FanHouse HalotiNgata

Maybe Rex Ryan's midweek gum-flapping had nothing to do with the Monday night Jets-Ravens game. Or maybe it did. Either way, rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez found out two plays into his first NFL start that he wasn't facing the University of Washington.

On his first pass attempt, Sanchez threw a pick-six to defensive tackle Haloti Ngata, but not before getting knocked silly by linebacker Ray Lewis. And on his second pass attempt, Sanchez would have thrown another pick-six had Lewis not dropped it.

Before proclaiming that Sanchez isn't yet ready for the New York City spotlight or the rigors of life as an NFL starting quarterback, it's probably worth repeating this tweet from Football Outsiders: "Basing your QB decision on preseason play is like deciding on a NASCAR career because you won at go-karts."

Who moved to the head of the NFL class during the draft? Find out with FanHouse's team-by-team 2009 Draft Grades.

One year removed from a 10-win season, and on the heels of a four-win effort, owner Randy Lerner decided change was in order. He fired head coach Romeo Crennel and general manager Phil Savage and brought in Eric Mangini and George Kokonis.

If the first draft under the new leadership is any indication, the Browns will use the last weekend in April to restock the roster, and eschew high-priced, quick-fix free agents. The previous regime had a healthy mix of the two: Gary Baxter, Eric Steinbach, LeCharles Bentley and Donte' Stallworth were signed as free agents; Kamerion Wimbley, Joe Thomas and Brady Quinn were all high-round draft picks.

Who moved to the head of the NFL class during the draft? Find out with FanHouse's team-by-team 2009 Draft Grades.

Jonathan Ogden retired last summer, leaving the Ravens with a young but deep group of offensive linemen to protect rookie quarterback Joe Flacco. Not surprisingly, Ogden's replacement, Jared Gaither (a former supplementary draft pick) was inconsistent, but occasionally flashed glimpses of big-play potential.

Ray Lewis didn't get the free agency coronation that he -- and many of us -- figured was coming his way. The Cowboys, Jets, and even the hometown Ravens, showed little interest in the future Hall of Fame linebacker, presumably because his contract demands weren't in line with reality: at 33, there wasn't much left in the tank, as the thinking goes.

In the months and days leading up to the 2006 NFL Draft, most folks who know about such things figured Texas safety Michael Huff to be a top-10 pick. In looking back through the '06 draft mags, Pro Football Weekly and ESPN had Huff going seventh to the 49ers, and The Sporting News had the Lions taking him with the ninth selection.

In the end, the Raiders -- a team with needs, well, at just about every position -- drafted Huff seventh overall. And that, in all likelihood, was the highlight of his professional career. Huff started every game in '06 and '07, but only managed seven starts last season. In three years, he has 191 tackles and 17 passes defended but just one interception.

Training camps are underway, the NFL season is right around the corner, and to get you ready for 2008, FanHouse previews all 32 teams, "heat index" style. We'll rate each club in 10 categories on a scale of 1 to 10, high score wins.

Quarterback: The position has been an issue in Baltimore since, well, the club moved from Cleveland. Brian Billick turned out not to be such a smart guy, after all, which explains Tony Banks, Elvis Grbac, Chris Redman, and Kyle Boller. Second-year player Troy Smith showed promise during a brief stints last season, but Joe Flacco is the team's newest franchise quarterback. Now it's just a matter of getting him up to speed on running the offense. Heat Index: 4

Running backs: Letting Jamal Lewis walk after the 2006 season was a no-brainer, even if he had a resurgence of sorts with the Browns. Willis McGahee is more than capable when healthy, and rookie second-rounder Ray Rice should see plenty of action. Heat Index: 7

Good thing the season doesn't start tomorrow, because the Ravens might have to un-retire Steve McNair, have him drop a few pounds, and move to left tackle or defensive line. Jared Gaither, the guy in line to replace Jonathan Ogden, sprained his right ankle yesterday, and 2006 first-round pick, defensive tackle Haloti Ngata, was carted off the field earlier today with an injured right leg.

