Earlier this season I had looked at the schedule and pegged this game as one of those typical road losses for the Ravens. Not now. The Ravens have remained healthy this season, especially on defense and even more specifically in the secondary. Chris McAlister has returned to his shut-down form, Samari Rolle has his health issues under control and newcomer Fabian Washington is beginning to live up to the expectations when the Raiders took him in the first round of the 2005 draft. The pass rush is back, thanks to Trevor Pryce, which has freed up T-Sizzle and Bart Scott to wreck havoc on the opposing teams' signal callers. Ray-Ray is taking heads off sideline to sideline and Ed Reed is roaming the secondary like the NFL Defensive Player of the Year he was just a couple of years ago. All is well with the NFL's #1 defense in 2008!

Now the offense. Yes, it is much better, more consistent and more balanced than it was under the so-called "offensive guru" Brian Billick. Of course, if I coached Daunte' Culpepper throwing to Randy Moss, Cris Carter and Jake Reed, I'd have the moniker of "offensive guru" as well! I guess Kyle Boller throwing to Derrick Mason, Mark Clayton and Todd Heap doesn't allow you to keep that title, eh Brian?

Anyway, back to these Ravens. While Joe Flacco was drafted to be the future of the Ravens, he is still not the present. Troy Smith has infused a ton of energy and enthusiasm to this offense. The revamped, young and surprisingly cohesive offensive line has made their blocks and given him just enough protection to be effective, both in the pocket and on the run when he has to. He's gobbled up huge chunks of yardage and tired out defenses with his scrambling and throwing on the run. While small in sze for a prototypical NFL QB, he has almost perfect throwing mechanics, holds the ball up high and releases it overhead better than most veterans, negating the size issue. He's hitting the short and medium range passes and mixes in a bomb when needed, sometimes even successfully, to keep the secondary from creeping up too far to the line of scrimmage. Todd Heap has remained healthy and gives the offense another dimension, one that was lacking in 2007 due to his lingering injury. The rookie wideouts are also contributing with their hands and speed as additional targets for Troy Smith.

Willis McGahee has all but made Ravens fans say "Jamal who?" He is one of the top three in rushing yards in the NFL this season and might be even higher without the success of rookie Ray Rice's contributions when giving him a breathing spell. All in all, this team is even better at this point of the season than they have been all year. While still not a Super Bowl contender, the decision not to go after the veteran Brett Favre has proven to be the right choice. Smith's progress and the learning curve of rookie Joe Flacco would not be at this level if they were buried on the sidelines. Even if this team is not ready for the big game, it is definitely a contender for a playoff spot, and could be a dangerous team with the type of defense that no one would want to face in the post season.

The Bengals, on the other hand, are on the opposite course. The off season distractions have run over into the regular season and this has led to near mutiny behavior in the locker room, on the field and in the news. Defensively, the Bungles are still the same team, giving up yardage and points by the bucketful. Offensively, they still get their yards via Carson Palmer's arm to the ever productive Chad Johnson and the under-rated TJ Whosyourmomma. However, they must now rely on outscoring their opponents and that just doesn't fly over the course of the season.

It doesn't fly this week as well, even in front of the increasingly frustrated Cincinnati fans. The Ravens harass and beat Carson Palmer repeatedly, stop the running game cold, and while they do give up a couple of TD tosses to Johnson and TJ, it's not enough to overcome the turnovers and lack of defense as the Ravens outscore the Bengals for a well deserved road victory.

Ravens: 27  Bengals: 17

Season Record:  7-5

"UPSET" PICK OF THE SEASON!!!

By the time the teams reach this point of the season, this game may or may not be classified as an upset. Depending on how the Eagles perform over their first 10 games will determine whether or not they come into M&T Bank Stadium as the favorite or underdog. Right now, they must be considered the favorite, even though they tanked it last year. However, knowing the Philly fanatics, they are probably already talking about going to the Super Bowl!

Most Eagles fans are evenly split on whether QB Donovan McNabb needs to go or not. I still think, when healthy, he is a major threat to take over a game. Unfortunately, the key word lately has been "healthy." McNabb has been injury-prone the past few years and many fans think it's time to move on to a younger QB. RB Brian Westbrook is still one of the best multi-threats in the league (and a certain first round fantasy pick each season as well!). He will present a huge challenge for the Ravens defense each time he touches the ball. However, he won't have much success on the ground, so his best chance at scoring will be on the short, quick dump off passes out of the backfield. Ray Lewis and Bart Scott better keep a keen eye on him all afternoon. McNabb has gotten better receivers over the recent years and figures to go to them often, due to the probable lack of success running the ball. Look for the Ravens to put tons of pressure on McNabb, forcing him to roll out, scramble for tough gains and pay the price with his body. Expect interceptions that could lead to the short field that the Ravens always seem to need to put points on the board due to their own offensive woes. Hopefully, those woes will work themselves out in the first 10 games and the offense will have established some resemblance of consistency by now.

