Pass Rush

Although the Ravens are hoping that Trevor Pryce might return for the Oct. 14 game against the St. Louis Rams, the defensive end is not nearly as optimistic. Pryce, who hasn't played since fracturing his left wrist in the third quarter of the Ravens' win over the New York Jets on Sept. 16, said yesterday that he did not think he would be ready to play before the team's bye Oct. 28. "After the bye," Pryce said of his projected return. "I'm almost 90 percent sure I'll play against Pittsburgh [on Nov. 5]

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The Ravens turned a rout into a somewhat respectable game last night, but head coach Ted Marchibroda had to be disappointed with his first-string units in a 39-29 loss to the New York Jets in a preseason game at Giants Stadium.The Ravens' starters played a half, but there was little life in a defense that was without four starters because of injury, and an offense that wasn't much of a threat once the second quarter began.The Ravens played without starters Michael McCrary (knee)

Running backsBam Morris did most of the damage with some tough yardage inside. Overall, though, the backs played a small part in the game's outcome except for Earnest Byner's fumble at the end.C-QuarterbackVinny Testaverde had impressive numbers, but his decision-making inside the red zone in the first half was suspect.CReceiversThis was the team's most productive unit, as Michael Jackson had nine catches for 150 yards and Brian Kinchen nine for 71. The low points: Derrick Alexander dropped a pass at the Jaguars' 1 and Floyd Turner failed to get out of bounds to stop the clock in the second quarter.

Running backsHalfback Earnest Byner and fullback Carwell Gardner ran as well as could be expected, but coach Ted Marchibroda needs to run Gardner more, especially on quick dives on short-yardage situations, instead of sending Byner off tackle.BQuarterbackVinny Testaverde played a great game, and had only one interception. He was brilliant during the Ravens' comeback.A-ReceiversThis group appears more comfortable with the offense as the season progresses, but Derrick Alexander needs to work on his timing with Testaverde.

Running backsEarnest Byner played well, but Leroy Hoard should have played more coming off his strong performance against the Steelers. The absence of a breakaway runner hurts this team once it gets behind.-- CQuarterbackTwo of the three interceptions were Vinny Testaverde's fault. He also short-armed a few passes in the second half and became frustrated. With a limited running game, the Ravens can't afford those turnovers.-- DReceiversMichael Jackson turned in a decent day of work, but Derrick Alexander caused the first interception, then dropped a mid-range pass over the middle that hurt.

The defensive plague that first broke out in Baltimore in early October has spread down the parkway to Washington.The symptoms are lots and lots of arm-tackling and inexcusable penalties in crucial situations.The cure?No one around the Ravens or Redskins has found one yet.Washington defensive coordinator Ron Lynn smiled Monday for one of the few times in the past two weeks and said jokingly when asked what he could do about the illness: "Threaten people."Then Lynn hinted that the Redskins would be making some off-season moves to help a team that is last in the 30-team NFL in overall defense, ranking 29th against the run and 27th against the pass.

Inside the Ravens' nearly empty locker room, cornerback Antonio Langham sat down, rubbed his chin, stared dejectedly at the floor and tried to come up with answers to explain his slump. At that moment, he seemed like a man alone on an island.Then again, Langham is used to that feeling. As a third-year NFL player, Langham makes his living in the corner's glaring, uncompromising spotlight. It's a stage on which your greatest moments and worst mistakes are framed for easy viewing."Nobody sees the right guard screw up, but everybody can see the cornerback when he does," Ravens defensive coordinator Marvin Lewis said.

It started with a lack of pressure up front on Drew Bledsoe, who had enough time before he threw to call his banker and find out how much interest he made yesterday on his $11 million signing bonus.It got worse when the leader of the Ravens' secondary, safety Eric Turner, went out early with an ankle injury.It fell apart when the secondary virtually collapsed although it didn't help that the officials were quick to call pass interference.Toss in a blocked punt for a touchdown and it added up to 46 points for the New England Patriots.

If the Baltimore Football Club's second-year defense is a work in progress, then the early summer reviews are nothing less than smashing.Witness the tape of the three Ottawa quarterbacks who were nearly trampled by Baltimore's relentless pass rush in Saturday's exhibition opener.Coach Don Matthews, a connoisseur of fine defense, called it a jail break. Rush end Elfrid Payton, a noted sack-master, called it a mismatch.By any name, Baltimore's nine-sack, two-interception performance served as a warning for the rest of the Canadian Football League.

Site: Memorial StadiumTime: 7:30Line: Baltimore by 10 1/2TV/Radio: Ch. 2/WJFK (1300 AM)Records: Toronto 2-4, Baltimore 4-2 in Eastern DivisionLast week: Toronto lost to British Columbia, 54-39; Baltimore beat Hamilton, 30-15.First meeting: Baltimore topped Toronto, 28-20, in the season opener July 7 at SkyDome as Donald Igwebuike kicked four field goals and Tracy Ham threw for two touchdowns.On the sidelines: In his 13th season as a CFL head coach, Bob O'Billovich has a career record of 106-103-3.

