Vernon Davis

San Francisco 49ers tight end and former University of Maryland standout Vernon Davis just talked to the Baltimore media via conference call. Here are his thoughts on different topics: On playing on a short week: “I think it's all mental. We can't let that worry us. We just have to go out and do our job, make the most out of our opportunities and just take advantage of what we have in front of us, and just play. We're a winning team right now. We have to continue to stay in that direction.

Police on Wednesday identified the man killed near the east edge of Leakin Park on Tuesday afternoon. Andrew Morris, 21, of the 1300 block of Division St., was found unresponsive in the 3800 block of Clifton Ave. at about 4:15 p.m., Baltimore police said. Paramedics responded and transported him to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead at 4:50 p.m. Baltimore police have no suspect or motives and detectives are investigating, police spokesman Det. Vernon Davis said. jgeorge@baltsun.com Twitter.com/justingeorge

SANTA CLARA -- So which Vernon Davis will we see in Super Bowl XLVII? Will it be the man who made just six catches for 61 yards over the final six regular-season games? Or the guy who in two postseason games has caught six balls for 150 yards and a touchdown while being targeted 11 times? It's probably a better question for the Baltimore Ravens and how they choose to defend the 49ers' dangerous tight end, but to date, they haven't been forthcoming with answers. In NFC Championship game, though, the Atlanta Falcons clearly didn't make Davis a major focal point of their pass defense and paid dearly as a result.

A man was in critical condition Friday night after he was shot in the head in the Waverly neighborhood of Baltimore, police said. The shooting occurred in the 3600 block of Old York Road, police spokesman Det. Vernon Davis said. The man, whose identity was not released, was taken to the Maryland Shock Trauma Center. City homicide detectives were investigating. Police were also investigating the shooting of a man in the Harlem Park neighborhood of West Baltimore. The shooting occurred in the 900 block of North Mount Street, Davis said.

Each Sunday, Ralph Friedgen flips through the NFL games on television, looking for kids he coached at the University of Maryland. Watching them play now brings him back, maybe to a practice where he pulled one of them aside for one-on-one teaching or to quiet moment away from the field. He thinks about how they've grown. Friedgen, who was forced into retirement following the 2010 season, will have three former players in New Orleans for Sunday's Super Bowl: Vernon Davis, a veteran tight end and star for the San Francisco 49ers; wide receiver Torrey Smith, who has become one of the most exciting playmakers for the Ravens; and his teammate and Baltimore native LaQuan Williams, an important special teams player before being sidelined with a hamstring injury late in the season.

A man was in critical condition Friday night after he was shot in the head in the Waverly neighborhood of Baltimore, police said. The shooting occurred in the 3600 block of Old York Road, police spokesman Det. Vernon Davis said. The man, whose identity was not released, was taken to the Maryland Shock Trauma Center. City homicide detectives were investigating. Police were also investigating the shooting of a man in the Harlem Park neighborhood of West Baltimore. The shooting occurred in the 900 block of North Mount Street, Davis said.

Cardinals@49ers 8:30 p.m. [ESPN] The season still has four games remaining and Vernon Davis (Maryland), left, already has set the 49ers' single-season record for touchdowns by a tight end with 10. Good thing for him, Jerry Rice wasn't a tight end.

Responding to a 4 a.m. emergency call, police found a 24-year-old man stabbed multiple times in the Sandtown-Winchester neighborhood of Baltimore. Thomas Rawlings, whose last known address was the 1800 block of N. Fulton Ave. where he was found, was taken to Maryland Shock Trauma Center, where he was pronounced dead at 4:36 a.m., Baltimore police Det. Vernon Davis said. Police have no motives or suspect in the slaying.

Police on Wednesday identified the man killed near the east edge of Leakin Park on Tuesday afternoon. Andrew Morris, 21, of the 1300 block of Division St., was found unresponsive in the 3800 block of Clifton Ave. at about 4:15 p.m., Baltimore police said. Paramedics responded and transported him to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead at 4:50 p.m. Baltimore police have no suspect or motives and detectives are investigating, police spokesman Det. Vernon Davis said. jgeorge@baltsun.com Twitter.com/justingeorge

WASHINGTON -- Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski and the chairman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs committee said yesterday that they would push for legislation to close a loophole in a federal law that allowed the killer of a Hagerstown couple to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Mikulski, a Baltimore Democrat, and Republican Sen. Larry E. Craig of Idaho want to amend a 1997 law that was aimed at preventing veterans convicted of serious crimes from being interred at military cemeteries. Craig also said he was introducing a measure that would require the remains of Russell Wayne Wagner to be removed from the Virginia cemetery, site of the grave of former President John F. Kennedy and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Week 1 (Sept. 9) at Lambeau Field: San Francisco 49ers 30, Green Bay Packers 22 The 49ers quickly quelled any doubt their success in the 2011 season was a fluke, defeating the Packers on the road. San Francisco took an early 23-7 lead on two touchdown passes from quarterback Alex Smith and three field goals from David Akers. Smith completed 20 of 26 passes for 211 yards and two touchdowns, and running back Frank Gore shouldered the rest of the offensive load with 112 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries.