The home crowd has always made a difference with this team, even in the lean offensive years. The Ravens seem to average almost ten more points a game at home than on the road, and this game should keep the trend intact. Look for the Ravens to nickel and dime the Eagles defense with doses of Willis McGahee and Ray Rice, along with short, efficient passing whenever needed to open it up to keep the Eagles defense from stacking the line of scrimmage. Finally, a victory over a high profile team to cheer about, as the Baltimore upsets Philadelphia!

Ravens: 27  Eagles: 20

Season Record:  6-5

The Cleveland Browns put a hurting on my Ravens last year, and to only make it worse, did so with a QB that the Ravens deemed uninterested enough in so as to let the Browns snatch him away off of their practice squad without nary a complaint. Derek Anderson went on to have a Pro Bowl season and was richly rewarded with a $27 million contract extension. Meanwhile the Ravens are still at a loss to determine who will be their QB when the 2008 season kicks off in September.

However, it really doesn't matter to me when determining the winner in each of these games. While the QB position may be the single most important individual position on the field, this is a team game and it's rare that one specific player is the reason a team either wins or loses, unless of course, your name is Steve McNair (or former coach Brian Billick). In my opinion, the key to an offense's success starts and stops with the offensive line. The retirement of All-World left tackle Jon Ogden is a great loss to the team, but it allows the team to finally set guys into place where they could easily remain for years, and consistency in those positions will ultimately equal success.

Therefore, by game three, I believe we will be seeing an improved pass protection as they get comfortable with whomever the QB ends up being (I still want to see Troy Smith in there). The run blocking should be very good, with both Willis McGahee and rookie Ray Rice blasting through holes. At the same time, regardless of who the QB is, I expect opposing defenses to stack the box with eight or even nine guys, just daring the Ravens to beat them through the air. With the multi-facet abilities of Troy Smith at the helm, he should be able to confuse and tire out defenses with his rolling out and scrambling abilities. This should tire out the Browns defenders, as they've totally revamped their defensive front with big plodding tackles who take up space but don't move too well. The Ravens will trap the Browns interior defense and Smith will roll out and move around until his receivers get open against what is still a very poor Browns secondary and their weak link.

On the defensive side of the ball, I am not yet convinced that Derek Anderson will replicate his 2007 season. That is probably why second string QB Brady Quinn is biting his tongue and being patient, as he also knows his time is coming and it could end up being sooner rather than later. The Ravens defense should be healthy and ready to make opposing teams pay for what happened last year. Browns running back and former Raven Jamal Lewis will be bottled up at the line of scrimmage, as he stutter steps to his huge three yards per carry average. The pass rush against a relatively immobile Anderson will pressure him and cause him to lose his cool and that won't bode well in enemy territory, where the Ravens' fans will make a lot of noise in support of Ray Lewis and friends.

If the Ravens players all remain healthy, they have a much better chance of looking like 2006's 13-3 team as opposed to 2007's 5-11 trainwreck. Game 3 should be similar to game 1 and the Ravens win a close game at home.

Ravens: 26  Browns: 20

Season Record:  2-1

Just another way to pass the time, and a great segway from the previous posting. This is my list of the top football players by position ever to play in Baltimore. Of course, we are comparing the old Baltimore Colts to the new Baltimore Ravens, but feel free to rank those All-Stars from the now-defunct Baltimore Stars and Stallions as well. Remember, current Ravens assistant coach OJ Brigance was a great rush end for our CFL Champion Baltimore Stallions, but unfortunately doesn't quite make our list! Anyway, without much fanfare or national exposure at all, here we go:

QB:  Johnny U. - no comments necessary

RB: Jamal Lewis - I thought about Lenny Moore and even Tom Matte, but Lewis' record setting season puts him at the top, although I stutter-stepped while thinking about it.

WR: Raymond Berry - ran the best routes and the best hands

TE: John Mackey - revolutionized the TE position

C:  Bill Curry - anchored the o-line for those great Colts teams in the late 60's and early 70's.

G:  Ed Mulitalo - great dancer and very charitable guy, who not only made great t-shirts (Festivus Maximus) but also was a monster at LG.

