Jaguars

Jaguars at Falcons Staff predictions for Thursday night's game between Jaguars and Falcons: Kevin Cowherd : Falcons Edward Lee : Falcons Mike Preston : Falcons Peter Schmuck : Falcons Kevin Van Valkenburg : Falcons Mark Viviano: Falcons Jeff Zrebiec : Falcons

Dunbar could do just about anything it wanted against Washington in Friday's Class 1A state semifinal. The Poets had a large advantage in size, speed and strength. In other words, they were just too much. The Jaguars, from Somerset County, scored the game's first basket, but the rest of the evening belonged to No. 1 Dunbar. The Poets needed only four minutes to increase their lead to 10 points, and they didn't have much trouble in a 70-41 victory over Washington at the University of Maryland's Comcast Center.

Kevin Cowherd Ravens 24, Jaguars 10 The Ravens are on a roll. The Jaguars stink. Let's not over-think this one. Edward Lee Ravens 20, Jaguars 10 The Jaguars defense is no pushover, but rookie QB Blaine Gabbert will not be ready for the heat the Ravens will bring. Mike Preston Ravens 27, Jaguars 7 If Ravens get big lead early, this game could be over by halftime. They have to remind the Jaguars why they want to quit playing for head coachJack Del Rio. Peter Schmuck Ravens 23, Jaguars 20 This one shouldn't be close, but it will be because nothing ever makes perfect sense in the NFL. Cundiff delivers again.

Ravens left offensive tackle Bryant McKinnie reacted quickly, cutting off the speed rush of Jacksonville Jaguars rookie defensive end Andre Branch to anchor the line of scrimmage. Rookie offensive guard Kelechi Osemele generated some push inside at left guard to move defensive linemen off the football. And veteran Bobbie Williams shifted back to his natural right guard spot with Pro Bowl offensive guard Marshal Yanda held out of the game with a minor leg injury as a precautionary measure.

Jaguars 12, Ravens 7 Fourth quarter: 1:43 Jacksonville Field Goal - 51-yarder by Josh Scobee. Jaguars 9, Ravens 7 Fourth quarter: 2:02 Baltimore Touchdown - 5-yard pass from Joe Flacco to Anquan Boldin. (Billy Cundiff extra point is good). Jaguars 9, Ravens 0 Third quarter: 6:30 Jacksonville Field Goal - 22-yarder by Josh Scobee. Jaguars 6, Ravens 0 Second quarter: 5:58 Jacksonville Field Goal - 54-yarder by Josh Scobee.

Seems that before a big game, the Ravens would be thinking about eating their opponents not eating with them. But hey, it's pre-season. The folks at Sullivan's Steakhouse report that the two teams dined at the Inner Harbor restaurant last night, side-by-side, bulky bicep to bulky bicep. Sullivan's is apparently a big Ravens hangout. About 30 Ravens players were there and about 20 Jaguars, they say. In the black and purple, there was Haloti Ngata, Ray Lewis and Ray Rice, who apparently likes to order the same Sullivan's dish before every game -- the salmon.

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The pressure's on. The Ravens are in primetime this week -- and so is our furry prognosticator, Teddy the Pigskin Pickin Pup. Teddy, as those who've been following along this season know, is on a roll. Though he got off to a rocky start, his picks have been on the money for weeks now. Will the streak continue? Will he move to 4-2? Watch and see.... Don't forget -- there's a lot riding on this. If he ends the season with a winning record, the folks at Frosty Paws have promised to throw an ice cream party for the dogs at BARCS.

Every time I put out one of my mock drafts, readers tell me they think things would play out differently (chances are we'll both end up being wrong). Well, now you get a chance to play GM in my first-ever reader NFL mock draft. Here's how it works. I'll post a daily poll where you can vote to decide what the team that's on the clock should do with its pick. To keep it simple, I'll give you five options for each pick. If you think I missed somebody, let me know in the comments section.

David Reed returned for the Ravens' 29-14 victory over the Houston Texans last Sunday, but the wide receiver/kick returner was limited to kick- and punt-coverage duties. On Wednesday, Reed said he's ready to do more. “I didn't do much the last game as they're easing me back into it,” he said. “But I'm back now and full go.” On Monday, coach John Harbaugh said Reed and Bryan McCann, who returned two kickoffs for 53 yards against Houston, would compete for the right to return kicks.