Each Sunday, Ralph Friedgen flips through the NFL games on television, looking for kids he coached at the University of Maryland. Watching them play now brings him back, maybe to a practice where he pulled one of them aside for one-on-one teaching or to quiet moment away from the field. He thinks about how they've grown. Friedgen, who was forced into retirement following the 2010 season, will have three former players in New Orleans for Sunday's Super Bowl: Vernon Davis, a veteran tight end and star for the San Francisco 49ers; wide receiver Torrey Smith, who has become one of the most exciting playmakers for the Ravens; and his teammate and Baltimore native LaQuan Williams, an important special teams player before being sidelined with a hamstring injury late in the season.

SANTA CLARA -- So which Vernon Davis will we see in Super Bowl XLVII? Will it be the man who made just six catches for 61 yards over the final six regular-season games? Or the guy who in two postseason games has caught six balls for 150 yards and a touchdown while being targeted 11 times? It's probably a better question for the Baltimore Ravens and how they choose to defend the 49ers' dangerous tight end, but to date, they haven't been forthcoming with answers. In NFC Championship game, though, the Atlanta Falcons clearly didn't make Davis a major focal point of their pass defense and paid dearly as a result.

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 Now in his first Super Bowl, quarterback Joe Flacco has a new set of questions to answer . ... It has been a learning process for the Ravens under new offensive coordinator Jim Caldwell.

Responding to a 4 a.m. emergency call, police found a 24-year-old man stabbed multiple times in the Sandtown-Winchester neighborhood of Baltimore. Thomas Rawlings, whose last known address was the 1800 block of N. Fulton Ave. where he was found, was taken to Maryland Shock Trauma Center, where he was pronounced dead at 4:36 a.m., Baltimore police Det. Vernon Davis said. Police have no motives or suspect in the slaying.

Despite allowing tight end Brent Celek to make eight receptions for a career-high 157 yards in the Philadelphia Eagles' 24-23 win Sunday, the Ravens say they're not panicking over the impending visit from Rob Gronkowski and the New England Patriots. “[A] lot of those things are simple coverage adjustments - whether one person reads this or you take this away or take that away,” inside linebacker Ray Lewis said Wednesday. “And last week is already in the past. I think this week, it's really about focusing on [quarterback Tom]

WHO WANTS REGGIE BUSH? With N.C. State defensive end Mario Williams set to be the top pick after signing with the Texans, all eyes are turning to the Saints to see whether they sign Reggie Bush or trade the pick. WHO WILL THE RAVENS PICK? Many draft experts have the Ravens picking Oregon nose tackle Haloti Ngata, whose big body might allow Ray Lewis and the rest of the lineback- ing corps to run free and make more plays. WHO'S THE BEST QUARTERBACK? USC's Mark Leinart and Texas Vince Young top most lists, but NFLperson- nel staffers say Vanderbilt's Jay Cutler (left)

Once the obscure purview of NFL coaches and scouts armed with stopwatches, the NFL scouting combine opens today in Indianapolis under the spotlight of 27 hours of live TV coverage over seven days. More than 320 college players have been invited to go through what amounts to an exhaustive job interview. They'll run 40-yard dashes, maneuver through traffic cones, lift weights, be probed by doctors and be interrogated by club personnel. The workouts actually don't begin until Saturday and will continue through Tuesday, but news conferences with the players as well as NFL coaches and general managers start today, as does the NFL Network's television coverage.

San Francisco 49ers tight end and former University of Maryland standout Vernon Davis just talked to the Baltimore media via conference call. Here are his thoughts on different topics: On playing on a short week: “I think it's all mental. We can't let that worry us. We just have to go out and do our job, make the most out of our opportunities and just take advantage of what we have in front of us, and just play. We're a winning team right now. We have to continue to stay in that direction.

TV Ex-Ravens tight end Sharpe facing restraining order A woman has filed a temporary restraining order against TV analyst and former Ravens tight end Shannon Sharpe . The woman filed the petition Thursday in Atlanta's Fulton County Superior Court. The case is classified under the "family violence" category. No court hearing has been scheduled. It was not immediately clear why the restraining order was filed. The ex-Denver Bronco and Raven is under consideration for the Hall of Fame.