The Ravens are still banged up, but they appear a lot more healthy than they have been in recent weeks. Starting left offensive tackle Jared Gaither (shoulder) and defensive end Trevor Pryce (concussion) are listed as questionable for the Bengals game, but have publicly stated they will play. Offensive tackle Adam Terry, who also suffered a concussion last week, said he should be ready to go as well.

The Ravens need as many offensive linemen as possible. Actually, the Bengals' run defense has improved during the past couple of games. It will be interesting to see how they play against the Ravens.

It's also fun to watch which running back will become hot and carry the Ravens. Will it be Willis McGahee, Le'Ron McClain or rookie Ray Rice?

Posted by Mike Preston at 2:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
                    

We've all criticized the Ravens for not having the big, speedy, go-to receiver on the outside, but it might be a blessing in disguise. It seems like every week one of the big name stars is getting in trouble, the latest being the Giants' Plaxico Burress. Randy Moss and Terrell Owens have had their share of problems in the past, as well as Chad Johnson.

The Ravens have good team chemistry, and one of these guys might upset the balance. With Derrick Mason and Mark Clayton, at least you know they will be on the field on Sunday, not distracted by what happened off the field the night before.

Posted by Mike Preston at 2:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (13)
                    

Offensive tackle Jared Gaither did not practice this morning, according to the Ravens' second injury report of the week. Gaither, who was dressed in sweats, is dealing with an injured right shoulder.

Other changes included tight end Todd Heap (illness) and wide receiver Terrance Copper (neck) being upgraded from no practice to full and limited participation, respectively, and wide receiver Mark Clayton being downgraded to limited after straining his back towards the end of practice.

Players who were limited in practice for the second consecutive day included offensive tackles Willie Anderson (sprained left ankle) and Adam Terry (concussion), fullbacks Lorenzo Neal (thigh) and Le'Ron McClain (thigh), wide receiver Derrick Mason (dislocated left shoulder) and defensive end Trevor Pryce (concussion). Terry wore a red jersey.

Posted by Edward Lee at 12:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

I just looked at the latest Pro Bowl results and defensive tackle Haloti Ngata is still not among the Top 5 candidates at his position in the AFC. Another notable change is that cornerback Chris McAlister dropped out of the Top 5. He has been replaced by Pittsburgh’s Ike Taylor.

Inside linebacker Ray Lewis, free safety Ed Reed and fullback Le’Ron McClain still lead at their respective positions. Lewis has widened his lead over Pittsburgh’s James Farrior by 75,774 votes. Reed leads Tennessee’s Michael Griffin by 90,266 votes, and McClain put a little more distance between him and Tennessee’s Ahmard Hall with a lead of 16,266 votes.

Outside linebacker Terrell Suggs is still fourth with 135,846 votes. He lags behind Miami’s Joey Porter (198,283), Pittsburgh’s James Harrison (155,951) and Tennessee’s Keith Bulluck (150,651).

Special teams ace Brendon Ayanbadejo is also fourth at his position with 49,607 votes. He trails Pittsburgh’s Anthony Madison (60,165), Miami’s Patrick Cobbs (55,894) and New England’s Larry Izzo (54,144).

Fan votes make up one-third of the final Pro Bowl results. Players’ votes count for one-third, and coaches’ votes count for the final one-third. While players and coaches will vote on Dec. 11-12, polls for fans are open until Tuesday, Dec. 9. Fans can go to http://www.nfl.com/probowl to vote.

Posted by Edward Lee at 11:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

A day after being limited in practice, offensive tackle Jared Gaither did not appear to participate in practice this morning. Gaither, who is dealing with an injured right shoulder, was dressed in sweats and watched from the end zone as the offensive line worked through drills.

Tight end Todd Heap, who missed yesterday's practice due to illness, returned. Wide receiver Terrance Copper, who also sat out yesterday, wore a red, non-contact jersey to protect his injured neck.

Players who were limited in practice yesterday -- offensive tackles Willie Anderson (sprained left ankle) and Adam Terry (concussion), fullbacks Lorenzo Neal (thigh) and Le'Ron McClain (thigh), wide receiver Derrick Mason (dislocated left shoulder) and defensive end Trevor Pryce (concussion) -- participated. Terry wore a red jersey.

Posted by Edward Lee at 10:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

Few people know much about Bengals quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick except that he is out of Harvard. So whenever you ask a player or a coach about Fitzpatrick, they usually always say, "Obviously, he is very smart."

When asked by a reporter if Fitzpatrick was smart, Ravens cornerback Samari Rolle said, "I don't know. How would I know? I'm from Florida State."

