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After performing well at the team’s rookie minicamp two weeks ago, rookie kicker Justin Tucker has finally made his way onto the roster after signing a contract with the Ravens on Tuesday.

Much confusion existed in the days leading up to and following the rookie camp over the former Texas kicker’s status, but his performance during the tryout led to the Ravens assuring him a spot on their off-season roster. Tucker was not present for the most recent round of organized team activities held last week, but there was much speculation he would eventually be added to the 90-man roster.

To clear a spot, the Ravens released wide receiver and return specialist Phillip Livas, who was signed to the practice squad late last season but became expendable after the additions of fifth-round pick Asa Jackson and veteran wide receiver Jacoby Jones to address the return game.

Tucker made 40 of 48 field goal attempts in his time with the Longhorns and made a 55-yard field goal in the first day of rookie workouts when he was awarded a tryout with the Ravens. In a practice open to the media, Tucker made all four attempts inside 50 yards before missing two attempts from 60 yards that showed impressive distance.

The Ravens have repeatedly expressed confidence in Billy Cundiff, but it would have been surprising had they not added another kicker to provide some level of a push during the preseason. It’s a common practice for teams to add an extra kicker during camp to ease the workload of its incumbents.

Cundiff will certainly have the upper hand, so it would be a stretch to label it a true competition between the two kickers. However, Tucker’s credentials at Texas would suggest him being a viable option should Cundiff struggle in the preseason while trying to shake off the 32-yard miss that would have sent the Ravens to overtime in the AFC Championship.

In his final season at Texas, Tucker was 1-for-2 in attempts of 50 or more yards and 4-for-4 on attempts between 40 and 49 yards.

Game Data

Loyola University Maryland will make its third appearance in the NCAA Semifinals on Saturday, May 26, 2012, when it takes on the University of Notre Dame at 2:30 p.m.

The team will faceoff on the field at Gillette Stadium, home of the National Football League’s New England Patriots, in Foxborough, Mass. The winner of the game will face the winner of the other national semifinal between Duke and Maryland.

On The Tube, Web And Radio

The game will be broadcast live on ESPN2 with Eamon McAnaney and Quint Kessenich calling the action. Paul Carcaterra will be the sideline analyst.

The action can also be seen worldwide on ESPN3, the broadband arm of the ESPN, and on the WatchESPN app on mobile devices.

Westwood One Sports/Dial Global will provide the NCAA Radio Network broadcast of the Championships with Dave Ryan on the play-by-play and Steve Panarelli on analysis. It can be heard on Sirius/XM 91 worldwide. A complete list of stations can be found at dialglobalsports.com.

Series History

Loyola and Notre Dame will meet for the 20th time in series history on Saturday and the third time in NCAA Championships play. Loyola holds a 13-6 advantage in the all-time series, but the Fighting Irish have won the last four meetings and six of the last nine. (Complete series history on page six of the notes)

The teams last played on March 6, 2010, in another NFL stadium. They met at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, home of the Ravens, in the Konica-Minolta Face-Off Classic where Notre Dame came away with an 11-9 victory. In all, this will mark the third time the teams have played in an NFL venue. They also faced off in the 1998 IKON Classic at Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium, former home of the Baltimore Colts.

The last seven meetings in the series have been decided by a total of nine goals with five of the games coming down to a one-goal difference.

Loyola and Notre Dame have played twice in the NCAA Championships, both in the first round, and each team has been the victor once. The Fighting Irish defeated the Greyhounds, 15-12, in Baltimore in the 2000 First Round, and Loyola was a 21-5 first-round winner in 1997.

NCAA Championships History

Loyola is making its 20th all-time appearance in the NCAA Championships, 18th at the Division I level. The Greyhounds are 10-19 all-time in Championships play, 10-17 at the Division I level.

Saturday’s game will be the Greyhounds third appearance in the NCAA Semifinals, first since 1998 when then lost 19-8 to Maryland in Piscataway, N.J. Loyola is 1-1 in NCAA Semifinal games having defeated Yale, 14-13 in overtime, in 1990 to advance to the title game.

Sawyer Sets Goals Record

Mike Sawyer scored the first goal of Loyola’s NCAA Quarterfinal game last Saturday and broke the school single-season record for goals in the process.

Sawyer now has 51 goals this season, breaking the previous best of 50 set by Tim Goettelmann in 2000. Goettelmann went on to become Major League Lacrosse’s all-time leading goal scorer.

Earlier this season, against Hobart, he became the first Loyola player to reach 40 goals in a season since Tim Goettelmann and Gavin Prout scored 50 and 41, respectively, in 2000. They are the only three Loyola players to top 40 this century.

