Free-agent wide receiver Jacoby Jones is currently visiting the Baltimore Ravens, according to a team source.

Jones, who was released by the Houston Texans last week, arrived in Baltimore on Sunday. Earlier last week he visited with the Carolina Panthers.

Jones caught 31 passes for 512 yards last season in his fifth year with the Texans.

Jones’ visit with the Ravens comes four days after the team’s director of player personnel, Eric DeCosta, said that the team was “happy with the receivers we have on the roster.”

Follow Jason La Canfora on Twitter @jasonlacanfora.

BALTIMORE, Md. (CBSMiami) – Former University of Miami Hurricanes star safety Ed Reed has informed the Baltimore Ravens that he is planning on returning to the team in 2012.

Reed has flirted with retirement several times over the past few seasons due to a variety of injuries and his age in the game.

But, Reed had a stellar season in 2011 with 52 tackles, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble, and 3 interceptions while starting every game.

Reed, who will turn 34 during the season, has been the key to backline of the stellar Baltimore Ravens defense since he came into the league in 2002.

For his career, Reed has 547 tackles, 6 sacks, 57 interceptions and 11 forced fumbles.

With Reed back in the fold, it’s likely a given that middle linebacker Ray Lewis will once again man the middle of the Ravens defense in 2012.

With Tebow completing 6 of 22 passes for 60 yards and a game-sealing interception, Denver (8-8) claimed a first-round home game by virtue of a tiebreaker over Oakland and San Diego and will host Pittsburgh next weekend.

The Raiders’ loss also pushed the Bengals (9-7) into the playoffs as the sixth seed even though Cincinnati’s comeback fell short against Baltimore. Cincinnati will go on the road to play Houston (10-6), the No. 3 seed, in the first round.

With the Ravens (12-4) winning, the result of Pittsburgh’s game against Cleveland was all but meaningless. The Steelers (12-4) wound up beating their AFC North rival, 13-9, and are the No. 5 seed, but lost the tiebreaker to Baltimore, which swept the season series from the Steelers.

Baltimore didn’t have its game in hand until the final play, when Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton’s desperation pass fell incomplete as time expired.

Earlier in the afternoon, the New England Patriots secured the No. 1 seed in the AFC, and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, with a 49-21 victory over Buffalo. Quarterback Tom Brady passed for 338 yards and three touchdowns to rally New England from a three-touchdown deficit as the Patriots scored 49 consecutive points. The Patriots (13-3) finished the regular season with eight wins in a row, and Brady’s 5,235 yards passing were the second most in NFL history for one season.

While much of the AFC picture unfolded late in the afternoon, all but one of the NFC playoff teams were settled by the early games. A night game between the New York Giants and the Dallas Cowboys would decide the NFC East champion and No. 4 seed.

The top-seeded Green Bay Packers (15-1), who clinched the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye last week, beat the Detroit Lions 45-41, despite five touchdowns and 520 yards passing by Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford,

The loss, coupled with Atlanta’s 45-24 win over Tampa Bay, made Detroit (10-6) the sixth seed. Detroit will play at New Orleans (13-3) in the first round. The Saints clobbered Carolina, 45-17, behind five touchdowns and 389 yards passing from quarterback Drew Brees, who finished the season with an NFL-record 5,476 yards passing. But the Saints drew the third seed when San Francisco (13-3) outlasted St. Louis, 34-27, to claim a first-round bye as the No. 2 seed and NFC West champion.

The fifth-seeded Falcons (10-6) will visit Dallas or New York in the first round.

The Baltimore Ravens are in control of their destiny in the AFC North and
the race for a first-round bye. Maintaining that edge, though, will likely be
difficult if they turn in another lackluster performance.

A matchup with the ailing Cleveland Browns on Saturday would appear to give
the Ravens a good chance to stay on track for the division crown and the No. 2
seed, with Baltimore having dominated the series of late.

