Baltimore’s three losses this season followed significant victories and occurred on the road against sub-.500 teams. The Ravens are determined to break the trend on Sunday at Cleveland (4-7).

“It doesn’t matter how many wins and losses they have,” linebacker Jarret Johnson said Monday. “They always play good against us. It’s going to be a dogfight, so we better bring it.”

Coach John Harbaugh believes the problem in Baltimore’s three defeats wasn’t so much mental as it was physical.

“What we didn’t do is, we didn’t play very well,” he said. “We certainly acknowledge that those three losses coming off big wins were not good performances. They’re there. They’re on the record. Now we face a similar challenge this week, but a tougher challenge, because now we’ve got to go play a team in our division.”

The AFC North is jammed at the top. The Ravens are tied with Pittsburgh for the lead and the Bengals are one game back.

“We expect it to be a tight race. We just want to uphold our end of the bargain,” Harbaugh said. “What you have to concern yourself with is winning. That’s the bottom line for us. We can’t be concerned what the others teams do. We have to be concerned with what we do.”

The Ravens couldn’t have asked for a better scenario entering the final five weeks of the season. Before facing Cleveland twice, winless Indianapolis and struggling San Diego, they received a lengthy break following a rugged 16-6 conquest of the 49ers.

“That was big to have,” defensive tackle Terrence Cody said. “We have a lot of guys banged up — nicks and bruises — and it was big to have (time off) at this point in the season.”

It’s been more than two weeks since middle linebacker Ray Lewis (sore right toe) has played a game, and no one on the team needed the break more than Baltimore’s 36-year-old defensive leader.

“The rest part is big,” Harbaugh said. “I’m hopeful. I think he’s got a real good chance” to play Sunday. “We’ll just have to see how it goes.”

Fortunately for the Ravens, they have flourished without Lewis. The defense had its ups and downs in a 31-24 win over the Bengals, but Baltimore had nine sacks and yielded only two field goals in turning back San Francisco.

“They were two huge wins in five days. You can’t say enough about it,” Johnson said. “It’s a tough thing to do. We played a really good game against the Niners, but we’re moving on. We need to get win No.9 and we’re going to try and get it this week.”

Much will be written and said in the next few days about Baltimore’s tendency to stumble against sub-par teams. As far as defensive tackle Cory Redding is concerned, the toughest team the Ravens will face down the stretch will be … the Ravens.

“It’s not the Indianapolis Colts, it’s not the Cincinnati Bengals or anybody else that’s left on our schedule. It’s us,” Redding said. “As long as we continue to beat the negatives, beat the things that can hinder us from getting a win and overcome the mistakes we make on Sunday, we’ll get those victories. But we’ve got to beat the things that can hurt us, and that’s us. As long as we make our plays and not make any careless mistakes, then we’ll be great.”

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

BALTIMORE – Thirty minutes into the first game of the season, Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis stood before his teammates and delivered an inspirational and insightful speech that set the tone for the entire season.

Baltimore held a 21-7 lead over the defending AFC champion Pittsburgh Steelers, the identical score at halftime of their playoff game in Pittsburgh nine months earlier. In that one, the Ravens came apart in a 31-24 defeat.

Lewis placed himself in the middle of the locker room and emphatically spiked the comparison.

“Everybody was saying, ‘We’ve been here before,’” Lewis said. “And I was like, ‘We haven’t been here before, because 2010 is 2010, and 2011 is a whole new year.’ If you understand it that way, then you understand that this is a new team.”

And so it is. The retooled Ravens went on to hammer the Steelers 35-7, and they enter this Sunday’s bye with a 3-1 record, alone atop the AFC North and charging toward a fourth straight playoff appearance.

Baltimore general manager Ozzie Newsome retooled the team during a whirlwind off-season shortened by the NFL lockout.

Almost every move he made has thus far appeared to be the right one, beginning with a salary cap purge of wide receiver Derrick Mason, tight end Todd Heap, running back Willis McGahee, defensive tackle Kelly Gregg and fullback Le’Ron McClain.

At this point in the season, the Ravens don’t miss any of them. Not even a little bit.

Ricky Williams has proven to be a capable backup to running back Ray Rice; Lee Evans and second-round draft pick Torrey Smith have made up for the loss of Mason; Vonta Leach is an upgrade from McClain; Terrence Cody has proven to be just as immovable on the line as Gregg; and the tight end tandem of Ed Dickson and Dennis Pitta has made it easy for Ravens fans to scrap the “HEAP!” cheer that resonated throughout M&T Stadium for the past decade.

