Oakland Raiders

Baltimore rush end Elfrid Payton knows first-hand about Matt Dunigan's competitive spirit."He's got a great mentality, a linebacker's mentality," said Payton, who went to Grey Cups each of the previous two years with Dunigan and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. "I'd go to war with him any day."Payton will be chasing Dunigan, not joining him, when Baltimore challenges Winnipeg for the CFL Eastern Division title today at Memorial Stadium. The game could hinge on the success or failure of Payton and O. J. Brigance in reaching the Bombers' quarterback.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Ravens will wage a territorial battle against the Tennessee Titans today. The stage is raucous Adelphia Coliseum, but the real territory at stake is control of the AFC Central Division. The first-place Titans have it; the second-place Ravens don't. Week 11 brings another opportunity for the 6-4 Ravens to show they're playoff caliber this season. At 8-1, the Titans are tied with the Oakland Raiders for best record in the AFC. What's more, the Titans have yet to lose at 2-year-old Adelphia - a span of 12 games - and have won 21 of their past 23 AFC Central games.

The city of Baltimore will hold its coming-out party today when the Ravens play host to the Oakland Raiders at 1 p.m. at Memorial Stadium, but the players may not celebrate until the big dance is over.After 12 years of waiting for the return of the NFL, a sellout crowd of 65,248 will get to see the first regular-season game involving a Baltimore NFL team since the Colts defeated the Houston Oilers, 20-10, on Dec. 18, 1983.But in contrast to that cold, damp day on March 28, 1984, when the Colts left town under the cover of darkness for Indianapolis, this will be a day filled with pageantry and glitz, a time when the city summons back its legends of the past to welcome its heroes of the future.

Varsity baseball President's Cup film to premiere today "The President's Cup," a documentary film about an annual high school baseball tournament in Baltimore, will premiere at the University of Baltimore today at 6 p.m. The film, directed by Julie Simon , associate professor in the university's School of Communications Design, follows the progress of the second annual tournament, which took place in 2012, and makes its debut as this...

CARLISLE, Pa. -- When Chris Hakel was growing up a short drive from the Washington Redskins' training camp at Dickinson College, his father, Mickey, often brought him to watch the team practice.Hakel never even had an idle thought -- much less a dream -- that he could wind up playing for the team."No," he said emphatically. "Never did I ever think that. No."He now has a chance to live the dream he never dreamt.Hakel, who spent a year of apprenticeship on the team's injured reserve squad last year, is expected to be the team's third quarterback this year behind Mark Rypien and Cary Conklin now that Jeff Rutledge has departed.

The Oakland Raiders want to establish the run, and the Ravens want to see them try. It will be strength against strength as the NFL's best rushing attack collides with the league's top run-stopping defense. The Raiders' offense revolves around running backs Tyrone Wheatley and Napoleon Kaufman, as well as the scrambling ability of quarterback Rich Gannon. The Ravens' defense prides itself on taking away the ground game and forcing teams to throw the ball. Averaging 154 yards rushing per game, Oakland is committed to running the ball as its basic means of moving downfield.

Vince Young is among the 20 college players the Ravens have invited for pre-draft visits. The Ravens will meet with the University of Texas quarterback on April 3 at their Owings Mills training complex, where they can talk to him at length. Team officials will not conduct a private workout with Young and have no plans to schedule one. The problem for the Ravens is that Young's stock is back on the rise after an impressive Pro Day workout in Austin, Texas, on Wednesday. Young is not expected to last beyond the No. 7 pick (Oakland Raiders)

The Ravens followed their season script to perfection, using a smothering defense and timely offense to dominate the Oakland Raiders, 16-3, on Jan. 14, 2001, to reach the Super Bowl for the first time. It was the 10th straight victory for the Ravens, who would face the New York Giants in Tampa in two weeks. The defense battered Raiders quarterback Rich Gannon, who had to leave in the second quarter after a hit by defensive tackle Tony Siragusa. WHAT HAPPENED: : A 96-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Trent Dilfer to tight end Shannon Sharpe, still the longest scoring pass in NFL postseason history, stunned the Raiders just when they had gained field position and momentum in the second quarter.

Estella Yellowdy was so eager for four single-game Ravens football tickets that went on sale at 9: 40 a.m. yesterday that she showed up 24 hours early, sleeping on the concrete Friday night under the watchful eye of a couple of rowdy guys from Odenton.In contrast, Rick McAlister and Robert Geller arrived from Essex and Dundalk at 10 a.m., after sales had begun, hoping to buy two seats to any of the seven regular-season games on the schedule.In between were hundreds of fans, mostly men with young children in tow, awed by the commotion, music and dancing of the Ravens band and cheerleaders along the shady Russell Street side of the huge new stadium.

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 The Ravens hope that a few quality drives against the Cleveland Browns will help their offense build some momentum . … Mike Preston thinks the Ravens need to keep running the ball Sunday against the Oakland Raiders.