Below are our Top 7 Ravens players in the deflating 26-13 loss to the Tennessee Titans in Nashville on Sunday. We’ll track our rankings throughout the 2011 season with the following point system:

No. 1 – 7 points
No. 2 – 6 points
No. 3 – 5 points
No. 4 – 4 points
No. 5 – 3 points
No. 6 – 2 points
No. 7 – 1 point

And, yes, we know there really weren’t seven players worthy of the honor, but we did our best in completing the process.

Luke Jones’ Top 7…

7) Ray Lewis

6) Terrell Suggs

5) Billy Cundiff

4) Haloti Ngata

3) Terrence Cody

2) David Reed

1) Ray Rice

Drew Forrester’s Top 7…

7) Sam Koch

6) Marshal Yanda

5) Terrell Suggs

4) Lardarius Webb

3) Haloti Ngata

2) Ed Dickson

1) Ray Rice

SEASON TO DATE:
Luke:
1. Haloti Ngata (10 points)
1. Ray Rice (10 points)
3. Terrell Suggs (9 points)
4. David Reed (6 points)
5. Bryant McKinnie (5 points)
5.Terrence Cody (5 points)
7. Joe Flacco (4 points)
8. Billy Cundiff (3 points)
9. Ed Reed (2 points)
10. Matt Birk (1 point)
10. Ray Lewis (1 point)

Drew:
1. Haloti Ngata (9 points)
1. Ray Rice (9 points)
3. Terrell Suggs (8 points)
4. Bryant McKinnie (7 points)
4. Lardarius Webb (7 points)
6. Joe Flacco (6 points)
6. Ed Dickson (6 points)
8. Marshal Yanda (2 points)
9. Ed Reed (1 point)
10. Sam Koch (1 point)

OWINGS MILLS, Md. – The Baltimore Ravens travel to the Georgia Dome to meet the Atlanta Falcons Thursday night, the final opportunity for players on the roster “bubble” to impress Head Coach John Harbaugh and coordinators Cam Cameron, Chuck Pagano and Jerry Rosburg.

As I am no longer the Ravens beat reporter here at WNST I have deferred to Luke Jones for most of our coverage during Training Camp. I have had the chance to get out to 1 Winning Drive this week, so I decided I would bring back “Mocking The 53″ to get a look at how the team may trim the roster from 80 players to 53.

As I’ve explained before, the team does not have a certain number of players they keep at each position, so I have never done this breakdown by position. Instead, I offer what is more like a “power ranking” of players from 1-80.

Keep in mind, GM Ozzie Newsome is likely to make an addition or two (a veteran backup quarterback-perhaps still Marc Bulger namely) before either Saturday’s cut day or the team’s opener September 11 against the Pittsburgh Steelers at M&T Bank Stadium.

1. DT Haloti Ngata
2. QB Joe Flacco
3. LB Terrell Suggs
4. RB Ray Rice
5. WR Anquan Boldin
6. S Ed Reed
7. LB Ray Lewis
8. G Ben Grubbs
9. G Marshal Yanda
10. CB Jimmy Smith

Whether or not Smith is a starter on September 11 is the only issue in this group. All of these guys are clearly on the team and significant contributors.

11. OT Michael Oher
12. WR Lee Evans
13. FB Vonta Leach
14. DE Cory Redding
15. P Sam Koch
16. TE Ed Dickson
17. S Bernard Pollard
18. K Billy Cundiff
19. DT Terrence Cody
20. LB Jarret Johnson

Like the first group, the players in the group above are all safely on the roster and are expected to be significant contributors.

21. CB Cary Williams
22. S Tom Zbikowski
23. C Matt Birk
24. OT Bryant McKinnie
25. CB Chris Carr
26. S Haruki Nakamura
27. TE Dennis Pitta
28. RB Ricky Williams
29. LB Jameel McClain
30. WR Torrey Smith

There’s no drama in this group either. McClain still appears to be the frontrunner for the other starting ILB job, while the team has remained steadfast in their support of Torrey Smith despite struggles. There’s a chance he’s not the third receiver on September 11, but he’s absolutely safe on the roster.

