Sunday, September 21, 2003

By Ed Bouchette, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

What sounded as a bad idea at the time continues to be after two games: Starting rookie quarterback Kyle Boller on a Baltimore playoff contender.

The Ravens are last in the league in passing and Boller appears to be in over his head. After a rough first outing at Heinz Field, Boller was worse last week against Cleveland (7 of 17, 78 yards, 31.0 passer rating) but Baltimore somehow won without him. He was knocked out of the game when sacked by Kenard Lang and finished with an interception and two fumbles, one of which was lost.

There are no plans to replace him, though.

"We're going to ride the kid," owner Art Modell said. "If we made a mistake, it was an organizational mistake. But we have confidence in Kyle Boller. I've seen some of the great ones in my time and this kid has the potential. He doesn't have everything in place now, but give him some time. I think he is going to be a great one."

The Ravens should give Boller some time learning behind a seasoned pro. Problem is, they don't have one after passing on a free agent such as Charlie Batch or trading for Mark Brunell.

After further review ...

Snoops (a k a reporters) in Miami obtained documents that show the NFL acknowledged seven blown calls by the officiating crew in the Dolphins' shocking 21-20 loss at home in their opener against Houston.

Among the seven was a holding penalty that erased a 48-yard run by Ricky Williams to the Texans' 2 in the third quarter. The Dolphins submitted 14 plays to the league office to review.

Besides the acknowledgment from the league office, the Dolphins received the usual from NFL honchos: Sorry, fellas.

The comeback trail

Buffalo rookie running back Willis McGahee is on schedule and likely will play this season. He cannot play until after the sixth game because he is on the physically unable to perform list.

The Bills pulled a surprise when they drafted the University of Miami star in the first round because ligaments in his knee were torn in the Fiesta Bowl in January.

"He has made remarkable progress," Buffalo coach Gregg Williams said. "I'm amazed at how far and how fast he's come back from that injury. All I can say is don't count him out for this year."

Top rushers grounded

It's been a slow start for the NFL's top three rushers over the past seven-plus seasons.

No. 1 Eddie George (9,066 yards since '96) of Tennessee has 88 yards rushing and a 2.5-yard average. No. 2 Curtis Martin (8,934) of the Jets has 80 yards and a 3.2-yard average. And No. 3 -- the Steelers' Jerome Bettis (8,472) -- has 21 yards on eight carries.

Titans have been bad boys

Tennessee coach Jeff Fisher had some choice words for his Titans because they are fourth in the league with 21 penalties. He called them "thugs" during halftime of their 33-7 loss in Indianapolis last week.

"Coach said we played like we were thugs, he thought he had a bunch of thugs," safety Lance Schulters said. "We're not thugs, we're just tyrants. That's how we play. We play aggressively. But we have to play smarter."

Another delayed takeoff for Jets

The 0-2 Jets have gone the past 10 Septembers with just one winning record, that coming in 2000.

"This is the most frustration I've felt in the last four or five years since I've been here," center Kevin Mawae said.

The Jets might take comfort in the fact that of the eight teams that started 2-0 last season, only the Raiders made the playoffs. Of the eight 0-2 teams last season, the Steelers and Atlanta made the playoffs. And, of the eight 2-0 teams this season, only the Colts made the playoffs last season.

But of the six teams that started 3-0 last season, not one made the playoffs -- Miami, New England, Denver, San Diego, Carolina and New Orleans.

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