OWINGS MILLS, Md. — A day after four defensive starters sat out practice, the Ravens looked much better from a health standpoint on Thursday as all four returned to the practice field.

Safety Bernard Pollard (ribs), cornerback Lardarius Webb (knee), linebacker Jameel McClain (knee), and defensive end Pernell McPhee (knee) were all present during the portion of practice open to the media. They were listed as non-participants on Wednesday’s injury report.

Pollard reiterated he would play on Sunday after declaring himself ready to go on Wednesday. He spent time hitting a blocking sled during the opening portion of practice and appeared ready to go.

“I’m ready to go,” Pollard said prior to Thursday’s workout. “When my mind is made up that I’m going, I’m not going to hold anything back and I will not. Nobody really cares. Once I’m in uniform, everybody expects plays to be made and they expect you to win. I’m playing; it’s going to be all good.”

McClain said before practice that his knee felt good and wasn’t concerned. He briefly left Sunday’s game with the injury before returning to action against the Eagles.

Linebacker Paul Kruger (back) and left tackle Michael Oher (ankle) were present and working after being classified as limited participants on Wednesday.

Offensive lineman Jah Reid (calf) was present for practice but was not working.

Here’s a look at Thursday’s injury report:

BALTIMORE
DID NOT PARTICIPATE: T Jah Reid (calf)
LIMITED PARTICIPATION: LB Jameel McClain (knee), DE Pernell McPhee (knee), S Bernard Pollard (chest), CB Lardarius Webb (knee)
FULL PARTICIPATION: LB Paul Kruger (back), T Michael Oher (ankle)

NEW ENGLAND
DID NOT PARTICIPATE: DT Justin Francis (ankle), TE Aaron Hernandez (ankle)
LIMITED PARTICIPATION: C Dan Connolly (concussion), DE Brandon Deaderick (ankle), CB Alfonzo Dennard (hamstring), TE Daniel Fells (shin), WR Brandon Lloyd (thigh), G Logan Mankins (hip), C Nick McDonald (shoulder), CB Sterling Moore (knee), RB Shane Vereen (foot), T Sebastian Vollmer (back)
FULL PARTICIPATION: S Patrick Chung (shoulder)

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Taking a quick glance at the statistics, you’d assume someone flipped the defensive numbers when comparing the Ravens with the New England Patriots through the first two weeks of the season.

Possessing a potent offense but their defense always considered an Achilles heel, the Patriots are reaping the benefits of the second-ranked unit in the NFL in yards allowed and have surrendered only 33 points in their first two contests (fourth-best in the league). Meanwhile, it’s the defensive-minded Ravens who have struggled to stop opponents, ranking 27th overall in total defense (404 yards allowed per game) after surrendered 486 yards to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.

Of course, two weeks of football is hardly a sufficient sample size — the Ravens also rank sixth in fewest points allowed and fourth in turnover ratio at plus-4 — and inside linebacker Ray Lewis reminded everyone of that Wednesday.

“We always say, ‘Find us at the end of the year,’ and you know what we’re going to be,” Lewis said. “That’s all adjustment. That’s all adding this person, adding that person, fixing this, fixing that, this person goes down, that person goes down.”

Lewis is right that the Ravens are still adjusting to life without the likes of Terrell Suggs, Jarret Johnson, and Cory Redding, but the arrival of the New England Patriots on Sunday night doesn’t bode well for a defense struggling to pressure the quarterback and cover wide receivers and tight ends in the secondary. The Patriots rank sixth in total yards (388.5 per game) and tied for 12th in points scored (26.0 per contest), and quarterback Tom Brady is notorious for picking apart a secondary if you’re unable to make him uncomfortable in the pocket.

Though the combination of outside linebackers Courtney Upshaw and Albert McClellan did a commendable job setting the edge against the run last weekend, the Ravens have found very little ability overall to get to the quarterback without using the blitz. Baltimore ranks 20th against the run (129 yards allowed per game) and tied for 26th against the pass (275 yards per contest) through its first two games.

“I think as a defensive line we’ve got to get more pressure as just the four-man rush,” said defensive tackle Haloti Ngata, who leads the team with two sacks. “I don’t think we are getting enough pressure to help our back end as much and also stopping the run maybe for no gains, or one or two yards, instead of three or four yards that’s helping them out for second or third down. If we can get those things fixed, I will feel better about our play. But, right now I think we’ve got some things we have to improve.”

