Four weeks ago, everyone outside of Baltimore was skeptical of Ozzie Newsome. First, Anquan Boldin was traded to the 49ers. Shortly after, Paul Kruger signed with the Browns and Dannell Ellerbe left for Miami. Ellerbe was viewed as the top priority for the Ravens but the Dolphins were willing to pay more for his services.

But that was just the beginning. Other key players including Carry Williams Ed Reed also joined other teams. Bernard Pollard is also no longer part of the team. Pollard was released and has since signed with the Tennessee Titans.

All of these players were critical to the Ravens regular and postseason success. Despite that, I believe the defense will be better. But then again, it’s not difficult to improve when the Ravens ranked in the high teens and low 20’s in most defensive categories.

Despite these losses, can the Ravens defense improve in 2013? The short answer is yes. The reason? Versatility.

All of the free agents the Ravens have signed this offseason have the ability to play multiple positions. Chris Canty and Marcus Spears can play almost every position on the defensive line and Michael Huff can play any position in the secondary.

The additions of Canty and Spears give the Ravens a scary rotation along the defensive line. Pernell McPhee and Arthur Jones will also be vital parts of that rotation. Even Deangelo Tyson could get playing time.

With Canty, Spears, McPhee, Tyson, and Jones in a rotation at the 3-4 defensive end and defensive tackle spots, Haloti Ngata can play more nose tackle, which is his favorite position.

Add Elvis Dumervil to that equation and I would be shocked if the Ravens don’t come close to leading the NFL in sacks. Dumervil and Suggs will consistently command attention on the outside. In turn, opportunities will open up for Ngata, McPhee, and the rest of the Ravens defensive lineman on the inside.

The only question mark for the Ravens defense to me is the secondary. With Carry Williams departure to Philadelphia and Lardarius Webb’s return from injury, Jimmy Smith and Corey Graham might have to play larger roles this season.

Inside linebacker could be viewed as another area of need but the additions to the defensive line should help the middle of the defense. The Ravens could also look to the draft for a young inside linebacker. Candidates would include Kansas State linebacker Arthur Brown, Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o, LSU linebacker Kevin Minter, or Florida linebacker Jon Bostic in the later rounds.

Two of my absolute favorite people on the face of the planet are WNST.net’s own Luke Jones and Yahoo! Sports’ Jason Cole.

I really mean that. They’re not just two of my favorites in the business, they’re two of my favorites in the world. I love to talk shop with those guys, I love to chat about the world in general with them and I love getting the chance to spend time with them socially.

(This type of statement always leads to a “BUT….”, right? Not exactly this time.)

Both Jason and Luke joined me on “The Reality Check” during the first week of NFL free agency and separately brought up the same word, a specific word that has been repeated to me by a number of callers and e-mailers over the course of the last couple of weeks.

The word is “regression.” If you were playing in the Scripps National Spelling Bee, the moderator would tell you the word was of latin origin and could be defined as “a trend or shift toward a lower or less perfect state.” Perhaps the word could be used in a sentence along the lines of “After losing the players the Baltimore Ravens have lost thus far, we can expect regression from the team in 2013.”

That was essentially how both guys (and others) used the word over the last few weeks.

(You’re now CERTAIN there’s going to be a “BUT…” coming, aren’t you?)

I had to start every discussion about the term that I’ve had both on-air and off since the offseason began by accepting that Luke, Jason and everyone else who has suggested the Ravens are going to “regress” in 2013 are…well…probably right. I’m sorry. It had to be said.

They’re right because the Ravens won the Super Bowl in 2012 and it will be very difficult for them to win the Super Bowl again in 2013. Any scenario that doesn’t involve the Ravens hoisting a third Vince Lombardi Trophy would technically mean they had “regressed” from where they were last season.

(Okay, now it’s time.)

BUT…I was never REALLY willing to accept the notion of “regression” for the Ravens at any point. Sunday’s signing of former Denver Broncos pass rusher Elvis Dumervil re-inforces that belief, but it absolutely did not establish it. I just hope the addition of Dumervil will force others to similarly push aside the notion of “regression” in 2013.

