Fabian Washington

Josh Wilson is slated to start at cornerback in the Ravens' showdown against the Atlanta Falcons Thursday night, according to Fabian Washington , the man whom Wilson will replace. "I'm disappointed in myself, happy for Josh, and I'm just going to be sitting back and doing whatever they need me to do," Washington said after Tuesday's practice. Wilson wasn't quite as confident about his newfound status. "I don't know about that," he said. "That's up to Coach [ John ]

The Ravens are the only team to have made the playoffs in each of the past four seasons. That's a credit to G.M. Ozzie Newsome, who has given coach John Harbaugh enough talent to mold this team into a contender. As we close in on the 2012 NFL draft, we'll take a look at how the Ravens have fared in recent drafts. It's too soon to give a fair evaluation from the 2010 and 2011 classes, but three years of NFL service time is enough for us to grade their 2007 , 2008 and 2009 classes.

A day after he benched Fabian Washington, Ravens coach John Harbaugh wouldn't say whether the veteran cornerback would get his starting job back. Washington was replaced by Josh Wilson late in the fourth quarter Sunday after he surrendered his personal-worst third touchdown. Heading into this week's bye (where the players will receive five days off), Harbaugh wants to keep his options open at the cornerback position. "Fabian is going to play a lot of football," Harbaugh said Monday, a day after the Ravens squeezed out a 37-34 overtime win over the winless Buffalo Bills.

1. Chuck Pagano's done such a nice job this year, it might be hard to keep him in Baltimore in 2012. But if the Ravens make a deep run in the playoffs, he's going to be a hot candidate for a number of head coaching positions. And he deserves to be. Before we talk about Pagano, a quick word about Greg Mattison. I stuck up for Mattison more than most during his three years as the Ravens defensive coordinator. For a long time, I thought Ravens fans blamed him unfairly for a ton of personnel gaffes.

When the Ravens report for mandatory minicamp today, they'll try to take another step in moving past last year's dismal season. Their latest veteran addition, cornerback Fabian Washington, is on a similar path. Washington, who was traded from the Oakland Raiders on April 27, is coming off the worst year of his NFL career. He was abruptly benched for poor tackling early last season before getting arrested on a domestic battery charge after the season. That's why the Ravens only needed to give up a fourth-round pick to acquire the former first-round selection.

Tonight KANSAS CITY AT OAKLAND CHIEFS -- Out: T Kyle Turley (shoulder); RB Michael Bennett (ankle); DE Jimmy Wilkerson (hamstring); LB Rich Scanlon (neck). Probable: T John Welbourn (ankle). RAIDERS -- Out: RB LaMont Jordan (knee). Doubtful: WR Jerry Porter (hip). Questionable: G Corey Hulsey (knee); WR Randy Moss (ankle); RB Zack Crockett (heel); CB Fabian Washington (shoulder); T Robert Gallery (elbow). Probable: QB Aaron Brooks (neck); G Kevin Boothe (elbow).

Ravens cornerback Domonique Foxworth will miss the season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament. Foxworth was a surprise absence from practice Friday, the first full-team workout for the Ravens. He was seen limping off the field during orientation practice Thursday (which was closed to the media). The Ravens are extremely thin at cornerback to start training camp. Along with Foxworth, Fabian Washington (removed from physically-unable-to-perform list) and Lardarius Webb were both not suited up for practice.

1 Tough conference: No. 1 Connecticut vs. No. 4 Pittsburgh (7 p.m., ESPN), just another Monday night in the Big East. 2 Out of conference: No. 4 Duke and No. 15 Tennessee take a break from their conference schedules for a women's basketball game between perennial powers (7:30 p.m., ESPN2). 3 Lone Star rivals: Texas at Texas A&M (9 p.m., ESPN) or, as some might say down there, Tea-sippers vs. Aggies. 4 Pedal pushers: Lance Armstrong (left) is in the Tour of California (12:30 p.m., Versus)

1. Calvin Johnson goes off. The Lions wide receiver has scored a touchdown in three straight games and has produced 100 receiving yards twice during that span. Big receivers have caused the Ravens trouble all season. 2. Penalties have impact on game . The Ravens committed a season-worst 12 penalties (including five pass-interference ones) at Green Bay on Monday. The last time the Ravens played Detroit was 2005, when they had 21 penalties (one shy of the NFL record)

SETTING THE TONE: : The defense opened the morning session when defensive tackle Haloti Ngata tipped and intercepted a pass by Joe Flacco on the first play of a full-team, live drill. Cornerback Domonique Foxworth intercepted a pass from Flacco to wide receiver Marcus Smith, and cornerback Frank Walker broke up several passes. NEAR MISS: : Cornerback Fabian Washington appeared to join the interception parade when he got his hands on a pass from Flacco to wide receiver Justin Harper during a one-on-one exercise, but the ball squirted out of Washington's hands and into Harper's.

