ExtremeRavens

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

The Ravens have an extra day this week because they play on Monday night against the Jaguars in Jacksonville. I assume by now that Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio has watched the Ravens game against the Texans, and suspect he will run a lot of delayed blitzes against the Ravens on Monday night. The Texans had success with Sunday, especially in the first half, and I was surprised that they didn't run as many in the second. View the full article

The Ravens will complete their Victory Tour of former expansion derby rivals Monday night in Jacksonville. I’m not guaranteeing they’re going to win, although they almost surely will beat the one-win Jaguars. But either way, they’re going to a city where sagging attendance is a perpetual issue, where the old cliché about thousands of fans coming disguised as empty seats is no joke. If Baltimore’s revved-up home-game environment isn’t the NFL’s best, it is close. Kind of makes you want to send an email to the NFL offices and ask them, you know, how that expansion thing back in the day worked out? View the full article

Kicker has made 10 straight since missing two in a row vs. St. LouisSince missing his only two field goals of the season in the Ravens’ 37-7 rout of the St. Louis Rams on Sept. 25, kicker Billy Cundiff has been perfect, converting all 10 attempts since then. View the full article

Nickel back's pass breakup on fourth down proved criticalOfficially, Danny Gorrer finished with one tackle and one pass breakup in the Ravens’ 29-14 victory over the Houston Texans Sunday. But that breakup may have been the third-year cornerback’s most significant play of the season. View the full article

Harbaugh wants blockers to cut down on punishment absorbed by QBJoe Flacco’s 97-yard touchdown drive on the Ravens’ first possession Sunday was impressive on a number of levels. The fourth-year quarterback completed seven of eight passes for 82 yards, throwing to four different receivers in every direction. He finished off the near-nine minute drive with a sneak for the touchdown. View the full article

John Harbaugh spoke with his brother but would not share many thoughts on the incidentOn the subject of his brother’s postgame tiff with Detroit coach Jim Schwartz, Ravens coach John Harbaugh drew a line in the sand Monday and, not surprisingly, sided with Jim Harbaugh, the 49ers coach. View the full article

Includes Head Coach John Harbaugh. View the full article

Ravens haven't played host to Monday night game since 2007Seven days from now, the Ravens will meet the Jacksonville Jaguars on Monday night before a national television audience. View the full article

Harbaugh, other team executive paid their respects to late wife of former Ravens ownerPrior to his weekly news conference at the Ravens’ training facility in Owings Mills, coach John Harbaugh and several other team executives attended the funeral mass of Patricia Breslin Modell, the late wife of former Ravens and Browns owner Art Modell who died Wednesday at the age of 80. View the full article

D.Reed, McCann and even L.Williams in mixDavid Reed was healthy and active for the first time since sustaining a left shoulder strain on Sept. 18, but the NFL leader in kick return average last season didn’t get the nod to assume that duty Sunday. View the full article

11-year veteran knows he presents change-of-pace from RiceRicky Williams didn’t join the Ravens under the pretense that he would usurp Ray Rice as the team’s featured tailback. View the full article

Ravens coach asked about brother's exchange with Detriot coachMaybe it just seems like an every-week occurrence, but Ravens coach John Harbaugh was asked for at least the second time in as many weeks about a decision made by his brother Jim Harbaugh, who coaches the San Francisco 49ers. View the full article

Rookie has recorded three of the team's longest six playsWide receiver Torrey Smith has just as many big plays as he has starts in his rookie campaign. View the full article

Fullback nearly matches career rushing total on one driveEntering Sunday’s contest against a former employer in the Houston Texans, Vonta Leach had carried the ball just three times in his eight-year career. The fullback nearly matched that on just one drive in the first quarter. View the full article

1. The Ravens needed a game like this, a game where they showed up ready to play, but still ended up in a backyard brawl. They needed a game where they were forced to make some adjustments at halftime, and use those adjustments to come up big in the fourth quarter. It wasn't particularly pretty, but that's not a bad thing. Because this game taught us a lot about the 2011 Ravens. View the full article

Discuss the Ravens' 29-14 win over the Texans with Sun staffersRavens recap: Ravens pull away from Texans in 4th quarter View the full article

Includes Head Coach John Harbaugh and Ravens players. View the full article