Last week it was wide receivers Julio Jones and Roddy White and this week it’s Calvin Johnson, but the Ravens secondary isn’t backing down despite a rough start in the preseason opener.

In fact, the unit is embracing the early challenges against some of the best receivers in football. Against the Detroit Lions on Friday night, the Ravens will arguably see the best receiver in the NFL as the 6-foot-5 Johnson comes off an incredible 2011 season in which he caught 96 passes for 1,681 and 16 touchdowns.

“I am looking to go against anyone,” cornerback Lardarius Webb said. “It’s not that it’s just ‘Megatron.’ But, it’s going to be a nice challenge going against one of the best receivers in the league. Why not start it off in preseason going against him? Getting your confidence up, getting back used to the game, like I said.”

The Baltimore defense is hoping to avoid a repeat of last week when Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan and Jones burned the secondary repeatedly, with cornerback Cary Williams receiving most of the attention. Jones caught six passes for 109 yards and a touchdown in the first quarter as the Ravens allowed 191 total yards in the first 15 minutes of play.

However, defensive coordinator Dean Pees credited Ryan’s pinpoint accuracy on several passes and reminded everyone how the front seven was unable to get consistent pressure on the Atlanta quarterback. The Ravens hope to generate more heat on Stafford to aid defensive backs in the battle against Johnson.

A three-and-out as opposed to the touchdown the Ravens allowed on the Falcons’ opening drive would be a fine way to erase the ugly beginning to the preseason.

“We need to get off to a fast start,” Pees said. “That’s the thing that disappointed us Thursday is we got off to a slow start, and we don’t want to let anybody ever drive the ball on us, let alone go down and score on the first possession – certainly not a way you want to start the game. Now, that being said, I’ve played in enough games in 40 years of football that they have scored on the first drive, and we won the game 41-7. You have to also let that go and it’s over with and done. You make corrections on the sideline, you come back and win the game.”

Webb and the Baltimore secondary aren’t panicking over the poor showing against Atlanta after finishing with the fourth-ranked pass defense in the league last season. Pressure will be on the secondary to play at an even higher level after the loss of linebacker Terrell Suggs and how his absence will likely leave a major void in the pass rush.

Webb is expecting Friday’s performance to look much more like the unit that played at an exceptional level last season.

“When you come into the first game, you get a little anxious,” Webb said. “You want to get the interception here, you want to jump here, but it’s all about feeling the game out, feeling the team out. We kind of jumped the gun, tried to jump too much stuff. This game, I think, we are just going to let it come to us – just play football and let the defense open up to us.”

Increased workload for starters?

Starters will see more action in the second preseason game of the summer, but after last week’s nine-play, nine-yard first quarter, the Ravens will shy away from specifying a concrete amount of time the starters will play against the Lions.

As is always the case, certain veteran starters such as linebacker Ray Lewis and safety Ed Reed will likely be lifted earlier than the rest of their starting mates.

“We will play it by ear right now,” coach John Harbaugh said. “It could be as much as a half, it might not be. We’ll just play it by ear, see how it’s going, and see how many reps we get. Again, it will be more individual. There will be some guys staying longer than other guys. Starters, I think there are categories in there as well.”

Special teams coordinator Jerry Rosburg expressed his preference for Billy Cundiff and Justin Tucker to receive more opportunities on Friday as the Ravens try to decide who will be their place kicker. As was the case last week, Cundiff is expected to start the game before Tucker receives his chance later in the night.

It remains to be seen whether recently-injured players such as Torrey Smith, Jimmy Smith, and Courtney Upshaw will play on Friday, and Harbaugh wasn’t tipping his hand about the status of any players when he spoke to reporters on Wednesday.

“We’ll see,” Harbaugh said. “I don’t really want to mention anyone particularly right now. We will just see how it goes.”

Fight like a Raven

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(Updated: 6:35 p.m.)

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Returning to the practice field for the first time since their public workout at M&T Bank Stadium over the weekend, the Ravens were without safety Ed Reed during the opening portion of practice Monday afternoon.

Midway through Saturday’s practice, the veteran appeared to bang his left leg but finished the workout without any apparent concerns. Reed walked out to the field to watch the latter portion of practice while sporting a sleeve on his left leg. Reed received the day off last Monday along with linebacker Ray Lewis but has practiced every other day since reporting to training camp on July 25.

