to seven games, a skid that dates to 2006. The Ravens will get another shot to prove they are prime-time players Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium, when they host the Washington Redskins at 8:15 p.m. "That's the past," cornerback Samari Rolle said of the prime-time problems.

Quarterback Daunte Culpepper (right) and the Detroit Lions have agreed on a contract, although the length and financial terms of the deal were not clear. Coach Rod Marinelli, who made the announcement after his team's 27-23 loss to the Chicago Bears yesterday, would not answer questions about the deal but did say it hinges on the results of a pending nonorthopedic physical. At 0-8, the Lions clearly need help. How much Culpepper, 31, can provide remains to be seen. He planned to retire in December because he was frustrated over not finding work after a knee injury limited him with the Miami Dolphins in 2006 and Oakland Raiders in 2007.

If the Baltimore Colts had not lost to the New York Jets in Super Bowl III, this season's New England Patriots probably would be all alone in chasing undefeated glory. That's because the seeds of the NFL's only unbeaten team in the Super Bowl era - the 1972 Miami Dolphins - were sown in the Colts' stunning 16-7 loss in that January 1969 title game. Thirty-nine years ago, the Colts' collapse in that championship meeting created a rift between the club's owner and coach, one that festered another year until Don Shula left town.

As the Ravens wrapped up their interview with recently dismissed defensive coordinator Rex Ryan yesterday, they could turn their attention to a Schottenheimer or two. Brian Schottenheimer, the New York Jets' offensive coordinator the past two seasons, is expected to meet with the Ravens as early as today. Under Schottenheimer, the Jets' offense finished 25th in 2006 and 26th this season. Then, much later in the Ravens' search process, the team might meet with Marty Schottenheimer, Brian's father.