After every Baltimore Ravens victory, Ryan Chell and I take to the airwaves on “The Nasty Purple Postgame Show” on AM1570 WNST.net to offer “Pats on the Ass” to players who have done something to deserve the honor.

We give pats to two defensive players, two offensive players and one “Wild Card”-either another offensive or defensive player, a Special Teams player or a coach. We offer a “Pat on Both Cheeks” to someone who stands out, our version of a “Player of the Game.”

Here are our “Pats on the Ass” following the Ravens’ 44-13 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals at M&T Bank Stadium…

Glenn Clark’s Pats…

5. Bernard Pollard

4. Haloti Ngata

3. Ray Rice

2. Jim Caldwell

1. Joe Flacco (Pat on both cheeks)

(Ryan’s Pats on Page 2…)

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Ever since the revelation in early May of linebacker Terrell Suggs suffering a partial tear of his Achilles tendon, the Ravens have been peppered with questions about what it means for their pass rush and overall defense in 2012.

On the Friday before the season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals, it appeared defensive coordinator Dean Pees had heard enough when asked how critical it would be for linebacker Paul Kruger to accumulate more sacks with Suggs expected to be out of the lineup until at least November. Pees reiterated the common theme of multiple players needing to step up in the star pass-rusher’s absence.

Only he didn’t sound nearly as cordial in expressing that this time in comparison to previous statements.

“It has nothing to do with Sizzle. It has to do with playing outside linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens,” Pees said. “You guys keep comparing; you can never compare two people. It has nothing to do with another guy. There’s no comparison; I never compare them.

“It’s playing outside linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens. Period. Whether it’s the Sam, the rush, the Mike, the Will, when Ray [Lewis] was out, it has nothing to do with a guy having to take another guy’s position. It has to do with that guy playing his position.”

The Ravens’ pass rush will receive its first test against a Cincinnati offensive line with three new starters inside, meaning defensive end Pernell McPhee and defensive tackle Haloti Ngata may have opportunities to pressure second-year quarterback Andy Dalton.

Uncertainty remains at both outside linebacker positions with Paul Kruger and Albert McClellan both unproven as three-down players, so Pees will need to be more creative in generating heat on the passer until the Ravens can accurately assess where they’re at in that department. Baltimore is still hoping rookie Courtney Upshaw can also provide a bigger impact than what he showed in an injury-plagued preseason.

No one player has the ability to replace Suggs, but the Ravens hope a combination of rushers along with a deep group of cornerbacks will minimize the damage in the Pro Bowl linebacker’s absence.

“Terrell is a big part of our team, a big part of what we do, and guys are going to have to step up,” safety Ed Reed said. “Not just one player, every guy that’s on offense, defense, and special teams. We’ve all got to pick up that slack, because we know what Terrell brings to the table.”

Suggs was held to one sack in two games against Bengals left tackle Andrew Whitworth, which could mean Kruger and McClellan will have their hands full generating any pressure on Dalton. The question is nothing new as the loss of the Pro Bowl linebacker may knock the Ravens defense from the elite status it enjoys annually.

Pees is right that Kruger shouldn’t be held in comparison to Suggs, but asking whether the sum of the parts can not only match the 14 sacks accumulated by Suggs a season ago but also force teams to game-plan and account for pressure in the same way they’ve done in the past is a relevant and fair query.

“I don’t want to come across stirred up about it,” Pees said. “I’m not, it’s just when you compare players, you take everything so far out of context. It’s not about that; it’s about how he fits in the defense, how does he do his part. He’s one of 11 of this defense and so is Sizzle when he’s in there — he’s one of 11. Whether you game plan certain ways or whatever, that’s what they are. They all have one-eleventh stock in this defense.”

Needless to say, if the Ravens are unable to make Dalton uncomfortable in the pocket Monday, the questions and concerns will only grow louder.

Cameron confident in tight ends getting up to speed

With Ed Dickson and Dennis Pitta practicing fully on Thursday and Friday, any notion of the tight ends being game-time decisions was clearly gamesmanship on the part of coach John Harbaugh.

However, with Pitta missing nearly all of training camp and Dickson injuring his shoulder in the first preseason game, it remains to be seen how quickly the pair can become acclimated in a Baltimore offense that focused exclusively on the no-huddle attack this summer. The Ravens relied on both tight ends heavily last season and you’d expect to see the same in 2012, but it will be interesting to gauge how the coaching staff handles their workload after the offense primarily went with three-wide sets in August.

