Inside The Afc Central

Sporting News, The, Jan 1, 2001

2000 HIGHS AND LOWS

BEST SURPRISE: Sam Adams, DT, Ravens. They said he was an underachiever, but Adams anchored the middle of the line on the league's stingiest defense.

BIGGEST BUST (tie): Plaxico Burress, WR, Steelers, R. Jay Soward, WR, Jaguars. It's hard to say which rookie did less this season. Burress (the No. 8 pick in the draft) failed to score a touchdown; Soward (No. 29) failed to catch even 15 passes. Neither could hold a starting job,

BEST BAND-AID: Derrick Mason, WR/KR, Titans. He did it all this season: stepping in as a starting WR when Kevin Dyson got hurt and continuing as one of the league's top return men. His Pro Bowl invitation was well deserved.

MOST PAINFUL INJURY: Tim Couch, QB, Browns. The Browns weren't going to the playoffs anyway, but their offense absolutely collapsed after Couch hurt his thumb in Week 7; it averaged 7.3 ppg without its No. 1 QB.

PLAY TO REMEMBER: Tony Banks hitting Shannon Sharpe with a 29-yard TD pass in the final minute in Week 2, giving the Ravens their first win ever over the Jaguars.

PLAY TO FORGET: Cleveland G Jim Pyne injuring his knee while celebrating a Couch TD pass in Week 2. The Browns' best lineman missed the rest of the year.

CHANGE FOR THE BETTER: When Ravens coach Brian Billick stopped trying to make his offense what it isn't (a passing threat) and settled for what it can be (a devastating running attack with RB Jamal Lewis).

CHANGE FOR THE WORSE: Troy Edwards caught 61 passes playing split end for the Steelers in 1999. To make room for Burress, the team moved him to flanker. Edwards caught 17 passes and didn't score all season.

FREE-AGENT FLOP: Hardy Nickerson, LB, Jaguars. The Jags handed him a fat four-year contract last February in hopes that he had something left at 35. He played in just six games because of injuries and was ineffective.

ABOUT TO CASH IN: Corey Dillon, RB, Bengals. He is about to find out what a career-best, 1,435-yard season and an NFL-record 278-yard game is really worth.

ONE THING WE WERE WRONG ABOUT: That the Steelers would finish with their worst record since 1969 (1-13).

YEAH, BUT WE SURE NAILED THIS ONE: That the Bengals wouldn't win a game as long as Akili Smith remained their starting quarterback. --Dave Sloan

Baltimore

12-4: 2nd

If defense doesn't dominate, playoff run will be short

DETERMINING FACTOR: No one could run against this team. The Ravens have a top-drawer defense, and that's because they make other teams one-dimensional. They haven't allowed a l00-yard rusher in 33 consecutive games. In the days leading up to most games, the Ravens didn't have to concentrate on stopping the run. Instead, they spent most of their time devising a plan for stopping the other team's passing attack. The Ravens may have the best front seven in the league, but the run defense centered on huge DTs Tony Siragusa and Sam Adams. They would tie up the middle of offensive lines, freeing MLB Ray Lewis to flow to the ball. Lewis led the team in tackles for the fifth straight season. A lot of teams would begin games against the Ravens in a spread offense, which was basically saying they weren't even going to attempt to run.

RATING THE ROOKIES: Several draft experts ridiculed vice president of player personnel Ozzie Newsome when he selected Tennessee RB Jamal Lewis with the fifth overall pick. But Lewis quickly established himself as a quality power runner. He rushed for more than 1,300 yards and transformed the Ravens from a passing team into a running team. He can run inside with power or burst outside with speed. It usually takes more than one tackler to get him down, and he wears down opponents with his size (5-11,231) and punishing style. WR Travis Taylor, the team's other first-rounder, made a noteworthy contribution. But he hit the proverbial rookie wall before sustaining a fractured clavicle on October 29, putting him out the rest of the season. QB Chris Redman might move into the No. 2 role next season and could eventually become the starter.

PLAYOFFS PROGNOSIS: The Ravens have the defense to keep them in any game, but the offense is still questionable. The team has a proven running attack with Lewis, but the receivers-except for TE Shannon Sharpe--are average and have a tough time getting off the line of scrimmage when corners press them. The offensive line is in a funk right now. The guards, Edwin Mulitalo and Mike Flynn, couldn't make any headway in the running game against the Jets. Despite major improvements in the program the last two years, the team still doesn't have a proven quarterback. Until the Ravens get one, they likely won't reach the Super Bowl. If the defense doesn't dominate in the playoffs, the Ravens will be in trouble. At least PR Jermaine Lewis heads into the postseason in high gear. --Mike Preston

FINAL GRADES

Regular season

OFFENSE C-

This unit has become one-dimensional, and it'll have to step it up in the playoffs.

DEFENSE A

A top-notch unit, but the Jets' 524 yards ended talk about it being one of the greatest ever.

SPECIAL TEAMS C