Posted by Mike Preston at 5:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
                    

The Bengals are near the bottom in just about every offensive category, but the Ravens will respect their passing game because of big-play receivers Chad Johnson, Chris Henry and T.J. Houshmandzadeh. Ryan Fitzpatrick has replaced Carson Palmer at quarterback, and the Bengals' passing game is still basically vertical.

In this game, the Ravens need to get out front early and then pound the football. If they can get an early lead, that will take the crowd out of the game, and possibly turn them against the Bengals. But with Johnson or Henry, the Bengals can strike from anywhere on the field and that's what has the Ravens concerned.

Posted by Mike Preston at 2:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
                    

It's been interesting and fun watching the Ravens' offense evolve. The offense lacks explosive players and explosive plays, but it seems to have adopted the personality of head coach John Harbaugh and rookie quarterback Joe Flacco.

Regardless of the score or the situation, the Ravens always seem in control and poised. They just keep grinding at teams in a nice, steady pace. Harbaugh might not say it publicly, but one of the major reasons the Ravens are so successful in the fourth quarter is because of the hard work in training camp.

The Ravens outwork other teams, and it goes back to those physical practices in training camp. The old school approach still works in the NFL.

Posted by Mike Preston at 2:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (18)
                    

The Ravens are hopeful that starting offensive tackles Adam Terry and Jared Gaither will be able to play against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.

Terry suffered a concussion late in the first quarter of yesterday’s 36-7 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles and did not return. Terry, who started at left tackle, was replaced by Gaither, who finished the game despite a badly injured right shoulder.

"We’re not ruling them out at this stage," Harbaugh said. "We think there’s a good chance they’ll be able to play."

Harbaugh was not as effusive when the topic of Trevor Pryce's availability was brought up. The defensive end also suffered a concussion and did not return. "I don’t have enough information to say," Harbaugh said. "We’ll have to see."

Other notes:

• Harbaugh defended the play of the special teams unit, which surrendered its second kickoff return for a touchdown this season. Pointing out Jameel McClain's blocked punt, a punt rush that produced a 15-yard tripping penalty on the Eagles and contributed to a Matt Stover field goal, and punt coverage on DeSean Jackson, Harbaugh said, "I was disappointed with the special teams on the spot after the game. Going back and looking at the tape, I’m pleased with them, believe it or not, because all of the other plays were really good, solid plays."

• Harbaugh said he was prepared for a Gatorade shower toward the end of yesterday's game. But he wasn't prepared for the timing of the bath. "I didn’t think it would come with three minutes left in the game," he complained, tongue-in-cheek. "Talking to the officials, the officials aren’t supposed to be setting up the Gatorade shower, right? So it was shocking that it happened at that point."

• Harbaugh was not moved about the NFL's decision to shift the Ravens’ home game against the Washington Redskins on Dec. 7 to Sunday night. "Couldn’t care less," said Harbaugh, who emphasized that the team is focusing on the upcoming contest against the Bengals. "It doesn’t matter. We’ll be there. We’ll show up on time."

• Linebacker Antwan Barnes stopped Philadelphia running back Brian Westbrook for a 2-yard loss in the third quarter by pulling on Westbrook’s jock strap. Quipped Harbaugh: "I think it’s a testament to the resiliency of some of the football equipment that they’re putting out now."

Posted by Edward Lee at 4:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
                    

The NFL was once known as a quarterback-driven league, but there are few quarterbacks driving these days. The NFL is a watered down league, and the caliber of play drops off more every season, and the quarterback position is no different.

Fortunately, this works out well for the Ravens. Their secondary has been hit hard by injuries and that group is very suspect. But with the exception of Dallas quarterback Tony Romo and Pittsburgh's Ben Roethlisberger, the Ravens will not face good quarterbacks in the other three games.

Even with Roethlisberger, you don't know which quarerback will show up, the good one that makes plays, or the injury plagued one that throws interceptions? The road to the playoffs seems wide open for the Ravens.

Posted by Mike Preston at 10:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
                    

Regardless of what anybody says, I can't see the Ravens losing to the Bengals. I don't care about injuries on the offensive line. I don't care about being overconfident. I don't care about the series record. The Bengals are bad. Really bad.

They allow 25.1 points and 340 yards of offense a game. They are last in the league in yards per game, and 31st in points scored per game. They rank near the bottom in rushing and passing yards, and have a quarterback named Ryan Fitzpatrick, which is like the Eagles playing Kevin Kolb over Donovan McNabb.