Newsome also added safety Bernard Pollard and a pair of offensive linemen who made an immediate difference.

The signing of free agent tackle Bryant McKinnie enabled Michael Oher to move back to the right side — where he is more effective — and free agent guard Andre Gurode has been invaluable during Ben Grubbs’ absence with turf toe.

Oh, and the defence under first-year co-ordinator Chuck Pagano has been spectacular.

As Lewis said, this is indeed a new team. And it’s not outlandish to believe the Ravens could become even more formidable with the sooner-than-later return of Evans (ankle injury) and cornerbacks Chris Carr (hamstring) and Jimmy Smith (ankle).

“The scary part is, I think we can only get better,” Rice said. “What you’re seeing is a token of hard work. Guys are not afraid to work.”

The Ravens aren’t good enough to just show up and win. That was proven in Week 2, when they followed up their emotional victory over the Steelers with a 23-13 defeat at Tennessee. Then came a 37-7 rout in St. Louis and a surprisingly easy 34-17 win over the New York Jets.

Against the Jets, Baltimore scored three touchdowns on defence and allowed only seven first downs to hit the first quarter of the season tied with five teams for the best record in the AFC.

“We can’t ask for anything else,” Lewis said.

Moments after the Jets game, there was an aura of cautious confidence in the locker room.

“We feel good,” centre Matt Burk said.

“Certainly we wish we were 4-0, but we’re 3-1. We take pride in what we’ve done to this point, but when we come back from the bye it’s a whole new deal. There’s still a long, long way to go in this thing. They didn’t pass out the Lombardi Trophy after this game. Good teams get better as the season goes. We’ll see where this thing goes and where this journey takes us.”

The goal is to get to Indianapolis, site of the Super Bowl, and the easiest way to get there is to play at home leading up to the game.

The Ravens were eliminated at Pittsburgh in 2008 and 2010, and in 2009 their post-season run ended in Indianapolis.

Baltimore has won 12 of its past 13 at home, including two this season in which it outscored the two participants in the 2010 AFC title game by a combined 45 points.

“We’re only going to get better, but getting better is a choice. It’s based on how hard we decide to work,” coach John Harbaugh said. “I’m excited, I’m proud of these guys, yet, hey, we have a long way to go.”

By DAVID GINSBURG
AP Sports Writer

BALTIMORE (AP) – Thirty minutes into the first game of the season, Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis stood before his teammates and delivered an inspirational and insightful speech that set the tone for the entire season.

Baltimore held a 21-7 lead over the defending AFC champion Pittsburgh Steelers, the identical score at halftime of their playoff game in Pittsburgh nine months earlier. In that one, the Ravens came apart in a 31-24 defeat.

Lewis placed himself in the middle of the locker room and emphatically spiked the comparison.

“Everybody was saying, ‘We’ve been here before,’” Lewis said. “And I was like, ‘We haven’t been here before, because 2010 is 2010, and 2011 is a whole new year.’ If you understand it that way, then you understand that this is a new team.”

And so it is. The retooled Ravens went on to hammer the Steelers 35-7, and they enter this Sunday’s bye with a 3-1 record, alone atop the AFC North and charging toward a fourth straight playoff appearance.

Baltimore general manager Ozzie Newsome retooled the team during a whirlwind offseason shortened by the NFL lockout.

Almost every move he made has thus far appeared to be the right one, beginning with a salary cap purge of wide receiver Derrick Mason, tight end Todd Heap, running back Willis McGahee, defensive tackle Kelly Gregg and fullback Le’Ron McClain.

At this point in the season, the Ravens don’t miss any of them. Not even a little bit.

Ricky Williams has proven to be a capable backup to running back Ray Rice; Lee Evans and second-round draft pick Torrey Smith have made up for the loss of Mason; Vonta Leach is an upgrade from McClain; Terrence Cody has proven to be just as immovable on the line as Gregg; and the tight end tandem of Ed Dickson and Dennis Pitta has made it easy for Ravens fans to scrap the “HEAP!” cheer that resonated throughout M&T Stadium for the past decade.

Newsome also added safety Bernard Pollard and a pair of offensive linemen who made an immediate difference.

