Linebacker

Hard-core Ravens fans and HBO viewers know what Kenny Jackson did on his big night out during training camp. He gave an unequivocal thumbs-up to Planet of the Apes, even if it wasn't the most memorable film he has seen this month. Jackson is the unusual rookie free agent whose quest to join the Super Bowl champions was developed into one of the subplots on Hard Knocks, the HBO chronicle of the Ravens' preseason. He's a chiseled 6 feet 2, 253 pounds, and there are plenty of rough edges to his game.

Patrick McGlinchey heard “great things” about Derrick Hayward before the young linebacker/defensive end ever set foot in the Wicomico weight room as a freshman.  Just minutes into the first meeting between player and coach, McGlinchey could sense that reports of Hayward's potential were not exaggerated. “I could tell he was going to be a great athlete with his work ethic in the weight room,” said McGlinchey, who has served as a varsity assistant and JV head coach at Wicomico.

Lukas Foreman, a defensive back-turned linebacker, has been suspended by Maryland for one year for violating the student-athlete code of conduct, the school said. Foreman, 6-3, 205 pounds, entered Maryland last season as a defensive back and redshirted. He switched to linebacker prior to spring practice. He was listed on the depth chart as a backup SAM linebacker. Foreman was recruited from Naples (Fla.) High by former Maryland defensive coordinator Don Brown. Maryland has now announced this week that three athletes -- basketball players Terrell Stoglin and Mychal Parker were the others -- have been suspended for a year.

Being in Baltimore apparently has its privileges for Loyola. Not only did the Greyhounds have to make just a 34-mile trip from their campus to Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis for Saturday's NCAA tournament quarterfinal against Denver, but they also got a visit from Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis. In a video posted by the school, the 13-time Pro Bowler and two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year spoke to the players before Wednesday's practice and encouraged them to play with passion and cooperation.

- Kenny Tate, who last season struggled away from the safety position where he became one of the ACC's best, will remain at linebacker next season, Maryland coach Randy Edsall said Tuesday. Tate, an all-ACC selection at safety in 2010, was moved to linebacker under then-defensive coordinator Todd Bradford before last season. Although Bradford has since been replaced by first-year coordinator Brian Stewart, Tate - who has sat out all of this spring with a knee injury - will remain at linebacker in Stewart's new 3-4 system.

This is part of a series of 2012 Maryland football commitment Q&As leading up to Signing Day on Feb. 1. All answers are provided by the featured player. Name : Avery Thompson Birthdate : March 2, 1994 Birthplace : Tacoma, Wash. Hometown : Chesapeake, Va. Height : 6-2 Weight : 205 Position : Linebacker High School : Grassfield High Senior statistics : 75 tackles (35 solo), five sacks, 2.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions (one returned for a touchdown)

Unless you count Mario Williams , a defensive end who can also play outside linebacker in a 3-4 defense, there won't be any marquee lineback ers available in free agency this offseason . But there are a handful of solid start ers -- including a pair of Ravens -- scheduled to be available in a deep class of free agent lineback ers. Jarret Johnson, who has spent nine years with the Ravens, is among the top outside linebackers this...

Maryland freshman linebacker Alex Twine was arrested Friday night in Prince George's County. Twine, who turned 18 on Friday, has been charged with disorderly conduct and failure to obey a reasonable and lawful order. Maryland's student newspaper, The Diamondback, first reported Twine's arrest . The 6-foot-2, 220-pound linebacker from Gaithersburg is scheduled to make a court appearance Jan. 30 at 1:15 p.m. in Hyattsville. Twine appeared in 11 games as a freshman, starting four.

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.

Ray Lewis is the oldest Raven - he turns 37 on Tuesday - but as one of The Baltimore Sun's top 10 all-time Maryland athletes, he's just a kid. Eight of his peers are Hall of Famers in their respective sports. Seven were stars before Lewis was born. The breadth of their accomplishments is not lost on the Ravens linebacker. "Look at the guys on that list, [Johnny] Unitas  and  Brooks [Robinson], and the impact they had. They were staples in this city, known as much for what they did off the field as on it," Lewis said.

