nnamdi asomugha

Now that starting cornerback Lardarius Webb has been placed on injured reserve with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, the Ravens will need Smith to duplicate the speed and technique he has displayed at times this season

It's understandable why so much of the focus over the past 48 hours has been the loss of Ray Lewis. This is a living legend we are talking about, a linebacker whose bust should have been bronzed by now. But as far as the Baltimore Ravens' Super Bowl hopes go, the most significant strand of tissue shredded Sunday was not the right triceps of Lewis, but the anterior cruciate ligament in the left knee of cornerback Lardarius Webb.

It was an especially quiet day for the Ravens' passing game in general against the Kansas City Chiefs during a 9-6 victory at Arrowhead Stadium with no touchdowns passes and one interception for quarterback Joe Flacco.

For Baltimore to move the ball through the air against a top-ranked Dallas pass defense, Ravens wide receivers must shake free of physical Cowboys cornerbacks Brandon Carr and Morris Claiborne, who excel at bumping receivers out of their routes at the line of scrimmage.

Chiefs' cornerbacks Stanford Routt and Brandon Flowers have aggressive style

An identity crisis unfolded as the Ravens' no-huddle offense was minimized to six plays out of 65 snaps ¿ just two after halftime none in fourth quarter.

After jockeying with Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha to establish position in the corner of the end zone, Ravens wide receiver Jacoby Jones was convinced he had completed a legal, acrobatic touchdown catch.

After nine months away from Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf, I forgot how maddening it was to watch the second-string unit from CBS Sports try to telecast a Baltimore Ravens game.

Jeff Zrebiec delivers his scouting report for the Baltimore Ravens vs. the Philadelphia Eagles.

Every morning, Monday through Friday, blogger Matt Vensel will hook you up with reading material -- mostly on the Ravens but with some other Baltimore sports stuff, too -- to skim through as you slug down coffee and slack off at the start of your workday. That way he'll have an excuse to do the same to start his workday, too.

Every week, I hope to bring you a quick Q&A with someone who covers the Ravens' opponent that week. On Sunday, the Ravens travel to Philly to take on the 1-0 Eagles, so naturally I would chat with Sheil Kapadia, a former Baltimore Sun staffer who helped create the tremendous Birds 24/7 blog for Philadelphia Magazine.

A few hours ago, I sat down and watched a replay of Sunday's game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Cleveland Browns for a new Ravens feature from my colleague, Aaron Wilson, and me that will debut in Wednesday's paper. I came away very impressed with the Philly defense, which played even faster than the Philly offense.

Football is a game of risk for Cary Williams. The Ravens starting cornerback relies on his instincts on the field for when to gamble and when to play it safe

Joe Flacco was mocked last month when he said that he thinks of himself as the NFL's best quarterback. "I wouldn't be very successful at my job if I didn't feel that way," the Baltimore Ravens quarterback explained.

NFL free agency primer: cornerbacks

Ravens respect Revis, but say they won't necessarily avoid his Island. Jets cornerback is widely believed to be the best in the league

In early August, when I released my monthly power rankings at the start of the preseason, some of you said it was too early to gauge how the NFL's 32 stack up against each other. Too early for power rankings? Psssh. A little premature speculation has never hurt anyone. After all, it's just that -- speculation and nothing tangible.

There are very few slam-dunk picks in fantasy football. For years owning LaDainian Tomlinson guaranteed you a spot in the playoffs. Peyton Manning has been an elite fantasy QB for more than a decade. And though he's now in the twilight of his career, Terrell Owens used to be good for 1,000 yards and 10 TDs a season. Chargers tight end Antonio Gates falls into this category.

Effort against NFL's 'Dream Team' shows how far Ravens have to go

The NFL preseason is already upon us -- the days have been flying by since the lockout ended, haven¿t they? -- and the Ravens¿ exhibition opener against the Eagles is one of a handful of games on Thursday night¿s slate.

