ExtremeRavens

Defensive coordinator assesses rookie cornerback's progressFor the second straight day, rookie cornerback Jimmy Smith participated in practice – the first time he’s practiced in back-to-back sessions since the week leading up to the season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers. That was also the day he suffered a high left ankle sprain, which has sidelined him for almost the entire season. View the full article

McCann, D.Reed competing for right to return kicks vs. JaguarsBryan McCann served as the primary kick returner in the Ravens’ 29-14 win against the Houston Texans Sunday, amassing 53 yards on two returns. But David Reed, who had assumed that role for a good portion of last season, said he is no longer bothered by the left shoulder strain that had shelved him for three weeks. View the full article

Johnson has played in 118 straight games, a franchise recordA day after missing Thursday’s practice with a back ailment, starting outside linebacker Jarret Johnson returned to Friday’s session. View the full article

Is it me, or do we seem to face a tough defense every week?...I know we're not supposed to look beyond this game, but I am aware that we will face Top 10 defenses in seven of our final 11 games. Amazingly, all four teams in the AFC North are in this elite group. Pittsburgh, as noted, is first; the Bengals are second, while the Browns are seventh. And, those seven games are against teams that have pass defenses rated in the Top 10. Tough road indeed. View the full article

Pagano on Maurice Jones-Drew: "He's scary."I think we've all heard and said plenty about the challenge that Jacksonville Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew will pose for the Ravens this week, but it's just impossible to ignore this gem from Ravens defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano during his weekly talk with the media. View the full article

Pagano on Maurice Jones-Drew: "He's scary."I think we've all heard and said plenty about the challenge that Jacksonville Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew will pose for the Ravens this week, but it's just impossible to ignore this gem from Ravens defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano during his weekly talk with the media. View the full article

Cornerback eager to return despite injured left hamstringRavens cornerback Chris Carr, who has been troubled by a balky left hamstring, said he intends to play against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Monday night. View the full article

Here's a collection of Ravens-Jaguars picks from around the WebHere's a collection of Ravens-Jaguars picks from around the Web View the full article

Twelve-time Pro Bowler calls Jaguars coach a motivatorFrom 1999 to 2001, inside linebacker Ray Lewis and linebackers coach Jack Del Rio worked in tandem, eventually assisting the Ravens to their first and only Super Bowl title in 2000. View the full article

"Undersized guys" power their respective offensesFor Ray Rice who stands at 5 feet, 8 inches, there aren’t too many running backs in the NFL that he has a height advantage on. View the full article

He says he's "full go" to return kicksDavid Reed returned for the Ravens’ 29-14 victory over the Houston Texans last Sunday, but the wide receiver/kick returner was limited to kick- and punt-coverage duties. View the full article

Includes Head Coach John Harbaugh, QB Joe Flacco, LB Ray Lewis and RB Ray Rice. View the full article

Unit has yet to surrender 54 rushing yards to opponentThe Ravens have been unkind to opposing running backs this season. View the full article

Unit has yet to surrender 54 rushing yards to opponentThe Ravens have been unkind to opposing running backs this season. View the full article

Franchise quarterback shrugs off hits, says he's still youngBoth coach John Harbaugh and players like center Matt Birk and left tackle Bryant McKinnie agreed that Joe Flacco has been on the receiving end of too many hits lately. View the full article

The Ravens secondary could be getting closer to full strength. View the full article

The Ravens secondary could be getting closer to being back at full strength. View the full article

Ravens coach John Harbaugh said that safety Tom Zbikowski has not been cleared for contact yet. View the full article

When children from Federal Hill Preparatory School entered M&T Bank Stadium on Tuesday (10/18), they stepped into a scene straight from the popular children’s series Harry Potter. With magical music playing in the background and the field covered in Harry Potter-themed challenges, the stadium was transformed into ‘The Wizarding World of M&T Bank Stadium’ for the first ever TriRavens Tournament. Just like in the book, students were assigned to teams, such as the ‘Vontamorts’ and ‘Ravenclaw,’ using a sorting hat. Ravens cheerleaders, mascot Poe and volunteers gave each child an athlete’s welcome as their names were announced and they ran to their teams. View the full article

Reserve tight end caught two passes for nine yards, but played a number of snapsEd Dickson has started all five games at tight end, but Dennis Pitta said his exposure in the Ravens’ 29-14 win against the Houston Texans Sunday was his longest of the season. View the full article

Offensive coordinator made proper calls in red zoneI've had some complaints with Ravens offensive coordinator Cam Cameron through the years, but didn't find much fault in the game he called Sunday against the Texans. The Ravens ended up kicking five field goals, but Cameron had little to do with their lack of success inside the red zone. In fact, the Ravens were two of four inside the 20 yard line as far as scoring touchdowns. View the full article

Of the Ravens’ final 11 games, four of them will be played against teams with first-year starting quarterbacks. That includes the two games against the Cincinnati Bengals and their rookie signal-caller Andy Dalton , the game against the Curtis Painter -led Indianapolis Colts and Monday night’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars and rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert . It does not include the Oct. 30 Arizona Cardinals tilt, though it easily could because Kevin Kolb is essentially an undisputed starter for the first time in his career. Another two will be played against the Cleveland Browns and their struggling second-year quarterback Colt McCoy . And then there are the games against the Seattle Seahawks, who will likely start Tarvaris Jackson , and the San Francisco 49ers, who barring an injury will start Alex Smith . Both Jackson and Smith have been maligned throughout their young careers. All of what I just mentioned is a long way of saying that the Ravens will face two elite quarterbacks – the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Ben Roethlisberger and the San Diego Chargers Philip Rivers – the rest of the regular season. That, more than anything, is why I think the Ravens will wind up winning more games than most people originally expected. We all know the “Any Given Sunday” cliches, but the Ravens have been feasting on young and unproven quarterbacks for years. The Jets’ Mark Sanchez and the Rams’ Sam Bradford were added to that list already this season. With how aggressive defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano has been and how well the Ravens have shut down the run, it’s very hard to envision some of these quarterbacks having any extended success against this defense. View the full article

Rookie defensive end embracing his role on obvious passing downsOutside linebacker Terrell Suggs leads the Ravens in sacks with four. View the full article

Veteran's presence persuaded team to part ways with Mason, HeapIn the aftermath of his eight-catch, 132-yard performance in the Ravens’ 29-14 win against the Houston Texans, Anquan Boldin said he felt no pressure to lead a wide receiving corps missing Lee Evans for the third consecutive game. View the full article

With ongoing concerns about the status of Dannell Ellerbe's hamstring, the Ravens have re-signed linebacker Prescott Burgess , who they drafted out of Michigan in the sixth round in 2007. View the full article