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OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- The Baltimore Ravens most potent offensive weapon is Justin Tucker, a cant-miss kicker who also happens to be a talented opera singer, skilled negotiator and the target of good-natured insults from his teammates.Tucker is the only NFL kicker whos perfect this season. Hes 27 for 27 on field goal tries -- including seven from 50 yards or longer -- and has nailed every one of his 15 conversions.Booting on a soft grass field on a very windy day, Tucker hit field goals of 52, 57, 54 and 36 yards Sunday to carry the Ravens past the Cincinnati Bengals 19-14 .Weve got the best kicker in the league. Theres no doubt about it, Baltimore linebacker Terrell Suggs said afterward. But weve got to keep the young kid humble.Thats the prevailing theme in the locker room of the Ravens, who love their kicker, but go through great lengths to keep him in his place.Theres no way to keep him down, man, quarterback Joe Flacco said.All kidding aside, the Ravens (6-5) know they wouldnt be tied for first place in the AFC North without their unyieldingly reliable kicker. The offense has been limited to one or no touchdowns in six of 11 games, yet Tucker has been there to salvage just about every drive that sputters inside midfield. Hes scored 96 points, a whopping 44 percent of Baltimores season total of 218.When our offense stalls out, were still putting points on the board, linebacker C.J. Mosley said.Tucker is paying solid returns on a four-year, $16.8 million contract he signed in July. The deal included an NFL-record for the position $10.8 million in guaranteed money.One day before the agreement, Tucker -- wearing the teams franchise tag -- said he would leave the Ravens if the sides didnt work out a long-term deal.I told him, `Ive never seen a kicker make some contract demands, but I guess when youre the best kicker in the league, you can do that, Suggs reasoned.Tucker does more than merely take a few kicks during the week and show up on Sunday. He works hard at his craft each day with special teams coach Jerry Rosburg, holder Sam Koch and long snapper Morgan Cox. More often than not, kicking consultant Randy Brown will participate as well.Its imperative to have a consistent operation, Tucker said. It starts with an accurate, fast, catchable snap like Morgan is able to do time and time again. Then its important to have a holder whos confident in his hands, who wont hesitate in his movement. Its definitely a big part of the reason why Im able to be confident kicking the ball.The results are profound. Tucker has made 34 straight field goals, two short of Matt Stovers team record. He is on course to become one of only seven NFL kickers to complete a perfect season.He has a lot of confidence, and hes earned the confidence because hes worked so hard, coach John Harbaugh said Monday. Hes talented. But we try to keep him in place and whip him into shape every now and then, make fun of him every opportunity we can. Hes got just a great sense of humor and takes it well.Kicking isnt Tuckers only talent. He also sings opera well enough to perform at various concert halls and charity events.The guys got a lot going for him, certainly more than the average football player.Hes a 27-year-old guy, a performer, a very confident guy, Harbaugh said. You can call it whatever you want in terms of cocky or confident. Whats the balance there? I dont personally think he has a hint of arrogance in him at all. I think hes a fundamentally humble person who loves life, loves to perform.Especially when the Ravens need a long field goal. Tucker insisted on trying that 57-yarder into the wind on Sunday, and believes on a good day he can blast one through the uprights from unprecedented lengths.It is in the realm of possibility for me, with Morgan and Sam, to hit the ball from well across midfield, he said. We are talking about 70-75 yards. What matters is that we made the kicks we were sent out there to make (Sunday), and I will leave it at that.One of these days, maybe even this season, Tucker will miss a kick. If that happens, its a good bet that he will simply shrug it off and get ready for the next one.As a kicker, you have to be able to get over your last kick -- whether its bad or good -- and be able to move on, Koch said. He has the character that allows him to do that. He has fun. Thats important.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL NMD Clearance Sale .ca NHL Power Rankings for the second straight week, ahead of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Colorado Avalanche. NMD Australia Sale . "Four now," Carl Gunnarsson told the Leaf Report proudly following a 5-2 victory over New York on Tuesday night, the clubs fifth straight at home. http://www.nmdaustraliasale.com/ . Gather a group of friends, or find a league to join online, draft your team, set your lineup and compete in a number of different formats. Ultra Boost Australia Sale . -- An ugly goal by Nick Bonino helped the Anaheim Ducks overcome the defensive-minded Phoenix Coyotes on a night when their ragged power play continued to struggle. Cheap NMD Australia . The third-ranked Ivanovic, who won the event in 2008 and 10, served five aces and broke Wickmayer, also a former winner in 2009, five times. "The result looked easier than it really was," Ivanovic said. All is not well at Alan Pardews Crystal Palace.The Eagles (3-2-8) are the most out-of-form side in the Premier League, heading into Saturdays game against Southampton at Selhurst Park on the back of six straight defeats, including an embarrassing 5-4 loss to Swansea City a week ago.Pardews side is 17th in the table but tied on points with Hull City, who top the relegation zone based on a worse goal differential between the two.Palace came from behind against Swansea to lead as stoppage time approached, only to concede two sloppy late goals and consign themselves to yet another loss.I have a good team, Pardew said. The goals weve conceded dont reflect well on us. But I will reflect on this game and try and correct it for the next one.Weve had six defeats and a couple of them -- at Burnley and now at Swansea -- we shouldnt have had. Thats what has put us in this mess, and we need to get ourselves out of it.The group understand that we have options -- we can change the team around. We need to get a victory quickly.The problem for Pardew is that this current run of results fits a concerning trend in his career. The coach has developed a reputation for overseeing dramatic dips in form after making an initial positive impression at a new club. And it appears as if his time at Palace also fits that mold.Pardew has never lost seven straight matches during his time as a Premier League manager.For it is not just the last six games in which Pardews side have been off the pace. Palace have averaged just 0.69 points per game in 2016 (5-7-20), lower than not just every team in the Premier League but less than any other club in the four professional tiers of English football.ddddddddddddWhile Palace have yielded an alarming 26 goals, scoring hasnt been Palaces problem this season as their 21 goals are the most outside the Premier Leagues top four. However, they may have trouble unlocking a Southampton defence that has conceded just 12 -- a defensive record that only Chelsea and Tottenham can better.Claude Puels Southampton (4-5-4) go into this match buoyed by their midweek cup win over Arsenal at the Emirates, while the Saints record against Palace will also give them confidence.The south-coast club have lost just one of 14 Premier League meetings with the Eagles and have conceded just three times in the clubs last six matches.However, its not all good news for the Saints, who are without Matty Targett and long-term absentee Jeremy Pied. Alex McCarthy is a doubt. And Puel has also confirmed that Tadic will not feature Saturday due to the broken nose he suffered while on international duty.For this moment, Tadic is not available for this game, Puel said. I dont when he will come back with the squad to play.Its important he can do good work now to come back fit and we will see with him and the staff. We want him to come back at a good physical level to play a strong game with us. He will wear a mask, but its a beautiful mask!Palace are without forwards Connor Wickham and Loic Remy due to injury, but goalkeeper Steve Mandanda is back in training after a knee problem. ' ' '