(Continued on Page 2…)

The morning after it was learned that longtime Ravens safety Ed Reed would be joining the Houston Texans, it appears his former partner in the defensive backfield will be moving into the AFC South as well.

Former Baltimore strong safety Bernard Pollard will join the Tennessee Titans on a one-year deal, as first reported by ESPN’s Josina Anderson. The reporter tweeted that Pollard informed her of the move Thursday morning, and Pollard’s agent Tory Dandy confirmed the news via Twitter.

The 28-year-old was released and designated as a post-June 1st release last week, meaning his $2 million base salary remains on the salary cap until that date. This allows general manager Ozzie Newsome to push $1.5 million in dead money to next year’s cap that otherwise would have been applied to the 2013 cap. Only this year’s prorated signing bonus amount of $750,000 will count against the cap.

In other words, the Ravens will receive an additional $2 million in cap space in June, which could provide flexibility in signing a veteran to address a need such as how they added guard Bobbie Williams last summer.

Pollard will join his fourth team in eight NFL seasons, leaving some to believe his strong-willed personality and outspoken nature led to his release, but coach John Harbaugh said in Phoenix that his release was solely a cap-related move. Veteran safety James Ihedigbo is projected to fill one of the two safety spots vacated by Pollard and Reed, but the Ravens are expected to address the position in April’s draft.

PRESS RELEASE

The Baltimore Ravens have terminated the contract of vested veteran S Bernard Pollard, while also re-signing unrestricted free agents S James Ihedigbo and CB Chris Johnson to one-year contracts, general manager/executive vice president Ozzie Newsome announced Thursday.

“We needed to find a physical presence for our secondary when we lost Dawan Landry a few years ago, and we were fortunate to land a player like Bernard,” Newsome stated. “He was everything we hoped he would be: physical, tough and well-prepared. Bernard takes great pride in being ready to play – and he does that year round. He was a good partner with Ed [Reed] on our backside, and he fit in well with our team. Like we say, ‘He played like a Raven.’ He helped us get to an AFC Championship and win a Super Bowl, and we thank him for all he did for us.

“There are many difficult decisions we make every offseason. They become even more difficult when they involve players who helped us get another Super Bowl trophy.”

A seven-year NFL veteran, Pollard played two seasons with the Ravens, seeing action in 29 games (26 starts). He led Baltimore with a team-high 98 total tackles during the 2012 regular season, adding two sacks, six passes defensed and one interception in 13 contests. In four 2012 playoff games, Pollard produced 17 tackles, four passes defensed and one forced fumble.

It is amazing that just roughly six weeks after our beloved Baltimore Ravens hoisted their second Lombardi Trophy in 13 years and their fifth consecutive playoff appearance that Ravens fans have totally lost their mind.

This week has been comparable to the reaction I saw after Baltimore got crushed at home by the Denver Broncos towards the end of the season and fans were saying the Ravens wouldn’t win another game and that Ozzie Newsome cannot possibly give Flacco a contract that would make him the highest paid quarterback in history. Ravens fans have been so outraged these past few days with the trade of Anquan Boldin, the release of Bernard Pollard and their inability to retain Dannell Ellerbe.

First, there is no way Baltimore was, or could even afford to pay Ellerbe $35 million over five years, and honestly, he is not worth that kind of money.

Boldin was immediately rumored to be a salary cap casualty as soon as the Super Bowl was over, so we all knew, at least if you paid attention, that Boldin was likely not going to be back in Baltimore next season. Keep in mind, the Ravens did attempt to keep Anquan asking him to take a pay cut to stay, which has happened before in the world of the NFL, and some have taken that option, and others, like Boldin did, reject it because they do not want to play for less, which he had every right to do. I love Boldin, he played like a Raven, and is one of my favorite players, but the NFL is a business, and the financials did not support keeping Boldin at his $7.5 million cap number, and the Ravens did not feel he was worth that kind of money. It happens, remember Ben Grubs last year? Jarret Johnson? What happened? Our Ravens WON THE SUPER BOWL!

