BALTIMORE (WJZ)—Ravens fans are hoping for a win this Christmas Eve. But what does the holiday mean for the coaches and players?

Jessica Kartalija finds the Christmas spirit is alive and well.

This holiday season, the Ravens say playing in the NFL is a gift in itself.

“Too many guys can’t be a NFL player, so you’ve got to feel blessed,” Pernell McPhee, defensive lineman.

The team says Christmas is time spent with their biggest fans.

“It’s a very important time to spend with family and friends and to give back, most importantly to people who are less fortunate,” said Michael Oher.

“It’s about family, you get gifts, and you really want people to show expression of love for everybody,” said Chris Carr.

“Christmas to me means the celebration of the birth of our lord and savior, Jesus Christ.  That’s what it means. No greater celebration than that,” said Coach John Harbaugh.

Memories of Christmas past are kicking in for punter Sam Koch.

“We used to—on Christmas Eve–go to my grandma’s, and it was a way to get the family together and see each other,” said Koch said.

“When I think of Christmas, I think of a time to be around family, and relax and yeah, think about how fortunate we are and try and help other people out there who might not be in the same situation we are,” said Joe Flacco.

For Matt Birk, his kids are the center of attention.

“Now, with six young kids at home, there’s nothing like Christmas morning,” Birk said.

Ravens rookie Torrey Smith is looking forward to starting a new holiday tradition.

“It’s a time to realize how thankful you are for everything from family, to football to life in general.  I’m excited, and it’s the first time I’m on my own and my family is coming to Baltimore to celebrate it with me,” Smith said.

Every player we spoke with expressed their appreciation of being in the NFL, saying it’s their responsibility to help others less fortunate.

But the Ravens are coming off a miserable performance last Sunday in San Diego, a game in which the Chargers scored on their first five possessions and never punted in a 34-14 rout.

“It’s the NFL. It can be very humbling,” Pagano said Wednesday. “That’s why you take it week to week. Keep it on the highway, we say. Never too high and never too low. We know we’ve got to get over it and move on.”

Pagano and the Ravens (10-4) have turned their attention toward beating Cleveland (4-10) on Saturday to stay on course to win the AFC North.

“There were spots where I could have done a better job in helping these guys out,” he said. “So we go back to work and fix the things that needed to be fixed.”

After spending three years working with the Ravens secondary, the 51-year-old Pagano took command of the defense in January after Greg Mattison left to become defensive coordinator at Michigan.

Pagano calls his new post “a dream come true.”

“If you ask anyone given this opportunity, they’d tell you the same thing,” he said. “We’ve got great assistant coaches, great guys to work with, great players, great leadership, a great organization. I was just in the right place at the right time. I’m very fortunate.

“It’s been more highs than lows and it’s been exciting watching these guys play. It’s been a great experience to this point, but our goal is to get to (Indianapolis, site of the Super Bowl) and be the No. 1 defense in the league. If we don’t accomplish that, it will be a disappointing year as far as I’m concerned.”

Perhaps, but no one in the locker room would blame Pagano if the Ravens fall short of expectations.

“I love playing for coach. I have a ton of respect for the dude,” linebacker Terrell Suggs said. “He definitely gave us our swagger back. He’s a very good chess player. You got to win the chess match. You got to be a strategist. Chuck’s been doing a good job.”

Pagano broke into the coaching ranks as a graduate assistant at Southern California in 1984. He has studied the art of defense for well over two decades, knowledge that enabled him to come up with a multitude of alignments that turned this Baltimore defense into a swarming, unpredictable and relentless crew.

“Chuck is unorthodox,” Suggs said. “He’s like The Joker. You never really expect what he’s going to do, and everything has a motive.”

His players consider Pagano to be just one of the guys.

“What makes him good? He relates to the players a whole lot,” Ravens defensive end Cory Redding said. “He’s almost like a player in a D-coordinator’s position. The guy has so much fun with us. He treats you like more than a player. It’s like we’re his sons. He wants us to do well. He keeps it fresh. He knows everybody’s strengths and puts them in position to make plays.”

With the exception of Mattison, every previous Ravens defensive coordinator has gone on to become an NFL head coach. Marvin Lewis, Mike Nolan and Rex Ryan made the step up, and it’s quite possible Pagano may one day follow suit.

“Absolutely,” Ravens linebacker Paul Kruger said. “Chuck has a leadership quality about him. He’s humble but he also knows when to take the reins and take charge. He doesn’t try to dominate you in every meeting. He’s just a coach that knows exactly how players are and what direction they need. He’s a hell of a coach and I really think he’ll be a head coach one day.”

Pagano has been thinking of that moment since he was a young boy.

“When I was a kid growing up, my dad being a football coach, he asked the same question of all the assistants that he ever hired: ‘Is your goal to be a head football coach?’ He always said if somebody had answered him, ‘Not really, I’m OK just being a position coach,’ then I don’t think he really wanted him on his staff,” Pagano said. “Because he wanted ambitious guys.

