Steve Mcnair

Kyle Boller's life is ruled by uncertainty. As the Ravens backup quarterback, he has his attention fixed on Steve McNair, never knowing when he will be called upon to run from the sideline and take over the offense. Ravens training camp Through Aug. 18, McDaniel College, Westminster Today: No practice Online: baltimoresun.com/ravenscentral

Last week, we asked which Raven should retire after this season. The results: Steve McNair (67 percent) Jonathan Ogden (26.6 percent) Mike Flynn (5.3 percent) Matt Stover (1.1 percent) This week's question: What will be the Ravens' final record? A. 4-12 B. 5-11 C. 6-10 D. 7-9 To vote, go to baltimoresun.com/ravenspoll

SEATTLE-- --This might say it all about Troy Smith: After one NFL start, he has virtually the same quarterback rating this season as the two players who preceded him, Steve McNair and Kyle Boller. A mediocre rating, but still almost identical. There are many ways to interpret that. Here are two: Smith got up to speed quickly to match the level of the average NFL starter. And: This is the fate of all Ravens quarterbacks because this is the offense they're dealt, and no one ever has done or ever will do much with it. Steelers@Ravens Sunday, 4:15 p.m., Ch. 13, 1090 AM, 97.9 FM Line: Off the board

Losing its luster Teams no longer fear the Ravens' defense, which has lost its dominant aura. The Ravens gave up three touchdowns in the first half, including a 78-yard catch by Browns receiver Braylon Edwards, who beat cornerback Chris McAlister on a deep route. The defense finished with no sacks and one turnover. Red-zone blues The Ravens struggled in the red zone, scoring one touchdown in four trips inside the Browns' 20-yard line. Quarterback Steve McNair (above), who said he wasn't bothered by his groin injury, continually overthrew receivers in the end zone and finished 4-for-8 for 28 yards in the red zone.

In allowing injured Steve McNair to rest for another week, the Ravens are adamant about avoiding an unwanted pain - a quarterback controversy. Even if backup Kyle Boller, who is 2-0 as a starter this season, has a solid outing Sunday at the Buffalo Bills, coach Brian Billick said he would not be tempted to keep him as the starter. At yesterday's news conference, Billick emphasized that McNair will return as the starting quarterback for the Ravens (4-2) after the bye if he has recovered from groin and back injuries.

The reeling Ravens have to endure another quarterback controversy today, and it has nothing to do with Steve McNair. When the Cleveland Browns (5-4) play the Ravens (4-5) at M&T Bank Stadium, a sellout crowd of 71,000 will watch the quarterback it has clamored for all season (Kyle Boller) and the one it now wishes it had (Derek Anderson). Browns@Ravens Today, 1 p.m., chs. 13, 9, 1090 AM, 97.9 FM Line: Browns by 3

Last week, we asked what should the Ravens do to improve their offense. The results: Bench Steve McNair (47.8 percent) Change the play-calling (35.0 percent) Run Willis McGahee more (14.3 percent) Change the offensive line (2.9 percent) This week's question: Who is the best pass rusher in Ravens history? A. Peter Boulware B. Michael McCrary C. Adalius Thomas D. Terrell Suggs To vote, go to baltimoresun.com/ravenspoll

Although the Ravens are hoping that Trevor Pryce might return for the Oct. 14 game against the St. Louis Rams, the defensive end is not nearly as optimistic. Pryce, who hasn't played since fracturing his left wrist in the third quarter of the Ravens' win over the New York Jets on Sept. 16, said yesterday that he did not think he would be ready to play before the team's bye Oct. 28. "After the bye," Pryce said of his projected return. "I'm almost 90 percent sure I'll play against Pittsburgh [on Nov. 5]

The Ravens were without their starting quarterback. They were without their best tight end. And they were without a majority of their starting offensive line. But yesterday against the hapless St. Louis Rams, the Ravens proved they still had something just as valuable - their swagger on defense. After enduring hits all season about their status as an elite defense, the Ravens took out their frustrations on the winless Rams in a 22-3 victory at M&T Bank Stadium, taking away the ball six times and eventually taking out Rams quarterback Gus Frerotte.

Lucky Ravens The Ravens should send Jets receiver Justin McCareins a gift basket, but he would probably drop that, too. McCareins' inability to catch two potential touchdown passes on the Jets' final drive stopped the game from going into overtime and allowed the Ravens to escape with a 20-13 win. The game essentially ended when a pass went off McCareins' hands in the end zone and fell into Ray Lewis' arms. Coming attraction The Ravens play the Arizona Cardinals, who know how the Ravens feel.

