OWINGS MILLS -- Baltimore Ravens star free safety Ed Reed will begin the season on the reserve physically unable to perform list as he continues to rehabilitate his surgically-repaired hip. That designation will become official Saturday during the Ravens' final major roster cutdown, and means that the former NFL Defensive Player of the Year will be sidelined for at least the first six weeks of the regular season. This isn't a surprising development considering Reed's past statements on the recovery time required for the surgery, a four to six month period. While the six-time Pro Bowl selection is sidelined, Tom Zbikowski is slated to start at free safety in his place after a strong preseason and a solid stint as Reed's stand-in last season. Reed underwent surgery in late April to repair a torn labrum in his hip, an ailment that sidelined him for four games last December. Under NFL regulations, the soonest Reed could be eligible return to play is an Oct. 24 game against t...

OWINGS MILLS -- Baltimore Ravens rookie nose guard Terrence Cody proclaimed his arthroscopic left knee surgery as a successful procedure. Renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews repaired the damage to Cody's slightly torn meniscus earlier this week in Birmingham, Ala. "It went good, everything was good," Cody said. "Got a lot of positive feedback from the doctors." Cody is expected to miss the season opener against the New York Jets and Cody is expected to return in time for the Ravens' second game against the Cincinnati Bengals. However, Cody is holding out hope for the Jets game. "I'm feeling like I can, but the trainers and the doctors, they want to keep an eye on it," Cody said. "They don't want to rush me back and something ends up happening and it gets worse." The second-round draft pick from Alabama indicated that he has been dealing with the meniscus problem for quite some time. "When I had the surgery, they said it look...

OWINGS MILLS - Forgive Josh Wilson if his head is still spinning as he tries to get acclimated to his new surroundings. The Baltimore Ravens' newly-acquired cornerback has had a busy week. The former University of Maryland standout was traded to Baltimore on Tuesday night from the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for a conditional 2011 fifth-round draft pick, and was pulled off the practice field as the Ravens booked him a flight to Maryland. The Upper Marlboro native took and passed his physical Wednesday before boarding a plane Thursday with the Ravens for their preseason finale against the St. Louis Rams. And Friday morning marked Wilson's first practice with his new teammates. It's a lot to absorb in a limited amount of time as he prepares for the first game Sept. 13 against the New York Jets "It reminded me of being a rookie kind of," Wilson said. "I'm walking everywhere with this playbook. I'm trying to pull my coach to the side, ‘Hey, let's go over this pl...

ST. LOUIS -- Dannell Ellerbe strutted and showboated, pausing for a swaggering moment on the cusp of the St. Louis Rams' end zone as he returned a Keith Null interception. Then, the Baltimore Ravens' reserve inside linebacker leaned the football into the end zone with an exaggerated motion across the goal line to conclude a 57-yard touchdown in the second quarter that was greeted by loud boos from the Rams' small assembly of diehards announced as 42,327 at Edward Jones Dome. Seconds later, a clearly furious Ravens coach John Harbaugh was in Ellerbe's face mask spitting out words probably not fit for print as he chastised the second-year linebacker Ellerbe's touchdown off a pass deflected by cornerback Cary Williams was easily the Ravens' top individual showing during a 27-21 loss to the Rams on Thursday night during an ugly preseason finale defined by general sloppiness from the Baltimore reserves. The athletic display was tempered by the extreme lack of discipline from Ellerbe. It...

ST. LOUIS - The Baltimore Ravens sent a skeleton crew out onto the football field Thursday night to wrap up the preseason, taking understandable precautions by resting every starter to avoid potential injuries to key personnel. The Ravens had quarterback Joe Flacco, running back Ray Rice, wide receiver Derrick Mason, defensive tackle Haloti Ngata, middle linebacker Ray Lewis and cornerback Fabian Washington and several other starters warm up at Edward Jones Dome before being given the night off. It was a diverse lineup of selected veterans and rookies as the Ravens concluded the preseason against the St. Louis Rams. Offensively, the Ravens started former Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith at quarterback. The rest of the starters for Baltimore: wide receivers Demetrius Williams, Marcus Smith and Justin Harper, left tackle Ramon Harewood, left guard Joe Reitz, center Bryan Mattison, right guard Stefan Rodgers, right tackle Devin Tyler, tight end Devin Tyler and running back Jalen Parme...