The Ravens will benefit from the absence of tight end Aaron Hernandez, who is expected to miss the next month after suffering a sprained ankle in the Patriots’ loss to Arizona, but All-Pro tight end Rob Gronkowski will still be in the lineup as the Ravens try to put the memory of their struggles against Philadelphia tight end Brent Celek behind them.

It won’t be easy as Gronkowski already has 12 catches for 135 yards and two touchdowns this season after the 6-foot-6 tight end caught 17 touchdowns last season. To help make up for the loss of Hernandez, the Patriots signed veteran tight end Kellen Winslow and brought back veteran wide receiver Deion Branch to add two more targets to their passing game.

Considering their communication issues in zone coverage between linebackers and defensive backs, the Ravens are more concerned with playing their own assignments than worrying about who’s lining up at tight end. They know that Brady can make them pay if they’re not on top of their game.

“It doesn’t matter who’s lined up at tight end,” cornerback Lardarius Webb said. “If you have No. 12 at quarterback, he’ll make them all look good.”

Brady said all the right things in his conference call with the Baltimore media Wednesday, not buying into the talk that the Ravens defense has slipped and saying he still believes it’s the best he’s faced. His 77.9 quarterback rating in four regular-season games against Baltimore is his second-lowest mark against the 31 NFL teams, with only Carolina (68.7 quarterback rating in three games) having more success against the future Hall of Fame quarterback.

Of course, those games came with Suggs tormenting Brady from the rush linebacker position, a spot that’s now manned by the less-imposing McClellan.

The Ravens acknowledge they’re still an unfinished product defensively, but you have to wonder if the sum of the parts will equal success against the Patriots, who own a 6-0 all-time record against Baltimore in the regular season.

“There are always adjustments that every team has to make, just like us — we are no different,” Lewis said. “We have to make the same adjustments.”

Lewis speaks with the same conviction about his defense, expressing full confidence that the unit will be among the NFL’s elite when it’s all said and done this season. But to hear him say the Baltimore defense is no different than any other unit sounds strange when you consider the overwhelming success it’s enjoyed over the last decade-plus of football.

The Ravens defense has always been unique; it’s stood out among the rest.

Yes, two weeks isn’t a large enough body of work on which to cast judgment, but their struggles have been exactly what many predicted upon learning about the partially-torn Achilles tendon suffered by Suggs in the spring. Brady and the Patriots will be very unforgiving if the Ravens aren’t able to get consistent pressure and tighten their coverage in the secondary.

“We have a lot of new faces in our front seven,” Ngata said. “We’re just trying to get used to each other. It definitely is a work in progress. Once we continue to gel more, I think we’ll seem more dominant.”

The Ravens hope Ngata is right. Or else, they’ll need to get used to higher point totals from opponents on the scoreboard and finding their name lower in the defensive rankings.

It’s unfamiliar territory, for sure.

After Baltimore Ravens victories, Ryan Chell and I award players who made positive contributions with “Pats on the Ass” during the “Nasty Purple Postgame Show” on AM1570 WNST.net.

The Ravens fell to the Eagles 24-23 Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field, meaning there were no Pats to be awarded.

So instead of offering “Pats on the Ass”, Ryan and I again offered “Slaps to the Head” postgame. A slap on the side of the head from a coach tends to come along with them saying something along the lines of “you’ve gotta do better than that.”

Same rules as there were with Pats. Two offensive players, two defensive players, and a Wild Card (Special Teams player, coach, or another Offensive or Defensive player). One player gets “two slaps” (or a slap on both sides of the head), it’s the opposite of a “Player of the Game” honor.” Ryan and I select five different players/coaches after each game.

Here are our five Ravens that have “gotta do better than that.”

Glenn Clark’s Slaps…

5. Arthur Jones

4. Matt Birk

3. Cary Williams

2. John Harbaugh

1. Joe Flacco (two slaps)

(Ryan’s slaps on Page 2…)

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

CONTINUE >>>

The preseason did not start well for the Baltimore Ravens.  The starting offense, defense, and special teams units struggled throughout their time on the field.  That said, we still need to keep in mind that this is the first preseason game and the Ravens still have three more weeks to get their act together.

