Sidelines

In his first career start at inside linebacker, Josh Bynes led the Ravens with a career-best 13 tackles (11 solo) and broke up one pass in Sunday's 34-17 loss to the Denver Broncos. That Bynes has even returned to the field is a remarkable story considering his ordeal in the preseason. He suffered a cracked vertebrae during a goal-line scrimmage close to the beginning of training camp. He needed six weeks to recover, was waived by the team on Aug. 31, and then added to the practice squad the next day. Bynes was promoted to the 53-man active roster Oct. 17 when the Ravens moved 13-time Pro Bowler Ray Lewis to the injured reserve list with a designation for return.

Ravens head coach John Harbaugh put on his big boy pants Monday and fired offensive coordinator Cam Cameron. It might have been a year or two too late, but the Ravens replaced the often criticized Cameron with quarterbacks coach Jim Caldwell, who spent the three previous seasons as the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts. With this move, the Ravens are hoping to breathe some life into an offense which had no identity for the past five seasons, but it also puts more pressure on Harbaugh as well as quarterback Joe Flacco.

Dean Pees estimated that in his 25 years as a defensive coordinator, he's spent about 12 of the seasons calling plays from a coaching booth upstairs and 13 of them doing it from the sidelines. Pees, the Ravens' first-year defensive coordinator, was on the sideline for the team's first seven games but decided to move upstairs for the 25-15 victory over the Cleveland Browns last Sunday. Pees said that he was pleased with how the arrangement, which included the rest of the defensive coaching staff down on the sidelines, worked out. "After the bye week, I just felt like there is some information sometimes that I could utilize a little quicker in making adjustments and making some calls.

As last Friday's game at Central Michigan unfolded for the Navy football team, one thing became abundantly clear: With freshman quarterback Keenan Reynolds running the offense, the Midshipmen began to resemble the teams from Ken Niumatalolo's first three seasons as head coach and Paul Johnson's last five years in Annapolis. It was not only the first time that Navy had dominated a Football Bowl Subdivision opponent both in terms of the scoreboard (31-13) and time of possession (35:47 to 24:13)

The Wake Forest football player was alone. He sat in the silence of the locker room as the Demon Deacons' game against Duke continued, running the news through his head. Outside at BB&T Field, his teammates, parents, and thousands of screaming fans in gold and black wondered where he was, waiting for the wide receiver to make his way back to the field. When he was ready, Michael Campanaro grabbed his phone and texted his father the results: His right hand was broken. It was a simple reverse that cost Campanaro three to four weeks of his breakout season - a season in which he was becoming not just one of the premier weapons in the Atlantic Coast Conference, but the entire nation.

"Monday Night Football" will open its 43rd season at M&T Bank Stadium with several new wrinkles. There will be a two-man instead of three-man booth with Mike Tirico doing play-by-play and Jon Gruden on analysis. One of the biggest changes will be on the sidelines where Lisa Salters will debut as the new sideline reporter for the storied franchise. Salters, a Penn State graduate, talked about her new job, her goals in that role, her hard-news values and the way she was socialized to journalism at Baltimore's WBAL-TV and ABC News in the Peter Jennings era. Q. Sideline reporter for Monday Night Football is one of the highest visibility jobs in the business.

The Ravens won't put out an official list of inactives tonight before their preseason finale against the St. Louis Rams, but most of their starters will not play. Quarterback Joe Flacco , running back Ray Rice , center Matt Birk , linebackers Ray Lewis and Jameel McClain and safeties Ed Reed and Bernard Pollard are on the lengthy list of Ravens' starters who are not expected to suit up tonight. Not only does head coach John Harbaugh not want to risk any injuries to starters with the Sept.

Designated hitter Jim Thome , who originally thought he'd be out just a few days with neck spasms, will now be lost at least until September with a herniated disk in his neck. The 41-year-old Thome said doctors told him after an epidural late last week that he won't be able to resume baseball activities for 30 days - which puts his return to the Orioles until after rosters are expanded on Sept. 1. Thome said he'll continue to do his daily exercises for his lower-back issues, and, therefore, will hopefully be ready to start swinging once given the OK. "With injuries, I don't try to put a date because that can always change for the plus and minus sides.

On Friday, Ravens coach John Harbaugh didn't sound optimistic that Matt Birk would be available for Thursday night's preseason opener at the Atlanta Falcons. But the 36-year-old center said Saturday that he is holding out hope that he might be able to play Thursday. “I hope I don't” miss the game, Birk said after the team's practice at M&T Bank Stadium on Saturday. “We talked today, and although you can't predict the future, I hope I don't. My goal is to be out there.” Birk confirmed Harbaugh's diagnosis that back spasms have shelved him for the past six days.

Thin on tight end depth after Dennis Pitta broke a bone in his right hand in Monday's practice, the Ravens today signed veteran Billy Bajema , who started 11 games for the St. Louis Rams last year. Bajema, 29, is 6-5 and 260 pounds, and is considered more of a blocking tight end. When Pitta returns -- he's expected to miss four-to-six weeks after having surgery yesterday and team officials are optimistic he'll be back for the Sept. 10 regular-season opener -- Bajema should compete with veteran Davon Drew and undrafted rookie free agents  Matt Balasavage (Temple)