Middle Linebacker

Ray Lewis told the NFL Network on Wednesday that he wouldn't give the Ravens a hometown discount in free agency and considered the Dallas Cowboys and New York Jets as attractive options. A 10-time Pro Bowl middle linebacker, Lewis would become an unrestricted free agent in three weeks if the Ravens don't sign him to a new contract or use the franchise tag on him. At the end of the season, owner Steve Bisciotti and linebacker Terrell Suggs brought up the possibility that Lewis might take less money to stay.

Already feeling the effects of outside linebacker Peter Boulware's shoulder injury, the Ravens waived two players yesterday, including third-year middle linebacker Tyrus McCloud.The Ravens were involved in serious trade talks about McCloud with three teams until the 4 p.m. deadline imposed by the NFL to reduce the roster to the mandatory limit of 53 players. The Ravens were also involved in some inquiries about possibly trading reserve quarterback Tony Banks, who might lose his No. 2 job to Stoney Case.

Quarterback -- B- -- Tony Banks was inconsistent in the first half but stepped up in the second. His overall performance suffered from several dropped passes, but his timing seemed a little off with Justin Armour and Billy Davis. He throws a great deep ball, but at times gets a little carried away throwing deep into double coverage.Running backs -- B -- Priest Holmes performed well filling in again for the injured Errict Rhett. He rushed 18 times for 130 yards and had a 64-yard touchdown run. The Steelers were ranked No. 21 in rushing defense, but the Ravens failed to exploit them completely, as fullback Chuck Evans carried only one time for 2 yards.

QuarterbackC-Sooner or later, defenses are going to make Stoney Case beat them with passes longer than 10 to 12 yards. Case might suffice for 1999, but he is not the type of quarterback to build your team around. Despite his inconsistent play, Tony Banks still might be the best choice for the Ravens this season. Maybe coach Brian Billick should take a leap of faith with Banks.Running backsBErrict Rhett ran with authority and he'll keep Priest Holmes out of the starting lineup for another week.

The good thing about Tyrell Peters' switch from outside linebacker to middle is that he is returning to the position he played at Oklahoma.The bad news is that Peters has not practiced or played there in his two years and one preseason with the Ravens.With former backup middle linebacker Tyrus McCloud getting cut, Peters is an injury to Ray Lewis away from being the man in the middle for the Ravens."I know that they were thinking about putting me in the middle sometimes but I didn't know why," Peters said.

Ask Ravens middle linebacker Ray Lewis about his favorite hit, and his eyes light up and he flashes a grin.There was the time he ran down San Diego slot receiver Eric Metcalf from behind from the far side of the field after Metcalf had caught a 20-yard pass over the middle in full stride. Earlier this season, he outmaneuvered two blockers and tackled Pro Bowl running back Marshall Faulk for no gain on a screen pass.But the best?"The best hits always come under fire and nobody sees them, like when you hit a running back so hard his eyes roll back in his head.

The education of Tyrus McCloud is about to accelerate.Ever since he was drafted by the Ravens in the fourth round last year, McCloud has longed for a chance to start at middle linebacker, the place where he established himself as one of the nation's best at Louisville.Following a freakish injury to Ray Lewis, McCloud gets his wish tomorrow night against Cincinnati before a sellout crowd at Ravens stadium and a national television audience.McCloud has one request. Don't expect a reincarnation of Lewis, who will be nursing a dislocated left elbow while watching the game from the sideline.

Second-year linebacker Tyrus McCloud is glad his rookie season is behind him. Like many players forced to accept a part-time role after starring at the collegiate level, his first year as a pro was not enjoyable.McCloud, 6 feet 1, 250 pounds, a fourth-round draft pick out of Louisville, came to the NFL with a reputation as a defensive anchor at middle linebacker. At Louisville, he led the Cardinals in tackles as a junior and senior.Trouble was, McCloud was stuck on the depth chart behind a middle linebacker named Ray Lewis.

Running backsPriest Holmes has emerged as the team's running back of the future. He made solid decisions, accelerated at the point of attack, but also made some great cutback moves and picked up the blitz on pass protection. Fullback Roosevelt Potts also had an outstanding night as the lead blocker. Grade: A.QuarterbackEric Zeier throws the long ball as well as anyone in the AFC Central. He made some soild reads and became more aware of pressure in the pocket as the game went on. He still needs to get a better feeling of backside pressure.

A day after colliding with Kenyon Cotton and severely spraining his neck, linebacker Ray Lewis returned to the Ravens' training camp yesterday.After the collision, Lewis was flown by helicopter to the University of Maryland's Shock Trauma Center, where tests revealed no serious neck injury."

