corey graham

Ravens running back Ray Rice received a heavy workload in Sunday's 23-20 loss to the Buffalo Bills.

Whichever direction Buffalo Bills runners Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller chose, they left behind a trail of Ravens cleat marks and fallen defenders.

Cornerback Jimmy Smith is settling into starting role with the Ravens

Graham obtained 35 tickets for family and friends as the Buffalo native returns to his hometown to play in a game for the second time in his NFL career, the first time he's played during the regular-season there. He previously played at the Bills' Ralph Wilson Stadium during a preseason game when he was with the Chicago Bears.

With the offseason addition of Elvis Dumervil to pair with Terrell Suggs, the Ravens have one of the most feared pass-rushing tandems in the AFC. The signings of Chris Canty, Marcus Spears and Daryl Smith has turned the Ravens' run defense from a weakness last year to a major strength this season.

With Ray Rice parked on the sideline in street clothes after suffering a hip injury last weekend, Bernard Pierce made his first NFL start Sunday against the Houston Texans. Predictably, it was his busiest afternoon to date. Here is a deeper look at that and other observations from the NFL's official snap counts.

Jim Caldwell is a strong proponent of the no-huddle, calling it on 33 of 71 offensive snaps as the shotgun formation was used 25 times.

Smith was a starter in the base defense opposite Lardarius Webb, participating in 60 snaps as Corey Graham dipped to 35 snaps overall and finished with three tackles and three pass deflections.

A week after Michael Huff struggled in a loss the Denver Broncos, rookie Matt Elam, the team's first-round pick in April¿s NFL draft, replaced Huff as the starting free safety in Sunday's 14-6 win over the Cleveland Browns. Elam played all 63 defensive snaps.

Ravens star running back Ray Rice suffered a strained left hip flexor Sunday in the fourth quarter of a 14-6 win over the Cleveland Browns.

The Ravens are well-rested, motivated and ticked off, not a good combination if you are a Browns team that is looking for its first win in the series since 2007. Cleveland is an improving team and they will pose problems for the Ravens in several areas.

Players described Pees as using his usual low-key tone during a defensive meeting following the Ravens' 49-27 season-opening loss to the Denver Broncos. But Pees had little difficulty finding plenty to correct for a defense that surrendered seven touchdown passes to Peyton Manning as he tied an NFL record.

During a blowout loss, Jim Caldwell tried to get Joe Flacco into a rhythm with new targets, running the shotgun on 62 of 87 snaps while mixing in 24 no-huddle plays.

Huff's tackling technique was shoddy, failing to wrap up, and received the lowest overall grade of any Ravens defensive player, according to Pro Football Focus.

The decision, made with the fan base still in the midst of celebrating the organization's second Super Bowl title, was mildly criticized at the time, but the second guessing is growing louder by the day. It certainly didn't help that Boldin's dominant performance came just three days after his former team opened its season with a 49-27 loss to the Denver Broncos.

John Harbaugh pointed the finger directly at himself Monday when asked to explain the reasoning behind why the Ravens didn't challenge a third-down completion to Denver Broncos wide receiver Wes Welker in the third quarter that actually bounced off the ground before he trapped it against his body.

One might think it is tough to find a positive in the Ravens secondary after Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning threw for seven passing touchdowns Thursday night. But in his return to a real game after his second ACL injury in four years, Lardarius Webb gave the Ravens a little something to feel good about

The Baltimore Ravens' season-opening 49-27 loss to the Denver Broncos on Thursday night featured a team-wide breakdown as the reigning Super Bowl champions were outplayed in every facet. But one group that took the loss particularly hard was the Ravens' defensive backs, who were badly victimized on Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning's record night.

In his post-game press conference after Thursday night's 49-27 loss to the Denver Broncos, Ravens coach John Harbaugh was asked why he didn't challenge a pass reception by Wes Welker early in the third quarter.

We knew the Ravens would be in the nickel a lot against Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos. They probably had to use it even more than expected as the Broncos went three-wide on more than 75 percent of their plays. As a result, Jimmy Smith, Corey Graham and Lardarius Webb played significant snaps.

Baltimore Sun blogger and reporter Matt Vensel gives his take on the Baltimore Ravens' loss to the Denver Broncos, including thoughts on the Ravens defense, Joe Flacco missing Dennis Pitta and John Harbaugh's decision not to challenge Wes Welker's non-catch.

Denver QB Peyton Manning passed for 7 touchdowns in leading the Broncos to a 49-27 win over the Baltimore Ravens.

The temperature, play of the Ravens' cornerbacks and the return of Elvis Dumervil to Denver all could figure prominently tonight.

A tight budget could make it extremely difficult to retain many unrestricted free agents, which includes offensive tackle Michael Oher, tight ends Dennis Pitta and Ed Dickson, cornerback Corey Graham, middle linebacker Daryl Smith, defensive end Arthur Jones, strong safety James Ihedigbo and kick returner Jacoby Jones. And the Ravens may not be able to expand their payroll with high-dollar free agents from other teams

Ravens cornerback Corey Graham shed the relative obscurity of being a former Chicago Bears Pro Bowl special-teams ace to becoming a key defender for the Ravens last postseason.

On that unforgettable January night in Denver, the Ravens walked into Sports Authority Field at Mile High as heavy underdogs — a team that few outside their locker room believed had a realistic chance to defeat quarterback Peyton Manning and the top-seeded Broncos — and left victorious four hours and 11 minutes later.

The Ravens have also released undrafted rookie offensive tackle J.J. Unga and undrafted rookie defensive lineman Cody Larson.

The Ravens¿ starting offense and defense in the preseason finale against the St. Louis Rams on Thursday looked nothing like the units that will be on the field next week in the regular-season opener against the Denver Broncos.

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

The Ravens have a new cast of characters on their coverage teams in 2013, but in last week's preseason loss, their punt coverage team experienced the kind of breakdown that plagued them during the playoffs in 2012.

Three-receiver sets were by far the most commonly used personnel grouping in the NFL last season. Even the Ravens used them on nearly half of their snaps. By putting an extra wide receiver on the field, the Ravens are able to stretch defenses and take full advantage of Flacco's strong arm. They are still trying to determine which three wideouts are their best combination, but the three-receiver sets are here to stay in Baltimore and in the NFL as a whole.

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.

During his first practice since signing a one-year contract with the Ravens, Brandon Stokley beat cornerback Corey Graham on an out pattern for a touchdown reception from Joe Flacco.

Newly signed slot receiver Brandon Stokley practiced with the Ravens for the first time Monday, but it was obvious that he was unfamiliar with his new teammates and what he was supposed to be doing on a few plays, which is understandable considering he was lining up on his couch a few days ago.

Sunday's open practice at M&T Bank Stadium started at 5:00 p.m. and ended around 7:15. Approximately 2,500 fans attended. It was partially cloudy and temperatures were in the mid 80s. Players wore full pads for the second straight practice.

Matt Vensel recaps Baltimore Ravens training camp for August 10, 2013.