Quarterback B+ For the most part, the Ravens played it safe with Joe Flacco. He threw a lot to his running backs, and most of his passes were to the outside of the field. Flacco continues to impress with his mobility, and that allows him to make plays. Running backs A The Ravens may not want to make the move yet, but backup Willis McGahee is outperforming starter Ray Rice. McGahee can glide or get tough yards inside. Rice is superb on running screens and other pass patterns out of the backfield.

It was one thing to sack the Kansas City Chiefs' Brodie Croyle three times in a closer-than-expected opening-day victory for the Ravens. But it'll be another issue to put San Diego's Pro Bowl quarterback, Philip Rivers, on his back in Sunday's classic confrontation between the Ravens' fierce defense and the Chargers' electric offense. In fact, it's the challenge of the week. The last time the Ravens faced Rivers - Nov. 25, 2007 - he carved them up for three touchdowns, 249 passing yards and a 32-14 romp.

Although the Ravens are hoping that Trevor Pryce might return for the Oct. 14 game against the St. Louis Rams, the defensive end is not nearly as optimistic. Pryce, who hasn't played since fracturing his left wrist in the third quarter of the Ravens' win over the New York Jets on Sept. 16, said yesterday that he did not think he would be ready to play before the team's bye Oct. 28. "After the bye," Pryce said of his projected return. "I'm almost 90 percent sure I'll play against Pittsburgh [on Nov. 5]

ASHBURN, Va. -- The Washington Redskins have selective memories when it comes to last season's trip to Giants Stadium. Some, like left guard Randy Thomas and quarterback Mark Brunell, can replay every disaster that the team encountered en route to an embarrassing 36-0 defeat. Redskins@Giants Today, 1 p.m., chs. 45, 5, 1430 AM Line: Giants by 4 1/2 Keys to the Game Manning on his way, but is he there yet? Eli Manning, the Giants' third-year quarterback, is still prone to mistakes. He threw three interceptions against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 3 and has five for the season.

Maryland defensive hybrid Shane Merriman has known for a while that the tough times were behind him. But yesterday, he found out exactly how far behind - several million dollars worth. Merriman, who grew up in impoverished circumstances in Upper Marlboro, completed an extraordinary year that took him from his junior season with the Terrapins to being the first-round pick of the San Diego Chargers, the No. 12 choice overall, in the NFL draft. "I always didn't have it easy in my life," said Merriman, who left college a year early.

One of Paul Johnson's major priorities when he became the Navy head coach almost two years ago was to reduce the number of big plays - particularly scoring plays - against the team's defense and special teams. In 2003, the pass prevention unit has certainly succeeded so far. Entering Saturday's home finale against Central Michigan, the Midshipmen stand fourth nationally against the pass, behind only No. 1 Oklahoma, Penn State and Miami (Fla.). Navy ranked 63rd nationally last season and a lowly 116th in pass efficiency defense.

Ravens rushing vs. Jaguars run defense JAGUARS - - The Ravens created little space for Jamal Lewis and the league's leading rusher was held to a season-low 68 yards rushing. The biggest play came from Chester Taylor, who filled in for an injured Lewis and ran for a 29-yard touchdown. But the most troubling aspect is how the running game fared in the red zone, where the Ravens aver-aged 2.4 yards on seven rushes. The Ravens finished with 103 yards on the ground, 78 yards below their season average.

PHOENIX - After some careful spending in the first month of free agency, the Ravens are prepared to do some bargain hunting. Team officials have targeted upgrades to their receiving corps and pass rush before the NFL draft on April 26-27. During the second day of the NFL owners' meetings, the Ravens had their first substantial round of contract talks with receiver Frank Sanders and have started looking at free-agent defensive ends and outside linebackers to revive a weak pass rush. "Now the market has changed some, there are players out that will become more attractive to us," said Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome, who signed future Pro Bowl defensive tackle Sam Adams on draft day three years ago. "Now, as a lot of people are saying that they're going to shut it down up until the draft, we kind of crank it up a little bit during this period of time.

Buffalo (2-3) at Houston (1-3) Time: 1 p.m. today. Line: Bills by 7 1/2 . Key stat: The Bills' defense has no interceptions. Worth watching: In two road games (vs. Broncos and Vikings), the Bills' Drew Bledsoe has thrown five TD passes and no interceptions. Texans rookie David Carr has completed less than half of his passes (44 of 98). Outlook: Although Houston has a decent, veteran secondary, the Texans don't have the pass rush to put pressure on Bledsoe, who's having a Pro Bowl year.

1. The Redskins need to settle on the interior offensive line positions and have them produce, both in the running game and pass protection. 2. They must get some consistency and big plays at quarterback, whether it's Shane Matthews or Danny Wuerffel throwing the ball. 3. Their young wide receivers must come through and be in sync with the quarterback. Rod Gardner is the No. 1 receiver and he's only in his second season. 4. Running back Stephen Davis needs to be used in the passing game and given enough carries to represent a running threat.