While the Eagles made headlines with big-name signings, the Ravens will rely on young players stepping up

After losing out on Asomugha, Jets re-sign starting cornerback Antonio Cromartie to four-year deal

Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco defiantly fired back at his critics Wednesday, saying, "I'm pretty damn good." ... Sergio Kindle, who missed all of last season with a severe head injury, will not start training camp on the PUP list. ... The Ravens will hold an open training camp practice for fans at M&T Bank Stadium next weekend. ... Ravens free-agent cornerback Josh Wilson agreed to a deal with the Redskins. ... One night after their best offensive output of the season, the Orioles were held to just four hits in a 3-0 loss to the Blue Jays. ... Brian Matusz acknowledged Wednesday that he wasn't "mentally prepared" for the start of the season. ... Senior linebacker Kenny Tate was Maryland's lone selection to the All-Atlantic Coast Conference first team.

The Ravens unofficially freed up salary cap space when they announced that they were releasing a quartet of veteran contributors, fueling speculation that the team was gearing up to make a splash in free agency.

The Ravens struck a deal with Marshal Yanda, agreeing Tuesday afternoon to a five-year deal with the offensive lineman that is believed to average a little more than $6 million per season. ... With Yanda locked up, the Ravens' focus now turns to re-signing cornerback Josh Wilson. ... Domonique Foxworth is ready to get back on the field. ... The Orioles pounded out four home runs en route to a rare win in Toronto. ... Vladimir Guerrero was activated from the disabled list.

On Tuesday, Ravens coach John Harbaugh confirmed that the Ravens were releasing four veteran leaders who had contributed more than 1,000 catches, 100 touchdowns and 500 tackles combined to the franchise.

Jeremy Guthrie allowed six runs Tuesday night and the Orioles couldn't dig out of that early hole in a 9-3 loss to the Pirates. ... Second baseman Brian Roberts was not cleared to begin baseball activities during his third appointment with a concussion specialist, a development that pushes back his return until after the All-Star break. ... Orioles pitching prospect Dan Klein has been diagnosed with a shoulder injury that won't require surgery but could end his season. ... Ravens safety Ed Reed still isn't "100 percent" healthy. ... The next time NFL owners meet over labor, there is hope it will be to ratify a new collective bargaining agreement with the players.

Nnamdi Asomugha is atop the offseason wish list of many Ravens fans, and understandably so. Adding a Pro Bowl player such as Asomugha, who has been one of the NFL¿s top cornerbacks the past few seasons, would give the Ravens a difference-maker at every level of their defense. With Ed Reed, Haloti Ngata, Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs and Asomugha, the Ravens would again have the makings of a truly elite NFL defense.

The Orioles scored five runs in the first inning Monday night and knocked out overmatched Pirates starter Charlie Morton after the second en route to an 8-3 victory. ... Jeremy Guthrie will start Tuesday against the Pirates, four days after he was diagnosed with a muscle strain in his back. ... Luke Scott and Brian Matusz appear to be OK after suffering injuries on Sunday.

We haven't heard much from Ravens coach John Harbaugh since April's NFL draft. Sequestered in his office until the end of the lockout, Harbaugh and his staff have been busy tinkering with Xs and Os and making a plan of attack for whenever a new collective bargaining agreement is reached between the players and the owners. But Harbaugh came out of hiding Thursday to discuss the Ravens' offseason on WBAL Radio.

Orioles starter Brian Matusz retired just three of the 13 hitters he faced, allowing four runs on five hits and four walks in 1 1/3 innings during Sunday's 9-6 loss to the Rays. ... Wanting Zach Britton's rookie season to prolong into September, the Orioles have pushed back his next start a couple of days. ... The Mavericks beat the Heat on Sunday night to capture their first NBA championship. ... A wild and unpredictable Triple Crown season came to an appropriately stunning conclusion Saturday as 24-1 long shot Ruler On Ice won the Belmont Stakes.