Posted by Mike Preston at 9:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
                    

It was great to see the Ravens' defense bounce back with a strong effort against the Eagles, especially after the way they got bounced around by the New York Giants nearly a week ago. But please, let's not get too carried away.

That was the worst Eagles team I've seen in quite a while. Quarterback Donovan McNabb started the season off strong, but he was atrocious, and refuses to make plays outside of the pocket with his legs anymore. Running back Brian Westbrook, bothered by injuries, was not a factor and the Eagles don't have a quality receiver or a quarterback who can get him the ball.

With all that said, the Ravens went out and did what they needed to do. They squashed a really bad Eagles football team at home, especially in the second half. The Ravens did ease some concerns about some of their veteran players running out of gas down the stretch, especially on the defensive side.

Those guys looked pretty fresh to me.

Posted by Mike Preston at 9:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (11)
                    

I keep hearing talk about the Ravens pursuing Bengals receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh in the offseason, and that would be a big mistake. The Ravens already have enough Houshmandzadeh's on the roster now in Derrick Mason and Mark Clayton.

Housmandzadeh is a good receiver, but he doesn't have the speed the Ravens need on the outside. He is not a legitimate No. 1 receiver who can open up the field for the rest of the passing game, or running game as well.

Posted by Mike Preston at 9:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (34)
                    

Baltimore fans can hate the Steelers, but Pittsburgh is one of the better organizations in the NFL, and the Steelers know how to win. Regardless if they change quarterbacks, running backs or whatever, they have that formula in place. Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger looked like he could barely stand up a week ago, but last night he completed 17 of 30 passes for 243 yards, and then scored an 8-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.

I thought the Steelers might fold by now, especially with all the injuries and the tough schedule, but they just keep finding a way to win, as most good teams do. It will be interesting to see where the Ravens are in the standings compared to Pittsburgh when the Steelers visit Baltimore later this season.

Posted by Mike Preston at 9:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
                    

Three starters – wide receiver Derrick Mason (dislocated left shoulder), free safety Ed Reed (neck) and cornerback Samari Rolle (neck surgery) – returned to practice today in limited fashion. Rolle no longer wore a sling on his left arm and when asked by reporters about his arm, he held up both arms in a touchdown pose.

Starting left offensive tackle Jared Gaither (right shoulder) missed practice for the second straight day. If Gaither can’t play against the Philadelphia Eagles Sunday, Adam Terry (right ankle) would fill Gaither’s position, and Willie Anderson – who was limited in practice due to a sprained left ankle – would start at right tackle.

Defensive tackle Lamar Divens (shoulder) and rookie guard David Hale (thigh) were also limited.

Tight end Daniel Wilcox (thigh) and rookie safety Tom Zbikowski (thumb/thigh) were upgraded to full participation after being limited Wednesday.

For the Eagles, running back Brian Westbrook (knee/ankle) missed practice for the second consecutive day. Free safety Brian Dawkins was limited due to a groin injury.

Posted by Edward Lee at 3:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

Following up on Mike Preston’s previous post, I recently received early voting results for the Pro Bowl in February, and Ravens defensive tackle Haloti Ngata is not one of the top five vote-getters at his position in the AFC.

The top five are Tennessee’s Albert Haynesworth (206,925 votes), Pittsburgh’s Casey Hampton (86,352), Buffalo’s Marcus Stroud (80,981), New York’s Kris Jenkins (74,343) and Cleveland’s Shaun Rogers (72,950).

Ngata has more tackles than Hampton, Stroud and Jenkins. He has one sack compared to Hampton’s zero, and leads the entire group in interceptions with two.

I asked Ngata about the lack of respect, and befitting his humble nature, Ngata downplayed the early results.

"That doesn’t even matter to me," he said today. "We’ve got a lot of things we need to worry about, and that’s just way back in terms of my priorities. I’m just trying to help the team win a game and get better and better every week."

Fan votes make up one-third of final Pro Bowl results. Players’ votes count for one-third, and coaches’ votes count for the final one-third. While players and coaches will vote Dec. 11-12, polls for fans are open until Tuesday, Dec. 9. Fans can go to NFL.com/probowl to vote.

In other Pro Bowl news, inside linebacker Ray Lewis, free safety Ed Reed and fullback Le’Ron McClain lead in voting at their respective positions in the AFC. Lewis has collected 168,566 votes, which is 66,041 more than Pittsburgh’s James Farrior. Reed’s 133,666 votes more than double the 58,803 votes Tennessee’s Michael Griffin has garnered. And McClain has almost 16,000 more votes than Tennessee’s Ahmard Hall.

