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Osemele expecting important role along Ravens offensive line

Luke Jones

Moved around and depended upon more than anyone during the preseason, rookie offensive lineman Kelechi Osemele grew up quite a bit this summer for the Ravens. Beginning the preseason as the starting right tackle while the Ravens figured out what to do with veteran Bryant McKinnie and then moved to left guard to spell veteran Bobbie Williams at a couple different points, Osemele never missed a beat as he proved the Ravens to be wise for selecting him with the 60th overall pick. And while Osemele isn’t projected to be one of the five starting offensive linemen when the Ravens take the field against the Cincinnati Bengals next Monday night, the rookie is expected to still be a factor as the top reserve. “The feel that I’m getting is that I’ll pretty much have a substantial role as far as how my preseason went,” Osemele said. “[I’m] not really sure how things are going to go as far as starting or at what point, but it feels like I’ll have a pretty substantial role as far as what my coaches have been saying.” Though third-year tackle Ramon Harewood and 2011 third-round pick Jah Reid are also on the 53-man roster,

Former Steelers QB Dixon added to Ravens practice squad

Luke Jones

A day after officially adding five players to their eight-member practice squad, the Ravens added former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Dennis Dixon to the group Sunday. The news was reported by CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora. Dixon worked out for the Ravens in the offseason before they elected to sign former Indianapolis Colts quarterback Curtis Painter to be part of their preseason roster. The organization elected to go with two quarterbacks on the 53-man roster Friday and waived Painter. A fifth-round pick out of Oregon in the 2008 draft, Dixon spent four years in Pittsburgh while playing in four games and making three starts. His first start came in a Sunday night game played in Baltimore in 2009 in which the 6-foot-3 Dixon completed 12 of 26 passes for 145 yards and a touchdown. However, his interception in overtime led to the game-winning field goal by Billy Cundiff. Displaying good mobility, Dixon is an insurance policy on the practice squad should anything happen to starter Joe Flacco or backup Tyrod Taylor. The Ravens remain high on Taylor’s ability, but the second-year quarterback had an up-and-down preseason that led some to believe he was being pushed by Painter for the backup job.

Ravens sign Allen, four others to practice squad

Luke Jones

Less than 24 hours after deciding on their 53-man roster, the Ravens began building their eight-man practice squad on Saturday afternoon. The team announced they have signed five players, all of whom were part of the preseason roster. Anthony Allen headlines the group a day after the 2011 seventh-round pick was waived by the team after rookie free agent Bobby Rainey beat him out for the third running back job. Despite gaining an accrued season as a rookie, the Georgia Tech product remained eligible for the practice squad after being active in only five games. Players are allowed to join a practice squad if they’ve been active in fewer than nine games total for any accrued seasons. The Ravens also signed safety Omar Brown, linebacker Josh Bynes, and offensive linemen Jack Cornell and Antoine McClain. Brown gained notoriety in the preseason after coming away with four turnovers — three fumble recoveries and an interception — while Bynes was with the organization as a member of the practice squad and was promoted to the active roster to play in one game last season. Bynes missed most of the preseason with a chipped vertebrae in his back. Waived by the Ravens on

Debate time: The many pros and cons of Baltimore Grand Prix for our city

Nestor Aparicio

(Originally published 9/7/2011) Like many of you who came downtown – or watched via television or social media from afar – this Labor Day weekend you formed some kind of opinion on the big race through the streets of our favorite city. The very topic of the IRL and Baltimore Grand Prix has become quite the hot button of civic debate – as it should be, considering the cost, investment and inconvenience everyone who uses the city on a regular basis encountered in the lead-up for a weekend that went surprisingly well by almost anyone’s measurement, especially for an inaugural event with this kind of infrastructure issues and engineering necessities to pull off this whole extravaganza was impressive. I’ve attended more Super Bowls, Final Fours, etc. than I can count and I can say that what Baltimore did over the last six weeks was “Super Bowl worthy” as far as building a fence around a city and getting the event done with flair and executed with pride. As usual, this will be a lengthy missive. I don’t have a show to use four hours to give my perspective more color and flavor so I’ll take this space to do it

