Marshal Yanda

The Ravens released fullback Vonta Leach and I understand the logic. The Ravens have been under the salary cap gun since winning the Super Bowl in February, and they will save approximately $3 million by cutting Leach. My only problem with letting Leach go is that the Ravens lack tough guys. In the NFL, you can't win titles without tough guys, players who are physical and can give a team instant emotion. The Ravens have had those types of players since 2000, going back to Michael McCrary, Rob Burnett, Tony Siragusa, Jonathan Ogden, Jamal Lewis and Ray Lewis.

The Ravens released fullback Vonta Leach and I understand the logic. The Ravens have been under the salary cap gun since winning the Super Bowl in February, and they will save approximately $3 million by cutting Leach. My only problem with letting Leach go is that the Ravens lack tough guys. In the NFL, you can't win titles without tough guys, players who are physical and can give a team instant emotion. The Ravens have had those types of players since 2000, going back to Michael McCrary, Rob Burnett, Tony Siragusa, Jonathan Ogden, Jamal Lewis and Ray Lewis.

The Ravens did an admirable job keeping quarterback Joe Flacco upright in last week's 31-29 win against the Dallas Cowboys, surrendering just one sack to outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware. But the guys in front of Flacco may face their toughest test this Sunday when they face the Houston Texans and defensive end J.J. Watt. The second-year pro leads the NFL in sacks with 9½ and has added 15 quarterback hits and 16 tackles for losses. Starting right guard Marshal Yanda discussed Watt's ability, which includes a knack for knocking down passes at the line of scrimmage.

After missing the first two weeks of organized team activities, fullback Vonta Leach and defensive tackle Haloti Ngata are out on the field today, participating in the final session before next week's mandatory minicamp. However, there is no sign of guard Marshal Yanda , linebacker Terrell Suggs or defensive end Chris Canty . None of the three have been participants during the OTA sessions open to reporters the past three weeks. Suggs and Yanda did both attend the Ravens' White House visit yesterday.

The Ravens confirmed Thursday that starting right guard Marshal Yanda returned to practice. Yanda, a Pro Bowler last year, participated on a limited basis after sitting out Wednesday's session because of an injured ankle. Nose tackle Terrence Cody (arm) and rookie strong safety Christian Thompson (thigh) were downgraded to limited participation after not being listed on Wednesday's injury report. Five players who were limited Wednesday - wide receivers Torrey Smith (chest) and Jacoby Jones (ankle)

We won't know for sure until a new collective bargaining agreement is in place, but Ravens guard Marshal Yanda might be an unrestricted free agent when the NFL reopens business. If that's the case, the Ravens will have plenty of competition for the services of Yanda, a versatile and valuable member of their line. Yanda has started 42 games on the Ravens’ offensive line over the past four seasons, and the mysterious ailment that sidelined Jared Gaither forced the Ravens to move him from right guard to right tackle last season.

We've spent a lot of time this year talking about how the NFL seems to be trying to tone down the brutality in football. For the most part, their efforts seem less sincere and more like public relations, because the rules -- which Roger Goodell appears to make up as he goes along -- are enforced in such an arbitrary way, no one seems to know why some hits are deemed illegal while others are celebrated. The truth is, football is brutality. It's stylized violence, and it always has been, whether it was Night Train Lane doing the hitting or James Harrison.

Each Wednesday we'll bring you a Q&A with a Ravens player to help you learn a little more about the team. Today's guest is fourth-year offensive tackle Marshal Yanda, who talks about his development since being thrown into action as a rookie, a devastating knee injury his second year and a hit he made on an unsuspecting Iowa State player while at Iowa that still gets hits on YouTube. Question: Does your recent performance against the Pittsburgh Steelers and LaMarr Woodley a benchmark of sorts in your career?

In the preseason, Ravens offensive coordinator Cam Cameron had said that Marshal Yanda had the talent to become one of the best guards in the NFL. Yanda is trying to prove his coach right — at right tackle. Since replacing the injured Jared Gaither at the beginning of the regular season, Yanda has solidified the right side of the offensive line. According to "Pro Football Weekly," Yanda is tied with left guard Ben Grubbs and right guard Chris Chester for the fewest number of penalties committed by a Ravens starting offensive lineman, and he has surrendered just two sacks.

