Passing Game

Can the Ravens develop a running game that can carry them deep into the playoffs? That's the team's burning question for the NFL playoffs, which begin today. There are hardly any other issues to be overly concerned about with the Ravens. Over the 16-game schedule, they have become a complete and balanced team. The quarterback play has improved and the team has developed a vertical passing game. Ovie Mughelli has established himself as a good fullback, and the offensive line play has been good despite several injuries.

Ravens coach Brian Billick has heard all the criticism of his offensive personnel. No great quarterback. No flashy running back. No prime-time receiver. No dominant offensive line. Billick just smiles. He has an ace. It's called the West Coast offense. Bill Walsh started creating the system in a similar situation in 1968 while he was an assistant under coach Paul Brown with the Cincinnati Bengals.The West Coast offense became fashionable with Walsh and the San Francisco 49ers in the 1980s, and at least 11 of the 31 NFL teams now run it, including six of the past 10 Super Bowl champions.

1 Ravens quarterback Tony Banks lost a fumble and was intercepted in the fourth quarter, leading to 10 Buffalo points.2 The Ravens again had few big plays from the passing game, which netted only 118 yards.3 The Ravens' defense seemed to tire in the fourth quarter after the offense failed to use up any substantial amount of playing time despite holding the lead.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The simple version of the Ravens' 14-11 loss to the Titans yesterday?The Titans played one of the dumbest games in NFL history and dared Ravens quarterback Stoney Case to finish them off with his passing. He couldn't.The result was a loss as frustrating as any the Ravens have experienced, which, given their record, is saying something.But they had so much to gain for a change this time, and they should have won, and what's more frustrating than that?"Man, we had so many opportunities," Case said.

1. Can Scott Mitchell be an effective No. 1 quarterback?In preseason, Mitchell shook off the rust from last year when he started only two games for the Detroit Lions before being benched for rookie Charlie Batch. Despite reports out of Detroit to the contrary, Mitchell has gotten along well with his teammates and worked extremely hard. He has made steady progress in each preseason game and seems to be gaining control of the offense. The key may be that this system won't require him to win games, but just for him to not lose them with mistakes.

Morning practice had ended an hour ago. The horde of fans was gone. The players were back at the hotel, eating lunch and taking naps.But there was Priest Holmes, still wearing pads, still lingering on the field, still signing autographs, posing for pictures and talking to fans yesterday at the Ravens' training camp at Western Maryland College.He spoke to a youth group, posed for pictures with moms and kids, spent extra time with a disabled group in wheelchairs and basically gave everyone whatever they wanted until no one was left.

QuarterbackDThis could have been Stoney Case's time to shine. Instead, he was inconsistent and didn't step up his game in the second half. A few of his passes were dropped, but the quarterback of the future has to perform better than he did yesterday for the Ravens to be successful.Running backsC+Running back Errict Rhett ran hard and briefly knocked safeties Blaine Bishop and Marcus Robertson out of the game in the second quarter with vicious hits. Fullback Chuck Evans also performed well as a receiver and a lead blocker, but the Ravens don't have a passing game to complement their rushing attack.

The Ravens' first exhibition game is still eight days away, and they won't play a regular-season game until mid-September, but they already have scored their first victory of 1999.They have defeated boredom, expunging the vanilla predictability that plagued their offense last season under former coach Ted Marchibroda.Even though new coach Brian Billick's first training camp at Western Maryland College is just a week old, it's already obvious that, at the very least, the Ravens will be more fun to watch this season.

QuarterbackTony Banks played well in the first three quarters, but he still has to learn to protect the ball. The rust from him being the No. 3 quarterback showed because his timing was off with the receivers on some routes. Overall, his first start was about what was expected, including at least one turnover. - D+Running backsErrict Rhett had 73 yards rushing on 24 carries, but he doesn't have a passing game or an outside threat to complement him. Rhett is a better pass blocker than given credit for. Fullback Chuck Evans blocked well and ran hard on his two attempts, but these two players don't become factors in the fourth quarter because the Ravens are usually playing catch-up.

SAN DIEGO -- The Denver Broncos' offense can't match up physically with the Green Bay Packers' defense, but a lot of motion could get the Broncos several mismatches in the passing game, which Denver hopes to convert into long gains and possibly touchdowns.For Denver's passing game to work, the Broncos have to establish running back Terrell Davis, which would force Green Bay to play seven or eight men in the box or near the line of scrimmage. If that happens, Denver will go after exposed cornerbacks Tyrone Williams on the left side and Doug Evans on the right, the Achilles' heel of the defense, on the deep out patterns.

