Home >  Sports >  Notebooks

Sunday, October 08, 2000

There was the Steel Curtain, but the Bird Cage? The Baltimore Ravens' defense can do something that has not been done in the 30 years since the NFL merger in 1970 -- record six shutouts.

They have three shutouts in five games. That ties them with eight other teams for the second-most shutouts in a season in 30 years.

The Steelers of 1976 have the most with five. That particular edition of the Steel Curtain was considered one of the great defenses in NFL history. No one's comparing this Ravens' defense to that one yet, but it could quickly eclipse their shutout mark.

"It's early yet," Steelers President Dan Rooney said.

The 1991 Redskins were the last team to record three shutouts in a season before the Ravens. All but one of the nine teams to have three or more shutouts in a season since 1970 have made the playoffs. Only the 1970 Cardinals, who finished 8-5-1, did not.

The Ravens became the first team to record two consecutive shutouts since the 1985 Chicago Bears, who went on to lose just one game and win the Super Bowl.

Baltimore Coach Brian Billick doesn't think those Bears could win with their style of football today.

"A team that is so totally reliant on defense in today's game would have a tough time winning the Super Bowl," said Billick, an offensive coach before he became a head coach. "The game has changed so much. You need to be more explosive if you think you're going to win the Super Bowl.

"Where we sit right now, No. 1 in rushing defense, No. 2 in rushing yardage, No. 1 in turnovers, traditionally says there's a championship profile. But unless we get the explosives back I don't know if that is a legitimate [championship] profile."

The Steelers last Sunday won with defense and by running the ball in Jacksonville, throwing it only 16 times. Billick doesn't think that style of play will go very far.

"That's a scary way to play for me. One or two little errors and all of a sudden, they've got the upper hand and now where are you?"

Elsewhere around the AFC Central Division:

Wide receiver Carl Pickens is out of Cincinnati because he ripped the Bengals last December for bringing back Bruce Coslet as coach. The Bengals released Pickens and he was signed quickly by Tennessee.

Today, he returns to Cincinnati with the Titans and he returns vindicated because Coslet resigned Sept. 25 after the Bengals scored just seven points in three games, all losses. Dick LeBeau replaced him.

"They seem to be playing better than they had the first three weeks," Pickens said. "I know Coach LeBeau pretty good. I know he's a motivator. I know those guys will step up and play for him."

The Ravens haven't allowed a 100-yard rusher in 22 consecutive games.

If the Jaguars lose to Baltimore tonight, it may knock them out of the playoff running. The Ravens have already beaten them once. It also could rip apart the team that had the best record in the conference last season, 14-2.

"There is no dissension on this team," safety Mike Logan said.

When the Browns lost Errict Rhett for the season with a torn ligament in his foot, it left them with nothing but rookie running backs. Travis Prentice, their new starter, is a third-round draft pick from Miami (Ohio) University.

His backup is rookie free agent Jamel White from South Dakota. They also have rookie Rahshon Spikes of North Carolina State on their practice squad.

"That's the National Football League," Coach Chris Palmer said. "That's our football team. A year ago, we played with seven rookies at one time. This isn't going to make it any different."

It certainly doesn't seem to matter when they play the Steelers.