Tommy Polley

Tommy Polley and Darnell Dockett came to Florida State from their homes in Maryland for the same reason: a chance to play for the national championship. For Polley, a fifth-year senior linebacker from Baltimore, the opportunity has been there in each of the past three seasons. For Dockett, a redshirt freshman defensive tackle from Burtonsville, the first of what he hopes to be numerous chances will come Wednesday night. Polley and Dockett played significant roles in helping the third-ranked Seminoles reach the FedEx Orange Bowl.

In the past, Maryland fans have seen some of the state's biggest high school football stars leave for schools such as Florida State, Notre Dame and Penn State. Dunbar's Tommy Polley (Florida State), Edmondson's Jason Murphy (Virginia Tech), Eleanor Roosevelt's Derrick Williams (Penn State), Gilman's Victor Abiamiri (Notre Dame) and Friendly's Joe Haden (Florida) are just a few of the area blue-chippers who escaped the Terps.

Whether or not Tommy Polley ends tomorrow with a Super Bowl championship ring on his finger, his mother Amy is still going to get a brand-new home in Perry Hall. That was the promise Tommy, a rookie linebacker with the St. Louis Rams, made to her long ago. He was going to get to the NFL someday, and when he did, he was going to get her out of her ever more dangerous East Baltimore neighborhood where he lived as a teen-ager. When Tommy emerged last year as a bona fide star on the mighty Florida State Seminoles, it became apparent that not only was he going to make it to the NFL as promised but he also was going to get there as a high draft choice.

As the NFL remains mired in an unsettled labor situation, there is similar uncertainty facing the Ravens' defense. Five starters from last season's fifth-ranked defense (end Tony Weaver, nose tackle Maake Kemoeatu, safety Will Demps and linebackers Bart Scott and Tommy Polley) will become unrestricted free agents Monday, the delayed start of the signing period. If a majority of those players leave the Ravens - which could happen based on early indications - it would represent the biggest turnover on their defense since the salary cap purge after the 2001 season.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- What Tommy Polley learned as a freshman at Dunbar High School has served him well during his four years here at Florida State. It had nothing to do with Polley's career as a two-sport star with the Poets, but with the way he conducted himself around the hallways and in the classrooms of the East Baltimore school."

Amy Polley recalled the afternoon more than a dozen years ago when the oldest of her three sons came back to their home in Harford County from a punt-pass-and-kick competition."

Good morning --Roger Federer -- Was your loss in the Masters Cup final an early Christmas gift of hope to the rest of men's tennis? Question of the day Is the Ravens' defense playing better without Ray Lewis and Ed Reed? Better? I don't know. We miss Reed more then Lewis. The play of Bart Scott and Tommy Polley have made Lewis expendable, in my opinion. Jim Yealy Taneytown Tommy Polley and Co. have filled in admirably, but you can't argue it's better with the loss of two Pro Bowl players.

Co-Player of the YearMark Karcher, St. Frances, junior, forward: Karcher has lived up to all the lofty expectations placed on him. The two-time Catholic League Player of the Year averaged 24.4 points, 8.7 rebounds and 6.6 assists in leading the Panthers to the area's No. 1 ranking. After playing center his first two seasons, Karcher was moved to the wing, where his tremendous passing skills and improved shooting range was put on display. But his outstanding court savvy is probably Karcher's greatest asset.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Defensive end Jamal Reynolds has the talent to follow Peter Boulware, Reinard Wilson and Andre Wadsworth into the NFL. But it won't happen until 2001 because Florida State's sack leader said he will return for his senior season.Reynolds said he never seriously considered leaving FSU after this season for the NFL although his coaches and some teammates had privately expressed concern. He had seven sacks and 11 tackles for losses during the regular season."I'm not thinking about leaving," he said.

Baltimore produced a handful of national dynasties in the second half of the 20th century. Johnny Unitas and the Colts spread the popularity of pro football in the late 1950s. From 1969 to 1971, the Orioles had the Best Damned Team in Baseball. Just ask Earl Weaver. Johns Hopkins University won six NCAA lacrosse titles from 1978 to 1987. A step down on the educational ladder but top rung with basketball fans was another institution: Dunbar High School hoops. The Poets and their followers will gather tomorrow at the school's gym on the corner of Orleans and Central for a series of old-timers games, an event that quickly sold out. The draws include the crew from the 1982-83 season that has long been acclaimed as, if not the best high school team ever, then certainly on that debate's short list.

