ExtremeRavens

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

One reporter's opinion on the Ravens' worst games after the byeOct. 7, 2007 View the full article

One reporter's opinion on the Ravens' best games after the byeDec. 10, 2000 View the full article

Ravens DT docked for helmet hitRavens defensive tackle Haloti Ngata was fined $15,000 for his second-quarter hit on New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez that led to Jarret Johnson's fumble return for a touchdown in the 34-17 victory Sunday. View the full article

Nose tackle's value isn't in statisticsTerrence Cody isn’t a highlight machine or a stats maniac, but the nose tackle has been a factor in the defense’s performance this season. View the full article

Tailback continues to impress with his pass-catching abilitiesDuring the NBC broadcast of the Ravens’ 34-17 victory over the New York Jets, analyst Cris Collinsworth pointed out on more than one occasion how running back Ray Rice impacted the opposing defense when he lined up as a receiver. View the full article

Lardarius Webb continues to grow into a corner, and Cary Williams is proving he can start in the NFLFour games into the season, first-round draft pick Jimmy Smith hasn’t played a down at cornerback, but the Ravens’ depleted secondary has, with one notable exception in Tennessee, weathered the early passing storm. View the full article

Defensive coordinator has molded blitz-happy groupWhen Chuck Pagano succeeded Greg Mattison as defensive coordinator in January, Pagano made no attempt to hide his objective to have the unit return to its aggressive, blitz-happy roots. View the full article

Outside linebacker wants to be recognized for talent, skillThe presence of Pro Bowlers like inside linebacker Ray Lewis (12 times), free safety Ed Reed (seven), outside linebacker Terrell Suggs (four) and defensive tackle Haloti Ngata (two) tends to dominate the headlines. View the full article

Outside linebacker joins Lewis and Suggs as honoreesJarret Johnson became the third Ravens player this season to win AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors. View the full article

Harassing opponents into turnovers is a familar formula for the RavensThe show of force by the Ravens defense on Sunday night was remarkable in its own right, but there was a greater perspective with which to glimpse the 34-17 demolition of the Jets. View the full article

Reserve involved in defense's nickel packageWith the Ravens shorthanded at cornerback and safety, Danny Gorrer got a few reps as the third cornerback in Sunday night’s 34-17 victory over the New York Jets, enjoying his longest stint of the season. View the full article

Harbaugh says seven injured players opened door for Kindle's NFL debutLess than a week after Ravens coach John Harbaugh candidly said that Sergio Kindle hadn’t performed well enough in practice to gain a spot on the game-day roster in the first three contests of the season, the outside linebacker made his NFL debut in Sunday night’s 34-17 victory over the New York Jets. View the full article