Lardarius Webb

Ravens cornerback Jimmy Smith recently chatted with Mark Kriegel of FOX Sports, who asked the 2011 first-round pick about the draft process, how he stacked up against his peers, what Ray Lewis said to him over the weekend and which number he plans on wearing in Baltimore. One thing we’ve learned about the Ravens’ newest cornerback is that he has plenty of confidence. Smith thinks he is the best cornerback in this class , ahead of Patrick Peterson, who went fifth overall to the Cardinals, and Prince Amukamara, who went 19th to the Giants.

Corey Graham was the most effective Ravens cornerback after injuries to Lardarius Webb and Jimmy Smith pushed him into the starting lineup in 2012. In fact, Graham was actually one of the NFL's most effective, too. According to Football Outsiders, Graham allowed just 5.7 yards per pass attempt, which ranked fifth among NFL cornerbacks last season. Graham also ranked fifth in success rate, which is a statistic that Football Outsiders defines as “is the percentage of passes that don't manage to get at least 45 percent of needed yards on first down, 60 percent of needed yards on second down, or 100 percent of needed yards on third down.” Wednesday, I asked Ravens secondary Teryl Austin how Graham did such a good job of limiting the damage.

Having been through the difficult and sometimes lonely process of rehabbing a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee suffered in the final month of his rookie campaign in 2009, Lardarius Webb is more than familiar with what it will take to bounce back from the torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee sustained in the Ravens' 31-29 win against the Dallas Cowboys on Oct. 14. And despite the frustration of watching his teammates...

You at least have to give young outside linebacker Courtney Upshaw some credit in acknowledging that he's fighting weight issues and “it's not a good look” to come into the various minicamps for a second straight year out of shape. There are plenty of players that won't even do that, no matter how obvious it looks. Before participating in teammate Lardarius Webb's charity softball game yesterday, Upshaw told reporters, including my colleague Aaron Wilson , that he currently weighs 285 pounds, which is at least 15 pounds heavier than he played at last season.

Given all the glorious memories, the individual accolades, the passion he has exuded, and his significance to his team, his city and the game he has sacrificed his body and long-term health for since joining the Ravens in 1996, it's understandable why so much of the focus over the past 48 hours has been the loss of Ray Lewis. This is a living legend we are talking about -- a linebacker whose bust should have been bronzed by now. But as far as the team's Super Bowl hopes go, the most significant strand of tissue shredded Sunday was not the right triceps of Lewis, but the anterior cruciate ligament in the left knee of cornerback Lardarius Webb.

Cornerback Lardarius Webb reached an agreement on a five-year, $50-million extension with the Ravens five days ago and officially signed his contract last Friday so the reality has long set in. He knows that his financial future is now secure, and the new deal will bring increased pressure off the field. But he also knows that his new contract, which includes a $10-million signing bonus, doesn't change a thing about his goals and aspirations on the field.    “There are plenty of things that I can do better,” Webb said today in a phone interview with The Sun . “I can be an All Pro. I can make the Pro Bowl.

Dean Pees likes to joke that he has recently developed a routine before addressing the Ravens' injury-wracked cornerback group on the first full day of practice each week. "Every week, it's like I take attendance in our room to see who shows up," he cracked. Laughs aside, the defensive coordinator and secondary coach Teryl Austin have used glue, string and perhaps a little magic to cobble together a productive cornerback corps despite losing Lardarius Webb for the season in October and getting limited production from Jimmy Smith.

Talented young cornerbacks are at a premium in what has become a pass-happy NFL, but the Ravens feel like they have three of them. And Thursday, they made sure their most accomplished cover man will stay in a Ravens uniform for a long time. Fulfilling one of their offseason priorities, the Ravens reached agreement on a six-year, $50 million deal with Lardarius Webb, who emerged as a shutdown cornerback during the team's run to the AFC championship game last season. Webb, 26, will be in Baltimore next week to take a physical and sign the contract, which includes a $10 million signing bonus and $20 million guaranteed.

Ravens cornerback Lardarius Webb, who was wearing a walking boot on his left foot, is “feeling better,” but he isn't sure if his injured toe will prevent him from suiting up Sunday night against the San Diego Chargers. Webb, who is wearing the boot as a precautionary measure, is the third Ravens player to have turf toe in 2011 (Ray Lewis and Ben Grubbs are the others). He is hopeful that unlike those two, he won't miss any games. “I hope not. I'm doing everything I can do to get back on the field,” Webb said Wednesday.

Time and weak opponents over the latter half of the preseason have quelled the concern over the play of the Ravens secondary in the first half. Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones caught six passes for 109 yards and one touchdown in a quarter on Aug. 9, and Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson finished with five receptions for 111 yards and one touchdown in about a quarter-and-a-half on Aug. 17. Even Jacksonville Jaguars rookie Justin...