In the ECAC Semifinal against Denver, Sawyer pushed his season point total to 50, a number that is now at 59, making him the first Greyhound to reach 50 in a season since Prout had 58 (37g, 21a) in 2001. It is the fourth time this century that a Loyola player has scored 50 or more points in a season. Goettelmann (65) and Prout (53) both reached the mark in 2000, and Prout did it again the following season. Sawyer’s teammate, Eric Lusby, has since joined him with more than 50 points (more later).

Lusby Right Behind After 5-Goal Game

After tying his career-high with five goals in the Greyhounds 10-9 victory over Denver, Eric Lusby leads the team with 61 points and is not far behind Mike Sawyer in the goals column with 45.

Lusby recorded a career-high seven points in the win over the Pioneers and was involved in all but three of the Greyhounds goals after recording two assists. He scored back-to-back goals twice, once during the second quarter and again in the third.

Three-For-Three

Loyola completed a three-game sweep of Denver with its 10-9 NCAA Quarterfinal victory last Saturday, marking the first time in school history the Greyhounds had ever played a team three times in a season.

It is the third time a team has beaten another three times in a season (thanks to Patrick Stevens of The Washington Times for the research). Loyola joins the 1992 Maryland (vs. Duke), 2007 Duke (vs. North Carolina) and 2009 Duke (vs. North Carolina) teams to have accomplished the feat.

Faceoff Turnaround

Loyola’s J.P. Dalton dominated the faceoff ‘X’ on Saturday against Denver, winning 17-of-22 (.772) against Denver’s Chase Carraro. It was a vast departure from the first two times the teams squared off where the Pioneers went a combined 30-of-45 (.667).

In the regular-season meeting between the teams, Carraro was 13-of-14 at the X, and he went 16-of 29 against the Greyhounds in the ECAC Semifinal game.

Dalton’s 17 wins were one off his career-high set earlier this season against Air Force.

Sawyer, Lusby Form Rare Tandem

Graduate student Eric Lusby and junior Mike Sawyer have formed the top attack tandem in the nation this season, combining for 96 goals in 17 games this season, an average of 5.65 per game.

Sawyer has scored 51 goals, and his 3.0 goals per game average is third-best in Division I. Lusby, meanwhile is right behind with 45 goals and a 2.65 goals per game mark, a number that is 11th in the country. Loyola is one of two schools to have two players in the top 11 of goals per game nationally (Robert Morris).

The Greyhounds have not had two players score 40 or more goals in the same season since 2000 when Tim Goettelmann set the school single-season record with 50, and Gavin Prout tallied 41. As a side note, the Goettelmann-Prout duo has gone on to highly successful professional careers. Goettelman recently retired from Major League Lacrosse as the league’s all-time leading scorer with 268 goals in 11 seasons. Prout has been an MLL Champion and has scored 314 National Lacrosse League goals to go with 625 assists as a multiple-time all-star.

The duo is now the top goal-scoring tandem in Loyola single-season history, eclipsing the performance in 2000 by Goettelmann and Prout.

Two Over 40/50

Mike Sawyer (51g, 59p) and Eric Lusby (45g, 62p) became the first set of Loyola teammates to score 40 goals and 50 points in a season since Tim Goettelmann (50, 65) and Gavin Prout (41, 53) accomplished the feat in 2000.

They are one of only two duos in the nation this year – Robert Morris’ Kiel Matisz (40, 64) and Jake Hayes (42, 61) are the other – to post 40 and 50.

A Lot Of Everything

The adage that a player does a little bit of everything does not necessarily apply to long-stick midfielder Scott Ratliff. The Loyola junior does a lot, as he leads the team in ground balls (79) and caused turnovers (34), is fifth in goals (12) and is seventh in assists (7). His 34 caused turnovers are second-most in Loyola history – behind P.T. Ricci’s 51 in 2009 – since the stats became official in 2008.

A Tewaaraton Award nominee earlier in the year, Ratliff was named the Most Outstanding Player of the ECAC Championships after scoring three goals, one a game-winner, and recording two assists and 16 ground balls.

He had two goals, including the winner just eight seconds into overtime, and an assist versus Denver while picking up a career-high nine ground balls.

Ratliff, who was also an All-ECAC First Team honoree and ECAC Defensive Player of the Year, then scored twice in the first quarter against Canisius to go along with six ground balls and three faceoff wins in the game.

Ratliff’s Scoring

Scott Ratliff had his third multi-goal game of the season in the NCAA First Round against Canisius, and he then added a goal in the Quarterfinal against Denver, raising his season totals to 12 goals and seven assists.

With his game-opening goal against the Golden Griffins, he set the Loyola single-season record for long-pole scoring, surpassing the record of 16 points set by current assistant coach Matt Dwan his senior season in 1995 when he tallied 11 goals and five assists and earned All-America honors.