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The most eventful moment of the afternoon occurred when a tremor from the earthquake felt up and down the coast struck the Ravens training facility less than an hour following Tuesday’s practice.

And, no, it had nothing to do with defensive tackle Terrence Cody if that’s what you’re thinking.

Prior to the earthquake, players completed a light shells-and-shorts practice in preparation for their meeting with the Washington Redskins on Thursday night. The practice was comparable to a typical Friday workout in the regular season, according to coach John Harbaugh.

Most starters are scheduled to play well into the third quarter, if not the entire first three quarters while select veterans such as Ray Lewis and Ed Reed are not expected to see as much time. The third preseason game is widely viewed as the dress rehearsal for the start of the regular season. Harbaugh said the team watched film of Washington this week, but they have not installed a game plan for the Redskins, who the Ravens coach complimented as one of the most impressive teams of the preseason.

“We want to win, we always want to win,” Harbaugh said. “The guys that are going to have to win the game in the fourth quarter are all the young guys — just like they were able to do last week and that was good to see. We want to see us developing into a winning and a championship football team, and you guys will be able to recognize that, whether it’s on defense or offense, specials teams. We want to play well, and we’re going to go against a team that’s playing really well in the preseason.”

Linebacker Jarret Johnson returned to practice after sitting out the last two days with tightness in his back. Following Tuesday’s practice, he announced his intention to play on Thursday night.

Right guard Marshal Yanda (back) and cornerback Chris Carr (hamstring) also practiced on a limited basis. It appears unlikely that Yanda will play after missing five straight practices last week with back spasms and only participating for the opening portion of practice over the last three days.

Carr has been hindered by a hamstring tweak since last Monday.

Cornerback Domonique Foxworth sat out Tuesday’s light practice in what’s become a fairly predictable pattern during training camp. The veteran is still building strength in his surgically-repaired knee and has received periodic days off since training camp began in late July. With Foxworth not practicing, rookie Jimmy Smith and third-year player Cary Williams were once again running with the first team.

The Ravens have officially reached a deal with former North Carolina defensive end Michael McAdoo. The rookie became a free agent after he was not selected in the NFL supplemental draft on Monday.

At 6-foot-7 and 245 pounds, McAdoo possesses freakish size, but will be considered more of a long-term project than an option as a pass rush specialist in 2011. Declared ineligible by the NCAA as a junior last season due to an academic cheating incident, McAdoo compiled 29 tackles and 3 1/2 sacks in his freshman and sophomore seasons in Chapel Hill.

McAdoo fits the mold of a rush end or outside linebacker, depending on the defensive system.

“He’s on his way here,” Harbaugh said. “He’s going to get a physical at some point. Don’t know much about him. I’ve heard good things about him. He’s a guy that got caught up in some situations there at North Carolina, but he’s supposed to be a very good guy and a very talented guy. We’re looking forward to seeing him here.”

The Ravens will have a walk-through on Wednesday in final preparation for Thursday’s preseason game in Baltimore. The session will be closed to the media.

Visit the BuyAToyota.com Audio Vault to hear more from John Harbaugh as well as Thyrl Nelson’s conversation with outside linebacker Paul Kruger following Tuesday afternoon’s practice.

It may only be a preseason game, but tonight versus the Kansas City Chiefs is going to be a good test for a Ravens defense continuing its tradition of being stout on the run.

And despite seeing him in limited action tonight at M&T Bank Stadium, the Ravens know they will face backs this year like KC running back Jamaal Charles, who finished 2nd in the AFC last year with 1,467 yards rushing.

Throughout the 2011 season, it’s going to be on guys like DL Cory Redding, who joined Glenn Clark this week on his afternoon live after practice, to bottle up the run.