The Ravens (10-4) have put themselves in control with a sweep of division
rival Pittsburgh and a victory over Houston on Oct. 16, giving them a leg up on
those 10-4 teams.

Baltimore, though, missed out last week on a chance to move ahead of the
Steelers and Texans, both of whom lost. With a playoff berth already wrapped up,
the Ravens were blown out 34-14 in San Diego.

Pittsburgh fell 20-3 to San Francisco on Monday night, and Houston was upset
28-13 at home by Carolina.

“It’s a gift, but we wish we didn’t have to get it that way,” Ravens
linebacker Terrell Suggs said. “We’ve just got to take care of business.”

Baltimore, winner of nine in a row at home dating to last December, appears
to have a good chance to do that with Cleveland (4-10) visiting M&T Bank
Stadium. The Ravens have won seven straight over the Browns, tied for the
longest win streak against an opponent in team history. They’ve also won seven
consecutive games over the New York Jets.

Baltimore’s latest victory in the series came Dec. 4 as Ray Rice ran for a
career-high 204 yards in a 24-10 win. Ricky Williams added 76 yards rushing as
the Ravens piled up 290 on the ground.

Cleveland has made adjustments as it looks to slow down Rice. The Browns
allowed 147 rushing yards in a 14-3 loss to Pittsburgh on Dec. 8, but limited
Arizona to 74 in a 20-17 overtime defeat last week.

“The goal (is) to make sure we minimize his effect on the game,” coach Pat
Shurmur told the team’s website. “We’ve done some things schematically to help
us, and we just keep emphasizing that everyone has to play better. I’ve seen
that.”

At 3-4 on the road, winning this game might prove vital to Baltimore’s
chances of accomplishing its regular-season goals. The Ravens close out their
schedule at Cincinnati on Jan. 1.

“We’re playing two teams that know us very well, two division foes, so it’s
going to be interesting,” Suggs said. “We’ve got to get back to doing what we do
best, and that’s playing Ravens football.”

Suggs, who has a career-high 13 sacks, chased down Colt McCoy for one of
those, but the Browns quarterback likely won’t play this week. McCoy has been
out since taking a hit to the head against Pittsburgh earlier this month.

The controversy surrounding Cleveland’s failure to check McCoy for a
concussion has led the NFL to put certified trainer in every press box. McCoy
still had symptoms of a concussion Wednesday and has yet to be cleared to return
to the field.

“Like anybody that wants to play, he’s anxious to get back out there,”
Shurmur said. “But he understands there is a process that you have to go through
before he will be able to play again.”

With McCoy out, Seneca Wallace is expected to start again after he threw for
226 yards and a touchdown versus the Cardinals. His 76-yard scoring pass to Greg
Little gave the Browns a 17-7 third-quarter lead, but they couldn’t hold it and
suffered a season-high fourth consecutive defeat and sixth in a row on the road.

Wallace’s one start against the Ravens came in the team’s most recent trip
to Baltimore on Sept. 26, 2010. He threw for 141 yards and a TD in a 24-17
defeat, while counterpart Joe Flacco passed for three touchdowns.

Flacco has eight TDs and one interception over his last six matchups with
the Browns, who might need a strong performance from Peyton Hillis to help snap
their losing streak.

In his fourth game since returning from an injured hamstring, Hillis ran for
a season-high 99 yards and a touchdown last week. He rushed for a then-career
high 144 yards in Baltimore last September but has been held to a combined 80
over the past two matchups.

The Ravens might have a new kicker for this game as Billy Cundiff is dealing
with a sore left calf. On Wednesday, the team signed Shayne Graham, an 11-year
veteran who has played for six other teams.

TONY GROSSI SCOUTS THE BALTIMORE RAVENS

Kickoff: Browns at Ravens, Saturday 1 p.m. in M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore.

Record: 10-4.

Most recent game: Lost to Chargers, 34-14, Dec. 18, in San Diego.

Coach: John Harbaugh, 46-23, fourth year.

Series record: Ravens lead, 18-7.

