arthur brown

Daryl Smith will start for the Baltimore Ravens at middle linebacker tonight. With the regular season just three weeks away, Smith appears to have that starting spot locked up. The team's other starting inside linebacker spot? Well, that one is another story.

With as many as six new defensive starters from the team that won Super Bowl XLVII in February, it was probably inevitable that the Ravens would deal with some communication issues, especially this early in training camp. However, a few too many surfaced in the Ravens' preseason-opening 44-16 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week.

The second-round draft pick out of Kansas State is bespectacled, soft-spoken and cultivates a professorial look off the field as he frequently wears a tie, slacks and dress shoes. When he has the time, Brown, 23, can be found playing the piano or whipping up his favorite meal of salmon and sweet potatoes.

The Ravens defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Thursday night's preseason opener. While many of the starters only played a quarter, they were in there long enough to make a few observations about when and how certain players were being used and what formations the Ravens were lining them up in.

The Ravens' overhauled defense makes its preseason debut Thursday night against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, taking on a much different look from a year ago.

Already without starter Dennis Pitta for the entire season, the Ravens could be without his top replacement, Ed Dickson, for a while because of a hamstring tear.

Two weeks into Ravens training camp, there doesn't appear to be much clarity at the inside linebacker position.

Hilton was one of three rookies to make the Colts' roster after being drafted in the 15th round as a 6-foot-6, 218-pounder out of Jackson State. The Colts had lost the Super Bowl to the Cleveland Browns 27-0 in the year prior.

Anticipating the snap count, Ravens inside linebacker Josh Bynes adeptly timed up his blitz to sack backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor on Sunday during an open practice at the Naval Academy.

The Ravens' first official depth chart lists Pro Bowl defensive tackle Haloti Ngata as the starting nose guard.

Each Wednesday, Baltimore Sun blogger Matt Vensel will highlight five statistics that really mean something for the Baltimore Ravens.

As the Baltimore Ravens look to fill the void left by Ray Lewis' retirement and choose another starter to replace free-agent departure Dannell Ellerbe, we could see the Ravens do things a little differently when it comes to their inside linebackers this season.

Rookie fullback Kyle Juszczyk got stood up by inside linebackers Arthur Brown and Bryan Hall in lead-blocking situations.

It was a much quieter scene at practice than quarterback Joe Flacco is accustomed to as the Ravens launched their first day of training camp.

However, McClain is sidelined indefinitely on the physically unable to perform list due to the spinal cord contusion he suffered last December against the Washington Redskins. Harbaugh emphasized that the team won't take any risks with McClain and he won't be practicing until he's fully recovered.