And with one game in the books-despite giving up only 13 points in the Ravens preseason loss-Redding and the Ravens defense wants to improve game-by-game even if they don’t matter.

“The biggest thing that we take from the first game is that we don’t want to give up seven,” Redding said. “We were kind of disappointed with how few mistakes we made [that] we allowed them to get in the end zone.”

Now, with another game under their belt, every member of the Ravens defense-from younster to a veteran like Redding-are hoping to improve and get themselves ready for the Week1 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

“This is preseason, and we can’t take too much out of it,” Redding said, “but in the terms of hustling and working hard, those things are going to come. Just be where you’re supposed to be when you are supposed to be there, and everything will work out.”

As a veteran, Redding hopes they work things out sooner rather than later, so that the Ravens defense has that good feeling sitting on the sidelines.

But at the same time, Redding knows that even when his time on the field is over, it’s a teaching and learning experience for him till the final seconds wind down on the clock.

“Guys are fighting for jobs,” Redding said. “They will make mistakes and they are learning. We don’t have a long off-season for these guys to learn our plays with our complex defense…so they could be going to the wrong gap, so our defense can get weak at times.”

Redding has seen three second-year guys in particular that  haven’t been doing that-Arthur Jones, Terrence Cody, and Sergio Kindle-and that aspect of the Baltimore youth movement on defense is a sight to see.

“Art is doing good,” Redding said. “Arthur is a lot better understanding where and why we want him in certain places. He is understanding the system a lot more and he is letting the game come to him unlike the rest panicking when tough situations occur on the field.”

With Cody, Redding said that the defensive tackle may be the quickest learner in this shortened off-season so far. In other words, if there is a most-improved player, Redding threw his hat in Cody’s corner.

“Terrence came in shape and of course with the heat and all, everyone had tough days but he fought through it and he’s out there making tremendous plays for us.”

In essence, Cody looks like he could be a valuable asset to this defense given his inability to get on the field last year due to injury or conditioning.

“He’s holding the gap and he’s chasing balls down,” Redding said from a glance. “He looks like he’s lost two people. He looks really good, and he’s a big man who’s moving well for his size.”

“We are looking for good things out of him and he’s having a really good time right now.”

And finally, Redding said that when he’s lined up in practice and when the whistle blows in practice, there has always been one guy around the ball on every play-the linebacker hailing from the same school as Redding in the University of Texas-Sergio Kindle.

“It’s good to see my younger star,” Redding laughed.  “He’s out there playing like a little kid. He’s excited to be out there playing again being out for a year…it is pretty awesome.”

Overall, it’s on all these guys developing together that’s going to make  Chuck Pagano’s job that much easier-and easier for a old veteran like Cory Redding.

And for the team prepping for Pittsburgh Week 1 on September 11th.

“That is what its all about and that is huge and that is what we want,” said Redding.  You want to know all the way, to see and be the kind of team you want to be, an opener with you rival what better game to start off the season than with the Steelers”

Tune into WNST following Ravens-Chiefs tonight for your Nasty Purple Post-Game Show!

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Ravens had their full allotment of cornerbacks on the practice field Sunday, making the two players working with the first defense all the more surprising.

Rookie Jimmy Smith and third-year defensive back Cary Williams played extensively with the starting defense as Chris Carr and Lardarius Webb — the starters in the preseason opener — rotated inside in nickel and dime packages. Veteran Domonique Foxworth practiced on a limited basis but did not take reps in 11-on-11 team sessions as he continues to work his way back to full strength from ACL surgery a year ago.

Smith’s involvement with the starting defense should not surprise too many people, given the fact that the Ravens viewed him as a top-10 talent when they selected him with the 27th overall pick in April. However, seeing the 6-foot-1 Williams work with the first unit was a product of his strong play in camp and performance against the Eagles last Thursday.

“A guy deserves an opportunity,” coach John Harbaugh, who wanted to get a look at how Williams and Smith fit with the rest of the starting defense. “He’s played really well, and we try to do that. We always say the best guys play the most, and he’s earned that. It’s nothing against anybody else. I think everybody’s played well, but we’ll see how he looks in there and see how he does.”