Most recent meeting: Ravens won, 24-10, Dec. 4 in Cleveland.

League rankings: Offense is 15th overall (16th rushing, 16th passing), defense is third (second rushing, fifth passing) and turnover differential is plus-1.

Offensive overview

Despite having all the pieces, they still aren’t able to push the pedal to floor and score like the elite offenses. They’ve gone four games in a row without scoring more than 24 points — hitting that figure in wins over the Browns and Colts, but scoring only 30 combined against the 49ers and Chargers. This inconsistency might only be a concern to them in the postseason when they get hooked up in a scoring duel with the likes of New England and Houston, or New Orleans or Green Bay in the Big Game. Otherwise, they can win by handing off and throwing to Ray Rice and dumping to tight ends Ed Dickson and Dennis Pitta and receiver Anquan Boldin. The long game to rookie Torrey Smith and, some day, Lee Evans, is what may put them over the top.

Defensive overview

If they don’t get pass pressure, they are as vulnerable as any defense. In their four losses, they have registered only five sacks. The Chargers took command early by hitting them with quick passes and screens. The pressure was lacking even though they finally got linebacker Ray Lewis back after missing several games with turf toe. Their cast of characters is well-known and widely feared — tackle Haloti Ngata, rush linebackers Terrell Suggs and Jarret Johnson, safety Ed Reed. Bernard Pollard has been an enforcer at strong safety. The cornerback position suffered when Lardarius Webb was reduced to nickel duty. Rookie Jimmy Smith was picked on in his first NFL start.

Special teams overview

Kicker Billy Cundiff is 27-of-36 in field goals with a long of 51 yards. He has missed three of his past five attempts, and his nine misses match the league’s most. Despite Cundiff’s 42 touchbacks, the Ravens are only 29th in average drive start after kickoffs — which means they give up some healthy returns when Cundiff doesn’t boot it out of the end zone. Punter Sam Koch is 10th in gross average (46.6 yards) and 12th in net (39.7). David Reed is back on kick returns after losing the job earlier because of fumbles. Webb hit the Browns with a 68-yard punt return but is hobbled.

Players to watch

Running back Ray Rice: His record 204 yards rushing in the first meeting vaulted him up the NFL leaderboard. He’s now fifth with 1,086 yards and 10 TDs on the ground, and added two among his team- high 71 receptions.

Linebacker Terrell Suggs: He was kept fairly at bay in the first meeting, netting only one sack. His 13 lead the AFC and tie for fifth in the NFL.

Safety Ed Reed: Three of his eight career interception returns for touchdowns have come against the Browns. He, too, was relatively quiet in the first meeting.

Injury report

PK Cundiff (calf) has played but not practiced the past two weeks. CB Webb (toe) was limited all week but played in nickel.

Small world

Among the many players, coaches and executives who formerly worked or played for the Browns are: General Manager Ozzie Newsome, senior personnel assistant George Kokinis, defensive line coach Clarence Brooks, defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano, director of pro personnel Vince Newsome, vice president of football administration Pat Moriarty, assistant special teams coach Marwan Maalouf and special teams coordinator Jerry Rosburg. . . . Receiver Lee Evans attended Bedford High School. . . . Safety Haruki Nakamura is a Cleveland native who attended St. Edward High School. . . . Scout Jack Glowik is a Cleveland native who attended Benedictine High School. . . . Linebackers coach Dean Pees is a former head coach at Kent State.

“The object is just to win the next game, more than anything probably,” Harbaugh said. “If that happens, we pretty much know where the chips are going to fall.”

The immediate goal is to get into the playoffs, but the Ravens want more. Locked in a four-way tie for the best record in the conference, Baltimore has a chance to receive a first-round bye, followed by two home playoff games.

If the Ravens win out, they are expected to become the top seed in the AFC – regardless of how Pittsburgh, New England and Houston fare. Although it’s too early to determine, if all four teams finish 13-3, it appears Baltimore will win the tiebreaker.