It was great seeing quarterback Joe Flacco throw for more than 300 yards Sunday and the Ravens compile more than 500 yards in total offense. It was nice seeing all the new "weapons" in the arsenal and veteran tight end Todd Heap having a role in the offense again. When was the last time the Ravens scored three offensive touchdowns in a game, much less in the fourth quarter? There is great euphoria in Baltimore now because the Ravens have a real quarterback and offense. But a major concern lies underneath: The Ravens must not stray too far from their strength, and that's running the football.

Ravens run offense vs. Browns run defense: The Ravens controlled the clock with their running game against Cleveland six weeks ago, but it should be more of a challenge this time. Bothered by knee and ankle injuries, Willis McGahee (questionable) has averaged less than 3 yards a carry in three of his past four games. The Ravens' ground game has dried up on the road, averaging 3.4 yards a carry at Pittsburgh, Indianapolis and Miami. Cleveland's run defense bounced back last Sunday against a ragged Jaguars offensive line, holding Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew to 53 yards on 20 carries (2.7-yard average)

Contrary to popular opinion, the return of TE Kellen Winslow today in Cleveland actually might bode well for the Ravens. It has not gone unnoticed that the Browns have notched their two biggest victories of the season without Winslow. They beat the Giants, 35-14, with 454 yards of offense and the Jaguars (on the road), 23-17, with 327 yards. With Winslow on the field, the Browns' biggest offensive output was 261 yards against the Bengals. The theory in Cleveland is that the offense becomes one-sided toward Winslow when he plays and more balanced when he doesn't.

With only two minutes remaining on the game clock, UMBC and New Hampshire were tied at 54. For New Hampshire, it would be a huge upset on the road, a couple of hours in the making. For the Retrievers, with a conference title possibly just two minutes away, we were watching school history, several years in the making. For me, though, tired and dazed, with that eau de locker room smell emanating from my pores, it had been a long day of basketball - eight hours in the making, in fact. The stars had lined up perfectly yesterday, and in Baltimore, we had five area schools hosting games.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- On the day when the New England Patriots took the biggest step on their path to a perfect season, they were less than perfect. You might even call them flawed. Their quarterback threw three interceptions. Their star wide receiver caught one pass for 18 yards. They gave up 311 yards to an offense that was missing its best player and had its next two best players limping. If this was the best performance from the best team in the best conference in the best league, the NFL isn't as good as we thought.

Quarterback F Steve McNair looked tired and old. He couldn't hold onto the football when he should have tucked it away. He threw passes into the dirt and often threw behind receivers. McNair had three turnovers, and they played a major part in the Ravens' loss. Offensive line F This group looked tired and old, too. Left tackle Jonathan Ogden looked like a player who hasn't played in two months. Center Mike Flynn allowed too much penetration and right tackle Adam Terry allowed too much pressure off the perimeter.

The bye week arrived at the perfect time for the Ravens because it allowed a lot of emotion to subside. It was good for them to get away to let injuries as well as pride heal after the loss to the Buffalo Bills. As the Ravens begin preparations for the Pittsburgh Steelers on Nov. 5, you'll see a more focused team because of the veteran leadership, a team that has developed a sense of urgency. There is no guarantee of significant improvement, but the Ravens (4-3) have something to prove.

Calmly standing on the sideline exuding a seemingly unshakable confidence, silver-haired San Francisco 49ers coach Bill Walsh - who died yesterday of leukemia at the age of 75 - became as much a superstar as any of the glittering names who played for him on three Super Bowl championship teams. Mention of the 49ers dynasty, with rosters that included Joe Montana, Ronnie Lott, Jerry Rice, Roger Craig and Dwight Clark, is likely to come around to a discussion of Walsh as a football genius.

On the Ravens' passing game We took baby steps last season. We focused on the high-percentage short passes. ... But why are we still inefficient? I hope this year that the younger [offensive] linemen bring improvement in ... giving [Steve] McNair and the receivers more chances to go downfield to keep opposing defenses honest. I think the passing game is fine and will get better with an improved running game.

Can the Ravens develop a running game that can carry them deep into the playoffs? That's the team's burning question for the NFL playoffs, which begin today. There are hardly any other issues to be overly concerned about with the Ravens. Over the 16-game schedule, they have become a complete and balanced team. The quarterback play has improved and the team has developed a vertical passing game. Ovie Mughelli has established himself as a good fullback, and the offensive line play has been good despite several injuries.