OWINGS MILLS — Baltimore Ravens rookie nose guard Terrence Cody proclaimed his arthroscopic left knee surgery as a successful procedure.
Renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews repaired the damage to Cody’s slightly torn meniscus earlier this week in Birmingham, Ala.
"It went good, everything was good," Cody said. "Got a lot of positive feedback from the doctors."
Cody is expected to miss the season opener against the New York Jets and Cody is expected to return in time for the Ravens’ second game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
However, Cody is holding out hope for the Jets game.
"I’m feeling like I can, but the trainers and the doctors, they want to keep an eye on it," Cody said. "They don’t want to rush me back and something ends up happening and it gets worse."
The second-round draft pick from Alabama indicated that he has been dealing with the meniscus problem for quite some time.
"When I had the surgery, they said it looks like it’s been torn for a while," Cody said. "So, I probably could have done it earlier in camp or something like that."
The 6-foot-4, 349-pounder is currently on crutches. He’ll need to rehabilitate the knee through exercises.
"It’s just keeping the strength in it," Cody said. "Getting a good rehab and building the strength back up and being ready to get back out there."
ROLLE FINED FOR HIT ON CLAYTON: New York Giants safety Antrel Rolle was fined $7,500 by the league office for his devastating hit on Ravens wide receiver Mark Clayton, a blow that caused a minor concussion as well as a stiff neck.
Clayton had said previously that he didn’t think Rolle should be fined.
"It’s football," Clayton said. "Stuff like that happens."
Rolle apologized to Clayton on Sunday after being flagged for a personal foul where he was penalized for hitting a defenseless receiver, one of NFL officials’ renewed points of emphasis.
A league spokesman specified that Rolle was fined for unnecessary roughness.
INJURY UPDATES: Defensive end Paul Kruger didn’t practice due to a shoulder injury that’s regarded as more serious than a simple bruise.
"Paul fell on his shoulder a little bit," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. "I don’t know the extent of it."
Offensive tackle Oniel Cousins returned to practice on an extended basis for the first time since suffering a concussion Aug. 18.
"I’m feeling better," Cousins said. "I’m getting ready for the Jets. I’m ready for the real thing."
Cornerback Fabian Washington (bruised ribs) also returned to practice.
Washington had his anterior cruciate ligament surgically repaired after tearing up his knee last season. And he says he has no reservations about playing on artificial turf surfaces.
"That first preseason game I was a little nervous about playing turf, but I went out last week on our turf and it felt great," Washington said. "I didn’t have any lingering effects the next day. I’m pretty comfortable playing on turf."
Free safety Tom Zbikowski said he’s recovered from a bruised thigh.
"It actually felt pretty good," he said. "No problems. It was a little sore. I ran around and it did pretty good. I took it slow and made sure it’s all right. I’ll practice and get ready to roll."
Running back Willis McGahee practiced, according to Harbaugh.
"Willis was out here for practice," he said. "I think you might have missed him."
Not practicing: Cody (knee), defensive tackle Kelly Talavou (calf), offensive tackles Jared Gaither (thoracic disc injury) and Stefan Rodgers (ankle), Clayton and center David Hale (bruised tailbone).
Harbaugh was reticent about describing the injuries
"I would just say this about all the injuries, I don’t have to talk to you guys about them," Harbaugh said. "We’ll have an injury report on Thursday, and you’ll see it when it comes out on Thursday."
SHOWBOATING INCIDENT REVISITED: If Harbaugh is holding a grudge against inside linebacker Dannell Ellerbe for his showboating incident where he returned an interception for a touchdown by pausing at the goal line before leaning into the end zone, he’s doing a good job of hiding it.
One day after angrily confronting Ellerbe, Harbaugh said it’s in the past and won’t affect the second-year player’s status on the team.
"That’s a situation where I think it’s a learning opportunity," Harbaugh said. "The bottom line is, we don’t want any penalties. That’s the most important thing. You never want to put your defense or your special teams in harm’s way.
"The other thing is, we want to do things in a class way. Dannell is a class guy. He wants to do things that way. It’s a learning opportunity for him. He’s fine."
BACK TO WORK: The Ravens flew home from St. Louis early Friday morning and were back on the practice field later that morning.
There were also mandatory weightlifting and cardiovascular sessions.
"We basically got off the plane, closed our eyes for a few minutes, and came out and practiced," Harbaugh said. "And really, that’s what our guys wanted to do. It was pretty impressive. We had a really good practice."
The Ravens rested all of their starters against the Rams.
"The guys that didn’t play in the game were in great shape, and that was really the idea," Harbaugh said. "We wanted to push those guys a little bit. They’ll also get a heart conditioning workout and a full-body lift.
"So those guys need the work. The guys that played in the game, they won’t do the conditioning. They did the practice, so they got a little sweat going, but they’ll do the full lift."
SUSPENSION STARTING FOR WILLIAMS: For cornerback Cary Williams, St. Louis marks his final game prior to beginning his two-game suspension for violating the NFL personal conduct policy.
Williams’ punishment stems from an off-field issue where he wasn’t arrested, according to his agent, during his time with the Tennessee Titans.
"It is what it is," said Williams, who was beaten for a 36-yard completion to set up a touchdown as well as being penalized for pass interference against the Rams. "I look at it as I’m going to have two weeks off, and I’m going to continue to work hard and get better every day."
Under NFL rules, Williams is banned from the Ravens’ training complex during the suspension.
"Nine times out of 10, I’ll be working out somewhere in the Baltimore region during that time," Williams said. "I can’t have any contact with the team until the third week of the season. I’ll definitely make the best use of my time and stay in shape."
VETERANS’ STATUS UP IN THE AIR: Safety Ken Hamlin and cornerback Travis Fisher are vested veterans.
They’ve played in the NFL for at least four years, which means if they’re on the roster for the first week of the regular season their entire salary is guaranteed even if they’re released at some point.
That could cause one or both of them to be released today when the Ravens cut their roster down to the NFL limit of 53 players heading into today’s league deadline.
Even though there’s no salary cap this year after owners opted out of the collective bargaining agreement, NFL teams still operate with an internal budget.
"That’s a big factor," Harbaugh said. "The budget is real, and that factors in tremendously. That’s just the way the rules are written. Maybe that will change to some extent in the next contract, but you’ve got to factor that in."
The Ravens could opt to cut either player then re-sign them after the first game, which would mean they wouldn’t be on the hook for the entire year’s salary.
