carolina panthers

Heading into training camp, the Ravens are getting 33/1 odds to win Super Bowl 51 by at least one Las Vegas bookmaker.

Smith was a celebrity captain in the Triple-A Home Run Derby on Monday.

Thursday, the Carolina Panthers announced they signed Oher to a three-year extension through 2019.

The Ravens have won at least 10 games in four of their past six years but are coming off a 5-11 season.

Westminster grad, big lineman played pro ball and now coaches Owls

Tuesday night, William Wells and 11 others gained another memory to cherish as the latest inductees into the league's Hall of Fame at a ceremony at Turf Valley Resort in Ellicott City.

"Hey, Aubrey," Smith, who played for the Carolina Panthers from 2001 to 2013, says in the video. "I want to know: Would you let me take you to the prom?"

The Ravens will open the preseason against the defending NFC champion Carolina Panthers and close it against the Saints in New Orleans.

"I would say that's the story of an innocent man and a guilty man."

Now that Smith is a Raven and Hardy is again talking about the 2014 domestic-violence charges that led him out of Carolina, Smith isn't playing around.

First team

After nine seasons in San Diego, safety Eric Weddle didn't feel wanted anymore by the Chargers. But he got a totally different vibe from the Ravens who were relentless in their pursuit of the safety.

The Ravens agreed in principle with three-time Pro Bowl selection Eric Weddle on a four-year deal that could be worth as much as $29 million. The deal, according to sources, includes $13 million in guaranteed money and $9 million this season.

The Ravens are retaining one of their best special teams players as the team and reserve linebacker have agreed to a multiyear deal, according to a source.

The Broncos gave up 296 points during the regular season and 44 points during their three postseason games. That's an average of 17.9 points per game, which is pretty good until you compare it the two teams during the 16-game era that are generally left standing during any debate about the best defensive units — the 1985 Chicago Bears and the 2000 Ravens.

Darian Stewart's departure from the Ravens generated little more than a shrug. But the veteran safety was one of the unsung heroes on the Denver Broncos' dominant defense.

If Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome needs to be convinced where the team should spend money this season, then hopefully he watched Super Bowl 50 Sunday.

In beating up the Carolina Panthers to win Super Bowl 50, the Denver Broncos showed the Ravens and other teams that it's imperative to have guys who can get to the quarterback.

Peyton Manning remained coy about his retirement plans after Super Bowl 50, but don't be fooled. He just wasn't going to upstage his team after the Broncos won the Lombardi Trophy.

Bottom line, CBS Sports did a good job Sunday night. Super Bowls are such crazed spectacles, and social media is so snark-infested these days, that any broadcast team which gets through one without becoming the story in a bad way should consider itself a winner.

Newton sported gold Under Armour 'MVP' cleats at Super Bowl pregame

The Broncos defense dominates as it takes down Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50.

Here's what you need to know ahead of the big game.

Maryland coach DJ Durkin was born on Jan. 15, 1978, which happened to be Super Bowl Sunday. The Dallas Cowboys beat Denver, 27-10, in Super Bowl XII at the Superdome in New Orleans, La., behind a staunch defensive effort. One of the most valuable players of that game? Maryland great Randy White.

A Denver Broncos fan and a Carolina Panthers fan met at a bar in Baltimore last weekend -- not to talk trash, but to talk about their fandom in a town that

Three years after he was one of the stars in the Ravens' Super Bowl XLVII victory, Anquan Boldin picked up a huge personal honor during the NFL's championship weekend. Boldin, a wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers, was named the 2015 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year. The announcement was made during the NFL Honors primetime awards show on the eve of the Super Bowl.

Shaquil Barrett left Baltimore as a 15-year-old, seeking structure and motivation, and wanting to avoid getting caught in a trap that had ensnared so many teenagers around him. He has since been to many places in between. His latest stop might be the most improbable one of them all. Barrett, a reserve outside linebacker and special teams standout for the Denver Broncos, will play in Super Bowl 50 on Sunday.

From his seat at the Super Bowl on Sunday, Vonta Leach will summon the past — the Ravens' ascent to the top in the 2012 season and that glorious scoreboard, at game's end, which he'll not forget: Ravens 34, San Francisco 49ers 31.

Super Bowl 50, Denver Broncos, Carolina Panthers

It was only three years ago when the Ravens beat the San Francisco 49ers, 34-31, to capture Super Bowl XLVII. So much has changed since.

It's not about how you play the game, but how you do at media day.

Gary Kubiak acknowledged that the Broncos¿ head coaching job was probably the only position that he would have left the Ravens for following the 2014 season. He's now in the Super Bowl.

Kilgo plans on relishing every moment this week and soaking in everything happening around him.

The welcome to the NFL moments for Darius Kilgo were plentiful during his first season with the Denver Broncos this fall. The former Maryland defensive tackle endured two-a-days at rookie minicamps last May, appeared in the Broncos' season opener against Baltimore in September and watched Tom Brady try to lead a last-minute New England comeback in the AFC championship game last week. And there's a bunch more ahead for him in the next week.

There will be no storyline unturned during the week-long buildup to the enticing Super Bowl 50 matchup between the Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos, but there will be one that dominates all others. It is, of course, the matchup between 39-year-old quarterback Peyton Manning and soon-to-be-named NFL Most Valuable Player Cam Newton — the once and future kings of the NFL.

Gary Kubiak's loss was the biggest of the offseason for the Ravens. He just has that type of presence about him. Some guys are born to lead, some guys are followers. Kubiak was born to be a head coach and he might end up being one of the best ever when he is done.

Former Ravens tackle Michael Oher is headed back to the Super Bowl because of an impression he made on Cam Newton's brother, Cecil, in Baltimore.

The San Francisco 49ers hiring of defensive coordinator Jim O'Neil was good news for the Ravens because it likely means that their linebackers coach Don Martindale will remain with the team.

If Cam Newton wins the NFL MVP award on Feb. 6, the style-conscious quarterback will debut gold cleats at the Super Bowl, according to Under Armour, which will design them and sell 50 pairs for $500 apiece.

Technically, long-time Ravens backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor will play in a Pro Bowl before his former teammate Joe Flacco. But remember, Flacco was asked to go to last year's Pro Bowl and turned down the invitation.

Cam Newton's talent on the field and easy embrace of showmanship has long made him an invaluable ambassador for Under Armour, the Baltimore-based athletic apparel and footwear brand. And his value to the company is about to skyrocket as the Panthers, who defeated the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, prepare for Super Bowl 50 on Feb. 7.

Cam Newton brings an added dimension to the quarterback position. There have been signal-callers — like Steve Young, Fran Tarkenton and Steve McNair — who ran out of necessity, and others, like Seattle's Russell Wilson, who took it further with some designed runs. But Newton is a threat as both a passer and runner, and unlike the others, he just doesn't give a damn who he has to fly over to win the championship.

Outside linebacker Elvis Dumervil was named to a second straight Pro Bowl on Monday, replacing Denver Broncos linebacker Von Miller to give the Ravens four representatives in Sunday¿s showcase game.

The Carolina Panthers dismantled the Arizona Cardinals so completely it's hard to imagine Peyton Manning getting his second ring.

Former Ravens dot the rosters and coaching staffs of both Super Bowl 50 teams: the Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers.

The 5-foot-11, 130-pound senior raced to the Class 4A West Regional individual championship this past season with a time of 16 minutes, 6.05 seconds, leading the Lions to a state title.