In addition to the laundry list of players missing at the start of practice, right guard Marshal Yanda, wide receiver Jacoby Jones, defensive end Pernell McPhee, and running back Anthony Allen did not finish Monday’s practice. Yanda left the field at the conclusion of the opening special teams period and showed no visible discomfort, but he never returned over the course of a practice that lasted over two hours.

“Jacoby, I pulled him out about midway through,” Harbaugh said. “I just felt like he’d done enough. Marshal, I pulled him out early in the practice and just felt like he’d had enough. And Pernell, I’m not sure about. That wasn’t me, so we’ll have to find out about that one.”

Wide receiver Tandon Doss (hamstring), cornerback Cary Williams, and tight end Ed Dickson returned to the practice field on Monday. Doss had been sidelined since the first week of camp while Williams missed workouts on Friday and Saturday but told reporters the absence wasn’t related to his surgically-repaired hip and he was simply resting. Dickson was poked in the eye during the stadium practice, but the third-year tight end told reporters he would be fine.

In addition to Reed, linebacker Dannell Ellerbe and defensive tackle Ma’ake Kemoeatu were new absences on Monday. However, each player missed one practice last week.

Others absent included cornerback Jimmy Smith (back), offensive linemen Matt Birk (back) and Jah Reid (calf), linebackers Courtney Upshaw (shoulder), Josh Bynes, and Darryl Blackstock (groin), defensive lineman Arthur Jones (hip), running back Bernard Pierce (hamstring), wide receiver Patrick Williams (leg), and tight end Dennis Pitta (hand).

Upshaw has now missed seven straight practices and hasn’t worked since July 28 after suffering a sprained shoulder in a collision with Pierce. While the Ravens are eager to see him return to the practice field, Harbaugh reminded everyone there are plenty of reps remaining in the preseason and the team is not deviating from its plan to replace linebacker Terrell Suggs.

“He got lots of reps in the offseason program earlier,” Harbaugh said. “We just need to get him out there participating. Obviously, Sergio’s a big part of that. Albert’s gotten a lot of reps. Paul Kruger’s been out there the whole time. Courtney’s a piece that we need to evaluate and develop, and he’ll be in there soon enough.”

Suggs remains on the non-football injury list while wide receiver David Reed is on the physically unabe to perform list, and both are expected to miss the entire preseason.

The Ravens will practice again on Tuesday before traveling to Atlanta for their preseason opener on Thursday night.

Most talk surrounding the Ravens need to improve their 19th-ranked passing game from a season ago has centered around the development of a talented but raw group of young wide receivers.

While many wonder if Torrey Smith will build upon his record-setting rookie season and some combination of Tandon Doss, LaQuan Williams, and Tommy Streeter can etch out roles in the offense, Anquan Boldin keeps working to remind everyone he’s still the Ravens’ most dependable receiver.

Despite recording only 57 catches — one shy of his career low — and 887 receiving yards in 14 regular-season games, Boldin hopes his postseason performance upon returning from knee surgery is a sign of better things to come in his third season in Baltimore. The 31-year-old registered 10 catches for 174 yards and a touchdown in two postseason games, looking more comfortable than he did at any point in the regular season.

“Last year was tough just because I came into camp with the injury,” Boldin said. “I had a partial tear of my meniscus the entire year. There were times where it swelled up, and it was tough to get in and out of my cuts. But after the surgery, it felt great, and I’ve had the entire offseason to rehab and get a lot stronger. I’m moving around a lot better, a lot quicker.”

It’s no secret that Boldin’s production has been underwhelming in two seasons after the Ravens traded a third and a fourth-round pick to the Arizona Cardinals prior to the 2010 draft. Boldin struggled to find a rapport in his first season with Joe Flacco since the young quarterback still had familiar targets in Derrick Mason and Todd Heap on which he could rely. Last season, the lockout eliminated the entire offseason, a period of time in which quarterbacks and wide receivers can grow together exponentially.

Boldin averaged a career-high 15.6 yards per catch despite modest numbers last season, but he’s feeling as comfortable as ever  as he begins his third season with Flacco and offensive coordinator Cam Cameron.

“Understanding what the coaches are expecting, what Joe is expecting, [being] on the same page as Joe, seeing what he sees,” Boldin said. “For me and him, we talk after every play. ‘What are you seeing on this? This coverage, what are you thinking?’ I think as we go on, the relationship just grows.”

Entering his 10th season, Boldin is eligible to receive periodic days off as part of coach John Harbaugh’s famed “30-and-over club” to keep veterans fresh, but the wide receiver prefers staying on the practice field, explaining his need to improve and how one player’s absence can upset the rotation at the receiver position.