Starting running back Willis McGahee is also recovering from a leg injury and safety Ed Reed, cornerback David Pittman, running backs Cory Ross and P.J. Daniels, and offensive tackle Davie Hale joined him on the sidelines today. In less depressing news, cornerback Chris McAlister was given the A-OK to return to practice after rehabbing from offseason knee surgery.

I'm not sure this will have much effect on how the Ravens start the season; presumably, everybody will be relatively healthy in short order and the preseason schedule will give the team an opportunity to prepare for the real thing.

That said, if Kyle Boller wins the starting quarterback gig, it won't much matter how all these injuries turn out; the Ravens will be playing for 2009, when Joe Flacco will hopefully be ready to assume the full-time job (if not sooner).

[FoxSports.com: Ngata hurts leg, adding to list of Ravens injuries]

To get you ready for week 14, FanHouse is previewing all 16 NFL games. Here is the Indianapolis Colts/Baltimore Ravens preview.

2007 Records:

Indianapolis Colts: 10-2 (1st in AFC South)
Baltimore Ravens: 4-8 (t-3rd in AFC North)

Last Week:

Colts 28, Jaguars 25
Patriots 27, Ravens 24

When the Colts have the ball: Unless you've been living in Estonia for the past decade, it's not much of a secret what the Colts are going to do offensively or what the Ravens will do defensively. The Colts are going to spread the defense as wide as they can and then attack the seams. The Ravens are going to attack and take chances that offer great reward and great risk. That's to the Colts advantage in the passing game. Chris McAlister and Samari Rolle haven't been in tip-top shape all season and their other corners are a motley crew that will struggle to keep up with Reggie Wayne and Anthony Gonzalez. Because Dallas Clark is a favored target for Peyton Manning, Ed Reed won't be able to freelance. That limits the Ravens aggressiveness and gives Manning time to find the right guy. On the ground, though, the Ravens should be able to shoot gaps and control Joseph Addai which could open up the blitz as the game wears on.

Last week, I noted that it seemed kind of odd that Ravens' defensive lineman Haloti Ngata wasn't ejected from the game after punching Browns' left tackle Joe Thomas in the head. Since, you know, it happened right in front of an official, and such circumstances usually lead to players getting tossed.

Well, it gets weirder: the league fined Ngata $5,000 (not weird), but also fined Cleveland running back Jamal Lewis the same amount ... for spiking the ball on Baltimore's sideline after a long catch-and-run (extremely weird).

That's right, punching a dude in the grill, and spiking the ball at the feet of former teammates is the same in the eyes of the NFL Gestapo. I've mentioned before that the league office seems to arbitrarily sanction players for on-field transgressions, and this is the latest example.

I'm not sure what message NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is trying to send, but it sure seems like he's saying that throwing haymakers and taunting opponents are the same in the eyes of the league. That makes sense.

To get you ready for the season, FanHouse is previewing all 32 NFL teams. Here's the outlook for the defending AFC North champion Ravens.

2006 record: 13-3

2006 Offense: After years of trying to groom a quarterback, the Ravens finally went out and acquired an established one. Steve McNair has lost a step (and a few miles off his fastball) since his co-MVP days, but Baltimore doesn't need a hero; they just need someone to -- wait for it -- manage the game. Mark Clayton emerged as the No. 1 receiver, and rookie Demetrius Williams showed enough promise that the team didn't scramble to acquire another wideout this off-season. The running game was a different story, however.

2006 Defense: Historically, the Ravens' defense has carried this team, but in 2006, the two units were well balanced. First-round nose tackle Haloti Ngata drew double-teams all season, which allowed Ray Lewis to make plays closer to the line of scrimmage. Bart Scott, a former undrafted free agent, continued to make a case for the best linebacker on the roster, while Adalius Thomas played his way into an nice payday with the Patriots. And Terrell Suggs, Chris McAlister and Ed Reed played exactly as expected; Samari Rolle, not so much. But rookie safety Dawan Landry was a pleasant late-round surprise, snagging five interceptions.