OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- Brian Billick slides into his interview chair and waits patiently as the sound person wires him up. After living with the HBO series "Hard Knocks" for several weeks, the Baltimore Ravens' head coach knows a little something about television.

	Revamping the Ravens' offense has been a bigger challenge than Brian Billick anticipated this season.

So, it turns out the Ravens can actually play football, huh?

"Yes," Billick says, smiling. "It's shocking, but true."

The defending Super Bowl champions have been an easy mark for critics lately. They exposed themselves for HBO's so-called reality series and, from Billick to Ray Lewis to Shannon Sharpe, they are a confident if not cocky group.

Two weeks into the season, however, the Ravens were a rocky 1-1 after an unimpressive victory over Chicago and surprising loss at Cincinnati. Running back Jamal Lewis was out for the season and people -- the pundits in Baltimore led the charge -- wondered if the Ravens were yesterday's news. But after a gritty win at Denver and last week's 26-7 thumping of the Tennessee Titans, no one is wondering anymore.

"We are definitely where we want to be right now," said Sharpe, "definitely where we should be."

That would be 3-1 and tied with the Cleveland Browns atop the AFC Central. The defense-dominated team has returned to an equilibrium of sorts with the resurgence of the running game. Terry Allen carried 22 times for 108 yards and the team's total of 207 rushing yards was the fourth-highest in Ravens' history.

Allen was sitting home in Atlanta, under the deep assumption that his NFL career was over, when the Ravens' call came. He had joined the New England Patriots in 1999 after Robert Edwards was injured, only to be cut loose after the season. He had joined the New Orleans Saints in 2000 after Ricky Williams was injured, only to be cut loose after the season. He told his agent that he would only consider a call from a serious contender. He was financially secure, so why subject himself to all that abuse if there wasn't the chance for a championship ring -- the one thing missing from his impressive resume?

When Lewis -- who ran for 1,364 yards last season as a rookie -- went down with a season-ending knee injury in an Aug. 8 practice, the Ravens auditioned four unemployed running backs, including Chris Warren and Allen. It was Allen, a 1,000-yard rusher with the Vikings in 1994 when Billick was the offensive coordinator, who emerged with the job.

	Terry Allen has given the Ravens a leg up with their running game after back Jamal Lewis was sidelined for the season.

"You can take a lot of things away from this game," Allen said. "You can take the friendships, you can take the money, but there's only going to be a certain group of guys who walk away with a ring. Had I had a ring it would have been very easy for me to say, 'No, I don't want to do this.' "

Said Billick: "This is a team of role players. You don't get to and win a championship unless you have a team that understands that there's roles to be played. For Terry Allen, who's comfortable at home, does not need to come back and prove anything to anybody, but saw an opportunity to maybe be part of a championship season, he jumped at the opportunity."

Problem was, Allen hadn't been preparing for an NFL season. At 33, he was content to play with his kids and hang out. The preseason was essentially the equivalent of an off-season conditioning program and the early returns were not encouraging. Allen carried 21 times in the opener against Chicago and gained only 43 yards. He ran for 61 yards on 17 carries against Cincinnati.

Free agent quarterback Elvis Grbac and the offensive line were widely criticized for their shortcomings, but no one caught the flak that Allen did.

"I felt badly for Terry because of the way the media, in particular, went after him," Billick said. "He's a guy who's simply here to say, 'What do you need me to do?'

"We understand that Terry, because of his age, as the season progresses is apt to wear down a little bit, so we have to spell him in order to get the most out of him. It has to be a running back by committee (along with Jason Brookins), that nobody likes to do, but it's what's available to us right now. Here's a guy that's being very selfless and getting hacked up for it."

The game at Denver was a revelation. The Ravens' defense was its usual stingy self, but the offense produced points in every quarter. Allen carried 19 times for 65 yards and looked comfortable doing it. His 100-yard effort the following week against Tennessee was the 22nd of his 12-year career.

This week, the 3-1 Green Bay Packers are the opponent and Allen, despite an unusually sore Monday and Tuesday, says he'll be ready.

It's interesting that as he has grown older, the opportunities for his championship ring have increased dramatically. First it was the New England Patriots, but last year he played for the Saints, who made the playoffs. Now, it's the defending Super Bowl champions.

"Let's hope that it caps out this year and I win it all," Allen said. "That way I don't have to do it again next year."

Greg Garber is a senior writer for ESPN.com.