I never put a lot of stock in OTAs because the season is still a few months away and there could be some significant changes to the roster before the regular season opener. But here are a few casual observations from watching the first workout open to the media Wednesday.... It's impressive watching those big bodies on the Ravens defensive line. There is so much depth there with the additions of Marcus Spears and Chris Canty (who was present for some of Tuesday's workout). A team can never have enough of them, and the Ravens are stout in this area.

Et cetera Spirit's 2-0 loss to Thorns is first shutout Christine Sinclair scored in the 41st minute and Alex Morgan added a late goal as the Portland Thorns defeated the visiting Washington Spirit, 2-0, in a National Women's Soccer League match before an announced 12,474 at Jeld-Wen Field. The Spirit (1-3-3), which scored four times at Seattle on Thursday, suffered its first shutout. Chantel Jones made her first start in goal for Washington, replacing Ashlyn Harris (sore knee)

The Ravens' Most Valuable Player of the 2013 season could be Mark Smith. Smith is the team's head athletic trainer and responsible for trying to get the injured players back on the field as soon as possible, but also at 100 percent. Despite some great additions this offseason, like linemen Chris Canty and Marcus Spears and outside linebacker Elvis Dumervil, who are expected to upgrade the defense, there are still questions about the team's top returning players coming back from major injuries last season.

Just two days ago, the Ravens wrapped another successful draft, selecting a 10-player class that is being hailed as one of the weekend's best by many analysts. Next there are minicamps, offseason workouts and later a training camp to be conducted, and eventually, football games will be played. But who cares about all that? OK, fine, that stuff is important, too, I guess. But since the NFL draft is still fresh in our minds -- and since draftniks are already releasing their premature lists of the top prospects in next year's draft -- let's take a look at what the Ravens might be targeting in 2014.

Ten days before the NFL draft, the amazing transformation of the Ravens continues. Rolando McClain is just the latest new piece of the puzzle. And I wouldn't bet he's the last free agent the Ravens sign, not with the team still $4.1 million under the salary cap and several gaping holes in the lineup still to be filled. But by signing the volatile linebacker after the Oakland Raiders dumped him, the Ravens reaffirmed that they're willing to take chances on players other teams wouldn't touch with a 10-foot pole.

Jimmy Smith has prototypical size for the cornerback position. He has the speed to bump receivers, then trail them down the sideline. He has confidence to burn, too, which is always a good thing to have at that position. In his first two seasons with the Ravens, Smith showed occasional flashes, but he couldn't stay on the field long enough to live up to the lofty expectations that came with him being a first-round pick in the 2011 NFL draft. But as Smith enters his third season in the league, the expectations he soon will face might be even greater.

For each of the past two seasons, Lardarius Webb has returned the lion's share of the Ravens' punts, averaging 9.8 yards on 51 returns and scoring a 68-yard touchdown against the Cleveland Browns on Dec. 4. But last year, Webb emerged as the team's top cornerback, intercepting five passes in the regular season and three more in the playoffs, recording one sack, and making 55 tackles. His value to the defense would seem to be a higher priority than his contributions on punt return, where he is the target of 11 opposing players running at full speed to tackle him. But Webb said he has complete trust in the coaches that they are not unnecessarily putting him in harm's way. “I think the coaches and ownership are smart enough to know what they're doing,” he said last week.

While working on Thursday's article on Lardarius Webb, I talked to the Ravens cornerback's coach at Nicholls State. Jeremy Atwell was the linebackers coach for the Colonels before getting promoted to defensive coordinator during Webb's senior year in 2008. Atwell, who is still the defensive coordinator there, said Webb's popularity has grown to the point where among Atwell's current players, Webb is more popular than New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees. “I think if they had to choose between Drew Brees and Lardarius Webb coming to visit, I think more people would want to see Lardarius,” Atwell said.

The acquisition of outside linebacker Elvis Dumervil creates questions about how the snaps will be divvied up amongst him, Terrell Suggs and Courtney Upshaw, but the Ravens' coaches will tell you that it's a good problem to have. Especially when defending in obvious pass situations. The presence of those three players, along with the addition of defensive linemen Chris Canty and Marcus Spears, will give Ravens defensive coordinator Dean Pees options when it comes to attacking quarterbacks in third-and-long situations this upcoming season.

The Baltimore sports scene is blessed with a bunch of talented bloggers who bring their unique perspective to the conversation. Each week, I hope to chat with one of them in a regular feature called Blogger on Blogger. This week, I exchanged emails with Chris Worthington, who blogs about the Ravens for Baltimore Sports and Life . MV: The Ravens made a splash Sunday, agreeing to terms with Elvis Dumervil. Your thoughts on the move? CW: My initial thought is that this is a very good signing for the Ravens.