The signing of free agent tackle Bryant McKinnie enabled Michael Oher to move back to the right side – where he is more effective – and free agent guard Andre Gurode has been invaluable during Ben Grubbs’ absence with turf toe.

Oh, and the defense under first-year coordinator Chuck Pagano has been spectacular.

As Lewis said, this is indeed a new team. And it’s not outlandish to believe the Ravens could become even more formidable with the sooner-than-later return of Evans (ankle injury) and cornerbacks Chris Carr (hamstring) and Jimmy Smith (ankle).

“The scary part is, I think we can only get better,” Rice said. “What you’re seeing is a token of hard work. Guys are not afraid to work.”

The Ravens aren’t good enough to just show up and win. That was proven in Week 2, when they followed up their emotional victory over the Steelers with a 23-13 defeat at Tennessee. Then came a 37-7 rout in St. Louis and a surprisingly easy 34-17 win over the New York Jets.

Against the Jets, Baltimore scored three touchdowns on defense and allowed only seven first downs to hit the first quarter of the season tied with five teams for the best record in the AFC.

“We can’t ask for anything else,” Lewis said.

Moments after the Jets game, there was an aura of cautious confidence in the locker room.

“We feel good,” center Matt Burk said.

“Certainly we wish we were 4-0, but we’re 3-1. We take pride in what we’ve done to this point, but when we come back from the bye it’s a whole new deal. There’s still a long, long way to go in this thing. They didn’t pass out the Lombardi Trophy after this game. Good teams get better as the season goes. We’ll see where this thing goes and where this journey takes us.”

The goal is to get to Indianapolis, site of the Super Bowl, and the easiest way to get there is to play at home leading up to the game.

The Ravens were eliminated at Pittsburgh in 2008 and 2010, and in 2009 their postseason run ended in Indianapolis.

Baltimore has won 12 of its past 13 at home, including two this season in which it outscored the two participants in the 2010 AFC title game by a combined 45 points.

“We’re only going to get better, but getting better is a choice. It’s based on how hard we decide to work,” coach John Harbaugh said. “I’m excited, I’m proud of these guys, yet, hey, we have a long way to go.”

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) — The Baltimore Ravens are younger than last season. The big question is: Are they better?

Longtime fixtures Derrick Mason, Willis McGahee, Todd Heap and Kelly Gregg are gone, victims of a salary cap purge. All were key contributors to a team that made the playoffs in each of the last three seasons.

And all of them were over 30 years old.

Mason, the leading receiver in Ravens history, has been replaced by Lee Evans, who is seven years younger.

“He’s fast, he’s made plays, and he’s a big yards-per-catch guy,” coach John Harbaugh said of Evans. “That helps a lot.”

Heap’s job has been taken over by second-year tight end Ed Dickson; second-year pro Terrence Cody steps in for Gregg and backup running back Ricky Williams comes at a much cheaper price than McGahee.

Also missing from last year’s 12-4 team is cornerback Josh Wilson, who signed as a free agent with Washington. Playing in his place this season is first-round draft pick Jimmy Smith, who is quite talented but dangerously inexperienced.

Two other rookies, wide receiver Torrey Smith and right tackle Jah Reid, are currently projected as starters.

The Ravens aren’t in rebuilding mode, but there have definitely been some significant tweaks to team that expects to overtake rival Pittsburgh in the battle to win the AFC North.

“It’s probably a natural progression in this league,” Harbaugh said. “It’s tough. It’s hard. It’s just the reality of the salary cap and the situation we’re in right now.”

There have been some positive additions to go with Evans and Williams. Pro Bowl fullback Vonte Leach is an upgrade over Le’Ron McClain, who was allowed to leave as a free agent, and safety Bernard Pollard should make it easy for Baltimore to get over the loss of free agent Dawan Landry.

If Leach can pave the way for Ray Rice and Williams in the fashion he cleared holes for Arian Foster in Houston, the running game should be sound. Quarterback Joe Flacco should benefit from the addition of Evans and Smith, both of whom possess the downfield speed that complements the steady hands of possession receiver Anquan Boldin.

“This is a team that you sense has a chance to do something special. I think they know that,” offensive coordinator Cam Cameron said. “I think they know it is going to take a lot of hard work, and this group is not afraid to work. That’s what the Ravens do. The young guys have filled in and followed the example of the veteran guys.”

If the Ravens are to make another trip to the postseason, Cameron’s offense will have to improve. Unfortunately, the right side of the line is still under construction and the frail knees of veteran center Matt Birk could be an issue.

