Kansas

For the first time since the beginning of last season, tight ends Dennis Pitta and Ed Dickson finished a game with a combined zero catches in last Thursday's 23-16 win against the Cleveland Browns. Chances are that scenario won't play out again Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs, who have surrendered a touchdown to tight ends in three of four games this season. Tony Gonzalez caught five passes for 53 yards and one score in the Atlanta Falcons' 40-24 rout, Scott Chandler grabbed two balls for 53 yards and a touchdown in the Buffalo Bills' 35-17 demolition, and Jimmy Graham finished with four receptions for 16 yards and a score in the New Orleans Saints' 27-24 overtime loss.

The weekend off after playing last Thursday obviously did the Ravens some good. All 53 players were practicing in some capacity today as the Ravens intensified preparations for Sunday's game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Quarterback Joe Flacco and wide receiver Torrey Smith both sustained minor ankle sprains in the victory over the Cleveland Browns last Thursday and safety Ed Reed has been dealing with some hamstring soreness. However, all three were out there practicing today.

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.

It will be interesting to see how the Ravens' no-huddle offense holds up on the road against Kansas City on Sunday. When the Ravens played Philadelphia in Week 2 on the road, the team got away from the no-huddle partially because of the crowd noise and other communication problems. Kansas City has one of the loudest stadiums in the NFL, complete with throwback music from the 1960s and 1970s. Quarterback Joe Flacco has played well in the Ravens' no-huddle approach. He ran this offense in college at Delaware.

Maryland basketball fans might have received some good news Friday night - and it had nothing to do with the Harrison twins. Bill Self signed a longtime extension at Kansas on Friday, meaning that second-year coach Mark Turgeon is not going anywhere anytime soon. I've always contended since the day Turgeon was hired to succeed Gary Williams in May 2011 that the only place I could see the former Kansas point guard and assistant coach going was back to Lawrence. Not that Self was rumored to be going anywhere, but just as Roy Williams surprised Jayhawks fans by returning to his North Carolina roots, I could see Self going home to Oklahoma State, his alma mater.

It may be a good thing the Orioles only face Billy Butler a handful of games each season. The Kansas City Royals designated hitter has been an absolute monster against the O's the past five years. Entering Thursday night's series opener, Butler boasted a .329 average (.564 slugging) with seven home runs and 12 doubles. But through five innings Thursday, the All-Star seems to be outdoing himself. He had a three-run homer in the first inning, a double in the third and a triple in the fifth.

Baltimore Orioles centerfielder Adam Jones got some Top Ten, David Letterman, TV action Monday night from Kansas City, the site of the 2012 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. Here's Jones along with some of baseball's best trying their hands at comedy. What do you think? Be honest.

Filmmaker John Waters' crazy cross-country hitchhiking journey continues, with word Monday that he sped through Kansas with a middle-aged married couple from Illinois. Laura Broviac and Michael McHaney, she a county Democratic Party chief, he a circuit judge, were motoring through Junction City, Kansas, this weekend and according to wjbdradio.com, saw a man near an exit ramp holding a sign. She thought he looked like Waters and after a quick Google search, found that the Baltimore filmmaker was in fact hitchhiking across country.

A man in Overland Park, Kansas, has applied to trademark the phrase that President Obama uttered last month: "If I had a son, he'd look like Trayvon. " According to Trademarkia.com, Martin Joseph Markley applied for the trademark on March 27 . He filed the application in the category of "personal, legal and social services. " And the goods and services affiliated with the trademark, the filing shows, are advertising slogans and cartoon characters. Obama's remarks on the Martin shooting case last month made national headlines.

A Mega Millions winner has come forward in Kansas to claim a $218.6 million share of the $656 million total winnings in the massive and massively-hyped lottery jackpot, according to Kansas Lottery officials. The Kansas winner — who will remain anonymous — is one of three winners across the nation. One winning ticket was purchased in Baltimore County. The third was purchased in Illinois. The Kansas winner plans to take the cash option, $157.9 million, according to lottery officials there.