Ravens outside linebacker Terrell Suggs, the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year, underwent successful surgery on his torn Achilles tendon Tuesday afternoon, but his availability for the 2012 season remains a significant question mark. The surgery was performed by noted foot specialist Dr. Robert Anderson in Charlotte,N.C. "After some recovery time, [Suggs] will begin the process of rehabbing the area," Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome said in a statement released by the team Tuesday night.

Four players from last fall's top two varsity football teams were among 13 from Maryland schools nominated to play in the 2013 U.S. Army All-American Bowl. Gilman linebacker Micah Kiser and defensive lineman Henry Poggi and Calvert Hall defensive backs Delando Johnson and Kennedy Frazier have been nominated for the Jan. 5 game to be played in San Antonio. The four are among 400 nominees for 90 spots in the annual East-West game. Nine others were nominated from Maryland: Zach Bradshaw, wide receiver, Damascus; Stefon Colbert, wide receiver, Good Counsel; Kirk Garner, defensive back, Good Counsel; Kendall Fuller, defensive back, Good Counsel; Brendan Marshall, quarterback, Good Counsel; Marcus Newby, linebacker, Quince Orchard; Marcell Ngachie, linebacker, Good Counsel; Dorian O'Daniel, linebacker, Good Counsel; and Na'Ty Rodgers, offensive lineman, McDonough.

In an appearance on 105.7 The Fan this morning, Ravens safety Ed Reed spoke about the Achilles injury to Ravens outside linebacker Terrell Suggs. Suggs has said it was a partial tear of the Achilles tendon and vowed to play at some point in 2012. But if the injury is a full tear, Suggs will likely be lost for the season. “It definitely takes a team to win, so no one guy is more important than the team,” Reed said. “I know Terrell. He's a young guy, so he's definitely got that on his side.

Jeff Zrebiec, Ravens reporter: Terrell Suggs is visiting a specialist next week so we won't know the extent of the injury and whether he'll need season-ending surgery until then, but that's obviously the fear. And any sort of Achilles' injury is terrible news for a guy so reliant on his power and explosiveness. It obviously goes without saying that Suggs is one of the few players that the Ravens simply can't replace. He's a rare game-changer and playmaker on defense, a guy that teams account for, often with two players.

The Ravens won't know the extent of Terrell Suggs' Achilles tendon injury until Tuesday, but they are prepared to be without their top pass rusher and the reigning NFL's Defensive Player of the Year for a good part - if not all - of the 2012 season. Suggs tore his Achilles last Saturday during a workout in Arizona. He'll see noted foot specialist Dr. Robert Anderson on Tuesday in North Carolina to find out the severity of the tear and to have it surgically repaired. “I've already been to see two different doctors.

Lukas Foreman, a defensive back-turned linebacker, has been suspended by Maryland for one year for violating the student-athlete code of conduct, the school said. Foreman, 6-3, 205 pounds, entered Maryland last season as a defensive back and redshirted. He switched to linebacker prior to spring practice. He was listed on the depth chart as a backup SAM linebacker. Foreman was recruited from Naples (Fla.) High by former Maryland defensive coordinator Don Brown. Maryland has now announced this week that three athletes -- basketball players Terrell Stoglin and Mychal Parker were the others -- have been suspended for a year.

When Martray McKesson takes the field at McDaniel College in the fall, he won't just be the first Reginald F. Lewis graduate to play college football - he'll be the first to play any college sport. The school's first athletic recruit in its 10-year existence, McKesson not only excelled on both sides of the ball during the Falcons' 8-2 football season, he also excelled in the classroom. With his 3.6 GPA, he's ranked second in his class. First-year Lewis coach Donte' Foster said McKesson was an excellent example for his peers in working to overcome a 2-8 season in 2010.