Then there’s Flacco, who has been asked to take a bigger role on the field and in the huddle in his fourth NFL season. Flacco is confident he can step up his game and assert himself a leader.

“We’re going to have a lot more younger guys,” Flacco said.

“This is going to be our fourth year, me and Ray, and it’s just time to kind of groom those guys and mold those guys the way we want them, the way I want them. We will have that chance.”

Flacco got married during the offseason, and it was apparent after the lockout that he did more than merely take a honeymoon and lounge around the house.

“He’s in tremendous shape. He is as sharp starting off as I have ever seen him,” Cameron said. “We’re at the best starting point with him going into the season than we have been since he has been here. I haven’t flinched on anything that I have believed about Joe Flacco since the first day I saw him. We have one heck of a quarterback, and he happens to be a young quarterback.”

Defensive coordinator Greg Mattison is gone, replaced by the fiery Chuck Pagano. But the mainstays of the unit are intact, which means the opposition still has to worry about linebackers Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs, along with seven-time Pro Bowl safety Ed Reed.

Baltimore’s biggest problem on defense last year was a pass rush that produced only 27 sacks, 11 of them by Suggs. Linebacker Sergio Kindle, who missed his entire rookie season with a fractured skull, has been asked to team with end Paul Kruger to provide Suggs with support from the other side.

“Paul is a relentless guy. He’s going to help the defense,”general manager Ozzie Newsome said. “Sergio? Sometimes you need a little luck in this business. You need a bonus, and he’s our bonus this year. The first reports we got is that he would never play and now he looks like the player we drafted. The physical ability is there.”

Newsome’s plan for this season was to make the Ravens younger without a dropoff in talent. His logic is sound. Whether it works or not remains to be seen.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

OWINGS MILLS, Md. – The Baltimore Ravens are younger than last season. The big question is: Are they better?

Longtime fixtures Derrick Mason, Willis McGahee, Todd Heap and Kelly Gregg are gone, victims of a salary cap purge. All were key contributors to a team that made the playoffs in each of the last three seasons.

And all of them were over 30 years old.

Mason, the leading receiver in Ravens history, has been replaced by Lee Evans, who is seven years younger.

“He’s fast, he’s made plays, and he’s a big yards-per-catch guy,” coach John Harbaugh said of Evans. “That helps a lot.”

Heap’s job has been taken over by second-year tight end Ed Dickson; second-year pro Terrence Cody steps in for Gregg and backup running back Ricky Williams comes at a much cheaper price than McGahee.

Also missing from last year’s 12-4 team is cornerback Josh Wilson, who signed as a free agent with Washington. Playing in his place this season is first-round draft pick Jimmy Smith, who is quite talented but dangerously inexperienced.

Two other rookies, wide receiver Torrey Smith and right tackle Jah Reid, are currently projected as starters.

The Ravens aren’t in rebuilding mode, but there have definitely been some significant tweaks to team that expects to overtake rival Pittsburgh in the battle to win the AFC North.

“It’s probably a natural progression in this league,” Harbaugh said. “It’s tough. It’s hard. It’s just the reality of the salary cap and the situation we’re in right now.”

There have been some positive additions to go with Evans and Williams. Pro Bowl fullback Vonte Leach is an upgrade over Le’Ron McClain, who was allowed to leave as a free agent, and safety Bernard Pollard should make it easy for Baltimore to get over the loss of free agent Dawan Landry.

If Leach can pave the way for Ray Rice and Williams in the fashion he cleared holes for Arian Foster in Houston, the running game should be sound. Quarterback Joe Flacco should benefit from the addition of Evans and Smith, both of whom possess the downfield speed that complements the steady hands of possession receiver Anquan Boldin.

“This is a team that you sense has a chance to do something special. I think they know that,” offensive co-ordinator Cam Cameron said. “I think they know it is going to take a lot of hard work, and this group is not afraid to work. That’s what the Ravens do. The young guys have filled in and followed the example of the veteran guys.”

If the Ravens are to make another trip to the post-season, Cameron’s offence will have to improve. Unfortunately, the right side of the line is still under construction and the frail knees of veteran centre Matt Birk could be an issue,

Then there’s Flacco, who has been asked to take a bigger role on the field and in the huddle in his fourth NFL season. Flacco is confident he can step up his game and assert himself a leader.