It’s an attitude that not only sets a shining example for his younger teammates but is also noticed by the coaching staff.

“He still comes in with a mindset he’s going to work every day to get better,” wide receivers coach Jim Hostler said. “It might be a little bit different than the young guys. It might be a little bit more precision. It might be a little bit more detail, but he still approaches it that way. It’s still, ‘I’m going to do whatever I can to make this the best year I have ever had.’”

Camp highlights

The offense shined during Monday’s practice as Flacco threw touchdown passes to Boldin and backup tight end Davon Drew during 11-on-11 red zone drills. Drew will now see an increased role as the No. 2 tight end behind Ed Dickson with Dennis Pitta breaking his hand during the workout.

Flacco also completed a beautiful deep ball to Jacoby Jones, who beat cornerback Jimmy Smith down the right sideline.

The quarterback continued his fine start to training camp, picking apart a Baltimore defense that was without defensive tackle Haloti Ngata, linebackers Ray Lewis and Courtney Upshaw, and safety Ed Reed.

At one point during practice, an angry Harbaugh challenged his defense by asking sarcastically if they felt like covering anybody.

The kicking competition between veteran Billy Cundiff and rookie Justin Tucker continued on a similar path to what we saw last week. Cundiff connected on field goals from 20, 36, and 52 yards before missing a 55-yarder wide left. Tucker produced the same results, only the former Texas kicker missed his 55-yard attempt wide right.

Fighting words

We’re still waiting for our first fight of training camp, but cornerback Cary Williams and wide receiver Tandon Doss engaged in a verbal altercation that became quite heated during the afternoon practice.

Williams was matched up against Torrey Smith in passing drills, and the wide receiver took exception with the amount of contact on the play. Doss then began jawing with Williams, and the cornerback took exception with a player sidelined with an injury deciding to critique what was happening on the practice field.

Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed as the horn sounded and the players moved to the next period of the afternoon practice.

With the Ravens beginning their first full week of training camp after Sunday’s day off, here are five early observations from the first few practices of the summer in Owings Mills.

1. Even if the Ravens are satisfied with Bryant McKinnie’s weight and conditioning, this story isn’t going to go away as quickly as the tackle would like.

His claim that he hurt his back in a fall may explain why his chiropractor contacted the team to let them know he wouldn’t be reporting to training camp on time, but coach John Harbaugh’s comments earlier this week suggest the Ravens are having a difficult time believing the explanation. While McKinnie may have felt embarrassed — especially knowing how closely his conditioning is being scrutinized — failing to talk to the organization himself makes it look like he’s hiding more than a minor back injury.

Plenty of speculation exists regarding McKinnie’s financial problems and how he mysteriously went silent on Twitter a week ago, but you have to wonder how much the Ravens are willing to put up with considering they were already uneasy about his conditioning earlier this offseason. Harbaugh’s hardline stance about Michael Oher being the left tackle until further notice is a loud message that McKinnie is on shaky footing with the organization.

Unlike the way in which Ed Reed’s arrival at camp immediately squashed the discussion that buzzed around the All-Pro safety for weeks, McKinnie won’t just waltz back into camp with all essentially being forgotten. What will help the 32-year-old, however, is the lack of a known commodity at the right tackle position when Oher is on the left side.

Even so, McKinnie has plenty to prove before the Ravens can entrust him with the left tackle job for the second year in a row.

2. It’s remarkable how much better the cornerback situation is from a year ago at this time.

More attention has been paid to outside linebacker and the battles at defensive end and on the offensive line, but the most entertaining competition of the preseason will be between Cary Williams and Jimmy Smith for the starting cornerback job opposite Lardarius Webb. Unlike most competitions where you’re typically desperate to see one player emerge as a viable starter, this is a win-win situation where both players are capable of holding down starting jobs in the NFL.

Smith may have gained a slight upper hand during organized team activities as Williams continued to recovery from offseason hip surgery, but the 2011 first-round pick was dinged up during Saturday’s practice to potentially even the playing field once again. It’s also important to remember Williams played with a torn labrum last season, which is remarkable to think about when you consider how critical hip movement is to the back pedal and changing directions.

While the Ravens certainly envisioned Smith as a starter when they made him their top selection two Aprils ago, they really cannot go wrong with either player as the starter, and the other will still receive plenty of playing time. Williams and Smith will again line up at the cornerback spots with Webb sliding inside to the nickel position to match up with slot receivers in passing situations.