In regards to Bernard Pollard, this is not a power play by John Harbaugh, so if you think this is the case you need to get a clue and check out Drew’s blog this morning regarding it. Pollard was not only a disruption on the field sometimes with his constantly penalized hits (I will admit, that did not bother me, he played the game hard and did the Raven thing and intimidated the opponent), but Pollard’s locker room antics were the biggest disruption. Again check out Drew’s blog for the full details and read about his incident with Josh Bynes after the loss to the Washington Redskins. Next season, Pollard will be playing with his fourth team in the NFL in just eight seasons, there is a reason the Chiefs, Texans, and now the Ravens let him go. His teammates do not want him there.

Lastly, and most importantly, Ravens fans need to wake up and realize they have without a shout of a doubt, the best GM in the NFL. Ozzie Newsome has been our GM ever since we came to Baltimore and he has delivered two Super Bowls titles, four Division titles, and nine playoff appearances over 17 years. For you math estute readers, that is more playoff appearances than non playoff appearances, there are not many teams out there that can make that claim over the last 17 years. In fact, if you want to get even more technical, Baltimore has gone to the playoffs nine times in the last 13 seasons!! Newsome has also put together a full out defensive team that won the Super Bowl and a primarily offensive team that won the Super Bowl, thus proving he is not one dimensional in that regard as well. We praise Newsome for ten months of the year, but right around this time of year, all of the sudden Ravens fans either forget or ignore what Ozzie has done for this franchise.

I am not saying that I haven’t been surprised for some of the moves that have occured over the past week, but I sit back and always say to myself that “Ozzie must have a plan, like he always does.”

So please step back from the ledge Baltimore and join me in saying “In Ozzie we Trust!”

The house cleaning continued in Owings Mills on Wednesday, as Bernard Pollard was handed his walking papers after two seasons in purple.

This departure, unlike that of Paul Kruger and Dannell Ellerbe, was clearly and comfortably the choice of John Harbaugh and the Ravens organization.  In simple terms, Pollard’s constant complaining and locker room blow-ups finally caught up to him.

That Pollard leaves a champion is a testament to his intensity and competitive fire.  He was an important part of the team that captured the Super Bowl in New Orleans on February 3.  Few players in the league hit with more tenacity.  The term “play like a Raven” was seemingly created with players like Bernard Pollard in mind.

With the good, though, came a lot of bad.  Pollard was a troublesome figure in the clubhouse, which is why he won’t be around in Baltimore next season.

“This wasn’t all about quality of play,” a source said on Wednesday after the news about Pollard’s termination went public.  ”It was about locker room tranquility and chemistry.”

While there wasn’t one single incident that doomed Pollard, a series of friction-filled events contributed to the club finally saying “enough is enough”.  The most notable of those was a post-game blow-up in Washington where the hard-hitting safety openly bashed linebacker Josh Bynes in front of the entire team and within earshot of several media members who were in the vicinity of the locker room setting up for post-game interviews.

“It was completely uncalled for,” said a 2012 teammate.  ”From a team standpoint, the last thing we needed that day was to have one guy pitting himself against someone else.  And to pick on Josh like that?  It was wrong.”

Pollard’s role in the bye-week practice fiasco is well known by now.  When Harbaugh suggested the team practice in pads on Wednesday before letting the team have off for the rest of the week, Pollard reacted angrily and rallied several teammates to demand a lighter, easier practice session.  To his credit, Harbaugh took the high road and gave in, deciding, apparently, that the battle wasn’t worth winning when the season was still very much in the balance.

“He was always complaining about something,” the teammate remembered.  ”Nothing was ever right in Bernard’s eyes.  After a while it got kind of old.  And a lot of guys in the locker are John Harbaugh fans.  Bernard was very anti-John and open about it. He didn’t really hide it.”

It’s one thing for a player to butt heads with the coach.  That happens all the time.  But, in this case, players – lots of them – were worn out by Pollard’s locker room antics and in-game reckless play that appeared to be more about the safety just doing things “his way” and not fitting in with the rest of the team.

(Please see next page)

The Ravens made another difficult move on Wednesday morning in parting ways with veteran strong safety Bernard Pollard.

The 28-year-old defensive back announced via his official Twitter account that he was being let go after two years in Baltimore. Pollard was owed a $500,000 roster bonus later this week and carried a $3.25 million salary cap number for the 2013 season. His release will save $1 million in cap space.

“Well Raven Nation it’s been fun,” Pollard wrote. “My time in Baltimore is done… Thank you!”