“Both guys – it’s a tribute to both of them – even though they’ve missed practices, they’re not missing meetings, they’re not missing any walk-throughs, they’re not missing any rehab or strength and conditioning,” Cameron said. “[Quarterback Joe Flacco] has such a great rapport with those guys. Not only are they together on the field, they’re around Joe all the time. So I’m thrilled to have them back, and I think they’ll pick up right where they left off with no concerns at all.”

The Ravens used plenty of single-back looks in August, which makes you think we could see Dickson lining up at tight end with Pitta moving to a slot position on a semi-regular basis, but the offense also wants to have more speed on the outside with Jacoby Jones as the No. 3 receiver and possession wideout Anquan Boldin sliding to the slot.

Regardless of how the rotation plays out this season, Monday might be too soon to draw conclusions based on how the playing time is split up against the Bengals as the tight ends are still working their way back into football shape.

Tucker letting it rip on kickoffs

One question asked by fans throughout the preseason has been about rookie kicker Justin Tucker’s unimpressive performance on kickoffs.

Special teams coordinator Jerry Rosburg reminded everyone Thursday that the rookie was directed not to send kickoffs as far as he could in order for the staff to evaluate its the kickoff coverage, which struggled a year ago. Tucker was only allowed to take five steps in approaching the ball instead of the ability to take a longer approach to the tee.

With the regular season now upon us, Tucker will be allowed to put his full foot — with full steps included — into each and every kickoff in hopes that the rest of the unit won’t receive as many opportunities to cover.

“He’s certainly going to try,” said Rosburg in describing how Tucker will simply boot it as far as he can. “That is the way we kick off; we try to kick it as far as we can, and we’ll give him that opportunity. You may have seen in the St. Louis game, I believe he did it twice if I’m not mistaken, and one they brought out [of the end zone] and the other one was [kicked] out of the end zone.”

Organization supports Ayanbadejo’s stance on marriage equality

The bizarre story of Maryland House of Delegates member Emmett C. Burns Jr. writing a letter to Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti stating his opposition to linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo’s public support of marriage equality created quite a stir this week.

But the Ravens are standing by the veteran’s side.

Ayanbadejo has spoken openly in support of gay marriage countless times, which promoted Burns to write a letter expressing how “appalled and aghast” he was over the public stance and imploring Bisciotti to silence his player. In response, team president Dick Cass issued a statement supporting Ayanbadejo’s right to free speech and even delivered a message directly to the player regarding the matter.

“He said, ‘We’re in support of you, and it’s good that you’re able to voice your opinion and say how you feel,’” Ayanbadejo said. “But Dick personally told me that we’re not an organization that discriminates and he was telling me how he was on Pro Football Talk and he was reading all the comments that people have said and he was overwhelmingly surprised and happy to see that football fans were supporting me and what I said. He told me that I should go there and I should read it.”

Ayanbadejo believes we’ve seen a dramatic shift in support over the last four or five years, with more people beginning to support marriage equality. Cass also offered him a take on the state of NFL locker rooms as it relates to the issue of equality.

“He believes the culture in locker rooms is changing as well,” Ayanbadejo said. “He believes there are gay players in the NFL — they’re just not publicly gay. He thinks that, for the most part, players just want to play with good players. They don’t care who your mother, your father, who you are, what color or creed you are as long as you can play football at this level.”

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — With the backdrop of former team owner Art Modell’s passing on Thursday morning, the Ravens continued preparations for their season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals.

During the first 30 minutes of practice open for media viewing, running back Ray Rice hadn’t appeared on the field after meeting with the media two hours earlier. Typically a late arrival to the practice field on most days, Rice did not appear to be dealing with any trace of an injury when talking with reporters, which could be an indication that he was simply later than normal taking the field.

The team will release its first injury report of the week on Thursday afternoon, which will provide more clarity regarding Rice’s level of participation in the practice.

Offensive lineman Jah Reid (calf) was not dressed out for practice as he watched Thursday’s workout from the sidelines. The second-year player appears unlikely to play against the Bengals and has dealt with a calf injury since June. He has experienced two different setbacks since initially being carted off the field on the final day of mandatory minicamp in mid-June.

Safety Sean Considine (concussion) was practicing with a red non-contact jersey and hadn’t taken his baseline test as of Wednesday.

Tight ends Ed Dickson (shoulder) and Dennis Pitta (hand) were both present and working during the opening portion of practice after both expressed thoughts of being game-time decisions on Wednesday. Despite their conservative comments, both players are expected to play on Monday night.

