Saints

I got a laugh out of the glowing description of the Mega Millions winners ("Maryland's richest educators," April 11). I would love to know how you could be a full-time teacher and have another full-time job and be a diligent teacher. It was also interesting to read that they intend to keep working. Let's see what happens when this school year ends because there are only two months left in this year. Anonymous

I got a laugh out of the glowing description of the Mega Millions winners ("Maryland's richest educators," April 11). I would love to know how you could be a full-time teacher and have another full-time job and be a diligent teacher. It was also interesting to read that they intend to keep working. Let's see what happens when this school year ends because there are only two months left in this year. Anonymous

Ravens 30, Saints 24 Fourth quarter: 0:09 Baltimore Field Goal - 27-yarder by Billy Cundiff. Ravens 27, Saints 24 Fourth quarter: 10:03 Baltimore Field Goal - 32-yarder by Billy Cundiff. Ravens 24, Saints 24 Fourth quarter: 11:34 New Orleans Touchdown - 15-yard pass from Drew Brees to Lance Moore. (Garrett Hartley extra point is good). Ravens 24, Saints 17 Third quarter: 2:15 Baltimore Field Goal - 33-yarder by Billy Cundiff.

Joe Vitt went directly from the football field at Towson State to his first job in the NFL as the strength coach of the Baltimore Colts in 1979. A little more than 30 years later, Vitt finds himself in the middle of one of the biggest stories in the league's recent history - and one of its biggest scandals. Though the 57-year-old New Orleans Saints assistant coach has been suspended by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell for the first six games of the 2012 season for his role in an illegal bounty system, Vitt was named interim coach Thursday by the Saints.

SCOUTING REPORT: Game 14 vs. NEW ORLEANS Ravens run offense vs. Saints run defense: This is a critical area of the game for the Ravens, who have to figure out a way to re-establish a once-powerful ground attack. The Ravens need to control the clock and keep their tiring defense off the field. The Saints are susceptible in this area, giving up 85-plus yards to five running backs this season. The Ravens are averaging a meager 3.6 yards per carry, but they're 4-1 when they run the ball more than 30 times in a game this season.

In a game between two undefeated football teams, visiting No. 8 Boys' Latin couldn't overcome five turnovers as St. Anne's-Belfield handed the Lakers their first loss of the season, 14-10, on Saturday. The Saints improved to 6-0, and Boys' Latin fell to 5-1. St. Anne's-Belfield has outscored opponents 117-47. Boys' Latin led 10-6 at half, but Charlie Murray scored for St. Anne's on a 1-yard touchdown run in the third quarter that proved to be the difference. The Lakers lost two fumbles and threw three interceptions, and Brandon Barnes scored the only touchdown on a 2-yard run. Girls soccer No. 2 Mercy 3, No. 8 C.M. Wright 2: Alexis Prior-Brown scored two goals in the first half for the host Magic (11-1-1)

1. Re-establish the running game. The Ravens need to control the clock and keep their tiring defense off the field. The Saints are susceptible in this area, giving up 85-plus yards to five running backs this season. 2. Continue making strides on special teams. David Reed and Lardarius Webb are becoming dangerous in the return game. That could come into play against New Orleans, which has the 19th-ranked kickoff coverage team and the 28th-ranked punt coverage team. 3. Start off fast.

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.

Every time I put out one of my mock drafts, readers tell me they think things would play out differently (chances are we'll both end up being wrong). Well, now you get a chance to play GM in my first-ever reader NFL mock draft. Here's how it works. I'll post a daily poll where you can vote to decide what the team that's on the clock should do with its pick. To keep it simple, I'll give you five options for each pick. If you think I missed somebody, let me know in the comments section.

R egardless of which team won the Super Bowl on Sunday night, true football fans had to appreciate the game. It featured the No. 1-ranked team in each conference and two of the best offenses in the NFL. And it doesn't get much better than Peyton Manning versus Drew Brees, or was that Drew Brees against Peyton Manning? Either way, most fans went to bed entertained and satisfied. That hasn't always been the case when watching the Ravens play. We understand the tradition here in Baltimore, and how defense wins championships, and blah, blah, blah.

The historic Linwood estate has been known for many things, from hosting a Confederate general to its current mission to help children and adults with autism live a better life. But if the National Christ Child Society gets its way, the antebellum property in Ellicott City might one day become sacred ground. For it was in the whispers of a Linwood wheat field 134 years ago that an 11-year-old Mary Virginia Merrick felt the call of God on her heart and knelt among the golden stalks in prayer.

Given the recent crackdown on contract hits, as noted in "Sins of the Saints" (March 22) and other player run-ins with the law, perhaps the acronym NFL refers to the National Felons League. Dennis R. McCartney, Baltimore

Timmy Hardy and Mike Bonacci are playing together on the St. Mary's attack for the first time this season, but you wouldn't have guessed that Wednesday night at Severna Park. Hardy, a freshman, finished with five goals and an assist, and the senior Bonacci scored once and assisted on four of Hardy's tallies as the No. 5 Saints came away with a 9-7 win over the Falcons. Trailing 7-6 midway through the fourth quarter, the Saints (3-2) scored the game's final three goals to pull out the win with Hardy scoring the tying and game-winning goals and assisting on the insurance goal.

Now that it's cracked down on the "Sins of the Saints" (March 22), petty soon the No Fun League will be a flag football or two hand touch league. T. McDonough, Towson

Say this much for Roger Goodell: when he sends a message, he sends a message. In fact, the last guy to send a message like this was probably Vito Corleone. The NFL commissioner didn't fool around when disciplining the New Orleans Saints for their infamous "bounty" program. He whacked them good. Saints coach Sean Payton? Suspended without pay for the 2012 season. Saints general manager Mickey Loomis? Suspended without pay for the first eight regular-season games. And you know you're getting the book thrown at you when an assistant coach (Joe Vitt)

The NFL has dropped the hammer on the New Orleans Saints. And believe me, it was a heavy hammer. The league on Wednesday afternoon announced the punishment for the Saints in their bounty scandal. (And moments later, the New York Jets announced that they had traded for Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow, a sequence of events that surely put Twitter's servers to the test.) With its ruling on the Saints, the NFL made it clear that bounty systems must go the way of leather helmets.

Now that it's cracked down on the "Sins of the Saints" (March 22), petty soon the No Fun League will be a flag football or two hand touch league. T. McDonough, Towson

Reaction from Baltimore Sun reporters and editors about the NFL's penalties against the New Orleans Saints over the use of a “bounty” system on defense: Mike Preston, Baltimore Sun columnist: If NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell suspended New Orleans head coach Sean Payton for 16 games as reported, it would be one of the stiffest punishments ever. Goodell is definitly sending a message that there is no room for this type of behavior in the NFL. The penalties put the Saints in a serious hole.

The Ravens' stated offseason priority of bolstering their offensive line just got a little more difficult. Ben Grubbs, one of the group's top performers, signed a long-term deal with the New Orleans Saints, the team announced. The deal is for five years, $36 million and includes a $10 million signing bonus and $16 million guaranteed. ESPN first reported the terms. "I'm confident in my skills and I feel like I still haven't maxed out yet," Grubbs told The New Orleans Times-Picayune . "Now is the time to show the second half of my career is going to be better than the first.