OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Praising a team effort not just among his players but also with his coaches, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh made a key addition to his staff earlier this week that was lost in the excitement of the franchise’s first Super Bowl appearance in 12 years.

Former Eagles defensive coordinator and longtime offensive line coach Juan Castillo was hired as a consultant for the remainder of the season and will serve as the Ravens’ run-game coordinator next season, a new position that will aid offensive coordinator Jim Caldwell. Harbaugh announced that Caldwell would remain as the coordinator after being elevated to the position following the firing of Cam Cameron on Dec. 10.

Castillo will be working with a running game that finished 11th in the league by averaging 118.8 yards per game on the ground.

“He’ll be kind of a lead coach in terms of the run game and organizing the run game for us,” Harbaugh said. “Of course, he’ll work closely with Jim and all the coaches. Who’s in charge of what? Guys work together on a staff. Coach Caldwell’s done a great job of making that point time and time again. That’s true on the defensive staff, too.”

The decision to bring in Castillo isn’t surprising considering Harbaugh worked with Castillo for 10 years in Philadelphia, with Castillo serving as the Eagles’ offensive line coach and the Baltimore head coach serving as special teams coordinator and a secondary coach under Andy Reid. Castillo was promoted to Eagles defensive coordinator in 2011, but his tenure in that role turned into a disaster as Philadephia’s star-studded defense underachieved dramatically and the longtime assistant was fired on Oct. 16, 2012.

Reid was dismissed after the Eagles finished 4-12 in his final season. Castillo received opportunities to coach for several other teams but his familiarity with Harbaugh led to him joining the Baltimore staff at an ideal time.

“Juan is a tremendous football coach. He had lots of opportunities,” Harbaugh said. “He’s been coaching in the National Football League, both sides of the ball, obviously, with a lot of responsibility. Highly knowledgeable, great teacher. I had a chance to work with him for 10 years in Philadelphia, so I know this man very well.”

Given his wealth of knowledge working along the offensive line, Castillo figures to be a major asset for current offensive line coach Andy Moeller. The former Eagles assistant will also alleviate some pressure on Caldwell in terms of the running game, so he can continue to work closely with quarterback Joe Flacco.

Castillo’s role will be more clearly defined when this season ends and the Ravens get into the offseason.

“It’s an opportunity for us to improve our football team, the overall talent pool that we have here whether it’s player or coach,” Harbaugh said. “We try to get better — you either get better or you get worse — so we add him into our staff, which I think already is just a great stuff. It makes us better and that’s the whole idea.”

Suggs saving best for late

A simply look at the stat sheet tells you how much more of an impact linebacker Terrell Suggs is providing in the postseason after an injury-riddle season that included offseason Achilles tendon surgery and a torn biceps suffered in December.

Limited to only eight games in the regular season, Suggs finished with 22 tackles and two sacks. However, the 30-year-old has emerged in the postseason by posting 19 tackles, two sacks, and a forced fumble in three wins over Indianapolis, Denver, and New England.

Suggs is regaining his explosiveness in the latter portion of the season and played his strongest game of the season in Denver, collecting 10 tackles, two sacks, and a forced fumble in the Ravens’ 38-35 double-overtime win over Peyton Manning and the Broncos.

“We haven’t monitored or charted his explosive ‘quotient’ so far, but he is getting better,” Harbaugh said. “He’s becoming quicker, faster, more explosive, stronger, all those things. You can tell that it’s healing. He’s just playing more like a normal, 100-percent Terrell Suggs would play.”

With San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick providing a challenge as both a runner and passer, Suggs’ ability to set the edge as well as to provide pressure in the pocket will be critical in slowing the zone-read attack from the pistol formation.

Best birthday ever

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OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Much has been made about the acquisition of cornerback Aqib Talib and the effect it’s had on the New England secondary, but you’ll forgive the Ravens and wide receiver Torrey Smith if they aren’t overly impressed.

Of course, Baltimore wouldn’t share such a sentiment publicly about the Patriots’ 29th-ranked pass defense, but a 38-35 victory over the Denver Broncos in which Smith shredded All-Pro cornerback Champ Bailey for two long touchdowns won’t exactly cause you to fear New England’s underwhelming unit. Talib has provided a boost to New England’s defense, allowing the Patriots to move cornerback Devin McCourty to free safety, but they still struggle against the pass.

In two career games against the Patriots, Smith has caught nine passes for 209 yards and three touchdowns. His Week 3 performance in which he reined in two touchdowns less than 24 hours following the tragic death of his younger brother was one of the most inspiring efforts in the NFL this season.

“It’s not that there’s any difference against those guys,” Smith said. “I just play the game. I just happened to play well against them the past few times. It’s not like I have their number or anything. I just go out there and run our offense. I’ve been able to be OK against them – hopefully, it continues. But it’s going to be tough.”