Pollard was limited to 13 games last year as he dealt with cracked ribs over the course of the season. He finished with 98 tackles, two sacks, and an interception.

Looking with 20-20 hindsight, Baltimore tipped its hand by re-signing veteran backup James Ihedigbo to a one-year deal on Tuesday. Ihedigbo made three starts in place of Pollard last season.

A key free-agent addition after the NFL lockout ended in 2011, Pollard instantly became a fan favorite with his physical style of play, but the safety also drew criticism for his propensity to draw penalties for illegal hits. That said, his punishing — but legal — blow to Patriots running back Stevan Ridley in the AFC championship game was considered the turning point in the Ravens seizing complete control in their 28-13 win to advance to the Super Bowl.

NEW ORLEANS — Even after witnessing the most incredible month in the history of the Baltimore Ravens, it’s still difficult to believe it all happened in the hours following their 34-31 win in Super Bowl XLVII.

The Ravens have had better and more talented teams than this group that finished the regular season with a 10-6 record, good enough to win the AFC North but hardly anything to write home about. The offense and Super Bowl most valuable player Joe Flacco were exceptional at times this season but were maddeningly inconsistent as well. A defense regarded as one of the NFL’s finest for more than a decade was far from dominating due to age and a plethora of injuries, taking a significant step back as stars such as Terrell Suggs and Ray Lewis missed significant time.

A three-game losing streak in the month of December that included the firing of offensive coordinator Cam Cameron left the Ravens looking anything but “super” as they desperately searched for answers. Frankly, it was difficult to decide just how good they were — or even if they were at all.

Yet, there they stood on the on-field stage at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome after winning the second NFL title in the 17-year history of the franchise. It wasn’t pretty as the Ravens nearly squandered a 22-point second-half lead, but they prevailed, earning the right to call themselves champions.

“It couldn’t end in a better way,” safety Ed Reed said. “The game was a display of the whole year. Started good, got ugly, ended great. Ended great.”

Perhaps the 35-minute power outage was the appropriate symbol of where the Ravens had been over the last six weeks. Just as a 28-6 lead evaporated as the San Francisco 49ers pulled to within two points with just under 10 minutes remaining in the game, the Ravens appeared to be knocked out in December after suffering their third consecutive loss in a humiliating 34-17 final at home against the Denver Broncos in mid-December. At that point, the Ravens looked more like a team that might not win another game before regrouping to make the incredible run to New Orleans.

A 9-2 record that stood among the best in the NFL — even if many questioned the validity of that mark after several underwhelming wins — had fallen to 9-5, with many wondering if the Ravens were bursting at the seams with dissension. However, they stuck together, insisting all their goals still stood in front of them while fans and media alike wondered if they were finished. They were the truest form of a family, at least as close to one as a professional football team could be as players shared their faith and love for one another openly down the final stretch of the season.

“We had a lot of guys injured,” safety Bernard Pollard said. “But at the same time, the camaraderie within that the locker room — this is the closest team I’ve ever been on in my life. Like I said, we came together and fought the good fight.”

Yes, these Ravens were inspired by a returning Lewis in the postseason, but it was the play of Flacco that took them to new heights as the fifth-year quarterback was the best player in the NFL during the playoffs. His play and the improved offensive line after the reinsertion of Bryant McKinnie at the left tackle position were all new offensive coordinator Jim Caldwell needed to propel the Ravens to new heights on that side of the football.

That offense looked as elite as ever in the first half on Sunday night, but the 49ers regrouped in slowing the Ravens’ passing attack while the running game remained a non-factor. Meanwhile, the Baltimore defense wilted, looking tired and lacking answers for 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick as he led San Francisco to three second-half touchdowns and a field goal.

As they had countless times throughout the season, the Ravens appeared on the ropes with the offense sputtering and Lewis’ once-mighty defense completely exhausted. But as savvy veteran teams often do, the Ravens had enough in them to make a few more plays to finish the job.

With the 49ers having three shots at the end zone from the 5-yard line and trailing 34-29 at the two-minute warning, the old Ravens defense made its final great stand with Lewis at the helm. The unit forced three incompletions to hand the ball back to the Baltimore offense. It was vintage Baltimore defense, even if that idea will take on new meaning beginning next years as the Ravens face life without Lewis leading the way.