Although it is the preseason, there were still some obvious concerns on the team.  Scratch that, there were many issues with the team.  Going into the 2012 season, many Ravens fans are counting on the secondary to make up for the loss of Terrell Suggs.  The secondary should be one of the team’s biggest strengths but it looked like a weakness last night.  Maybe the loss of Terrell Suggs will prove to be much more significant that we thought seeing as Matt Ryan was able to stand in the pocket with little to no pressure.  Still, Carry Williams and Lardarius Webb did not look like themselves.  Williams was attacked the entire first quarter and was beaten badly by Julio Jones on more than one occasion.

If Jimmy Smith can return from injury, he should help the secondary.  If Smith had played last night, I think he would have played well against Jones.  Smith is the only corner on the Ravens roster that has the physical attributes to cover receivers like Julio Jones.  Hopefully, Jimmy Smith can return next week when the Lions come to Baltimore.  After all, Calvin Johnson is far superior to Julio Jones and it would be a great test for Jimmy Smith.

Matt Ryan had all day to throw the football.  That said, the loss of Terrell Suggs might be more significant than anticipated.  Paul Kruger, Albert McClellan, and Sergio Kindle struggled to apply pressure throughout their time on the field.  The return of Courtney UpShaw should help this defense get pressure on the quarterback.  Although UpShaw is more of a run stuffer, he also has pass rush ability.  If Kruger, Kindle, and McClellan continue to struggle when it comes to rushing the passer, UpShaw might be asked to play a bigger role than he expected.

Now to the offensive line…where do I start?  The best possible solution for the offensive line is to have Bryant McKinnie return to the first team offense.  Michael Oher looked good at left tackle but McKinnie is just a better option.  Having McKinnie and Oher at tackle gives the Ravens one of the better tackle combinations in the league.  It also lets players like Jah Reid and Kelochi Osemele develop until they are asked to play a bigger role in the years to come.

The interior of the offensive line had a bad night.  Marshal Yanda looked good but Bobby Williams and Gino Gradkowski struggled.  I recognize Gradkowski is a rookie and I will give him a pass for now.  He struggled early but looked good as the game went on.  Matt Birk’s return should help the line as a whole and should also help in Gradkowski’s development.  Bobby Williams did not play very well either.  Williams is a run blocking nightmare for defensive lineman but Williams looked sluggish when pulling.  If Bobby Williams continues to struggle, Kelechi Osemele could start at left guard.  Osemele has shown some great run blocking ability in camp thus far and will be a valuable starter one day for the Ravens.

Bobby Rainey was a bright spot for the Ravens last night.  Rainey got a lot of playing time at punt returner and was solid, but not great.  Rainey shined when it came to catching the ball out of the backfield and running between the tackles.  Rainey is almost a clone of Ray Rice.  He is about the same size, has great speed and acceleration, and for his size, he is a surprisingly powerful runner.

Rainey’s biggest play came in the fourth quarter.  Rainey caught a screen pass from Curtis Painter and broke several tackles on an eighteen yard touchdown.  If Rainey can continue to play like he did in Atlanta, it will be hard to cut him.  Rainey is getting some help from Damien Berry and Anthony Allen, both of whom are competing to back up Ray Rice and make the roster.  Both Berry and Allen struggled last night with Berry having the more impressive night of the two.

Throughout this blog I have been down on some of the players and I think it was well deserved.  But, I also recognize that its the preseason and Ravens fans should not panic unless the Ravens first team units continue to struggle.

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.

Continue >>>

Owings Mills-The drama concerning Ravens LT Bryant McKinnie continued Saturday, as McKinnie was again absent from team workouts in the team’s first full-pads practice at the Under Armour Performance Center.

However, there appears to be a light at the end of the tunnel as McKinnie told WNST Saturday night that he will be reporting to practice Monday and will end his holdout from training camp.

“All is good,” McKinnie told WNST in a text message. I had a little accident a few days ago. I’ll explain later.”

McKinnie, who joined the Ravens last season, had yet to report to Owings Mills after being required to arrive to the area on Wednesday. This marks the third day of practice that he will miss, and under the new collective bargaining-agreement rules, he is subject to more fines by the team for his absence.

As reported by Yahoo! Sports, McKinnie had already been fined 30,000 for not showing up for practice, and would have been subject to continued fines of that amount per day that he is not in uniform.

