Jacksonville Jaguars

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Maurice Jones-Drew is a kid at heart and doesn't take himself too seriously. Case in point: On the day before Halloween, the running back drove his Hummer home from Jaguars headquarters wearing the giant, fuzzy red head of a popular Sesame Street character. So when a cluster of Jets fans taunted him before last Sunday's game at the Meadowlands with a chant of "Over-rated! Over-rated!" this 5-foot-7 Elmo impostor was - what else? - tickled. "It got pretty bad; they almost rattled me," Jones-Drew said.

This afternoon I did a chat on our site about the Ravens and the NFL draft. Maybe the most popular question, besides ones about the situation at inside linebacker and the uncertainty along the offensive line, was about what it would take for the Ravens to trade up so they can draft one of the top left tackles or electric wide receiver Tavon Austin or some other highly-touted prospect who will be long gone by the time the Ravens pick. We get these questions every spring, so I figured I would do a little homework and address trading up here.

For the first time since he became one of the NFL's top receivers, there were questions surrounding Jimmy Smith this preseason. Smith, the cornerstone of the Jacksonville Jaguars' passing game the past five years, had two off-season abdominal operations that hospitalized him for a total of 35 days. He lost 20 pounds but gained it back shortly before training camp. If Smith can regain his form - the one he used to lead the league with 450 catches for 6,599 yards the past five years - the season may not be as long as many are predicting it will be for the Jaguars.

The Ravens are the sudden darlings of the NFL after they pulverized the Cincinnati Bengals in a prime time setting on Monday night. But as they prepare for a Philadelphia Eagles team that barely edged the Cleveland Browns in their season opener, recent history suggests that the Ravens shouldn't get too comfortable with their sudden status near the top of many NFL power rankings. In the last three seasons, the Ravens are 5-7 following victories in the season opener and wins against teams with winning records.

Hardy Nickerson can help the Jacksonville Jaguars with his tackling, toughness and as an answer to the Tennessee Titans. The five-time Pro Bowl middle linebacker was signed as a free agent to bring some fight to the Jaguars defense. Though Jacksonville was fourth overall in total defense last season, it was overpowered in its only three losses last season, all to the Tennessee Titans. "We think he's the ingredient that has been missing from our defense," Jaguars coach Tom Coughlin said.

Opponent: Jacksonville Jaguars Site: Ravens Stadium When: Sunday, 1 p.m. TV/Radio: Ch. 13/WJFK (1300 AM), WQSR (102.7 FM) Line: Ravens by 1 1/2 SunSpot: For more coverage, visit sunspot.net/ravens Coming Sunday: A special section in The Sun commemorating the life and career of John Unitas.

Kurt Warner looked like his old Most Valuable Player self against the St. Louis Rams. Mark Brunell delivered overtime heroics against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Even 12 years ago, Joe Montana showed there still was life in his aging arm against the San Francisco 49ers. Ravens@Titans Today, 1 p.m., Ch. 13, 1090 AM, 97.9 FM Line: Ravens by 7

A few years ago, the Ravens were counting down the seconds of a victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars when guard Edwin Mulitalo pushed Jaguars defensive tackle Gary Walker aside. Walker, no slouch at 6 feet 2 and 325 pounds, apparently didn't appreciate the gesture and rushed at the 6-3, 350-pound Mulitalo. Before Walker could reach Mulitalo, however, 6-3, 305-pound center Mike Flynn jumped in and tangled with Walker. Next preseason game Ravens@Vikings, Friday, 8 p.m., Ch. 45, 97.9 FM

A year ago, Mark Brunell appeared to be at the end of his NFL career. After coming to the Washington Redskins in 2004, Brunell had lost his starting job to Patrick Ramsey midway through that season and, from the looks of things, many of the skills that had led to three Pro Bowl invitations in nine years with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Season opener Vikings@Redskins, Monday, 7 p.m., ESPN, 1430 AM Line: Redskins by 4 1/2

BaseballCalifornia Angels -- Optioned P Mark Holzemer to Triple-A Vancouver. Recalled OF Orlando Palmeiro from Vancouver.Chicago White Sox -- Placed P Jason Bere on 15-day DL, retroactive to Aug. 5. Recalled P Mike Bertotti from Triple-A Nashville.Milwaukee Brewers -- Purchased contract of P Rob Dibble from Triple-A New Orleans. Assigned P Ron Rightnowar to New Orleans.Oakland Athletics -- Recalled P Steve Phoenix from Triple-A Edmonton and P Ramon Fermin from Double-A Huntsville. Optioned OF Ernie Young and P Doug Johns to Edmonton.

