Linebacker Ray Lewis

Faced with the possibility of playing without starting linebacker Ray Lewis and backup Mike Smith, the Ravens initially didn't have a clear-cut replacement. But after the Ravens dug a little deeper in their roster, it's not surprising who they settled on: Jarret Johnson, the grittiest player on the team. Falcons@Ravens Sunday, 1 p.m., Ch. 45, 1090 AM, 97.9 FM Line: Ravens by 4

Wearing a black fedora and a dark checkered blazer and with his daughter at his side, Ray Lewis attended the premiere screening of the DVD that chronicles the Ravens' Super Bowl winning season last night at the Modell Performing Arts Center at the Lyric. His first offseason appearance in Baltimore as a retired player, Lewis admitted that it felt a little weird to not be preparing for another year of football. “Honestly, there's no pressure because every year is always a new year, every offseason is always a new offseason.

Offensive MVP: Running back Jamal Lewis Defensive MVP: Linebacker Ray Lewis Biggest surprise, offense: Fullback Alan Ricard Biggest surprise, defense: Linebacker Ed Hartwell Run offense (19th in NFL): The Ravens have had mixed results with their running game. Running back Jamal Lewis is averaging 80.8 yards a game just a year removed from reconstructive knee surgery. The lead blocking of fullback Alan Ricard has been a pleasant surprise. The Ravens have relied on trickery at times, gaining 96 yards on 12 reverses to receivers and tight end Todd Heap.

Mitch Ross, the supplement maker who allegedly provided deer antler velvet spray to Ravens inside linebacker Ray Lewis, said during a news conference Friday that he's received death threats from angry Ravens fans. Ross didn't provide any specific information about the alleged threats, though. "It's unfortunate that I'm getting death threats from Ravens fans," said a sleeveless Ross, who was wearing a black skull cap and displaying bottles of the spray and other products, including performance chips, which aren't banned by the NFL. "I got duped by Sports Illustrated.

There is a sense of urgency among the 2006 Ravens. It has been there since Day One of training camp. You don't hear about it, but you can feel it. The Ravens have gathered some of the game's best talent at certain positions, but a lot of them are on the downside of their careers. And that raises a major question for the remainder of the season: Can the Ravens get enough out of these veterans to make a serious push for the playoffs? That's what the sense of urgency is all about. They know there is this season, and maybe one more, for a serious run by veterans such as linebacker Ray Lewis, running back Jamal Lewis, offensive tackle Jonathan Ogden, quarterback Steve McNair, cornerback Samari Rolle, defensive end Trevor Pryce and receiver Derrick Mason.

Linebacker Ray Lewis told reporters after the season-ending loss to the New England Patriots that he planned to return for a 17th NFL season, but the team is still awaiting word from free safety Ed Reed. “Ed doesn't give definitive answers,” Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti said, adding that he thinks Reed “still has the desire to play.” Bisciotti said it would be difficult to replace both Lewis and Reed at their respective positions, but he believes the Ravens already have their replacements -- in terms of impact -- on the roster in linebacker Terrell Suggs, defensive tackle Haloti Ngata and cornerback Jimmy Smith.

Tommy Streeter will never forget the pain he felt the weekend of the NFL draft. Projected by some analysts to be a second-day pick, Streeter remained on the board until late in the sixth round. But shortly after the Ravens ended his disappointment, his phone rang. Linebacker Ray Lewis was reaching out to the Miami Hurricanes wide receiver and welcoming him to the family. “I basically told him that I was ready to make that next step, ready to train,” Streeter said Sunday, the final day of the team's three-day rookie minicamp in Owings Mills.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - -Steve Hauschka failed to finish off the Ravens' kicking battle. The favorite after two preseason games, Hauschka missed wide right on a 27-yard field goal on the Ravens' first drive Saturday night. It marked his first miss after making his first three attempts of the preseason. Ravens coach John Harbaugh said the Ravens were ready to announce the winner after the game, but he now will wait until Thursday's preseason finale at Atlanta. "It was a little bit disappointing," said Harbaugh, who noted that he was displeased with Hauschka's kickoffs as well.

QB C Joe Flacco threw for one touchdown and ran for another but was inaccurate on several intermediate- to long-range passes. He'll have to play much better if the Ravens are to beat good teams. OL B+ The Ravens punished Oakland up front, and they didn't allow a sack. But left tackle Jared Gaither had four penalties and right guard Chris Chester was called twice for holding. The penalties negated some big plays. WR C The Ravens averaged 14.1 yards a catch, but a lot of those yards came after short passes.

