Offensive Linemen

In the aftermath of the Ravens' 20-13 win against the Houston Texans Sunday, Andre Gurode had a nickname suggestion for Ben Grubbs: “Allstate.” For a company that once ran with the slogan “You're in good hands with Allstate,” the nickname was quite appropriate for Grubbs, whose alertness helped the offense overcome a potential disaster in the AFC divisional playoff game at M&T Bank Stadium. The starting left guard recovered two fumbles by teammates, jumping on a loose ball caused when Texans outside linebacker Brooks Reed sacked and stripped quarterback Joe Flacco in the second quarter.

On the second day of The Baltimore Sun's countdown of the Top 5 high school football teams, we take a look at No. 4 McDonogh, which should be one of the contenders in the area's toughest league, the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference. Through the rest of the week, we'll count down to No. 1 and the entire Top 15 poll, along with a look at the top players to watch, will be published Friday in The Baltimore Sun and on baltimoresun.com. For a look at No. 5 Dunbar, click here . 4. McDonogh Coach: Dom Damico Last season: 6-5, No. 7. Postseason: MIAA A Conference semifinalist Key players: WR-DB Taysean Scott, Sr.; WR-DB Jabari Weems, Sr.; RB-LB Wyatt Cook, Soph.; QB Duke Etchison, Jr.; WR-DB Kareem Montgomery, Soph.; LB Akeem Myers-Blakney, Soph; WR Mike Cornwell, Soph.; OL Jared Cohen, Jr. Outlook: Some coaches in the A Conference have said next year will be the Eagles' year, but they're not counting them out this year either.

There were some unexpected reactions by two state college players selected in yesterday's NFL draft.Navy tight end Kevin Hickman was surprised after being picked by the Detroit Lions in the sixth round, and Maryland offensive tackle Steve Ingram seemed confused after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers picked him in the seventh and final round.As one of the best offensive linemen to play at Maryland, Ingram anticipated going in the first three rounds. He even had a party on Saturday, when the NFL held its first three rounds.

Two starters from the 1991 Maryland football team were granted an extra year of eligibility by the NCAA yesterday on the basis of appeals made by them after debilitating injuries in last year's first game.Senior cornerback Scott Rosen suffered back and leg injuries, and sophomore offensive tackle Steve Ingram broke his right leg in the Terps' opener against Virginia. Neither played the remainder of the season.There still is some doubt about whether Rosen, 5 feet 11, 184 pounds, will return despite winning the appeal.

Ravens defensive tackle Haloti Ngata had mapped out an ambitious plan, albeit one not readily apparent when he lumbered onto the practice field for a June minicamp. Considerably heftier than usual after spending his offseason intentionally bulking up, Ngata didn't display his trademark explosiveness. The extra bulk around Ngata's midsection and torso raised eyebrows about whether the three-time Pro Bowl selection had gone too far in his quest to become stronger and more durable and maintain his speed after wearing down toward the end of last season due to a deep thigh bruise.

This video of Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs playing running back in high school -- which The Sun's video staff unearthed today -- is a gem across the board. Without further ado, a running highlight blog, if you will, of Suggs back in his playing days for Hamilton High School in Arizona. 0:06 : Suggs is currently listed at 6-3, 260 pounds, but even back at Hamilton, he dwarfs almost every other player. He looks to be significantly larger than every one of his offensive linemen - and he was the running back.

The Ed Reed era is officially over in Baltimore, though the safety will always be considered one of the greatest Ravens players of all-time -- and arguably the most entertaining, as my colleague Childs Walker wrote today. In this excellent piece on Reed , Childs explained why he can't help but feel a little sadness now that Reed has joined the Houston Texans, because, in his words, Reed didn't want to just be “ordinary great.” Reed did it his way, especially when he had the ball in his hands -- a common occurrence -- making him fun for us to cover.

ASHBURN, Va. -- Washington Redskins coach Richie Petitbon, whose first season ended Friday with a 14-9 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, has yet to meet with owner Jack Kent Cooke to find out whether Cooke will give him a second year."

One of the few criticisms the Ravens have encountered after their 37-7 thumping of the St. Louis Rams on Sunday was the decision to have quarterback Joe Flacco run the offense in the last 3 minutes, 10 seconds of the game. Keeping Flacco in a game that had already been decided might put the franchise quarterback at risk to a season-ending injury, but coach John Harbaugh said during his weekly briefing Monday that allowing Flacco to play with reserves like offensive linemen Bryan Mattison and Jah Reid, wide receivers LaQuan Williams and Tandon Doss and running back Anthony Allen could provide benefits in the long run. “We did replace as many guys as we could,” Harbaugh began.

With the Ravens now officially in the "Festivus," the well-dressed Baltimore fan may want to pick up a stylish new Festivus T-shirt to go along with the requisite giant foam-finger, purple hard hat and full camo gear. The brainchild of offensive lineman Edwin Mulitalo, the black T-shirts with purple lettering say "Happy Festivus Baltimore Style" and, once printed up this week, will sell for $19.95. Festivus, you may recall, was the word the Ravens came up with as a substitute for "playoffs" a couple of weeks ago, after coach Brian Billick banned the P-word from being uttered by the entire organization.