During the regular season, the Patriots allowed a league-worst 74 passes of 20 yards or more, which should leave quarterback Joe Flacco licking his chops as the Ravens completed 62 passes of at least 20 yards and have repeatedly gone vertical in each of their two postseason wins this month.

Acquired for a fourth-round pick from Tampa Bay on Nov. 1, the mercurial Talib has stabilized the New England pass defense, but it’s difficult to imagine offensive coordinator Jim Caldwell shying away from the Patriots’ No. 1 corner after the Ravens went after Bailey repeatedly in the divisional round. In six regular-season games with New England, Talib made 19 tackles, broke up two passes, and intercepted one.

Labeled a “riverboat gambler” by Caldwell, Talib will likely be entrusted with slowing down Smith or Jacoby Jones in the vertical passing game, but the Ravens proved once again last Saturday that they won’t hesitate to attack any cornerback in the league.

“You don’t always go into a ballgame [with the thought] in mind that you are going to go after this guy or that guy,” Caldwell said. “You try to spread it around and look at what they do from a schematic standpoint and see where you can attack what best suits your offense. That’s kind of how we look at it more so than anything else.”

In other words, if Smith or Jones is matched up in single-man coverage against Talib with no safety help, you can bet Flacco will be ready to take a shot vertically.

Pees hiring hit man?

Asked how to make life uncomfortable for Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, Ravens defensive coordinator Dean Pees offered a humorous but candid suggestion about the man he watched closely in his days as a New England assistant to Bill Belichick.

“Hire Tonya Harding,” said Pees as he laughed. “If they were getting off the bus, I’d spray water outside the bus and hope it freezes. He is who he is. I went against him up there in practice for six years. He’s as competitive of a person as I’ve ever been around.”

In addition to trying to pressure Brady inside the pocket, Pees explained how critical it is to mix up coverages against New England’s many talented weapons, ranging from Wes Welker and Aaron Hernandez to Danny Woodhead and Shane Vereen out of the backfield.

Welker operates almost exclusively from the slot as he was targeted 125 times for 1,040 receiving yards from that position, according to Pro Football Focus. Cornerback Corey Graham will draw the daunting task of staying with Welker as the Ravens are expected to play the nickel package extensively, with Graham sliding inside as No. 3 cornerback Chykie Brown enters the game to play on the outside opposite Cary Williams.

“He is a very quick guy. He catches the ball well,” Graham said. “Brady is looking for him a lot, and he makes a lot of guys miss with fakes and things like that, so he is a complete receiver. I have my hands full in the slot, but I am up to the challenge.”

The Ravens will not have to deal with the matchup nightmare that is tight end Rob Gronkowski, who was placed on injured reserve Thursday after re-injuring his forearm against Houston last Sunday, but Hernandez also provides a unique blend of speed and athleticism at the position. Such an athlete at that position creates matchup problems as Pees must decide whether to use a linebacker such as Dannell Ellerbe or strong safety Bernard Pollard in coverage.

The answer will vary depending on the situation while facing a Hall of Fame quarterback, according to Pees.

“You can’t go in there and say, ‘The whole game, OK, I’m going to put a strong safety on this guy.’” Pees said. “That’s not going to take Brady very long to figure that one out, nor is it going to be the same if we end up putting a linebacker on him all the time. The key is to let them have to figure it out after the ball is snapped, who’s on him, and then you just can’t keep doing the same thing over and over with Tom, or he’ll gash you.”

Bouncing back from “special” kind of nightmare

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At some point over the final seven minutes of regulation in Denver on Saturday night, Steve Bisciotti saw the big picture while everyone else wondered if the Ravens’ season was coming to an end after Peyton Manning threw a touchdown pass to Demaryius Thomas midway through the fourth quarter.

Under the weather and unable to make the trip to Sports Authority Field at Mile High, the Ravens owner did something he’d never done before by reaching out to John Harbaugh as the fourth quarter pressed on. Bisciotti knew the head coach wouldn’t see the text message until after the game, of course, but he wanted Harbaugh to know how impressed he was with such a valiant effort against the No. 1 seed Broncos.

“I’ve never texted you during a game,” Harbaugh read to his team following the 38-35 double-overtime win. “We are down 35-28. And I think it’s the best game I’ve ever seen us in the playoffs since 2000. Win or lose, I am so proud of the team and proud of you.”

Though not prophetic in the sense that Bisciotti predicted the final outcome or could foresee what would unfold, the gesture was just the latest in a list of special occurrences that make you wonder about these Ravens. Harbaugh and inside linebacker Ray Lewis have consistently referenced their faith and while I don’t subscribe to the idea that God or any divine being is concerned with the outcome of football games, there is an overwhelming amount of evidence to support that notion if you so choose.