It’s important to remember this was only one practice, but the sheer size of Williams (6-foot-1) and Smith (6-foot-2) would be an intriguing element before you even factor in their impressive athleticism. Regardless of whether Williams finds himself on the field on Sept. 11 or this was simply a cameo appearance, it’s pretty apparent that his roster spot is pretty safe after most expected him to compete with rookie Chykie Brown for the fifth cornerback job.

Visit the BuyAToyota.com Audio Vault to hear more from John Harbaugh following Sunday’s practice.

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — As the Ravens hit the practice field late Sunday afternoon, defensive tackle Terrence Cody returned after being sidelined Saturday with a minor ankle injury.

However, starting right guard Marshal Yanda was again missing as he continues to deal with back spasms. Maligned offensive lineman Oniel Cousins is once again working at right guard with rookie Jah Reid assuming duties at right tackle with the first offense.

A day after returning to the practice field after dealing with a hamstring injury throughout training camp, receiver James Hardy was not practicing. At 6-foot-5, the 25-year-old Hardy appeared to have a good chance to crack the 53-man roster — especially after the Ravens failed in their effort to sign San Diego wideout Malcom Floyd — but his chances continue to fade as he can’t stay on the field.

Safety Ed Reed was present on the field but not dressed to practice, indicating the 32-year-old was taking the day off as he has on a few occasions this summer. He was doing some individual work with the other defensive backs while wearing his jersey, shorts, and a ball cap.

Others not practicing included receiver David Reed (physically-unable-to-perform list – wrist), running back Damien Berry (undisclosed), offensive lineman Brady Bond (left leg), and center Matt Birk (knee surgery).

With Ramon Harewood’s return to practice on Saturday, Reed is the only player remaining on the active PUP list.

Thursday night at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia is the moment Ravens fans have all been in anticipation of as for the first time-even if it’s in exhibition mode-we will get a look at what the 2011 Ravens have in store when it comes to the product on the field.

With the labor turmoil behind us and now the focus solely on the game of football, coach John Harbaugh will now look to his expanded roster to see if there are going to be any concerns going forward in preseason as the team prepares for its Week 1 opener against the Steelers September 11th.

Here is a position-by-position look at some of the question marks going into Thursday against the Eagles, and hopefully some things we hope to see out of those players in the way of answers.

Quarterback-Obviously, Joe Flacco will start Thursday and will likely see two series of work or about a quarter of action. Flacco-who has improved his statistics in each of his first three seasons-doesn’t need to prove anything to anyone; however, he may need to get some game-action with some new faces. It will be interesting to see if Flacco continues to rely on Anquan Boldin as a security blanket early on, or if we see the eventual building of a rapport between Flacco and one of the newer faces in the receiving corps.

Once Flacco leaves, it will be on sixth-round pick Tyrod Taylor-who took a significant step forward his senior year at Virginia Tech-to try and prove he deserves the backup role to Joe Flacco. In camp so far, he has been back-and-forth with his accuracy, and it will be on Taylor to show the coaching staff they can have faith in a rookie as Joe Flacco’s backup-maybe the only backup at the position. If not, it gives 2010 practice squad quarterback Hunter Cantwell, who at least has more experience with the playbook than Taylor, to show what he can do under center.

Running Back-Running back Ray Rice will get his first taste of NFL action this year, but in this case, it will be a nibble. The Ravens definitely don’t want to risk injury to a player who is going to get a considerable amount of touches offensively-not just in the running game but also screen passes from Joe Flacco.

Also not playing Thursday will be the newly added Ricky Williams, who still may not be ready to suit up for the Ravens after signing this week. He is familiar with OC Cam Cameron’s playbook from their time in Miami, but all this means is that rookie Anthony Allen, Jalen Parmele, and Damien Berry will battle for carries and a roster spot or two behind Rice and Williams. Vonta Leach and the only other remaining FB on the roster, rookie free agent Ryan Mahaffey out of Northern Iowa, will clear the running lanes.

