Domonique Foxworth

Quarterback Joe Flacco is scheduled to play the first quarter of the Ravens' preseason opener at the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday night. Backups Tyrod Taylor and Hunter Cantwell know how much playing time they will get, too. Taylor, a rookie from Virginia Tech, is expected to play as much as 21/2 quarters, while Cantwell, a practice-squad player with the Ravens last season, is slated to play the rest of the contest. "It's just a lot of work for me to go out there, and it's a great opportunity for me to go out there and show what I'm capable of doing," Taylor said after Tuesday's practice at the team's training facility in Owings Mills.

Last season, Brendon Ayanbadejo bounced back from a torn quadriceps injury that cut his 2009 campaign short to play in 10 games and contribute on defense and special teams. But the Ravens linebacker and special-teams ace said he is much healthier this summer despite undergoing surgery in the offseason. "I'm not 100 percent," Ayanbadejo said last week, "but compared to how I felt last year when I first came off of the [physically-unable-to-perform] list, I feel a million times better, and I still have a month or so to heal before the season starts.

It wouldn't be much of a stretch to say Domonique Foxworth is a pretty positive guy. But his surgically repaired knee is testing the limits of the Ravens cornerback's good-natured manner. Foxworth, who underwent surgery last August to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, spent a few minutes after Monday's practice at the team's training facility in Owings Mills expressing his frustration at the strength and stability of the knee. "It just doesn't feel great," Foxworth said.

What stood out from Jimmy Smith's first NFL practice is that it didn't look like it was the cornerback's first NFL practice. The Ravens' 2011 first-round pick jammed wide receivers at the line of scrimmage. He ripped a pass away over the middle. And he picked up the Ravens' defense in a few meetings. Only hours after signing a four-year, $7.4 million contract (which includes a $3.9 million signing bonus), Smith showed no signs of being intimidated. In fact, he already seemed like he belonged.

Each morning, Monday through Friday, I'll hook you up with reading material to skim through as you slug down coffee and slack off at the start of your workday -- that way I'll have an excuse to do the same at the start of mine.   Running it back: The Ravens struck a deal with Marshal Yanda, agreeing Tuesday afternoon to a five-year deal with the coveted offensive lineman that is believed to average a little more than $6 million per season. ... With Yanda locked up, the Ravens' focus now turns to re-signing cornerback Josh Wilson . ... Domonique Foxworth is ready to get back on the field . ... The Orioles pounded out four home runs en route to a rare win in Toronto . ... Vladimir Guerrero was activated from the disabled list . Can he salvage his season?

It's really kind of a stupid question. I mean, how could we not be ready for some football at this point? The NFL labor negotiations dragged on so long that Roger Goodell doesn't even look boyish anymore. The lockout was on-again and off-again so many times it was harder to keep up with than the Kardashians. How did they expect football fans to get through the spring and summer without any rookie minicamps and OTAs. I needed an NFL offseason fix so bad that I went to Towson University in late May just to watch Derrick Mason stretch his hamstrings.

After helping the NFL and its players lift the lockout and craft a new collective bargaining agreement, Domonique Foxworth is ready to get back on the field. The Ravens cornerback, who missed last season with a knee injury, said Tuesday that he has no desire to begin training camp on the team's physically-unable-to-perform (PUP) list. "I have the full intention of being out there and contributing right away," the Ravens cornerback said Tuesday, the first day players could report to the team's facility in Owings Mills to undergo physicals and other medical tests.

The NFL lockout is officially over, ending 133 days of frustration and confusion for owners, players and football fans. The players' leadership group announced it has recommended approving a deal with the owners, which means both sides have agreed on a 10-year collective bargaining agreement that provides a new split of the $9.3 billion generated in annual revenues and shapes the league for the next decade. The owners and the players struck an agreement in principle on the new CBA at 3 a.m. Sunday, but the players' 13-member executive committee -- which includes Ravens cornerback Domonique Foxworth -- still had to review and vote on the deal.

Missing minicamps and offseason workouts in March and April didn't perturb Jarret Johnson. But that's not to say that football wasn't on his mind. "In March and April, it was kind of nice to be able to stay at home, but once minicamp rolled around and you missed minicamp, it got a little weird," the Ravens outside linebacker said Monday, a few hours after NFL players agreed with owners on a 10-year collective bargaining agreement. "And then definitely, once you started to get into the summertime and you couldn't talk to your coaches, it got a little stressful.

From the beginning of the labor fight with NFL owners, the rallying cry for Domonique Foxworth focused on health and safety issues — protecting players from the inherent violence of the game. When the two sides finally raised a flag of truce Monday, ending a 136-day lockout of players, the Ravens cornerback was able to revel in a victory that should make football safer for players at all levels. In itself, elimination of the football staple of two-a-day practices was reason enough to celebrate.