Kansas City Chiefs

Ravens running back Ray Rice talks about this Sunday's game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Every week, I hope to bring you a quick Q&A with someone who covers the Ravens' opponent that week. On Sunday, the Ravens will take on the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. Adam Teicher covers the Chiefs for The Kansas City Star, and he was kind enough to answer a few of my questions heading into the game. MV: One of your colleagues, Sam Mellinger, wrote a column this week calling for the Chiefs to fire general manager Scott Pioli, coach Romeo Crennel and quarterback Matt Cassel.

After assuming the reins of the annual softball game that had been run by left guard Ben Grubbs (who is now playing for the New Orleans Saints), Ravens cornerback Lardarius Webb was a little curious about Sunday's turnout at Ripken Stadium in Aberdeen. A significant number of fans attended the game, and a few observers who watched last year's contest said the turnout was much larger than last year's.  A couple of special guests were Kansas City Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles and Seattle Seahawks free safety Earl Thomas . That was music to Webb's ears.

Here is a question that the Ravens will have to answer in the coming weeks: Will they be comfortable going into the season without an experienced backup behind Ray Rice? Currently, the three top guys behind Rice on the running back depth chart - second-year players Anthony Allen and Damien Berry and rookie third-round pick Bernard Pierce - will enter training camp with three combined NFL carries. All of those belong to Allen, who carried the ball three times for eight yards in the Ravens' blowout victory over theSt.

Ravens left tackle Bryant McKinnie flew to Baltimore yesterday to meet with team officials and apparently got the answers that he was seeking. "Raven Fans, I was n Baltimore 2day, 2 confirm that ill be there next season," McKinnie said last night on his Twitter account. Was it even a question whether he was coming back? It may not have been much of one a couple of weeks ago as the Ravens don't have another experienced left tackle on their roster unless you count Michael Oher.

When it comes to star power in NFL free agency in 2012, there might not be a more stacked position group than wide receiver. But much like the running back class, this year's bumper crop of free agent wide receivers will likely be thinned when some teams exercise their right to place the franchise tag on pending free agents. DeSean Jackson of the Philadelphia Eagles has already received the franchise tagm and the long list of other free agent wideouts who could get tagged includes Vincent Jackson of the San Diego Chargers, Wes Welker of the New England Patriots, Dwayne Bowe of the Kansas City Chiefs, Marques Colston of the New Orleans Saints, and Steve Johnson of the Buffalo Bills.

Shortly before free agency opens on March 13 , Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome should send linebacker Ray Lewis on another recruiting trip and tell him to welcome back running backLe'Ron McClain. McClain and the Ravens are a marriage waiting to happen again. The Ravens need a backup to starting halfback Ray Rice, and McClain is about to become an unrestricted free agent after spending a season with the Kansas City Chiefs. All we need now is a pastor, a contract and couple of witnesses to make it official.

Now that the regular season has come to an end with the Ravens winning the AFC North, their schedule for next season is all but set. Obviously, the game days and times will be determined at a later date, but below is a look at the teams that will be on the Ravens' 16-game schedule. The Ravens will face the NFC East and the AFC West next season to go along with matchups against Houston and New England, the fellow first-place teams from the AFC East and the AFC South. The Ravens' eight home games: Pittsburgh Steelers, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos, Oakland Raiders, Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, New England Patriots.

Both coach John Harbaugh and players like center Matt Birk and left tackle Bryant McKinnie agreed that Joe Flacco has been on the receiving end of too many hits lately. The only one who disagrees is the Ravens quarterback himself. Asked if he concurred with Harbaugh's assessment on Monday, Flacco replied, “No, I'm still a young guy, and that's part of playing quarterback, getting hit every now and then. Hey, if you've got to deal with it every now and then, that's what you have to deal with.

Fullback Vonta Leach has been a popular subject for interviews this week as his former employer, the Houston Texans, will pay a visit to his current employer, the Ravens, on Sunday. Outside linebacker Terrell Suggs was asked about having Leach in the locker room, and Suggs' reply could be interpreted as a compliment and a swipe - but not at Leach. “You've got to like Vonta's personality,” Suggs said. “As you can see, we have a lot of characters in this locker room. We all like to have fun. He came in and fit right in. As far as his play on the field, I think it speaks for itself.