The Ravens don’t care about that right now.

“We have to play the San Diego Chargers. That’s the task at hand,” running back Ray Rice said.

Baltimore’s only defeats this season have been on the road against teams that entered with losing records.

(Tennessee, Jacksonville and Seattle). San Diego is 6-7. But the Ravens have won four straight by a combined 55 points and are riding a crest of confidence.

“You’re always trying to gain momentum, you’re always trying to be as good as you can be and improve,” Harbaugh said.

The Ravens are clicking on defense, offense and special teams. Baltimore has allowed only 36 points over its last three games – and that’s without injured middle linebacker Ray Lewis. Baltimore got two touchdown passes from Flacco against the Colts, Rice has run for 307 yards over the past two weeks and Lardarius Webb has rejuvenated the punt return unit.

And yet, the Ravens aren’t satisfied.

“Championship teams, they don’t settle for what’s happening right now. Every week, they try to get better,” said linebacker Terrell Suggs, who had three sacks against the Colts. “We’re doing a lot of things good, but we have to correct things and get better at the things we’re not doing so well. We’re still not satisfied. This team is hungry.”

After the Chargers, Baltimore hosts the Cleveland Browns and concludes the regular season at Cincinnati. Even if they don’t get the top seed in the AFC, the Ravens can get a home game by winning the AFC North. And playing at home is no small advantage, given that Baltimore is 7-0 at M&T Bank Stadium and 3-3 on the road.

No matter how it turns out, the Ravens intend to be at their best once the postseason gets under way.

“Keep working hard. Keep getting better,” center Matt Birk said. “We can get where we want to go, but all the stuff, all the external stuff, about playoff scenarios and what ifs, it doesn’t matter. All we have to do is focus on our opponents this week.”

Harbaugh said Monday he’s “very hopeful” of having Lewis back as soon as Sunday night. The 12-time Pro Bowl linebacker has missed four straight games with an injured right toe, and although Baltimore is 4-0 without him, he remains the team’s leading tackler.

OWINGS MILLS, Md. – Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh isn’t interested in the complicated tiebreaking procedure that will ultimately determine the top seed in the AFC playoffs.

His focus, and that of the team, is solely on Sunday night’s game against the San Diego Chargers. With a victory, Baltimore (10-3) will be assured a fourth straight trip to the post-season.

“The object is just to win the next game, more than anything probably,” Harbaugh said Monday. “If that happens, we pretty much know where the chips are going to fall.”

The immediate goal is to get into the playoffs, but the Ravens want more. Locked in a four-way tie for the best record in the conference, Baltimore has a chance to receive a first-round bye, followed by two home playoff games.

If the Ravens win out, they are expected to become the top seed in the AFC — regardless of how Pittsburgh, New England and Houston fare. Although it’s too early to determine, if all four teams finish 13-3, it appears Baltimore will win the tiebreaker based on strength of victories.

The Ravens don’t care about that right now.

“We have to play the San Diego Chargers. That’s the next task at hand,” running back Ray Rice said.

Minutes after Baltimore completed a 24-10 victory over the winless Indianapolis Colts 24-10 on Sunday, Houston rallied past Cincinnati and New England held off Washington. The results did not go unnoticed in the Ravens locker room.

“It’s out there, so you always see it,” Flacco said. “It looked like there were a couple close games, couple of shots, looked like Houston might go down and they didn’t. Looked like New England might go down, and they didn’t. But I’m not really banking on that anyway. I’m looking at the rest of the season saying we’ve got to win the rest of our games.”

Baltimore’s only defeats this season have been on the road against teams that entered with losing records (Tennessee, Jacksonville and Seattle). San Diego is 6-7. But the Ravens have won four straight by a combined 55 points and are riding a crest of confidence.

“You’re always trying to gain momentum, you’re always trying to be as good as you can be and improve,” Harbaugh said.

