Special Teams

Signing Pro Bowl special teams player Corey Graham from the Chicago Bears is a classic Baltimore Ravens move: He bolsters a major weakness for the Ravens, can also play nickel back and likely came at the right price. Think Haruki Nakamura and Chris Carr, but only better. "I believe it's a better situation for me and a better opportunity with a fresh start," Graham told the Chicago Tribune . "I gave the Bears every opportunity but they moved on. All around, Baltimore is just a better deal for me and my family.

These two teams will meet for the 18th time, but for the first time since 2010. Loyola owns a 12-5 lead in the series, but Notre Dame has won the last four meetings. These teams faced each other in the NCAA tournament just once with the Greyhounds enjoying a 21-5 thumping in the first round on May 11, 1997. The No. 4 seed Fighting Irish (13-2) defeated Yale, 13-7, in the first round and No. 5 seed Virginia, 12-10, in the quarterfinals. No. 1 seed Loyola (16-1) beat Canisius, 17-5, in the first round and Denver, 10-9, in the quarterfinals.

Tandon Doss may have been disappointed by the Ravens' decision to deactivate him for Sunday's 35-7 thumping of the Pittsburgh Steelers, but the rookie wide receiver didn't let those feelings show in the team's locker room after the game. “You never know what's going to happen,” he said. “You've got to stay up and do the best you can. That was out of my control. They said they wanted me out there, but I have to step it up on special teams and hopefully, my chance will come.” Doss, the organization's fourth-round pick in the NFL draft in April, was considered a candidate for the No. 3 receiver role, but fellow rookie LaQuan Williams, an undrafted free agent, offers more on special teams than Doss does.

Ravens rookie safety Christian Thompson knows that most of the playing time he earns this season will be on special teams. That's how most rookies first make their mark in the NFL, but it will be especially true for Thompson here in Baltimore. The Ravens, who are deep in the secondary, struggled on special teams last season. “That's going to be my main way of getting on the field,” Thompson said Sunday. “I'm only a rookie. I've still got a lot to learn in this defensive scheme, so that's probably going to take me the whole season.” A few of the team's draft picks talked about how last weekend's rookie minicamp was a bit of a rough transition . Ravens coach John Harbaugh had his practice moving at a high pace Sunday, the one day that the rookie minicamp was open to media.

This is the final installment of a three-part series in which Baltimore Sun reporter Matt Vensel examines the Ravens and how each area of the team can be improved this offseason. Billy Cundiff's missed field goal in the closing seconds of last month's AFC championship game loss to the New England Patriots was the final miscue of a subpar season for the special teams. Cundiff, who earned a five-year, $15-million contract after making the Pro Bowl in 2010, made every kick at M&T Bank Stadium in 2011.

Nearly every time Brandon Banks has taken in a kick, headed upfield and been tackled, he has bounced up and pounded the ball in frustration. Each time, the message seems the same: If not for that one man, that last man to beat, that would have been the one that went the distance. "He can't do it alone," Washington Redskins special teams coach Danny Smith said. "That's for sure. " A year ago, Banks was all but alone as a playmaker for the Redskins, and his returns of kicks and punts were the one reason to stop and pay attention.

The Ravens' stirring 30-27 comeback over the Arizona Cardinals Sunday masked a few deficiencies. One of those is the play of the special teams, which surrendered an 82-yard punt return for a touchdown by Arizona rookie Patrick Peterson in the second quarter. Add the 107-yard kick return for a touchdown by the New York Jets' Joe McKnight on Oct. 2, and it's the first time the Ravens have surrendered touchdowns on kick and punt returns in the same season since 2002. “It's disappointing,” said linebacker Albert McClellan, who leads the team in special-teams stops with seven this year.

Each week, we bring you a Q&A with a Ravens player, coach or team executive to help you learn a little more about the team. Today's guest is special teams coordinator and assistant head coach Jerry Rosburg. Lardarius Webb returned a punt 68 yards for a touchdown in the 24-10 win against the Cleveland Browns, marking the first punt for a score during the John Harbaugh era. How gratifying was it to see that occur? Joy, really, is the word I would use. I'm happy for our players most of all. Our return game has not been what we've wanted it to be, and in either phase, we have high aspirations.

MIAMI -- In the Washington Bullets' locker room Saturday after their win over the Miami Heat, Doug Overton did something he rarely did last season -- he smiled.His line for the night was two points, one assist and one rebound in 13 minutes. But when the Bullets put the game away in the fourth quarter, it was the reserve point guard who was on the court running the show."Special teams, baby," Overton shouted just after the Bullets improved to 4-1 with a 109-99 win over the Heat. "Kickoffs, punt returns, whatever.

