While none of the current coaches were here when the current offensive line was drafted, they have been able to determine which player will help the team the most and at which position. Together, the starters (and key reserve Willie Anderson) have turned what was a glaring weakness of this team into a non-issue and even a strength after two games so far.

Head Coach John Harbaugh has started off with great success by doing what any successful leader in any business has done. That is to surround himself with great people, those who are better than him in their respective specialties, with him being the best "generalist" of the group. Offensive Coordinator Cam Cameron has joined this team with the gameplan philosophy of determining who to play and what to do based on the players' abilities as well as the opponents' tendencies. Unfortunately, this did not seem to be the philosophy of the previous Ravens' regieme. They always seemed to have the same gameplan regardless of the opponent's strengths or weaknesses and without regard for our own players abilities or inabilities. Perhaps that is why the offense seemed so vanilla and a regular fan like me could always seem to call out the plays from the stands before they were ran. If I knew what was coming, what do you think the defense knew!? Luckily, that has not been the situation under the current crop of coaches.

Joining Harbaugh and Cameron in the success of the o-line has to be Offensive Line Coach John Matsko and Assistant Offensive Line Coach Andy Moeller. Both Matsko and Moeller has worked with these guys all summer to get them comfortable at where they would be lining up and blending the chemistry necessary to have them work together. While much of the credit should go to these guys, you have to really be impressed with the individual players who do the dirty work in the trenches on the playing field.

To me, it all starts with the old man of the group, 25 year old center Jason Brown. Brown moved over from left guard, where he originally replaced an injured Edwin Mulitalo and did a great job next to the All Pro Jonathan Ogden. When veteran Mike Flynn was released, Brown was put into the center positon because of his larger size and nastier disposition. While Flynn always seemed to be pushed well into the backfield each play, Brown has been a pillar of strength on the line so far, manhandling some of the better nose tackles, including the huge Shaun Rogers of Cleveland last week.

To either side of Brown, he looks to his left and sees 2nd year left guard Ben Grubbs. Grubbs started at right guard as a rookie and did a great job, although his natural position was on the left side. Now he's a fixture there and should receive Pro Bowl consideration as he has done a great job snce he came to the Ravens out of Auburn in the 2007 draft. To Brown's right is other guard Marshall Yanda. Yanda was a middle round draft pick from 2007 who was forced into the starting right tackle position due to injuries last year. While Yanda did a decent job, he was playing out of position and now is firmly seated at his natural spot.

Going into the 2008 season, the retirement of the All-World Ogden left two gaping holes in the most important pass blocking positions on the line. Both tackles had either retired or been injured all last season and no one knew who would be there when the season began. On top of that, when it seemed to become clear who the better choices to start were, injuries limited playing time and the critical opportunity to develop the chemistry the o-line needs to be successful. For the first game of the season, the players got together on the field for what seemed to be the first real extended playing time tegether as a unit of their careers. The Ravens started 2nd year player and one of the youngest in the entire league in Jared Gaither, from the University of Maryland, picked in the 5th round of last year's Supplemental Draft. He was thought to be a project but ended up with extended playing time due to Ogden's injury last season and did a decent job considering his age and lack of experience. He has a huge advantage in that he is a behemoth in the mold of JO, standing 6'9" and tipping the scales at over 330 pounds. He will be responsible for protecting rookie QB Joe Flacco's blind side and while we shouldn't expect All Pro results just et, he has proven so far to be a pleasant surprise. Over on the right side is Adam Terry, who has played all over the o-line and probably has the most playing experience of the group, although he has been susceptible to nagging injuries.

You also can't forget the veteran All Pro Willie Anderson who was signed just before the season began after being released by Cincinnati. Anderson was originally thought to be brought in to start as soon as possible, but has been relegated to a reserve due to the current players' success as a group. At the same time, he has been humble and willing to accept his role, like the veteran pro he is. He would play the right tackle position in the event of an injury to Terry, while Adam would also switch over to left tackle should an injury to Gaither occur. Either way, our first line of replacement to the tackles gives us the luxury of depth that we never previously enjoyed. Should an injury to the guards occur, we are not as deep, although Chris Chester is still learning and Brown could always move back to that position in an emergency.

