Saints

A few suggestions for the Ravens before the last man leaves the complex and turns out the lights: Keep Adalius Thomas. Apologize to Mike Anderson and Derrick Mason. They were both wronged, in different ways. Draft a speedy running back. If you need 8 yards, don't throw a 5-yard pass. Please stop doing that. I'm picking Colts-Saints in the Super Bowl. I know the Bears will be tough at home, especially if the weather is nasty, but their defense can't handle all the Saints' weapons, and Rex Grossman is ... well ... Rex Grossman.

Most NFL prospects are discovered through a traditional process that begins with scouts coming to practices and ends with players being invited to the league's combine in Indianapolis and workouts for individual teams. Then there is the less-conventional way the New Orleans Saints found Towson's Jermon Bushrod, a 6-foot-5, 315-pound offensive tackle taken in the fourth round in last month's draft. "The computers," Saints assistant head coach Joe Vitt said, "had nothing to do with this one."

Here are staff predictions for today's conference championship games (not against the spread). Name Last week Playoff record Saints@Bears Patriots@Colts John Eisenberg 1-3 4-4 Bears Colts Jamison Hensley 2-2 5-3 Saints Patriots Edward Lee 2-2 4-4 Saints Colts Rick Maese 3-1 6-2 Bears Patriots Mike Preston 1-3 5-3 Saints Colts Peter Schmuck 2-2 6-2 Saints Colts David Steele 2-2 5-3 Saints Colts

QuarterbacksTony Banks throws the long ball as well as any quarterback in the league. It took coach Brian Billick too long to turn him loose yesterday. Banks made some great throws, including the touchdown pass to Priest Holmes and several sideline routes. But he also continues to have balls batted down at the line of scrimmage, and two of his three interceptions halted scoring drives. As for Stoney Case, it took only two passes to show why he isn't nearly as talented as Banks.CRunning backsThe Ravens didn't get much of a running game going.

Ravens center/guard Wally Williams agreed last night to a five-year contract with the New Orleans Saints worth $18.5 million, which includes a record signing bonus for an offensive lineman of $7 million, according to his agent, Tom Condon.Dallas Cowboys All-Pro offensive tackle Larry Allen had the previous high signing bonus for established linemen in the league at $6.1 million, Condon said. Williams will make an average of $3.7 million a season, the highest average of any NFL guard or center.

The fifth-ranked St. Mary's Saints left yesterday's Independent Athletic Association of Maryland tournament semifinal at No. 4 St. Paul's with mixed emotions after falling 2-0."It's tough, but we're still proud of ourselves," said Saints midfielder Courtney Thornton. "This is the first time in St. Mary's field hockey history that we've made it to the semifinals, so while we're sad because we knew we could win this game, we still have a lot to be proud of."The Saints (10-4-4) tried to rally late, forcing seven second-half penalty corners.

Better than advertised.The top-ranked McDonogh girls went into No. 2 St. Mary's tiny, packed gym in Annapolis yesterday afternoon and passed their toughest test to date, taking a page out of the homestanding Saints' book with a dominating fourth quarter to come away with a 63-54 win in a battle of unbeatens.The Eagles (15-0) won for the 33rd straight time dating to last season, further strengthening their status as the state's best team. The Saints -- unable to find the fourth-quarter magic they've enjoyed all season -- fell to 12-1.

In the beginning, he was "Iron Mike," the legendary tight end-turned-coach who would usher the New Orleans Saints into a bold, new era.When the Saints hired Mike Ditka as coach in 1997, they quickly adopted the slogan, "This year, we're made of Iron." For a while, anyway, it seemed these Saints were made of tougher stuff than their predecessors.But now, nearly three years later, the Saints are more scrap metal than playoff contender. In a city weaned on bad football, they deliver more of the same.

Carolina (3-5) at St. Louis (6-2)Time: 1 p.m.Line: Rams by 10.Vs. spread: Panthers 5-3; Rams 6-2.Last week: Panthers beat Eagles, 33-7. Rams lost to Lions, 31-27.Series: Panthers lead 5-3.Last meeting: Panthers won, 20-13, on Dec. 20, 1998, at Carolina.Outlook: Life on the road has been rough for the Rams the past two weeks, with tough losses at Tennessee and Detroit. They'll try to get back on track at home, where they're 4-0 and have outscored their opponents, 138-40. Carolina is coming off a rout of the Eagles, but the Panthers have had trouble handling success this year.

Junior midfielder Joe Thompson had four goals and an assist and junior attackman Justin Mullen had two goals and one assist as sixth-ranked St. Mary's upset No. 2 Gilman, 9-8, in Baltimore yesterday.Senior goalkeeper Chris Garrity had a career-high 20 saves for the Saints (2-0, 1-0 league) in the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference game.The win was the 211th for St. Mary's coach Jim Moorhead, who is in his 20th season. It shocked the defending league champs."They're a great team, but our defense -- Matt Pessagno, Kevin Stodd and Mack MacAdams, they all played outstanding," said Garrity, who is bound for Penn State on a lacrosse scholarship.

