Ngata

To truly understand how special Haloti Ngata is at stopping ball carriers, it's necessary to watch when the Ravens defensive tackle was once one himself. His teammates saw a video of Ngata playing for his high school rugby team, a collection of jaw-dropping highlights that makes everyone appreciate his rare combination of power and agility. One clip shows Ngata plowing his way upfield with the ball, carrying four players on his shoulders and back. In another one, he is weaving his way around opponents, acting as if he is Jim Brown.

Defensive lineman Haloti Ngata left the game in the second half after injuring his knee and did not return. He said after the game that doctors did not determine whether or not he suffered any ligament damage, so he'll go back to Baltimore to get it evaluated further. "I'm just happy our younger guys were able to step up and do their part," Ngata said.

Haloti Ngata is going to be a terror this year, but he's got to contain himself in training camp. After bowling over left guard Jason Brown, Ngata accidentally rolled into Steve McNair and brought the starting quarterback to the ground. McNair wasn't hurt, but you never want to see the starting quarterback on the ground or even touched by a 340-pound lineman. Still, it's hard to deny the sheer athleticism of Ngata. How many defensive tackles are dropping back like middle linebackers these days?

Each day this week, Baltimore Sun reporter and blogger Matt Vensel will break down a key matchup from Sunday's Super Bowl. Today, he looks at how Haloti Ngata could blast a big hole in the 49ers offensive line. In today's NFL, with offenses lighting up the scoreboards, the battles in the trenches between 300-pound linemen often get overlooked. But sometimes, as you watch the pretty-boy quarterback drop back in the pocket or the back emerge from a forest of linemen, you can't help but notice the massive blur flash before your eyes.

The drought is over for rookie defensive tackle Haloti Ngata. Ngata's sack of Ben Roethlisberger on Pittsburgh's second series of the second quarter was the first of the season for the 12th overall pick in April's draft. Ngata, whose primary assignment was to rush to the outside and contain Roethlisberger, bull-rushed his blocker and pulled down Roethlisberger at the Steelers' 19, contributing to a three-and-out series for Pittsburgh. "It felt great," Ngata said of getting his first sack.

I can usually see ambiguity in any question, but it's pretty clear that Haloti Ngata was the Raven who most deserved a Pro Bowl selection. He had to settle for being an alternate. Ray Lewis, Ed Reed and Terrell Suggs are tremendous playmakers, but without Ngata's remarkable combination of size and power in the middle, would any of them have been as clear to do their flashier work? By the way, did everyone see that video Sunday of Ngata playing rugby in high school? I hope those children who got in his way have gotten over the nightmares.

There are days the aches and pains Haloti Ngata has absorbed have him wishing he could stay in bed. But when he makes his way to the Ravens' training facility in Owings Mills, the defensive tackle seems to shed the soreness - and about 15 years. Before practice, Ngata, 24, can often be found with the quarterbacks, tossing the football with them. Last week, Ngata - who has been hampered by a sprained medial collateral ligament in his right knee - stood in as a running back for the scout team.

After Haloti Ngata heard he had been drafted by the Ravens in the first round Saturday, even a burly, 337-pound nose tackle couldn't hold back the tears. There were feelings of accomplishment. There were feelings of loss. "I was emotional because my parents weren't there," said Ngata, the 12th overall pick in the NFL draft. "I was thinking about them a lot. It was a bittersweet moment." His father, Solomone, died three years ago when the truck he was driving hit a patch of ice and slid off the road.

The Ravens moved another step closer toward signing all their draft picks before the start of training camp when they reached an agreement yesterday with their fourth-round selection, receiver Demetrius Williams. That leaves first-round pick Haloti Ngata as the only Ravens rookie without a contract. Talks are expected to intensify with the defensive tackle over the next couple of days. Ravens training camp Friday through Aug. 19, McDaniel College, Westminster

When the Ravens go shopping for a defensive tackle in the high-rent district of Saturday's NFL draft, they will find all shapes and sizes. But they aren't likely to find a body big enough to completely close the hole left by the departure of 350-pound nose tackle Maake Kemoeatu. That is because this year's class of defensive tackles brings more emphasis on athletic 300-pound physiques than on monster trucks. "There are not a lot of monster-size guys," said draft analyst Russ Lande. "It's a very good year to get a solid defensive tackle who could start for 10 years.