Together, this group has been the basis of our early season success. While not big on star power, these guys always determine the success of a team. Look what the o-line in New England did for Tom Brady and the same in Indianapolis for Peyton Manning. So far this season, we've seen what the loss of the Colts' All Pro center Jeff Staurday has meant to Manning and the Colts, as they have started off 1-2, with both losses at home and should have lost their only road game as Minnesota as well. As the season progresses, the chemistry and bond between this young group will only continue to mesh and they should become a strong point on this offense for a long time. This will only add to the early success of a young quarterback, as they could easily be the main reason he has the time to find his open receivers with the confidence that all five guys have his back at all times.

The Baltimore Ravens defeated the Cleveland Browns 28-10 and slid into first place in the AFC North, setting up a battle for the division lead next week in Pittsburgh on Monday Night Football.

The game went almost exactly as I had predicted it, although the Browns didn't score as many points as I thought they might. The Ravens defense dominated the game just as I had thought and the offense ran the ball down the defense's throats, especially at the end of the game as I had said they would in Sunday morning's posting just below this one.

Ravens rookie QB Joe Flacco made his first mistakes of the young season, throwing two first half interceptions. The first was an overthrown ball but the second was on a flea-flicker trick play and the pass was intercepted in the end zone, for which I give him a pass on that one. However, he managed the offense with the same calm manner that he did in week one, leading me to believe we can expect the same from him in the future. At the same time, next week's game will not only be his first taste of a hostile enemy crowd, but on national TV as well. That performance will go a long way in determining his as well as the entire team's future success in 2008. An upset victory over the Steelers, who lost yesterday in Philadelphia to fall to 2-1, would put the Ravens firmly in first place, which would be a huge surprise based on last season's debacle.

But back to the game. It was great to see how RB Willis McGahee came back without seeming to even miss a beat, as he ran for 64 yards on 15 carries with one TD, and didn't look like a guy who missed all of the preseason and the first game of the regular season. Shows what a true professional and star can do when he knows his position is up for grabs, eh? Le'Ron McClain continued his upward path of success, adding 66 yards on 17 carrries, including two touchdowns. Rookie Ray Rice, who played great in McGahee's absence in game one, only had five carries for 21 yards but thaat was enough to keep McGahee fresh. Having the 260 pound fullback Lorenzo Neal blasting open huge holes with the young, yet effective offensive line had to help as well. Imagine taking on the Ravens' o-line, Neal and then having to try to tackle the 260 pound McClain!? I can understand why this could wear down a defense by the fourth quarter, which is what happened, as the Ravens wound down the clock behind a running attack that might not have been great for individual stats, but certainly was effective when it mattered.

Flacco did his job, hitting some short and sharply thrown passes, exhibiting the arm strength that intrigued the Ravens and luckily did not scare them away from the lesser college competition star out of the University of Delaware. He was 13 of 19 for 129 yards and the two aforementioned interceptions. The offensive line gave up only one sack and it appeared to be more of a coverage sack than a breakdown in protection. I'm extremely impressed with the o-line's effectiveness and maturity, considering the old man of the starting group (center Jason Brown) is only 25 years old (not including veran backup Willie Anderson). Flacco spread his 13 completions around the receiving corps, with the always reliable Derrick Masson leading the group with four receptions. Even Todd Heap caught a couple passes and incredibly, didn't fumble even once! Sorry, Todd. It was also nice to see Demetrius Williams (three catches) and Mark Clayton (two catches) contribute to the offensive output, after being either hurt or invisible last season. Spreading the ball around and having an overpowering running game will certainly only add to the success of the passing game, specifically Joe Flacco, and I'm sure this has been the philosophy of offensive coordinator Cam Cameron since Flacco was selected by the Ravens with the 18th pick of the 2008 NFL draft. For some reason, I wonder what effect Cameron would have had if Kyle Boller had that type of education and mentorship way back when.

Defensively, where can we start and who should we single out for playing defense the way the Ravens did in 2000 on their way to victory in SB35? Did you see the vicious lick the "aging" Ray Lewis put on Kellen Winslow that popped the ball into the air for Chris McAlister to grab and return to put the Ravens into position for what was then the game tying touchdown? I hope that shut up a lot of experts and Cleveland fans who constantly rag me about the old Ray Lewis and aging defense! Something tells me any team in the league would love to have this rag-tag group of veterans, right!? A couple of weeks ago, the Ravens and their fans were worried that All Pro safety Ed Reed would miss part or even all of the season with a nerve impingement in his neck. Well, he certainly struck a nerve in Derek Anderson and the Browns when he read the Cleveland QB's eyes and never broke stride when he intercepted him and took it to the house to put the Ravens firmly in front and deflate the Browns fans' hope in the third quarter. The pass rush did exactly as I hoped and predicted when they harrassed Anderson all day long and sacked him five times to go along with their three interceptions, all the while holding Cleveland to 125 passing yards on 14 completions in 37 attempts. So now after two games, albeit against winless teams, the Ravens have held two All Pro QB's to a grand total of 224 passing yards.