Ravens right guard Marshal Yanda on Wednesday revealed to reporters that he had emergency surgery on his right leg after the team's 20-14 victory against the Cleveland Browns on Dec. 24. The Ravens confirmed Yanda's surgery was on his lower leg and not his thigh. After he got kicked in his lower leg, close to his calf, Yanda developed compartment syndrome, which is the compression of nerves, blood vessels and muscle inside a section of the body. The ensuing pressure inside of his lower leg prevented adequate blood flow to tissues in the area.

As I expected, there was a lot more made of who didn't show up at this week's organized team activities than who did. The absences of Terrell Suggs , Haloti Ngata and Vonta Leach in particular seemed to spur the most questions. Again, the workouts are voluntary and some players choose to stay home and work out on their own. Coach John Harbaugh pointed out that the team didn't see Ray Lewis much - if at all - in the offseason. Ed Reed wasn't exactly a fixture at OTAs either.

So far, all is good as far as left offensive tackle Bryant McKinnie and the Ravens. The word from The Castle is that the often-troubled McKinnie has been attending conditioning sessions and working hard. His weight is down and reasonable, and the expectations are high that he will be ready when the team opens training camp in late July. That would be perfect for the Ravens because they wouldn't have to move other players around, like guard Kelechi Osemele or right tackle Michael Oher, to fill in for McKinnie.

The NFL Network has started to slowly reveal its list of the top 100 players of the 2012 season. But knowing how little thought some players give while filling out their ballots, I have a hard time taking that list seriously. The list that interested me more was the top 101 players of 2012 from the guys over at Pro Football Focus . Six PFF analysts put together the list, and they say they based it not on the reputation of players but solely on how they played in the 2012. They also tried to treat each position equally so the top 20 guys aren't quarterbacks.

I couldn't help but notice a trend with Baltimore's 2013 draft class, especially because Ravens officials made a point to mention to reporters that both of their second-day picks were “red-star” players on their draft board. The Ravens, as much as ever, seemed to put a premium on character when deciding whom to pick this year. “The biggest thing is we have a great understanding of the type of football players that [coach John Harbaugh] wants in his locker room, that he and his coaching staff want to work with,” general manager Ozzie Newsome said Saturday.

Though the flicker of collegiate game tape isn't exactly candlelight, it can sometimes be love at first sight for a scout sitting in a dark film room, pining over pro prospects. Daniel Jeremiah, a former NFL scout who worked four years in the Ravens organization, experienced one of those moments in the months leading up to the 2007 NFL draft while watching tape of Iowa's Marshal Yanda. Years later, he still remembers one play when the senior offensive lineman de-cleated a defender with a violent peel-back block.

The NFL scouting combine has ended and free agency will soon be upon us. Joe Flacco's contract talks are the big story in football. But memories of the Ravens' improbable run to the Super Bowl remain fresh in our minds. It has been more than six weeks since they stunned the Denver Broncos in the playoffs. Can you believe that? Memories -- painful ones -- of that double-overtime thriller at Mile High aren't fading out in Denver, either. The Denver Post is still writing about that game today.

A sprained right ankle forced Marshal Yanda to snap a 44-consecutive starts streak dating back to Nov. 29, 2009. Whether the right guard can avoid back-to-back absences is a mystery. Yanda declined to put a percentage on his return for Sunday's regular-season home finale against the New York Giants and said he's unsure of his availability. “We'll see what happens,” he said prior to Wednesday's practice. “We're going to test it out this week and see how it feels.” Yanda, who was replaced in the Ravens' 34-17 loss to the Denver Broncos last Sunday, said he felt close to playing, but elected to avoid the risk of aggravating the sore ankle.

NEW ORLEANS -- The vision has consumed some of them for almost a decade. During their most painful moments as Ravens, they wondered if it would ever happen, if they would ever experience a moment that their leader has spoken of so many times. Linebacker Ray Lewis is the only Ravens player qualified to talk about it. Twelve years ago, he stood on the field at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla., and lifted the Lombardi Trophy as confetti rained down on the Super Bowl champions.

When John Harbaugh stepped to the podium here Monday night, it seemed to complete his evolution as a head coach. It is Super Bowl week, a period that can drive a lot of head coaches nuts. If this was Harbaugh's first year with the Ravens, they'd probably have hauled him away in a strait jacket after about three days. He is different now, much more relaxed. So far in public, Harbaugh has been well-dressed, humorous and handled the media circuses well. His players are loose and having fun - and they are focused.