Backups

Curtis Painter is all too familiar with the fleeting nature of job security in the NFL. In the span of less than a full calendar year, Painter went from backing up Peyton Manning to replacing the Hall of Fame-bound quarterback to being unceremoniously released by the Indianapolis Colts. That's why he's not putting too much stock into the sentiment that he has outperformed Tyrod Taylor in the Ravens' first two preseason games. "I think it's a little too soon to jump to those conclusions, but I think for me, I just want to keep getting better each time," Painter said Sunday.

Perhaps the surest sign of the Ravens' trust in Anthony Allen was the coaches' decision to insert the running back to succeed Ray Rice in the second quarter of Thursday night's 31-17 victory over the Atlanta Falcons. But after gaining just 9 yards on five carries (including one for a 2-yard loss) and letting a pass slip through his hands on third-and-5 from the Falcons' 41-yard line, Allen understands that his grip as the first tailback behind Rice on the team's depth chart could be loosening.

- There is a lot of interest among Maryland football fans about who the No. 2 quarterback will be this season, in part because there are still some doubts about the consistency and passing ability of the team's returning starter, junior C.J. Brown . While Brown has shown some improvement in those areas from where he was last fall, when he twice replaced former Terp star Danny O'Brien as the starter, the development of his two freshman backups...

An overheated tractor trailer on northbound Interstate 95 just south of Route 32 in Howard County caused a significant traffic backup Wednesday afternoon, according to police officials. Maryland State Police responded to the disabled vehicle in the roadway shortly after 4 p.m. and assisted in moving it to the right-hand shoulder of the highway, according to a dispatcher in the state police's Waterloo barracks. All lanes were clear as of 4:45 p.m. krector@baltsun.com twitter.com/rectorsun

If the Ravens' plan for inserting their backup quarterbacks plays out as it has in training camp and according to the depth chart, Tyrod Taylor will likely get the first opportunity to succeed starter Joe Flacco in the team's preseason opener at the Atlanta Falcons. To observers, that could be construed as an indicator of the state of the competition between Taylor, the organization's sixth-round pick in last year's NFL draft, and Curtis Painter for the right to back up Flacco. But that's not the approach that Taylor is taking.

The Orioles' fortunes changed dramatically over the course of 24 hours this weekend in Tampa Bay. On Friday night, the visiting clubhouse of Tropicana Field was quiet - the air full of frustration - after the Orioles suffered their eighth shutout loss of the season in a game in which they allowed just two runs. But by Sunday evening, the Orioles headed back to Baltimore celebrating day-after-night domination of the division-rival Rays, taking two of three at the Trop to cap a successful six-game road trip against the American League East with yet another dramatic extra-inning Orioles victory.

The Ravens will hold their first full-team practice of training camp on Thursday, July 26. Each day leading up to the official start of camp, The Sun will examine several key position battles that will be decided during preseason. BACKUP QUARTERBACK The competitors : Tyrod Taylor, Curtis Painter Breaking it down : Even the most ardent Joe Flacco critic can't question the quarterback's toughness and durability. Flacco has never missed a game in four NFL seasons so Ravens' fans haven't had to fret about the identity of their backup quarterback.

Josh Selby emerges from the Stevenson University locker room, his hot pink sneakers with silver trim sparkling as he takes the floor. The Lake Clifton graduate's eye-catching shoes - which he says he wears to raise breast cancer awareness - quickly become an afterthought once play begins and his flashy game is on display. In the first quarter of Ravens wide receiver LaQuan Williams' charity basketball game late last month, Selby finds himself stuck in a corner beyond the arc, tightly guarded.

For the first time in his fledgling career, Tyrod Taylor's reign as the Ravens backup quarterback to Joe Flacco is being seriously challenged. But rather than feel threatened by the presence of Curtis Painter, Taylor is embracing the test that should play out when training camp opens later this month. "There's always going to be competition, and I think that's how you step up your play," Taylor said during the team's mandatory three-day minicamp in June. "Both of us are competing, and by working together, we're getting better.