Ratliff is second nationally this season in goals and points by a long pole, and his seven assists are tops in the country. Bryant’s Mason Poli leads all long poles this year with 19 goals and 24 points.

Ward Dishes Out Assists

Justin Ward was credited with two assists in the NCAA Quarterfinal against Denver, raising his season total to 30, and his 1.76 assists per game are now tied for 19th nationally. Those numbers are tops among the remaining players on the four teams in the NCAA Semifinals.

Ward is the first Loyola player this century to reach 30 assists, and his total is the most since Brian Duffy had 34 in 1996.

NCAA Semifinals Connections

Kevin Ryan’s family will have a rare connection to Loyola’s place in the NCAA Semifinals historically after this weekend. Ryan, who scored an EMO goal in the Quarterfinals against Denver, is the cousin of Sean Quinn and Kevin Quinn who played on Loyola’s semifinal teams in 1990 and 1998, respectively. Sean was a starting defender on the 1990 team, and Kevin a midfielder on the 1998 team.

Phil Dobson, a Loyola midfielder, will face his older brother, Devon, for the first time on a collegiate lacrosse field. Devon is a defensive midfielder for the Fighting Irish.

Top Spot

Loyola entered the NCAA Championships as the No. 1 seed for the third time in school history. The Greyhounds were also the top seed in 1998 when they defeated Georgetown, 12-11, in the Quarterfinals to move on to the Final Four for the second time in school history. There, the Greyhounds lost, 19-8, to Maryland. They were then the No. 1 seed in 1999 when they fell in the Quarterfinals to Syracuse, 17-12.

School Record In Wins

Loyola’s victory over Denver in the NCAA Quarterfinals was its 16th of the season, setting a school record for victories in a year. The Greyhounds eclipsed the previous best of 13 that the 1998 squad achieved with a 13-2 record.

This is Loyola’s 15th season all-time with 10 or more wins with 12 coming since the Greyhounds joined Division I in 1982.

Second-Half Run

Loyola used 13 unanswered goals to break open a 4-3 halftime lead against Canisius in a 17-5 victory over the Golden Griffins in the NCAA Championships First Round.

The Greyhounds took a 4-0 lead in the first quarter before Canisius scored three unanswered in the second. Mike Sawyer corralled a rebound of an Eric Lusby shot off the pipe and scored 1:20 into the second quarter to start the run. During the stretch, Sawyer scored all five of his goals, and Lusby had two of his three.

The run was the second longest in the brief, three-year history of Ridley Athletic Complex. Only a 14-0 run to start the game on March 20, 2010, against Air Force had more goals.

The Hardware Department

In the span of seven days, three teams in Loyola’s Department of Athletics advanced to their respective NCAA Championships by winning titles in three different conferences.

The men’s golf team started the trend with its fifth-straight Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference crown on April 29, and the men’s lacrosse team followed by taking the ECAC title on May 4. The women’s lacrosse team completed the trifecta on May 5 when it defeated then-No. 2 Syracuse to win its second-straight BIG EAST Championship. Also, in March, Loyola’s men’s basketball team won its first MAAC title in 18 years and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1994.

Sawyer Named One Of Five Tewaaraton Finalists

Mike Sawyer was named one of five Tewaaraton Award finalists on Thursday, joining Colgate A Peter Baum, Duke LSM C.J. Costabile, Massachusetts A Will Manny and Virginia A Steele Stanwick.

Sawyer is the first Loyola men’s player to be named a finalist, and he is also the first player from to hail the State of North Carolina to be so honored. He was one of three Greyhounds on the Tewaaraton Watch List where he was joined by Eric Lusby and Scott Ratliff, and Ratliff was a fellow semifinalist. The Award, which is given annually to the top player in college lacrosse, will be presented on May 31 at the Smithsonian Institute’s National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C.

Midfield Scoring

Loyola’s first midfield line of Davis Butts (19g, 32p), Sean O’Sullivan (16, 27) and Chris Layne (11, 21) has combined for 46 goals and 34 assists this season, while the second midfield unit of Pat Byrnes (9, 7), J.P. Dalton (9, 4) and Phil Dobson (7, 2) has added 25 and 13. Additionally, Nikko Pontrello has started to mix in with the second midfield, allowing Loyola’s attackers the opportunity to invert, and he has four goals and six assists.

Spreading Out The Scoring Wealth

Loyola’s first 11 goals against Denver in the ECAC Semifinal night were scored by 11 different players. Eric Lusby, Phil Dobson and Scott Ratliff finished the game with two goals, and eight others had one.

