New Orleans' tight end Boo Williams tore the ACL and MCL in his right knee during the Saints 21-6 loss to the Baltimore Ravens last night. Due to the extent of the injury, Williams will be forced to sit out the entire 2005 season. "Without a doubt, he's taking it hard," said wide receiver Joe Horn, who went with Williams into the locker room to console him, along with quarterback Aaron Brooks. "Not to mention the fact that he was going with the fourth group, and in his heart his skills were definitely higher, above that. But things happen for a reason."

Baltimore veteran linebacker Peter Boulware will once again suit up in a Ravens uniform today provided he can pass his physical. The Ravens? all-time sacks leader will also sign a one-year contract. "I didn't think coming back was ever a possibility," Boulware said in a telephone interview. "I never even thought about it. Once I left here, I thought my time here was over and I had to go somewhere else. For this opportunity to come back, it's truly a blessing."

The Baltimore Ravens had running back Jamal Lewis back in pads on Wednesday, and although he wasn?t his explosive self, it was a great start for a man who has spent the last four months in a federal prison and two months in a halfway house after using a cell phone to arrange a cocaine deal. "He looked fresh, which is what you would expect after not being here for the first week," Ravens coach Brian Billick said of Lewis, who was limited to a career-low 1,006 yards last season as he dealt with his legal problems and injuries. "We'll just continue to push him through it, put him through his paces and see if we can get him to that next level of conditioning." "I've had great seasons every year since I've been with the Ravens, and that should continue," Lewis said. "Being that I've got [the legal trouble] off my back, I don't think I'll do anything less."

Baltimore Ravens rookie Mark Clayton singed a five-year deal worth $8.2 million yesterday, effectively ending a five-day houldout. Clayton, a standout wide receiver at Oklahoma, was taken by Baltimore with the 22d overall pick. He will practice with the team for the first time tomorrow. Hopefully coach Brian Billick will find it in his heart to forgive the youngster.

Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs formerly apologized Saturday for calling Dallas Cowboy fans ?the ugliest people in the world.? "I tried to make a joke," Gibbs said. "I was joking. It didn't come out probably like a joke or like it should've. I hope all my buddies in Dallas -- because I've got a lot of buddies down there -- took it the right way. I hope they thought it was a joke. "But if they didn't think it was a joke, or if anybody took it the wrong way other than a joke, when you make a mistake like that, you've got to apologize. So I apologize to anybody that might have taken it the other way."

After 5 long days, the Baltimore Ravens first-round pick, Mark Clayton, ended his holdout and agreed in principle on a five-year, $8.2 million deal with the Ravens. "Without a doubt, it was one of the toughest things I had to deal with in my life," Clayton said less than an hour after the agreement was finalized. "Coming to Baltimore and experiencing the minicamps, I was so excited to be at training camp and bond with the team. Not to do that and watch clips on TV, that really hurt. "I just hope now when I come on the field that I don't get booed."

Star tailback Jamal Lewis, who was expected to arrive Thursday at the Baltimore Ravens' training camp following his release from an Atlanta halfway house, will not be on hand until sometime next week. Because final details of his probation have not been finalized, Lewis is still unable to leave the Atlanta area, and it appears the earliest he will report to the Ravens is next Monday. Lewis spent two months in the halfway house as part of his sentence in a plea bargain deal this spring on drug-related charges. Ravens officials are anxious to get Lewis back into a team atmosphere for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the fact he is rehabilitating from offseason ankle surgery, and the club wants to be able to monitor his recovery better. The sixth-year veteran and centerpiece of the Ravens offense had asked after his release from a federal facility in Florida to be able to attend a three-day June minicamp, but that appeal was rejected. "When he's allowed to show up here, we'll go forward," Ravens coach Brian Billick told the local media."I'm not completely 100 percent certain when that is right now. God and the U.S. government, only they know."

It is quite likely that the Baltimore Ravens? #1 pick from the 2005 draft, Mark Clayton, will be absent from the opener of the Ravens training camp on Monday. "Hopefully, he'll get in quickly," Coach Brian Billick said. "With a quick, short camp, this is like the summer school class where you condense eight weeks into four. If you miss one of these workouts, you're going to miss a lot.?