Punt Return

J.R. Johnson had the best view - so close that Tampa Bay Buccaneers punt returner Karl Williams had no choice but to head the opposite way. That proved to be the wrong way for Johnson and the Ravens, who were on their way to a 25-0 loss to the Bucs yesterday. After a series of fakes, Williams shot to his right and sprinted through a gaping hole in the Ravens' punt coverage, heading down the sideline and into the end zone for a 56-yard touchdown that put Tampa Bay up 10-0 late in the first quarter.

Despite cornerback Lardarius Webb's appearing to miss his second straight day of practice because of a toe injury on his left foot, Ravens special teams coordinator Jerry Rosburg isn't ruling Webb out on punt returns. Webb is tied for 10th in the NFL with a 10.7-yard average on punt returns, but his absence in practice would seem to throw some doubt on his availability for Sunday night's clash with the San Diego Chargers. Still, Rosburg clung to the possibility that Webb could contribute in some manner despite the toe injury.

PITTSBURGH -- It was supposed to be a momentum-shifter, the play that would haunt the Pittsburgh Steelers and invigorate the Ravens, who in five straight playoff wins had continually pulled rabbits out of their hats. The only magic that the Ravens could muster at Heinz Field yesterday, however, was Jermaine Lewis' 88-yard punt return for a touchdown in the third quarter, the longest in NFL postseason history. He was the only Raven to visit the end zone, as the special teams outscored the offense 7-3 in a 27-10 loss to Pittsburgh.

John Harbaugh sometimes gets mocked by sports talk radio callers for being a “special teams guru,” as if his ability to scheme up a good punt protection was the sole reason he was hired as Ravens head coach. He got the job for a myriad of reasons, one of which is his ability to manage and work with others. As he does with his offensive and defensive coordinators, Harbaugh trusts his special teams coordinator, Jerry Rosburg, to handle his area of expertise. But that doesn't mean that Harbaugh has no input on special teams.

In what many considered a statement game for a pair of Baltimore County football powers, No. 9 Hereford wasted little time Friday night putting No. 7 Eastern Tech on the ropes. In the end, however, it was the visiting Mavericks who delivered a stunning knockout blow. Trailing by 10 late in the fourth quarter, and seemingly out of contention, Eastern Tech scored two touchdowns in the final 3:38, including Criszon Brown's 60-yard punt return with 1:21 left in a 14-10 win. "I thought if we could just keep it close that we'd have a chance at the end," said Eastern Tech coach Marc Mesaros, who evened his career record against Hereford to 4-4. "This kind of evens out the score.

COLLEGE PARK - Maryland sophomore wide receiver Steve Suter's most memorable break last season was one he would rather forget. But a year after fracturing the index finger on his left hand and missing the final eight games of the Terrapins' 10-2 season, Suter is showing a knack for breaking into the clear as a return specialist. Take last night's 44-14 rout over the visiting Akron Zips at Byrd Stadium. For a brief moment late in the first quarter, after Akron quarterback Charlie Frye and wide receiver Nick Sparks had combined on a 65-yard touchdown to cut the Terps' lead to 14-7, the Zips had climbed back into the contest.

Eastern Tech accomplished nearly everything it could have hoped for last night. The Mavericks shut down the high-octane Potomac passing attack, stopping the Wolverines from completing a pass and holding them without a first down for the final three quarters. However, the top-ranked Mavericks had to deal with a bigger problem - the rain and a muddy field at CCBC-Essex. Yesterday's rain turned the field into a quagmire last night, stopping both teams from accomplishing much on offense. But Korey Coles scored on a 74-yard punt return in the second quarter and let Potomac pull away for an 8-0 victory over Eastern Tech in a Class 2A state semifinal game.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The Ravens answered several questions about their 1998 team last night in a 33-0 preseason win over the New York Jets before a crowd of 47,906 at Giants Stadium.And the most promising sign came from Jermaine Lewis, who showed he can be just as effective as an outside receiver as he was in the slot position a year ago.This could be the anticipated breakout season for Lewis in his bid to be a complete receiver.Last night, he set the tone with a 97-yard punt return for a touchdown in the first quarter, and then hauled in a 31-yard touchdown pass down the left sideline as the Ravens led, 20-0, at halftime.

Derrick AlexanderPos.: Wide receiverHeight: 6-2Weight: 195Age: 24College: MichiganPro experience: 2How acquired: First-round draft pick, 1994Highlights: Started 12 games in 1994 and only two last season. Was the team's top kick returner last season, averaging 13.6 yards on punts and 20 yards on kickoffs. Scored lone touchdown last year on a punt return. In 1994, he led team in receiving yardage (828).Personal: Caught 120 passes for 1,909 yards and 21 touchdowns at Michigan. He also score four TDs on punt returns, which tied zTC school record.

Rod WoodsonPosition: CornerbackHeight: 6-0Weight: 200Age: 33College: PurdueYear: 12thHighlights: Woodson, a five-time All-Pro and All-NFL team member was signed as a free agent to shore up a young cornerback position. Woodson was the 1993 NFL Defensive Player of the Year and was chosen to the league's 75th anniversary team. He has played on seven Pro Bowl teams. Woodson ranks in the top 15 all-time in five statistical categories: punt returns, punt-return yards, interceptions returned for touchdowns, kickoff returns, and kickoff-return yards.

