Gaither is likely to miss his first game of the season after a magnetic resonance imaging exam revealed damage to his acromio-clavicular (AC) joint of his right shoulder, a painful injury that could keep him out for at least a few weeks.
Gaither had his arm in a sling Wednesday and didn’t practice.
When asked about the results of Gaither’s medical tests, Ravens coach John Harbaugh declined to give out any details.
"Not anything I want to report," Harbaugh said.
If Gaither is out, the Ravens expect to shift Adam Terry from right tackle to the left side.
"Adam is extremely athletic," center Jason Brown said. "He can play right or left."
The Eagles are tied for the NFL lead with 36 sacks. And Terry is hobbled slightly by a sprained right ankle.
"If need be, that’s where I’ll go," Terry said. "The ankle feels pretty good."
Meanwhile, right tackle Willie Anderson was limited in practice with a sprained right ankle that kept him out last week against the New York Giants.
"We’re hopeful," Harbaugh said regarding
Anderson. "He’s moving around better than he did at this stage last week, but not well enough to say he’s going to play for sure." Anderson was much more confident about his status, though."I feel a lot better than I did last week,"
Anderson said. "I’m looking forward to playing. I’m much further along. Day by day, I feel stronger."The Ravens’ other options at right tackle are either rookies Oniel Cousins or David Hale or veteran Chad Slaughter, who was signed Wednesday.
"The plan is for Adam to play left and Willie to play right, but I’ll be ready if they need me," said Cousins, a third-round draft pick from UTEP.
Slaughter started for the Ravens during the preseason due to injuries to Terry and Gaither, but didn’t make the final roster cut.
"I remember the plays, but you always have to have that book time to catch up," Slaughter said. "My mind has been on my kids and the family. I should get back up to speed. I hope so."
Cornerback Samari Rolle has his left arm in a sling due to a shoulder injury, but insisted he will play Sunday. He didn’t practice along with free safety Ed Reed (nerve impingement of his neck).
"I just slept on it wrong," Rolle joked. "I’m good, I’m fine."
Wide receiver Derrick Mason is still dealing with the effects of a dislocated left shoulder and didn’t practice. He was described as very sore by Harbaugh.
"I could be better," Mason said. "I do have limitations, but we’re going to see how it goes this week like we did last week and make a determination Saturday or Sunday.
"Last week, it was fresh and I was dealing with a lot of swelling. Now, it’s just aching. You know, older people tend to say when their bones ache that it’s starting to get cold. Maybe that’s the case with me."
ROSTER MOVE: The Ravens cut reserve linebacker Robert McCune to create a roster spot for Slaughter.
INJURY REPORT II: The Ravens ruled out wide receiver Terrance Copper (neck).
Tight end Daniel Wilcox (hamstring) and rookie safety Tom Zbikowski (thumb/thigh) were limited.
The Eagles ruled out offensive guard Shawn Andrews following recent back surgery.
Running back Brian Westbrook didn’t practice due to knee and ankle problems, but has played in the past four games and is expected to suit up Sunday.
Offensive tackle Jon Runyan (knee) participated fully in practice.
LANDRY UPDATE: In his first comments since being placed on injured reserve with a spinal cord concussion, strong safety Dawan Landry said he’ll definitely play football next season and won’t need to undergo surgery.
"That’s a big relief to me, it just takes time to heal," said Landry, who got hurt against the Cleveland Browns in the second game of the season when the crown of his helmet struck running back Jamal Lewis’ knee. "It just never came around. On the first couple of MRI’s, it was fine. Then, it showed up again in another test."
TIE REDUX: Oft-criticized Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb is getting tired of people asking him about his admission that he didn’t know there were ties in the NFL during the regular season following an overtime period, a long-standing rule.
"It’s blown way out of proportion," McNabb said during a conference call with
Baltimore reporters. "When people ask a question, you be honest with them. I’m not the only one that didn’t know it."It’s funny when people begin to make remarks and comments like they know about it. Well, you’ll know it after the fact. Now, you’ll see that everyone in the NFL will know that there’s only one overtime now because of what I’ve been through."
Ravens rookie quarterback Joe Flacco said he definitely knew the rule, but stuck up for McNabb.
"Everybody is making too big of a deal about that one," he said.
QUICK HITS: McNabb flubbed Harbaugh’s name, mixing him up with his brother, Jim Harbaugh: "Jim is a guy who worked extremely hard while he was here. I mean, John. Excuse me." … Harbaugh worked for Ray Rhodes in
Philadelphia prior to Andy Reid’s arrival. He didn’t know Rhodes, but was recommended to Eagles executive Mike Lombardi by veteran NFL special-teams coach Scott O’Brien.