Upshaw reinjures shoulder in preseason loss to St. Louis

Luke Jones

With a final opportunity to make a statement in the competition with Albert McClellan for the Ravens’ starting rush linebacker spot, rookie Courtney Upshaw instead reinjured the shoulder that’s plagued him throughout the summer. The 35th overall pick in April’s draft left the game in the second quarter of the Ravens’ 31-17 loss to the St. Louis Rams Thursday, and his status for the season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 10 is now in question. Upshaw is scheduled to undergo an MRI Friday. “I’m concerned,” Harbaugh told reporters following the game. “We’ll find out tomorrow with an MRI what it is.” Upshaw originally injured his shoulder on July 28 in a collision with rookie running back Bernard Pierce, which caused him to miss the preseason opener in Atlanta. He finished the preseason with three tackles and one sack in three games. Concerns already existed over Upshaw’s slow progression as the Ravens are trying to generate a pass rush without Pro Bowl linebacker Terrell Suggs, who is on the physically unable to perform list and not expected to return until mid-November at the earliest. The Ravens were counting on the rookie from Alabama to step in as the starting

Ravens-Rams pre-game notes

Luke Jones

Second-year quarterback Tyrod Taylor will start in place of Joe Flacco as the Ravens will rest most starters.

No changes to attendance for Tuesday's practice

Luke Jones

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Ravens conducted their final full practice Tuesday in preparation for their final preseason game in St. Louis and were without the same six players absent from Monday’s workout. Pro Bowl guard Marshal Yanda (knee) was not present during the portion of practice open to media and hasn’t worked since last Monday when he was accidentally undercut by linebacker Chavis Williams. Coach John Harbaugh has said on two separate occasions that the injury isn’t considered to be serious, but his extended absence is beginning to create questions on whether the “tweak” is more serious than originally thought. However, the Ravens continue to say Yanda will be ready to play in time for the season opener on Sept. 10. “Absolutely,” said offensive coordinator Cam Cameron when asked if he expected the Pro Bowl guard to be ready. “Until I’m told differently, we’ll be ready for Marshal to play.” Offensive lineman Jah Reid (calf), Sean Considine (concussion), wide receiver Tommy Streeter (foot), and linebackers Ricky Brown (undisclosed) and Josh Bynes (back) were also absent from the portion of practice open to media. The Ravens worked in helmets, shells, and shorts Tuesday afternoon and will conduct a walk-through Wednesday

Former Ravens kicker Cundiff finds new home in Washington

Luke Jones

Former Ravens kicker Billy Cundiff has found a new home two days after having his contract terminated. The 2010 Pro Bowl selection has signed with the Washington Redskins, meaning the 32-year-old will have a chance to kick against his former team on Dec. 9 when the Ravens travel to FedEx Field in Landover. Washington also released incumbent kicker Graham Gano, who held off veteran Neil Rackers for the kicking job this summer. Maligned throughout his tenure with the Redskins, Gano went 55-for-76 on field goal attempts over the last two seasons. Cundiff made 28 of 37 attempts last season while struggling on the road and from beyond 50 yards. He went 11-for-20 on kicks away from M&T Bank Stadium and missed five of six tries from 50 or more yards in 2011.

Yanda, five others absent from Monday's practice

Luke Jones

(Updated: 6:15 p.m.) OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Fielding a smaller contingency of players after trimming the roster to 75 players, the Ravens were without Marshal Yanda and five others for Monday’s practice. Yanda (knee) hasn’t worked since last Monday when he was undercut by linebacker Chavis Williams. The starting right guard finished the practice but missed the Ravens’ third preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars last Thursday. Coach John Harbaugh has said on two separate occasions that the injury isn’t considered to be serious. Offensive lineman Jah Reid (calf), wide receiver Tommy Streeter (foot), linebackers Ricky Brown (hip) and Josh Bynes (back), and safety Sean Considine (concussion) were also absent from the portion of practice open to media. Linebacker Sergio Kindle (shoulder) appeared to be practicing without a red non-contact jersey for the first time since sustaining a stinger in the second preseason game of the summer. “He’s not a lock, but he’s done very well,” Harbaugh said. “This game will be important for him.” Tight ends Ed Dickson (shoulder) and Dennis Pitta were practicing on a limited basis for the second straight workout after returning to the field Saturday. To no surprise, Harbaugh squashed any lingering chance of the