The Ravens dominated the Jacksonville Jaguars in all facets, rolling to a 48-17 romp in preseason game number three last night at M&T Bank Stadium. FIVE WHO IMPRESSED 1.       Joe Flacco, QB: There is a good chance that Flacco won't play at all in next week's finale against the St. Louis Rams so his effort last night could provide a fitting cap to the finest preseason of his career. In completing 27-of-36 passes for 266 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, Flacco was spot on with his accuracy, decision making and timing.

Wide receiver Lee Evans, who was released by the Ravens last month in a cost-cutting move, will sign a one-year deal Monday with the Jacksonville Jaguars, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Evans played one season in Baltimore. The Ravens traded a fourth-round draft pick to the Buffalo Bills during last year's training camp to acquire Evans, who was expected to be a regular target of quarterback Joe Flacco. But Evans missed seven games with a foot injury, lost his starting spot to rookie Torrey Smith and ended up catching just four passes for 74 yards and zero touchdowns.

In the last installment of our position-by-position free agency primers, we will look at the safeties. The Ravens will likely have holes to fill at safety, but they aren't going to be in the market for a high-priced free agent, not with Ed Reed returning in 2012 and not after strong safety Bernard Pollard fit in so well in his first season in Baltimore. But Haruki Nakamura and Tom Zbikowski, reserve safeties whom the team drafted in 2008, are free agents and could leave for expanded roles elsewhere.

The Ravens' demoralizing 22-17 loss to the Seattle Seahawks Sunday was a step back for a team poised to take charge of the AFC North and the overall conference. But why the Ravens performed so dismally is a subject that befuddles many of those who watched Sunday's game and the team's showings in losses to the Tennessee Titans on Sept. 18 and the Jacksonville Jaguars on Oct. 24. Former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver and NFL Network analyst Michael Irvin is one of those puzzled by the Ravens' play this season.

Ben Grubbs doesn't score touchdowns or record interceptions, but the left guard provided a lift with his return to the Ravens' starting lineup in the team's 23-20 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday night. Grubbs bolstered the offensive line as he reassumed his role as the starter. Andre Gurode had made five consecutive starts for Grubbs after straining ligaments in a toe on his right foot in the team's season-opening rout of Pittsburgh on Sept. 11. “So far, so good as far as that.

The Ravens' offense has been in a bit of a swoon in the past two weeks, performing miserably in a 12-7 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars and in the first two quarters against the Arizona Cardinals before scoring 24 of the game's final 27 points to escape with a 30-27 win. So which offense will fans see Sunday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers? “A good one,” quarterback Joe Flacco said Wednesday. “We are going to go in there with a game plan, one that we can be successful with - things that we do well - and we are going to go execute it to the best of our ability.

Ravens single-game tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday. They will be available at the M&T Bank Stadium box office, at Ticketmaster outlets, by Ticketmaster phone charge (410-481-7328) and at Baltimoreravens.com. There are limited seats available for games against the Cleveland Browns (Sept. 14), Kansas City Chiefs (Sept. 28), Denver Broncos (Oct. 26), Jacksonville Jaguars (Nov. 2), San Francisco 49ers (Nov. 30) and Pittsburgh Steelers (Dec. 28). A larger number of tickets are available for games against the Seattle Seahawks (Nov.

ASHBURN, Va. -- The euphoria from last week's 31-15 victory at Houston had worn off for the Washington Redskins by the time they returned to work Wednesday at Redskins Park. Their first victory of the 2006 season was satisfying, but the reality of their tenuous situation was not forgotten. The Redskins are still climbing out of an 0-2 hole from losses to the Minnesota Vikings and Dallas Cowboys, and today's home game at FedEx Field against the Jacksonville Jaguars could be a catalyst for Washington becoming a playoff team or a step toward a forgettable season.

Bernard Pollard confirmed The Sun's report on Friday that the NFL had fined the strong safety $10,000 for a hit on Jacksonville Jaguars running back Deji Karim in the third quarter of the Ravens' 12-7 loss a week ago. Although it was not a helmet-to-helmet hit, an NFL spokesman said that Pollard was fined specifically for striking a defenseless player in the head and neck area on a pass play. Pollard, who was already irritated at an official's ruling that he had taunted Arizona Cardinals tight end Jeff King after pushing him out of bounds Sunday, didn't require much prompting to sound off on the fine.

Conventional wisdom around the Ravens was that once Jimmy Smith recovered from the high left ankle sprain that had shelved him since the season opener on Sept. 11, the rookie cornerback would quickly overtake Danny Gorrer as the fifth defensive back in the defense's nickel package. But that wasn't the case on Monday night as Gorrer, not Smith, lined up as the nickel back in the team's 12-7 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Smith, who is still dealing with some soreness in the ankle, was relegated to strictly special teams work against Jacksonville.