Saddled with an uncertain future, Marcus Smith made sure he addressed the past.

Playing in his first game at M&T; Bank Stadium since suffering a major knee injury that cost him last season, the wide receiver managed to avoid a similar outcome in the Ravens' 17-12 victory over the Carolina Panthers on Thursday night.

Perhaps surprisingly, Smith said his trepidation over returning to the site where he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee didn't occur Thursday night. It actually surfaced Aug.7, when the team shifted one training camp practice from Westminster to Baltimore.

"Maybe not so much at the game, but definitely at the first practice, I was thinking about it a lot," said Smith, who suffered the injury while making a tackle on a punt return during the second quarter of a preseason game against the Washington Redskins last Aug.13. "I'm not going to lie. I went to the spot [around the 22-yard line]. It was more of a mental challenge than anything else, just knowing that it had been a year. But it was a year ago and it wasn't the same feel or the same situation. I just had to go out there and do what I had been doing before the injury and now after the injury."

Although he made a tackle on punt coverage against the Panthers, Smith did not have a pass thrown his way that night. That might not bode well for someone belonging to one of the deepest positions on the team.

But coach John Harbaugh said Smith has made strides in his development.

"He grew through his injury as much as any player I've ever seen," Harbaugh said. "He's become a real quality wide receiver. Plus, he brings a lot of special teams value. So Marcus is in a fight, but he's done very well."

Smith said he understands his predicament and even steeled himself to the possibility of being the odd man out.

"I came in with the idea that I was the last of the pack because I didn't play last year," he said. "Even though I had the [2008] year under my belt and I played in the AFC championship game, I still felt that since I sat out the whole year, I'm still in the back and I have to work my way up. And that's all on me. I can't control what Anquan [Boldin] does, what Mase [Derrick Mason] does, what any of those guys does. All I can do is go out and catch the ball when I get the opportunity, know my assignment, and from there, the coaches will make the hard decisions."

Gooden takes first-team reps

Tavares Gooden might be lining up for a possible start at inside linebacker.

Gooden played alongside 11-time Pro Bowl selection Ray Lewis and the rest of the first-team defense during Tuesday's practice. Gooden, who replaced Jameel McClain, who started at inside linebacker against Carolina, declined to say whether his appearance with the first defense was an indication that he would earn the start against the Redskins.

"I'm praying that I do get the opportunity to be the starter, but there are bigger things in life," he said. "I will work hard, and I will be a role guy if that's what they want."

Injury updates

Center Matt Birk did not practice for the third consecutive day because of tightness in his neck, according to Harbaugh.

"Matt's going to be a guy that we're going to be very judicious with throughout training camp and even throughout the season," Harbaugh said. "I don't think a lot of practice is what he needs, but he's up there. When you've played on the offensive line for that many years, you want to be smart with those guys with how many contact reps they take."

Reserve center-guard David Hale also sat out with what Harbaugh described as a bruised tailbone suffered when he became entangled with defensive tackle Haloti Ngata during a one-on-one pass-blocking drill Monday morning. Hale lay on the turf for almost 10 minutes before getting carted off the field.

"They haven't been able to get a CAT scan or MRI on it, to my knowledge, to make sure that it's not fractured," Harbaugh said. "I'll have to check on that. Just landed straight on it with Haloti on top of him. So it's a little painful."

Hale was seen at the team hotel walking slowly and lowering himself gingerly into a vehicle.

Ravens safety Ed Reed continues to progress from offseason hip surgery and has been flying to Atlanta to see his rehabilitation doctor.

A team official said this is a positive sign.

Reed, who is on the physically-unable-to-perform list, has been unclear on when he thinks he'll return. The Ravens are hoping he will be ready for the regular-season opener at the New York Jets on Sept. 13.

Cautious with Webb

A day after Lardarius Webb said he hoped to avoid playing in the preseason because of concerns over his surgically repaired right knee, Harbaugh emphasized that the team will be cautious with the cornerback.

Webb, who is still on the team's physically-unable-to-perform list, said Monday that he worried about exposing his knee -- the one in which he tore the anterior cruciate ligament against the Chicago Bears on Dec. 20 -- before the regular-season opener. On Tuesday, Harbaugh seemed to agree with Webb, saying: "I think he's progressing ahead of schedule; that's what I've been told. It won't be long before you see him off the PUP and out here practicing with the guys, but I think we are going to be cautious with him."

Then Harbaugh added a kicker, saying: "If he can play in the preseason and we feel very comfortable that it's not going to be a setback, then we'll do it. If we think there's any possibility of a setback, then we probably won't."

End zone

In addition to Birk and Hale, offensive tackles Jared Gaither (muscle tear/back spasms) and Stefan Rodgers (right arm in sling), defensive tackle Brandon McKinney (swelling in right knee), tight end Davon Drew (hamstring), safety Marcus Paschal (right leg) and guard Daniel Sanders (left arm/shoulder) did not practice. Cornerback Chris Carr (left hamstring) participated in individual and positional drills, but was limited in other areas. Ngata returned to practice. … For the second consecutive day, right tackle Oniel Cousins traded blows with a teammate. A day after sparring with linebacker Jameel McClain, Cousins went at it with linebacker Edgar Jones. "It's part of practice," Cousins said of his exchanges. "By the end of the day, we were friends again. It's hot out here." … In honor of Military Appreciation Day, personnel from all four branches of the armed forces, the Coast Guard and the Maryland National Guard were permitted to watch practices and get autographs from players and coaches. "We're real proud of what all of the personnel in the military all across the country and overseas have done for us," Harbaugh said. "We just can't thank them enough for what they've done, and this is a very small token of our appreciation from the Ravens and all the Ravens fans."

edward.lee@baltsun.com

ken.murray@baltsun.com