Decade-long rivalry pits Lewis against Taylor again

Mike Preston

October 2, 2009

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Ravens middle linebacker Ray Lewis and New England Patriots running back Fred Taylor need no introductions.

From 1998 through 2001, they regularly bumped heads when the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Ravens both played in the old AFC Central.

In the early days, the Jaguars would torture the Ravens' defense with quarterback Mark Brunell and receivers Keenan McCardell, Jimmy Smith and Taylor. It wasn't until 2000 that the Ravens started to turn the series around.

But Lewis hasn't forgotten Taylor. In six career games against the Ravens while with Jacksonville, Taylor rushed for 510 yards, gaining 4.4 yards a carry. Taylor had two big games against the Ravens in 1998 and one in 2002.

Taylor seems to have restarted his career with 105 rushing yards last week in the Patriots' 26-10 win over the Atlanta Falcons. Taylor, in his 12th season, looked like his old self. Now the two veterans get to go at it again Sunday.

"Good rivalry. It's been a great rivalry for years," Lewis said. "It's been a privilege to play against Fred but not always a pleasure. Fred has always been one of those backs that you've really got to keep a hold on. If you don't, he can really hurt you in the running game. He has the ability. He's big enough to run between the tackles, and he's fast enough to run away from most defenses."

New England has a multifaceted offense. But if you can control Taylor, you have a good chance of slowing Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. The key, according to Lewis, is staying under control.

"They do a lot of zone blocking," Lewis said. "They don't use a fullback, so they like to get Taylor out in space where he can make his reads and cuts and get you one-on-one. We really have to really do a good job on Fred this week."

Harbaugh on stopping Brady

The Ravens are fortunate to be facing Brady in Week 4. In three games, Brady has improved slowly, but some of the rust is still there from the 15 games he missed last season with a knee injury.

Brady has completed 87 of 142 passes for 871 yards and has a quarterback rating of 79.9. He is still struggling with touch and mechanical issues, which are causing him to miss open receivers.

According to Ravens coach John Harbaugh, there is no secret to stopping Brady. The Ravens will try to blitz him a lot, which New York did in a 16-9 Jets win two weeks ago. Brady wasn't sacked, but he was hit seven times and hurried 15 other times.

Harbaugh said: "It will be nice to see how that chess match, as you put it, plays out. Tom takes a lot of time at the line of scrimmage trying to get an idea as to what you're in before the snap ever takes place.

"Then he's as good as anybody, once he gets the ball in his hands, [at] just figuring out what you're calling and getting the ball in the hands of his playmakers. So, there will be that game being played, and it will be fun to watch before the snap and after the snap."

Balanced Ravens

The best thing about the Ravens playing the Patriots this year is the balance of the Ravens. If the Patriots want to get into a shootout, the Ravens are capable. They can match New England in a power running game, too.

But here's where everybody in Baltimore gets nervous: The Ravens' secondary against New England's wide receivers. Slot receiver Wes Welker (knee) should be playing Sunday, and the Ravens have to find a way to contain Randy Moss.

Last week, Moss caught 10 passes for 116 yards. The Falcons, though, didn't press up on Moss. Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis shut Moss down by playing in his face off the line of scrimmage.

Unfortunately for the Ravens, they don't have a cornerback as physical as Revis, who is the best in the NFL.

Rolle update

A Samari Rolle update: The veteran cornerback, put on the physically-unable-to-perform list before the season started, had neck surgery last week, the second in less than a year.

The Ravens and Rolle will decide in about two weeks whether he will play again this season. Rolle was expected to be the nickel cornerback in 2009.

"I'm waiting to see how it goes," said Rolle, a 12-year veteran. Doctors have prohibited Rolle from doing any type of training, and he can't begin using the stationary cycle until next week.

Rolle's return would significantly improve the Ravens' secondary, but it appears likely he'll retire.

Ravens' reunion with Thomas

The last time Ravens fans saw current Patriots linebacker Adalius Thomas, a former Raven, was Dec. 3, 2007, when the Patriots beat the Ravens here, 27-24.

Thomas had to play against Ravens Pro Bowl left offensive tackle Jonathan Ogden, and Ogden abused Thomas. There were times Thomas got knocked so far off the ball that he looked like a cornerback instead of an outside linebacker.

On that night, Thomas had to wish he were back in a Ravens uniform just so he didn't have to play against Ogden.

Ayanbadejo's bigger role

Because he weighs only a listed 225 pounds, and it's probably more like 217, it's hard to envision Brendon Ayanbadejo as an every-down linebacker. But so far, he has outplayed starter Tavares Gooden, and fellow reserve Jameel McClain is closing the gap on Gooden, too.

Ayanbadejo is the Ravens' top special teams player, but the team also was able to sign him in March 2008 because Ayanbadejo wanted a bigger role on defense. He might get it now.

That body frame might be small, but it's loaded with muscle and speed.

"I mean, I'm in there for speed," Ayanbadejo said. "I'm built for speed, so to be able to get out there and utilize it, that's what I really love to do. You don't have to run 70 yards to get it. You can run 30 yards or 20 yards, and it's usually even shorter than that, and just explode and burst and be able to hit something. And to not have to run 70 yards makes it a little bit more fun."

Enough about Kruger

It's time to do away with the questions and stories about why rookie defensive end Paul Kruger isn't playing. The bottom line is that he isn't good enough yet, and certainly not better than the guys in front of him. There are no conspiracies, no agenda. And it's not the first, nor will it be the last, time a second-round draft pick hasn't dressed for games early in the season.