NOTEBOOK: HOT SEAT FOR 'SICK' PEES?; 'WATT'S' NEW IN HOUSTON

By Joe Platania

OWINGS MILLS -- Every season has its series of snapshots, those images or trends that characterize it best.

Last year, a 12-4 record, first-round bye and AFC Championship Game appearance provided Ravens fans with lighthearted memories sprinkled with the melodies of "Ball So Hard" and "Seven Nation Army."

But the 2012 season has, at least to this point, evolved more along the lines of "Paint It Black."

Despite a 5-1 record that stands as one of just two such marks in the AFC, the Ravens have been embroiled in a season when its much-heralded defense declined into a bottom-third unit even before high-profile injuries to cornerback Lardarius Webb and linebacker Ray Lewis.

Off the field, peripheral stories such as teammates disagreeing about the much-debated same-sex-marriage referendum and a Baltimore City shooting near a nightclub where 10 Ravens players were reportedly spotted haven't helped.

As if all that weren't enough, reports surfaced Wednesday night and Thursday morning that free safety Ed Reed has been playing with a torn labrum and that injured linebacker Terrell Suggs, who partially tore an Achilles tendon in April, is planning on playing Sunday at Houston, a full month earlier than expected.

Even though Suggs debunked the initial report while addressing the media Thursday, he didn't entirely rule out the possibility.

"We'll take it down to the [last] minute," Suggs said. "Come Sunday, I may or may not be out there."

Suggs seemed to be intent on taking great pains to point out that, contrary to the initial broadcast report, he does not have a dozen family members flying to Houston for Sunday's game against the Texans.

"It's OK for [media] to do your job," Suggs said. "But it's always better to get [the information] from the horse's mouth."

Suggs wasn't braying as he usually would during a normal week, when he would be healthy and full of swagger. Last week, he became the 11th Raven on the current roster to turn 30 years old; that and his health crisis may have contributed to his somber mood.

A noticeably heavier Suggs also shot down speculation that he is rushing back to action to assist a team now bereft of the services of Webb and Lewis.

"It's been miserable [watching]," Suggs said. "It's like a kid that can't go out and play. But it's been good to see them win. At 5-1, there's no pressure to hurry up and get back. In fact, that might have taken some pressure off me."

But his teammates and coaches are nonetheless buoyed to at least have him back on the practice field.

"It's an emotional boost," defensive coordinator Dean Pees said. "Just watching Suggs jog out there is great. But he's been in our meetings and he hasn't missed anything."

It seemed to be Reed's brainstorm to have Suggs approach the practice field by a different entrance Wednesday, fooling the cameras that were lined up to film his long-awaited arrival.

But Reed wasn't joking during a Wednesday-night radio appearance when he first brought up his torn labrum, even though he didn't deem the problem serious when speaking to reporters Thursday morning.

Many observers have noted how Reed's tackling during the past three games lacked the ferocity he displayed during the first three, most notably the one-point win against New England.

For his part, Pees said he hadn't noticed Reed's play being affected all that much by the injury, even though Reed has not been listed on the weekly injury reports since Week Two, when a thigh problem was cited.

In 2000, the Ravens, who had never had so much as a winning season at that point, also had a year that featured many nagging issues that had fans anxious.

A five-game streak without a touchdown, a mid-season quarterback change between two allegedly below-average signal-callers, and reportedly loud arguments between offensive and defensive assistant coaches threatened to derail a campaign that ended with a Super Bowl title.

That year, the team's theme song could have been "We Shall Overcome."

But with so much of this season to go and many issues to resolve, the orchestra has yet to receive this year's sheet music.

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JOEY P'S TRIVIA TIME: Today's question:

When Ravens receiver/returner Jacoby Jones won this week's AFC Special Teams Player of the Week award, it marked the 72nd time a Raven had won one of the conference's three major plaques and the 19th time a Baltimore player had taken the special-teams honor.

Former Ravens Jermaine Lewis and Matt Stover won the team's first seven special-teams honors. Who was the first Raven besides those two to win a special-teams award?

The answer will be revealed at the bottom of this entry

***

INFIRMARY, PRACTICE REPORT: Of the three Ravens that missed the Wednesday practice, only defensive tackle Haloti Ngata (knee, shoulder) was not on the field during Thursday's media-viewing period.

Also not spotted on the field when practice began were running back Ray Rice, who is usually one of the last veterans to arrive, and guard/ tackle Ramon Harewood. Neither player is known to have an injury concern.

The shorts-and-shells session, held under sunny skies with breezy conditions, did include Suggs and Reed, as well as injury-concern players such as cornerback Jimmy Smith (groin) and nose tackle Ma'ake Kemoeatu (knee). The latter duo did not practice Wednesday.

Suggs and Kemoeatu participated in the daily ritual of hiding their practice entrance in order to throw the probing eyes of television cameras off track.

The only player limited Wednesday, tackle Bryant McKinnie (hamstring), did report to the field Thursday.

In Houston, cornerback Johnathan Joseph -- a former Cincinnati Bengal who has three of his 19 career interceptions against the Ravens -- missed both Wednesday and Thursday's practices with a sore groin.

Also, with backup defensive lineman Tim Jamison out for the year, the Texans have added ex-Ravens defensive tackle Lamar Divens to their practice squad.

***

PEES' PORRIDGE HOT: Naturally, with the Ravens' defense standing at one of its lowest ebbs in team history -- 26th-ranked overall, 26th against the run, 22nd against the pass -- the spotlight is inevitably going to fall on first-year defensive coordinator Dean Pees.

While at New England, Pees' units were the first in NFL history to rank in the top 10 in scoring defense for four consecutive seasons.