The Ravens are clicking on defence, offence and special teams. Baltimore has allowed only 36 points over its last three games — and that’s without injured middle linebacker Ray Lewis. Baltimore got two touchdown passes from Flacco against the Colts, Rice has run for 307 yards over the past two weeks and Lardarius Webb has rejuvenated the punt return unit.

And yet, the Ravens aren’t satisfied.

“Championship teams, they don’t settle for what’s happening right now. Every week, they try to get better,” said linebacker Terrell Suggs, who had three sacks against the Colts. “We’re doing a lot of things good, but we have to correct things and get better at the things we’re not doing so well. We’re still not satisfied. This team is hungry.”

After the Chargers, Baltimore hosts the Cleveland Browns and concludes the regular season at Cincinnati. Even if they don’t get the top seed in the AFC, the Ravens can get a home game by winning the AFC North. And playing at home is no small advantage, given that Baltimore is 7-0 at M&T Bank Stadium and 3-3 on the road.

No matter how it turns out, the Ravens intend to be at their best once the post-season gets under way.

“Keep working hard. Keep getting better,” centre Matt Birk said. “We can get where we want to go, but all the stuff, all the external stuff, about playoff scenarios and what ifs, it doesn’t matter. All we have to do is focus on our opponents this week.”

Harbaugh said Monday he’s “very hopeful” of having Lewis back as soon as Sunday night. The 12-time Pro Bowl linebacker has missed four straight games with an injured right toe, and although Baltimore is 4-0 without him, he remains the team’s leading tackler.

OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP)—Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh isn’t
interested in the complicated tiebreaking procedure that will ultimately
determine the top seed in the AFC playoffs.

His focus, and that of the team, is solely on Sunday night’s game against
the San Diego Chargers. With a victory, Baltimore (10-3) will be assured a
fourth straight trip to the postseason.

“The object is just to win the next game, more than anything probably,”
Harbaugh said Monday. “If that happens, we pretty much know where the chips are
going to fall.”

The immediate goal is to get into the playoffs, but the Ravens want more.
Locked in a four-way tie for the best record in the conference, Baltimore has a
chance to receive a first-round bye, followed by two home playoff games.

If the Ravens win out, they are expected to become the top seed in the AFC—
regardless of how Pittsburgh, New England and Houston fare. Although it’s too
early to determine, if all four teams finish 13-3, it appears Baltimore will win
the tiebreaker based on strength of victories.

The Ravens don’t care about that right now.

“We have to play the San Diego Chargers. That’s the next task at hand,”
running back Ray Rice said.

Minutes after Baltimore completed a 24-10 victory over the winless
Indianapolis Colts 24-10 on Sunday, Houston rallied past Cincinnati and New
England held off Washington. The results did not go unnoticed in the Ravens
locker room.

“It’s out there, so you always see it,” Flacco said. “It looked like
there were a couple close games, couple of shots, looked like Houston might go
down and they didn’t. Looked like New England might go down, and they didn’t.
But I’m not really banking on that anyway. I’m looking at the rest of the season
saying we’ve got to win the rest of our games.”

Baltimore’s only defeats this season have been on the road against teams
that entered with losing records (Tennessee, Jacksonville and Seattle). San
Diego is 6-7. But the Ravens have won four straight by a combined 55 points and
are riding a crest of confidence.

“You’re always trying to gain momentum, you’re always trying to be as good
as you can be and improve,” Harbaugh said.

The Ravens are clicking on defense, offense and special teams. Baltimore has
allowed only 36 points over its last three games—and that’s without injured
middle linebacker Ray Lewis. Baltimore got two touchdown passes from Flacco
against the Colts, Rice has run for 307 yards over the past two weeks and
Lardarius Webb has rejuvenated the punt return unit.

And yet, the Ravens aren’t satisfied.

“Championship teams, they don’t settle for what’s happening right now.
Every week, they try to get better,” said linebacker Terrell Suggs, who had
three sacks against the Colts. “We’re doing a lot of things good, but we have
to correct things and get better at the things we’re not doing so well. We’re
still not satisfied. This team is hungry.”