All three members of the Greyhounds’ first midfield – Davis Butts, Chris Layne and Sean O’Sullivan – scored goals. They received four goals from the four players who make up the second midfield line – Dobson (2), Pat Byrnes and Nikko Pontrello (J.P. Dalton did not score). Extra-man attackman Kevin Ryan scored, and two of the team’s three attackmen – Mike Sawyer and Lusby (2) – recorded goals. Ratliff scored twice in transition, and short-stick defensive midfielder Josh Hawkins added one. The Greyhounds’ other attack player, Justin Ward, did not score but had a game-high three assists.

In the title game, 10 different players scored for Loyola with all three attackers scoring and two of three from the first midfield like tallying goals.

Twelve In A Row Ties Mark

Loyola’s 12-straight to start the season tied the school record for consecutive victories, matching the number put up by the 1998 (3/14-3/17) and 1999 (3/6-3/8).

It also matched the best start to a season, equaling the 1999 team that finished the regular-season unblemished at 12-0.

Toomey Tabbed ECAC Coach Of The Year

Loyola Head Coach Charley Toomey was named the ECAC Coach of the Year for the third time in his seven-year career. This season, Toomey has guided the Greyhounds to a 16-1 mark during the regular-season and the ECAC regular-season crown with a 6-0 mark in conference play.

The Greyhounds became the second team in USILA Coaches Poll history to start a season unranked and ascend to the No. 1 spot in the rankings. The only other team was Duke in 2007 – a year after the Blue Devils had their season suspended in March – which accomplished the feat after being unranked in the first poll, moving to second in the next version and first in the third. Duke was knocked from its perch as No. 1 that season when it lost to the Greyhounds at the First Four in San Diego.

The win over Denver in the Quarterfinals was the 60th victory of his coaching career, becoming the fourth coach in Loyola history to win 60 or more – Dave Cottle (181-70, 1983-2001), Charles Wenzel (62-104, 1954-1970), Jay Connor (61-46, 1975-1982).  Toomey’s .619 winning percentage trails only Cottle’s .721 at Loyola.

All-ECAC Honors

Five Loyola players earned All-ECAC Lacrosse League honors form the conference’s coaches. Long-stick midfielder Scott Ratliff, who was also named ECAC Defensive Player of the Year, earned a spot as a defender on the First Team, where he was joined by Mike Sawyer on attack and Davis Butts in the midfield.

Sawyer led the ECAC during the regular-season, and is now third nationally, in goals (51) and goals per game (3.0). Butts has scored 19 goals and assisted on 13 from the Greyhounds first midfield line while also regularly playing a role on the wings during face-offs with 38 ground balls.

Attack Eric Lusby and defender Joe Fletcher were tabbed to the All-ECAC Second Team. Lusby is second on the team and is 11th nationally with 45 goals (2.68 per game), and he also has 16 assists this season. Fletcher came on as one of the top lock-down defenders around, earning Midseason All-American honors from Inside Lacrosse last month. He has 32 ground balls and 22 caused turnovers entering the NCAA Quarterfinals.

Big Runs

Loyola used runs of three-plus goals at important junctures of its 17 games, helping the Greyhounds to wins each time. In all, Loyola has scored three or more in a row on 34 occasions this season.

Loyola scored the first four goals of the ECAC Semifinal game against Denver and then tallied three-straight after the Pioneers pulled within 4-2. The Greyhounds then reeled off five in a row during the third quarter to take a 13-6 lead.

In the ECAC title game, Loyola used an 8-1 run that was comprised of runs of 3-0 and 5-0 to take control of the game.

On The Flip Side

Conversely, the Greyhounds have allowed a run of three or more goals just 12 times this year, with the most recent coming when Canisius scored three in the second quarter. Only Denver (seven in ECAC Semifinal), Johns Hopkins (five), Fairfield (five), Air Force (four) have scored more than three in a row this year.

On The EMO

This season, the Greyhounds are ranked second in the nation in man-up offense, scoring 48-percent of the time (24-of-50). Only Lehigh (.553) has a better mark this year. Loyola dropped below 50-percent for the first time this year by going 4-of-10 in the game against Denver.

The last time Loyola finished at or above .500 in man-up offense was in 1997 when it converted 39-of-77 (.506).

Second-Half Success

The Greyhounds have now outscored opponents 63-22 in the third quarters of games and 117-61 overall this year in the second half (including overtime).

The second-half scoring continues a trend from the last two seasons. Last year, Loyola outscored opponents, 69-52, after halftime (including two overtime goals), and 77-56 two years ago.

#1 – What’s going to happen with Ray Rice?

 Not only has Ray Rice been one of the best pound-for-pound bargains in all of football during his time as a Raven, but unlike many other running backs in similar situations last season Rice played things quiet and trusted that the team would take care of him. Whether or not they do remains to be seen, and whether or not they should is debatable. Running backs come and go quickly in the NFL, but by most accounts Rice has been “special” and is perhaps worth the risk. Either way expect him to play in 2012, but history hasn’t been kind to players who hold out of camp. A bad season for Rice under the franchise tag could be disastrous for him and for the Ravens.

