ExtremeRavens

Ravens center Matt Birk was required by the new CBA to wear a microphone, but took it off due to discomfortVeteran Ravens center Matt Birk said Wednesday he will appeal a $5,000 fine from the NFL for failing to wear a microphone under his jersey as prescribed by the new collective bargaining agreement. View the full article

Evans, Grubbs among those participating in some capacityIf participating in practice is any indication, the Ravens appear to be getting much healthier. View the full article

Outside linebacker says Leach is comfortable with his roleFullback Vonta Leach has been a popular subject for interviews this week as his former employer, the Houston Texans, will pay a visit to his current employer, the Ravens, on Sunday. View the full article

Outside linebacker says Leach is comfortable with his roleFullback Vonta Leach has been a popular subject for interviews this week as his former employer, the Houston Texans, will pay a visit to his current employer, the Ravens, on Sunday. View the full article

Texans coach says five-time Pro Bowler is still recoveringHouston Texans coach Gary Kubiak said five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Andre Johnson (right hamstring) is out for Sunday’s contest against the Ravens. View the full article

Starting strong safety still feeling "a little cloudy"Tom Zbikowski made his first appearance in the Ravens locker room since sustaining a concussion in the team’s 34-17 victory over the New York Jets on Oct. 2, and the starting strong safety said each passing day brings a slight improvement to his health. View the full article

Derrick Mason played six seasons for the Ravens, and he also saw them just two weeks ago while he was with the New York Jets. View the full article

Former Ravens receiver Derrick Mason talked his way out of a job with the JetsJets wide receiver Derrick Mason's short stay in New York basically ended Sunday when he was replaced by rookie Jeremy Kerely, who hauled in several passes in New York's loss to New England. Not only was Kerely more impressive and younger than Mason, but his emergence showed that the Jets didn't have to put up with Mason's mouth any longer. View the full article

Center reportedly cited for not wearing microphoneRavens center Matt Birk has been fined $5,000, but it's not for a late hit or critical comments about an officiating crew. Birk apparently didn't wear a microphone for a recent game. View the full article

Kubiak won't rule out star wide-out just yetWhile there is no timetable for the return of Houston Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson, many reports have the five-time Pro Bowl selection at least missing Sunday’s game against the Ravens and likely the Oct. 23 game against the Tennessee Titans. View the full article

Veteran acquired in trade has played only two gamesWide receiver Lee Evans was able to get through only two games before his cranky left ankle sent him to the sideline in Week 3. Whether he resurfaces on Sunday against the Houston Texans or not should give us a better read on his availability this season. View the full article

After week of relaxation, Ravens are eager to get back to routineIt was the pause that refreshes. When the Ravens broke camp for their bye week, they were battered from the physical toll of the first four games. When they came back to Owings Mills this week, they were buzzing with renewed vigor. View the full article

Ravens must figure out how first-round pick Jimmy Smith fits in corner rotationIt will be interesting to see how the Ravens use rookie cornerback Jimmy Smith once he returns from an ankle injury. Smith hasn't played since the opening kickoff of the first game, and the Ravens have remained silent about if he was going to be the starter for that game. Physically, Smith is the best cornerback on the roster. He has good size and showed his strength early in training camp by going right after veteran Anquan Boldin. He still needs to work on ball awareness skills, but that will come in time with more playing experience. View the full article

Derrick Mason will be playing at M&T Bank Stadium Sunday for the second time in three weeks. View the full article

AFC North only division with three teams with winning recordsESPN AFC North blogger and former Baltimore Sun beat writer Jamison Hensley pointed out that only the AFC North has three teams with winning records, and it is the only division without a one-win team or a winless team. View the full article

Ravens coach says 49ers coach did right thingSan Francisco 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh has been catching a little flak for his decision to play several starters into the fourth quarter of an eventual 48-3 laugher against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday. View the full article

Harbaugh defends quarterback's inconsistent four weeks Last Thursday, ESPN NFL draft analysts Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay were asked to pick the one young quarterback with less than four years of NFL experience they would build a franchise around, and neither picked Joe Flacco. (Kiper selected the Detroit Lions’ Matthew Stafford, while McShay chose the Atlanta Falcons’ Matt Ryan.) View the full article

Cornerback, return specialist looking to make immediate impactAfter the Dallas Cowboys waived him on Sept. 20, Bryan McCann said he got a few feelers from other NFL employers. But the team that interested him the most – and showed him the most interest – was the Ravens. View the full article

Smith unlikely to play; Evans, Nakamura, D.Reed return to practiceThe Ravens were hoping that all of their injured players would return after the bye week ready to play. That clearly won't be the case, though coach John Harbaugh would much prefer that remains a mystery to Sunday's opponent, the Houston Texans. View the full article

Defensive tackle insists his sack was cleanOn Friday, the NFL announced that defensive tackle Haloti Ngata had been fined $15,000 for leading with his helmet while hitting New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez in the back in the second quarter of the Ravens’ 34-17 victory on Oct. 2. View the full article

1. Expectations for Joe Flacco might have been a little too high considering all the new receivers the Ravens have been trying to integrate into their offense. That said, even his biggest supporters are starting to acknowledge that he needs to be more consistent for the Ravens to win a Super Bowl. View the full article

Last season there were a total of five new teams in the NFL’s 12-team playoff format. Given surprisingly slow starts in Philadelphia, Atlanta, Indianapolis and elsewhere this season, that number could easily rise. At the quarter pole, here are six also-rans from 2010 that may be good enough to break into the postseason party in 2011: View the full article

There is no safe haven in the NFL, even for returning division champions. None of the four division champs from 2010 is in first this season, more testimony to NFL parity. Here are six teams that made the playoffs last season but are in trouble this year: View the full article

Entering Sunday, Ray Rice was tied for 12 th in the NFL with 66 carries to go along with 16 catches. Because something good happens seemingly every time Rice touches the ball, I’ve heard numerous people say that the Ravens need to get him the ball even more. That may be true, but it’s appropriate to point out that Rice has seen a significant increase in touches compared to the first four games of last year. His 82 touches are 11 more than he had through four weeks last year when he had 60 rushes and 11 receptions. And that holds true even though Rice has played sporadically in fourth quarters because really only one of the Ravens’ games this season has been still in doubt at that point in the game. View the full article

With a couple of moves on the offensive line and some new personnel at the skill positions, the Ravens' offense was expected to be a work in progress for at least half of the season. View the full article