Baltimore Ravens

Here's what a collection of other media outlets are saying about the Ravens' selection of Florida safety Matt Elam at No. 32 in the first round: ** Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com explains why he thinks the Ravens picked Elam over Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o and others. Why I think the Ravens went with Elam is his knack for making big plays at crucial moments, which is a trait that has always ranked high with the franchise. With two safeties off the board (Kenny Vaccaro to New Orleans and Eric Reid to San Francisco)

He was a mighty presence when the Baltimore Ravens won Super Bowl XXXV, a warrior who busted a wedge to make the first tackle that day and went on to make four more. If current coach John Harbaugh is to be believed, even then he was the toughest man in football. Today O.J. Brigance has limbs that hang limp, his muscles withered. He can move only his lips and eyes and must use a computer to speak. The team's director of player engagement is in his fifth year of battling amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, a lethal and incurable illness.

Gardiners Furniture might be eating its Super Bowl bet but couldn't be happier about it. Gary Mullaney, co-owner of the Baltimore chain, said Monday that his phone has been ringing off the hook and reporters have been clamoring for interviews since an improbable offer came true. Gardiners told customers all furniture bought between Jan. 31 and 3 p.m. on the day of the game would be free if the Baltimore Ravens returned a kick for a touchdown during Sunday evening's Super Bowl . And then Jacoby Jones returned a kickoff 108 yards for a touchdown to open the second half, forcing the store to give away $600,000 in furnishings.

The Pale Knight arrived ready to plunge. Inspired by last year's Batman film, "The Dark Knight Rises," Patrick Fink of Baltimore showed up at Saturday's 17th annual Polar Bear Plunge clad in a bat mask, long cape and briefs that exposed much of his pasty skin to the chill air. He even had his chest hair shorn in the shape of the Batman logo. It was the seventh time the 27-year-old from Baltimore had traveled to Sandy Point State Park for a midwinter dip in the frigid Chesapeake Bay. He said he keeps returning because the yearly event raises money for Special Olympics Maryland, "a charity I love supporting.

This NFL offseason represents the 10-year anniversary of the inception of the "Rooney Rule. " The rule, named after Pittsburgh Steelers' Chairman Dan Rooney, requires teams to interview minority candidates for all head coaching and senior football operation positions. Initially, the rule showed some signs of success, but the coaching moves from this offseason have even Dan Rooney's son, Steelers' President Art Rooney II, wondering "whether we are really reviewing minority coaches in a satisfactory manner.

RAY LEWIS - Baltimore Ravens linebacker to Charm City's television stations, but "former murder suspect" to Atlanta's - stood in front of cameras and microphones Friday afternoon to let the world know he's an angry man. "Yes, I'm angry at [Fulton County] District Attorney Paul Howard," Lewis said at the news conference at the Ravens' Owings Mills training complex. "Because from Day One, I tried to speak to him and tell him that I was an innocent man." Lewis didn't say so explicitly, but he implied that he would have stood a better chance of getting a dead dog to roll over than of getting Howard to see reason.

Three teens were stabbed, one fatally, in downtown Baltimore Tuesday afternoon, near the route of the parade celebrating the Ravens Super Bowl victory, police said. Baltimore police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said the stabbing occurred around1:30 p.m. near the intersection of North Howard and West Fayette Streets. He said one of the three victims, a juvenile, went into cardiac arrest and was rushed into surgery at Johns Hopkins Children's Center, where the youth died. The other two stabbing victims were taken to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center.

Some consider Baltimore Ravens star linebacker Ray Lewis, 37, an artist on the football field. But that's only one area where he expresses himself. You'll find creativity in how he presents himself -- he designs most of his suits -- and the world he sees around him in his photography -- both of which were on display at Maryland Art Place's "LUX" Gala. "The Sun Diaries" is a group of five photos Lewis took of his favorite subject, the sun. "My art really symbolizes something that man doesn't control.

Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice will be the first player featured during the upcoming season in USA's "NFL Characters Unite" campaign, the cable channel will announce later today. Rice will also announce an expanded relationship between the NFL and USA at the upfront TV presentations in New York City later today. Here's the release from USA: NEW YORK - May 16, 2012 - USA Network announced today that it is expanding its Characters Unite collaboration with the National Football League.

A profile of former Colts cheerleader Leonard Burrier in Sunday's Today section gave an incorrect location for the Baltimore Ravens training camp. The camp is located in Westminster.The Sun regrets the error.Pub Date: 7/16/96