Receivers

With replacement officials continuing to work NFL games indefinitely, there is a theory that defensive players will take advantage by being more aggressive with opposing receivers to disrupt their timing with their quarterbacks. That may not be far-fetched, but Ravens offensive coordinator Cam Cameron said the coaches and receivers can't concern themselves with the holding and grabbing they can expect as they run their routes. “Defensive guys are allowed to jam you and even grab and hold you,” he said Thursday.

The Ravens got younger and faster at wide receiver this year, but three weeks into the season, they are mostly young and still learning on the run. If Lee Evans misses Sunday's game in St. Louis as expected with an ankle injury, Anquan Boldin will be the team's only wide-out with an NFL reception (he has 657 of them). The other three available receivers are all rookies: Torrey Smith, still looking for his first pro catch; Tandon Doss, looking to play in his first game; and LaQuan Williams, who has been on the field for one offensive play to date.

As he met with fans during the offseason, Maryland football coach Randy Edsall seemed eager to reassure them — repeatedly — about his largely unheralded group of receivers. "I think people are going to be pleasantly surprised with our wide receivers," Edsall said, without being prompted, during an August appearance in Baltimore. He delivered a similar message to media members throughout training camp. One game into the season, there are promising signs — 23 so far — that the new Terps coach may have been onto something.

Anquan Boldin's roles this year extend beyond No. 1 wide receiver, fiery leader and part-time play caller. When Boldin broke the huddle in Ravens' training camp Thursday, the 30-year-old wide receiver lined up next to wide receiver Torrey Smith, a rookie who is finishing his first full week of NFL practices, and tight end Ed Dickson, who is 19 months removed from playing at the University of Oregon. The Ravens' era with Derrick Mason and Todd Heap ended when the franchise's all-time leading receivers were released last week.

As soon as the Ravens signed receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh shortly before the season, problems were expected from him, or one of the team's other two prima donna receivers, Derrick Mason or Anquan Boldin. One of those moments came in the fourth quarter Sunday when Mason got into a fight with quarterback Joe Flacco on the sideline in Charlotte, N.C., at one point grabbing Flacco's face mask. The two had to be separated by teammates, and offensive coordinator Cam Cameron brokered the peace.

Maryland coach Randy Edsall said Tuesday that he has developed a tentative plan for bringing back suspended receivers Ronnie Tyler and Quintin McCree before the end of the season. But Edsall would not reveal the date for their scheduled return, and said the timetable depends on the players' behavior in the interim. "I've got a plan in mind and I just hope to see what I need to see," Edsall told reporters during his weekly media availability at Gossett Football Team House.

The Ravens, one of the NFL's top drafting teams, have struggled in one area: Selecting wide receivers. Of the 16 wide receivers drafted by the Ravens, none have eclipsed 70 catches in a season or 1,000 yards for the team. They have tried to find targets that can stretch the field everywhere from the first round (Travis Taylor and Mark Clayton) to the seventh (Derek Abney and Justin Harper). They've selected big receivers (Clarence Moore at 6 feet 6) and smaller ones (Patrick Johnson at 5 feet 11)

COLLEGE PARK — Maryland's two punt blocks on Saturday were the team's third and fourth of the season, doubling last season's total. More than that, the blocks continued a streak. The Terps have now blocked 16 punts to their opponents' zero over a span that covers 129 games. Maryland's special-teams players include an unusually large number of wide receivers. "We have seven or eight wide receivers in there," said special teams coach Charles Bankins. The list includes LaQuan Williams (Poly)

Of all the numbers that create a promising profile of the Ravens after four games this season, there is one that stands out like a cautionary beacon. Quarterback Joe Flacco, a 62 percent passer over three NFL seasons, is completing a scant 49.3 percent of his 140 throws this year. That, stat fans, ranks 30th in the NFL. It was a discordant note Flacco struck Sunday night when he completed just 10 of 31 passes against the hard-charging New York Jets. His 32.3 completion percentage was a career low for the regular season.

PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia Eagles - the Ravens' next opponent this Sunday - have yet to take the practice field here at the organization's training facility, but coach Andy Reid has already informed the media that wide receivers DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin will not take part in Thursday's practice. Reid announced that Jackson is dealing with a sore hamstring. Maclin did not practice Wednesday after suffering a hip pointer in the team's 17-16 win against the Cleveland Browns Sunday.