Jarret Johnson

The NFL scouting combine starts Feb. 22. In advance of the annual meat market in Indianapolis, staff writer Matt Vensel will examine each position and give Ravens fans the 4-1-1. In this post he looks at inside linebackers . The top prospects: Boston College's Luke Kuechly is the consensus top inside linebacker in this class. He is projected to go in the middle of first round, way before the Ravens are on the clock at No. 29. Arizona State's Vontaze Burfict, who has been linked to the Ravens in mock drafts and who has been compared to Ray Lewis by some analysts, is a first-round pick who should wow scouts at the combine.

After nine productive seasons with the Ravens, linebacker Jarret Johnson faces an uncertain future with the franchise. He is an unrestricted free agent and he knows that the Ravens are trying to get faster and younger on defense. However, there he was Friday, seated front and center in the auditorium at the team's complex as Dean Pees was introduced as the team's new defensive coordinator. Johnson was the lone player in attendance. “I'm not here about my future,” said Johnson, the 30-year-old who had 56 tackles and 2 1/2 sacks during the regular season.

The Ravens' laundry list of free agents is highlighted by running back Ray Rice, left guard Ben Grubbs and linebacker Jarret Johnson, but that trio did not appear Monday when media was allowed in the locker room. However, outside linebacker Terrell Suggs said keeping Rice, a two-time Pro Bowl player, is a “no-brainer.” “We're really good about that, guys who are truly Ravens, keeping them Ravens,” Suggs said. “There's no one better in the game to do it than [Ravens general manager]

The Ravens may have watched enough film of New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez to last them a lifetime. But the scrutiny is well-deserved. Gronkowski set a NFL record for tight ends with 1,327 yards, eclipsing the 1980 mark of 1,290 set by the San Diego Chargers' Kellen Winslow. He also established a new league standard with 17 touchdown catches, surpassing the record of 13 shared by the Chargers' Antonio Gates (2004) and the San Francisco 49ers' Vernon Davis (2009)

The Ravens may be 1-6 all time against the New England Patriots, but that one win took place in the postseason after the 2009 regular season. The Ravens traveled to Foxborough, Mass., and routed New England, 33-14, on Jan. 10, 2010. But coach John Harbaugh said that victory won't mean much to the current squad. “A lot will be made of it, but I really don't think it does mean too much,” he said Monday. “We've been over there for a number of losses, too, in the regular season. So all of that becomes part of who you are as a team.” Outside linebacker Jarret Johnson echoed that sentiment.

At Monday's news conference at the Castle, outside linebacker Jarret Johnson was asked about the trash-talking that will invariably take place -- think Terrell Suggs and Tom Brady yapping at each other again -- when the Ravens and New England Patriots meet for the AFC championship Sunday in Foxborough. This always cracks me up. Asking Jarret Johnson about trash-talking is like asking Ray Lewis about French modernist painters. Or asking Joe Flacco about the fuel rods in a nuclear submarine.

The Ravens are at least a touchdown - or more, according to some oddsmakers - underdog to the New England Patriots in Sunday's AFC championship game. The fact that the contest will be played at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., and the Ravens are just 4-4 this season on the road is probably a factor. Also, the Ravens are just 1-6 all time against the Patriots. All of that is just fine with outside linebacker Jarret Johnson. “We like being the underdog,” he said.

History suggests that the Houston Texans duo of Owen Daniels and Joel Dreessen may not fare very well against the Ravens in Sunday's AFC divisional contest. That's because the defense has been one of the stingiest units against tight ends in the regular season. The Ravens have surrendered the second-fewest yards in the NFL to tight ends (665), the second-fewest touchdowns (three) and the sixth-fewest receptions (62). No tight end has gained more than 73 yards against the defense this season.

The bye week gives the Ravens a chance to get away from the practice fields and meeting rooms. But a good number of them won't stray far from football. With the Cincinnati Bengals scheduled to meet the Houston Texans Saturday and the Pittsburgh Steelers planning to visit the Denver Broncos Sunday, this weekend will offer must-see TV for the players. “I'll probably watch them,” quarterback Joe Flacco said. “You usually end up watching them even on your normal bye week, at least for a little bit. So, [they]

Ravens linebacker and NFL Defensive Player of the Year candidate Terrell Suggs has 6 1/2 sacks against the Cincinnati Bengals, his third most against any NFL team. But only one of them has come against the man who will line up opposite Suggs on Sunday. Few offensive linemen have given Suggs as many issues as Andrew Whitworth, the Bengals' mammoth left tackle who doesn't get the accolades but continually shuts down the opposing team's top pass rushers. Since Whitworth was moved from guard to tackle for the 2009 season, Suggs has just one sack in five games against the Bengals, and has been held without a sack for three consecutive meetings.