Joe Flacco faked a handoff, spotted Anquan Boldin alone in the back of the end zone and connected with hit him for the easy touchdown. He then ran to the sidelines, pumping his fist nearly the entire way. Preseason or not and regardless of the opponent, the Ravens' starting offense needed a performance like this. The Ravens had spent the week focusing on finishing drives and they did just that Thursday, setting a team record for preseason points in a 48-17 throttling of the Jacksonville Jaguars before an announced 70,502 at M&T Bank Stadium.

Seems that before a big game, the Ravens would be thinking about eating their opponents not eating with them. But hey, it's pre-season. The folks at Sullivan's Steakhouse report that the two teams dined at the Inner Harbor restaurant last night, side-by-side, bulky bicep to bulky bicep. Sullivan's is apparently a big Ravens hangout. About 30 Ravens players were there and about 20 Jaguars, they say. In the black and purple, there was Haloti Ngata, Ray Lewis and Ray Rice, who apparently likes to order the same Sullivan's dish before every game -- the salmon.

You can watch the Ravens take on the Jaguars in pre-season action aboard the Raven, the harbor's newest sightseeing vessel. It's the one with the purple hull. The Thursday night cruise is the launch for Social Expressions, a new venture from the Timonium-based Chef's Expressions caterers targeted at young professionals. Guests can watch the Ravens take on the Jaguars on big screens. The sail begins at 8:30 p.m. and features specialty cocktails, "fashionable football bites" -- brick oven pizzettes, pulled pork sliders and Natty Boh crab fluffs.

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.

The Ravens' 2012 regular-season schedule won't be released until later this month, but the team's preseason slate is now set. They'll face the Detroit Lions and the Jacksonville Jaguars at M&T Bank Stadium, and play road preseason games against the Atlanta Falcons andSt. Louis Rams. The Ravens open preseason play at Atlanta on Thursday, Aug. 9, and conclude it on Thursday, Aug. 30 in St. Louis. Their preseason home opener against the Lions, which will serve as a homecoming for Detroit coach Jim Schwartz, who is a Mount St. Joseph alum, will take place on Friday, Aug. 17 at 8 p.m. The game will be televised nationally on FOX. Jacksonville will visit M&T Bank Stadium for the third preseason game on Thursday, Aug. 23. Only the Lions' game has a set time as of now because it will be nationally televised.

It's too early to tell Dan Pompei Chicago Tribune Now is not the time and place to determine if Tom Coughlin is a Hall of Fame coach. He still is coaching and could add, or even subtract, from his legacy. What's more, there is a five-year waiting period before a retired candidate can be considered. That period helps put accomplishments in perspective. You can make an interesting case for Coughlin. His career compares well to Marv Levy, who is enshrined in Canton.

PSINET STADIUM 1 P.M. CH. 13 Scouting report Ravens rushing vs. Jaguars run defense -- Jaguars -- The Ravens pounded Pittsburgh for 140 rushing yards and a 3.9 average carry last week. RB Priest Holmes (119 yards) carried the load, but has only three rushes for 10 yards in three games against the Jaguars. Rookie Jamal Lewis (live rushes, 16 yards) will have a bigger role this week. C Jeff Mitchell (knee) is expected for play for the Ravens, and that's important because he'll be required to block MLB Hardy Nickerson.

DALLAS -- Dallas Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson said yesterday that he would consider potential overtures from the NFL Jacksonville Jaguars about becoming the franchise's first head coach and general manager.But there appears only a remote chance the coach who led the Cowboys to a Super Bowl championship would be available to Jaguars owner Wayne Weaver.During an interview with ESPN, Johnson said he would be "intrigued" by any Jaguars interest.Asked later about that statement, Johnson said, "I was asked about Jacksonville, and what I said instead of the standard line was that any time you have a job, you're willing to listen to other opportunities."

In addition to quarterback Joe Flacco competing for the GMC Never Say Never Moment of the Year, Ray Rice is one of three candidates for the FedEx Ground Player of the Year. The Ravens running back was highlighted for amassing 1,364 yards - second-best in the NFL - and 12 rushing touchdowns - tied for second in the league among running backs. Invited to the Pro Bowl for the second time in three years, Rice was nominated for the FedEx Ground Player of the Week four times, winning twice.

When Ray Rice set a season low with just eight carries in a 12-7 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Oct. 4 and then surpassed that with just five rushing attempts in a 22-17 loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Nov. 13, much teeth-gnashing ensued. Even the Ravens running back wasn't happy with his involvement in the offense at those times, but with three more contests in the regular season and what appears to be at least one game in the postseason, Rice is beginning to think that the reduced workload is beginning to pay dividends now. “I don't want to say I saved my best for last, but I think the fact that I wasn't getting the carries early on was a blessing in disguise for me right now,” he said Wednesday.