In just his third year in the NFL, Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Mike Wallace has developed into one of the most dangerous deep threats in the league. Don't count Ravens cornerback Lardarius Webb as being impressed. Despite Wallace leading the NFL in catches of 40 yards or more (six) and ranking fourth in receiving yards (800), Webb said Wednesday that he thinks Wallace's teammate Antonio Brown is a better receiver. “Every time somebody asks me, they're always talking about Mike Wallace,” Webb said.

As a former special teams coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles, John Harbaugh has a personal interest in the Ravens' special teams. Naturally, the Ravens head coach had an opinion on the 82-yard punt return for a touchdown the team surrendered to Patrick Peterson in the second quarter of the Ravens' 30-27 win against the Arizona Cardinals Sunday. “Well, you've got to tackle, you know?” Harbaugh said during his weekly news conference Monday. “The punt return, we looked bad on that. We didn't get down the field fast enough. We didn't look fast at all. We didn't tackle.

The Ravens' stirring 30-27 comeback over the Arizona Cardinals Sunday masked a few deficiencies. One of those is the play of the special teams, which surrendered an 82-yard punt return for a touchdown by Arizona rookie Patrick Peterson in the second quarter. Add the 107-yard kick return for a touchdown by the New York Jets' Joe McKnight on Oct. 2, and it's the first time the Ravens have surrendered touchdowns on kick and punt returns in the same season since 2002. “It's disappointing,” said linebacker Albert McClellan, who leads the team in special-teams stops with seven this year.

When the punt bounced toward Gilman's Cyrus Jones with a little over three minutes left in a tie game against Calvert Hall Friday, his teammates yelled for him to let it roll into the end zone. They had plenty of time to go 80 yards for a touchdown. Jones figured he could get there a little quicker. The senior took the ball off the bounce at the 3-yard line, zig-zagged to the outside, got a huge block from Wyatt Dickerson to clear his final 25 yards, and raced to the end zone to give the No. 1 Greyhounds a 28-21 lead that would hold up for a Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference victory over the No. 2 Cardinals.

— Players and coaches often say that one play — whether made or missed — does not define a team or determine an outcome. What about two or three plays? That's the thought that will likely trail the Ravens into the offseason after falling to the Pittsburgh Steelers, 31-24, in an AFC divisional playoff game at Heinz Field on Saturday evening. From a holding penalty that wiped out Lardarius Webb's 55-yard punt return for a touchdown to Anquan Boldin's dropped catch in the end zone to T.J. Houshmandzadeh's fourth-down drop on the potential game-tying drive, the Ravens will be haunted by plays that could have changed the result and their destinations for next weekend.

Philadelphia 38, NY Giants 31 East Rutherford, NJ (Sports Network) - The Philadelphia Eagles have found several ways to deal the New York Giants heartbreaking defeats over the years, and they added another one to the list on Sunday. There was "The Fumble" in 1978, and there was Brian Westbrook's punt return in 2003. On Sunday, with these teams tied for the NFC East lead, it was the electric DeSean Jackson, whose 65-yard punt return on the game's final play lifted Philadelphia to a 38-31 victory over New York in one of the most memorable games in the NFL this season.

Andre Turner scored three touchdowns, including one on a 50-yard punt return, to lead visiting Joppatowne (2-1) past 1-2 John Carroll, 27-13, yesterday.Turner also scored on runs of 6 and 13 yards in the second half. Lewis McKisset scored on a 6-yard run for Joppatowne.McDonogh 34, Episcopal (Va.) 0Dwayne Stukes scored four touchdowns, including on a 73-yard interception return and a 77-yard punt return, leading visiting and No. 3 McDonogh (2-1) past Episcopal (Va.).Franklin 25, Catonsville 22Tyrone McCray scored two touchdowns as visiting Franklin (3-0)

At 5-feet-8, 155 pounds, C. Milton Wright senior Hardy McSpadden looks anything but imposing on the football field until he takes his first step.McSpadden scored on a run, a pass and a 90-yard punt return, and also had two interceptions, as the host Mustangs routed Aberdeen, 35-0, in a Harford County League game.The victory was important for Wright (7-1 overall, 5-1 in the league), which began the day ranked 10th in the Class 3A state playoff race, with only the top eight teams advancing to postseason play.

The good news for the Ravens is that they enter the bye with a 5-2 record and five of their remaining nine games at home. But the bad news is that problems on kickoff returns continue to haunt the team, which is tied with the Miami Dolphins for 23rd in the NFL with a 21.3-yard average. The Ravens are tied with 10 other teams with zero returns of 40 yards or more, and they are tied with four teams for the most fumbles on kickoff returns with two. The unit's troubles were punctuated Sunday when Josh Wilson was stripped of the football, and the Buffalo Bills converted the turnover into a field goal to take a 10-3 advantage with 2:01 left in the first quarter.

The Terps seemed listless. The Byrd Stadium crowd seemed restless. Everything changed once Tony Logan finally got the opportunity to field his first punt. Logan, who entered the day third in the nation in punt return average, faked left, went right and sailed 84 yards for a third-quarter touchdown that propelled the Terps to a 21-16 victory over Duke in Maryland's Atlantic Coast Conference opener Saturday. The Terps (4-1, 1-0 ACC) may have played an imperfect game — they trailed 9-0 until the final moments of the first half — but the victory allowed them to feel good about themselves heading into the bye week.