Rookie defensive end Paul Kruger would like to end the speculation. Yes, he is eager to play special teams for the Ravens. No, he hasn't refused to do it. "I've been practicing with special teams since Day One," Kruger said Wednesday. "The biggest thing I want people to understand is, I'm 100 percent willing and excited to be on any special teams, at any position on the field that I can. "The notion that I have refused to play is just ridiculous. The coaches wouldn't allow that in the first place.

The Ravens have had 20 un-drafted free agents working out at their team facility at a rookie mini-camp that started Friday and ends today. If anybody knows what they are going through, from the burning desire to make a strong impression to the bouts of uncertainty to the nerves and fatigue, it is LaQuan Williams . Williams, who played his high school football at Poly before moving on to the University of Maryland, reported to training camp...

At Maryland, Austin Walker lived the dream of walk-on football players everywhere. The 6-foot, 195-pound safety from Langley High in Northern Virginia joined the Terps in 2007 and redshirted as a freshman. Over the course of the next two seasons, Walker appeared in 22 games, mostly as a special teams performer. Then before his redshirt junior season began, Walker was awarded a scholarship, which he kept for his fifth year as well.   “It was a breakthrough,” Walker said.

The Ravens landed the veteran wide receiver and kick returner that they have been seeking, agreeing to a two-year, $7 million deal today with former Houston Texans wide receiver Jacoby Jones. Jones visited with Ravens officials over the past couple of days. The news was first revealed on Twitter by current Ravens, Vonta Leach and Bernard Pollard who were teammates of Jones' in Houston, and it was confirmed by industry sources. Jones, who caught 31 balls for 512 yards and also served as Houston's primary punt returner, was released by the Texans last week.

Goucher is just 3-4 against Scranton, the only Landmark Conference opponent with a winning record against the Gophers. The Royals (8-4 overall and 2-2 in the league) are currently tied for fourth place and in danger of being unable to defend the tournament championship they won last year by stunning Goucher, 12-8. The Gophers (13-1, 4-0) are riding a program-high 10-game winning streak and are 6-0 at home this season. Here are a few factors that could play a role in the outcome at Gopher Stadium in Towson Saturday.

Pro Football Talk does an outstanding job of keeping track of all the reported visits between prospects and NFL teams leading up to the draft in late April, so hat tip to them for the compilation below. The Ravens will host plenty more prospects in the weeks ahead. There is a lot that goes into deciding what prospects come to team facilities in the days before the draft. Obviously, teams want to get to know certain prospects better or have their doctors and trainers check out potential medical concerns.

Corey Graham and Sean Considine came with little fanfare when they signed with the Ravens last week, certainly not delivering the splash of a Peyton Manning or Tim Tebow. But they could end up being the difference between not making an appearance in the postseason or earning a trip to the Super Bowl. Both Graham and Considine are special teams' performers, which means they aren't household names. Few fans care about special teams until they botch a snap, get a kick blocked or allow a return for a touchdown.

PHILADELPHIA -- Six weeks' work went up like flash paper.Six weeks of taking care of business evaporated in one calamitous afternoon.Six weeks of playing themselves into position, and then in one anticlimactic, self-destructive game they died at their own hands.Special teams, the accident that had been waiting to happen to the Eagles all season, finally caught them yesterday.Dead in the heart.They botched a kickoff return for a safety, and then in the crusher, they bungled punt coverage and gave up an 85-yard return that catapulted the inflamed Dallas Cowboys to a 25-13 victory that put the visitors in the playoffs and the Birds on Death Row.All those weeks without crippling themselves, and then in what became a one-game season, the Eagles suddenly reverted to old and ugly habits.

HERNDON, Va. -- The Washington Redskins were treating their wounds and savoring a memorable victory yesterday."It was a dogfight," said long snapper John Brandes, who said he lost about 15 pounds Monday night during the Redskins' 33-31 victory over the Dallas Cowboys."

I don't get the sense that anything is imminent, but the Ravens have been having ongoing conversations with Joe Flacco 's agent, Joe Linta , about a contract extension for the quarterback. Linta and Ravens vice president of football administration, Pat Moriarty , met last week for several hours at an undisclosed location, and they've done some negotiating over the phone since. Even if there is a difference in opinion right now in terms of Flacco's value, both sides are clearly working hard to bridge the gap. Former Ravens cornerback Chris Carr , who was released before the start of free agency, spent yesterday in Kansas City meeting with Chiefs officials and he reportedly will be in Minnesota today to talk to the Vikings.