Major props from Peter King

And the Ravens. My God, is it possible they looked better than the 2000 Ravens? Winning 27-zip at Tampa, a team everyone loved 24 hours ago.

"What we have here right now,'' Ray Lewis told me from the Ravens' team bus after the game, "is the unity we had in 2000, and an offense like we haven't had here.''

There was revelry on the bus around Lewis, the happy sound of winners.

"I'll tell you one thing,'' Lewis said. "We will be very, very hard to beat this year.''

I buy it. It's only one week, and I have no idea if Steve McNair can stay healthy, but I totally buy it.

• Baltimore, if it stays healthy, is going to be a force. So you took the Baltimore defense in your fantasy league? You're a smarter man than I am. Tampa's good on offense, with a growing passing game and a back who should rush for 1,300 yards, Cadillac Williams. The Bucs managed 142 net yards. And Ray Lewis led a bunch of men possessed, with seven tackles and a smothering sack of Chris Simms. Lewis is 31. He played the roaming, sideline-to-sideline terror he was four or five years ago in Tampa. "Injuries, nothing else, are the only thing that's ever slowed me down,'' he told me, "and right now, I feel 100 percent healthy. Nothing hurts.''

Adalius Thomas was the other stud in the front seven. You've got to hand it to GM Ozzie Newsome for continuing to find gems in the draft -- and after the draft. Weakside linebacker Bart Scott was a punishing force against Tampa Bay (five tackles, two sacks) -- and the Ravens got him as an undrafted free-agent out of Southern Illinois five years ago.

AND HAS HAS US NO 1 IN HIS POLL:
The Fine Fifteen
1. Baltimore (1-0). QB Steve McNair to Ray Lewis: "You guys are going to get a lot of rest on defense this year.'' In other words, we'll carry our weight on offense, big fella.

2. Indianapolis (1-0). Defense has some tightening-up to do after giving up 433 yards to the Jints.

3. Atlanta (1-0). If Patrick Kerney and John Abraham, both hurt Sunday, are out for any time, the Falcs will have a short stay in this lofty perch.

4. Chicago (1-0). Who knows what a 26-0 win over Green Bay means.

5. Pittsburgh (1-0). Ben looking more and more probable for Monday-nighter at Jax.

sportsillustrated.cnn.com...index.html

If we play D like that and tighten up the offense a bit we can play with anybody. Thats a feeling I haven't had in a while. I hope our men stay focused and hungry.

#1? Wow. He really does think highly of this team.

Now we're in it for it. Talk about a pundit completely changing his story quickly!!

Don't want too many props going to the players' heads that quickly. It will be imperative for Billick to keep this "one game at a time" approach that we heard from the players.

Too much ego, not enough results was the story from the last 2 years -- I'd like to see the equation reversed.

Ill say it again,LOCK AD UP NOW!This defense can be special again for at least 2-3 more years,but not without AD in there.