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The Beat with Aaron Wilson - THE GAME DAY EDGE

Who has it?
Posted On: 9/17/06
Written By:  
Aaron Wilson
THE GAME DAY EDGE
RAVENS OFFENSE
 
Total (19) Rushing (14) Passing (20)
 
Quarterback
Steve McNair wasn’t spectacular in his debut, but he set a benchmark for managing the game unseen in these parts since Trent Dilfer. Now, it’s up to him to expand his game to include a few longer passes and short-hop less throws.
 
Running backs
Jamal Lewis resembled his old self, demonstrating a burst and power. The Ravens will need him to carry a full workload at some point, and it’s unclear whether he’s up to it yet as he’s still not completely recovered from a nagging hip injury.
 
Receivers
The Ravens need to use these guys for more than short passes because Derrick Mason, Mark Clayton and Todd Heap are capable of doing more than catch it and get tackled. Expect the Ravens to be less conservative in the future.
 
Offensive line
They didn’t really allow a sack last week as the lone one was Steve McNair’s fault. Jonathan Ogden held up fine against Simeon Rice, but right tackle Tony Pashos has his hands full today. He’ll need major assistance against Derrick Burgess, the NFL sack champion and one of the few bright spots on last season’s 4-12 Oakland team.
 
RAVENS DEFENSE
 
Total (2) Rushing (1) Passing (4)
 
Defensive line
Haloti Ngata no longer needs the oxygen tank, thank you. The rookie defensive tackle’s 60-yard interception return represents the high point for this unit a week ago. They were stout against the run and disrupted passing lanes with their hands.
 
Linebackers
Ray Lewis signaled that he’s far from through, and dished out several brutal tackles. Although named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week, he was outplayed at times by Bart Scott. Adalius Thomas wasn’t far behind, crumpling tight end Anthony Becht with a “liver” shot.
 
Secondary
Ed Reed matched his 2005 interception total grabbing one against the Buccaneers as Chris McAlister returned an interception for a score and Samari Rolle shut out Joey Galloway. It gets tougher this week against Randy Moss. Rookie safety Dawan Landry is proving he belongs.
 
SPECIAL TEAMS
This was the one area criticized heavily by Ravens coach Brian Billick last week even though kicker Matt Stover converted two field goals to run his streak to 22 in a row and rookie punter Sam Koch averaged 47 yards. The return game was nothing special and the Buccaneers averaged 24.5 yards per kickoff return.
 
RAIDERS OFFENSE
 
Total (32) Rushing (21) Passing (32)
 
Quarterback
Aaron Brooks is gifted physically, but he usually commits crucial mistakes. He didn’t look like a passer reborn last week with a horrid 58.0 passer rating and 6-of-14 accuracy for 68 yards. He’s 38-46 as a starter.
 
Running backs
Lamont Jordan is a stocky, quick starter who’s coming off a 1,000 yard season where he scored nine touchdowns. He was absolutely shut down a week ago with 20 yards and a fumble on 10 carries.
 
Receivers
The receivers are talented, but moody and disgruntled. Especially Randy Moss and Jerry Porter. There’s an outside chance that Porter could be activated today. Moss is already beginning to undermine Art Shell with his trademark antics.
 
Offensive line
It’s an absolute sieve. They gave up nine sacks a week ago. Center Jake Grove is probably the best of a bad bunch of blockers. Robert Gallery is out today and Chad Slaughter is the lamb being served up to the Ravens at left tackle.
 
RAIDERS DEFENSE
 

Total (16) Rushing (31) Passing (4)
 
Defensive line
This might be the best part of the team since it features fast defensive end Derrick Burgess. He wasn’t much of a factor against San Diego and neither was motor-mouth tackle Warren Sapp.
 
Linebackers
Kirk Morrison is decent against the pass, but he leaves a lot to be desired against the run. Thomas Howard has tons of potential, but he’s a raw rookie who’s learning on the job. Sam Williams has size, but lacks ideal mobility.
 
Secondary
Rookie safety Michael Huff didn’t remind anyone of Ronnie Lott last week. Don’t let the lofty ranking fool you. It’s only because the Raiders couldn’t stop the run, so the Chargers barely bothered to throw.
 
SPECIAL TEAMS
Sebastian Janikowski has one of the strongest legs in the league, but it’s questionable whether he’ll get to do much since Oakland couldn’t move the ball last week. Shane Lechler got plenty of exercise with nine punts for a 46.7 average. The return game isn’t remarkable.
 
EDGES: QUARTERBACK: Ravens; RUNNING BACK: Ravens; RECEIVERS: Ravens; OFFENSIVE LINE: Ravens; DEFENSIVE LINE: Even; LINEBACKERS: Ravens; SECONDARY: Ravens; SPECIAL TEAMS: Ravens. 
 
INSIDE SLANT
With 7,997 total yards, running back Jamal Lewis is four yards shy of eclipsing Jermaine Lewis’ franchise record for all-purpose yardage. The Ravens usually succeed at home whenever Lewis is grinding out touchdowns. The Ravens have a 15-3 mark when Lewis scores a touchdown and are 5-0 when he scores multiple times. Baltimore is 26-10 overall at home with Lewis in the starting lineup.
 
TODAY’S KEY MATCHUP
 
CB Chris McAlister vs. WR Randy Moss
Two of the NFL’s most enigmatic personalities are likely to collide today as McAlister usually draws this key assignment. He’s one of the few players with the size, strength and speed to match Moss’ unique athleticism. Moss hasn't fared well against Baltimore.
 
OT Tony Pashos vs. DE Derrick Burgess
Burgess is the reigning NFL sack champion with 16 a year ago. Pashos outweighs the 6-foot-2, 260-pound Maryland native by roughly 60 pounds, but will be challenged severely by Burgess’ blend of pure speed and deceptive strength.
 
Aaron Wilson covers the Baltimore Ravens for the Carroll County Times in Westminster, Maryland.

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Posted On: 9/17/06
Written By:  
Aaron Wilson

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