On October 23, 2009, Dolores Wolkoff Visitation for family and friends will be held on Saturday, October 24, 2009 from 4 to 7 P.M. and Sunday, October 25, 2009 from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 P.M. with a Panikhida Service at 7:00 P.M. in the HUBBARD FUNERAL HOME, INC., 4107 Wilkens Avenue, Baltimore, MD. Funeral Services will be held on Monday, October 26, 2009 at 10:00 A.M. in the Saints Peter and Paul Chapel at Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Cemetery, 6380 Elibank...

BOYS LACROSSE Player of the Year Jason Gonos St. Mary's A three-year starter and first-team All-Metro selection, Gonos led the No. 3 Saints (15-2) to the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference semifinals with consistently fine play on defense. The senior captain played with smarts, skills, toughness and athleticism in helping the team limit opponents to fewer than seven goals a game this season. Gonos, also a member of the Saints' B Conference champion football team, will play lacrosse at Harvard next year.

Men's college basketball Alleged violations could cost Memphis its 2007-08 wins Memphis athletic director R.C. Johnson defended the men's basketball program Thursday, saying the school checks out all potential players. He would not confirm that Derrick Rose, who led Memphis to the 2008 national title game, is at the center of an NCAA investigation of major violations during that season. In a letter to the school the NCAA says an unknown person took the SAT for a player, with his knowledge, and then the player used that test to get into Memphis.

Lutheran coach Paul Schildwachter describes senior Billy Seymour as a spark plug. If that's true, he sure picked the right time to fire. The senior went 3-for-3 at the plate with a double and pitched a one-hit shutout to lead Lutheran (14-5) to a 3-0 victory over Friends (15-4) and the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association B Conference championship at Ripken Stadium. The win was the first baseball title for the Saints since 1994, when they also won the B Conference Seymour knew he would pitch when the Saints lost to Friends on Wednesday by a run in the bottom of the seventh in the double-elimination tournament.

After each win, St. Mary's boys lacrosse coach Matt Hogan hands out a "hammer award" to the players who do the detailed, blue-collar work that plays big in the team's success. Starting slowly at Mount St. Joseph on Tuesday, the No. 3 Saints relied on a collective effort to take charge in a 12-3 win over the No. 7 Gaels in Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference play in Irvington. In improving to 8-1 overall and 2-1 in league play, the Saints overcame a 3-2 first-quarter deficit by blanking the Gaels (6-4, 1-3)

girls basketball Player of the Year Sheronne Vails, Arundel At 6 feet 5, Vails was a tough matchup for most opponents, and she helped the Wildcats go unbeaten through the Anne Arundel County league and win their seventh straight county championship. Vails carried much of the inside load while 6-foot-3 teammate Simone Egwu was injured for most of the big games, including Riverdale Baptist in which Vails had 18 points, 17 rebounds and five blocks in a losing effort. Averaging 11.9 points, 8.4 rebounds and 3.8 blocks, the junior is being recruited by Connecticut, Duke, Georgia and Louisville.

Wrestling No. 3 Old Mill @ Severna Park WHEN: Tuesday, 7 p.m. OUTLOOK: Both teams have depth through their lineups, with visiting Old Mill having the edge in experience. The Patriots, who went undefeated in county competition during the regular season last year, boast three defending state semifinalists - heavyweight Aaron Hawkins, 125-pound senior Willie Pumphrey and 130-pound sophomore Ron Vaughters. They also are coming off an impressive showing at the Mount Mat Madness Tournament last weekend and a recent dual-match victory over Howard County power River Hill.

Jamal Barney had 20 points, 10 rebounds and three steals for Loyola, but the Greyhounds fell to visiting Siena, 75-68, in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference opener for both teams last night. Brett Harvey scored 15 for Loyola (2-6, 0-1), which has lost three in a row. Alex Franklin scored 21 points and Edwin Ubiles added 20 to lead Siena (3-3, 1-0). After trailing by as many as 11 in the early minutes of the second half, Loyola cut the deficit to 51-48 on a coast-to-coast layup by Harvey with just less than 11 minutes to play.

Drew Brees and Deuce McAllister gave New Orleans Saints fans what they longed to see after 43 days away from the Superdome. Brees threw for four scores, McAllister set a Saints record with his 54th career touchdown and New Orleans rolled to a 51-29 victory over the Green Bay Packers last night. Brees dismantled a Packers secondary that came in ranked third in the NFL with 176.3 yards passing allowed per game. He was 20-for-26 for 323 yards as New Orleans tied a club record for points scored in a game.

Packers (5-5) @Saints (5-5) TIME, TV: : 8:30, ESPN LINE: : Saints by 1 FANTASY FACTOR: : Packers QB Aaron Rodgers was 18-for-22 for 178 yards and one TD and added a rushing TD in his only Monday night start. ... The last time Packers WR Donald Driver faced the Saints, he caught eight passes for 153 yards. ... The Saints lead the NFL in total offense. THE BUZZ: : This is the Saints' first game in the Superdome since Oct. 12, thanks to a "home" game in London, a bye week and three road games.