Panthers

Sam Farmer's pick Panthers 24, Giants 21 — With Hakeem Nicks out, the Giants could have trouble with a Carolina secondary that picked off Drew Brees twice. New York's secondary is suspect, and if Cam Newton can get away from that defensive front, he can cause big problems. Our picks: Kevin Cowherd : Giants Edward Lee : Giants Mike Preston : Giants Peter Schmuck : Panthers Matt Vensel: Giants Aaron Wilson: Giants Jeff Zrebiec : Panthers

Jamel Artis ' affinity for Pittsburgh was never a secret. Ever since the Baltimore native's recruitment began, the Panthers were “on top” of his list of potential college destinations. As Artis moved through four schools in five years, the Pittsburgh coaching staff stayed persistent in its recruitment of the 6-foot-6, 230-pound wing.   “They showed that they wanted me more than all the other schools,” Artis said Tuesday. “I was just waiting for the right time.” The right time came last weekend, when Artis - who recently achieved a qualifying SAT score - pledged to the Panthers during his official visit.

Ravens 37, Panthers 13 Fourth quarter: 4:48 Baltimore Touchdown - Brian St. Pierre pass intercepted by Ray Lewis at the Carolina 24 for 24 yards. (Billy Cundiff extra point is good). Ravens 30, Panthers 13 Fourth quarter: 4:59 Baltimore Touchdown - Brian St. Pierre pass intercepted by Ed Reed at the Carolina 42 lateral to Dawan Landry at the Carolina 22 for 22 yards. (Billy Cundiff extra point is good). Ravens 23, Panthers 13 Fourth quarter: 5:55 Baltimore Field Goal - 49-yarder by Billy Cundiff.

The Ravens 2013 preseason schedule is highlighted by a prime-time home game against the Carolina Panthers on Thursday, Aug. 22 at M&T Bank Stadium, the NFL announced today. That game, which will be the third of four preseason games for the Super Bowl XLVII champions, will start at 8 p.m. and be televised by ESPN. The Ravens will open up the preseason against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. The exact date and time of the game has yet to be announced. In Week Two of the preseason, the Ravens will host the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday, Aug. 15 at M&T Bank Stadium.

Kevin Cowherd: Ravens 27, Panthers 7: Panthers could be starting third-string quarterback Tony Pike and plan to suit up their equipment manager if Pike goes down. Jamison Hensley: Ravens 20, Panthers 0: Defense will be in a feisty mood after last week's fourth-quarter collapse. Playing the NFL's worst offense doesn't hurt, too. Edward Lee: Ravens 33, Panthers 13: Jimmy Clausen? Tony Pike? DeAngelo Williams at less than 100 percent? This should be an easy one for the Ravens.

1. Pressure the quarterback. Whether it's Tony Pike or Brian St. Pierre, the Ravens need to exploit Carolina's inexperience at this position. The Panthers have given up the third-most sacks in the NFL. 2. Capitalize on turnovers. No team in the league has turned the ball over more than the Panthers. The Ravens have scored seven times off 12 turnovers this season, a rate that needs to be much higher. 3. Run the ball at the Panthers' defense. Carolina has the sixth-worst run defense in the NFL. Three running backs (Matt Forte, Frank Gore and LeGarrette Blount)

More eye contact, rollouts Omar Kelly Sun Sentinel Cam Newton's having a sophomore slump, and most of his struggles have to do with an eye discipline problem. The Panthers starting quarterback not only eyeballs his targets inside the red zone, but he's plagued with a case of shifty eyes whenever talking to the media. Newton's tendency to avoid eye contact makes him seem disingenuous. He's fueling his critics because of his post game press conferences, and until he learns how to play the political game his detractors will continue to add up. It would also benefit the Panthers if they allowed Newton to create more big plays by rolling him out of the pocket and using his legs to produce first downs.

In last weekend's regional football semifinal, Pikesville probably faced the most highly motivated team in the entire state tournament bracket: Sparrows Point. A week earlier, the Pointers had a chance to beat Pikesville on the last play of the regular-season finale, but Panthers linebacker Nolan Hart tipped the ball away from a Sparrows Point player in the end zone to seal a 35-28 Pikesville win. That brought up Part Two for the Baltimore County rivals: the Class 1A North region opener.

Every time I put out one of my mock drafts -- the latest came out on Wednesday -- readers tell me they think things would play out differently (chances are we'll both end up being wrong). Well, now you get a chance to play GM in my first-ever reader NFL mock draft. Here's how it works. Starting today, I'll post a daily poll where you can vote to decide what the team that's on the clock should do with its pick. To keep it simple, I'll give you five options for each pick. If you think I missed somebody, let me know in the comments section.