Offensive coordinator Cam Cameron shrugged off McKinnie’s absence, saying that the first few days of training camp never have a set offensive line in place.

“You just let these things play out,” Cameron said. “The season’s not starting tomorrow.”

But would Cameron love to have a player of McKinnie’s caliber in camp learning with his teammates? Absolutely.

“”[He] filled an unbelievable role for us last year, and was a big part in giving us an opportunity to win.”

If he were to miss the first preseason game, he would be subject to a missed game-check of 188,000 dollars.

Webb returns to Practice

Corner back Lardarius Webb returned to the field Saturday after missing Friday’s session. He was excused by head coach John Harbaugh due to a personal matter. He was actively participating in practice, fielding punts in the opening special teams of practice.

Not present were DT Haloti Ngata (hamstring), tackle Ramon Harewood (ankle), LB Terrell Suggs (Achilles surgery), DE Pernell McPhee (knee), KR David Reed (ACL Surgery), C/G Justin Boren (undisclosed), and T Jah Red (calf).

Defensive coordinator Dean Pees was not worried about his regulars missing training camp practice, as he described the scenario of giving some of the younger guys like Arthur Jones and rookie DeAngelo Tyson opportunities to learn the playbook and execute on the field.

“”Even if Pernell was back, I don’t think it would affect his number of reps. We’re getting a lot of players in,” Pees said.

Reid was spotted in street clothes near the practice field, and during the special teams portion of the practice, CB Jimmy Smith did leave the field with an undisclosed injury.

He walked off the field under his own power, and it appears to be a recurrent cramping issue as Smith battled the same issue Friday at practice.

Practice Highlights

New Ravens CB Corey Graham was the star of Saturday’s practice-most likely getting some opportunities at both the nickel and corner spot with Jimmy Smith’s departure from practice.

He grabbed two interceptions off the Ravens QBs, including a pick-six off  Joe Flacco in which he ran past the Ravens quarterback as he chased him down the field holding the ball out.

His second interception came on a fade route from backup Tyrod Taylor intended for WR Jacoby Jones.

As the ball sailed past Jones, Graham came down with a one-handed grab and got quite the cheer from the few Ravens fans nearby.

Graham, a Pro-Bowl special teams ace with the Chicago Bears, may just fit in with this Ravens defense much like Brendon Ayanbadejo earned more playing time, says defensive coordinator Dean Pees.

“One of the things about Corey is his versatility,” Pees said. “We played him at the corner and the nickel spot, and I’ve also taught him to learn the backup safety. You never know how things are going to go down the road, how many make the cuts, and who’s going to be here. You’ve always got to have those guys who can be flexible.”

Another guy who Pees said makes his job easier is Albert McClellan, who can line up a defensive end, outside linebacker, and had some inside reps last season.

McClellan is another Ravens defender who had an interception-this time grabbing a ball bobbled by Jones, and he returned the pick to the house-earning himself a water break through several of that session’s drills.

Pees was also asked about his linebackers post-practice, especially guys like 2nd round picks Sergio Kindle and Courtney Upshaw who are going to be tasked with filling the void left by Terrell Suggs as he rehabs his injured Achilles tendon.

“I think Sergio’s made a lot of progress,” Pees said of Kindle, who is fighting back from a head injury sustained after a fall his rookie season. “Basically he’s had a lot of time off, and that’s tough…with an injury.”

“He really had a heck of a practice yesterday, and I’ll have to watch the film. I think he’s come a long way here in the last few weeks.”

Despite Upshaw suffering a right shoulder stinger after sustaining a hit from RB Bernard Pierce, he did not leave the practice field.

“He plays like an Alabama kid,” Pees noted. “He comes ready to play. He’s a football player. He’s going to play hard. He learns well in the classroom.”

Hear from Cam Cameron, Dean Pees, and Jerry Rosburg in the BuyaToyota.com Audio Vault at WNST.net!

The Baltimore Ravens need Ed Reed.  Reed is widely considered the best ball-hawk the NFL has seen in sometime and his numbers reinforce that fact.

But, Reed has been contemplating retirement for a few years now mainly due to a neck injury.

In a recent interview, Reed said he missed mini-camps because he wanted to spend more time with his family.  This might be a reason why Ed Reed has been considering retirement recently.  The NFL commands a vast majority of each player’s time and all of them miss significant family events and holidays.

