Owings Mills, Md. ? When his body is battered, and it’s all he can do to drag himself out of bed Monday morning, Orlando Brown need only think back to his three years of inactivity. Then he knows no amount of pain can be worse than life without football.

Brown’s career as an NFL player came to a standstill in December 1999 when he was struck in right eye by an errantly thrown penalty flag. He spent the next three seasons riding a stationary bicycle Sunday afternoons, all the while thinking what might have been.

He’s back in the league now, starting at right tackle for the Baltimore Ravens. He’s received more bumps and bruises during the past three months than in the previous three years combined, yet he limps through practice every day with a smile beaming through his face mask.

Clearly, the man known to his teammates as “Zeus” hasn’t been this happy in a long time.

“After being off for so long, it feels great to be playing again,” Brown said Wednesday. “It’s like I’m getting a second shot. I love having the pads on, I love to hit people.”

Brown was a starter with the Cleveland Browns when he was hit with a weighted flag thrown by referee Jeff Triplette. Brown reached an injury settlement with Cleveland in 2000, when he was released after being unable to rehabilitate the injury.

It wasn’t until last offseason that he was finally cleared to play, although he still doesn’t have 20-20 vision in his right eye, which may never fully heal.

“My eye is doing great,” he said. “It’s still sensitive to light, but I’m dealing with it.”

Brown has started nine straight games, and his solid play is one reason Ravens tailback Jamal Lewis leads the NFL in rushing yards. The 6-foot-7, 360-pound Brown also has made an impact on the opposite side of the line.

Because of his size, Brown occasionally is employed at nose guard in short-yardage situations. Two weeks ago, he helped stuff Shaun Alexander on a third-down play and foiled a fourth-down quarterback sneak by Matt Hasselbeck in Baltimore’s 44-41 overtime win over Seattle.

Brown’s value to the Ravens extends into the locker room. As the Ravens approach kickoff, his teammates know to get out of his way, lest they risk injury before the game even starts.

Brown’s exuberance is almost as valuable to the Ravens as his ability to clear a path for Lewis or to create a pocket for quarterback Anthony Wright.

After Triplette threw the penalty flag that hit him in the eye, Brown instinctively shoved the referee and was subsequently suspended by the league. It was a lesson Brown carried into this season — with positive results.

When Baltimore played Cincinnati in mid-October, Brown nearly got into a fight with Bengals defensive tackle Tony Williams.

Instead of retaliating, Brown stayed calm and plotted his revenge. He’s got plans for a payback Sunday when the teams meet in a duel for first place in the AFC North.

“I’m going to be looking for him,” Brown said. “And I’m going to get him — legally.”