BALTIMORE -- There once was a time when Ray Lewis served as the centerpiece of the best defense in the NFL.That role is now being played by Zachary Orr, the Baltimore Ravens middle linebacker and leading tackler on a unit ranked No. 1 in the league.Though the names have changed, the philosophy behind the Ravens defense remains the same.So does its effectiveness.The current edition of the Baltimore defense is not yet worthy of being compared some of the great ones of the past, most notably the 2000 version, which set a record for fewest points allowed in a 16-game season before winning the Super Bowl.But entering Monday nights game against the New England Patriots, the Ravens (7-5) are in the mix for the AFC North title on the strength of a defense that has limited the opposition to an NFL-low 73.8 yards rushing per game.Theyre the first-rated defense in the league, so no one has done a better job over the course of the season than them, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady said.They dont give you anything easy. You have to earn it. They do a good mix with their scheme and also with their personnel.The plan hasnt changed much since Lewis arrived in Baltimore in 1996. While the tackles jammed the front of the line, Lewis honed in on the guy with the ball. In case of a pass, safety Ed Reed had Lewis back.Tony Siragusa, Haloti Ngata, Kelly Gregg and several others played front man for Lewis, who retired after Baltimore beat San Francisco in the 2012 Super Bowl.This season, the 335-pound Brandon Williams is paving the way for Orr.He is in the middle of the defense, outside linebacker Terrell Suggs said. That is the heart of it, if you ask me.For a long time around here, we had the great Ray Lewis, but nobody ever really mentioned Kelly Gregg and the dominance that he had. Our middle linebacker and our nose guards, thats pretty much the source of our defense.Dean Pees has followed the practice of former Ravens defensive coordinators Marvin Lewis and Rex Ryan in utilizing that sound strategy.With Williams up front, Orr in the middle and three-time Pro Bowl safety Eric Weddle in the back end, Baltimore has allowed only 17.3 points per game.We know how we want to play fundamentally, Pees said. You just have to play that way.Now in his fifth season as Ravens defensive coordinator, Pees knows how to put together a unit and make it work.Were sitting at the top of the league right now because of the things hes been doing, cornerback Jimmy Smith said.Last weeks 38-6 rout of Miami was one of those rare afternoons when both the offense and defense were clicking in unison. If the offense continues to improve, so will the defense.Ill tell you this: Our defense is going to look even better if -- and when -- our offense goes out and puts up points, Smith said, because we can start playing the defense where we can get after a lot of guys, pin our ears back, get sacks and a lot more turnovers.The Baltimore offense should be tested by the Patriots, who in turn know theyll have to be at their best to score on the Ravens.Asked what concerned him most about the Baltimore defense, New England coach Bill Belichick said, Pretty much everything. Tough to run against, very good on third down, dont give up a lot of points, turn the ball over.You just cant be sloppy around this defense. You have to take good care of the football and youve got to be physical with them. Theyve got some big, strong guys up front.Its been that way for a long, long time. Just ask Orr, who entered the weekend tied for fourth in the NFL with 112 tackles.I have great players around me that have allowed me to flourish in this system, Orr said. Its probably the best situation I could be in.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Youth Canucks Jerseys . Halladay signed a one-day contract with the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday that allowed the veteran right-hander to retire as a member of team with which he broke into the majors and spent the bulk of his distinguished 16-year career. Markus Naslund Jersey . What general manager Dave Nonis called "short and productive" negotiations ended with Kessel signing a US$64-million, eight-year contract on Tuesday. http://www.cheapcanucksjerseyschina.com/sven-baertschi-jersey/ .Y. -- Sabres defenceman Tyler Myers had no intention of changing his hard-hitting style before taking part in a disciplinary hearing for his illegal check to New Jersey forward Dainius Zubrus head. Loui Eriksson Jersey . The CFLs leading rusher kept adding to his gaudy numbers this season and scored the winning touchdown with just over two minutes to play. The New Westminster, B.C., native plowed three yards into the end zone for the last score of a heated, see-saw battle between the two teams with the best records in the CFL. Todd Bertuzzi Jersey . Denis Coderre, the former federal MP who was elected mayor on Nov. 3, has drawn the ire of some Montreal Canadiens. During last nights game he tweeted: "Hello? Can we get a one-way ticket to (minor-league) Hamilton for David Desharnais please. This mannequin challenge thing is really sweeping the NFL. I was in Cleveland on Sunday, and the Browns defense was actually doing it on the field during the game!Ah, we kid, of course. And someday, if their draft-pick-heavy plan comes together, the Browns and their fans might get to look back on this season and laugh. But in the meantime, theyre basically an extra bye for a team thats clicking the way the Dallas Cowboys are clicking.Any conscious human with a working arm could have thrown the three touchdown passes Dak Prescott threw Sunday, so well protected was he and so wide-open were his targets. Hes playing great and also benefiting from outstanding circumstances, and its important to note that these things are not mutually exclusive.If you want to be counted among the better teams in the league, and you have a game like the one Dallas had Sunday, the proper thing to do is win it 35-10. If you want to be considered a true Super Bowl contender, even though no one seems to have noticed that youve won 16 of your past 18 games, then you do what the Kansas City