BALTIMORE -- Here are five observations on the Baltimore Ravens, from a 34-16 preseason loss to the New York Jets on Thursday evening:

	Jamal Lewis rushed for 1,364 yards as a rookie in 2000.

1. Senior vice president of personnel Ozzie Newsome walked through the media refreshment room at halftime on Thursday evening and, spotting this scribe, somewhat gleefully remarked: "Hey, how about my running back, huh!" Apparently semi-brain dead at that point, I assumed Newsome was enthusing over the first-half performance of rookie Chester Taylor, a sixth-round pick from Toledo who had flashed nice skills in the opening 30 minutes against the Jets. But, no, Newsome was talking about third-year veteran Jamal Lewis, and with good reason. Playing in a game for the first time in over 18 months, his 102-yard performance in the Ravens' victory in the Super Bowl, Lewis carried four times in the first quarter for 24 yards. It marked his first true contact in exactly 53 weeks, or since he had blown out the anterior cruciate ligament of his knee last Aug. 8, and Lewis again appeared to be the powerful tailback who had rushed for 1,364 yards as a rookie in 2000. On his first carry, Lewis started left, then cut back to the right, and was summarily pummeled by Jets defensive tackle Jason Ferguson. The big hit, from which Lewis immediately jumped up, elicited a huge cheer from Baltimore fans and seemed to instantly eradicate any of the residual cobwebs Lewis might have experienced. On his next rush, he went for four yards and then, on a long trap play to the left side, he demonstrated that he is all the way back. Behind a lead block from fullback Alan Ricard, Lewis rolled for 13 yards. Good pad level, great burst, superb finish. On the next snap, he took a toss over the right side, rumbled for seven yards, and exited for the evening, having eliminated any doubts about the soundness of his knee. "It felt great," Lewis said afterwards. "Now I'm ready to rock and roll, man." Taylor wasn't bad, either, carrying 10 times for 42 yards. Had the former Toledo star posted a better 40-yard time at the combine than the pedestrian 4.6 he ran, he probably would have been a higher choice. After all, he ran for 4,721 yards in college, including three straight seasons of 1,100 yards or more, and displayed good power.

2. It's a good thing the Ravens signed middle linebacker Ray Lewis to that seven-year, $50 million contract two weeks ago, even if the record $19 million signing bonus seemed a little pricey for a "Mike" defender. Lewis remains the heart and soul of a once-suffocating unit that has lost seven starters from a year ago. Even in a meaningless preseason game, Lewis played with great passion, exhorting his teammates on nearly every play and pumping his fist in the huddle. Some league personnel people feel Lewis has lost a step in pass coverage, but he saved a touchdown in the first quarter by delivering a bone-rattling jolt that separated Jets tight end Anthony Becht from the ball in the end zone. But almost as important as his dominance on the field, and even more so given the well-documented roster purge, is the leadership that Lewis brings to a very green team. He still symbolizes a link to the recent glory days of the franchise and young players clearly admire him. And there are plenty of young players on the Ravens roster. The flip card for the game with the Jets featured 43 rookies and seven first-year players. A key for any team is having veterans in the four-, five- and six-year range, really the heart of any franchise. Baltimore has just seven players in that critical category. Fortunately for the Ravens, one of them is Lewis, a six-year veteran.

3. I came here expecting to focus the binoculars on Adalius Thomas, a third-year veteran, and a former defensive end who has been moved to weakside linebacker in the Ravens' new 3-4 front. Instead, my focus was drawn to another young linebacker, second-year veteran Edgerton Hartwell, a fourth-round draft pick in 2001 who played principally on special teams as a rookie. The former Western Illinois standout lines up next to Lewis, not a bad place to be, at inside linebacker. At 6-feet-1, he is a tad short but, then again, Lewis is barely 6 feet tall. But Hartwell is 250 pounds, hit well and runs even better. In two preseason games, he now has three sacks, and should be an emerging player in 2002. As for Thomas, who essentially replaces the departed Jamie Sharper, well, he certainly passes the eyeball test. Thomas is a terrific-looking athlete, a real physical specimen, and registered 3½ sacks in spot duty last season. But too often on Thursday night, Thomas was stymied at the line of scrimmage and, when he moved into a three-point stance on third down, he struggled to disengage from New York right tackle Kareem McKenzie. At first glance, he looks like a guy with double-digit sack potential, but he didn't flash enough upfield speed in this game, and he'll have to learn to use his hands better to consistently get to the quarterback. Still, the linebacker corps figures to be the strength of the Ravens once again, and will be even sturdier when weakside rusher Peter Boulware returns to the lineup. The reigning AFC sack leader has yet to hit the field because of an ankle injury. His return should enhance the play of Thomas, rushing from the opposite side. Even with first-time starters Hartwell and Thomas, this should be an excellent linebacker quartet.

4. The cover of the Ravens 2002 media guide features Newsome and head coach Brian Billick (known to all regular readers of this columnist as The Insufferable One), standing back-to-back and clearly portrayed as equals. But if the rebuilding of the Ravens is to be completed in an expeditious fashion, if this franchise is to return to respectability in a year or two, it is Newsome who will take the lead. There were some signs on Thursday night that Newsome has unearthed a few serviceable contributors outside of the ones every team expects to get in its high-round draft choices. On offense, tailback Chester Taylor and fourth-round wide receiver Ron Johnson figure to see meaningful playing time. The staff seems to like another rookie wide receiver, Javin Hunter, but the sixth-rounder from Notre Dame didn't do very much against the Jets. A pair of defensive free agents, nose tackle Maake Kemoeatu and safety Will Demps, have a shot. Johnson has been solid most of camp, from what coaches say, and could win the No. 3 wide receiver job, behind Travis Taylor and Brandon Stokley. He made a nifty touchdown catch late in the game, showing great concentration adjusting to the ball, and getting his feet down inside the end line. First-round safety Ed Reed, who missed the opening of camp in a contract dispute, played most of the second half and seemed lost at times, especially when the Jets were in a three-wideout alignment. Still, the former University of Miami standout should earn a starting job. Second-round pick Anthony Weaver, a versatile defensive lineman who looked good in minicamps, did not play because of an injury. It would be ludicrous to suggest the Ravens will surprise folks this year and the team figures to earn a top 10 draft choice. But if some of the young players come through, Baltimore might be competitive by the second half of the campaign.

5. Third-year quarterback Chris Redman, in his first season as a starter, figures to surprise some people with his poise and accuracy. Assuming, that is, he is standing up long enough to make plays. The Baltimore line is, to be kind, suspect even in its starting five. Left tackle Jonathan Ogden, of course, is a stud. Center Mike Flynn, who moved over from right guard a year ago, is a cut above adequate. But after that, things are dicey, and the backups are dubious at best. The Ravens attempted to sign a veteran right tackle in the spring, but Marcus Spriggs of Kansas City reneged on a verbal agreement and former New York Giants and Cleveland starter Roman Oben opted to sign with Tampa Bay instead. That forced the move of left guard Edwin Mulitalo, who didn't have nearly as good a season in 2001 and he did in 2000, to right tackle. To this point, the results have been spotty, although Mulitalo played better on Thursday night than he did in the club's preseason opener. The backups are largely rookies, with the exception of the recently signed Ethan Brooks, a journeyman who hasn't played much at all during a four-year career.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.