“I think if you ask anybody they’d say yeah. That would be something you always work for and toward. But for now, my focus and our focus is on the Cleveland Browns. Period.”

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

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.

That prompted the Ravens to add Graham, who worked out with Baltimore last week. Graham has played for six teams, most recently the Miami Dolphins earlier this season.

Graham, 34, was cut in training camp by the Ravens last summer.

“The positive thing about bringing Shayne is that we know him and he knows us,” special teams coach Jerry Rosburg said. “He’s obviously an NFL-caliber kicker. We knew that when he was here and he’s proven that since he’s been gone.”

Cundiff made the Pro Bowl in 2010 but has missed nine field goals this year and is 1 for 6 beyond 50 yards. Baltimore is chasing the AFC North title, so it’s quite possible Graham will be pressed into action Saturday against Cleveland.

“He’s a real plus for us because we know we’re bringing in a guy that is not only a quality NFL kicker, but has been in the NFL environment and understands playoff caliber football at the end of the season,” Rosburg said. “We expect him to come in here and add that veteran experience.”

Cundiff remains on the 53-man roster. Baltimore placed linebacker Chavis Williams (foot) on injured reserve to make room for Graham, an 11-year veteran.

“It’s nice to actually come into this locker room,” Graham said. “A lot of these guys were in camp when I was here a couple of years ago. A lot of the guys are familiar with me.There’s a lot of good guys here, so it’s a real smooth transition for me. Having the operation here, the snapper and holder, those guys are phenomenal. So, I couldn’t ask to be in a better position or be around a better bunch of guys.”

Cundiff did not practice Wednesday and Graham kicked well, but there are still no guarantees Graham will get the call against the Browns.

“We added him to our roster just to make sure we had a kicker,” Rosburg said.

“If they call on me, I’ll be ready,” Graham said. “I really don’t know what the expectations are. I hope (Cundiff) gets healthy as soon as he can. All I can control is what I’m asked to do. If I’m asked to go out and play, then I go out and play and play my best to help these guys win. If it’s for one week, it’s for one week. If it’s for two, it’s two.”

The Ravens don’t need uncertainty at kicker with the postseason rapidly approaching, but they couldn’t afford to take a wait-and-see approach with Cundiff.

“We’re just trying to win a football game this week,” Rosburg said. “That’s what really important to us.”

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 dipped into the past Wednesday
to address an ongoing problem with their kicking game, signing Shayne Graham as
a possible replacement for injured Billy Cundiff.

Cundiff has a sore left calf and has struggled this month. He missed a
36-yard field goal Sunday night in a 34-14 loss to San Diego and is 2 for 5 in
December.

That prompted the Ravens to add Graham, who worked out with Baltimore last
week. Graham has played for six teams, most recently the Miami Dolphins earlier
this season.

Graham, 34, was cut in training camp by the Ravens last summer.

“The positive thing about bringing Shayne is that we know him and he knows
us,” special teams coach Jerry Rosburg said. “He’s obviously an NFL-caliber
kicker. We knew that when he was here and he’s proven that since he’s been
gone.”

Cundiff made the Pro Bowl in 2010 but has missed nine field goals this year
and is 1 for 6 beyond 50 yards. Baltimore is chasing the AFC North title, so
it’s quite possible Graham will be pressed into action Saturday against
Cleveland.

“He’s a real plus for us because we know we’re bringing in a guy that is
not only a quality NFL kicker, but has been in the NFL environment and
understands playoff caliber football at the end of the season,” Rosburg said.
“We expect him to come in here and add that veteran experience.”

Cundiff remains on the 53-man roster. Baltimore placed linebacker Chavis
Williams (foot) on injured reserve to make room for Graham, an 11-year veteran.

“It’s nice to actually come into this locker room,” Graham said. “A lot
of these guys were in camp when I was here a couple of years ago. A lot of the
guys are familiar with me.There’s a lot of good guys here, so it’s a real smooth
transition for me. Having the operation here, the snapper and holder, those guys
are phenomenal. So, I couldn’t ask to be in a better position or be around a
better bunch of guys.”

Cundiff did not practice Wednesday and Graham kicked well, but there are
still no guarantees Graham will get the call against the Browns.

“We added him to our roster just to make sure we had a kicker,” Rosburg
said.

“If they call on me, I’ll be ready,” Graham said. “I really don’t know
what the expectations are. I hope (Cundiff) gets healthy as soon as he can. All
I can control is what I’m asked to do. If I’m asked to go out and play, then I
go out and play and play my best to help these guys win. If it’s for one week,
it’s for one week. If it’s for two, it’s two.”

The Ravens don’t need uncertainty at kicker with the postseason rapidly
approaching, but they couldn’t afford to take a wait-and-see approach with
Cundiff.

“We’re just trying to win a football game this week,” Rosburg said.
“That’s what really important to us.”