BAD PLAY-CALLING CARRIES OVER.

Byline: BILLY WITZ

The way last season ended for the Rams and Ravens - in the playoffs, on their home fields, with fans scratching their heads over the play calling - made for a long offseason in Baltimore and St. Louis.

Apparently, it wasn't long enough.

If the offseason is a time of reflection and an opportunity for personal growth, then it makes you wonder what Rams coach Mike Martz, the mad professor of his profession, and Ravens coach Brian Billick, whose head can be as hard as a helmet, were thinking as they sat under the Bodhi Tree?

When Baltimore opened the playoffs with a 20-17 loss to Tennessee, Billick handed the ball to Jamal Lewis, the NFL's leading rusher, a mere 14 times. Granted, the Titans had the best run defense in the NFL last season, but the Ravens didn't win 10 games by letting backup quarterback Anthony Wright throw 37 times, either.

With nine months to let that lesson sink in, Billick went out Sunday in a 20-3 loss to Cleveland and handed the ball to Lewis 20 times - or 16 less than he asked quarterback Kyle Boller to throw. One of the passes, which fell incomplete, came on third-and-2 from midfield.

To be fair, the Ravens were without All-Pro tackle Jonathan Ogden and center Mike Flynn, and Lewis managed just 57 yards against the team he ran up 500 on last season. But their absence wasn't going to help the inexperienced Boller, either. He lost a fumble and threw two interceptions in a game that was tied in the final minute of the third quarter.

Afterward, Billick defended his play calling. But here's a number that's hard to explain away: In the last two-plus seasons, when Lewis has had 20 carries or less, the Ravens are 2-10. There were familiar cringes in St. Louis, too, where the Rams won but not before overcoming the lowly Cardinals - and Martz's curious calls.

When the Rams were closing in on a stunning comeback against Carolina last season in the playoffs, Martz suddenly went conservative - playing for a field goal that sent the game into overtime, where the Rams lost. The red zone troubles continued Sunday, when the Rams had to settle for three short field goals before breaking through in the fourth quarter.

On one trip, the Rams were faced with third-and-2, which calls for what else but a reverse to tight end Cam Cleeland. The result was a 2- yard loss and a cascade of boos, which, translated, meant: get the ball to Marshall Faulk. Afterward Martz couldn't help but agree. Unlike Billick, he at least shouldered the blame for the red zone problems.

``That's more play selection than anything else,'' Martz said. ``I'm to blame for that.''

Elsewhere around the league, more lessons were learned:

--Dallas had the NFL's top-rated defense last year, but there was a suspicion that it had less to do with scrappy, hustling players than a schedule bereft of any offensive powerhouses. That theory looked credible Sunday after Daunte Culpepper passed for five touchdowns and the Vikings rolled to a 35-17 win.

--The Patriots brought in behemoth nose tackle Ted Washington last year and their run defense went from 31st in the league to fourth. After letting Mt. Washington leave for Oakland as a free agent, they signed veteran Keith Traylor and drafted Vince Wilfork. The difference was notable against the Colts, who rushed for 202 yards.

--The Titans have been touted as Super Bowl contenders partly because tailback Chris Brown is expected to be an upgrade over fading Eddie George - if Brown stays on the field. Brown battled injuries in his final season at Colorado and missed five games last year with a bad hamstring. In Saturday's opener against Miami, he ran for 100 yards on 16 carries - then left at halftime with a sprained ankle.

--Washington's Clinton Portis still looked like one of the NFL's best backs, but Denver didn't miss him. Quentin Griffin didn't look much different than Terrell Davis, Olandis Gary, Mike Anderson or Portis. He rushed for 156 yards on 23 carries, including two long touchdown runs. He caught a touchdown pass, too. The Broncos also got a lift from cornerback Champ Bailey, whom they acquired for Portis. He intercepted a pass in the 34-24 victory over the Chiefs.

--Peyton Manning may be the smartest quarterback in the NFL, but not on the final play against the Patriots. First, he audibled into a new formation, moving the lone back, Edgerrin James, from his right to his left. That meant when linebacker Willie McGinest blitzed off the edge, there was nobody to pick him up. Worse yet was taking a 12-yard sack in that situation.

--If Chargers quarterback Drew Brees continues to play as efficiently as he did Sunday against Houston - including his look-off of the safety on the game-winning touchdown pass to Eric Parker - he might be this season's Jon Kitna. And Philip Rivers might be this season's Carson Palmer - standing on the sidelines all season.

--For those trying to get a read on Super Bowl contenders after the first week, here's some advice: don't bother. Playoff teams over the past three seasons were a combined 19-17 in their season openers. And the past three Super Bowl champs all began their season with a loss.