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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.

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.

Dealing with a sprained right knee and right shoulder injury, Pro Bowl defensive tackle Haloti Ngata didn't play a single snap during the Ravens' 55-20 win Sunday over the Oakland Raiders.

After surrendering 251 yards and four touchdowns to Doug Martin, Oakland expected to fortify unit vs. Ray Rice and Bernard Pierce

Team has just 729 rushing yards despite averaging 4.7 yards per carry

Baltimore Ravens' Terrell Suggs will prove it takes an inked one to know one Tuesday night on 'Ink Master,' Spike's reality show for tattoo artists.

The Browns, who have had one winning season and five head coaches in the past decade, traded up to select Trent Richardson third overall in April's draft and 19 spots later used another first-round draft pick on Brandon Weeden.

Injuries to long snappers for the Oakland Raiders and Washington Redskins serve as a reminder of how critical it is to develop a backup plan

Team is $1.477 million under the NFL limit

The Baltimore Ravens created some breathing room under the NFL salary cap limit when they signed Pro Bowl running back Ray Rice to a five-year, $40 million maximum value deal that included a $15 million signing bonus.

Anthony Allen, Bernard Pierce and Damien Berry will compete for the right to back up Ravens starting running back Ray Rice.

Ray Rice rushed for 4,377 yards in his first four NFL seasons, all before the Ravens running back had celebrated his 25th birthday.

Ray Rice's absence from organized team activities has given the Ravens a chance to focus on a group of unproven players hoping to back up a player many consider the best all-around running back in the NFL.

On paper -- and we know the dangers of evaluating football teams on that alone -- it doesn't appear the Baltimore Ravens have done much to improve an offense that ranked 12th in the NFL in points scored and 15th in total yards a season ago. But there is reason to believe that the offense will be better in 2012: They will finally have a little continuity.

As we close in on the 2012 NFL draft, we'll take a look at how the Baltimore Ravens have fared in recent drafts.

Maybe it's because I was a star mathlete in high school, but I love numbers. And we've spent plenty of time crunching them these past 10 days while waiting for the Ravens to make moves -- or purposefully not make moves -- in the new league year. So if you're a fan of numbers, here is a handful of relevant numbers from this quiet free-agency period, at least in Baltimore.

Ravens expected to exercise patience when free agency opens Tuesday. With about $11 million of cap space, team will likely try to retain Grubbs, others before trying to make a splash.

Running back Ricky Williams has told Ravens officials that he is retiring, according to sources. But the team is leaving the door open for the 34-year-old to return in 2012 should he change his mind, which is a possibility.

The retirement of Ricky Williams leaves the Ravens with one running back who has more than five career NFL carries -- and that¿s Ray Rice, who is an unrestricted free agent this offseason. Here's a quick look at who the Ravens have on the roster (besides Rice) and a little speculation with three free-agent running backs and three soon-to-be draftees who might fit with the team.

Ravens will likely scour free agent market to find new backup running back

What they're saying about the Ravens

Here's a look at how the Ravens match up against their three potential opponents for Round 2:

Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs is used to chasing down opposing quarterbacks. Now Suggs is joining PETA in going after fur farms that kill foxes, minks and rabbits -- even dogs and cats -- to make coats out of their pelts.

Ravens Q&A: Ricky Williams. Veteran running back discusses hie relationship with Ray Rice and his plans for life after football.

We are into the nitty-gritty of the fantasy playoffs, so let's get down to business with injury updates, some waiver-wire pickups if you're desperate, and more. If your squad needs help, shoot me a note. And feel free to leave your horror story in the comments section if you have already been dismissed.

If the Ravens somehow slip up down the stretch -- a pair of tricky road games remain -- and fall behind the Steelers in the AFC North, they would likely face one of the NFL's hottest teams on wild-card weekend. Inspired by the play of second-year quarterback Tim Tebow, the 8-5 Denver Broncos have seized control of the AFC West after defeating the Chicago Bears in overtime Sunday. The Broncos have won seven of eight games, including three via walk-off overtime field goals by Matt Prater, to stake a claim for the No. 4 seed.

Five Things We Learned in the Ravens 24-10 win over the Colts

Now playing strictly guard, Yanda is dominating Ravens' opponents

Ravens: The Ravens' rushing totals are down from last season but the team says it has been effective running the ball when it needs to and against top competition

The Philadelphia Eagles haven't been the team we expected (I'm no longer using the 'D' word when talking about the Eagles, and you're welcome). They are 3-5 at the midway point of the season, and their margin for error is slim to make it into the playoffs.

Last week, we looked at the biggest surprises of the 2011 fantasy football campaign. This time around, we will hand out dishonors to the disappointing (non-injured) players who have torpedoed our seasons so far. Try not to cuss too much in the comments section below after receiving this list, OK?

Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco continues to show resiliency, fortitude

Torrey Smith torched the Rams in Week 3, catching five passes for 152 yards and three touchdowns. Now he is burning up the waiver wire, and you can be sure that someone will claim him in your fantasy league.

Ravens Harbaugh fires up crowd

Ray Rice was both a reality and fantasy football difference-maker in Sunday's 35-7 win over the Steelers. He rushed for 107 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries and added four catches for 42 yards and a score. The pint-sized powerhouse set the tone for the Ravens offense with a 36-yard run on the team's first play from scrimmage. But it was two plays he might not have gotten an opportunity to make a year ago that made him one of the top fantasy performers in Week 1 -- and that also suggest that more touchdowns are on the way.

As the Baltimore Ravens open their season, fans wonder are hoping for Super Bowl appearance.

The news that Peyton Manning will miss Week 1 with a neck injury -- and that his status going forward is unclear -- is good news for the Texans, Ravens, Patriots, Steelers and the other contenders in the AFC. It's bad news for fantasy football owners who were counting on Manning or other Colts to produce this year.