Special Teams

The fullback position in professional football is often overlooked, wedged in a no-man's land between the quarterback and the featured running back in a team's offense. As a result, fullbacks go relatively unnoticed by casual fans. "There's a lot of work that's done that's not seen, but by the guys in the running back room," Ravens fullback Justin Green said. "You look at a guy like Ovie Mughelli or Lorenzo Neal [of the San Diego Chargers], they are really important to their team. I just try to model myself after guys like that."

CINCINNATI -- The Ravens needed a 50-yard field goal as time expired to beat the worst team in the NFL yesterday. That tells you how well they played."

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Let no one mistake what happened yesterday. The Ravens played their best defensive game ever, one of the best defensive games of this or any other NFL season.It wasn't enough.It's never enough with this team."For whatever reason, we are short by one thing," coach Brian Billick said after the Ravens' 6-3 loss to Jacksonville."Whether it's three points to Tennessee, three points to Pittsburgh, three points to Buffalo, three points to Jacksonville. I'd love to lose by four points.

Cornell Brown has been warming up for this chance for two seasons and three training camps. And if the tender right shoulder of outside linebacker Peter Boulware fails to hold up this season, Brown could find himself confronting the biggest moment of his young career.Brown could be a starter."I'm just waiting for the challenge," Brown said after yesterday's dramatic 28-24 victory over the New York Giants in the preseason finale."A lot of great players make their mark by getting the chance that maybe I might receive.

TransactionsBaseballAstros: C Randy Knorr cleared waivers and chose free agency. P Derek Root, P Joe Slusarski and OF Ryan Thompson (Chestertown) cleared waivers and were sent outright to Triple-A New Orleans.Blue Jays: Released P John Hudek. Outrighted C Kevin Brown to Triple-A Syracuse. OF Jacob Brumfield rejected outright assignment to Syracuse and chose free agency. Named Omar Malave coach at Triple-A Syracuse; Rocket Wheeler manager, Craig Lefferts pitching coach and Hector Torres coach at Double-A Knoxville.

QuarterbackB - Tony Banks had a second solid performance and made some great throws early in the game that the two previous starters couldn't make. Banks held onto the ball after two rough sacks and tucked it away when scrambling. For the first time after a game this season, no one asked coach Brian Billick who would start at QB the next week.A - Running backsErrict Rhett had more than 100 yards rushing, but fullback Chuck Evans did a lot of damage on lead blocking to spring Rhett. Rhett has good vision and gained a lot of yards on cutbacks, but his touchdown was scored running straight ahead after Rhett noticed the Browns weren't aggressive in pursuing him in the second half.

Faced with the prospect of losing backup middle linebacker Tyrell Peters temporarily to a hamstring injury, the Ravens re-signed veteran linebacker Jeff Kopp yesterday.To make room on the 53-man roster for Kopp, who played in seven games here last year and was cut when the team finalized its roster on Sept. 5, the Ravens waived tight end Lovett Purnell.A team source also said that quarterback Scott Mitchell, who was benched in favor of new starter Stoney Case in Sunday's home opener against Pittsburgh, has been dropped to No. 3 on the depth chart.

It's not that Billy Davis had begun to doubt his ability as a wide receiver. But by igniting the Ravens' biggest play from scrimmage a week ago, Davis presented a long-awaited reminder of the threat he could be.The 1999 season has been a strange trip for Davis.He signed a one-year contract with the Ravens after enjoying a breakthrough season in Dallas last year. Upon his arrival at training camp, Davis looked around at all of the young and unproven receivers and figured he had a legitimate chance to crack the starting lineup.

It must be football season, since Bennie Thompson is sporting a cast.The Ravens' reserve safety, who at 36 is the oldest player on the team, made light of the fractured pinkie he suffered on his left hand in Thursday's preseason-opening 10-7 victory over Philadelphia.Thompson, fresh off a Pro Bowl season as a special teams player, got hurt while playing safety with the third-team defense in the second half. He does not remember the play in question.This keeps an interesting streak alive. Since coming to Baltimore with the Cleveland Browns in 1996, Thompson has yet to make it through a season without requiring a cast of some kind on one of his hands.

BaseballRoyals: Recalled 1B-OF Larry Sutton from Triple-A Omaha.BasketballCavaliers: Signed F Ryan Stack.CollegeBaruch: Women's basketball coach Rick Swillinger resigned.Canisius: AD Daniel Starr resigned, effective June 30, 2000.FootballNFL: Named following Players of the Week: AFC offense, Dolphins QB Dan Marino; AFC defense, Patriots DE Willie McGinest; AFC special teams, Titans K Al Del Greco; NFC offense, Cowboys QB Troy Aikman; NFC defense, Lions DE Robert Porcher; NFC special teams, Cardinals K Chris Jacke.

