Daniel Wilcox

On what was supposed to be the first day of training camp with a full squad, the Ravens opened with a less-than-complete cast yesterday at McDaniel College. Safety Ed Reed (undisclosed injury), wide receiver Demetrius Williams (lower left leg), tight end Daniel Wilcox (toe surgery) and cornerback David Pittman (foot) were placed on the physically-unable-to-perform list. All four players were present during the morning practice session, with Reed and Pittman sprinting and backpedaling on their own. The team was also without cornerbacks Chris McAlister and Fabian Washington and fullback LeRon McClain, all of whom were on the nonfootball injury list.

Cornerback Chris McAlister said yesterday that his knee is improving and he thinks he could return for the Ravens' game against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. Although McAlister was limited in practice because of a strain he suffered in the Ravens' 22-3 victory over the St. Louis Rams on Oct. 14, he seemed optimistic afterward that he could end his three-game absence. "I get better every day," he said. "Being able to do the majority of things that I was able to do today with very little pain gives me a lot of confidence.

The Ravens will go up against one of the NFL's most potentially dangerous passing offenses without at least one former Pro Bowl player in their secondary, and possibly as many as three. While cornerback Samari Rolle has been ruled out of tomorrow's home game against the Cincinnati Bengals because of a reoccurrence of an undisclosed medical condition, cornerback Chris McAlister and safety Ed Reed are listed as questionable. Reed, still feeling the effects of a hit he took from Pittsburgh's Hines Ward in Monday night's 38-7 loss to the Steelers, did not practice yesterday in Owings Mills.

PITTSBURGH -- The secondary looked ordinary. Assigned with the task of containing the Pittsburgh Steelers' aerial attack, the Ravens defense faltered in a 38-7 loss to the AFC North leaders. Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger completed 13 of 16 passes for 209 yards and threw for five touchdowns - matching the franchise record of five surrendered to the Seattle Seahawks on Nov. 23, 2003. Roethlisberger took advantage of a secondary that was forced to play without starting cornerbacks Chris McAlister (strained right knee)

PITTSBURGH -- Linebacker James Harrison, who was released by the Ravens in June 2004, had a huge hand in the Pittsburgh Steelers' first-half demolition of the Ravens last night. His sack and strip of quarterback Steve McNair and subsequent fumble recovery on the Ravens' first series led to Ben Roethlisberger's first touchdown pass to tight end Heath Miller. Harrison then hit Ed Reed on a punt return, causing a fumble that led to Santonio Holmes' touchdown reception. In the second quarter, Harrison sacked and stripped McNair again, driving the Ravens back until they were forced to punt from their 2-yard line.

While Chris McAlister still hopes that his strained right knee will improve in time for him to play Monday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers, coach Brian Billick hinted that the team will not have the services of the three-time Pro Bowl cornerback. McAlister has not played since injuring the knee in a 22-3 victory over the St. Louis Rams on Oct. 14, and the team described him as being limited in practice yesterday. Asked if it would be difficult for McAlister to play Monday, Billick said: "Probably.

Daniel Wilcox is hurting this season. The Ravens tight end sprained his right ankle during the season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 10. Three weeks later against the Cleveland Browns, he sprained his left ankle, which is the same ankle he injured during the second week of training camp. Finally, he sprained the big toe on his left foot on the same play against the Browns. But what bothers Wilcox the most is not being able to contribute on the field. Instead, he has been relegated to standing on the sideline or staying at home watching as the Ravens staggered to a 4-3 record before this weekend's bye. "It's horrible," Wilcox said about being unable to play.

There is no conflict between Jonathan Ogden and his coach. Two days after coach Brian Billick openly suggested that the Ravens might have to consider placing Ogden on injured reserve if he cannot play by Nov. 5, the 10-time Pro Bowl pick did not disagree with Billick's assessment. "I understand that," Ogden said yesterday after practice. "I would think the same way, too. But like I said, I'm going to try and get ready." Ogden, who was limited in practice, has been hobbled by a sprained left foot and hyperextended big toe on the foot since the season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept.

Four starts into what some might call a solid rookie season, Marshal Yanda is still searching for the perfect performance. "I'd say I still have a long, long way to go to be the player I want to be," the right offensive tackle said yesterday. "I've got a lot of learning to do. There's still stuff out there that I'm not 100 percent completely down with. I've just got to keep on improving, and it's going to be a long road. I need to get better every day. That's pretty much my goal." It's the kind of statement that the Ravens have come to expect from the modest Yanda, who a year ago could barely contemplate making an NFL roster.

Samari Rolle was bouncing around before the start of Ravens practice yesterday, and that felt right. The 10-year cornerback practiced with the team for the first time since Sept. 20, and although he was limited in what he did, Rolle said he felt fine afterward. "It felt good just to put a helmet on and not have any restrictions on what you can do," he said. "I was more hyper than anything just for the fact that I hadn't even put a helmet on. So it was a good feeling." Whether Rolle will start Sunday against the St. Louis Rams is not nearly as definitive.