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Babin intriguing for right price, right understanding of role

Luke Jones

The unexpected release of Eagles defensive end Jason Babin prompted the predictable questions of whether the Ravens should be interested, but this is a rare case when I won’t respond with an automatic no. We often fall into the trap of assuming different players are automatically better, which is why I rarely react to in-season releases of players with the thought that the Ravens should be interested, but it’s impossible to look at Babin’s 2011 total of 18 sacks and not be intrigued. The Ravens have shown much defensive improvement in recent weeks, but you can never have too many pass rushers and Baltimore hasn’t been particularly strong in that department despite a season-high six sacks against San Diego last Sunday. The 32-year-old Babin doesn’t come without baggage as he played in Philadelphia’s wide nine scheme and isn’t a fit as a defensive end in the Ravens’ base 3-4 scheme nor does he have the skill set to be an outside linebacker. He would strictly be used as a situational player, which may not sit well with a player viewed by some as being more concerned with stats than team success. With the Eagles playing out a disastrous string with

Morning Reaction Tuesday Top 7 Ravens for Week 12

Luke Jones

Below are our Tuesday Top 7 Ravens players in the 16-13 overtime win over the San Diego Chargers in Week 12. We’ll track our rankings throughout the 2012 season using the following point system: No. 1 – 7 points No. 2 – 6 points No. 3 – 5 points No. 4 – 4 points No. 5 – 3 points No. 6 – 2 points No. 7 – 1 point To hear the full explanation for the respective lists, click HERE. Luke Jones’ Top 7 … 7) Justin Tucker 6) Brendon Ayanbadejo 5) Corey Graham 4) Arthur Jones 3) Joe Flacco 2) Torrey Smith 1) Ray Rice Drew Forrester’s Top 7 … 7) Brendon Ayanbadejo 6) Anquan Boldin 5) Arthur Jones 4) Justin Tucker 3) Joe Flacco 2) Torrey Smith 1) Ray Rice SEASON TO DATE: Luke Jones: 1. Ray Rice (44 points) 2. Joe Flacco (40 points) 3. Torrey Smith (26 points) 4. Justin Tucker (20 points) 5. Anquan Boldin (19 points) 6. Jacoby Jones (18 points) 7. Dennis Pitta (17 points) 8. Paul Kruger (15 points) 9. Cary Williams (12 points) 9. Dannell Ellerbe (12 points) 11. Corey Graham (9 points) 12. Bernard Pollard (8 points) 13. Terrell Suggs

Ravens to wear black jerseys against Pittsburgh on Sunday

Luke Jones

After passing on three prime-time opportunities earlier this season, the Ravens are finally breaking out their black jerseys against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday. The team announced Tuesday they will their alternate tops for the first time this season as the Ravens own a 9-2 record all-time in their black jerseys. Their only two losses wearing the secondary look came against the Indianapolis Colts in 2005 and the New England Patriots in 2007. Given the Steelers’ primary color, it’s an interesting choice to see the Ravens wear their black jerseys against Pittsburgh, which is something they had never done in the history of the franchise. Of course, all bets might be off after the Steelers used their hideous bumblebee throwbacks two weeks ago. It has yet to be determined whether the Ravens will wear white or black pants to go with the alternate jerseys, according to a team official. Baltimore wore its black jerseys against the New York Jets and San Francisco 49ers in night games played at M&T Bank Stadium last season. The Ravens wore their black pants in a true “blackout” against New York but wore the white ones in the Thanksgiving game against the 49ers. Sunday will

