Game Preview: Baltimore Ravens

Today Big Blue View takes a look at the Ravens in preparation for their game against the Giants.

2008 Record: 6-3 (tied for 1^st place, AFC North)

Head Coach: John Harbaugh

Last time they met: In 2004, the Ravens beat the Giants 37-14 in Baltimore.

OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Cam Cameron

DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Rex Ryan

KEY ADDITIONS: QB Joe Flacco (1st Round, Delaware), RB Ray Rice (2nd Round, Rutgers), FB Lorenzo Neal (from Chargers), TE Adam Bergen (from Cardinals), G Adrien Clarke (from Jets), OL Oniel Cousins (3rd Round, UTEP), LB Brendon Ayanbadejo (from Bears), LB Tavares Gooden (3rd Round, Miami-Florida), CB Fabian Washington (from Raiders), CB Frank Walker (from Packers), S Tom Zbikowski (3rd Round, Notre Dame), S Jim Leonhard (from Bills)

KEY DEPARTURES: QB Steve McNair (retired), RB Musa Smith (to Jets), RB Mike Anderson (released), WR Devard Darling (to Chiefs), T Jonathan Ogden (retired), LB Prescott Burgess (injured/out for season), S Gerome Sapp (not tendered), RS B.J. Sams (to Chiefs)

NOTES AND QUOTES:

• Derrick Mason said he expects to play in Sunday's game against the New York Giants. Mason, who dislocated his left shoulder Sunday, is not expected to practice this week before the showdown against the defending Super Bowl champions. "I'm going to make the trip to New York and I expect to be on the field," said Mason, 34, who has played in 99 straight games. "My body typically responds well whenever I've had injuries. Just because I'm a little bit older doesn't mean it's going to respond well again." Ravens coach John Harbaugh was more cautious about Mason, who leads Baltimore in catches (46) and receiving yards (598). "He's going to be day-to-day," Harbaugh said. "It's going to be a game-time decision."
• The Ravens secondary will see a familiar face in the Giants' Plaxico Burress, a longtime receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers. In 11 games against the Ravens, Burress has averaged 3.9 catches for 69 yards. He has scored just one touchdown in the past five meetings. "Eli (Manning) has got a lot of confidence in throwing it up there (to Burress)," Harbaugh said. "Sometimes when he's covered, he's not covered."
• The Ravens are also familiar with Burress' ability to push off and get away with it. "Yeah, he does the Vlade Divac sometimes," cornerback Samari Rolle said, referring to the former NBA center.
• After committing seven penalties for 55 yards in the first half of Sunday's game at Houston, the Ravens drew no flags the remainder of the contest."It was magic," Harbaugh joked. "We sprinkled magic penalty dust." Harbaugh got serious when he talked about the team's avoidance of incurring a personal foul for unsportsmanlike conduct or unnecessary roughness since Oct.19. "The personal-foul penalties have evaporated," Harbaugh said. "I'm proud of that, and I think they are, too."
• After converting four of four scoring opportunities inside the Texans' 20-yard line, the Ravens are 15 of 29 (51.7 percent) in the red zone and improved to 17th from 25th in the NFL in red-zone efficiency.

BY THE NUMBERS: 28 -- Consecutive games that the Ravens defense has not allowed a 100-yard rusher, the NFL's longest current streak. The defense plays the New York Giants, the NFL's top-ranked rushing attack.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "Maybe the one thing you don't anticipate is how much you're like a shepherd. You know, someone strays, and you have to pull him back in. Then another strays, and we pull him back. There's a little of that going on all the time." -- Ravens coach John Harbaugh, on his first season as a head coach.