Lardarius Webb

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 from...

It was surprising that the Ravens agreed to a contract extension with cornerback Lardarius Webb without first signing running back Ray Rice or quarterback Joe Flacco, but it was a good move by the team. During negotiations with star players, there are times when teams say, "Take the money now, or we move on to our next priority and sign him. " That might not be the case in this situation, but I wouldn't be totally surprised if it was. With Webb and second year cornerback Jimmy Smith under contract, the Ravens have two potential shut down cornerbacks while most teams in the NFL don't have one. Webb is just starting to enter his peak years, and Smith could become one of the better cornerbacks in the league.

For a playoff game lost with three wrenching third-quarter turnovers by the offense, Lardarius Webb took an inordinate amount of blame in January. The third-year Ravens cornerback hasn't forgotten. When he turned up at McDaniel College Saturday as a guest instructor for Derrick Mason's Sports International football camp, the chip on Webb's shoulder was unmistakable despite the broad smile on his face. "It's over. It happened. I don't care about all that," Webb said as he sat through the lunch break signing autographs for fans young and old. "That wasn't the play that lost the game.

As Lardarius Webb prepares for what might be his first career NFL start before a prime-time audience, the Ravens rookie cornerback feels as if he doesn't have to prove anything. "It's not about me, man. I'm just out there trying to fill in a void. I just want to prove that we're a great defense and that we can play against the best." That kind of humility has endeared Webb, a 23-year-old rookie from Opelika, Ala., to his teammates and coaches - all of whom insist that Webb won't be awed by the bright lights associated with playing against the reigning Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night.

The loss of cornerback Lardarius Webb to a season-ending torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee is a blow to the Ravens defense. It also could impact the team on punt returns. Webb had teamed with Jacoby Jones for that duty, and although he handled just six chances - half of what Jones has undertaken so far - Webb was a sure-handed option. Now the Ravens are left with deciding how to fill the vacancy. For now, it appears that Jones will be the primary returner and free safety Ed Reed can complement him, but the team could also turn to a pair of rookies in Asa Jackson and Bobby Rainey.

Jacoby Jones' philosophy on football can be explained by some words of wisdom a coach shared with him when he played at Marion Abramson High in New Orleans. "The first thing my coach told me was, 'You're built to run,'" Jones recalled. "So I'm just going to run. It doesn't matter what position. " That outlook has helped the wide receiver add kick and punt return duties to his resume, and he is primed to assume those roles again for the Ravens. The team is leaning on Jones to be the primary kick and punt returner.

Jimmy Smith's third start of his NFL career was an uneasy one. The Ravens rookie cornerback was tested early and often by the San Diego Chargers in Sunday night's contest at Snapdragon Stadium, which included surrendering a 28-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Malcom Floyd . Confident as always, Smith appeared unshaken. "I've been beat before," he said. "It happens. It's football. I know what happened. It was double moves I got beat on. " Making the start for Lardarius Webb , Smith, the organization's first-round pick in April, was targeted three times by Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers on San Diego's first possession of the game.

Offensive tackle Jah Reid, who has not participated in practice or a game since re-aggravating a strained right calf in a preseason contest against the Detroit Lions Sept. 17, appeared to take part in Friday's practice. Reid was active in individual drills involving the offensive linemen. His return cemented a full turnout for the Ravens Friday. Four starters who were limited in Thursday's session - cornerback Lardarius Webb (knee), strong safety Bernard Pollard (bruised ribs), inside linebacker Jameel McClain (knee)

Earlier Wednesday, Bernard Pollard vowed to be healthy enough to play in the Ravens' upcoming contest against the New England Patriots at M&T Bank Stadium Sunday night, but the starting strong safety did not practice on Wednesday. Pollard, who bruised his ribs on the final play of the first quarter of Sunday's 24-23 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, could be the beneficiary of an extra day off to accelerate the healing process. In addition to Pollard, a trio of starters in cornerback Lardarius Webb, inside linebacker Jameel McClain and defensive end Pernell McPhee did not take part in Wednesday's session.

After a rocky start against the Atlanta Falcons a week ago, the Ravens secondary gets a shot to make amends when wide receiver Calvin Johnson, quarterback Matthew Stafford and the Detroit Lions visit M&T Bank Stadium on Friday night. But heading into the second of four preseason games, cornerback Lardarius Webb cautioned against putting too much weight on an exhibition that has no impact on the regular season. “I'm looking to go against everybody. It's not just Megatron,” Webb said, referring to Johnson's nickname.