#2 – Who’s playing on the offensive line?

This question is actually a myriad of different questions. Who fills Ben Grubbs spot at LG? How much does Matt Birk have left in the tank? Can we pencil in Bryant McKinnie at LT? Are Michael Oher and Marshal Yanda still the right side? And where do Kelechi Osemele, Jah Reid, Gino Gradkowski and Ramon Harewood fit into the picture? The answers to all of these questions could represent the beginning or the end of any offensive hopes the Ravens will have in 2012?

#3 – Do they have enough at wide receiver?

Torrey Smith was a pleasant surprise last season, but whether he can refine his route running and improve his hands still remain to be seen. He’s now a proven field stretcher but will need to add to his game in order to be a bona fide playmaker. Anquan Boldin was worse than expected last season, but was also injured, He’ll need to be more like the Anquan Boldin of old to lead these Ravens forward on the offensive side of the ball. And beyond those two the questions are even bigger. Is Jacoby Jones a wide out or a just a special teamer? Will Tandon Doss be ready to play in 2012? Who is Tommy Streeter and if he’s any good, how did the Ravens get him so late? Before we start comparing Joe Flacco to the NFL’s elite quarterbacks, let’s make sure he has some weapons that he can rely on.

#4 – Are the tight ends good enough?

Ed Dickson is big and athletic enough but has struggled with his hands. Dennis Pitta has very good hands but may not be big or athletic enough to impose his will on defenders, as modern tight ends are prone to do. Until one or the other shows marked improvement the Ravens will hesitate to use the middle of the field in the passing game, where coincidentally the best offenses all seem to have fantastic weapons. And who is Lamont Bryant?

NFL PLAYERS FILE COLLUSION COMPLAINT AGAINST NFL, TEAM OWNERS

Washington, D.C. – The Class Counsel under the Reggie White settlement agreement and the NFL Players Association today filed a complaint, on behalf of the NFL players, charging the NFL, its clubs and their owners of collusion during the 2010 NFL season. The complaint details a conspiracy to violate the anti-collusion and anti-circumvention provisions in the White Settlement Agreement (SSA) by “imposing a secret $123 million per-Club salary cap for that uncapped 2010 season.”

The written claim is filed with the United States District Court of Minnesota, which oversees the SSA and alleges that the league and owners acted illegally and “solely by self-interest, unconstrained by their clear and unambiguous SSA obligations.”

“When the rules are broken in a way that hurts the game, we have an obligation to act. We cannot standby when we now know that the owners conspired to collude,” said DeMaurice Smith, NFLPA Executive Director.

“Our union recently learned that there was a secret salary cap agreement in an uncapped year. The complaint today is our effort to fulfill our duty to every NFL player. They deserve to know, above all, the facts and the truth about this conspiracy,” said Domonique Foxworth, NFLPA President.

The complaint cites John Mara, owner of the New York Giants, who also serves as the Chair of the NFL Management Council Executive Committee, as publicly confirming that the NFL directed teams to restrict players’ salaries during the uncapped year. When asked about imposed penalties for the Redskins and Cowboys, he replied: “What they did was in violation of the spirit of the salary cap. They attempted to take advantage of a one-year loophole … full well knowing there would be consequences.”

Such a scheme breaches express anti-collusion and anti-circumvention provisions of the SSA and the owners’ duty of good faith in implementing the SSA.

In the filing, it is alleged that the NFL and owners furthered their concealment by “approving the very player contracts that enabled the Redskins, Cowboys, Raiders, and Saints to exceed the secret, collusive salary cap” and, prior to and on March 11, 2012, failed to disclose to the players or the NFLPA “that the true reason for the then-proposed reallocation was to penalize the Redskins, Cowboys, Raiders, and Saints for not fully abiding by the Collusive Agreement.”

Also as described in the complaint, these collusion and other claims are entirely new and were previously unknown to the players and the NFLPA. They therefore were not asserted, and could not have been asserted, in the previous actions that were filed in either Brady. v. NFL or under the SSA in the White litigation.

The players and the NFLPA will be represented in these proceedings by Jeffrey Kessler, David Feher and David Greenspan of Winston & Strawn, LLP; James Quinn of Weil, Gotshal & Manges, LLP; David Barrett, James Barrett, Daniel Schecter, Thomas Heiden and Michael Nelson of Latham & Watkins, LLP; Barbara Berens of Berens & Miller, P.A.; Mark Jacobson of Lindquist & Vennum, PLLP and DeMaurice Smith, Executive Director of the NFLPA.

The most painful reality of an NFL season coming to an end is knowing that particular team will never be together again.