Ravens continue trimming roster down to 75

Luke Jones

After news broke that they had waived veteran kicker Billy Cundiff earlier Sunday, the Ravens continued trimming their preseason roster from 90 players down to 75. The most notable of the eight other players to be waived Sunday was tight end Davon Drew, who was a 2009 fifth-round pick of the Ravens but never established himself as a legitimate NFL player in Baltimore. Drew entered training camp as the favorite to win the third tight end job behind Ed Dickson and Dennis Pitta. However, he failed to take advantage of increased reps after the two tight ends went down with injuries this summer and was supplanted by veteran tight end Billy Bajema on the totem pole. The Ravens also announced they had waived wide receivers Devin Goda and Patrick Wiliams, offensive lineman Addison Lawrence, center Cecil Newton, cornerback Jordan Maybin, long snapper Patrick Scales, and quarterback Chester Stewart. Newton is the brother of Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton. The roster currently stands at 81 players and must be down to 75 by 4 p.m. Monday.

Reserve safety Cook lost for season due to broken leg

Luke Jones

BALTIMORE — Have already lost defensive lineman Ryan McBean to a season-ending injury in the preseason opener, the Ravens can add Emanuel Cook to the list as the reserve safety suffered a broken right leg in Thursday’s 48-17 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars. The injury occurred early in the second half when Cook collided with teammate Anthony Allen on kickoff coverage. Cook’s lower right leg was immobilized before he was carted off the M&T Bank Stadium field. The 24-year-old posted on his Twitter account that he was undergoing surgery late Thursday night. “One of my favorite guys broke his leg,” coach John Harbaugh said following the game. “He’s had a really good camp. He’s one of our most valuable special teams guys from last year. That was tough.” Cook was the primary backup to free safety Ed Reed, and his loss likely increases the chances of both fourth-round pick Christian Thompson and rookie free agent Omar Brown making the 53-man roster. The Ravens suffered another hit at safety as veteran Sean Considine suffered a concussion for the second week in a row. After last week was labeled as Considine being “dinged” in Harbaugh’s words, the one sustained against Jacksonville is

Harbaugh in "middle of the pack" of NFL head coaches?

Luke Jones

Despite being the only head coach in the NFL to lead his team to the postseason and win at least one playoff game in each of the last four seasons, John Harbaugh apparently isn’t getting much love from at least one national pundit. Ranking the 32 head coaches, NFL.com writer and regular WNST.net guest Gregg Rosenthal says Harbaugh ranks in the “middle of the pack” while listing 10 other coaches in higher categories in a tier-based ranking system. Rosenthal explains that the Ravens coach “inherited a great situation” while placing him in the same category as Mike Smith, Jeff Fisher, Gary Kubiak, Lovie Smith, Marvin Lewis, Pete Carroll, and Ken Whisenhunt. What’s sure to ruffle the feathers of many Ravens fans is Rosenthal ranking former Ravens defensive coordinator and Jets head coach Rex Ryan as well as new Raiders head coach Dennis Allen — without a win as a head coach in his entire coaching career — ahead of Harbaugh. To make the discussion even more interesting, Rosenthal ranks brother Jim as one of three head coaches in the “top shelf” elite category after one season in which he led the 49ers to the NFC Championship game. Though I’d hesitate

NFLPA rejects rule changes to IR, trade deadline

Luke Jones

Two of the most notable rule changes passed by the NFL earlier this offseason will not go into effect for the 2012 season after all. The NFL Players Association did not approve changes to the injured reserve list and the trade deadline, meaning there will not be an injured-player exemption or a later deadline for making trades for at least another season. The IR rule change passed in May would have provided teams with the opportunity to place one player on injured reserve — thus saving a spot on the 53-man roster — with the option of activating that player for the second half of the season. Under current league rules, any player placed on IR is lost for the season. Owners had also voted to move the trade deadline back two weeks from the end of the sixth week of the regular season to the Tuesday of Week 8 at 4 p.m. ET. According to the rules of the collective bargaining agreement, the NFLPA had to approve both rule changes for them to take effect. According to a FOXSports.com report, the new rules were linked to alterations to in-season practice rules, which led to the union voting against them.

Ravens-Rams pre-game notes

Luke Jones

Second-year quarterback Tyrod Taylor will start in place of Joe Flacco as the Ravens will rest most starters.

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