In memory of Modell’s passing, the Ravens will honor the former owner’s memory prior to kickoff and players will wear a black circle with white letters spelling out Modell’s initials “ABM” for the entire season.

Despite typically wearing their black jerseys for home games in primte time, the Ravens will be dressed in their purple jerseys against Cincinnati.

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Since both of their tight ends went down with injuries early in the preseason, the Ravens have maintained all along that Dennis Pitta and Ed Dickson would be ready for the start of the regular season.

And while both have been practicing on a limited basis since last week, the pair took a more cautious approach in assessing their chances for taking the field against the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday night. Both Dickson and Pitta said they expect to be game-time decisions following practice on Wednesday.

Pitta has been sidelined since undergoing surgery to repair a broken bone in his right hand early in camp while Dickson sprained his right shoulder in the Ravens’ preseason opener in Atlanta. Their absence from the field has provided an extra challenge to quarterback Joe Flacco and an offense with an increased emphasis on the no-huddle attack this season.

“A lot more mental preparation, obviously, but it’s nice to be back on the field now,” Pitta said. “I’ve been able to be out there for the last week or so running around and catching the football. It’s nice to be back running plays and developing that chemistry again with Joe and with the offense. Hopefully, it will feel good come game day.”

Coach John Harbaugh insists that players not discuss information related to injuries, so it’s difficult to determine just how serious the tight ends are about being in danger of not playing. The first official injury report of the week will not be released until Thursday evening, but Dickson and Pitta will have been practicing for a full two weeks, which makes it difficult to believe they might not play.

Both players have not partaken in any contact during practices, so it will be interesting to see what their level of participation is this week in practice. Veteran Billy Bajema is the third tight end on the roster.

“Practice until we get to that game,” Dickson said. “Like I said, if it was a personal decision, I don’t care how I’d feel — I’d be out there. I’m here to help the team win. I want to be out there for my team, but I don’t want to hurt the team.”

As you’d expect, Pitta is trying to gain more confidence in catching the football after being sidelined for a month and having his hand in a cast. The third-year tight end felt thankful that he injured the hand so early in camp to allow plenty of time for recovery.

“We just prepare ourselves each day, and we hope to play,” Pitta said. “Obviously, we don’t know at this point and we’ll see how it feels in the next few days, but we’re doing everything we can to prepare ourselves to play because we want to be out there and help our team.”

While both tight ends expressed the need to regain their timing with Flacco, neither anticipated that process taking very long after the success the pair enjoyed last season. Dickson and Pitta combined for 94 catches, 933 yards, and eight touchdown catches last year.

“Joe and I have a good relationship,” Pitta said. “We trust one other on the field, so it’s just about regaining that timing and confidence and all that. We’re able to do that a little bit this week.”

Yanda, Upshaw ready to go Monday

As we learned late last season when rib and leg injuries landed him in the hospital before he still wound up playing in the regular-season finale, it takes quite a bit to keep Pro Bowl guard Marshal Yanda off the field.

Therefore, it was no secret that the tweaked knee Yanda had suffered after being accidentally undercut by a teammate in practice two weeks ago was a little more serious than the Ravens were leading on. The sixth-year lineman revealed Wednesday he suffered an MCL sprain but declared himself ready to play in the season opener.

“I feel great, I’m 100 percent — the knee’s good,” Yanda said. “[The ligament] was loose for a while, but it’s definitely tightening back up. I just wear the brace and the tape just for precaution.”

Yanda missed the final two preseason games as veteran Bobbie Williams shifted over to right guard and rookie Kelechi Osemele played left guard against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Ravens rested their starting offensive line in the fourth preseason game.

After an uncertain summer in which the Ravens rotated tackles and left guards in determining what their starting lineup would look like against Cincinnati — a question that still remains unanswered to some degree — Yanda remains the dependable foundation of the unit. The timing of the injury allowed Yanda to rest his body when he otherwise would have pushed through the ailment had it occurred in the regular season.

“It was hurt. It was loose, so I wasn’t going to fight through it during the preseason and make it worse,” said Yanda, who believed he could have played had it been the regular season. “We were just going to let it heal all the way, and that’s what it’s done.”

Questions remain regarding the stability of Williams’ surgically-repaired right ankle and the fact that three  of the five projected starters are on the wrong side of thirty, but the unit appears to be in much better shape with Yanda’s knee no longer being a concern.

