As a defensive end, Marques Douglas yearns to record the first sack of his third stint with the Ravens. But he understands that the goals of the defense supersede his personal objectives.
"Very hungry," Douglas said about wanting to get his first sack since Nov. 18, 2007, with the San Francisco 49ers. "I'm brought here - No. 1 - to stop the run and play the pass. But at the same time, I don't want to go out of my way to hurt this defense. If I stay the course, it'll happen this year. I've been close."
Douglas might get a lot of chances Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals if Trevor Pryce is limited.
Pryce, who is tied for second on the Ravens with linebacker Jarret Johnson with 4 1/2 sacks, suffered a concussion in Sunday's 36-7 win over the Philadelphia Eagles. Pryce, who has been limited in practice this week, said he intends to play Sunday.
"I feel fine," Pryce said. "I just got my bell rung by a guy I've known all my life [Eagles offensive tackle Tra Thomas]. I can't believe he did that to me. But I'm all right. I'll be OK."
If Pryce is limited, Douglas could make a smooth transition. Since being acquired from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for two draft picks Aug. 27, Douglas is third among the Ravens' defensive linemen in tackles with 31, and he said he played every series against the Eagles except for the first series of the first and third quarters.
Douglas conceded, however, that playing for defensive coordinator Rex Ryan this time around is quite different from his time with the Ravens in 1999 and from 2001 to 2004.
"It's not the same system," Douglas said. "It's a lot faster. It's a lot more play calls than the average team would prepare for. I'm treated like a starter here, and that's my mentality. If things change, I'll be ready to go."
Injury update
Starting left tackle Jared Gaither (right shoulder) did not practice yesterday after being limited Wednesday. Wide receiver Mark Clayton was downgraded to limited participation after straining his lower back toward the end of practice.
Tight end Todd Heap (illness) and wide receiver Terrance Copper (neck) were upgraded from not practicing to full and limited participation, respectively.
Players who were limited for the second consecutive day included offensive tackles Willie Anderson (sprained left ankle) and Adam Terry (concussion), fullbacks Lorenzo Neal (thigh) and Le'Ron McClain (thigh), wide receiver Derrick Mason (dislocated left shoulder) and Pryce (concussion). Terry wore a red noncontact jersey.
Pro Bowl voting
Defensive tackle Haloti Ngata is still not among the top five candidates at his position in the AFC. Cornerback Chris McAlister dropped out of the top five. He has been replaced by the Pittsburgh Steelers' Ike Taylor.
Inside linebacker Ray Lewis, free safety Ed Reed and McClain still lead at their respective positions. Lewis has widened his lead over Pittsburgh's James Farrior by 75,774 votes. Reed leads the Tennessee Titans' Michael Griffin by 90,266 votes, and McClain put a little more distance between himself and Tennessee's Ahmard Hall with a lead of 16,266 votes.
Outside linebacker Terrell Suggs is still fourth with 135,846 votes, trailing the Miami Dolphins' Joey Porter (198,283). Special teams ace Brendon Ayanbadejo is also fourth with 49,607 votes, lagging behind Pittsburgh's Anthony Madison (60,165).
Fan votes make up one-third of final Pro Bowl results. Players' votes count for one-third, and coaches' votes count for the final one-third. While players and coaches will vote Dec. 11-12, polls for fans are open until Dec. 9. Fans can go to nfl.com/probowl to vote.
End zone
Coach John Harbaugh disputed the notion that the 1-9-1 Bengals have little to play for. "They're going to play their hearts out just like they always do," he said. "They've got a bunch of competitive players, tremendous coaches, and they're a strong football team - a tremendously talented team - and we know what we're in for, our players do. The media can say what they want about who has what to play for, but I think the guys playing the game understand what kind of game it's going to be on Sunday." ... Cincinnati wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh ended his conference call with Baltimore media Wednesday by issuing a direct plea to Ryan. "Please tell Rex Ryan not to double-team me and bracket me," Houshmandzadeh said. "Please tell him." Ryan replied: "As far as he knows, we're not going to. So he can sleep well at night." ... Running back Ray Rice invited several fellow rookies to his house for Thanksgiving dinner, which was being prepared by his mother, Janet. "I purposefully did not eat a big breakfast today, and I had a light dinner last night," Rice said. "So today is going to be pretty intense."