Free agency has broken up that old purple gang of ours. A handful of heroes from the Ravens' surprising run up to the AFC championship game - center Jason Brown, linebacker Bart Scott and safety Jim Leonhard - all hopped the Payday Express and are in other NFL cities. Even so, the Ravens will be better when they line up for Game 1 than when they trudged off Heinz Field after losing the title game. Linebacker Ray Lewis, after doing his best Hamlet rumination of whether "to be or not to be" a Raven, decided to stay.

The city of Baltimore could not be more excited (well, I guess they haven't turned the harbor purple ... yet) for Sunday's Super Bowl which, pits the Ravens against the San Francisco 49ers. Madison Avenue execs are not so thrilled. According to Bob Dorfman, a sports marketing expert at San Franciscco's Baker Street Advertising, the game will be short on endorsement talent. Dorfman sees only two players who could use the game to catapult toward major deals: Niners quarterback Colin Kaepernick and Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis.

In a story that includes the phrase "he asks between squirts of deer antler," Sports Illustrated brings the fascinating story of two men aggressively marketing a line of health care supplements -- hologram stickers, the aforementioned deer antler spray, powders, underwear drenched in liquid (seriously) -- to college and pro athletes. The company's name explains the concept: S.W.A.T.S., which stands for Sports with Alternatives to Steroids. At the center of the story is none other than Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis, who is in New Orleans preparing to play the final game of his NFL career on Sunday.

Sales of Ray Lewis' jerseys have risen nearly 2,000 percent since he announced his retirement, according to Fanatics.com data (do not click on the link if you are a Notre Dame fan, for you will be bombarded with crimson gear for sale). Since then, Lewis' jersey is the top-selling NFL jersey for the online retailer, right ahead of - wait for it - Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning. The Ravens play the Broncos in Denver on Saturday. Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III, Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson and Patriots quarterback Tom Brady round out the top five.

Linebacker Ray Lewis made his return from a torn right triceps Sunday, and after he performed what was probably the most anticipated pre-game dance in football history, he quickly made a dent on the stat sheet. In Baltimore's 24-9 win over Indianapolis, Lewis made a game-high 13 tackles, nine of the solo variety. Only fellow graybeard London Fletcher of the Washington Redskins made more tackles during wild card weekend. Lewis made a tackle for a loss early in the game, and he was also credited with a pass defended when he dropped what should have been an easy interception of Colts quarterback Andrew Luck in the second quarter.

Linebacker Ray Lewis will likely play his last game at M&T Bank Stadium Sunday, but it might be the last home game for Pro Bowl safety Ed Reed as well. Lewis said Wednesday he will retire at the end of the season and Reed hasn't commented on future plans. It's possible the Ravens won't re-sign Reed once his contract expires after this season. If re-signing Reed appeared likely, the Ravens would have made that move by now. Lewis' retirement appears to be the start of reshaping this team and bringing in some fresh blood, so to speak.

Ray Lewis will not play in Sunday's regular-season finale against the Cincinnati Bengals but the Ravens kept alive his hope of returning for the playoffs. The Ravens activated the veteran linebacker from the injured reserve with a designation to return list on Wednesday, a procedural move that makes him eligible to play in the opening round of the playoffs next week against either the Bengals or Indianapolis Colts. To make room for Lewis, the Ravens placed wide receiver LaQuan Williams (Poly, University of Maryland)

Highlights: Middle linebacker Ray Lewis, making a gradual return from a neck injury he suffered nine days ago, worked in seven-on-seven drills. Lewis could return to action in next week's third preseason game in Philadelphia. The Ravens claimed offensive lineman Craig Novitsky off waivers from the St. Louis Rams. Novitsky, a fourth-year player from UCLA, is expected to become the backup center behind Quentin Neujahr.Today: The players have a 9 a.m. walk-through and depart for New York at 1 p.m.Injury report: TE Eric Green, who has missed a handful of practices with recurring knee soreness, left practice after he injured a finger.

Every morning, Monday through Friday, blogger Matt Vensel will hook you up with reading material -- mostly on the Ravens but with some other Baltimore sports stuff, too -- to skim through as you slug down coffee and slack off at the start of your workday. That way he'll have an excuse to do the same to start his workday, too. RUNNING IT BACK New offensive coordinator Jim Caldwell won't make many major changes to the Ravens offense. ... Caldwell plans to call plays from the booth , not the sideline.

What appeared to be a harmless tackle of Dallas Cowboys' running back Phillip Tanner in the fourth quarter Sunday became the last play Ravens inside linebacker Ray Lewis will make this season. Lewis, 37 years old and a veteran of 17 NFL seasons, now has to decide whether the Ravens' victory Sunday will also be the final game of his Hall of Fame career. A magnetic resonance imaging test taken Monday on Lewis' right arm revealed the Ravens' worst fear: a torn triceps, which is a rare but significant injury that will likely require surgery and an arduous six-month recovery period.