Siragusa

The defensive tackles practiced, the offensive tackles sat out, and the Ravens' walking wounded drew one day closer to Sunday's game against the Tennessee Titans, with the team unsure of the status of either line.Defensive tackle Tony Siragusa practiced for the first time in nearly two weeks, and fellow tackle Larry Webster practiced after leaving Sunday's game in Atlanta with a turf toe injury. But caution was the course for offensive tackles Jonathan Ogden (neck) and Harry Swayne (leg), who could practice today after sitting out yesterday's workout.

With nine years of pro football behind him, Ravens defensive tackle Tony Siragusa has faced his share of tough centers, but none brings the package that Pittsburgh's Dermontti Dawson does."

Second-year reserve defensive tackles Lional Dalton and Martin Chase are both getting set to play in Sunday's game against the Cleveland Browns after starter Tony Siragusa missed practice yesterday because of swelling and soreness in his left knee.Near lunchtime yesterday, Siragusa walked into the locker room and said he had been ordered to get a magnetic resonance imaging by team trainers. But that decision was changed, and Siragusa is listed as questionable."We were looking at the possibility of doing an MRI, but not now," said Ravens trainer Bill Tessendorf.

Ravens defensive tackle Tony Siragusa already has life after football planned.Siragusa estimates he has a minimum of two more good years of football left before he joins the media in a full-time capacity. He is doing that part-time now with his one-hour radio show, as well as a short segment on a Ravens pre-game television show.Siragusa said he expects to hook up with a major network to broadcast games in the future. For the present, Siragusa, 32, is again battling a nagging injury, this time to his thigh, and is listed as probable for Sunday's game against the Browns in Cleveland.

Qadry Ismail played on both sides of the fence yesterday, and the Ravens wide receiver came up shining on both counts.As a receiver, he accounted for nearly one-third of his team's passing yardage, while producing the day's biggest offensive play, a 45-yard reception from Stoney Case with about seven minutes left in the third quarter. That set up the Ravens' final score, giving them the cushion they needed to secure the first victory of the Brian Billick era.Then there was Ismail the impromptu defender.

Ravens starting defensive tackle Tony Siragusa is listed as questionable for tomorrow's game against the Cleveland Browns, but there is a strong possibility he will not play because of a recurring knee problem.Siragusa had been expected to practice yesterday, but missed his second consecutive workout after his left knee tightened up.He was sent for an MRI, but team officials did not reveal the results. Team doctor Claude T. Moorman also did not return phone calls yesterday.Ravens coach Brian Billick said a decision on Siragusa will be made at game time tomorrow, but the Ravens decided to activate second-year reserve defensive tackle Martin Chase yesterday for the first time this season.

Defensive tackle Tony Siragusa, who is three days removed from having arthroscopic surgery on his left knee, will miss this week's game in Atlanta, and the Ravens expect to have him back in the lineup the following week against the Tennessee Titans.Ravens head trainer Bill Tessendorf said Siragusa was experiencing "a lot of swelling" in the knee, after having floating particles removed."The MRI showed a lot of old, wear-and-tear fragments in there, and a lot of that stuff got flushed out," Tessendorf said.

The Tennessee Titans are anxious to get their stagnant running game going, because they have the second-worst rushing attack in the NFL through four games. And the Ravens could be taking the field Sunday in Nashville without starting defensive tackles Tony Siragusa and Larry Webster.That means the spotlight figures to shine on the younginterior defensive line duo of Lional Dalton and Martin Chase. It also points to a concentrated role inside for fellow backup Fernando Smith, who can play any line position in the Ravens' 4-3 alignment.

Down 22 points with a minute to play yesterday, the Bengals waved a white flag and ran a rookie halfback off right tackle. The Ravens' first shutout in four years in Baltimore was at hand.But Ravens nose tackle Tony Siragusa wasn't ready to celebrate."Don't give 'em anything! Not now!" Siragusa shouted at the defense as the final seconds ticked off the clock.Paranoia? Hardly. A week earlier, the Ravens had carried a shutout into the fourth quarter only to watch the Saints draw a mustache on the masterpiece with a late touchdown.

PITTSBURGH -- The pass-rushing highlights belonged to the other guys, for a change. Not right end Michael McCrary. Not outside linebacker Peter Boulware.An unusual thing happened on the way to the Ravens' 31-24 victory at Three Rivers Stadium. While McCrary and Boulware, the team's top pass rushers, were shut out, an unlikely trio -- tackles Tony Siragusa and Larry Webster and left end Rob Burnett -- emerged to make life miserable in the pocket for Steelers quarterback Mike Tomczak.Siragusa and Burnett led the way with two sacks apiece.