Plus, even with all of this year's problems, the Ravens' 19-point average per-game yield is 11th-lowest in the league, and the team has allowed red-zone touchdowns at a mere 43 percent rate, tied for seventh-best in the league.

In other words, the defense is often bending, but not always breaking.

"Don't blame the coach," safety Bernard Pollard said flatly. "Don't blame the coach, because the coach doesn't play. Dean has made great calls. It's about us going out and executing.

"We have not been executing. We are tough and physical. Nobody can question the abilities we have. We get pressure in the backfield. We had guys in the backfield numerous times [against Dallas]. We just did not tackle. We did not execute."

The same was true against Kansas City, especially during the first half, when standout back Jamaal Charles gained 125 of his 140 yards. Pees was philosophical when reflecting on that game.

"A little bit of it is the fact that knowledge can be a good thing, and you can use it, and sometimes you can abuse it," Pees said. "We had some good knowledge on them in the running game, and unfortunately sometimes we overplayed that knowledge. When you overplay it, something bad happens to you somewhere else.

"If I tell you, 'OK, the ball is going to be run to the right,' if the whole defense runs to the right, there's a chance he might cut back to the left, and somebody better be back there."

But at his core, Pees is a no-frills kind of guy. How does he really feel about his team's defensive ranking?

"It makes me sick," he said.

***

NOMINATED: While Jacoby Jones did win AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors, a few more notables were nominated, but came up short.

Quarterback Joe Flacco completed 17 of 26 passes for 234 yards and a gaudy 106.9 passer rating, but was passed over for offensive honors in favor of Denver's Peyton Manning, who led one of the greatest regular-season comebacks in NFL history Monday night at San Diego.

Linebacker Ray Lewis was cited for his 14-tackle performance during the win against Dallas, a game during which he suffered a potentially season-ending triceps tear; he was placed on the Reserve/Injured - Designated To Return list.

But the AFC's Defensive Player of the Week was Buffalo safety Jairus Byrd, who picked off two passes during his team's overtime win at Arizona.

Over in the NFC, Dallas wideout Dez Bryant hauled in 13 catches for 95 yards during his team's loss to the Ravens. But the shaky-fingered Bryant did drop a two-point conversion pass that would have tied the game.

As a result, the NFC Offensive Player of the Week was Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers, who threw six touchdown passes during the Packers' win at Houston.

***

TEXANS TALK: When the Houston Texans entertain the Ravens this week (1 p.m., Sunday; WJZ-TV; WIYY-FM), the kickoff time ensures that the game won't be under the lights.

But that doesn't mean there won't be plenty of "Watt"-age burning brightly on the field.

Second-year defensive end J.J. Watt, the 11th overall pick during the 2011 draft out of Wisconsin, is having a banner year with 9.5 sacks and eight passes defensed through the first six games.

Watt's bat-down, interception and run back for a touchdown during last year's Wild-Card Weekend game against Cincinnati's Andy Dalton gave the Texans a win during their first-ever playoff game -- the first team to do that since the 2000 Ravens -- and it sent his team into a divisional playoff round game at Baltimore, which it lost.

This year, Watt missed all of training camp with an injury, but tied a franchise record by getting at least one sack during each of the first six games.

"He's been playing pretty darned good," Texans head coach Gary Kubiak said of Watt on Wednesday during a conference call with Baltimore-area media. "He's getting his hands on a lot of balls. He's a factor in a lot of plays. He showed signs of that at the end of last year ... and I think it's carried over."

For his part, Watt is going to ride his momentum as long as he can.

"I think it's great and it's awesome," Watt said of his season to date. "I am going to try and keep it going, because I am having a lot of fun."

***

QUOTE OF THE DAY I: Last week, defensive coordinator Dean Pees decried the use of tip drills to teach players how to force turnovers. Thursday, his pet peeve was with those seeking the nation's highest office.

"I saw the debate the other night," he said. "I get sick of guys not answering questions."

***

QUOTE OF THE DAY II: Head coach John Harbaugh either doesn't have a good memory or just wanted to put the best possible spin on the gloomy mood the team faced when Ray Lewis and Lardarius Webb got injured.

When asked what he said to the team during the Monday-morning meeting, Harbaugh said with a smile: "I really don't remember exactly. But it was profound, I can tell you that."

***

JOEY P'S TRIVIA TIME ANSWER: Here's what we asked you earlier in this entry:

When Ravens receiver/returner Jacoby Jones won this week's AFC Special Teams Player of the Week award, it marked the 72nd time a Raven had won one of the conference's three major plaques and the 19th time a Baltimore player had taken the special-teams honor.

Former Ravens Jermaine Lewis and Matt Stover won the team's first seven special-teams honors. Who was the first Raven besides those two to win a special-teams award?

ANSWER:

During the Ravens' early years, Jermaine Lewis was the man to turn to when the team needed a big return, even though others would occasionally return kicks and punts.

But Lewis wasn't on the field the night that one of the biggest special-teams plays in Ravens history was made.

On the night of Sept. 30, 2002, the Ravens -- sporting the youngest roster in NFL history, with 19 rookies and first-year players on the roster -- were returning from a bye at 0-2 and taking on unbeaten Denver during a Monday-night home game.

Late during the first half of that game, Denver's Jason Elam attempted a field goal that happened to fall short. Cornerback Chris McAlister corralled the ball 7 yards deep in the end zone and began to run it out.

Picking up a crunching block by Ray Lewis on linebacker Keith Burns -- now a Broncos special-teams assistant coach -- McAlister headed for the Ravens' sideline and ran toward the west end zone for a 107-yard touchdown.

The Ravens got their first win of the season that night, 34-23, and McAlister was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week.

Posted Oct. 18, 2012