Nobody spoke Saturday of the sordid details of Steve McNair's death. At the Reed Green Coliseum in Hattiesburg, Miss., the former Ravens and Tennessee Titans quarterback was remembered as a father, husband, son, teammate and mentor by some of the nearly 5,000 people in attendance. "Steve was like a hero to me," Titans quarterback Vince Young said, "and heroes are not supposed to die." Article, PG 7

The public tributes for Steve McNair began yesterday at LP Field in Nashville, a memorial service is set for today and the sad and sordid details of his life and murder keep slowly leaking out. And all of this pains McNair's former teammates on the Ravens, who say they'll remember a completely different Steve McNair from the one who's been portrayed in the news the last few days. Look at what was reported about the guy in the past 24 hours alone: First, a friend of McNair's came forth and said, no, McNair and his wife weren't planning to divorce.

Barring a change of mind by voters, former Ravens quarterback Steve McNair will not be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. In The Baltimore Sun's poll of selectors this week, the three-time Pro Bowl player would fail to gain the 80 percent approval needed for election. Seventeen of the 24 voters who responded to The Sun - the committee has 44 members - said they did not consider McNair a Hall of Fame quarterback because he lacked elite career numbers. McNair, who was shot and killed Saturday, is eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2013.

Former NFL quarterback Steve McNair left this world under tawdry circumstances, which might help some people come to grips with another senseless, violent death, but you know it's not as simple as somebody just being in the wrong place at the wrong time doing the wrong thing. Whatever his sins were, he has surely paid a greater price for them than most, which makes this less of a lesson in morality than another cautionary tale about the perils of wealth and fame. Why do so many big-time athletes and big-time celebrities get themselves into situations that end tragically?

The sensational murder of Steve McNair will tarnish the veteran quarterback's legacy in the eyes of fans, former Ravens coach Brian Billick said Monday. McNair, who played under Billick in 2006 and 2007, was shot and killed Saturday in Nashville, Tenn. Married for 12 years, he was found dead near a 20-year-old woman whom police say he had been dating. While McNair's death has been ruled a homicide, police have not classified her death. "That is unfortunate because Steve was a man who did so many good things in both this community and in Nashville that deserves to be thought of in better terms," Billick told WNST, a radio station that he partly owns.

The death of former Ravens and Tennessee Titans quarterback Steve McNair this weekend was clearly a homicide, but it could be days before police will be able to classify the death of the woman found in the same condominium with a pistol underneath her body, Nashville, Tenn., authorities said Sunday. McNair was shot four times - twice in the chest and twice in the head - according to police. Sahel Kazemi, 20, had a single gunshot wound to the side of her head. Police said they have been told that McNair, who is married, was dating Kazemi.

When former Ravens quarterback Steve McNair came to Baltimore in 2006, he was near the end of his career but at the beginning of something special for the Ravens. Not only did McNair lead the Ravens to the playoffs that season, but he eventually became the model for a franchise that had been hurt by poor quarterback decisions. As news of McNair's death in Nashville, Tenn., Saturday traveled through Baltimore, the minds of many Ravens fans had to drift back to 2006 when we all hitched a ride on McNair.

Averaging 33 1/2 points in their past four games - the most in the NFL during that span - the Ravens have shown they can be a potent offense. Starting Sunday against the New York Giants, their offense can prove it should be mentioned among the top units in the league. Over the next six games, the Ravens will face five defenses ranked in the top 11: the Giants (No. 3), Philadelphia Eagles (No. 9), Washington Redskins (No. 4), Pittsburgh Steelers (No. 1) and Dallas Cowboys (No. 11). "It's going to be a huge challenge," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said of going head-to-head with the Giants' defense.

A new order of power might be emerging in the NFL after only four weeks. Who would have thought it would include the Tennessee Titans, the Buffalo Bills and perhaps even the Ravens? Well, Jeff Fisher, Dick Jauron and John Harbaugh, that's who. "I think every coach in the league believes they can win every game," Jauron, the Bills' coach, said during a national conference call this week. "You have got to believe. If you don't, I don't see how your guys can. Did I think we would start 4-0?

Samari Rolle knew something didn't seem right with Steve McNair when he saw the Ravens quarterback at the team's complex in Owings Mills yesterday morning. "His eyes were welled up," Rolle recalled a few hours later. "I said, `What were you doing last night?' " It was then that McNair revealed to his longtime teammate in Tennessee and Baltimore that he was retiring after a 13-year NFL career. "He was like, `I'm R-ing today," Rolle said. "R-ing? He said, `I'm retiring.' It felt like the first time you get cut from a team."