The Ravens’ run to a second consecutive AFC championship game may not be fate, but it sure feels like a storybook tale, filled with trials, tragedy, and triumph. Perhaps that’s what Bisciotti was acknowledging in reaching out to his head coach in those closing minutes of regulation on Saturday night. Harbaugh couldn’t help but share it with his team following one of the greatest wins in the history of the franchise.

“It was just something I thought the team needed to hear, coming from him,” Harbaugh said. “He is a great leader. Our players love him. They love when he is around. He is an inspiration to all of our guys. To me, this organization, he sets the tone here. It’s a great organization because of his vision. The guys needed to hear that in that moment. I’ll tell you, I think they appreciated hearing it.”

And why wouldn’t they after such a remarkable season, filled with highs and lows?

The Ravens lost their original owner Arthur B. Modell just days before the start of the regular season. The man responsible for the very existence of the franchise here in Baltimore has been memorialized with a simple patch reading “Art” on the team’s jerseys all season long.

Personal tragedy struck young wide receiver Torrey Smith when his younger brother Tevin was killed in a motorcyle accident the night before the Ravens’ Week 3 meeting with the New England Patriots. Unsure if he would play earlier in the day, Smith caught two touchdown passes to lead the Ravens to a 31-30 victory as a national audience marveled at his courage on that Sunday night in September.

Injuries that would have devastated most teams have only strengthened the Ravens’ will as only two defensive players started all 16 games this season. Linebacker Terrell Suggs overcame a torn Achilles tendon in the offseason to return in mid-October before having to play through another debilitating injury when he suffered a torn biceps to begin the month of December. Playing nowhere near full strength all season, Suggs’ two sacks of Manning were critical in Saturday’s divisional-round win.

Ray Lewis, the face of the franchise playing in his 17th season, tore his right triceps on Oct. 14 as nearly everyone but the linebacker thought his season — and potentially his career — was over. Instead, the 37-year-old returned to action just in time for the playoffs and announced he would retire at the end of this “final ride” in the postseason.

A three-game losing streak in December that included the dismissal of offensive coordinator Cam Cameron and the promotion of quarterbacks coach Jim Caldwell threatened to dismantle the good vibes of a 9-2 start, but the Ravens rebounded to beat the New York Giants in convincing fashion to clinch their second straight AFC North division title in Week 16. An offense described as schizophrenic for most of the season has looked as potent as any in the NFL in disposing of the Indianapolis Colts and outscoring the powerful Denver Broncos in two playoff wins.

It’s rarely been easy or pretty, but here the Ravens stand in the middle of January, one of four remaining teams with a chance of raising the Vince Lombardi Trophy on the first Sunday in February.

“I don’t think a lot of people expected us to be here,” defensive tackle Haloti Ngata said. “For us to overcome a lot of things, not only injuries but some family problems with Torrey’s family, everything that has happened with our team, I think we all just understand that we’re a family here, and we can lean on each other and depend on each other.”

The highs have been as fun as any in franchise history as “Fourth and 29″ and “The Prayer in Thin Air” are words that will now live forever in Baltimore football lore.

Under-the-radar performers such as Corey Graham and Jacoby Jones, signed largely for their special-teams abilities, have been critical to the Ravens’ success in ways few would have envisioned in the offseason. Even the former punchline of the 53-man roster, veteran offensive tackle Bryant McKinnie, has finally regained his starting job to bolster an offensive line playing better now than it did all season.

Rookie kicker Justin Tucker, anointed by the Ravens to replace Billy Cundiff after a heartbreaking 32-yard miss in last year’s AFC Championship, rewarded the organization for its decision by nailing the game-winning 47-yard field goal in double overtime Saturday to send Baltimore back to the conference championship game.

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Following every Baltimore Ravens game this season, Ryan Chell and I will take to the airwaves Tuesdays on “The Reality Check” on AM1570 WNST.net with a segment known as “The Five Plays That Determined The Game.”

It’s a simple concept. We’ll select five plays from each game that determined the outcome. These five plays will best represent why the Ravens won or lost each game.

This will be our final analysis of the previous game before switching gears towards the next game on the schedule.

Here are the five plays that determined the Ravens’ 38-35 2OT win over the Denver Broncos Saturday at Sports Authority Field at Mile High in an AFC divisional playoff game…

(Note: not all pictures are always of actual play)

Glenn Clark’s Plays…

5. Ma’ake Kemoeatu tackles Ronnie Hillman for no gain on 3rd & 7 (4th quarter)

4. Dennis Pitta 27 yard catch from Joe Flacco on 3rd & 13 from Baltimore 3 (Overtime)

3. Justin Tucker 47 yard field goal GOOD (Double Overtime)

2. Jacoby Jones 70 yard touchdown catch from Joe Flacco (4th quarter)

1. Corey Graham intercepts Peyton Manning pass intended for Brandon Stokley (Overtime)

(Ryan’s Plays on Page 2…)