courtney upshaw

Just three days before their showdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Ravens had only two players not practicing: linebackers Josh Bynes and Albert McClellan.

Ten months after suffering a spinal cord contusion that had endangered his NFL career, McClain returned to practice for the first time. McClain gained medical clearance last week when his latest magnetic resonance imaging exam revealed no more signs of the bruising damage sustained during a hit last December against the Washington Redskins.

Ravens inside linebacker Jameel McClain returned to practice today for the first time since suffering a spinal cord contusion last December against the Washington Redskins.

Each week, Baltimore Sun reporters Aaron Wilson and Matt Vensel will look back at the Ravens' previous game and that of their next opponent.

One positive development from Sunday's 19-17 loss to the Green Bay Packers was the return of injured wide receiver Jacoby Jones, who returned kickoffs and made an 11-yard touchdown reception. The Ravens limited his usage, though. Jones played just 17 offensive snaps and six snaps on special teams. More on that and other snap count observations.

Just five days ago, the Ravens were left with only three healthy wide receivers for their game against the Miami Dolphins. When they put out their inactive list about 90 minutes before Sunday's game against the Green Bay Packers, they figure to have significantly tougher decisions to make.

After fielding a few questions Thursday about whether Terrell Suggs is playing better than he ever has and another about the effect that Elvis Dumervil has had on his pass rush, Ravens defensive coordinator Dean Pees wanted to make sure everyone knew about the dirty work being done by Courtney Upshaw.

Each week, Baltimore Sun reporters Aaron Wilson and Matt Vensel will look back at the Ravens' previous game and that of their next opponent.

Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Tandon Doss got the start in Sunday's 26-23 win over the Miami Dolphins and he played a career-high 50 snaps in the victory.

The Ravens' recommitment to the running game during Sunday's 26-23 victory over the Miami Dolphins wasn¿t reflected in their 3.3 yards-per-carry average. But other numbers tell the story, starting with their 40 rushing attempts. The Ravens still have plenty of work left to do to get their running game to where it needs to be, but a week after giving up on it altogether, they relied on it to escape from Miami with a win.

Each week, Baltimore Sun columnist Mike Preston will answer questions from readers about the Ravens.

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.

Jim Caldwell tried establishing the Ravens' ground game without much success; it had 31 carries for 75 yards and one touchdown with Ray Rice sidelined with a hip injury.

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.

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.

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.

Veteran linebacker, who signed as free agent, has milder personality than former Raven

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.

Ravens, Elvis Dumervil prove to be a good fit after messy Denver split

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.

When the Ravens wrap up the preseason tonight against the St. Louis Rams, most, if not all, of their defensive starters won't play a single snap.

Ravens outside linebackers Courtney Upshaw and Elvis Dumervil are working in tandem on the strong side, a division of labor where Upshaw primarily handles run-stopping duties and Dumervil concentrates on rushing the passer.

The Ravens have Elvis Dumervil in place as a bookend pass rusher working opposite former NFL Defensive Player of the Year outside linebacker Terrell Suggs.

In preseason games and training camp practices, though, it's become evident that the Ravens' plan to attack quarterbacks involves a fair amount of complexity based on disguise, positional flexibility and exploiting the talents of a diverse group of pass rushers.

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.

Criticized by Harbaugh in the spring for his poor eating habits after bulking up to 295 pounds, outside linebacker Courtney Upshaw has engineered a turnaround.

Tight end Dallas Clark practiced with the Ravens for the first time and immediately made a favorable impression. With Thursday's preseason game looming, it was a light practice in terms of competitiveness, but Clark had three touchdowns inside the 20.

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.

Ravens outside linebacker Courtney Upshaw isn't practicing today during an open practice at M&T Bank Stadium.

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

Two days after his team's preseason-opening 44-16 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, an ornery John Harbaugh was the star of practice.

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.

Most of the Ravens' position battles won't be decided until much later in the preseason, but the starting lineups for Thursday's opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers included no significant surprises.