When the Ravens walked off the field in Foxborough following a gut-wrenching loss in the AFC Championship, they had not only narrowly missed out on a trip to the Super Bowl but they knew they would be saying goodbye to important components of a division-winning team.

Though a handful of veterans — Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Ray Rice, Haloti Ngata, Matt Birk, and the injured Terrell Suggs — were absent this week, the Ravens took the practice field in Owings Mills as a team for the first time, welcoming fresh-faced rookies and other newcomers while missing former teammates such as Jarret Johnson and Ben Grubbs — defensive tackle Bryan Hall has taken No. 95 while rookie Gino Gradkowski now wears No. 66.

The inevitable question was asked, especially after a difficult off-season in which the Ravens lost several key players in free agency and the 2011 Defensive Player of the Year for at least the first half of the season due to a partially-torn Achilles tendon.

After such a disappointing finish to their 2011 season, are the Ravens worried about a hangover in 2012?

“I would probably not use that term. Take two Aspirin, that’s what you usually do, right?” said coach John Harbaugh, drawing laughs from the media. “I don’t think we have that problem. I don’t think it’s an issue. You go back to work; it’s a new season. Our guys, they’re in great spirits, so we’re excited. We’ve got lots of things to accomplish, things that we have yet to accomplish.”

The off-season has been anything but smooth with Rice and quarterback Joe Flacco seeking long-term contracts and Reed recently questioning whether he was 100-percent committed to playing this season. In addition, a limited amount of salary cap room led to only modest additions to the roster, leaving uncertainty at vacated spots at left guard and linebacker. In reality, returning to the field might be the perfect remedy to block out all other distractions.

And to move past the pain of the most disappointing loss in the careers of most players on the team.

“Obviously, it hurts and it stings, but you have to get back out here,” quarterback Joe Flacco said. “We are all tough guys and understand that that kind of thing happens sometimes. I think time is one thing, and getting back out here and running around and realizing that it’s not the end of the world. We have to come out here and we have to become ready to play so that we can get right back there and have the same opportunity next season.”

No one fazed with absences of Rice, Reed

While the absence of Rice was expected considering the Pro Bowl running back has yet to sign his franchise tender and is not under contract, plenty of questions were directed toward Harbaugh and Rice’s teammates on how his absence would impact practices.

Rookie Bernard Pierce and second-year backs Anthony Allen and Damien Berry all saw action with the first-team offense with Rice nowhere to be found in the first week of OTAs. Rice recently expressed confidence that he will be in optimal playing shape whenever he does report to the Ravens — which may not occur until training camp if a long-term agreement isn’t reached by July 16.

“I know we have a lot of good, talented guys that are working hard that are very good players,” Harbaugh said. “Who’s the next great player? We never heard of a lot of stars before they came out and became what they are. A lot of these guys that you don’t really know about right now are going to become great players. That’s just all around the league.”

Given the voluntary nature of the OTA, the 33-year-old Reed being absent shouldn’t be surprising, but the timing of his interview with Sirius XM led to questions about the All-Pro safety’s desire to continue playing. Considering Reed has made similar comments in the past and immediately backtracked in the hours following the interview, the Ravens fully expect Reed to be ready for his 11th season.

“Ed is a guy that I really trust and really, really care about and believe in,” Harbaugh said. “There has been no indication that he’s not going to play this year, as far as I am concerned. I don’t worry about Ed.”

Considering only seven players were missing from this week’s workouts — the six veterans and fifth-round pick Asa Jackson since Cal Poly still has classes in session — the Ravens were pleased with attendance, but Flacco downplayed the significance of such key contributors being missing this week.

After last year’s lockout prevented players from working out at the team’s facility and wiped out the OTA schedule, the Ravens never missed a beat on their way to a 12-4 record and their first AFC North title since 2006.

“We’re professional football players. No matter what, we know how to play football,” Flacco said. “These [OTAs] are good for us, no doubt. We get a lot of work done. We have a lot of young guys, and that’s who it is really critical for. The young guys we had last year weren’t able to get that.”

Eyes on outside linebacker, offensive line

Fourth-year linebacker Paul Kruger and rookie Courtney Upshaw lined up as the starting outside backers, but the two were lined up in the opposite way that many anticipated.

Kruger told reporters he has worked primarily at rush linebacker while Upshaw worked at strongside linebacker. Though Upshaw played a position at Alabama with responsibilities very similar to those of Suggs in the Baltimore defense, he will be asked to set the edge and drop more in pass coverage to fill the void left by the veteran Johnson.

“He’s a very smart player – very football-knowledgeable guy,” Harbaugh said. “He has been very well-coached down there. He understands the game, he works hard. He has been everything that we anticipated he’d be so far.”

