Terrell Suggs

Every morning, Monday through Friday, blogger Matt Vensel will hook you up with reading material -- mostly on the Ravens but with some other Baltimore sports stuff, too -- to skim through as you slug down coffee and slack off at the start of your workday. That way he'll have an excuse to do the same to start his workday, too. RUNNING IT BACK Linebacker Ray Lewis denied using performance-enhancing drugs at Tuesday's Super Bowl media day. ... Quarterback Joe Flacco apologized for his insensitive slip-up . ... Otherwise, the Ravens were relaxed at media day , and linebacker Terrell Suggs was an entertainer again . ... Coordinator Dean Pees led the Ravens defense through a challenging season . ... Right tackle Michael Oher is tired of hearing about "The Blind Side.

Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis was just a little too vague when he responded at Tuesday's Super Bowl media event to a Sports Illustrated report that he might have used a banned substance during his quick recovery from a triceps injury, so he delivered a much stronger denial at Wednesday's news conference at the team's hotel . Maybe that will quiet this strange controversy long enough for the Ravens to focus their complete attention on Sunday's title...

Terrell Suggs didn't need a microphone. The booming voice from the Ravens outside linebacker was easily heard during the Super Bowl media day Tuesday. Suggs embraced the wackiness often associated with media day, pulling his own antics during the hour-long session Tuesday morning at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Just a few questions into the interview, Suggs jumped up from his seat and asked, "We're good? I'm done?" He left the podium and tried to ask teammate Ed Reed a question, but Suggs couldn't get through the crowd assembled for the Ravens safety.

Thanks to the Baltimore Ravens' Super Bowl run, Katrina Carter is on an emotional high. And yes, those are her words. "This season has defintely been an emotional rollercoaster. I win with the team and lose with the team," said the 30-year-old Frederick resident. "Each year all I would say I want for my birthday is for the Ravens to play in the Super Bowl. And after 12 years, to finally get to cheer them on ... I'm beyond ecstatic!" Carter hasn't missed watching a Ravens game in more than eight years.

Ravens Pro Bowl outside linebacker Terrell Suggs behaved for most of his time with the media -- until someone asked him about New York Jets coach Rex Ryan's tattoo. Ryan used to be the Ravens defensive line coach and coordinator. Suggs remains close to Ryan. "I probably got something on my ass that ya'll never see that is probably inappropriate," Suggs said. "Who cares? I think you guys blew it way out of proportion. I don't really think it's a big deal. I think everybody should have a certain amount of privacy, even though they are in the public eye, no matter who they are. Even our president deserves a certain amount of privacy.

Maybe now that the Super Bowl is less than a week away it's time to get some serious answers about The Game. We'll continue to hear about all the other issues again this week. How much has the announced retirement of Ray Lewis lifted the Ravens? Which son will Jack and Jackie cheer for, Jim or John? Has Purple Mania taken over The Big Easy? Here is perhaps the top question: Can the Ravens stop San Francisco and the Pistol offense? “Part of dealing with the offense in the regular season is the lack of preparation,” said Cincinnati Bengals coach Marvin Lewis, the architect of the Ravens' 2000 Super Bowl defense.

A throng of reporters and cameramen waited in front of his locker this afternoon, anxiously anticipating a quote or quip that would liven up the Super Bowl rhetoric. The old Terrell Suggs would have loved this opportunity. This year's version, however, turned the corner in the Ravens' locker room, surveyed the scene and emitted an audible groan. For Suggs, it was a chance to reflect on a decade in the NFL where he had never before reached this point. It was a chance to revel in his own perseverance, to remind everyone why he worked so hard to return from a preseason Achilles tendon injury and an in-season biceps tear.

Here is what other news outlets are saying about the Ravens, San Francisco 49ers and Super Bowl XLVII today. --- Tim Kawakami of The San Jose Mercury News says that the 49ers will beat the Ravens in the Super Bowl. “Boil out the flimsiest, fuzziest story lines and this Super Bowl is supremely easy to summarize in less than 25 words. The 49ers are a little better at the best things the Ravens do and a lot better at the things the Ravens do worst,” Kawakami wrote.