Tackler

Just about every other Saturday, Jason Corle puts on his version of the Jenny Jones show.There's some trash talk, some physical contact, and plenty of surprising moves. The episode isn't the option-A makeover, but instead the option-B motif, with its durable title -- "You Dissed Me in High School, But Look At Me Now."The girls didn't laugh at Corle when he was at Southern Regional High School on the New Jersey shore. Nor did bullies necessarily smack him around. It was the college football coaches who bruised his ego, pegging him as small and slow.

ASHBURN, Va. - For the first time this week, inside linebacker London Fletcher practiced with the rest of his Washington Redskins teammates, working on a limited basis inside the team's indoor bubble Friday. Fletcher, who has been hobbled by a sprained left ankle, is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Ravens at FedEx Field in Landover and sounded unsure about whether he'll be able to extend his streak of 236 consecutive games played -- tied with Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Ronde Barber as the longest active streak -- and 195 straight starts.

It was a perfect fit. Tommy Polley's pure speed and instincts for the ball matched ideally with Lovie Smith's cover-two defensive scheme. So when the St. Louis Rams went trolling for impact players to overhaul their haggard defense in April, they drafted the Florida State linebacker in the second round. But even the Rams couldn't have known how good a match it would be. Replacing injured veterans at both outside linebacker positions, Polley has been just short of sensational in six starts for the 9-2 Rams.

Offense is the first thought that comes to mind whenever Kevin Ganascioli's name is mentioned. After all, the Glenelg senior tied a state football record by scoring six touchdowns in a game last season. And the former Gladiators quarterback rushed for 1,036 yards on just 91 carries -11.4 yards a carry - to earn first-team All-County honors as a running back. But this season, in addition to a fine offensive effort at running back, Ganascioli, who also plays strong safety, is leading Glenelg in tackles.

Marquis Dwarte's hardly a one man team for Perry Hall.But as the focal point of the Gators' run-oriented offense, the powerfully constructed running back has persevered to break several school records against specialized defenses designed to stop him cold."

ATLANTA -- If there's one word to describe Marshall Faulk, it would be elusive. He's hard to corral on and off the football field. On the field, his skills amaze even his peers. "He's obviously the closest thing to Barry Sanders, if not better," said Eddie George, his counterpart with the Tennessee Titans in Super Bowl XXXIV. "Myself, I'm just a power back. He's not only a run threat to take it 80, he can also catch it out of the backfield and be a great receiver." St. Louis' off-season trade for Faulk is one of the main reasons the Rams have gone from perennial loser to Super Bowl team in one year.

Every training camp, Jamal Lewis brings a promise along with some extra baggage. Last year, the Ravens running back guaranteed he would be an offensive force despite the constant reminders that he wouldn't be fully recovered from reconstructive knee surgery. Now, after grinding out 1,327 yards last year, Lewis is vowing to become an elite NFL back because of what he carries around with him - a pair of red boxing gloves. The main event of his offseason was sparring in the ring, where he was throwing jabs at his trainer and developing his knockout punch on defenses.

When Dorsey Levens was selected in the fifth round of the 1994 NFL draft, the comparisons were to three fullbacks taken ahead of him -- William Floyd, Donnell Bennett and Raymont Harris.This week, after another stellar big-game performance for the Green Bay Packers, Levens is traveling in faster company.Now, the comparisons are to Packers Hall of Famer Jim Taylor.Never mind that Green Bay quarterback Brett Favre, in the wake of Sunday's 21-7 playoff victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, compared him to the most prolific running back in NFL history.

As a football fullback, South Carroll's Jason Tourangeau earned the nickname "Train" for his propensity to plow over would-be tacklers in pursuit of the end zone.This spring, the 6-foot-4 senior said he's kept pretty much the same attitude.As a pitcher on the Cavaliers' county-championship baseball team, he uses a fastball clocked as high as 91 mph to plow through opposing lineups. His pursuit -- a possible pro career.Though his son already has signed to play at East Carolina next season, Michael Tourangeau said that could change depending upon what happens at this year's amateur draft, which begins June 2."

The Ravens continue to fill holes on their defense and at a significantly lower price than the players who departed. About a week after their long-time free safety Ed Reed signed a three-year, $15 million deal with the Houston Texans, the Ravens settled on a potential replacement, agreeing in principle to a three-year, $6 million pact with former Oakland Raider Michael Huff on Wednesday. Huff, who was released March 12 as part of the Raiders' roster purge, will be at the Ravens' facility Thursday to take his physical and sign his contract.