Practice Field

Defensive tackle Haloti Ngata was out on the field Saturday night as the Ravens held an open practice for fans at M&T Bank Stadium, but he was in a jersey and shorts and didn't participate in team drills. That will happen for the first time this summer on Monday, and Ngata can't wait. “I'm getting excited just to practice with the guys,” said Ngata, who pulled his hamstring on July 26 while running his conditioning test, an injury that sidelined him for the start of training camp.

As Ray Lewis walked onto the practice field in uniform Wednesday for the first time in seven weeks, his long-time Ravens' teammate, Terrell Suggs, remained inside the team facility. Suggs was pondering when he'll be able to return to the field and how effective he'll be when he does. Lewis and Suggs have played together for nine seasons, but they've yet to be on the field at the same time this season. Suggs' surprisingly quick return in Week 7 from offseason Achilles' surgery coincided with the first of at least seven games Lewis will miss with a torn right triceps.

NFL Notes With fractured ankle taped, Favre returns to practice field Minnesota Vikings quarterback Brett Favre was on the field for drills Friday for the first time this week. He had tape on his left ankle, which has two fractures, threatening his ability to play on Sunday at New England. Favre threw a few easy passes in warm-ups, but he didn't roll out or take any deep drop-backs while reporters were allowed to watch. At one point, someone tossed a ball Favre's way as he lightly jogged up the field and he was nimble enough to make a stutter-step catch after a slight jump.

PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia Eagles - the Ravens' next opponent this Sunday - have yet to take the practice field here at the organization's training facility, but coach Andy Reid has already informed the media that wide receivers DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin will not take part in Thursday's practice. Reid announced that Jackson is dealing with a sore hamstring. Maclin did not practice Wednesday after suffering a hip pointer in the team's 17-16 win against the Cleveland Browns Sunday.

For the first time in almost a month, the Ravens had their top two tight ends on the practice field together, and the sight of Ed Dickson and Dennis Pitta was an encouraging sign for coach John Harbaugh. “It's good to get them back out there and get them running around,” Harbaugh said after Saturday's practice at the team's training facility in Owings Mills. “They're both catching passes and moving. They've both done a great job of staying in shape. They've both been in the weight room, doing cardio.

When the Ravens opened training camp on July 26, they made the decision to cut fullback Jamison Berryhill and add free-agent wide receiver Logan Payne to the roster. And they didn't waste any time giving Payne a playbook and throwing him onto the practice field later that day. Not that 27-year-old Payne is complaining. The six-year veteran who has spent time with the New York Jets and the Seattle Seahawks said he appreciated the team's decision to indoctrinate him quickly. “The best way to learn is to be thrown into the fire,” he said after Monday's practice at the team's headquarters in Owings Mills.

The confidence that the Ravens' secondary will bounce back today against the dangerous Arizona Cardinals comes from the meeting room, the practice field and, perhaps most importantly, a couple of houses in the Owings Mills area. Whether it's watching film in Ed Reed's spacious living room or watching Monday Night Football in Samari Rolle's decked-out basement, the Ravens' defensive backs believe their chemistry on the field was formed by their bond off of it. Cardinals @Ravens Today, 1 p.m., chs. 45, 5, 1090 AM, 97.9 FM Line: Ravens by 8

IRVING, Texas -- Troy Aikman, one of the Dallas Cowboys' most valuable players, was their most vulnerable player at practice yesterday.That was apparent after an incident in which police arrested a distraught woman at the Cowboys' training facility and charged her with criminal trespass. The woman scaled a black chain-link fence surrounding the team's practice field, slipped past security personnel and confronted the Cowboys quarterback.Police arrested Linda Oxley of Fort Worth and charged her with criminal trespass after she approached Aikman on the practice field.