Wide Receivers-Behind the given in  Boldin, this is a position where the Ravens are going to need immediate impact from some younger players, most notably two of their draft picks in Torrey Smith and Tandon Doss. Quarterback Joe Flacco has sworn by the route-running ability of Doss, the Ravens’ fourth-round pick and Smith has made several big plays during drills in camp.

However, Smith needs to prove that he can be a reliable option across from Boldin. Smith needs to focus on making catches outside of his body, which has caused the former Terp to drop several passes in camp.

Outside of Smith and Doss, it will be interesting to see if veterans Brandon Jones (Titans) and James Hardy (Bills) can make plays against some lesser competition across from them. It they do, it could help their causes in making the roster. Hardy-at 6’5, 220, could be a valuable asset in the red zone and along the sideline if shows the ability to go up and get a jump ball over a defender. Other players like Marcus Smith, Justin Harper, LaQuan Williams, etc need to make plays otherwise they’ll be finding their way off the roster.

BALTIMORE — Following an annual open practice at M&T Bank Stadium in front of 24,078; fans will not have another opportunity to see the Baltimore Ravens again until their preseason opener against the Philadelphia Eagles Thursday night at Lincoln Financial Field.

Sunday’s practice provided some clarity for Ravens fans however, as the team gave a look at would could be expected at various positions.

QUARTERBACK:

There’s of course no question as to who the team’s starting quarterback will be Thursday (Joe Flacco). But with starters not expected to play much in the opener, the retirement of 2010 backup Marc Bulger has left the Ravens with little experience behind him.

Rookie Tyrod Taylor (Virginia Tech) has worked as the team’s backup in Training Camp, and will be likely to get the most snaps Thursday night after Flacco departs. Following Taylor is Hunter Cantwell, a practice squad QB a year ago who is currently the team’s third stringer. Cantwell did VERY limited work in Saturday’s practice and appears to clearly be behind Taylor on the depth chart.

The team could still make a move to bring in a veteran backup before Thursday night, but it would be unlikely a new quarterback would get significant playing time as early as Thursday after limited practice.

RUNNING BACK:

Once again, the team has no questions as far as starters are concerned. 2009 Pro Bowl RB Ray Rice and 2010 Pro Bowl FB Vonta Leach will patrol the backfield to open the game; but neither are expected to play significant time.

The RB position behind Rice is wide open at the moment. The most likely candidates to enter after Rice are Jalen Parmele and rookie Anthony Allen (Georgia Tech), who have each taken second team reps in practice. Parmele is more probable, but both are expected to see a number of plays.

Undrafted rookie Damien Berry (Miami) appears to be fourth on the RB depth chart at the moment, but should keep getting work. If the Ravens don’t add veteran depth at the position, he’s very much in the battle for a roster spot. The team also has undrafted rookie and Mervo grad Walter Sanders (St. Augustine) on the roster, he’ll likely see a few snaps in the second half of Thursday night’s contest as well.

The wild card in the group is veteran RB/ST Matt Lawrence, who missed all of the 2010 season with a knee injury. Lawrence has had very little participation in camp thus far (he did not practice Saturday), but would be expected to see playing time Thursday night if healthy.

Undrafted FB Ryan Mahaffey (Northern Iowa) could see snaps behind Leach.

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — With the training complex alive with players and media alike for the first time since draft weekend, the Ravens leave a long labor war behind them and thankfully turn their full attention to preparations for the 2011 season.

Tuesday’s voluntary report day included the likes of Ray Rice, Domonique Foxworth, Lardarius Webb, and Terrence Cody while rookies took the opportunity to gain their bearings in a facility in which some of them haven’t been able to set foot. Players had the option to take their physicals and conditioning test a day ahead of Wednesday’s report date for those under contract. The entire team will meet for the first time at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, according to coach John Harbaugh.