OL:  Jon Ogden -will retire and become a first ballot Hall of Famer. Close call, but had to choose JO over the Colts' Jim Parker.

DE: Gino Marchetti -Thought about guys like big Bubba Smith, John Dutton, Joe Ehrman and Michael McCrary, but Marchetti is the obvious choice here, and no, not solely because he made the greatest burger of all time, the Gino Giant!

DT:  Artie Donovan - Gotta love Fatso, even though you could argue with Tony Siragusa and even the lovable Kelly Gregg, but Donovan is my pick.

MLB: Ray Lewis - I wouldn't take anyone else, but one of my favorite Baltimore players and ultimate tough guy, Mike Curtis, deserves mention here, especially with his broken forearm in a cast clotheslining the fan running across the field a very long time ago was one of the funniest memories ever of the old Colts!

OLB: Ted Hendricks - The Stork may have lived under a bridge for a time after retiring, but when he was on the field, he terrorized offenses and especially placekickers with his 6'7" lanky frame.

DB:  Chris McAlister - There could have been a bunch of guys listed here, but McAlister's shutdown skills, along with that 107 yard return put him at the top of my list of DB's.

S:  Ed Reed - I know there are a bunch of old Colts and even perhaps Rod Woodson that could be mentioned but Reed is by far the best of the bunch.

P:  David Lee - Wow, had to go looking for the best selection here, as the pickings were slim and uneventful, although Lee's consistency through the Colts' golden years give him the edge.

K:  Matt Stover - Thought about putting Super Bowl V hero Jim O'Brian, but other than kicking the game-winning FG in the 1970 game, and dating the coach's daughter, he doesn't have anywhere near the stats and career of Matt "It's not over 'til it's" Stover.

Coach:  Don Shula - I guess you could put Super Bowl winners Don McCafferty or Brian Billick here, but over his time here in Baltimore, Shula consistently put the best teams on the field (he certainly did the same in Miami as well, but that doesn't figure here).

 Give me your thoughts and opinions. Let the comments and debate begin!

A local radio station had a show recently on the top four Baltimore sports people of all time. To me, the top three were easy: Johnny Unitas, Brooks Robinson and Cal Ripken. The fourth could be a slew of people, such as Frank Robinson, Ray Lewis or even someone outside the main sports, such as a Michael Phelps.

This led me to think of whom I'd pick as my top Baltimore football players of all time. For purposes of time and space, I'm looking at the top five list. Five is a decent number, because the first two might be pretty easy to pick, but numbers 3-5 will be extremely debateable. So here's my top five:

1.  Johnny Unitas: This is an easy number one and I doubt anyone would ever even try to debate this choice, as Unitas is arguably one of the greatest QB's to ever play the game. He certainly is the one that modernized it and was the measuring stick of all other QB's for decades.

2.  Ray Lewis:  I'm picking Ray as number two, as he is also one of the greatest middle linebackers to ever play the game and is currently the measuring stick for his generation of players. His jersey is by far the most popular one worn by fans here and is a certain first ballot Hall of Famer when he retires. After 12 years in the league, there is still not another MLB I'd rather have on my team than Ray, including the Chicago Bears' Brian Uhrlacher.

(Wow, it gets hard now!)

3.  John Mackey:   At 225 pounds, he was almost as big as the lineman next to him and bigger than most of the defensive players trying to tackle him. He revolutionized the tight end position from a pure blocker to a key pass catching option. Mackey is slowly dying from Alzheimer's Disease related dementia. He is a mere replica of the bulldozing tight end that terrorized defensive secondaries of the mid-sixties to early seventies.

4.  Artie Donovan:  Yes, I'm picking Fatso! He might not be well known to the younger generation, but the old-timers and true Baltimore sports fans know him as one tough SOB. He's played defensive tackle with a broken leg and was a huge part of the 1958-59 Baltimore Colts NFL Championship teams. He's also one of the funniest guys around and is David Letterman's #1 returning guest on his show.

5.  Jonathon Ogden:  JO was the Baltimore Ravens very first draft pick in 1996 (Ray Lewis was picked in the same year, but later in the first round), their first season in Baltimore after relocating from Cleveland. Since then, he has been a fixture on the left side of the offensive line and perrennial Pro-Bowler. While he is still contemplating retirement as of this posting, there is no contemplating that he will shortly be in Canton, Ohio shortly after retiring.

The next five players would take all day and would continue to spur debate between the current Ravens and the old Baltimore Colts. However, these five should raise enough comments to last awhile. Let me know your top five and why, and we can trade comments on what should be great dialogue on a fun subject.