The Baltimore Ravens suffered their first loss of the preseason Friday night to the Detroit Lions 27-12. They played in front of an announced crowd of 70,567 at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.

While the Ravens still have problem areas, they looked better than they did in last week’s preseason game against Atlanta.

Once again the Ravens implemented the no-huddle offense; it is a work in progress. Quarterback Joe Flacco played just over a quarter and went 7 of 12 for 79 yards. While he failed to convert in the end zone, he did not have any interceptions.

Flacco felt comfortable with the no-huddle offense:

“I definitely like it,” Flacco said about the no-huddle. “It’s an up-tempo offense and it definitely keeps the defense on their heels. I also think we’re good at it.”

The only bright spot about the team not scoring touchdowns is that both kickers, veteran Billy Cundiff and rookie Justin Tucker got equal shots to make field goals. Both kickers made two field goals.

The offensive line played in tact for the first time this preseason and they gave Flacco time to throw and spread the ball around.

Unfortunately the defense is feeling the effects of linebacker Terrell Suggs’ absence. They gave up 254 yards in the first half, 507 total yards.

Defensive coordinator, Dean Pees, believes the defense will improve:

“We have to complete plays, not just be in position to make them,” Pees said at halftime. “Communication still isn’t where we want it to be. We need to get better, and we will.”

The defense played well with the first team, but had issues when the starters, including Ray Lewis and Ed Reed, left the field.

The secondary continued to have issues stopping the passing attack. Lions’ wide receiver Calvin Johnson had five catches for 111 yards, the last one caught over cornerback Jimmie Smith in the end zone.

Despite their issues, star cornerback Lardarius Webb is standing by his claim that the Ravens have the best secondary in the NFL.

“I don’t think anything needs to change,” top cornerback Lardarius Webb said. “I just think guys need to keep on competing. I think we’re nice, man. We know how to fix it; we know how to get back right. We’re still here.”

Ravens top draft pick Courtney Upshaw made his debut in this game. He had been out with a shoulder injury.  He got knocked down by the Lions offensive line.  He didn’t pressure the quarterback and had no tackles.

While there weren’t any major injuries, the injury bug was back:

• Linebacker Sergio Kindle: shoulder stinger
• Wide receiver LaQuan Williams: ankle sprain
• Fullback Vonta Leach: ankle sprain
• Linebacker Ricky Williams: hip contusion

The injuries aren’t expected to be long-term, but Harbaugh will update their status on Sunday.

I was pleased to see some improvements this week, but like I keep saying, it is preseason and I have faith that the coaches and players will work out the kinks and improve their game by the first regular season game on September 10.

I like the look of the no-huddle offense, but it is a work in progress; something they need to get used to. Even when you take off the training wheels, it takes some time to get used to riding without them, I feel the same about Flacco and the no-huddle offense.

There was a flurry of excitement today when the news broke that Baltimore Ravens top draft pick, linebacker Courtney Upshaw was placed on the non-football injury list. No reason was given for the move, though it was speculated that he did not pass the conditioning test.

Later Upshaw confirmed the speculation and Tweeted that he passed the conditioning test:

Players can be added to the non-football injury list and removed from it at any time. Upshaw passed the test on his second try and was limited in practice today.

It is not unheard of for rookies to fail the test on their first attempt. They can be too pumped up and burn out quickly. The conditioning test is 25 yards. It requires players to run up and back six times under :28-35 seconds depending on the position. They rest for :45, then repeat 6 times.

The story caused a bit of panic as Upshaw is one of the players who will compete for the spot left vacant by Terrell Suggs. Suggs will miss most if not all of the season due to an Achilles tendon injury.

I was worried when I first heard the story, but was relieved when Upshaw passed the test on the second try. It’s not an easy test, something I couldn’t do. Now that the excitement is over, he can focus on training camp.

On July 3^rd I did something I never thought I would do…I participated in a live radio interview about the Baltimore Ravens.

I was invited to guest on the “Buehler’s Day Off” radio show, KXPS 1010 AM, in Palm Springs. The show is normally hosted by Julie Buehler, the first woman to host prime-time sports talk radio in California broadcasting history.