“The heat broke, the players will be happy, it cooled down a little bit, they’re just in time!” Harbaugh said. “We have labor peace and we have a break in the heat wave.”

While players expressed their enthusiasm for returning to work, Monday’s news of the impending cuts of veterans Derrick Mason, Todd Heap, Kelly Gregg, and Willis McGahee put a damper on an otherwise exciting day in Owings Mills. Some players such the third-year cornerback Webb hadn’t heard of the roster cuts until arriving at the facility Tuesday morning.

Harbaugh expressed hope that the Ravens may be able to bring back a few of the aforementioned players while acknowledging the chaotic nature of an abbreviated free agent period.

“I know Ozzie [Newsome] wanted to call those guys right away and let them know before they heard it from anywhere else,” Harbaugh said. “It’s just the reality of the salary cap, it’s the situation we’re in right now, and going forward, we’ve got to try to make the best team we can. That’s not ruling anything out, either. I think, in this climate, anything is possible.”

The veteran cornerback Foxworth — who missed the entire 2010 season with a torn ACL — quipped that he’s been avoiding general manager Ozzie Newsome in fear of being the next one who’s shown the door, in part because of his prominent role in the NFL labor negotiations.

“If they don’t resign [the four veteran cuts], I’m going to miss those guys,” Foxworth said. “Fortunately, they’re going to release them before free agency. You can add their names to this free agency bonanza that’s going on.”

Foxworth declared himself 100 percent healthy after an off-season of “ups and downs.” He has no intention of starting training camp on the physically unable to perform list and aims to be starting Week 1 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

“When you get out there and play those guys, it’s going to be a great game.”

Foxworth proud of new safety rules

With Foxworth arriving at the complex less than 24 hours after appearing at the joint press conference announcing the new labor agreement on Monday, his involvement in the process was a hot topic of discussion.

One of the most prominent changes concerns player safety, taking effect immediately for training camp. Players will not take part in any hitting for the first three days of camp, and traditional “two-a-days” are now history. Teams are allowed to hold two practices in the same day — one can only be a light walk-through — but cannot be on the field for more than four hours per day.

“A lot of coaches aren’t happy with the rules changes, but it’s something that we thought was important to do to protect our players, especially with all of the new information we’ve gotten about head injuries,” Foxworth said. “Not only for us, I think it sets an example for college, high school, and youth players about the significance of taking care of your players and protecting your guys, especially during practice.”

Rice ready to take leadership role

With his top competitor in the backfield and two veteran offensive leaders now gone, Rice expressed a desire and a responsibility to take a more vocal role — along with quarterback Joe Flacco and left tackle Michael Oher — in the Baltimore offense.

“When you take away certain guys like that who are your leaders, it’s always next man up,” Rice said. “Needless to say, I think my time is now where I can become one of the vocal leaders on this team and on this offense.

“That’s not bashing guys, because guys know I work hard. I go out there, when something needs to be done, I’m not going to wait for the coaches to correct it. These guys understand that every game, every moment is precious.”

Undrafted rookies joining fold

The undrafted rookie names became trickling in via Twitter Monday night, with a number of them linked to the Ravens. With the four-month long lockout, rookie free agents have faced a difficult timeline compared to the normal timetable of being inked in the hours and days following the draft.

Many rookies announced their signing on social media while others have been confirmed by multiple media outlets.

Rookie free agents reportedly coming to Baltimore include Maryland receiver (and Baltimore native) LaQuan Williams, Missouri center Tim Barnes, Syracuse guard Tim Bartholomew, Miami running back Damien Berry, Ohio State guard Justin Boren, Oregon defensive back Talmadge Jackson, Tennessee defensive end Chris Walker, Florida defensive lineman Terron Sanders,  Arkansas State defensive tackle Bryan Hall, St. Augustine running back Walter Sanders, Auburn linebacker Josh Bynes, Hawaii receiver Rod Bradley, Utah State long snapper Patrick Scales, and Hawaii safety Mana Silva.