Now that Reed is committed to playing football, the Ravens secondary is going to be one of the team’s biggest strengths.

Lardarius Webb had a breakout performance last season and is the team’s best cornerback since Chris McAlister.  Webb should be one of the best cornerbacks in the league for years to come.

Lardarius Webb isn’t the only cornerback on the roster that teams should be scared of.  Jimmy Smith has the ability to be one of the best corners in the NFL and Carry Williams could start for a lot of teams.  The corners are special and Ed Reed makes them even better.

Ed Reed no longer has the pressure of making up for mistakes the cornerbacks make because there won’t be as many this season.  Reed will be able to play more freely and make plays.

The secondary will struggle at times because of the loss of Terrell Suggs.  Without Suggs, the secondary will be forced to cover for a longer amount of time.  While this sounds like a bad position to be in, the Ravens can counteract this with Jimmy Smith and Carry Williams.  Smith and Williams specialize in press coverage and can disrupt the timing of passing routes.  Thus, the Ravens young outside linebackers and defensive linemen more time to get to the quarterback.

If the Ravens put Smith and Williams on the outside, they can disrupt routes of two wide receivers on each play.  Webb is then free to play off coverage where he is more effective because of his ability to recognize routes and jump them to make a play.

Bernard Pollard is another player to keep an eye on this season.  Pollard is known for his hitting ability but is also dependable in coverage.  If Pollard had better hands, he could have had about three or four more interceptions last season.  I think Pollard is one of the better safeties in the league but is never in that conversation because of his years in Houston where he had little to no help on defense.

The only question mark for the Ravens secondary is the fourth cornerback spot.  Players like Asa Jackson, Chykie Brown, and Corey Graham to compete for the fourth cornerback spot.  Graham has the early edge because of his experience but Brown impressed a lot of coaches in training camp last year.

It’s no secret there was a cloud of uncertainty regarding the circumstances of Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs’ partially-torn Achilles tendon suffered in the final weekend of April.

While the 2011 Defensive Player of the Year maintains he injured himself doing conditioning work, ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter’s Tuesday report of multiple witnesses claiming Suggs tore the tendon playing basketball in Arizona confirmed initial reports that circulated when the news first broke on May 3.

Over a month after the injury was made public, does it really matter how Suggs was injured?

The Ravens have never commented publicly regarding the circumstances surrounding the Suggs injury, but it’s nearly impossible to believe the organization didn’t do its own investigating over what exactly happened when the star player was injured. In other words, Tuesday’s news was hardly surprising to the Ravens.

However, Tuesday’s revelation forces Suggs — and perhaps the organization — to address the story as the 29-year-old linebacker appears to have been caught in a lie if you believe multiple accounts from the Akchin Gymnasium in Maricopa. If in fact he was injured playing basketball, Suggs was likely fearful of any potential action taken by the Ravens to withhold his salary or fine him. Judging from his initial comments following the injury, it was clear how despondent Suggs was for letting down teammates and fans, another factor that may have led to him withholding the truth behind the incident.

Though it’s within their right as an organization to withhold his salary due to a non-football injury, the Ravens have given no indication they plan to do so, a course of action with which I agree. It’s understandable to be upset with Suggs over choosing to lie — if that’s ultimately what he did — but the reality is this injury could have taken place any number of ways.

Owner Steve Bisciotti, general manager Ozzie Newsome, coach John Harbaugh, and fans would love to put star players in bubble wrap during the off-season, but it’s not reality. If you’re familiar with any of the off-season workouts players put their bodies through to prepare for the upcoming season, you know it puts the individual at far more risk than a light jog or simply raising a five-pound dumbbell. While Suggs’ participation in a basketball tournament wasn’t approved by team officials, he just as easily could have suffered the injury in Torrey Smith’s charity basketball tournament earlier this year or Lardarius Webb’s charity softball game this past weekend — events cleared by the Ravens.

The injury remains unfortunate and damaging to the Ravens’ Super Bowl aspirations for the 2012 season, but the altered cause of the injury doesn’t affect my opinion of Suggs unless we suddenly learned he tore the Achilles doing something egregiously reckless such as performing wheelies on a motorcycle or parachuting off a building.