The only bright spot (there was one?) for the Browns was the 19 TD yard pass from Anderson to reserve RB Jerome Harrison early in the second quarter. Interestingly, the Browns fans said en mass that the team should utilize Harrison more in the passing game and get him to the outside with some screen or swing passes. The team does it once with great success and never repeats it again?

Now the Ravens sit at the top of the division, with the primetime showdown next Monday night. Ravens fans remember the embarrassment of last year's demoralizing defeat in Pittsburgh on MNF, but that was with an aging and inefficient QB and a depleted and lost secondary, as that game was over by the end of the ifrst quarter. Next week is shaping up to be a completely different contest and after getting battered and beaten by the Philadelphia Eagles yesterday, I'm pretty confident that Ben Roethlisberger is not looking forward to the physical play of the Ravens with any excitement.

However, all Ravens fans, including this writer, certainly can't wait!

Due to their proximity, this game has become known as the "Battle of the Beltway" as both teams play just over 30 miles from each other from Baltimore to Washington. Ravens fans probably have more distaste for their neighbors to the south than the DC fans do for Baltimore, as they have the Eagles, Giants and Cowboys to focus their hatred upon.

However, we all know that there is little love lost between the two cities and while they've played once in DC in the regular season, this is the first time in Ravens history that they've hosted the Redskins. This should be an extremely popular game, as fans of both teams will cram into M&T Bank Stadium in both purple and crimson jerseys for this game. This game is strictly for area bragging rights, as they are in separate conferences with other significant rivalries. At the same time, winning this game provides one city with the "one-up" on the other one and allows the winner to spew trash until the next time.

As Ravens fans, we hate the "Deadskins!" We revel in their losses and cringe when they succeed. Perhaps after the AFC North division rivals and perhaps the Indianapolis Colts (for some fans), the Washington team invokes the most negative emotions for Ravens fans. While I totally agree and want to see my Ravens crush the 'skins, these emotions will have no effect on my prediction that Baltimore will destroy their opponents this week (yeah, righhhhhttt!).

No question that the recent acquisition of former Dolpphin and Dancing with the Stars' Jason Taylor will have helped the Redskins defense, but will it be enough? The Ravens will be facing a still learning QB in Jason Campbell, who spent much of the off season recuperating from his severe knee injury. By week 13, he will either have fully recovered or may be on the sidelines. I say he will be recovered, but his effectiveness will be questionable. The Redskins play in a real tough division, which top to bottom, may be the toughest in football. Playing the Giants, Eagles and Cowboys twice per season will take a chunk out of their armor, making them ripe for a game that will be more emotional for the Ravens players and fans than the Redskins, and this added advantage will charge the team with the additional energy to put the "beatdown" on the DC team.

The Ravens will pound the ball down the middle between the tackles, with Ravens center Jason Brown and guards Ben Grubbs and Marshall Yanda blasting huge holes in the Redskins middle for both Willis McGahee and Ray Rice to rush through over and over. By the fourth quarter, their defense will be worn down and this is where the game will be sealed. While the Ravens will continue to pass when they need to, offensvie coorinator Cam Cameron willl keep the Redskins secondary off kilter with a variety and decent mix of runs and passes. Once the game appears in hand, he will just pound the ball on the ground, eating up huge chunks of yardage as well as gameclock.

The defense will confound Jason Campbell and new coach Jim Zorn will get an education of facing the game's most innovative defensive coordinator in Rex Ryan. The Ravens will beat the crap out of Campbell and we all know running back Clinton Portis will not be effective running the ball, as the 'skins will have to rely on the pass and this is where the defense will return to its previous years' opportunistic self. Look for exciting interception returns and the type of smash mouth football that has epitomized the Ravens during their successful years.

With another win, the Ravens are flush in the mix for a playoff spot and will set up a showdown next week with the Steelers coming to town with the lead in the AFC North at stake. That should be a great one!

Ravens: 23  Redskins: 9

Season Record:  8-5