Cincinnati coach Marvin Lewis said he won't meet with ownership until after the season to determine his future, but if the Bengals don't re-sign Lewis and he doesn't get another head coaching job, the Ravens should add him to their staff.
Lewis is still highly regarded by Baltimore owner Steve Bisciotti and general manager Ozzie Newsome. He still maintains strong ties to the Baltimore community and visits the city often.
But more importantly, Lewis is one of the NFL's best defensive minds even though the Bengals always seemed to struggle defensively during his eight years in Cincinnati. Those problems, though, can be traced more to owner Mike Brown than Lewis because Brown has always been a strong believer that offense puts fans in the stands.
Lewis was the Ravens first defensive coordinator when the Browns moved from Cleveland to Baltimore for the 1996 season, and he was the architect of the Ravens' 2000 Super Bowl defense, which was one of the best in NFL history.
Despite Lewis leaving Baltimore in 2001, Lewis's philosophy remains in place here, the same one used by the Pittsburgh Steelers where Lewis was a linebackers coach from 1993 through 1995.
His background and expertise as an assistant or consultant would give the Ravens another pair of eyes and a sounding board. Plus, Lewis has never had a huge ego. He could work well with present Ravens defensive coordinator Greg Mattison and head coach John Harbaugh, and neither would have to look over their shoulders and be worried about being stabbed in the back.
Personally, Lewis deserves another shot as a head coach with a quality organization other than the lousy Bengals, but if not, the Ravens should welcome him back.
There is speculation, though, that Lewis will be granted an extension in Cincinnati, where the Bengals have won two straight.
"I have no idea what's going to happen," said Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer. "With the CBA [collective bargaining agreement], it's going to be difficult for some places to turn loose their coaches because the new coaching staff might not see their team until May, June, July, August, who knows?
"So I don't think there's any way to think about that," Palmer said. "All you can really focus on is the next game and for us, that's Baltimore. We're worried about that, and whatever happens at the end of the year, happens."
Setting up scapegoat
Wherever you go around town, the top question is will Ravens offensive coordinator Cam Cameron return next season?
My answer is wait until the postseason. If the Ravens struggle on offense and can't turn it up a notch in the post season, then Cameron will face serious consequences.
There is something missing from this offense, and it's hard to tell if it's because Cameron micro manages the offense or if quarterback Joe Flacco isn't that good at reading defenses. Whatever the case might be, the passing game isn't as sophisticated as it needs to be with such a quality group of receivers.
So far, the offense has under-performed, and if that continues in the post season, somebody has to take the blame. In other words, there will be a scapegoat of some kind, and it won't be Harbaugh or Flacco.
Joe has swagger
It might be hard to notice, but Flacco is starting to develop a little edge.
He is sporting that scrubby beard and cussed out the ref during the New Orleans game. He jumped Derrick Mason earlier this season when Mason got in his face about holding onto the ball too late.
I like what I see.
Joe-Joe has a swagger.
Spotlight on Redding
If there is an unsung hero on this team, it might be defensive end Cory Redding. He came here during the off season with a lot of fanfare about being a great pass rusher. He had a decent training camp, but his performances seemed to tail off.
But during the last month, Redding has played as well as any of the Ravens defensive linemen. He gives the Ravens something they haven't had in quite a while. The Ravens now have two players who can collapse the pocket and bring the heat from the inside in Redding and Haloti Ngata.
"I think he really is excited," said Harbaugh, of Redding who has 34 tackles "And you can tell by his demeanor. He's been a leader since he got here. He's a veteran guy, he's been in a lot of locker rooms, high-round pick, high-contract guy at one time. [He is] one of the premier defensive linemen in the league who, if you watch the last three or four games, he's playing at that level again. He's playing the best he's played here all year."
Running the gantlet
If the playoffs go as planned, the Ravens will face the Bengals Sunday and could play the Colts, Patriots and maybe the Steelers. These are the same teams and quarterbacks who have had great success against Baltimore.
If the Ravens make it through that stretch, it would be a great accomplishment. There would be little doubt as to who was the best team in pro football.
Farewell to Favre
Maybe the best thing about the end of this regular season is that we can finally put Minnesota quarterback Brett Favre to rest.
Every day, it's a new story about something, whether it's positive or negative. This season has tarnished a great career.
[]
The Ravens have tried to turn the offense into a passing one because they thought Flacco could carry the team and new additions like Anquan Boldin, Donte' Stallworth and T.J. Houshmandzadeh would make the passing game more effective.
Some of that has transpired, but the best way to stop the Ravens is to stop running back Ray Rice, who has 1,143 rushing and 556 passing yards this season. Rice leads the team in receptions with 63.
"Well, I think the thing with the Raven offense — and it's more than Joe Flacco, it starts and stops with Ray Rice — and I think that's the focal point," Lewis said. "We have to do a great job of tackling and getting him on the ground and really containing him."
"And I think with that, then you have to do a great job on these receivers," he said. "These receivers are great route-runners, great double-move guys and things like that. So, you have to be conscious of them. They do a great job of making contested catches, and that's very, very important. So, I think all those things go, and then the quarterback comes into that mix to try to keep him off rhythm as much as you can."
Listen to Mike Preston on "The Bruce Cunningham Show" from noon to 2 p.m. Mondays and Fridays on 105.7 FM.