The final stand was the end of an era with Lewis retiring and Reed potentially playing his final game with the Ravens. And in the context of this 2012 season, it was the last example of one unit — offense, defense, or special teams — picking up the others in crunch time.

“It wasn’t pretty, it wasn’t perfect, but it was us,” coach John Harbaugh said. “The final series of Ray Lewis’ career was a goal-line stand to win the Lombardi Trophy. As Ray said on the podium, how could it be any better than that?”

Harbaugh’s right. It was the only fitting way to end the perfectly imperfect season that included ups and downs, peaks and valleys, and trials and tribulations. Of course, the Ravens ended the year on the highest note of all in winning their first Super Bowl title since Jan. 28, 2001.

In a season in which we constantly asked the real Baltimore Ravens to stand up, we finally learned who they really were over the course of the last six week as Harbaugh and his team dusted themselves off from a miserable stretch in early December to start anew. They knew something the rest of us didn’t as the Ravens pulled off the unlikeliest of wins in Denver, exorcised the demons from a year ago in New England, and polished off their final act as a postseason underdog by turning the lights out — literally and figuratively — on the 49ers.

On Feb. 3, 2013, we finally figured out the only appropriate way to describe this unique football team after a season of struggling to find the proper words.

They were champions.

SAFETY BERNARD POLLARD

(on if he believes that the more physical team will win on Sunday) “I think so. I think with what we’re doing and with how we’re built, just with the characters that we have on both teams, that’s how it is. It’s going to be a war, and it’s going to be fun. It’s going to be fun for all of us. We’re at a moment right now where this experience is really a blessing for all of us. I know we can’t say it enough, we thank God for the position we’re in and I’m pretty sure they’re saying the same thing. But, on Sunday it’s going down.”

(on if he believes the team that delivers the first big hit will set the tone for the game) “You know what, it’s football. You’re going to have your ups and your downs all game long. It’s about who can outlast the other. It’s going to be so much fun. I just truly believe that the preparation this week, whoever prepares the best and whoever gets it done on Sunday, whoever is hitting on all cylinders, is going to win the game.”

(on if the game is going to be a ‘15-rounder’ as opposed to a quick knockout) “Yeah it’s going to be a long battle.  It’s the Super Bowl, and you don’t usually see many blowouts — not that often. It’s going to be fun.”

(on how the outdoor practice elements will affect the Ravens preparation and how it differs from the 49ers practicing indoors)  “No, it really doesn’t matter. We were running, we were cutting and we were getting our plays. It was beautiful; it actually cleared up. Tulane has been amazing. They’ve opened things up, and they’ve bent over backwards for us. We’re really appreciative. We had a great time. It’s the first time that I’ve ever seen a baseball diamond made of full turf. So that was a little awkward — for me at least. The preparation yesterday was outstanding; we’ve got to stack it again today.”

(on how he feels about the NFL possibly expanding the season to 18 games) “You’re dealing with some men who have never played football. Of course it’s a money making business. They’ve never played the game before. So obviously they can do some things and make some things happen if they want to, but it’s not their bodies that are taking a pounding and beating. Sixteen games are enough. I think all of us as players understand that we don’t want this thing to get any bigger. You go through things a lot in the 16 games, plus four preseason games, which is 20, and then you’ve got three or four playoff games. So you’re taking a pounding no matter what. Now you want to add onto that pounding—you talk about injuries now, it’s going to get worse.”

(on if the financial aspect of an 18-game schedule could persuade him to change his mind) “I really couldn’t care less about the money. We’re already going through it right now anyway. Like I said before, we as players know what we signed up for already, but at the same time, the whole expanded schedule would be very tough on our bodies. This is a physical game and a violent game already, and to expand it, to me and a lot of other players in this league, it doesn’t make any sense.”

