Wally Williams

On a muggy August night in Maryland, it might be a good idea to walk the beach in Ocean City.It wouldn't be a good idea to play a football game. The weather would be too steamy.That may explain why the Ravens and the Philadelphia Eagles didn't play very well last night.The Ravens wound up posting a 23-6 win, but the victory wasn't as impressive as the score. The Ravens' first-string offense produced only a field goal before departing after the first series of the second half.The tone was set in the first quarter, when each team was penalized three times.

This is one time Ravens guard Wally Williams isn't pulling an end-around. His message is just like the path he wants to clear for a runner: straight and to the point."

We'll give the Ravens the benefit of the doubt, and assume they quit Sunday in Chicago. Because if they actually were trying as they fell behind 24-0 to the hapless Bears, their problems are even bigger than any of us imagined.Coach Ted Marchibroda deserves much of the blame for the team's sorry 5-10 record, but not all of it. There are still too many losers on this team, too many has-beens, too many never-weres.Indeed, the list of Ravens who must go is longer than a spoiled little rich kid's Christmas list, longer than the Republicans' list of grievances with President Clinton.

Wally Williams won't suffer. He'll receive a guaranteed $3.062 million this season, then the long-term contract he is seeking, as long as he stays healthy.Who will suffer? The Ravens will suffer. They often fail to keep their own free agents, but the loss of Williams would be the worst blow yet.Williams isn't Steve Everitt or Derrick Alexander or Antonio Langham. Williams is a gifted center, a team leader, an asset in the community. He wants to be in Baltimore, and the Ravens are chasing him away.

If the Ravens had given Wally Williams the same landmark deal he received from the New Orleans Saints, owner Art Modell would have been laughed out of town.Williams' five-year, $18.5 million contract includes a $7 million signing bonus, the largest ever given to an offensive lineman. His $3.7 million average salary will be the highest in the league for an offensive guard or center.Happy Valentine's Day, Wally.And don't forget to send the Ravens a thank-you note.The team again could have slapped Williams with a transition tag, and he would have been "stuck" with another one-year deal, earning the average of the five highest salaries at his position.

SundayJacksonville at RavensJAGUARS: Out: QB Mark Brunell (knee). Questionable: WR Will Moore (hamstring); RB James Stewart (thigh). Probable: RB Ty Hallock (foot); LB Bryan Schwartz (finger).RAVENS: Out: C Wally Williams (Achilles). Doubtful: WR Ray Ethridge (knee-ankle); DE Michael McCrary (knee); S Ralph Staten (hamstring).Philadelphia at New York GiantsEAGLES: Questionable: LB Darrin Smith (ankle). Probable: G Ian Beckles (foot); DT Jimmie Jones (knee-ankle); CB Bobby Taylor (groin).GIANTS: Questionable: CB Conrad Hamilton (knee)

Do you think Wally Williams is eager to complete his comeback from the injury that has kept him on the sideline since April?Listen to the Ravens' center talk about his return to the lineup on Sunday against the Miami Dolphins, especially how it will affect the team's suspect running game."

After three years in the NFL, Wally Williams still is searching for job security, a dilemma he dismisses with a shrug of his massive shoulders.Two weeks ago, Williams appeared to be more established than at any other time in his career. After starting 14 games at left guard for the Cleveland Browns in 1995, Williams was penciled in there by the Baltimore Ravens. Then, they made Jonathan Ogden their top draft pick and immediately installed him at left guard.Williams has since been shifted to right guard, where Jeff Blackshear -- acquired in a recent trade with Seattle -- will battle him for the starting assignment.

As the NFL free-agent market opens today, the Ravens have a new area to concentrate on other than defense after developments this week with offensive linemen Tony Jones, Steve Everitt and Herman Arvie.The Ravens expect to complete a trade of Jones, the team's starting left tackle, to the Denver Broncos possibly by today, and they have cut Arvie, who was the team's top reserve tackle, because of health reasons. Everitt is still in the Ravens' plans, but they removed the fourth-year center's transition-player status Wednesday, allowing him to become an unrestricted free agent.

Despite the Ravens' 5-9 record, coach Ted Marchibroda said there is nothing he could have done differently for his team in the 1998 season.The Ravens have the NFL's 23rd-ranked offense, the No. 22 defense and have lost two of their last three games. Marchibroda is 15-30-1 in the three years the team has been in Baltimore and is expected to be fired by owner Art Modell shortly after the season.Modell said he will not make an official decision until he meets with members of his front office and coaching staff at season's end. If a new coach is named, the announcement will come by late January, the owner said.