Special teams ace Corey Graham has also been very impressive in coverage and looks like a solid bet to be the team’s dime back, which would push Danny Gorrer down the depth chart after he looked solid in limited opportunities last season. It’s quite a difference from a year ago when the Ravens were depending on banged-up veterans such as Domonique Foxworth and Chris Carr to play significant roles before Webb and Williams emerged as starters out of training camp.

3. Don’t sleep on Albert McClellan as the Ravens sort out their outside linebacker situation.

While it’s assumed that Paul Kruger and Courtney Upshaw will line up as the starting outside backers against the Cincinnati Bengals to open the regular season, McClellan has received plenty of reps with the defense over the first few days of practice. His versatility to line up as a defensive end as well as play multiple linebacker positions makes him a valuable asset, and that’s not even taking into account that the 26-year-old led the team in special teams tackles last season.

The start to McClellan’s career hasn’t been dramatically different from that of inside linebacker Jameel McClain, though the former spent his first professional season on the practice squad. McClain also went undrafted and shined on special teams before eventually carving out a bigger defensive role for himself.

Upshaw clearly possesses more upside, but the rookie’s inexperience and need to get leaner may open the door for more opportunities for McClellan, who surprised everyone with his strong play filling in at inside linebacker when Ray Lewis and Dannell Ellerbe were sidelined against the San Francisco 49ers on Thanksgiving night.

4. There isn’t a wide receiver with better hands on the team than Tandon Doss.

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OWINGS MILLS, Md. — With this week’s organized team activities remaining voluntary for Ravens players, it was only natural to see fewer attendees after such a strong showing during last week’s workouts.

Of the seven players missing from last week’s practices, only veteran center Matt Birk was back in Owings Mills for the second week of practices. Linebackers Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs (Achilles tendon surgery), safety Ed Reed, defensive tackle Haloti Ngata, running back Ray Rice (unsigned franchise tag designation), and rookie cornerback Asa Jackson (school in session) were once again absent this week.

After attending workouts last week, guard Marshal Yanda, offensive tackle Bryant McKinnie, safety Bernard Pollard, fullback Vonta Leach, linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo, and wide receiver Anquan Boldin elected not to be present for this week’s practices.

A veteran choosing to skip voluntary workouts is hardly surprising — even though it draws the ire of some fans — but a number of young players were also absent on Wednesday. Offensive lineman Jah Reid, cornerback Jimmy Smith, defensive end Pernell McPhee, wide receiver Rodney Bradley, linebacker Cody Glenn, and defensive tackle Bryan Hall were not on the field during Wednesday’s workout.

Since Reid is competing with rookie Kelechi Osemele for the left guard position and Smith and McPhee are looking for more playing time on the defensive side of the football, their absences were less expected than experienced players like the 17-year veteran Lewis, who is essentially going through the motions during OTAs.

It’s important to stress these workouts are voluntary, but coaches certainly make mental notes of players not attending these practices — even though they generally won’t admit it.

“Any time that they can be here is always a benefit for them,” said defensive coordinator Dean Pees when asked about Smith and McPhee not being present. “It’s a benefit for us too. It gives us a chance to evaluate them further. It’s also good for them because they pick up whatever we’re doing scheme-wise, because we’re adding a lot all the time. The whole part about OTAs is to try to get the whole package in — even sometimes when it doesn’t look good.”

Cornerback Cary Williams (hip surgery), wide receiver and return specialist David Reed (ACL surgery), and offensive lineman Howard Barbieri (unspecified) were present but not working during Wednesday’s practice. Williams will have another doctor appointment later this week to see how his surgically-repaired hip is progressing and hopes to increase his level of participation during next month’s minicamp.

The fifth-year cornerback is expected to be 100 percent by the time training camp begins in late July. He has been working on conditioning on the side field during OTAs.

“I’ll be out there doing individual drills, running around, doing a lot more cutting, doing a lot more jumping around, catching the balls,” said Williams about his goals for mandatory minicamp. “I might even do one-on-one’s; it just depends on how well it goes. I see the doctor on Friday, so hopefully we’ll come back with some good news.”

Osemele left the field during the early portion of Wednesday’s practice and returned wearing street clothes in the final minutes of the workout. The 333-pound lineman did not appear to be favoring any particular body part as he jogged off the field.

When asked about the rookie’s status following practice, coach John Harbaugh was in mid-season form by not revealing any specifics.

“Like all these guys, they’ve got little bumps and bruises and stuff like that for this time of year,” Harbaugh said. “I’m really not going to get into injuries in May, but he’s fine.”

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