Chiefs did and take care of your business against lowly Jacksonville.Strength of schedule matters in the NFL, but too often weakness of schedule is used as a means of deriding teams when youre trying to convince yourself (or your friends) that theyre not that good. Beating Cleveland and Jacksonville didnt automatically stamp the Cowboys and the Chiefs as legit Super Bowl contenders. But beating teams like that at this time of year is the kind of thing legit contenders have to do.Wins arent easy in this league, and banking them where youre supposed to bank them is important. Cowboys-Chiefs wasnt anyones Super Bowl pick heading into this season, but if someone asked you now whether that could be the matchup, youd have to think about it, right?What else did we learn in Week 9? Glad you asked.The Jets are falling apartThis is the time of year when a few teams start cracking at and around the seams. You cant count the Browns, whose roster never gave them a shot. Im looking at teams like the Jaguars and, yes, the Jets, who thought adding Matt Forte and bringing back Ryan Fitzpatrick could help them build on last years surprise 10-6 performance. Instead, theyre 3-6 and still havent played the Patriots. Fitzpatrick was benched, went back in when Geno Smith got hurt and is now hurt himself, which means Bryce Petty could be the guy in Week 10. Meanwhile, one of their defensive stars reportedly missed a defensive team meeting in which his teammates were planning to surprise him with a birthday cake. That is as Jets as it gets, folks.The Giants, for a change, are notIt has been an ugly season for them in a lot of ways, but not in the standings, where they sit at 5-3 and currently hold the No. 1 wild-card slot in the NFC. With one more win, in any of their final eight games, the Giants would match their full-season win totals from each of the past two seasons. The Giants had 54 total rushing yards Sunday against the Eagles, who outgained them 443 total yards to 302 and beat them in time of possession, but New York held them off mainly because it was?able to convert two early turnovers into touchdowns. I have no idea if the Giants are any good. Theyve allowed more points than theyve scored, which is weird for a team with a winning record. And it has been years since they were a team to be reckoned with. But they are the Cowboys only loss, and if they can get things calmed down and start running the ball in the second half, they could get back to the playoffs for the first time in five seasons.The Seahawks know how to do just enoughThis isnt the first time weve seen Seattle absscond with a win at home this season, but the Seahawks hung on and held off Tyrod Taylor and a desperate Buffalo Bills?team in the most entertaining Monday night game of the year so far.dddddddddddd Russell Wilson looks as healthy as he has all year, especially throwing the ball. If the season ended right now, Seattle would have the No. 2 seed in the NFC, which means January home games against everybody but Dallas. Anybody interested in betting against the Seahawks continuing to get better?Marquette King has it all figured outThe Raiders punter engaged Sunday night in a series of on-field dance celebrations that drew no penalty flags whatsoever. This right smack in the middle of a season in which penalties for on-field celebrations have become one of the dominant storylines. (Theres another whole column to be written on the declining quality of NFL storylines.) Kings actions surely could be considered taunting, because he was mimicking many of the dance moves of the Broncos Von Miller, whose team King and his Raiders were beating in a key divisional game. But by nature of his position, King is nowhere near his opponents when his taunting is going on, so its indirect and therefore, apparently, inoffensive even in todays hyper-sensitive NFL climate.So maybe this is it. Maybe Marquette King has figured out the way for players to be themselves and express emotion without incurring yellow-flagged consequences. Maybe all you have to do is go somewhere on the field where your opponent is nowhere near you and just get your dance on. Could it be this simple? Could the Raiders punter have delivered a solution to this issue vexing Richard Sherman and so many NFL players and fans? Perhaps. And a punter shall lead them.Melvin Gordon shows its always?too early to judge a rookieThats right. Every year, we all go gaga over a Carson Wentz or a Dak Prescott or a Todd Gurley or a ... gulp ...?Robert Griffin III. Every year, we forget lessons of years past. We forget that young players always struggle, and its just a matter of when. Those who struggle after initial success leave us wondering what went wrong, when usually its nothing but normal growing pains. Those who struggle out of the gate subject themselves to accusations of BUST!So it was with Gordon, a first-round pick who managed to play his entire 2015 rookie season without scoring a touchdown. He had microfracture surgery in the offseason, leading some to wonder if hed ever fulfill his potential. But it turns out all Gordon needed was some time. On Sunday, he laid out the Titans for 261 total yards and his 11th touchdown of the season. Hes third in the league in rushing yards, and when the Chargers needed to convert a third-and-7 to ice the game in the fourth quarter Sunday, they handed it to Gordon and he went straight Angry Birds through the Titans defense for 47 yards. Dont judge rookies, good or bad. Just take a breath, and give them time. Give everybody time.Changing coordinators doesnt always workAmateur move, really, by the Jaguars, firing their offensive coordinator right before the game in Kansas City. Thats not a place where the new guy stands a chance of looking good, right? If youre going to fire the offensive coordinator, you do it right before a home game against the Saints or something like that.The change the Vikings made at that spot last week didnt work either. Teams trying to capture the early-season magic of Buffalo, which fired its OC after Week 2 and won its next four games, are in need of a new plan. Cant fire someone every week. ' ' '