(on if the Ravens can take anything from their 2011 game against the 49ers) “Last year’s game, that’s what it was – it was last year’s game on Thanksgiving. This team is more experienced. The coaches are seasoned, the players are seasoned, and to be honest with you, both teams were in the championship games last year and some things didn’t go our way and we lost. But you’re dealing with a team that’s trained, and they’re ready to go. They understand, and they’ve been in this position before. Right now we look at this situation, and we can’t look at the past and what we did against them last year. We have to understand that they’re ready to go. Like I said before, this is going to be a war and nobody has an advantage. I’m just being honest with you, nobody has an advantage. We’re going to go out there and we’re going to fight.”

(on O.J. Brigance) “O.J. has taught all of us not to take anything for granted. Just the little stuff that we complain about, whether it’s walking up the stairs, whether it’s having to come in early or whether it’s having to practice longer. You look at the little stuff that you complain about and O.J. has been fighting. He fights every day. I think for all of us, we’ve come to understand and appreciate the people that are in our lives. We’ve come to appreciate the things that are going on in our lives because in a split second it could be taken away from you. O.J. is the kind of guy who continues to show up at work every single day smiling, ready to go and always has a message. We’ve learned so much from him. I’ve been blessed to be around him and so are the other players. We’re so appreciative to be a part of this whole thing.”
(on how some of the setbacks and adversity have helped the Ravens grow as a team) “I think with anything that you go through, you always look at trials and tribulations to make you stronger. For us, we went through a lot of them. For players, period, you have to look at it as football is kind of like life that everybody else lives: you’re going to have your ups and downs and you’re going to have to put things behind you to make things work. You have to look at 53 men coming together — with 11 on offense, 11 on defense and 11 on special teams — to make one play happen and to continue to do that for 60 minutes.  The situations I think brought us closer together. Just the camaraderie with all of us has been a lot of fun. A lot of humbling experiences for the players and our coaches.  We were actually talking about this yesterday. One thing that I can do, I tip my hat to Coach (John) Harbaugh. He’s a great man and he’s a great coach. We’ve all been through it, we’ve seen it, we understand it and we’ve experienced it. Now it’s time to go make this thing happen on Sunday.”

(on if he was one of the members of the secondary who raised an issue about the turf during yesterday’s practice)  “I didn’t raise an issue. Coach Harbs (John Harbaugh) came to me about it and he asked me. It’s just kind of different as far as playing on that turf on the baseball diamond. Like we’ve said before, Tulane has been amazing, and they’ve bent over backwards for us. We can’t change what we’ve been doing. We had a great practice, don’t get me wrong, but at the same time, guys with knee problems, ankle problems and all the other stuff, after practice and after the fact you don’t want to have to deal with that for the rest of the week and then try to have to clear all of that out of your system to have to go play on Sunday.”

(on some of the things that guys were feeling after yesterday’s practice on the turf) “Well a lot of guys actually iced up last night, got in the cold tub and everything else. Just so you don’t get the swelling or the fluid in the knees from pounding on the hard turf. Like I said, we are so appreciative of what Tulane has done for us, but at the same time, we have to get on surfaces that can (help us) continue to be successful all week long and (help) our preparation to be able to go and play full speed on Sunday.”

SAFETY BERNARD POLLARD

 (on the uniqueness of preparing for 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick) “You look at (Washington’s) Robert Griffin III, you look at Kaepernick and they’re very special talents.  They’re guys who can kill you with both their arm and their legs.  It goes back to being smart as a defense.  Everyone can’t try to do everyone else’s jobs.  If you do that, they’re going to find an opening.  We’ve had two weeks to prepare.  Anything that’s happened in the past doesn’t matter.  We just need to be sound and know what we’re doing.”

(on the legacy of Ravens General Manager Ozzie Newsome) “For us as football players, we always respect a guy who played the game, a guy who understands the game and a guy who was successful playing the game.  Then to have that guy come into the front office and run things is special.  Ozzie has done a great job.  He’s been successful in this organization and he continues to be successful.  He understands the players that he wants in his system.  He doesn’t necessarily want the best player in the draft.  Ozzie wants whoever is going to fit the system.  Ozzie and our scouting department have been great with that.”

(on playing for the Ravens) “This is as good as it gets.  I’ve been in two other organizations and it’s been great.  I started out in Kansas City with Lamar Hunt.  What a great man and one of the smartest dudes I’ve ever met in my life.  But Baltimore has been really freaking good to me.”