It wouldn't be much of a stretch to say Domonique Foxworth is a pretty positive guy. But his surgically repaired knee is testing the limits of the Ravens cornerback's good-natured manner. Foxworth, who underwent surgery last August to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, spent a few minutes after Monday's practice at the team's training facility in Owings Mills expressing his frustration at the strength and stability of the knee. "It just doesn't feel great," Foxworth said.

After helping the NFL and its players lift the lockout and craft a new collective bargaining agreement, Domonique Foxworth is ready to get back on the field. The Ravens cornerback, who missed last season with a knee injury, said Tuesday that he has no desire to begin training camp on the team's physically-unable-to-perform (PUP) list. "I have the full intention of being out there and contributing right away," the Ravens cornerback said Tuesday, the first day players could report to the team's facility in Owings Mills to undergo physicals and other medical tests.

In the weeks leading up to April's NFL draft, I will highlight four players at each position whom the Ravens could target at different stages in the draft -- from their top pick to their Mr. Irrelevant. In this post, I will focus on cornerbacks. Remember, I'm not saying the Ravens will take a cornerback with their first-round pick, though it's a possibility with Chris Carr, Josh Wilson and Fabian Washington set to become free agents. I'm just giving you a player whom they might consider if they decided to go that route.

If the Ravens opened the 2011 season today, cornerback Domonique Foxworth says he could play. The problem is that no one knows when the next NFL season will open because of the slow pace of negotiations between league owners and the National Football League Players Association over a new Collective Bargaining Agreement. There is a threat of a lockout by the owners when the current CBA expires after March 3. And if that happens, recovering injured players can't come to their respective facilities and will have to find a new place to train.

In the first big surprise of the Ravens offseason, Greg Mattison has left the team to accept the defensive coordinator position at the University of Michigan. The Ravens immediately promoted secondary coach Chuck Pagano to defensive coordinator. Mattison's decision to jump from the NFL to the collegiate level for the same position is uncommon, but a league source said Mattison's ties to Michigan, the college game and new head coach Brady Hoke led him to leave the NFL's 10th-ranked defense.

It's taken eight years, but Cory Redding is finally part of a winner in the NFL. Before joining the Ravens, the defensive tackle had only played on losing teams. Six years in Detroit and one in Seattle brought 84 losses and tough finishes to the season. That's why getting the ninth win of the season Monday night — which clinched a winning season for the Ravens — dominated Redding's thoughts last week. "That's all I focused on was the No. 9," he said. "I slept with nine fingers under my pillow.

Texans RB Steve Slaton vs. Ravens LB Ray Lewis Slaton, a rookie, has a cutback style that can hurt the Ravens. The Ravens are so aggressive that they sometimes overpursue and lose lane responsibility. Lewis still runs sideline to sideline well and has good quickness. He'll be effective against the Texans because they don't have the personnel to handle defensive tackles Haloti Ngata and Justin Bannan. Edge: Lewis: Texans DE Mario Williams vs. Ravens LT Jared Gaither Williams is the complete package of strength, power and speed.

CLEVELAND - In what might pass as a preview of next year's defensive backfield, the Ravens' secondary weathered the storm that quarterback Derek Anderson and NFL fate threw at it yesterday. Here's how tough things were in Cleveland: Absent two injured starting cornerbacks, the Ravens had to have their next two corners overcome injuries as well. Remarkably, both Fabian Washington and Frank Walker came through the litmus test intact in a 37-27 victory over the Cleveland Browns. "Our secondary was battered and bruised and we've got guys down," safety Ed Reed said.

The education of Lardarius Webb continues at a frenetic, unrelenting pace. After showing flashes of promise in his rookie season last year before tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee Dec. 20, the Ravens cornerback has returned to reality this season. New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady targeted Webb on several occasions Oct. 17, and Webb's aggressiveness in coverage has at times left him vulnerable to double moves. His most recent outing, the Ravens' 26-21 loss to Atlanta that came down to the last minute Thursday night, was especially humbling as he was benched briefly after getting beaten by wide receiver Roddy White three times on the Falcons' opening drive and lost a fumble on a punt return.