Zeier

There was almost one more miracle on 33rd Street.Almost.When cornerback John Williams knocked down Steve McNair's pass to Frank Wycheck at the Ravens' 34-yard line with 16 seconds left, the final chapter of the illustrious history of the NFL at Memorial Stadium was closed with the Ravens' 21-19 victory over the Tennessee Oilers yesterday.The place once known as the world's largest outdoor insane asylum rocked one more time as the past met the present with old Colts such as John Unitas, Lenny Moore and Lydell Mitchell passing the baton to Baltimore's newest stars such as Jonathan Ogden, Ray Lewis and Michael Jackson.

Forgive the new football boys in the community if they can't get caught up in all the emotion and euphoria surrounding today's final NFL game at Memorial Stadium.The Ravens (5-8-1) have another agenda. They want to begin a new era next year and enter their new stadium on a winning streak.They defeated the Seattle Seahawks last week and look to build on that today against the Tennessee Oilers and next Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals in the season finale.And the Ravens want to create their own legends.

Three days after throwing for more than 300 yards and leading the team to its first victory in six games, third-year player Eric Zeier was named the Ravens' starting quarterback by coach Ted Marchibroda yesterday.Also yesterday, the Ravens moved reserve center Quentin Neujahr back into a starting role, and former starting center Wally Williams was moved to left guard in place of Ben Cavil.Zeier, 25, out of the University of Georgia, will start against the Tennessee Oilers (7-7) in the final game to be played at Memorial Stadium in place of 11-year veteran Vinny Testaverde, who started the team's first 13 games until a strained left knee sidelined him last week.

A day after watching backup Eric Zeier turn his first start of 1997 into a 31-24 victory over the Seattle Seahawks, Ravens coach Ted Marchibroda declined to alter his timetable on naming a starting quarterback for Sunday's Memorial Stadium finale against the Tennessee Oilers.Marchibroda repeated that he will wait until tomorrow to decide between Zeier and Vinny Testaverde, who sat out with a knee injury and watched Zeier throw for 302 yards and a touchdown."It gives me a little more of a chance to think about it, talk to the guys, and it doesn't hurt not to let Tennessee know [so soon]

The Ravens still don't have a quarterback controversy.If you took a vote right now, the results would be more lopsided than one of those old Soviet elections."

The Ravens have their first quarterback controversy. It's Eric Zeier against Vinny Testaverde. Or is that Vinny Testaverde against Eric Zeier?A decision on the quarterback of the future, or at least of next week, will be made in the next 72 hours, but for at least one night Zeier and return specialist Jermaine Lewis will celebrate the significant roles they played in the Ravens' 31-24 victory over the Seattle Seahawks before 54,395 at Memorial Stadium yesterday.Lewis,...

The Ravens have their first quarterback controversy. It's Eric Zeier against Vinny Testaverde. Or is that Vinny Testaverde against Eric Zeier? A decision on the quarterback of the future, or at least of next week, will be made in the next 72 hours, but for at least one night Zeier and return specialist Jermaine Lewis will celebrate the significant roles they played in the Ravens' 31-24 victory over the Seattle Seahawks before 54,395 at Memorial Stadium...

This game was made for the guys who put together those TV highlight shows.There were punt returns for touchdowns of 89 and 66 yards by Jermaine Lewis. There was a 42-yard fumble return for a touchdown. And they were passes of 92 and 60 yards.But the most significant aspect of the Ravens' 31-24 victory over the Seattle Seahawks yesterday was that the Ravens may have found a quarterback they can depend on.The Ravens were doing an impression of Inspector Clouseau in the past few weeks, trying to figure out what was wrong with their sputtering offense.

Ravens coach Ted Marchibroda has named reserve quarterback Eric Zeier the starter for Sunday's game against the Seattle Seahawks, replacing Vinny Testaverde, who has not recovered from a knee injury.Marchibroda made the decision yesterday afternoon, told Zeier during practice and informed Testaverde immediately after the team's 2 1/2 -hour workout. Marchibroda said the decision to give Zeier his first start as a Raven was based solely on the injury and not because of recent criticism from fans and media of Testaverde.

Ravens quarterback Vinny Testaverde was diagnosed to have a slight ligament strain and a bruised bone in his left knee yesterday, but he is expected to start Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks at Memorial Stadium.Testaverde hurt the knee in the second period of Sunday's 29-27 loss to Jacksonville when running back Bam Morris blocked safety Travis Davis into the quarterback. Eric Zeier, the third-year quarterback out of Georgia, replaced Testaverde for the rest of the game.According to team trainer Bill Tessendorf, an MRI yesterday morning revealed Testaverde had a contusion on the bone near his shin and a mild stretch of the posterior cruciate ligament.