(on if the 49ers’ read-option offense is a fad) “You invest all of this money in a quarterback and you  put him out there on an island where when they start running, they’re no longer protected.  In the day and age that we’re playing in, they’re protected if they’re going to throw.  But if they are going to do all of this handing off and wanting to run, then they’re not protected.  You respect the talent that these guys (QB’s who run the read-option) have, but at the same time, they’re not built to take the hits.  You want to believe that their careers will last playing the read-option, but it’s not a reality.  But Colin Kaepernick is smart.  He knows when to get down, he knows when to get out.   The guy can run his tail off and he can throw the ball very well.  If we get the chance to hit him during the read-option stuff , we’ve got to take advantage of those shots.”

(on 49ers WR Randy Moss) “Randy is Randy.  That dude can stretch the field.  He has unbelievable hands.  He’s been successful his whole career.  Nobody doubts what he’s done.  Randy is an amazing talent.  He’s a veteran in that locker room who’s been there and who’s done that.  I’ve got nothing but respect for the man.”

(on people saying that with his style of play, he was born to be a Raven) “When you look at the style of defense that the Ravens have always played, and the players that they’ve had, you know it’s special.  When I got here, everybody embraced me.  So I thank God all the time for the position that I’m in to be around all of these characters.  These guys are unbelievable and we embrace each other and love each other.”

(on if he worries about being fined for hard hits with his style of play) “I don’t play thinking.  The way the league is trying to go, they want you to think about the hits and the shots and all of this other stuff.  It’s an offensive game and they’re trying to move it in a certain direction.  In Baltimore, we don’t roll that way.  We’re going to hit you.”

(on if he’d want his son to play football) “If my son wants to play when he gets older, we’ll have to let him test it out.  My son will be five tomorrow but I don’t want to groom him.   He sees Daddy play football all of the time. He’s very physical,  but I’d rather put a basketball or a golf club in his hands.   I’ve seen it, I’ve done it (football) and it’s tough, but it’s been good to my family.   At the same time, I don’t want to see my son go through the pain and all of the stuff that I’ve been through.  It would be very tough to watch my son go through it.”

(on if the recent Sports Illustrated report about Ray Lewis is a distraction) “We’re going to become tighter. We’ve been through this all year long.  We’re not going to worry about what somebody said.  We’re going to come together as a team.  We’re not going to allow anything to come in and mess up what we’ve got.  This is our time.  This is the Ravens’ time.  This is not anyone else’s time.  We’re going to enjoy it.  We’re not going to allow anyone else to come in and break us apart.”
 

(on teammate Haloti Ngata saying that Pollard is the team’s most high-maintenance player) “I’m not surprised.  My teammates tend to get upset with me because I carry my hand sanitizer, I carry my disinfectant wipes, my baby wipes. When you sneeze, I tell you to cover your mouth, and when you cough, I tell you to cover your mouth. If you pick your nose, I tell you not to touch me.  They don’t like that.  But that’s how I came up.  My Mom would yell at us if we drank out of someone else’s glass. It’s just one of those things where that’s how I grew up. That’s how my Mom raised and groomed us. But I’m starting to rub off on some of the guys.  Now you see some of them also with hand sanitizer in their pockets and everything else.  It’s like I’ve told my teammates.  We’ve got to be clean.  We’ve got to protect each other.  (joking) But some guys are disgusting – they ought to be ashamed on themselves.  The nastiest dudes on the team are Jah Reid, Arthur Jones and Terrell Suggs. I’m just teasing on those guys.”

(on the camaraderie of the team at the Super Bowl) “These are times that you can’t take away.  This is precious time.  This is why so many players love the locker room.  They love the atmosphere and the camaraderie with all of the guys.  It’s special and we enjoy it.”

(on 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick) “If he runs, you’ve got to hit him.  He’s basically a running back who can throw the ball very well.  He’s showing people that he’s capable of playing in this league.  He’s able to win.  I think he’s started nine games.  His play says a lot about him.”

(on the past fines he’s incurred from the NFL for hits) “I’ve paid my fair share.  But I’m not going to stop playing the way I play. We’re supposed to get a form back telling us who we donated money to (with our fines), but that hasn’t happened.”