Candles in a man cave? Tony Siragusa is having none of it. "What's up with the candles?" the former Ravens defensive tackle booms in mock (but not totally mock) indignation. "Where are the design girls? Yoo-hoo, design girls? You got candles in my man cave. I don't like them." The crew filming an episode of the DIY Network's "Man Caves," in Baltimore to create a personal space for Charm City Cakes owner Duff Goldman, laughs a little nervously, and there's a flurry of activity as those responsible for the offending candles - both women, of course - are ferreted out. Designers Hilary Reuben and Becca Citrone stand their ground, however, and the candles stay.

The Ravens' defense didn't just force five turnovers in a 27-9 playoff win over the Miami Dolphins. This ball-hawking group is also forcing the issue of where does it rank among the other great Ravens defenses. The 2000 defense will go down as perhaps the best in NFL history because it set records and carried a team to a Super Bowl. The 2008 defense isn't yet in that class, but it has separated itself with the ability to create turnovers and convert them into touchdowns. So, where does this defense stand at this point?

Three days before the start of free agency, the Ravens' big target just happens to be their biggest player. Maake Kemoeatu, a burly 6-foot-5, 350-pound nose tackle, is considered the Ravens' priority based on their need and the market. If they lose Kemoeatu, it's assumed there isn't anyone on the Ravens' roster or in free agency who can adequately replace him. Agent Ken Vierra said yesterday the Ravens have been "aggressive" in trying to re-sign Kemoeatu before free agency begins Friday but indicated the first-year starter is basically forced to test the market.

Moments before the snap, when he puts his hands down in the dirt, slides one leg slightly behind the other and assumes the most basic football stance, Ravens defensive tackle Maake Kemoeatu knows he has it relatively easy. That is, at least from a mental standpoint. While others around him, specifically the center or guard with whom Kemoeatu will soon wrestle and the running back whom he wants to stop cold, may have a thousand things running through their respective minds, Kemoeatu has just one thought.

THE TIMING IS perfect. On a team that had chemistry problems last season, especially on defense, the Ravens have hired line coach Rex Ryan as defensive coordinator. Ryan is probably the assistant coach most respected by the players. Can he make some of the problems go away? Probably. And if he doesn't, look for any potential troublemakers to start disappearing during the next year or two. Ryan has a great knowledge of the game, which is why he has been such a hot commodity the past couple of years.

Ravens rookies need to be on alert. Besides dealing with the normal training camp hazing from current players, rookies can expect a fair share of verbal abuse from one of the most outspoken Ravens of all time. Defensive tackle Tony Siragusa, who retired from football at the end of the 2001 season after five years with the Ravens, will join the team's preseason television crew as an analyst. Siragusa will work with play-by-play announcer Dick Stockton and Daryl Johnston for all four preseason games, the first of which is Aug. 9 at M&T Bank Stadium against the Buffalo Bills.

OH, WHAT A weekend it was: escalating nuclear tensions with North Korea, a looming war with Iraq, more grim news about the economy. Yet overshadowing them all, of course, was the big-screen debut of Tony Siragusa. Yes, the popular ex-Raven now appears in a theater near you in The 25th Hour, the new Spike Lee film that stars Edward Norton as a drug dealer with 24 hours left before he goes off to the slammer to do serious time. Siragusa plays Kostya Novotny, a hulking Ukrainian leg-breaker who helps Norton's character, Monty Brogan, collect his drug money.

Jeff Blake Since Brian Billick became the Ravens' coach, questions about who should be his quarterback have come up every year. With Blake, 31, in the fold, more questions are to be expected. What the former Pro Bowl player gives the team is a viable option. If starter Chris Redman falters and Blake performs well, Billick would have to decide whether to stick with Red man, touted as the team's quarterback of the future, or try to salvage the sea son by switching to Blake, who signed a one-year contract.

PITTSBURGH - Ravens defensive tackle Tony Siragusa ended his career downtrodden, a mood directly related to the outcome of his final game. The Steelers beat the Ravens, 27-10, in an AFC divisional playoff game at Heinz Field yesterday, and in the process sent one of the NFL's most recognizable players - who's normally anything but down - into retirement. Siragusa said that the finality had not hit him yet, expressing more disappointment in how the Ravens played. "You do something your whole life and it comes to an end. It's tough, especially going out like this," Siragusa said.

Quarterback F Elvis Grbac was rattled early and lost his poise. He had a quarterback rating of 26.1. He threw three interceptions and easily could have thrown four more, including two that were dropped and could have been returned for easy touchdowns. Against tough defenses, he doesn't step up. Offensive line F The Ravens allowed only three sacks, but Grbac took more pounding than an old Muhammad Ali punching bag. Right tackle Kipp Vickers can play numerous positions, but he is nothing more than a stopgap measure at any of them.