After the Chargers, Baltimore hosts the Cleveland Browns and concludes the
regular season at Cincinnati. Even if they don’t get the top seed in the AFC,
the Ravens can get a home game by winning the AFC North. And playing at home is
no small advantage, given that Baltimore is 7-0 at M&T Bank Stadium and 3-3 on
the road.

No matter how it turns out, the Ravens intend to be at their best once the
postseason gets under way.

“Keep working hard. Keep getting better,” center Matt Birk said. “We can
get where we want to go, but all the stuff, all the external stuff, about
playoff scenarios and what ifs, it doesn’t matter. All we have to do is focus on
our opponents this week.”

Harbaugh said Monday he’s “very hopeful” of having Lewis back as soon as
Sunday night. The 12-time Pro Bowl linebacker has missed four straight games
with an injured right toe, and although Baltimore is 4-0 without him, he remains
the team’s leading tackler.

.

.

“The object is just to win the next game, more than anything probably,” Harbaugh said Monday. “If that happens, we pretty much know where the chips are going to fall.”

The immediate goal is to get into the playoffs, but the Ravens want more. Locked in a four-way tie for the best record in the conference, Baltimore has a chance to receive a first-round bye, followed by two home playoff games.

If the Ravens win out, they are expected to become the top seed in the AFC — regardless of how Pittsburgh, New England and Houston fare. Although it’s too early to determine, if all four teams finish 13-3, it appears Baltimore will win the tiebreaker based on strength of victories.

The Ravens don’t care about that right now.

“We have to play the San Diego Chargers. That’s the next task at hand,” running back Ray Rice said.

Minutes after Baltimore completed a 24-10 victory over the winless Indianapolis Colts 24-10 on Sunday, Houston rallied past Cincinnati and New England held off Washington. The results did not go unnoticed in the Ravens locker room.

“It’s out there, so you always see it,” Flacco said. “It looked like there were a couple close games, couple of shots, looked like Houston might go down and they didn’t. Looked like New England might go down, and they didn’t. But I’m not really banking on that anyway. I’m looking at the rest of the season saying we’ve got to win the rest of our games.”

Baltimore’s only defeats this season have been on the road against teams that entered with losing records (Tennessee, Jacksonville and Seattle). San Diego is 6-7. But the Ravens have won four straight by a combined 55 points and are riding a crest of confidence.

“You’re always trying to gain momentum, you’re always trying to be as good as you can be and improve,” Harbaugh said.

The Ravens are clicking on defense, offense and special teams. Baltimore has allowed only 36 points over its last three games — and that’s without injured middle linebacker Ray Lewis. Baltimore got two touchdown passes from Flacco against the Colts, Rice has run for 307 yards over the past two weeks and Lardarius Webb has rejuvenated the punt return unit.

And yet, the Ravens aren’t satisfied.

“Championship teams, they don’t settle for what’s happening right now. Every week, they try to get better,” said linebacker Terrell Suggs, who had three sacks against the Colts. “We’re doing a lot of things good, but we have to correct things and get better at the things we’re not doing so well. We’re still not satisfied. This team is hungry.”

After the Chargers, Baltimore hosts the Cleveland Browns and concludes the regular season at Cincinnati. Even if they don’t get the top seed in the AFC, the Ravens can get a home game by winning the AFC North. And playing at home is no small advantage, given that Baltimore is 7-0 at M&T Bank Stadium and 3-3 on the road.

No matter how it turns out, the Ravens intend to be at their best once the postseason gets under way.

“Keep working hard. Keep getting better,” center Matt Birk said. “We can get where we want to go, but all the stuff, all the external stuff, about playoff scenarios and what ifs, it doesn’t matter. All we have to do is focus on our opponents this week.”

Harbaugh said Monday he’s “very hopeful” of having Lewis back as soon as Sunday night. The 12-time Pro Bowl linebacker has missed four straight games with an injured right toe, and although Baltimore is 4-0 without him, he remains the team’s leading tackler.