Ray Lewis told the NFL Network on Wednesday that he wouldn't give the Ravens a hometown discount in free agency and considered the Dallas Cowboys and New York Jets as attractive options. A 10-time Pro Bowl middle linebacker, Lewis would become an unrestricted free agent in three weeks if the Ravens don't sign him to a new contract or use the franchise tag on him. At the end of the season, owner Steve Bisciotti and linebacker Terrell Suggs brought up the possibility that Lewis might take less money to stay.

During the Ravens' Super Bowl season in 2000 and the years after, Ravens middle linebacker Ray Lewis publicized his relationship with running back Jamal Lewis as though they were the hottest band sensation. "The Lewis Boys," Ray Lewis said in 2003. "You've got Ray on one side and Jamal Lewis on the other. Lewis and Lewis - when we're on, that's an unbeatable combination." Even then, I always wondered what it would be like if they ever played against each other because both are such fierce competitors.

CINCINNATI BENGALS Ahmad BrooksLinebacker Learning the ropes When Virginia linebacker Ahmad Brooks was selected in the third round of last year's NFL supplemental draft, most figured that the Cincinnati Bengals were taking a flier on a player whose promising college career ended abruptly after he was dismissed by Cavaliers coach Al Groh after his junior year in Charlottesville. The plan to bring Brooks along slowly changed during his rookie year when middle linebacker Brian Simmons missed four games in five weeks.

The time will come when the Ravens will have to begin searching for Ray Lewis' successor at middle linebacker. That time, however, is not now. With Lewis, an eight-time Pro Bowl selection, fellow starter Bart Scott and reserves Mike Smith and Dennis Haley on the roster, inside linebacker is not exactly a position of need for the Ravens. And even though Lewis will turn 32 on May 15, general manager Ozzie Newsome said the organization will not push one of the team's cornerstones out the door.

There have been numerous theories on why Ravens middle linebacker Ray Lewis doesn't want to be the face of the franchise anymore, from being focused to being a Christian to being less self centered. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. It's all about the money, baby. During the offseason, Lewis talked to Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome about a contract extension, which would have amounted to the final, big, upfront payout of his career as a Raven. But Newsome declined to restructure the deal, pointing out that the team had renegotiated Lewis' contract several times throughout his 10 years with the team, including in 2003, which many thought would allow Lewis to retire as a Raven.

ASHBURN, Va. - Lemar Marshall's face isn't plastered on the covers of video games. His No. 98 jersey isn't flying off the racks at a record pace. He's not even the most recognizable face on the Washington Redskins' defense. (That honor would belong to LaVar Arrington.) But in terms of impact and significance, it could be argued that no player on the defensive side of the ball may be as valuable as Marshall, who will likely succeed former teammate Antonio Pierce as the middle linebacker and mental anchor.

Doug Plank, the No. 46 on the Chicago Bears for whom the famed pressure defense is named, recalls one of Buddy Ryan's favorite sayings about the go-for-broke battle plan. "We'll find out who the second-team quarterback is," Ryan would quip, according to the former strong safety. Plank, now the coach of the Georgia Force of the Arena Football League, said Ryan was willing to make tradeoffs to inflict serious damage on the enemy. "Sometimes, you would give up a touchdown early, but as Buddy said, we often found out who the second-team quarterback was," Plank said.

ASHBURN, Va. - Washington Redskins middle linebacker Antonio Pierce is realistic about his chances of being invited to the Pro Bowl. "I don't really see it happening," Pierce said. "When you've got a guy like [the Chicago Bears' Brian] Urlacher - I think he's missed, what, six games - he'll still go to the Pro Bowl. The Pro Bowl is a lot about names. Sometimes the coaches and players might vote fairly, but you've got the fans and other people involved and they vote for who they know." Pierce, 26, may be an unknown commodity to a lot of people and even some NFL teams, but to the Redskins, the fourth-year pro from Arizona has been invaluable.

Of all the teams that have splurged in this year's frenetic offseason - and there have been many - the Philadelphia Eagles are the one that has most altered the course it had been traveling. From vanilla to flamboyant, from cautious to controversial, from frugal to extravagant, the Eagles have abandoned their path of measured movement by signing unrestricted free agent Jevon Kearse and trading for disgruntled wide receiver Terrell Owens. Handing out combined signing and roster bonuses of $22 million for two players, the Eagles have suddenly found themselves on the expressway of high risk and high reward.

ASHBURN, Va. - While his agents joust with Washington Redskins management over a $6.5 million bonus, linebacker Lavar Arrington pledged his loyalty to the franchise after yesterday's minicamp practice. "The more I think about it and the more I look around, the more I don't want to be anywhere else," Arrington said at Redskins Park. "I really love the fans, and that's the whole thing for me. For $6.5 million, it's not worth my relationship with the fans. I don't want that to be the legacy I leave behind."