OWINGS MILLS, Md. – Billy Cundiff has been diligently applying the same philosophy toward the Baltimore Ravens’ ultra-tight kicking competition as he does to each actual swing of his right leg. That is, the incumbent kicker simply keeps his head down and waits for the officials to signal if the football has split the uprights. As the Ravens head into Thursday night's preseason finale against the St. Louis Rams at the Edward Jones Dome, Cundiff is banking on his singular focus paying dividends as he tries to convince the organization to award him the kicking job over former Pro Bowl kicker Shayne Graham. “My mindset hasn’t changed,” Cundiff said. “The one thing I’ve been able to lean on the entire time is focusing on what I have to get done today, not the ramifications of today. I think about meeting my goals every time I step on the field. I want to make my kicks every time and I want to get all my kickoffs into the end zone. “I ...

OWINGS MILLS -- It's survival mode tonight in St. Louis. The Baltimore Ravens' roster bubble is about to pop in a few days for 22 players, and this preseason finale against the St. Louis Rams at Edward Jones Dome represents the last chance to audition for a job. "I'm going to approach it like it's the Super Bowl for me," defensive lineman Lamar Divens said. "I expect to play a lot. I want to show them I can play end, tackle and nose if they need me to. I'm going to leave it all out there." That attitude captures the sentiment for multiple hopefuls as the Ravens prepare to cut the roster down from 75 players to the NFL limit of 53 players by Saturday's league deadline. Former Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith is making his bid to be retained as the Ravens' third quarterback behind starter Joe Flacco and backup Marc Bulger. Smith is scheduled to start and play all four quarters. "Since I've been here, I've fought every year," Smith said. "That'...

Editor’s note: Beat writer Aaron Wilson gives his take on key topics surrounding tonight’s preseason finale between the Baltimore Ravens (3-0) and the St. Louis Rams (2-1) at Edward Jones Dome: 1. Is the competition settled at inside linebacker? Jameel McClain has started three consecutive games and has performed solidly. He’s the top pass rusher among a group of candidates that includes Dannell Ellerbe and Tavares Gooden. Ellerbe is the hardest hitter and the most physical at taking on blocks. Gooden is the fastest and slightly better in pass coverage, which isn’t a strong suit for any of the three. Unless something dramatic happens tonight, McClain appears poised to enter the season as the starting Jack inside linebacker. All of them figure to see a lot of playing time this season. 2. Will Demetrius Williams answer the call? The veteran wide receiver needs to suit up and excel tonight despite a sprained right ankle. With Donte’ Stallworth o...

OWINGS MILLS – The Baltimore Ravens landed the reinforcement for the secondary that they’ve been coveting, trading a conditional fifth-round draft pick Tuesday night to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for cornerback Josh Wilson. The Ravens have been searching for help at cornerback ever since starter Domonique Foxworth was lost for the season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament one day before the start of training camp.  A former University of Maryland standout, Wilson has intercepted six passes in 24 starts since being drafted in the second round by Seattle three years ago. “Oh man, I’m excited, I’m ready to go,” Wilson told the 24x7 in a telephone interview. “I get to go back, right down the street. It’s a comfort zone. I couldn’t be happier.   “It’s a great situation: great team, great defense, great opportunity. As a player, you couldn’t write your own story any better. With the...

OWINGS MILLS – Baltimore Ravens rookie nose guard Terrence “Mount” Cody underwent arthroscopic surgery Tuesday to repair a partially torn lateral meniscus in his left knee and isn’t expected to return until the second game of the regular season. Cody had the surgery in Birmingham, Ala., with renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews performing the procedure. Under the prescribed timeline for recovery, the 6-foot-4, 349-pound second-round draft pick is regarded as a question mark for the Ravens’ season opener against the New York Jets on Sept. 13 at the Meadowlands. However, the former University of Alabama consensus All-American is considered to be on target for the Ravens’ Sept. 19 road game against the Cincinnati Bengals. "There’s a chance he could be back for the opener against the Jets or, for the bigger guys, sometimes it takes a little longer," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. "The plus is we have a lot of dep...