.

.

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

Bernard Pollard knows one style of play, and it’s not always a popular one. But it’s one that makes him a perfect fit with the Baltimore Ravens.

He calls it old school.

Wide receivers call it a prelude to pain killers.

“I’m an old-school football player,” Pollard said in a phone interview. “I’ll hit you when you’re going out of bounds. I’ll hit you when you come down field. If you’re in the way, you’re going to get hit. I’m just an old-school type football player. The league can try to change rules and everything else, but you can’t call this smash-mouth football if you’re worried about a penalty.”

That quote is Pollard in a nutshell: Aggressive, straight-forward and fully comfortable in his style. The Fort Wayne South Side High School alumnus needed four games to crash – and that is the best word – the Ravens’ starting lineup.

Now he’s a tandem with the Ravens great safety Ed Reed, and loving it, as the Ravens (9-3) play the Indianapolis Colts (0-12) at 1 p.m. Sunday in Baltimore.

Pollard spent three seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs and two years with the Houston Texans and felt like he fit in with both teams, but if ever his attitude fit with a defensive personality, it’s with the Ravens. Baltimore’s success has been defined by its defense, led by linebacker Ray Lewis and a number of great players over the years.

“One of the things I’ve always known about this team is they’re going to play ball,” Pollard said. “I love that they put their defensive players in position to go play. They want bullies They want to go out and do what they can to be the dominant team on the field. …They have 11 dogs on defense and they don’t have any kind of leash.”

Pollard calls Reed “the greatest safety to play this game” and says their connection has been strong from the start. They discuss film, text regularly awayy from the field and joke with each other constantly. On the field, it’s all business.

“We connect in so many different ways,” Pollard said. “It’s so much fun, knowing the safety next to me is accountable to this defense. He brings his ‘A’ game every single Sunday.”

Reed went to the University of Miami, where he was a friend and teammate with Colts receiver Reggie Wayne. Pollard earned a bit of infamy cursing at the Colts receiver after Wayne caught a ball and stepped out of bounds last season. Trash talk goes on every game, but Pollard’s rant was caught on an open microphone and went over the air.

Pollard said he talked about that incident with Reed the other day.

“Tempers flare and everything else,” Pollard said. “At the end of the day, I respect that man (Wayne) for everything he’s done. He’s a great guy, a Hall of Fame receiver. I’m excited to play him again. I just get frustrated when he goes down before I can hit him.”

Pollard knows the Ravens will be heavily favored against this version of the Colts, but he says Baltimore cannot afford to enter the game with any sort of overconfidence.

“As much flack as they’re taking, they’re still a really good team,” Pollard said. “You look at that receiving corps. Reggie Wayne is one of the best receivers in the game, still. Pierre Garcon, that dude is playing the game. Austin Collie is one of the best slot receivers in the game.”

Of course, Pollard and the Ravens will be facing a different quarterback, with Peyton Manning still out after neck surgery and journeyman Dan Orlovsky behind center. Orlovsky and Pollard were teammates with the Texans.

“It is weird to watch film on them and not see 18 with the ball,” Pollard said. “Dan’s doing a great job. He put up 24 points on New England. …They are capable of beating us. We have to go play ball, I don’t care how many losses you have. Nobody comes in on Sunday and just rolls over.”

Pollard certainly plays with only one style, regardless of the opponent.

His approach dates back to his formative days in Fort Wayne.

“My father was a big-time football fan, a big-time football player,” Pollard said. “Me and my brother would sit there and watch and see the (Steve) Atwaters, the Ronnie Lotts, the Night Trains (Lane) come through and slap that dude.

“That’s how football’s supposed to be played,” Pollard said. “I thought, ‘This is how I have to hit.’ When I hit that way, the biggest thing is I’m going to have a bruise. Just go hit. That’s something I picked up, and I ran with it.”