Punt

Saints' return men vs. Ravens' Bennie ThompsonThe New Orleans Saints are the fourth-worst scoring team in the NFL, which means they probably will need excellent field position to make a dent in one of the league's top defenses today.That's where Ravens special teams standout Bennie Thompson comes in.As one of the keys in the Ravens' kickoff and punt coverage units, Thompson will have his sights set on two targets -- kick return man Dino Philyaw and punt returner Eddie Kennison.Philyaw, a third-year player out of Oregon who stands 5 feet 10 and weighs 205 pounds, ranks sixth in the NFC with a 23.7-yard kick return average on 36 kickoffs.

There was no shortage of opinions on why the Ravens special teams have looked so sickly throughout the preseason.Corey Harris pointed to the annual parade of rookies, many of whom have little chance to make the final roster, who play on coverage and return units. Tyrell Peters mentioned communication problems and the challenge of learning a new system under a new position coach. Tony Vinson blamed the ills on a lack of focus and discipline.What in the world has happened to that once-respectable group known as the Ravens special teams?

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Steve Spurrier couldn't resist the temptation to revive his Fun 'N' Gun offense in the state where he perfected it, and that decision proved disastrous for the Washington Redskins. The Redskins could not overcome their offensive woes, and the defense that bent finally broke as the host Jacksonville Jaguars scored 26 unanswered points to register a 26-7 thrashing before 66,665 at Alltel Stadium yesterday. The loss ended a two-game winning streak for Washington (4-5)

INSIDE SLANT George Kokinis, the Ravens' assistant director of player personnel, sizes up the Saints: Strength Special teams. Ranked in the top 10 in punt and kickoff coverage, the Saints are fast and don't allow too much room. They're aggressive, going through blockers to get to the ball carrier. Ranked in the top five in both punt and kickoff returns, the Saints battle down the field for blocks to create something because they know they have a weapon behind them in returner Michael Lewis.

ASHBURN, Va. -- The Washington Redskins' special teams haven't been so special lately. And so for the third time in as many weeks, Washington made a change to the unit, waiving punter Andy Groom in favor of former Cleveland Brown Derrick Frost yesterday. The move comes two weeks after the team signed former Maryland kicker Nick Novak to replace John Hall, who strained his quadriceps in the Redskins' 9-7 season-opening victory over Chicago. Washington (2-0) made room for Novak by waiving return specialist Antonio Brown, whose fumble in the third quarter of that game led to the Bears' touchdown.

COLLEGE PARK - - Gary Douglas still has three running backs ahead of him on the Maryland depth chart. He knows there are only so many rushing plays to go around. But Douglas, a redshirt sophomore, got 17 carries during Sunday afternoon's scrimmage, taking advantage of the touches by running for a game-leading 122 yards and impressing the head coach. "He has probably more elusive moves than any running back we have," coach Ralph Friedgen said after the scrimmage at Byrd Stadium. "Where his problem has been is pass protection."

Le'Ron McClain didn't get the start last night, but his performance was no less noteworthy in the Ravens' 24-10 win against the Washington Redskins at M&T Bank Stadium. Injuries to Willis McGahee and rookie Ray Rice made McClain the Ravens' only healthy tailback, but the second-year fullback did not disappoint. On the offense's game-cementing 12-play drive in the fourth quarter, McClain carried the football 10 times for 43 yards. He opened the series with five consecutive rushes for 28 yards and ran five straight times for 15 more.

Even if safety Ed Reed had returned a punt for a touchdown rather than fumble one of his three attempts in Sunday's 17-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, there still would be no debate. Reed, apparently, is not in the running to unseat Lamont Brightful as the team's primary punt returner. The only reason he had chances Sunday was because of a third-quarter concussion suffered by Brightful. The team expects Brightful to be healthy for the Oct. 12 game at Arizona. "I don't want Ed or Chris [McAlister]

It all happened so fast. Kyle Delahooke was preparing to punt late in the second quarter of Navy's game at Pittsburgh last Saturday night, but the ball slipped out of his hands and fell to the grass. The Navy junior acted quickly - and as it turned out, incorrectly - as the Panthers' Shane Murray, a 6-foot-2, 230-pound linebacker, closed in on him. Delahooke, a former soccer player, kicked the ball off the ground. Delahooke was whistled for an illegal kick. That 15-yard penalty - plus the 8-yard loss on the fumble - gave Pittsburgh the ball at Navy's 15-yard line.

The Ravens-Tennessee Titans series has featured crucial missed field-goal tries, blocked punts returned for touchdowns, a blocked field-goal try returned for a touchdown and a 76-yard kickoff return. To the chagrin of the Titans, most of those plays have come at their expense. The Ravens carry a five-game winning streak over Tennessee into Saturday's playoff game at M&T Bank Stadium, and two of the games were essentially decided by game-changing special teams plays that went the Ravens' way. Ravens special teams coordinator Gary Zauner does not necessarily think the Ravens have a mental advantage, though.