The show was “hijacked” by Zennie Abraham, Executive Producer of Zennie62.com. Long story short, Zennie and Julie are friends, they bet on the NBA finals and since Zennie won the bet, he got to guest host Julie’s show for the day.

I am the Ravens contributor/blogger for Zennie62.com and Zennie asked me to talk about the Ravens.

I answered questions about linebacker Terrell Suggs’ injury and who will fill in for him, I talked about rookie linebacker Courtney Upshaw and veteran linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo. I also gave my thoughts on quarterback Joe Flacco and whether or not he is the right guy for the team.

It was a fun experience, one that I hope to do again someday, for now I can listen to the podcast.

Listen to my interview. You’ll need to skip ahead to hear me, I start shortly after the 16:00 minute mark.

Feedback is welcome, please send me your thoughts/comments/questions!

Summer officially started this week. Baltimore Ravens fans can take a break from football for a bit, mandatory minicamp is over and the official countdown to training camp has begun. Training camp opens July 26.

The offseason was quiet for the Ravens, well at least in free agency as they aren’t known for making a big splash. They had a decent draft and time will tell how their picks pan out, some may start this season.

The biggest news of the offseason was star linebacker Terrell Suggs tearing his Achilles tendon in May. His return date is unknown; he recently backed off his November return date. His replacement has not been named yet, rookie Courtney Upshaw is in the running as is Paul Kruger.

We are patiently waiting for starting running back, Ray Rice to sign a new contract. The Ravens placed the franchise tag on him this offseason, but a new agreement has yet to be reached. The deadline is July 16. Rice did not participate in OTAs or mandatory minicamp and some fear that his absence will affect the offense this season.

Rice is keeping in shape, he’s working out and practicing on his own so I have no doubt that he will be ready to go, though it would have been nice for him to be at minicamp, especially since quarterback Joe Flacco missed some of the minicamp for the birth of his baby Stephen Flacco.

There is the big question of who will be the No. 2 running back. After Ricky Williams retired earlier this year, the Ravens now need to fill his vacancy. No frontrunner yet, the battle will play out in training camp between rookie Bernard Pierce and veteran players Anthony Allen and Damien Berry.

There is concern about the offensive line and the age of some of the players. Age makes for experience, but will it slow them down? Matt Birk and Bobbie Williams will be 36 in October and Bryant McKinnie is 33. The younger players who may be added to the O line are untested and there are questions surrounding their ability to bring their “A” game.

We have no clue who will be the 3^rd wide receiver. Newly acquired Jacoby Jones is the frontrunner, but he sat out part of minicamp with an undisclosed injury leaving the field open for prospects LaQuan Williams, Tandon Doss and rookie Deonte Thompson.

Then there is the Ed Reed drama which still annoys me, but I trust that he will be ready for training camp. He attended his own training camp in New Orleans this week so at least we know he is alive and kicking.

This is only the tip of the iceberg, as there are other questions I haven’t touched on and I’m sure new questions will arise, but that’s why it is a game, the pieces/players are constantly changing. It is head coach John Harbaugh’s job to find the solutions.

For now I’m going to enjoy the calm before the storm or is it the storm before the calm? While I hope it is the latter, time will tell how things shake out. I have faith in coach Harbaugh’s ability to make the right decisions, he’s done it before and hopefully he will do it again.

Dreams can come true. It happened to Baltimore Ravens top draft pick Courtney Upshaw. First he was drafted by the team in April and last week he met Ravens veteran linebacker Ray Lewis during mandatory minicamp.

He was all struck when he met Lewis. “At first it was like, ‘Wow, this is Ray Lewis,’” said Upshaw.

So far, Upshaw is the favorite to win one of two positions; the strong side or rush linebacker. He would replace injured linebacker, Terrell Suggs, who will miss most of the season after tearing his Achilles tendon in May. His return date has yet to be determined.

The Ravens drafted Upshaw before Suggs’ injury, now he is likely to start this season. While Suggs wasn’t able to participate in the team practice, he attended all practice meetings and watched film on Upshaw.

