Believe it or not: McKinnie misses start of camp due to slip and fall

When Bryant McKinnie finally gets on the practice field at Baltimore Ravens training camp, the big left tackle may have to compete to retain his starting job. McKinnie arrived at camp Sunday after missing three practices last week. Coach John Harbaugh said he had ''a very good conversation'' with McKinnie, who attributed his late arrival to a strained back muscle...

Paul Kruger made significant strides in his performance last season, setting career highs with the Baltimore Ravens in games played, sacks and tackles. Now it's time for the fourth-year linebacker to take another huge step as the replacement for the injured Terrell Suggs, who will be sidelined for several months with a torn right Achilles tendon. Kruger is working hard this...

John Harbaugh handles the press as well as any coach I have ever observed in what is now approaching 40 years of observation as both a football fan and a journalist...Here's Harbaugh at his best, in a series of answers he gave to media questions at the Ravens' training complex in Owings Mills, Maryland, as of August 1, 2012:John Harbaugh rarely "passes" a tough...

OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- Ravens offensive tackle Bryant McKinnie returned to town Sunday afternoon, arriving at Baltimore-Washington International Airport with his luggage and a sore lower back. The former Pro Bowl blocker said after his flight that his four-day absence from training camp was due to a lower back injury suffered during an accident at his home in South Florida last week...

Baltimore Ravens offensive tackle Bryant McKinnie has finally arrived at training camp, although he has not practiced because of a strained muscle in his back. McKinnie missed the first three practices of camp last week and was subject to a $30,000 fine each day, under terms of the 2011 collective bargaining agreement. McKinnie showed up Sunday night, according to coach John Harbaugh...

The loss of tight end Dennis Pitta -- who could miss the entire preseason and maybe even the season opener because of a broken hand -- really hurts the Ravens. Despite the team having another quality tight end in Ed Dickson, Pitta is the better of the two players. Dickson has more speed and is more of a deep threat, but Pitta has been more consistent catching the ball. He is also...

Ravens center Matt Birk missed practice for a fourth consecutive day Thursday. The reason for his absence has not been disclosed, though head coach John Harbaugh said on Tuesday that the 36-year-old is at the stage of his career where he doesn't have to practice every day. Rookie Gino Gradkowski has been filling in for him at center. Source: The Baltimore Sun Attached Thumbnails  

It appears as though Ravens FS Ed Reed is no longer considering options beyond playing in the NFL, as he made it clear that he wants to continue to play for the Ravens beyond 2012. “I know [GM] Ozzie [Newsome] and them know I want to be here,” Reed said, via BaltimoreRavens.com. “We will get that done when it’s time to cross that bridge. I have a lot of respect for this organization...

Whenever a club other than the Pittsburgh Steelers or Baltimore Ravens wins the AFC North Division, it’s considered an upset. And that would be the case again in 2012 as the Steelers and Ravens are clear-cut favorites to win arguably the NFL’s most physical division. Baltimore finished 12-4 overall last year to tie with Pittsburgh atop the North, but the Ravens won the tiebreaker...

The Ravens announced Wednesday that they have signed tight end Billy Bajema. He's expected to fill the hole left by Dennis Pitta, who broke his hand and will miss the rest of the preseason. Source: CBSSports Attached Thumbnails  

Former Baltimore Ravens running back Jamal Lewis has issued a statement reacting to his arrest Wednesday night in Georgia and being charged with child abandonment, Aaron Wilson of the Carroll County Times reports. "My arrest on Wednesday evening was the result of a misunderstanding rather than the result of me being an unfit father," Lewis said in a statement released to...

Comments on the Baltimore Ravens by the AP Pro32 panel (ranking in parentheses): BALTIMORE RAVENS (5) Rich Gannon (CBS Sports/SiriusXM NFL Radio, 3): 24 wins over last two seasons and a happy Ray Rice. Chris Berman (ESPN, 4): After all, Ravens should have been in Super Bowl. Bob Glauber (Newsday, 4): No contract problems for Ray Rice equals good news for Ravens. Now they have...

The good news at Ravens camp besides the beginning of full-contact drills is that LT Bryant McKinnie finally reported, and it turns out the big veteran did suffer a lower back injury in a slippery fall inside his home in Florida.  He's okay and actually looks pretty svelte by all accounts, having worked himself down to about 340 pounds... not bad considering he came in between...