Boston College linebacker — and cancer survivor — Mark Herzlich was linked to the Ravens Monday night, but he instead decided to sign with the New York Giants.

Cody trimmed down

The most prominent name many Ravens fans were concerned about in reporting to camp in shape was second-year defensive tackle Terrence Cody.

Looking noticeably slimmer, Cody adjusted his diet and calorie intake in the off-season and declared himself ready to be a three-down player. With Gregg no longer in the team’s current plans, Cody will find himself in the mix for a starting spot on the defensive line.

“I felt like I could have played [more] last year, but I had an injury that slowed me down and then it took me awhile to get into playing shape.”

Visit the BuyAToyota.com Audio Vault to hear more from John Harbaugh, Derrick Mason, Ray Rice, Domonique Foxworth, Torrey Smith, Lardarius Webb, and Terrence Cody on the first day back at the training complex in Owings Mills.

On a day where the NFL players executive committee, along with player reps from all 32 teams voted unanimously to approve the CBA and get back to the business of football, so too were the Ravens personnel staff when it came to getting back to the business of making tough roster decisions.

“We are excited to be back in the business of football and looking forward to having our players back,” Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome said in a statement Monday afternoon officially kicking off the Ravens off-season agenda.

However with a new CBA tentatively in place pending re-certification of the players union and a new salary cap of 120 million set, the Ravens didn’t take long to make decisions regarding the trying to free up necessary cap space to sign their draftees, eligible free agents, and upgrades, as the Ravens cut four big name players on Monday-three of them integral parts of the offense.

Much like the bell kicking off the day at the New York Stock Exchange, the Ravens said right off the bat that moves-including the tough ones-would be coming, and they followed up on their promises.

The Ravens cut ties Monday afternoon with RB Willis McGahee, DT Kelly Gregg, TE Todd Heap, and WR Derrick Mason, saving roughly close to 20 million dollars in cap space.

All this occurs on the eve of welcoming in their veteran players tomorrow at 10AM in Owings Mills to get the 2011 season underway.

Newsome said in the same statement that things are different now playing under new rules as opposed to the anarchy of no-CBA in 2010.

In a sense, returning to football came with a price.

“With this agreement comes a new salary cap, unlike last season when there was no cap,” Newsome said. “We will be making a number of roster moves in the next 48 hours that will free up salary cap space.”

Newsome justified the future moves-the four Ravens veterans cannot officially be cut until Thursday and are expected to travel to Owings Mills for exit physicals-by saying that it puts the team in better position to make off-season deals as opposed to handcuffing them for years to come.

“This will give us the ability to make offers to our players we want to re-sign, plus put us in a position to sign free agents from other teams,” he said.

And indeed it did.

By those four moves alone-the Ravens-a team already roughly five million under the cap, saved themselves roughly 18.5 million dollars in salary cap room with the departures of Heap, Mason, Gregg, and McGahee.

This will also go a long ways toward agreeing to terms with draft picks Jimmy Smith, Torrey Smith, Jah Reid, and others.

But even with that money eventually being freed up to use on the Ravens of the future, it certainly is tough for Raven Nation to watch four veterans who put in a combined 30-years in a Baltimore uniform go maybe for good.

Heap, the team’s first-round pick in 2001, put together 10 quality seasons catching 467 balls for 5,492 and 41 touchdowns.

Heap declined to comment until the move became official on Thursday, and given that stance, it could mean that he could be quickly back in a Ravens uniform after negotiating a new deal.

Mason, the team’s all-time leading receiver with 5,777 yards in six seasons after coming over as a free agent from Tennessee in 2005, was only expected to be released had the team made another veteran move.

And while that move could be days away from being official, it appears Mason may have wore out his welcome in Baltimore with retirement talk, criticism of Roger Goodell, “vows of silence” to the media, and complaining about his role on the team. (continued)