Quarterback C+ Kyle Boller was erratic at times and looked out of sync with his receivers. Still, he made some really nice throws and led the comeback - even if it was against the Texans, who really blew it by blitzing on the last play before Matt Stover kicked his game-winning field goal. Running backs D Chester Taylor ran hard at times but never got into the flow of the game. Jamal Lewis had eight carries for only 17 yards and seldom got out of the backfield. Taylor and Lewis had fumbles.

Ravens run offense vs. Texans run defense Jamal Lewis ran for 113 yards last Sunday against the NFL's 25th-ranked run defense and now faces the league's worst one. The Texans are allowing 158.5 rushing yards per game, and no one else in the NFL is allowing more than 145. In 11 games against Houston, opponents have scored 16 rushing touchdowns and averaged 4.8 yards a carry. Lewis will take nearly all the carries considering Chester Taylor (foot) will be limited, Musa Smith (leg) is on injured reserve and Jamel White was signed in the middle of last week.

Good morning --Roger Federer -- Was your loss in the Masters Cup final an early Christmas gift of hope to the rest of men's tennis? Question of the day Is the Ravens' defense playing better without Ray Lewis and Ed Reed? Better? I don't know. We miss Reed more then Lewis. The play of Bart Scott and Tommy Polley have made Lewis expendable, in my opinion. Jim Yealy Taneytown Tommy Polley and Co. have filled in admirably, but you can't argue it's better with the loss of two Pro Bowl players.

Shortly before practice yesterday, Samari Rolle's phone rang. He knew who it was, so the Ravens cornerback did the only thing he could to keep his sanity. He let his trash-talking friend from Cincinnati go straight to voice mail. And if Chad Johnson calls again before the Ravens play the Bengals on Sunday, he will get the same treatment. "He called me the Monday night before our game [against the Pittsburgh Steelers], and was talking trash," Rolle said. "Right then and there I decided I wasn't going to talk to him."

ATLANTA - Derrick Mason wants to establish a rhythm in his debut. Samari Rolle doesn't want to upset anyone's rhythm in his. New aspirations and new allegiances mark the opening of the Ravens' preseason tonight inside the Georgia Dome, where their two prominent free-agent additions will do what was once unthinkable. Formerly the Ravens' bitter rivals as members of the Tennessee Titans, Mason and Rolle officially come into the fold. "I never would have thought in my wildest dreams that I would end up here," Rolle said.

The nameplate remains only a few inches from his, reminding Bart Scott daily of the mantle he is carrying for the ex-teammate who is no longer around. Scott's locker is next to that of former Ravens linebacker Cornell Brown, whose name still hovers over the stall while his No. 90 jerseys hang inside, belying the fact he was released last week after failing a physical. Brown's departure came on the heels of the release of fellow veteran linebacker Peter Boulware, who was cut earlier this month because of a high salary due him this season.

This is the second of at least 11 weekly reports from former Dunbar star Tommy Polley, a senior linebacker for the defending national champion Florida State Seminoles. He will be talking with Sun reporter Bill Free regularly during the 2000 season. Highlights: Making two crucial third-down stops among 12 tackles in Florida State's come-from-behind, 26-21 victory over Georgia Tech in Atlanta last Saturday. The 12 tackles in Polley's first start of the young season earned him the Atlantic Coast Conference defensive back of the week award and moved him into the team lead in tackles (18)

COLLEGE PARK - Tommy Polley's name came up a lot in the past week as Dunbar was preparing to play in the boys basketball state tournament. It came up again yesterday after the Poets defeated Pocomoke, 69-56, to win the Class 1A championship at Comcast Center. The victory not only gave Dunbar its 10th state basketball title - an accomplishment that ranks it second overall with Gwynn Park behind Allegany, which has 14 - but it also gave the school championships in football and basketball in the same school year.

MAYOR Martin O'Malley could have requested any Ravens player to come talk last month to the students who won six state championships for Baltimore high schools this academic year. The kids would've been thrilled no matter who came, and there were plenty of Ravens willing to show up. But one in particular had just arrived who was too perfect to pass up. So it was Tommy Polley -- expected to become the first Baltimore high school player to be a full-time starter for the Ravens -- sharing lunch with the young champs at City Hall.

After interviewing Thomas Davis at the NFL scouting combine, watching countless hours of his game tape, and tapping coaches and trainers at his school for information, Ravens officials hit up one last source for news on the Georgia defensive playmaker. "The good thing about it is we've got Musa [Smith] here," general manager Ozzie Newsome said. "It's good to talk to the players you have on this team about their teammates. And they know what type of players we're looking for, and they could give us a very good feel."