Morning Reaction Picks and Comment – Week 12

Luke Jones

Here are this weekend’s picks as The Morning Reaction will pick every NFL game as well as local college football contests this season. Drew Forrester finished 9-5 last week while Luke Jones was 13-1 in Week 11. Forrester is 107-51 through 11 weeks and Jones is also 107-51 overall. Official standings are only kept based on the NFL picks. (Editor’s note: Drew was 2-1 on Thanksgiving, and Luke was 1-2 picking games on Thursday.) To hear their full explanations, click HERE. Ravens at Chargers: Baltimore 15-14 (Drew), San Diego 24-20 (Luke) Raiders at Bengals: Oakland 30-27 OT (Drew), Cincinnati 27-23 (Luke) Steelers at Browns: Pittsburgh 20-10 (Drew), Pittsburgh 17-13 (Luke) Bills at Colts: Indianapolis 26-20 (Drew), Indianapolis 27-17 (Luke) Broncos at Chiefs: Denver 34-17 (Drew), Denver 31-21 (Luke) Titans at Jaguars: Jacksonville 24-23 (Drew), Tennessee 21-20 (Luke) Vikings at Bears: Chicago 20-9 (Drew), Chicago 24-14 (Luke) Falcons at Buccaneers: Tampa Bay 28-24 (Drew), Atlanta 31-20 (Luke) Seahawks at Dolphins: Miami 13-10 (Drew), Seattle 17-13 (Luke) 49ers at Saints: New Orleans 24-21 (Drew), New Orleans 27-20 (Luke) Rams at Cardinals: St. Louis 20-16 (Drew), Arizona 17-14 (Luke) Packers at Giants: New York 27-20 (Drew), New York 31-24 (Luke) Panthers at Eagles:

Pitta, Cody, McPhee practice; J. Jones sits out on Wednesday

Luke Jones

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Ravens appeared to be in relatively good shape from a health standpoint on Wednesday as they continued preparations for a meeting with the San Diego Chargers on Sunday. Tight end Dennis Pitta (concussion-related symptoms), nose tackle Terrence Cody (elbow), and defensive end Pernell McPhee (knee/thigh) were all present and worked on a limited basis. Cody and McPhee were both inactive for Sunday’s game against the Steelers while Pitta left the contest in the first quarter after taking a severe hit from Steelers linebacker Lawrence Timmons and safety Ryan Clark. Newly-signed cornerback Chris Johnson (hamstring) and wide receiver Jacoby Jones (ankle) appeared to be doing some work during the open portion of practice but were listed as non-participants on Wednesday. Coach John Harbaugh expressed optimism on Monday that Pitta should be fine to play this week after his symptoms had already begun to subside during Sunday night’s game. Cody and McPhee both missed practice on Friday before sitting out against Pittsburgh. An elbow injury sustained in practice last week sidelined Cody, and McPhee has dealt with knee and thigh issues that have forced him out of the Ravens’ last three games. Cornerback Jimmy Smith was ruled

Morning Reaction Tuesday Top 7 Ravens for Week 11

Luke Jones

Below are our Tuesday Top 7 Ravens players in the 13-10 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 11. We’ll track our rankings throughout the 2012 season using the following point system: No. 1 – 7 points No. 2 – 6 points No. 3 – 5 points No. 4 – 4 points No. 5 – 3 points No. 6 – 2 points No. 7 – 1 point To hear the full explanation for the respective lists, click HERE. Luke Jones’ Top 7 … 7) Arthur Jones 6) James Ihedigbo 5) Dannell Ellerbe 4) Anquan Boldin 3) Paul Kruger 2) Corey Graham 1) Jacoby Jones Drew Forrester’s Top 7 … CONTINUE ON NEXT PAGE >>>

Ravens safety C. Thompson placed on IR with knee injury

Luke Jones

A day before a crucial AFC North showdown with the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Ravens announced rookie safety Christian Thompson has been placed on season-ending injured reserve. Baltimore promoted safety Anthony Levine from the practice squad to take Thompson’s spot on the 53-man roster. Thompson, a fourth-round pick from South Carolina State in April’s draft, was active seven games this season but did not record a tackle as he served on special teams. He was added to the Ravens’ injury report on Thursday, meaning he may have suffered the knee injury during that practice. The rookie was a non-participant during Friday’s practice and had been listed as questionable for Sunday night’s game. Levine had spent the entire season on the Ravens’ practice squad after spending most of two years on Green Bay’s practice squad during the 2010 and 2011 seasons. The former Tennessee State product has yet to appear in an NFL game. Thompson’s injury is the third of the season-ending variety for the Baltimore secondary this year after losing safety Emanuel Cook to a broken leg in the preseason and top cornerback Lardarius Webb to an ACL injury in mid-October. Earlier this week, cornerback Jimmy Smith underwent sports hernia surgery,

