Ravens starting safety Bernard Pollard did not practice on Wednesday, but says that he is ready to play this weekend against New England despite suffering a rib injury against the Eagles.
"I'm ready to go," Pollard told reporters. "I know my dogs are going to be ready. We got to be animals out there. We're going to be ready to play."
Pollard went down with the injury in the first quarter of Sunday's loss to Philadelphia and did not return to the game. He was off to a great start before getting hurt, notching one interception, one sack and three tackles.
Despite Pollard saying he's ready to play, his status for Sunday will likely depend on how he's able to manage the pain, according to Head Coach John Harbaugh.
Veteran safety Ed Reed joked that he's been trying to toughen up Pollard by "hitting him, messing around with him," but that the decision to play Sunday will come down to how Pollard feels.
"It's going to be on him though. I'm not sure how bad it is," Reed said. "He's just got to be smart about it and like I said, it's a long season and we're going to need Bernard down the road.
If Pollard is able to suit up, he doesn't expect the injury to limit his productivity on the field.
"I'm going full go," Pollard said. "For us, nobody cares. We've got to do whatever we can to make sure we're going 100 percent. No player in the NFL is 100 percent right now."
McClain, Webb, McPhee Don't Practice
The other players who didn't practice on Wednesday were cornerback Lardarius Webb (knee), defensive end Pernell McPhee (knee), linebacker Jameel McClain (knee) and tackle Jah Reid (calf). Outside linebacker Paul Kruger (back) and Michael Oher (ankle) were limited participants.
Webb, McClain, Oher and McPhee played all of Sunday's game against Philadelphia. Kruger was inactive with a back injury.
McPhee had knee surgery in the offseason and has been held out of recent practices after games. He did not practice last Wednesday or Thursday, but played Sunday told reporters that his knee "held up pretty good" during the game.
Webb, McClain and Oher did not appear on the injury report in any previous weeks, and Harbaugh has not disclosed any information about their injuries.
Webb talked with reporters in the locker room on Wednesday, but made no mention of his injury.
Quarterback Joe Flacco, who said that his ribs were "rolled up on" during the second half of Sunday's game, did not appear on the injury report. He told reporters on Wednesday that he was fine.
Hernandez Out Of Practice
New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez did not practice on Wednesday after injuring his ankle in last week's game against Arizona. He reportedly has a high ankle sprain and will miss about a month, but Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick has not yet ruled him out for this week.
The Patriots signed tight end Kellen Winslow, Jr. this week to give them another option at tight end.
Hernandez was the only player to miss Wednesday's practice, but wide receiver Brandon Lloyd (thigh), centers Dan Connolly (concussion) and Nick McDonald (shoulder), cornerbacks Sterling Moore (knee) and Alfonzo Dennard (hamstring), tight end Daniel Fells (shin), running back Shane Vereen (foot), tackle Sebastian Vollmer (back) were all limited participants.
Safety Patrick Chung (shoulder) was a full participant.