Lewis and Suggs were impressed with what they saw of Upshaw.

“I just love his motor,” Lewis said. “He’s a kid that just loves football.” said Lewis.

And Suggs said, “He’s ahead of where I was when I came in my rookie year.”

After practicing alongside Lewis, Upshaw is over the “wow factor” and has faced the reality that Lewis is his teammate.

I like what I’m hearing about Upshaw. The coaches and players are very impressed by him and they are optimistic about his future with the team.  I hope that he follows in Suggs’ footsteps and steps up to the challenge of becoming an elite Ravens linebacker. The future is in his hands and right now it looks bright.

Good luck Upshaw! I’m excited to see you on the field; I will be pulling for you.

Just when we thought we heard enough about Baltimore Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs tearing his Achilles tendon, it reared its ugly head again becoming a “he said, she said” story with conflicting reports of how the injury occurred.

While Suggs’ maintains that the injury occurred during conditioning workouts, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that witnesses saw Suggs injure himself during a three-day basketball tournament.

Herman (Sonny) Hoffman, the director of the Akchin Gymnasium in Arizona where the tournament was held, said of Suggs:

“He got hurt Sunday prior to the (basketball tournament) championship game…” Hoffman claims his staff saw the incident and said: “He had no movement, no step, and it swelled up right away.”

Suggs declined emergency medical services and left the gym. When Suggs was questioned the following Tuesday he said: “Simply not true. I hurt myself doing my conditioning test.”

The Baltimore Ravens said they will pay him no matter how he hurt himself; they are happy he stayed in shape during the off season.

The Ravens drafted Alabama linebacker Courtney Upshaw before Suggs’ injury and they say that Upshaw has looked good in the organized team activities.

The big question is…Does it matter how Suggs was injured?

If the Ravens aren’t bothered with how the injury occurred, should it really matter to us? I don’t think it is a big deal. So what if he injured himself playing basketball, it is a sport; playing it meant that he was exercising and staying in shape. I don’t have an issue with that. I want my players to stay in shape during the off season.

And if he injured himself during conditioning training…well then that speaks for itself. Training meant that he was prepping for the 2012 season and I could never be mad about that. He was the 2011 defensive player of the year, he *should* be working out during the off season.

Suggs has been making progress in his recovery and still maintains that he will be back this season.

“I won’t say I’m ahead of schedule, but I’m a lot better than I, the doctors and rehab therapist thought. I kept telling people it wasn’t as bad as some people made it out to be.”

He is wearing a walking boot and working on his flexibility and range of motion.  While I view him as a warrior on the field, I also want him to be smart about his recovery and take his time to avoid injuring himself again or prolonging his recovery.

I know he will come through the tunnel again and I can’t wait to see it happen.

It is an exciting time to be a newly drafted Baltimore Raven. All eight draft picks were signed in time to start rookie camp on Friday.

Last, but not least to sign was the Ravens 2^nd round pick (35^th overall), LB, Courtney Upshaw, who inked a four-year deal for $5.29 million with a signing bonus of $2.292 million.

Upshaw is likely to start this season after LB Terrell Suggs tore his Achilles tendon and had surgery this week, no time table has been set for his return. Upshaw, who played for Alabama, has become a big deal in Baltimore; fans are excited about seeing him on the field this season.

Today the Ravens also inked RB Bernard Pierce and WR Tommy Streeter. The rest of the draft class, including G/T Kelechi Osemele, G/C Gino Gradkowski, S Christian Thompson, CB Asa Jackson and DT DeAngelo Tyson signed earlier this week.

Typically draft picks are not signed so quickly, but the Ravens were able to seal the deal because of the new rookie wage scale which largely determines salaries.

It will be interesting to see how the 2012 draft class pans out. Who knows, maybe there is a hidden gem in this group. Last season they found a gem in WR Torrey Smith, who will this season’s gem be?

Good luck baby birds. You were fortunate to be selected by one of the NFL’s elite teams.  The Ravens are a first-class football organization with awesome fans.  Learn what it means to be play like a Raven; we can’t wait to see you in purple!