“We’re going to have a lot more younger guys,” Flacco said. “This is going to be our fourth year, me and Ray, and it’s just time to kind of groom those guys and mould those guys the way we want them, the way I want them. We will have that chance.”

Flacco got married during the off-season, and it was apparent after the lockout that he did more than merely take a honeymoon and lounge around the house.

“He’s in tremendous shape. He is as sharp starting off as I have ever seen him,” Cameron said. “We’re at the best starting point with him going into the season than we have been since he has been here. I haven’t flinched on anything that I have believed about Joe Flacco since the first day I saw him. We have one heck of a quarterback, and he happens to be a young quarterback.”

Defensive co-ordinator Greg Mattison is gone, replaced by the fiery Chuck Pagano. But the mainstays of the unit are intact, which means the opposition still has to worry about linebackers Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs, along with seven-time Pro Bowl safety Ed Reed.

Baltimore’s biggest problem on defence last year was a pass rush that produced only 27 sacks, 11 of them by Suggs. Linebacker Sergio Kindle, who missed his entire rookie season with a fractured skull, has been asked to team with end Paul Kruger to provide Suggs with support from the other side.

“Paul is a relentless guy. He’s going to help the defence,” general manager Ozzie Newsome said. “Sergio? Sometimes you need a little luck in this business. You need a bonus, and he’s our bonus this year. The first reports we got is that he would never play and now he looks like the player we drafted. The physical ability is there.”

Newsome’s plan for this season was to make the Ravens younger without a dropoff in talent. His logic is sound. Whether it works or not remains to be seen.

One day after being traded from Buffalo for a fourth-round draft pick, Lee Evans passed his physical and wasted no time making himself part of the Baltimore offense. He ran plays with the first team, caught several passes from Joe Flacco and finished the afternoon with a broad smile on his face.

“I was very excited to come here and be a part of something special,” said Evans, who experienced only one winning season since being selected in the first round of the 2004 draft by the Bills.

“Obviously, this has been a very historic franchise, a winning organization. I just want to come in and do my part, and do anything I can do to help them win.”

The 30-year-old Evans fills the hole created when the Ravens cut Mason last month in a salary-cap purge. Not only did he assume Mason’s role as Flacco’s second target behind Anquan Boldin, but he also took Mason’s number, the only one left in the 80s.

“It’ll probably change,” said Evans, who wore 83 in Buffalo. “It’s the only available one right now.”

Evans wouldn’t care if the Ravens gave him a number suited for a left tackle, because he loves the idea of playing for a team that has reached the playoffs in each of the past three seasons. To Evans, the Ravens represent a sense of normality compared to Buffalo, which went through a variety of quarterbacks and four head coaches during his seven-year tenure.

“It’s been a whirlwind in Buffalo,” he said. “To come into a stable situation, it builds confidence that I can continue to get better every day.”

Evans was surprisingly sharp during Saturday’s three-hour session, which began outside but moved inside after it began to thunder within the opening 60 minutes.

“He looked good out there today. He definitely has an extra gear to him,” Flacco said. “That’s going to be a big plus for us, to be able to kind of stretch the field vertically a little bit and challenge some teams. So, I’m excited about it. Yeah, he can run, and he can run routes well, too.”

Evans started all 16 games for the Bills in each of his first six seasons before an ankle injury cut his participation to 13 games last year. He finished with a career-low 37 catches and four touchdowns — three against the Ravens in a 37-34 overtime defeat.

“I remember the success he had against us. It’s a bad memory. We couldn’t cover him,” Baltimore coach John Harbaugh said.

Evans ranks third on Buffalo’s career list with 5,934 yards receiving, is fourth with 377 receptions and fifth with 43 touchdowns. His best season came in 2006, when he had 82 catches for 1,292 yards and eight touchdowns.

He’s still waiting to experience the thrill of being in the playoffs, which explains why he was so elated to come to Baltimore.

“I’ve been in the league for eight years now and haven’t been there yet,” he said. “So, coming to a franchise like this, I was excited about it, as fired up as I could be. I just want to do anything I can to do my part to help them get there.”

NOTES: OL Marshal Yanda (back spasms) and DT Terrence Cody (ankle) didn’t practice. … TE Ed Dickson (hamstring) and CB Domonique Foxworth (knee) returned to practice. … OT Ramon Harewood (knees) passed his physical and was cleared to practice.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.