“You always want to start the season healthy,” Yanda said. “It’s a long year and I’m going to do that, so that’s great. I’ll be ready to roll [and] flying around.”

Rookie linebacker Courtney Upshaw also said he will be ready to play after tweaking the same shoulder he sprained earlier in the summer in the Ravens’ preseason finale last Thursday.

Ihedigbo ready to step in wherever needed

CONTINUE >>>

Owings Mills-The drama of the Ravens kicking situation continued on Saturday, as Billy Cundiff was still present and on the field and working with the specialists for the team’s practice session available to the media.

Cundiff, who has been widely criticized for his 32-yard field goal miss in the AFC Championship game last season among  other struggles, has been competing with rookie kicker Justin Tucker in camp for the team’s job at the position.

And the situation got even more intriguing Wednesday night before the Ravens eventual 48-17 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars, as Ravens coach John Harbaugh named the rookie Tucker as the team’s sole kicker for their third preseason game the following night.

Tucker excelled-going two-for-two in his attempts from 33 and 53-yards.

Tucker was excited and thrilled leading up to the game, and said he appreciated the fact that he was given a fair opportunity to compete.

Meanwhile, Cundiff, who did suit up and watched from the sidelines, certainly showed his frustration with the situation in the locker room following the game.

“I found out before this game that I wasn’t going to get any reps, which shocked me,” Cundiff said. “I felt like I had a really good week of practice. So, it’ll just play itself out.”

Cundiff defended himself, and he brought up his 90% completion percentage on kicks below 50 yards, and his 12-of-13 record  in the playoffs. And that’s where Cundiff said he feels like he deserves better.

“I feel like if that’s not good enough, I’ll take my services elsewhere to be perfectly honest,” Cundiff replied.

The Ravens have to make 15 cuts on Monday by 4PM to trim the roster limit to 75.

If Ravens coach John Harbaugh and the staff feel like Thursday was enough of a test to give Tucker the job, they would save roughly 1.8 million this season in cap savings by cutting Cundiff, as reported by the Baltimore Sun.

Harbaugh said the team will not be hurt by either kicker’s departure, and know what each of them has in store with their abilities.

“Obviously both of them bring something to the table..I dont think it’s as complicated with what the factors are, so we’ll just have to make a decision.”

But Harbaugh said they will not make any rash choices until they have to.

“I don’t think we’ve made any decision yet,” Harbaugh said. “We’re on schedule. We learned what we needed to learn. If it was an easy decision, we would have made it.”

“Why should we rush that? We can get as much information as we can.”

Dickson, Pitta return to practice

While Ravens fans may be hoping to see Billy Cundiff absent from team practices, they may be encouraged to hear about tight ends Dennis Pitta and Ed Dickson’s return to the practice field Saturday in limited fashion.

Both were in uniform and doing light running and catching with tight ends coach Wade Harman.

Pitta has been slowly working his way back from a broken right hand suffered in the first days of training camp.

“It feels really good being able to practice a little bit-run around, catch a few balls but not at full-speed, but it feels good to be back certainly,” Pitta said.

Pitta said his right hand and wrist feel better each day, and he expects to be back ready to go with Joe Flacco for the season opener against the Bengals.

“I think being able to get out there and run around and actually catch the ball a little bit certainly helps my confidence. And it helps me understand that I will be back playing soon enough.”

Having missed the first three preseason games with Flacco, you could say that Pitta might be off-track with his quarterback.

But Pitta denied that, saying that he’s already built enough of a rapport with his quarterback in his first two NFL seasons.

“That’s something we’ve been developing for a few years now, and I don’t think it’s something that you lose right now,” Pitta said, “and I don’t think it’s something that you lose right away. I think it will come back quickly once I’m able to start jumping in there and running with the offense.”

Dickson meanwhile is nursing a sprained right shoulder that he sustained in the team’s preseason opener against the Atlanta Falcons.

“I feel really good,” Dickson said. “It’s tough not to be out there, and once you get a chance to be out there for a little bit, you go out there with all smiles.”

Dickson said it’s pained him more to not be able to practice than it has to raise his arm or catch a pass.

“I’m a competitor,” Dickson said. “I don’t like sitting out for anything-it doesn’t matter if it’s a scrimmage or a game. Just missing these preseason games was tough on me.”

Dickson has been encouraged on his return and his role in the Ravens’ new “Sugar Huddle”, no-huddle offense.