If Schefter’s report is true, Suggs should come clean and apologize, which would allow all invested parties to move on from the incident once and for all. It doesn’t impact his recovery time or make the injury any better or worse, but addressing the issue now eliminates the lingering doubt and will allow the five-time Pro Bowl defensive player to focus on his rehabilitation with minimal media distractions after this latest wave of scrutiny.

Yes, Suggs used questionable judgment if he did hurt himself playing basketball and proceeded to lie about it, but it’s not worth holding a grudge against a player who’s been a standout member of the organization for nearly a decade.

He and the Ravens have suffered enough already.

Only time will tell whether Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs will be able to return to the field at some point during the 2012 season.

But there’s no disputing Baltimore’s Super Bowl aspirations took a significant blow on Thursday with the news of the 2011 AP Defensive Player of the Year suffering a torn Achilles tendon in Arizona last weekend. Suggs insists he’ll be ready to play by midseason, but the severity of the injury suggests just how ambitious that proclamation might be.

Plain and simple, the Ravens must prepare for the 2012 season under the assumption that they won’t have their best defensive player for the entire year.

What looked more like a luxury pick six days ago when general manager Ozzie Newsome selected Alabama linebacker Courtney Upshaw with the 35th overall pick of the NFL Draft now looks like a foretelling gift from a higher power as the rookie becomes the most logical candidate to assume Suggs’ spot at the rush linebacker position.

Most view Upshaw as a promising addition to the vaunted Baltimore defense, but the Ravens and their fans know the unforgiving truth.

There’s simply no replacing Suggs, who collected a career-best 14 sacks and earned an invitation to his fifth Pro Bowl a season ago. His subtraction alone transforms an elite defense into one without the dominant pass-rusher required in this pass-happy era of the NFL.

Ray Lewis is still the heart of the defense and Ed Reed the soul, but Suggs was the one-man wrecking crew that propelled the defense to an AFC-leading 48 sacks and the third overall defensive ranking in 2011. In addition to the sacks, forced fumbles, and tackles, Suggs’ impact on the defense goes beyond what you see on the stat sheet.

Even if Upshaw is ready to contribute immediately at the position, the trickle-down effect of Suggs’ absence will be felt in all aspects of the defense. His ability to consistently beat offensive tackles allows the Ravens to play more four-man fronts and rely on fewer blitzes in passing situations. Opponents game-plan specifically for the rush linebacker, having to account for him on every play while defensive teammates often reap the benefits along the way.

With so little cap room – less than $2 million — at their disposal and the draft and primary wave of free agency already in the rear-view mirror, the Ravens won’t have the luxury of making dynamic changes to their makeup on either side of the football. They have little choice but to depend on those already on the roster to make the game-changing plays Suggs provided in past seasons.

Replacing Suggs’ production and impact cannot simply fall on the shoulders of the rookie Upshaw.

Third-year linebacker Paul Kruger, who looked like he had found himself in a competition with the Alabama rookie, will presumably take the reins of the strong-side backer position left behind by veteran Jarret Johnson. In addition to setting the edge and becoming an every-down player, Kruger will need to provide a larger presence as a pass-rusher after collecting 5 1/2 sacks last season.

Defensive coordinator Dean Pees may now be forced to take more chances upfront by using defensive end Pernell McPhee more often than he anticipated since projected starter Arthur Jones doesn’t offer as much in the pass rush as he does defending the run. This would leave the Ravens lighter along the defensive line and vulnerable against the run in certain situations.

Young reserves such as Albert McClellan, Sergio Kindle, and Michael McAdoo will now find themselves a spot higher on the depth chart and only an injury or two away from potentially being forced into action.

However, the component of the defense facing the most pressure without Suggs is the Baltimore secondary, which surprisingly ranked fourth in the league in pass defense a year ago. Taking nothing away from the breakout seasons enjoyed by Lardarius Webb and Cary Williams, there’s no arguing how much the secondary benefited from Suggs’ ability to pressure the quarterback.

Webb, Williams, and 2011 first-round pick Jimmy Smith – with Reed still patrolling in center field – will need to take additional steps forward as opposing quarterbacks won’t have No. 55 chasing them around in the pocket — at least for the first half of the season. After signing a new long-term contract and proclaiming his unit the best secondary in the NFL a few weeks ago, Webb and his teammates in the defensive backfield will need to prove just that to prevent the defense from taking a substantial step back in 2012.

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