There was even more movement along the offensive line as Gradkowski and Justin Boren took reps at center with Birk absent and 2012 second-round pick Kelechi Osemele took an overwhelming majority of the work at left guard. However, offensive lineman Jah Reid told reporters he played extensively at left guard on Tuesday as the two are expected to compete for the job in training camp.

The Ravens used Reid at right tackle on a few occasions with the starting offense, shifting Michael Oher to the left side, but Bryant McKinnie received most work at left tackle.

With the selections of Gradkowski and Osemele back in April, the Ravens opted for versatility on the offensive line with players capable of playing more than one position.

“[You] just play where the coaches tell you to play, obviously,” veteran right guard Marshal Yanda said. “When you’re a young player, any way that you can get out onto the grass and get out and start in the NFL, you want to play wherever they put you and where there’s a spot open. Left guard is open right now, so obviously, those guys are going to be plugged in there and see what they can do one day at a time.

Visit the BuyAToyota.com Audio Vault to hear from John Harbaugh, Joe Flacco, Bernard Pollard, Terrence Cody, Marshal Yanda, Torrey Smith, Billy Cundiff, Anquan Boldin, and Brendon Ayanbadejo HERE.

The University of Maryland is making some changes to the playing surface at Capital One Field at Byrd Stadium in College Park. This much we know for sure.

How much more we don’t fully know yet. I reached out to a spokesperson at the school and was told this…

“Construction has started on a new surface at Capital One Field at Byrd Stadium. The project is being funded with private donations and will be completed in time for the upcoming season. Further details will be available soon.” 

Via Facebook/Twitter/message boards, a rumored look at what the field could look like has been making the rounds…

I have to stress that this is only a RUMOR at this point. I’ve poked around with a few other sources in College Park and have received responses like “I’m pretty sure there’s going to be turtle shells on the field” and “they’ve definitely talked about changing the color of the field.”

The most famous football field perhaps in the world belongs to Boise State University, as Bronco Stadium’s blue turf would be recognized just about anywhere…

BSU isn’t the only school to do something significant with their turf. Eastern Washington University’s Roos Field is known as “The Inferno” thanks to this color…

The NFL has actually implemented a “Boise State rule” preventing teams from changing turf colors from the traditional green.

The Terrapins would not be making their first cry for attention, as they garnered PLENTY of buzz on Labor Day last year when they introduced these Under Armour duds in a win over Miami…

For the record, I don’t much care what the Terps wear or what kind of field they play on. As I told former Maryland/Baltimore Ravens CB Domonique Foxworth in an interview last year, if the Terps were competing for a BCS Championship I’d sign off on them wearing Duke uniforms for the game.

But…what do you think? Is the rumored look of the field too much?

-G

If you missed his interview with SiriusXM radio on Thursday afternoon, Ravens safety Ed Reed was once again up to his old tricks of being, well, Ed Reed.

Reed reiterated to host Adam Schein what he’s subtly hinted on a few occasions this off-season that he’s not fully committed to returning to the field for the 2012 season. The news would create a firestorm coming from any other player of Reed’s ilk, but the Ravens and their fans have seen this song and dance too many times.

When asked whether the Ravens were aware of his uncertainty, Reed replied, “I’m sure they will after this interview.”

The veteran safety later backtracked on his comments, claiming he wasn’t referring to whether he would retire but instead was pointing to how playing impacts his family and health.

Entering the final year of a contract that will pay him $7.2 million, Reed desires a long-term extension. However, the Ravens will not budge from forcing Reed to play out the final year of his deal before re-evaluating where each side stands next off-season.

Speaking from both sides of his mouth like only he can, Reed has said he feels he can play four or five more years at one moment but then offers cryptic hints such as the one delivered on Thursday that he may decide to retire. It’s not the type of message that will create urgency for general manager Ozzie Newsome to rush to the phone and offer millions of dollars to the 33-year-old safety who has dealt with shoulder and hip injuries over the last few seasons.

These latest comments are a likely attempt at a power play after 2011 Defensive Player of the Year Terrell Suggs partially tore his Achilles tendon in late April, putting his season in jeopardy. Many have opined how critical the veteran leadership of Reed and Ray Lewis will be in Suggs’ absence, a sentiment surely not lost on the eccentric safety.

Reed is not represented by an agent and has a reputation of not listening to those trying to advise him.

It’s not out of the question that the Ravens will offer Reed a new contract following the 2012 season, but they’re unlikely to offer the kind of lucrative payday the safety desires.

If Reed’s biggest desire is to earn the respect he feels he deserves with another sizable contract, he will likely be given the same luxury offered to Lewis following the 2008 season. Lewis was essentially told by the organization to see what was being offered from other suitors in free agency, but the inside linebacker ultimately found the grass wasn’t greener on the other side before signing a new contract to remain in Baltimore.

