23. Ed Reed, S, Baltimore Ravens: He is the prototype modern safety: rangy and can still tackle. He is what safeties like Roy Williams wish they could be.

There has been talk for sometime about a new deal for Ravens all-world LB Ray Lewis, as he’s entering the final year of his deal.  Lewis said earlier this offseason that he does not want the talk of a deal to get in the way of the season, but the bottom line is he wants to get paid, just like any other player of his stature.

Sporting News is now reporting that while no deal is imminent, the Ravens Lewis are getting closer to agreeing to a new contract that will allow him to play two more seasons, and finish his career in Baltimore if he wants. The story is that the Ravens think that Lewis can be a big-time LB for two more seasons even though he has showed signs of slowing down, and has not played at that high level for the past few seasons, also dealing with some injuries.

The biggest question with Lewis will be how much is he worth, and will the Ravens pay it.  Lewis is by far the team leader when it comes to relating to the team, including the younger players, and with Jonathan Ogden walking away from the game this season, the team does not want Lewis to do the same, leaving to go wrap up his career someone else.  Look for the sides to quickly get a deal down and for it to be announced early in training camp, keeping Lewis a bird for the rest of his career.

Looks like the Ravens have some legal issues coming their way, as Saturday night at Cleveland Hopkins Airport, CB Derrick Martin was arrested for drug possession. WKYC-TV reports that Martin was found with three bags of marijuana. He was a sixth-round pick of the Ravens in the 2006 draft. He appeared in every game last season, starting three of them.  In two years with the Ravens he has played in 24 games, making 45 tackles and two picks.  The team has not commented on the arrest as of yet.

Despite the fact Ravens S Tom Zbikowski hasn’t gotten off to a particularly good start with his new club, we hear there is almost no chance he won’t make the final roster coming out of training camp. A third-round pick, Zbikowski certainly would be signed by another team were the Ravens to try and sneak him onto the practice squad. The Ravens would like Zbikowski to drop a little weight with the hope it will help him in pass coverage.

Mark Bowden’s new book - “The Best Game Ever” is getting praise around the country as one of the top sports books on the market.  The book highlights the 1958 New York Giants and Baltimore Colts NFL Championship game at Yankee Stadium. Played in front of sixty-four thousand fans and millions of television viewers around the country, the game would be remembered as the greatest in football history.

The Best Game Ever is a brilliant portrait of how a single game changed the history of American sport. Published to coincide with the fiftieth anniversary of the championship, it is destined to be a sports classic.

Now is your chance to win a free copy of this book. Just answer the trivia questions below, and send us your answers, along with your name, email and address to: matt@nflgridirongab.com and Wednesday we’ll announce a winner here on the site. Here are the three trivia questions:

1. Who did the KC Chiefs Beat in the AFL Championship Game to advance to Super Bowl I?

2. How Many NFL MVP Awards did Johnny Unitas Win in his NFL Career?

3. Entering 2008, how many Playoff Births have the Dallas Cowboys Had in their History?

Good luck and we look forward to hearing your answers!

Here’s something to file away: Word from Baltimore is that the Ravens were putting in some work on trick plays in their offseason workouts.

Positional battles

Quarterbacks Kyle Boller, Joe Flacco and Troy Smith are set to battle for the starting quarterback job.

With the retirement of offensive tackle Jonathan Ogden, offensive linemen Jared Gaither and Adam Terry should compete for the job, with Gaither the favorite.

Newly acquired cornerback Fabian Washington could compete with cornerback Samari Rolle a year after Rolle missed 10 games with epilepsy.

Fading fast

Place kicker Matt Stover has seen his scoring decrease in four of the last five seasons. Last season he scored 107 points, which was his lowest total since 2002, but did make 84.4 percent of his field goals. At 40, his NFL career may be winding down.

Coming on strong

Defensive tackle Haloti Ngata has been a major contributor for the Ravens in his first two seasons. He saw his tackles jump from 31 (13 solo) to 63 (44 solo) in his second season while his sack total went from one as a rookie to three in his second year.

On the rebound

Tight end Todd Heap had a tough time staying healthy last season. He only played in six games because of a hamstring injury and collected 239 yards and one touchdown. When healthy, Heap is an important part of the offense, especially this season with the inexperience at quarterback.

Injury prone

Despite his production, linebacker Ray Lewis has missed games each of the past four seasons because of various injuries and has not played 16 games since 2003. Last season he had 120 tackles, which is impressive, but his age (33) may make him vulnerable to more injuries in the future.

Offensive/defensive scheme changes
With the addition of offensive coordinator Cam Cameron to the coaching staff, the Ravens will likely open things up offensively. Cameron has been a successful coordinator in the past, so he should be able to generate more offense for a team that only averaged 17.2 points per game last season.

While the Ravens’ ORT job is likely to remain Adam Terry’s come September, we’re hearing rookie Oneil Cousins might take over the position in 2009. Cousins’ feistiness has been apparent early in his pro career — he’s already been involved in two on-field skirmishes.