Rookie linebacker Courtney Upshaw returned to practice after missing the past seven workouts because of a right shoulder sprain. Upshaw, the team's first of two second-round picks in April, was one of several Ravens to return to the practice field today. Running back Anthony Allen , guard Marshal Yanda , linebacker Jameel McClain and defensive end Pernell McPhee , who all left practice early yesterday, were also on the practice field. Nose tackle Ma'ake Kemoeatu also returned after missing Monday's practice.

Unlike Saturday's practice, which was punctuated by the return of tight ends Ed Dickson and Dennis Pitta, Monday's session did not provide similar storylines. There were no players who ended a recent absence to return to the practice field at the team's headquarters in Owings Mills. And on the flipside, there were no new players added to the list of players absent from previous sessions. Starting right guard Marshal Yanda missed his third consecutive practice with a strained right knee.

A week ago, the Ravens' top two tight ends returned to the team's practice field for the first time in almost a month, reducing doubt that Ed Dickson and Dennis Pitta would be unable to suit up for the regular-season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 10. Since that Saturday, Dickson - who sprained his right shoulder while catching a 9-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Joe Flacco in the second quarter of an eventual 31-17 win against the Atlanta Falcons on Aug. 9 - and Pitta - who broke a bone in his right hand during practice July 30 - have increasingly raised their level of participation in practice.

Unlike Saturday's practice, which was punctuated by the return of tight ends Ed Dickson and Dennis Pitta, Monday's session did not provide similar storylines. There were no players who ended a recent absence to return to the practice field at the team's headquarters in Owings Mills. And on the flipside, there were no new players added to the list of players absent from previous sessions. Starting right guard Marshal Yanda missed his third consecutive practice with a strained right knee.

For the first time in almost a month, the Ravens had their top two tight ends on the practice field together, and the sight of Ed Dickson and Dennis Pitta was an encouraging sign for coach John Harbaugh. “It's good to get them back out there and get them running around,” Harbaugh said after Saturday's practice at the team's training facility in Owings Mills. “They're both catching passes and moving. They've both done a great job of staying in shape. They've both been in the weight room, doing cardio.

Starting right guard Marshal Yanda is not at Tuesday's practice at the team's headquarters in Owings Mills. Yanda appeared to be briefly injured Monday when tight end Billy Bajema undercut outside linebacker Chavis Williams, who rolled into Yanda's lower leg. Yanda remained on the turf for a few seconds and did not leave the practice field, but it's unclear if that is the reason for his absence. Defensive end Pernell McPhee is out for the third consecutive practice to deal with a death in the family.

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.

As an undrafted rookie last season, Bryan Hall was happy to make the Ravens' practice squad. But the second-year defensive tackle has made it known that a repeat trip to the practice squad is not one of his objectives. “I told the coaches from the jump that I'm not going to be on the practice squad this year, and I'm going to show them why,” he said after Monday's practice at the team's training facility in Owings Mills. “I've been up here this whole time working my tail off. I just want an opportunity to come out and play for the Ravens.” So far, it appears that Hall is being rewarded for his effort.

A week ago, the Ravens' top two tight ends returned to the team's practice field for the first time in almost a month, reducing doubt that Ed Dickson and Dennis Pitta would be unable to suit up for the regular-season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 10. Since that Saturday, Dickson - who sprained his right shoulder while catching a 9-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Joe Flacco in the second quarter of an eventual 31-17 win against the Atlanta Falcons on Aug. 9 - and Pitta - who broke a bone in his right hand during practice July 30 - have increasingly raised their level of participation in practice.

When the Ravens opened training camp on July 26, they made the decision to cut fullback Jamison Berryhill and add free-agent wide receiver Logan Payne to the roster. And they didn't waste any time giving Payne a playbook and throwing him onto the practice field later that day. Not that 27-year-old Payne is complaining. The six-year veteran who has spent time with the New York Jets and the Seattle Seahawks said he appreciated the team's decision to indoctrinate him quickly. “The best way to learn is to be thrown into the fire,” he said after Monday's practice at the team's headquarters in Owings Mills.