With Jimmy Clausen suffering a concussion last week, and only one other QB on the 53-man roster, the Panthers promoted QB Brian St. Pierre, who was a backup for the Ravens in 2005, from the practice squad. St. Pierre, who'll turn 31 in a week and a half, was brought in last Friday after QB Matt Moore was placed on injured reserve. If Clausen isn't cleared, sixth-round rookie Tony Pike would be the starter by default, since he's the only other one available. This is St. Pierre's eighth year in the NFL, but he's only played in two games and thrown five passes.

Tevon Saddler St. Frances, senior, guard The 6-foot-5, 205-pound versatile guard constantly served as a mismatch for opponents as he led the No. 2 Panthers (33-6) to the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference championship. In his fourth varsity season -- two at Aberdeen before coming to St. Frances -- Saddler averaged 19 points, seven rebounds and three assists as the Panthers finished in first place in the regular season in both the MIAA A Conference and Baltimore Catholic League.

It took No. 9 Arundel nearly four quarters Wednesday night to establish what looked to be a secure lead in the final moments of the Anne Arundel County boys basketball championship game against Annapolis. It took Panthers junior Juan Brown one flick of the wrist to swipe it right back. Brown's steal, length-of-the-court drive and layup as time expired capped a stunning 8-0 run to give the Panthers a 51-49 win against the regular-season county champions at Chesapeake. Tied at 49, the Wildcats inbounded the ball with 12 seconds left, looking to finish off a game they had led by six with under two minutes to play.

There hasn't been a boys basketball team in the area able to consistently match the size, athleticism, depth and togetherness that No. 1 St. Frances has brought to the court this season. And when the Panthers are hitting their shots, they simply make the game look easy. Sunday's Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference championship game against No. 2 Mount St. Joseph was one of those occasions. The separation between the area's top two teams was significant at UMBC's packed RAC Arena, where the Panthers scored the game's first 11 points, led by as many as 24 in the second half and coasted through the fourth quarter in capturing the MIAA A crown with a 75-62 win over the Gaels.

St. Frances coach Nick Myles had some concerns about his team having a week off after earning a first-round bye as the top seed in the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference playoffs. That type of layoff can potentially cause a team to lose some of its edge at the most crucial time of the season. The No. 1 Panthers, however, showed no ill effects against No. 5 John Carroll in Friday's semifinal and took control by forcing several early turnovers and converting a couple of clutch 3-pointers.

Boys basketball practice at Archbishop Spalding on Saturday was more than just running drills, practicing jumpers and preparing for Sunday afternoon's game at St. Maria Goretti, a 58-56 loss for the Cavaliers. For fifth-year coach Derrick Lewis and the Cavaliers, it was a chance to learn about life and deal with the trying circumstances that came from an incident during Friday night's game at St. Frances. When the Cavaliers returned to their locker room at halftime, they found their belongings had been sorted through and some items were missing.

No. 1 St. Frances at No. 2 Mount St. Joseph When: Wednesday, 7 p.m. Coaches: Nick Myles, St. Frances; Pat Clatchey, Mount St. Joseph PLAYERS TO WATCH St. Frances: Tevon Saddler, Sr., G; Maurice White, Sr., G-F; Dwayne Morgan, Jr., F; Kurk Lee, Jr., G Mount St. Joseph: Kameron Williams, Sr., G; Phil Booth, Jr., G; Jaylen Adams, Jr., G; Charlie Jones, Sr., F KEYS TO VICTORY The Panthers - 20-1 overall,...

Much of the buzz inside the packed gym at St. Frances on Monday night was focused on the return of former Patterson star Aquille Carr, who was back in Baltimore playing for his new team, Princeton Day Academy. While the 5-foot-7 guard, a two-time All-Metro Player of the Year, had his moments, it was the host Panthers who stole the show with poised play in the closing minutes. St. Frances scored the final six points in the last 2 minutes, 10 seconds, getting clutch baskets from Kurk Lee Jr. and Dwayne Morgan before Tevon Saddler sealed the win with two free throws in the closing seconds to secure a 72-66 win over Beltsville-based Princeton Day in front of an overflow crowd.

With a young team and not much depth, McDonogh's girls basketball team can struggle in the most physical games, so it's a good thing their free-throw shooting was on the mark Friday night against St. Frances. The No. 3 Eagles hit 35 free throws to make the difference in a 61-52 win over No. 7 St. Frances that keeps them solidly in second place in the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference. The defending conference champion Eagles (9-5) improved to 5-1 in the conference and trail only No. 1 Archbishop Spalding (16-0, 8-0)

With her team clinging to a four-point lead and an undefeated season hanging in the balance, Archbishop Spalding's Jade Scaife muscled her way through a pack of St. Frances defenders and made a layup to provide some cushion. Scaife then grabbed a defensive rebound on the next possession and fired an outlet pass that led to another layup by Torri Chestnut. Those crucial plays helped the No. 1 Cavaliers escape with a 64-54 victory over the No. 7 Panthers on Wednesday night. Spalding improved to 15-0 on the season and sits atop the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference.