Haloti Ngata

If you're among the Ravens fans discouraged by the inconsistent play of Lee Evans and Domonique Foxworth , you have company in head coach John Harbaugh . Harbaugh said Monday that it's clear the lingering injuries to Evans and Foxworth are affecting their ability to make plays, and the Ravens are going to have to make a difficult decision about whether it would be better to shut them down until their healthy rather than continue to...

A generous amount of doubt surfaced regarding the effectiveness of the Ravens pass rush due to the continuing absence of outside linebacker Terrell Suggs, but no one can blame Haloti Ngata for not doing his part. This season, the 6-foot-4, 330-pound defensive tackle is tied with inside linebacker Dannell Ellerbe for the team lead in sacks with 2½ and is tied for fourth in tackles with 16.  Ngata, 28, opened 2012 with two sacks in a Week 1 44-13 rout of the Cincinnati Bengals and split a sack with Ellerbe in Sunday night's 31-30 win against the New England Patriots.

With 11 days between now and their first playoff game Jan. 15 at M&T Bank Stadium, five Ravens sat out Wednesday's practice, which had a training camp-like atmosphere in the portion of practice open to media. After the team opened with special teams drills, players did individual drills with their position groups. Coach John Harbaugh said Monday that the team would use Wednesday and Thursday to “develop our guys.” Inside linebackers Ray Lewis (toe) and Jameel McClain (knee)

As the Ravens prepare to meet the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII on Feb. 3, Dannell Ellerbe was the only player to miss Thursday's practice. The starting inside linebacker is dealing with ankle and back injuries. Four players participated on a limited basis: defensive tackle Haloti Ngata (knee), tight end Dennis Pitta (thigh), wide receiver David Reed (hamstring) and cornerback Asa Jackson (hamstring). Fourteen players on the injury report fully practiced: outside linebackers Terrell Suggs (right Achilles tendon/torn right biceps)

Haloti Ngata, who was just named to his fourth consecutive Pro Bowl Wednesday night, did not practice for the second straight day, but defensive coordinator Dean Pees said he has no concerns about the defensive tackle's availability for Sunday's regular-season finale against the Cincinnati Bengals. “I think he's getting there,” Pees said of Ngata, who has been dealing with shoulder and knee injuries. “He's been banged up, it seems like, kind of all year here and there. But he's getting some well-deserved rest.” In addition to Ngata, fullback Vonta Leach and right guard Marshal Yanda sat out Thursday's session.

Like most NFL defensive tackles, Haloti Ngata has an insatiable appetite. The 6-foot-4, 345-pound Ravens lineman loves to devour Italian food (except during the season when he tries to keep healthy), anything with curry and his latest favorite - Maryland steamed crabs. At Glen Burnie's Seaside Restaurant, Ngata will go through a dozen of the largest crabs without breaking a sweat. If you try to interrupt him, the affable Ngata has been known to strike a glare that would make Kansas City Chiefs running back Larry Johnson shudder, showing he has become a true Baltimore guy. "When he's eating crabs, you don't really get many words out of him," said his wife of two years, Christina.

The Ravens have been ranked in the top 10 against the run in 12 of the last 13 years and in the top five for six consecutive seasons. But with the unit losing a pair of outside linebackers in Terrell Suggs (torn right Achilles tendon) and Jarret Johnson (free agent who departed for the San Diego Chargers) who were often overlooked for their ability to force opposing running backs to the middle of the defense, can the defense continue that strong tradition? A lot could depend on how Paul Kruger and rookie Courtney Upshaw - who are penciled in as the starting outside linebackers - rise to the occasion, but defensive tackle Haloti Ngata said he's not overly concerned.

Good morning --Matt Bryant -- A 62-yard kick? Could Haloti Ngata even run that far?