Twas the night before Harbowl, purple lights filled the street A city's hopes rest on Flacco, whom we should now deem elite. The jerseys were hung up in each locker room Soon one team would claim victory, the other: pure doom. The players were rested, the week before having off. Because of nation-wide sickness, they'd guard against cough. Our new OC Caldwell was now at the helm Of an explosive offense — for fans a new realm. As night melted to dawn, the big day was here In hours the Superdome would get real "Hot in here.

As the Ravens prepare to meet the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII on Feb. 3, Dannell Ellerbe was the only player to miss Thursday's practice. The starting inside linebacker is dealing with ankle and back injuries. Four players participated on a limited basis: defensive tackle Haloti Ngata (knee), tight end Dennis Pitta (thigh), wide receiver David Reed (hamstring) and cornerback Asa Jackson (hamstring). Fourteen players on the injury report fully practiced: outside linebackers Terrell Suggs (right Achilles tendon/torn right biceps)

They're big. They're fast. They're strong.  And you can see something else in today's NFL players:  they're scared. Scared about what football might be doing to their brains. Scared about a possible lifetime of migraine headaches, light sensitivity, memory problems and dementia from all the blows to the head they've absorbed in this most brutal of sports. Did you see Haloti Ngata's revealing comments to reporter Childs Walker at baltimoresun.com and in today's Baltimore Sun?

You can see it in his gingerly gate as he moves from his locker to the shower area, in the way he leans against a wall to take pressure off his right knee. Haloti Ngata's remarkable body hurts. This is easy enough to forget when you watch the Ravens on Sundays. The television announcers are more apt to talk about Terrell Suggs' Achilles or Ray Lewis' triceps. The camera, always following the ball, rarely settles on the trench warfare between Ngata and two or three offensive linemen nearly as big and powerful as he. His teammates know.

Right guard Marshal Yanda and defensive tackle Haloti Ngata were not on the field today in the Ravens' final full practice ahead of Sunday's game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Yanda, who is dealing with knee and shoulder injuries, and Ngata, who has a knee injury, haven't practiced all week. Traditionally, Ravens who don't practice at all do not play that week. Ravens defensive coordinator Dean Pees said yesterday that Ngata was "getting some well-deserved rest.

Haloti Ngata, who was just named to his fourth consecutive Pro Bowl Wednesday night, did not practice for the second straight day, but defensive coordinator Dean Pees said he has no concerns about the defensive tackle's availability for Sunday's regular-season finale against the Cincinnati Bengals. “I think he's getting there,” Pees said of Ngata, who has been dealing with shoulder and knee injuries. “He's been banged up, it seems like, kind of all year here and there. But he's getting some well-deserved rest.” In addition to Ngata, fullback Vonta Leach and right guard Marshal Yanda sat out Thursday's session.

By the time he stepped on the field for his first full-team Ravens practice, defensive tackle Haloti Ngata realized the stressful contract negotiations were actually the easy part. After a one-day holdout, the Ravens' first-round draft pick signed his five-year, $11.9 million contract yesterday and jumped immediately into the starting lineup for a defense known for its dominance and complexity. "I heard so many things being said today by the defensive backs and the linebackers, I didn't know what to follow," Ngata said.

More than a year removed from being the Ravens' head scout, Phil Savage still figures into the team's draft strategy. Savage, now the general manager of the Cleveland Browns, likely represents the last hurdle between the Ravens and presumed target Haloti Ngata. If Savage passes on the massive Oregon nose tackle at No. 12, the Ravens would pounce on him at No. 13, a league source said. If Savage takes Ngata, the source said the Ravens would either select Florida State outside linebacker Ernie Sims or trade back in the first round, gain additional picks and draft a safety to fill the last hole in the starting lineup.

Though neither played in the 55-20 victory over the Oakland Raiders on Sunday, defensive starters Haloti Ngata and Pernell McPhee were on the practice field Wednesday as the Ravens continued preparations for their AFC North showdown with the Pittsburgh Steelers this weekend. McPhee, a starting defensive end, has missed the past two games with a thigh injury. Asked about him today, Ravens coach John Harbaugh said, "He's getting closer. We'll see how it goes this week. " Ngata, the Pro Bowl defensive tackle who has been dealing with shoulder and knee injuries, was active against the Raiders but never entered the game.