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The Ravens welcomed back starting wide receiver Marlon Brown, kick returner Deonte Thompson and starting cornerback Lardarius Webb in their final full practice before Sunday's game against the Miami Dolphins.

Ravens wide receiver and kick returner Jacoby Jones practiced for the second consecutive day. Jones missed the past three games with a sprained medial collateral ligament in his right knee.

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.

In the months after the read-option took the NFL by storm, defensive coaches around the league became hell-bent on eradicating it, hoping to make the read-option go the way of the Wildcat and other near-extinct schemes.

Two days after former teammate Ray Lewis questioned the leadership of the team, quarterback Joe Flacco fired back, saying the former linebacker should know better.

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 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.

Ravens wide receiver Tandon Doss was in an introspective mood Sunday following the most successful play of his NFL career.

Brandon Weeden was under heavy duress throughout the game, sacked five times as the Ravens delivered a dozen quarterback hits. Weeden didn't finish the game, leaving in the fourth quarter with a thumb injury as he was replaced by backup Jason Campbell for the final series.

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.

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 defensive lineman Arthur Jones remains sidelined with an undisclosed illness.

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.

Comedian Tracy Morgan visited the Baltimore Ravens' facility Saturday and performed for the team.

The Ravens still have a couple of weeks and a couple of preseason games to make final decisions on which players will make the 53-man roster, but their defensive line rotation appears to be pretty settled at this point.

No immediate reason was disclosed, but Smith did have his calf wrapped during practice Saturday at the Ravens' training complex.

Cody missed the Week 11 game in Pittsburgh to have his elbow drained, snapping a string of 38 straight games, then gutted it out the rest of the season. In addition to the pain in his hip and his elbow, the criticism from outside the team's facility stung, too, but Cody refused to disclose the extent of his injuries and use them as an excuse for a disappointing season.

Saturday¿s outdoor practice started at 2:45 p.m. and ended at 5:20. The sun was out for most of the workout with temperatures hovering in the high 70¿s. Players were in full pads after having Friday off from practice following Thursday¿s 27-23 victory over the Atlanta Falcons.

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.

After getting hurt in Thursday's preseason opener, both Deonte Thompson and Bernard Pierce missed practice today for Ravens.

The Baltimore sports scene is blessed with a bunch of talented bloggers who bring their unique perspective to the conversation. This week, we exchanged emails with Kris Jones, who blogs about the Ravens for Russell Street Report.

Since the Ravens launched training camp last week, a deep, versatile defensive line has dominated blockers in what could be a sneak preview of the season. It's early, but depth upfront appears transformed into a hallmark instead of a question mark.

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.

Months before they would lift the Lombardi Trophy into the confetti-filled air, the Ravens' top decision makers started to have regular discussions about the future of the organization and the potentially wide-scale changes it would face following the 2012 season.

The scenario of Webb potentially being back on the field for the first game of the regular season against the Denver Broncos hasn't been ruled out as a possibility, per the source.

Ravens nose guard Terrence Cody continues to make steady progress in his rehabilitation from offseason hip surgery.

It's been nine years since a team has repeated as Super Bowl champions, but the Ravens will try to buck that trend with largely a new roster.

The Ravens gained $3 million in salary-cap space when they terminated Pro Bowl fullback Vonta Leach's contract after failed attempts to reduce his $4.33 million salary-cap figure.