Unlike the past few seasons when Tom Zbikowski and Haruki Nakamura were viable options on the depth chart, the Ravens would find themselves in a far more vulnerable position if Reed would follow through on his threat to retire. Veteran Sean Considine and 2012 fourth-round pick Christian Thompson are projected to be the top backup safeties on the roster behind Reed and fellow starter Bernard Pollard.

However, it’s difficult to take Reed’s comments at face value after hearing similar statements in the past, meaning Newsome and the front office are unlikely to lose any sleep over this latest interview.

Whether you believe Terrell Suggs’ claim that he partially tore his Achilles tendon while training in Arizona or just can’t shake the lingering whispers that he suffered the injury playing basketball, one thing is certain.

The Ravens are under no obligation to pay the five-time Pro Bowl linebacker and 2011 Defensive Player of the Year his scheduled $4.9 million base salary in 2012 because the injury took place away from the team’s Owings Mills facility.

In a vacuum, the logical move would be to place Suggs on the non-football injury list, which would remove him from the 53-man roster for the first six weeks of the regular season while he tries to recover in time for the second half of the season. However, unlike the physically unable to perform list, this designation would allow the organization to withhold the portion of his salary covered by the games missed or the entire $4.9 million should Suggs be unable to return during the season.

It would clear salary cap room to create more flexibility in tweaking the roster or potentially acquiring another pass-rush specialist such as the Giants’ Osi Umenyiora in the unlikely scenario that a deal could be struck.

But the short-term cap relief would have far-reaching consequences for general manager Ozzie Newsome and the Ravens in the real world of the NFL. Just because you have the right to do something doesn’t mean it’s the wise action to take.

Though not held in the same light as future Hall of Fame defensive players Ray Lewis and Ed Reed, Suggs has etched his name into the legacy of the defense in nearly a decade of exceptional play. The 29-year-old has been a highly-regarded member of the organization who never squawked after twice being designated the team’s franchise player before signing a six-year, $62.5 million contract in July 2009.

An attempt to withhold his base salary might do irreparable damage to the two sides’ relationship with two years remaining on Suggs’ contract following the 2012 season. While it remains to be seen whether Suggs is able to regain his previous form as one of the most feared defensive players in the league, such an act could be viewed as a slap in the face to a player whose motivation occasionally came into question early in his career. And it probably wouldn’t create the proper mindset for a man attempting to come back from a severe injury at an accelerated rate.

The reach of this decision stretches beyond the injured Suggs, impacting the current locker room and even future Ravens not yet with the franchise. One of the reasons why the Ravens have been so successful over the years is their player-friendly reputation, attracting talented players who want to buy into the organization and continue its winning ways. To go after Suggs’ wallet would be a clear message to players that the organization will do the same thing to them should they land in a similar position one day.

The Ravens have a certain way of doing things and stripping Suggs of his base salary — even if it’s within their rights — doesn’t conform with the philosophies implemented by owner Steve Bisciotti, Newsome, assistant general manager Eric DeCosta, and head coach John Harbaugh. As displeased as they might be with the circumstances that led to Suggs’ injury, it’s simply not a battle worth fighting with a valued member of their family they hope will continue to contribute in years to come.

Which leads to the dirty little secret regarding Suggs and the circumstances that led to the Achilles injury.

The new collective bargaining agreement prohibits teams from opening their training facilities until the middle of April, a stipulation the union wanted in order to provide more time off for its players. However, teams clearly expect players to begin training for the new season long before that time and any player not doing so is asking to eventually lose his job to someone else.

But doing so puts them at risk of losing money should they sustain an injury from any activity — such as lifting weights or running — occurring away from the team’s facility. Taking money from a player — even if the circumstances are questionable but not egregious — sets a dangerous precedent that might cause others to question their commitment and how hard they work away from Owings Mills if it’s going to put them at financial risk.

And that would jeopardize the top priority of the organization.

Winning.

The organization prides itself on the winning environment it’s created over the last 17 years. Suggs buys into that atmosphere as much as anyone — even if you think he may have used questionable judgment prior to the injury.

The Ravens may still elect to handle the matter privately with Suggs as WNST.net’s Drew Forrester reported at the time of the injury that the linebacker has a clause in his contract that subjects him to a $250,000 fine for participating in any unapproved physical activities. And that’s perfectly within their rights if that’s the route they choose to take.

But publicly taking a hardline stance with one of the best players in franchise history sends the wrong message to not only Suggs but to every other player in the organization. It draws a line in the sand saying our family atmosphere and winning culture aren’t as authentic as we made them out to be.

Such an action would damage their reputation as one of the most player-friendly organizations in the NFL.

And that’s worth far more to them than the $4.9 million — or some portion of it — potentially saved in 2012.