Morning Reaction Picks and Comment – Week 11

Luke Jones

Here are this weekend’s picks as The Morning Reaction will pick every NFL game as well as local college football contests this season. Drew Forrester finished 9-5 last week while Luke Jones was 8-6 in Week 10. Forrester is 98-46 through 10 weeks and Jones is 94-50 overall. Official standings are only kept based on the NFL picks. (Editor’s note: Drew and Luke each correctly picked Buffalo to beat Miami on Thursday night.) To hear their full explanations, click HERE. Ravens at Steelers: Baltimore 26-13 (Drew), Baltimore 20-17 (Luke) Eagles at Redskins: Washington 28-9 (Drew), Washington 27-19 (Luke) Packers at Lions: Detroit 23-20 (Drew), Green Bay 27-21 (Luke) Cardinals at Falcons: Atlanta 27-20 (Drew), Atlanta 25-14 (Luke) Buccaneers at Panthers: Carolina 19-17 (Drew), Tampa Bay 24-21 (Luke) Browns at Cowboys: Dallas 31-13 (Drew), Dallas 27-10 (Luke) Jets at Rams: St. Louis 20-10 (Drew), St. Louis 21-14 (Luke) Colts at Patriots: Indianapolis 24-21 OT (Drew), New England 31-17 (Luke) Jaguars at Texans: Houston 38-10 (Drew), Houston 27-3 (Luke) Bengals at Chiefs: Cincinnati 27-10 (Drew), Cincinnati 16-13 (Luke) Saints at Raiders: New Orleans 33-27 (Drew), New Orleans 31-21 (Luke) Chargers at Broncos: Denver 30-17 (Drew), Denver 27-16 (Luke) Bears at 49ers: Chicago

Ravens sign veteran Chris Johnson to boost cornerback depth

Luke Jones

With top cornerback Lardarius Webb already lost for the season and starter Jimmy Smith hampered with a groin injury, the Ravens boosted their secondary depth Tuesday with the signing of former Raiders cornerback Chris Johnson. To make room on the 53-man roster, Baltimore placed rookie running back Bobby Rainey on injured reserve with a knee injury. The 33-year-old Johnson was released in March after spending the last five seasons with the Oakland Raiders. He played in only four games last season before finishing the year on the non-football injury list as he dealt with the fatal shooting of his sister. Johnson made 29 starts in his five-year run with Oakland, intercepting eight passes and and forcing three fumbles. The cornerback was originally drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the seventh round of the 2003 draft but didn’t make his NFL debut until 2005 with the St. Louis Rams. With Smith’s status in question after he was unable to loosen up an injured groin to play in the 55-20 win over the Oakland Raiders in Week 10, the Ravens will likely elect to activate another cornerback against Pittsburgh this Sunday. Rookie Asa Jackson was the only cornerback on the 53-man

Morning Reaction Tuesday Top 7 Ravens for Week 10

Luke Jones

Below are our Tuesday Top 7 Ravens players in the 55-20 win over the Oakland Raiders in Week 10. We’ll track our rankings throughout the 2012 season using the following point system: No. 1 – 7 points No. 2 – 6 points No. 3 – 5 points No. 4 – 4 points No. 5 – 3 points No. 6 – 2 points No. 7 – 1 point To hear the full explanation for the respective lists, click HERE. Luke Jones’ Top 7 … 7) Jacoby Jones 6) Bernard Pollard 5) Cary Williams 4) Paul Kruger 3) Dennis Pitta 2) Torrey Smith 1) Joe Flacco Drew Forrester’s Top 7 … CONTINUE ON NEXT PAGE >>>

Ngata, J. Smith sit as Ravens cruise to convincing win over Oakland

Luke Jones

Even though there was no need to look for a silver lining in the 55-20 victory over the Oakland Raiders, the Ravens were afforded the opportunity to rest injured defensive starters Haloti Ngata and Jimmy Smith a week ahead of their showdown with Pittsburgh next Sunday. Both players were listed as active but did not play as they sat with nagging injuries. However, the circumstances for each player were different as the Ravens made a concerted effort to sit the Pro Bowl defensive tackle but had to make an adjustment on the fly as Smith’s sore groin would not loosen up during pre-game warmups. “We decided to dress Haloti,” coach John Harbaugh said. “We are trying to get Haloti healthy. He didn’t practice this week much, but we felt like it would be smart to dress him because he is a difference-maker for us. We started the game out, and we were hoping that we wouldn’t have to play him, and it turned out that we didn’t have to.” Ngata had seen limited action from his normal workload in each of the Ravens’ last two games and admitted earlier in the week that lingering knee and shoulder injuries are limiting

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