David Tyree has been to the sports mountaintop. But he has been to the bottom, too. There is hardly a better example of humility in sports than watching a Super Bowl hero beg for a job. But right now, just having a job is something to be grateful for, and Tyree - who signed with the Ravens this week, primarily to fill the void on special teams left by Brendon Ayanbadejo's season-ending injury - is extremely grateful. "I'm thrilled," Tyree said. "To arrive on a football team with the amount of depth and talent that we have here in Baltimore, I'm thrilled to just be another piece to the puzzle.

It's not necessarily on par with the defense losing Ray Lewis or Ed Reed or the offense bidding farewell to Joe Flacco or Derrick Mason, but the void created by the season-ending injury to Brendon Ayanbadejo resonates deep within the Ravens' special teams. Labeled the "heart and soul" of the unit, Ayanbadejo was a critical cog on every special teams group except field-goal protection, a relentless pursuer of opposing return specialists, and a de facto coach on the field. "You don't replace him because there's no one person who can go in and do what he has done on special teams," special teams coordinator Jerry Rosburg said Thursday of Ayanbadejo, who underwent surgery with renowned surgeon Dr. James Andrews to repair a torn left quadriceps tendon Wednesday after suffering the injury in the Ravens' 27-21 loss to the New England Patriots on Sunday.

Brendon Ayanbadejo, a three-time Pro Bowl player for his achievements on special teams, had no doubts he could contribute on both defense and special teams. Convincing his coaches required a little more effort. "I always believed in myself, but I knew it was going to take a coach to back me up and support me and believe in my skills," Ayanbadejo said. "Obviously, it did take awhile. I just told coaches: 'Give me a chance. Just put me in there, and you can't just throw me in for one play and you can't just throw me in for two plays.

Rookie defensive end Paul Kruger would like to end the speculation. Yes, he is eager to play special teams for the Ravens. No, he hasn't refused to do it. "I've been practicing with special teams since Day One," Kruger said Wednesday. "The biggest thing I want people to understand is, I'm 100 percent willing and excited to be on any special teams, at any position on the field that I can. "The notion that I have refused to play is just ridiculous. The coaches wouldn't allow that in the first place.

Ravens punter Sam Koch was so focused on the ball that he never saw Jon McGraw coming, never saw where the ball went after it left his foot or who ended up with it in the end zone. But Koch had a pretty good idea none of it was good. "I was very surprised," Koch said after the Ravens escaped their misadventures on special teams Sunday with a 38-24 win over the Kansas City Chiefs. "I think I heard it hit something, and then I didn't know what to do. I didn't know where it went." McGraw not only blocked Koch's second punt of the day early in the second quarter, but he also recovered the ball for a touchdown that gave Kansas City life.

Louisiana Tech (0-1) at Navy (0-1) When: : 3:30 p.m.TV: : CBS College Sports RADIO: : 1090 AM, 1430 AM LINE: : Navy by 7 1/2 SERIES: : First meeting LOOKING OUT FOR NO. 1: : Both teams lost their season openers on the road to Bowl Championship Series teams: Navy was edged by Ohio State, 31-27, and Louisiana Tech fell to Auburn, 37-13. The Bulldogs gave up 556 yards of total offense, including 301 on the ground, to the Tigers. But Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo was impressed with Louisiana Tech's team speed; there wasn't a big disparity between its players and Auburn's, he said.

Playing special teams might be the closest a man will get to a game of human pinball. For the most part, it's the lowest rung on the NFL food chain, where rookies bide their time until they earn the right to start, and where undrafted free agents scratch and claw to prove they belong. The best special teams players sacrifice their bodies on a regular basis, and it's not a surprise that every kickoff or punt ends in a tangled pile of limbs and shoulder pads. Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo is a millionaire because he does it about as well as anyone in football.

When the Ravens started training camp a few weeks ago, Matt Stover wasn't kicking a football. He was just kicking back. Stover, the team's primary kicker throughout their 13-year history, took his wife, Debbie, to the Bahamas. This marks the first time since 1989 that Stover hasn't suited up for an NFL training camp. "It's all about my family," Stover said of his first few months out of the NFL. But don't get the wrong impression - Stover has taken time to relax, but he isn't retiring.

Practice times are subject to change, so call 410-261-RAVE (7283) for updates. Monday: Quarterbacks, rookies and select players report to camp. No practices and no autograph sessions. Tuesday: 8:45 a.m., 3:30 p.m. Wednesday: 8:45 a.m., 3:30 p.m. All veterans report to camp. Thursday: Practice closed to public and media. Friday: 8:45 a.m., 2:45 p.m. First full-squad practices open to the public. Saturday: 8:45 a.m., 2:45 p.m. Next Sunday: 8:45 a.m., 2:45 p.m. Aug. 3: 8:45 a.m., 2 p.m. (special teams)

The Ravens begin training camp when rookies, quarterbacks and selected veterans report to McDaniel College on July 27. To help you prepare, each Sunday we'll update you about the team. This week we tell you about a study on obesity involving NFL players, led by the Ravens' team doctor. Next Sunday, we examine rule changes involving the special teams. Are you ready for some football?