It was a day right out of a picture postcard: blue skies filled with puffy white clouds, temperatures in the 70s, the sun slanting off the bright green practice fields at McDaniel College.

Finally it looked like the Ravens might catch a break.

Finally it looked like they might enjoy a day without controversy, without a player shooting off his mouth or falling down a flight of stairs or flopping on the ground in exhaustion after failing his conditioning test.

A record crowd of 11,506 was on hand to watch the team's first full-squad workout of the new season. The offense looked crisp, particularly for the first practice.

Linebacker Terrell Suggs looked lean and quick and energetic, as if he had been on some kind of Medifast-and-Red Bull diet this summer. Defensive end Paul Kruger looked like he could bench-press an SUV, bulked up to a muscular 275 pounds and eager to get his second NFL season under way.

Oh, it was shaping up to be a fine day.

Then John Harbaugh stepped to the microphone to address the media after practice, and that was the end of the fine day.

"We lost Domonique Foxworth," said the Ravens coach. Torn ACL. Did it in a noncontact drill during orientation practice the day before. Out for the season.

For a minute or two, Harbaugh talked about how badly he felt for Foxworth, the sixth-year cornerback, who had texted him to say how sorry he was for getting hurt and letting the team down.

Then Harbaugh tried to put a positive spin on the whole thing, as required by the NFL coaches' manual.

"But the thing we're looking forward to -- and we just talked to the team about it -- I can't wait to see who steps up," Harbaugh said. "I can't wait to see who it is that we're talking about a month from now that stepped up to fill that spot."

But this was like trying to put a happy face on a mugging, and you wonder how much Harbaugh's heart was in it.

Because the simple fact is that Foxworth's injury could be big trouble for the Ravens.

Right now they have two cornerbacks, Fabian Washington and Lardarius Webb, rehabilitating torn ACL injuries. And despite all the happy talk about each player's progress, neither knows exactly when he'll be back.

Or how good he'll be when he does come back.

So the starting corners at Friday's practice were Chris Carr and Travis Fisher.

Does that fill you with an immense feeling of confidence? A backup corner and a journeyman defensive back who appeared in just three games for the Seattle Seahawks last year?

Not so much, I'm guessing.

Tell me Ozzie Newsome isn't on the phone right now, speed-dialing every team in the league for cornerback help.

Maybe 45 minutes later, I was at Ravens headquarters in the world-famous Best Western Hotel when Foxworth gimped across the lobby on crutches, his right leg encased in a big, bulky brace.

"Sorry about the knee," I said.

Oh, yeah, I'm a regular Dear Abby when it comes to the right thing to say.

"Yeah," he said glumly.

Then he put his head down and hobbled away, off to the team cafeteria and maybe his last lunch with his teammates for a long time.

But Foxworth, he's a class act all the way.

Right after lunch, he came back to the lobby at the behest of the crack Ravens PR staff and spoke to the media about his injury.

It had been less than 24 hours since an MRI confirmed the ACL tear, and you could see on his face that he was still trying to absorb this horrible blow.

But he stood there patiently and answered every question.

Yes, he said, the injury happened in practice without anyone touching him.

"I was just running and tried to change directions, something I've done a million times in my career," he said.

Someone asked how he was feeling, and now his eyes clouded over.

"I feel a ton of emotions," he said quietly. "But the biggest one I'm feeling is, I'm letting people down. I know everyone is excited about this team and excited about this season."

In his heart, he said, he knew that was crazy. The torn ACL wasn't his fault. You don't blame yourself for a freak injury. Especially not in a sport like pro football, where you put your body through the equivalent of a car wreck every game you play.

Didn't matter. Nothing was going to cheer up Domonique Foxworth, not even this perfect afternoon in Westminster.

He'll have better days ahead. So will the Ravens.

You just wonder when those days will get here.

Listen to Kevin Cowherd Tuesdays from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. with Jerry Coleman on Fox 1370 AM Sports.