Outside linebacker Terrell Suggs has earned 112,110 votes, which ranks fourth behind Miami’s Joey Porter (151,463), Tennessee’s Keith Bulluck (117,856) and Pittsburgh’s James Harrison (117,728).

Linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo is fourth among special teams players with 38,982 votes. Pittsburgh’s Anthony Madison (47,147), New England’s Larry Izzo (43,462) and Miami’s Patrick Cobbs (41,895) are ahead of Ayanbadejo.

Cornerback Chris McAlister – who is on injured reserve after undergoing surgery on his right knee – is fifth with 63,378 votes. He trails Denver’s Champ Bailey (153,765), Tennessee’s Cortland Finnegan (105,251), San Diego’s Antonio Cromartie (104,958) and Oakland’s Nnamdi Asomugha (79,408).

Posted by Edward Lee at 2:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
                    

It's starting to get to that point in the season where we hear rumors about head coaches getting fired, but I'm not hearing any involving Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan replacing anybody.

It's still early.

In the past two years, you could sense that Ryan was interested, but I'm not so sure that his interest is as great anymore. Ryan seems to be enjoying his time with the Ravens, and appears content working with the present staff. I'm sure if the right job opened he would listen, but I think he is more likely to stay than in previous years.

*****
For some of you folks who thought I was saying that Troy Smith should be the quarterback over Joe Flacco, well, you're making a mistake. I was answering a question in a reader Q&A and stating that Smith should be a quarterback, not a receiver. I wasn't suggesting he be the No. 1, but that he remain a quarterback instead of moving him to receiver.

Posted by Mike Preston at 1:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
                    

Starting left offensive tackle Jared Gaither (right shoulder) was the only player absent during the portion of practice open to the media this morning. Gaither, whose right arm was in a black sling yesterday, did not practice yesterday.

Three starters who did not practice yesterday -- wide receiver Derrick Mason (dislocated left shoulder), free safety Ed Reed (neck) and cornerback Samari Rolle (neck surgery) -- were present and active during today's session. Both Mason and Rolle wore red jerseys, signifying no contact.

Offensive tackle Willie Anderson (sprained left ankle), tight end Daniel Wilcox (thigh) and rookie safety Tom Zbikowski (thumb/thigh) -- all of whom were limited yesterday -- practiced today. Anderson manned the right tackle spot, while Adam Terry -- who is dealing with a right ankle injury of his own -- filled the left tackle position usually filled by Gaither.

Posted by Edward Lee at 11:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
                    

The Ravens have several candidates, but none more deserving than defensive tackle Haloti Ngata. He has been a beast all season.

We really don't need to get into the stats. He can occupy two offensive linemen at once, or constantly gets enough penetration to disrupt any running game. The only tackle in the AFC that might be better than Ngata is the Titans' Albert Haynesworth, so that puts Ngata in pretty good company.

Of course inside linebacker Ray Lewis deserves to be on the team. He has had another great season. When other players his age are slowing down, Lewis has been able to sustain a high level of play.

Receiver Derrick Mason has played well and has virtually been the Ravens passing attack. There are receivers with more speed than Mason, but few who run better pattens. Punter Sam Koch has had an excellent season as well, and outside linebacker Jarret Johnson deserves some kind of mention.

Posted by Mike Preston at 9:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (10)
                    

Wide receiver Derrick Mason (dislocated left shoulder), free safety Ed Reed (neck), cornerback Samari Rolle (shoulder surgery) and left offensive tackle Jared Gaither (shoulder) did not practice this afternoon. Reed and Rolle are likely to play, while the outlook for Mason and Gaither is not as rosy for Sunday's game against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Right offensive tackle Willie Anderson (sprained left ankle), tight end Daniel Wilcox (thigh) and rookie safety Tom Zbikowski (thumb/thigh) were limited in practice.

Wide receiver Terrance Copper (neck) has been ruled out.

Posted by Edward Lee at 4:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
                    

The Philadelphia Eagles released their first injury report of the week, and running back Brian Westbrook did not practice due to knee and ankle injuries. But Westbrook has played in the last four games and is expected to play Sunday against the Ravens.

Starting right guard Shawn Andrews has been ruled out after undergoing back surgery. Starting right tackle Jon Runyan (knee) was listed as full participation in practice.

Posted by Edward Lee at 3:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

During a conference call with Baltimore media this morning, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb was asked if he envisioned former Eagles special teams coordinator John Harbaugh becoming the head coach of the Ravens.

Here is McNabb's answer:

"I’m excited for Coach Harbaugh. Jim is a guy who worked extremely hard while he was here. I mean, John. Excuse me."

Posted by Edward Lee at 3:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)