Troy Smith News

Shadowing Ray Rice on a flare route, Baltimore Ravens rookie linebacker Tavares Gooden chased the swift running back all over the field.

All three Baltimore Ravens quarterbacks seem to like each other, which makes for a friendly competition in their bid to claim the starting job.

Troy Smith took the first snaps in the Ravens' red-zone drills but didn't impress.

Through Ray Lewis' career, one could never question his preseason optimism at any point.

Rookies, quarterbacks and injured veterans reported to Baltimore Ravens training camp on Monday, though first-round draft pick Joe Flacco remained the center of attention.

NY YANKEES: J.Giambi , none on in 9th TORONTO: M.Scutaro , two on in 2nd TIME - 2:35 ; ATTENDANCE - 43854.

With Joe Flacco ready to sign his contract, the Ravens' focus now shifts to getting the rest of their draft class into training camp on time.

The Ravens agreed to a five-year deal with quarterback Joe Flacco tonight, a league source said.

The Ravens will meet with the agent for first-round quarterback Joe Flacco over the next two days (Tuesday and Wednesday) as the sides try to reach a deal before training camp begins July 22.

Flacco, the 18th overall pick, will compete against Troy Smith and Kyle Boller for the starting quarterback job. He will increase his chances of starting the season opener if he can avoid a holdout.

'I'm very hopeful Pat [Moriarty, Ravens chief negotiator] and I can finish this off before everything begins,' said Joe Linta, the agent for Flacco.

The Ravens are unlikely to show interest in acquiring Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre, a team source said.

The team is set to hold an open competition among Troy Smith, Kyle Boller and Joe Flacco in training camp.

Two seasons ago, the Ravens went the veteran quarterback route, trading a fourth-round pick for Tennessee Titans quarterback Steve McNair. He went 13-3 in his first season before injuries ruined his second one.

The Ravens had expected to get one more season out of McNair to ease the transition to a young quarterback, but he abruptly retired in April.

This AFC North look is the second of our division-by-division breakdowns of the training-camp battles for all 32 teams: Baltimore Ravens Troy Smith is an interesting wild card in Baltimore.

Brett Favre probably will play football this fall, but it won't be for the Green Bay Packers.

How is this for irony? A statue of Johnny Unitas stands outside M&T Bank Stadium , serving as a reminder of the greatest quarterback who ever lived.

Being the starting quarterback for a team coming off a 1-15 season isn't the most enviable of jobs, but at least there's nowhere to go but up.

SD SF SD NFL Odds Expert NFL Picks Peter King has a good summary of why Brett Favre's decision to un-retire causes so many problems for the Packers, but I'm actually not sure it causes as many problems as ...

Everything is the same for the Ravens except everything. When the Bengals open the season in Baltimore Sept.

The NFL's rookie symposium often provides a little offseason intrigue. In 2004, the late Sean Taylor was fined for not showing up.

Former NFL quarterback Frank Gifford once said, " Pro football is like nuclear warfare.

In the coming weeks, BaltimoreRavens.com will offer previews of each position, focusing on who will be in the thick of the competition come training camp.

Here's a roundup of what the national media are saying about the Ravens: Updated June 25 SI.com's Don Banks says that new coach John Harbaugh is making quite an impression on the Ravens : ...