“That’s all we did at Oregon,” Dickson said of his time in college. “I like it. I think it helps us out because we get more plays, and it puts the defense on their toes.”

Those absent from practice Saturday included LB Terrell Suggs (Achilles), G Marshal Yanda (leg), T Jah Reid (calf), WR/KR David Reed (ACL), S Emanuel Cook (broken leg), S Sean Considine (concussion), LB Stevie Baggs, Josh Bynes, WR Tommy Streeter and Ryan McBean (ankle).

Cook appears to be out for the year after suffering his leg injury Thursday, and both Considine and Baggs received their injuries in Thursday’s game as well.

This is the second concussion in preseason for Considine, so the team will have to be careful with that going forward.

WR Tommy Streeter, who caught two passes for 40 yards and a touchdown against the Jaguars, received an MRI for a sprained foot Friday.

He had been battling back problems in camp, but told WNST, “I’m fine. Everything’s okay. Just a little banged up.”

Given the decisions the Ravens have at the wide receiver position, it also could be forseen that the Ravens may try to stash Streeter on IR to avoid having to cut him Monday.

Streeter has been raw so far, but certainly is an intriguing and difficult piece to give up given his 6’5” frame. If the team were to place him on IR, he would not be allowed to practice with the team.

CB Corey Graham returned to practice after suffering a stinger in Thursday’s game.

Be sure to follow WNST on Twitter for all your Ravens news! WNST-We Never Stop Talking!

Courtesy of Electronic Arts, here is a rundown of overall player ratings for the Madden NFL 13 video game, which will be released next week.

Top 10 Quarterbacks:
1. Aaron Rodgers (99)
2. Tom Brady (98)
3. Drew Brees (98)
4. Eli Manning (97)
5. Ben Roethlisberger (95)
6. Peyton Manning (93)
7. Philip Rivers (92)
8. Matthew Stafford (91)
9. Tony Romo (90)
10. Michael Vick (89)

*Baltimore Ravens QB Joe Flacco has an overall rating of 89

Top 10 Running Backs:
1. Maurice Jones-Drew (97)
2.  Adrian Peterson (97)
3. Arian Foster (96)
4. LeSean McCoy (95)
5. Ray Rice (95)
6. Matt Forte (93)
7. Frank Gore (92)
8. Stephen Jackson (92)
9. Jamaal Charles (91)
10. Michael Turner (91)

*Ravens FB Vonta Leach has an overall rating of 92

Top 10 Wide Receivers/Tight Ends:
1. Calvin Johnson (99)
2. Rob Gronkowski (97)
3. Larry Fitzgerald (97)
4. Andre Johnson (97)
5. Vernon Davis (95)
6. Jimmy Graham (95)
7. Steve Smith (95)
8. Wes Welker (95)
9. Roddy White (94)
10. Hakeem Nicks (94)

*Ravens WR Anquan Boldin has a rating of 87, Torrey Smith 80, Jacoby Jones 74; Tight End Ed Dickson has a rating of 77, Dennis Pitta 74

Already dealing with the loss of Dennis Pitta for the rest of the preseason, the Ravens will now wait on the status of Ed Dickson after the tight end left Thursday’s game with a sprained right shoulder.

Dickson landed hard on the shoulder upon catching a 9-yard touchdown pass from Joe Flacco in the second quarter of the Ravens’ 31-17 win over the Atlanta Falcons. The third-year tight end will undergo an MRI on Friday and could be sidelined a few weeks, according to head coach John Harbaugh.

Dickson’s absence would leave tight ends Davon Drew and Billy Bajema at the top of the depth chart with undrafted rookies Bruce Figgins and Matt Balasavage behind them. Pitta is expected to return by the start of the regular season after undergoing surgery on his broken right hand last week.

The most serious of the injuries sustained Thursday appeared to have occurred to defensive lineman Ryan McBean, who was carted off the field with what’s feared to be a fractured left ankle. He will undergo an X-ray Friday to determine the extent of the damage.

McBean was tabbed to be a key member of the defensive line rotation and is already facing a three-game suspension due to a violation of the league’s performance-enhancing drug policy.

Wide receiver Torrey Smith also suffered a sprained ankle in the preseason opener, but the injury is not believed to be serious.

Wide receiver Logan Payne (hip flexor) and cornerback Asa Jackson (hamstring) were also injured during Thursday’s game.

The Ravens deactivated 13 players due to injury-related concerns prior to their first preseason contest.