Raiders

Hardly anyone could blame Ray Rice if he got a little excited after learning Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie Doug Martin had rushed for 251 yards and scored four touchdowns in last Sunday's 42-32 win against the Oakland Raiders - who are the Ravens' opponent this Sunday. But Rice said he fully expects Oakland to spend this week of preparation fixing the run defense and containing Rice and rookie Bernard Pierce. “That's a prideful bunch,” Rice said Wednesday. “I'm sure they are going to come in here with a high motor.

Kevin Cowherd Ravens 27, Raiders 7 This one could get ugly early. The Ravens don't lose at home. Oakland is a lousy team. Plus Raiders' RB Darren McFadden has a high ankle sprain and Oakland's run D made Tampa Bay's Doug Martin (251 yards rushing, four TDs) look like Jim Brown last week. Edward Lee Ravens 34, Raiders 20 I'm buying into the theory that West Coast teams don't fare very well in 1 p.m. games on the East Coast. And we all know how well the Ravens play at home.

After the Ravens play the Oakland Raiders Sunday, the real fun begins. That's when the Ravens will show if they are a quality team or a fraudulent one There won't be as many cream puffs remaining on the schedule. Gone are the Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs, Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles. Next up are the Pittsburgh Steelers twice, San Diego Chargers, Denver Broncos and New York Giants. "Yes, everything is still ahead of us," Ravens running back Ray Rice said.

Carson Palmer is a couple of years older and is no longer throwing to Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh in their prime. But as the Ravens prepare for Sunday's game against Palmer and the Oakland Raiders, the bad memories have come rushing back for some Ravens. "I remember vividly games that I thought we had won and Carson Palmer got into a groove and torched us," Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs said. "But he's a really good quarterback and he knows us pretty well, too. So he's going to come planning on having a good game.

Every week, I hope to bring you a quick Q&A with someone who covers the Ravens' opponent that week. On Sunday, the Ravens play the Oakland Raiders at M&T Bank Stadium. Thanks to Jerry McDonald, the Raiders beat writer for the Oakland Tribune and the Bay Area Newspaper Group, for giving us the lowdown this week. MV: I'm not sure how much our readers pay attention to what's going on out in Oakland, but with a new coach, a new general manager, and the late, great Al Davis rocking a white sweat suit up in heaven, how is the Raiders organization different than it was a couple of years ago?

Ravens 25, Browns 15 Strategy: Embracing their old smash-mouth roots, the Ravens eschewed no-huddle and shotgun schemes in favor of physical I-formation plays with bruising fullback Vonta Leach running interference for Pro Bowl running back Ray Rice. There were just five no-huddle plays, including Rice's eight-yard touchdown run, and 13 shotgun plays, including quarterback Joe Flacco's game-winning touchdown pass, out of 62 plays. Offensive coordinator Cam Cameron broke character and was stubborn with the run even when Rice was corralled by extra defenders.

Prior to his release in 2011, running back Willis McGahee had another role with the Ravens. He backed up Morgan Cox as the team's long snapper. Since then, however, the identity of the latest backup has been shrouded in mystery. Coach John Harbaugh deferred to special teams coordinator Jerry Rosburg, who in turn declined to disclose the reserve's identity. But the value of a backup long snapper has been heightened after what happened to a pair of long snappers on the first weekend of the regular season.

Ricky Brown has enjoyed a solid start at Ravens training camp, but the inside linebacker isn't content just yet. The former Oakland Raider registered an interception and almost grabbed another one Thursday, the first full-squad practice at the team's training facility in Owings Mills. The next day, he allowed backup quarterback Curtis Painter to connect with tight end Matt Balasavage for a touchdown during a red-zone exercise, but did sack backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor a few plays later.

News Roundup •••• "Tomb Raider," a reboot of the classic series, has been delayed until Q1 of 2013. Darrell Gallagher, head of Crystal Dynamics (who is developing the game), announced the news via a post on the Eidos forums. [ Gamespot ] •••• Investors are trying to recoup their losses on a failed "Stargate" MMORPG that was due to launch in 2010. Things have gone to court, with the game's developer alleged to have mislead investors to the tune of $50 million.

No. 7 Maryland's defensive approach to Saturday's road contest against No. 12 Colgate sounds like a simple task: pay a lot of attention to Peter Baum. That's easier said than done. The junior attackman leads Division I in points per game (5.7) and goals per game (3.9) and was named the Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year last week. The Terps are still debating whether to assign sophomore Michael Ehrhardt or freshman Goran Murray to Baum, but Ehrhardt - who has shadowed Johns Hopkins senior atatckman Chris Boland and Navy sophomore attackman Tucker Hull this season - said Baum is unlike any other player the defense and defensive coordinator Kevin Warne has faced thus far. “He can do everything,” Ehrhardt said.