Garrett Downing: This was a better showing for the Ravens, especially the offense. Joe Flacco looked in command and moved the offense down the field. They need to clean up the mistakes and score touchdowns on some of those drives where they get in the red zone, but overall the group showed improvement in the no-huddle offense. Defensively, the secondary struggled with stopping Calvin Johnson once safeties Ed Reed and Bernard Pollard came off the field. Johnson is arguably the best receiver in the NFL, but the cornerbacks have had a tough time stopping the pass in consecutive weeks. And finally, the kicking battle between Justin Tucker and Billy Cundiff continues to stay interesting as they were both perfect on Friday night. That is a competition that could come all the way down to the wire.

Sarah Ellison: That’s what a successful up-tempo, no-huddle offense is supposed to look like. What a difference from last week. The starters didn’t come up with a touchdown because of a few mistakes in the red zone, but they moved the ball between the 20s and Joe Flacco looked in command at the line of scrimmage. The fast pace was taxing on the Detroit defense and factored into two Lions offsides penalties in the first quarter. Just imagine it with Torrey Smith, Dennis Pitta and Ed Dickson in the lineup. Unlike the offense, the secondary’s performance was not an improvement from the Atlanta game. The unit struggled with Julio Jones last week and wanted redemption against Calvin Johnson, but didn’t get it. “Megatron” finished with 111 yards and a touchdown on five receptions. Fans finally got to see running back Bernard Pierce in action for the first time and he looked impressive, showing explosiveness with some (correctable) rookie mistakes. Rookies Deonte Thompson and Asa Jackson had special moments to savor even though their touchdowns were brought back. Others who stood out: Matt Birk, Paul Kruger, LaQuan Williams, Omar Brown (again). Room for improvement: Jimmy Smith, Cary Williams, Courtney Upshaw, Nigel Carr and Tyrod Taylor (throwing, not rushing).

“A lot of people don’t know that I’m kind of a geek,” he said Tuesday afternoon.

Pollard has wanted to design a video game since his youth, when he watched his father take apart and rebuild computers. Pollard even studied computer technology at Purdue University.

On Friday, Pollard’s childhood dream finally launched. His card-game app, Bourre, is now available on the iPhone, iPad and iTouch for $1.99.

The idea stems from Pollard watching athletes play Bourre in their spare time. But one thing Pollard didn’t like was how much cash he saw exchanging hands.

While Pollard said he only plays for candy, he’s seen wagers of up to $80,000.

“It’s one of those games where you can either win big or you’re going to lose big,” Pollard said.

In Pollard’s game, users wager fake electronic money.

“I wanted to make it safe,” Pollard said. “When you’re talking about gambling and that much money changing hands, anything can happen. I wanted to come out with something where you can have fun on an app and not have to gamble money. You can just play for fun.”

Pollard discovered there was no app for the card game last Dec. 23, on his birthday, when talking with family members.

He immediately got in touch with a friend from his days with the Houston Texans, running back Ryan Moats. Back in 2009, while the two were playing the “NCAA Football” video game together, the two looked at each other and said, “Man, let’s make a game someday.”

Moats, who hasn’t played an NFL game since that time, worked a lot with EA Sports on the Madden series and now has his own company, Moatsworks Studios.

While Pollard fronted the money for the app and gave Moats the vision for how he wanted it to look, he backed off and let Moats execute the plan.

“It’s big to be able to show people that football is not the only thing we are capable of,” Pollard said. “We are capable of other things.”

Bourre is quickly taking over the Ravens locker room. Pollard says more than 30 teammates have downloaded it and are playing with each other.

Yesterday, tight end Dennis Pitta came to Pollard with a bunch of questions as he tries to learn the game. Since he’s out with a broken hand, Pitta’s had some time to play.

“It’s really cool to be honest,” Pitta said. “It’s similar to the game of hearts, which I’ve played a lot. I’m learning, but the app is great. It looks cool, it’s really well done.”

The app has a 4 1/2-star rating in the app store as of this morning. I downloaded it and must say, it’s pretty darn slick and mildly addicting.

For players looking to challenge Pollard, the Ravens safety’s username is: b33nutz. So download the game and take him on.

Nobody lets it shine brighter (or louder) than defensive tackle Bryan Hall.

In an informal locker room poll of who has the biggest mouth on the team, Hall won in a landslide. The player teammates call “Cee-Lo,” after the rapper, even nominated himself.

“I think I’m blowing everybody out of the water,” Hall said after doubling over in laughter.

I won’t lie, Hall can be a tad much. For example, he likes to play a game in which he tries to get his teammates to laugh during interviews by just shouting random things at them. So it results in either terrible or inaudible quotes.

But for the most part, Hall cracks me up – along with just about everyone else he’s around. For example, he was doing a special “Big Mac” dance in the locker room the other day, mimicking a tired Bryant McKinnie with his hands on his hips.

Believe me, it’s a good thing to have during these dog days of training camp.

“I do it mostly to have fun with everybody,” Hall said. “Especially in this business, it can get stressful.”

Hall acts as if it’s a choice. It’s not. He was born to be a loudmouth. Hall’s mom is one of 15 kids. The second-year player has three sisters and a brother himself.

“My whole family will talk your head off,” Hall said. “If you want to talk you have to be extra loud.”

Hall’s that kid who probably got detention every other day. He’s been told to pipe down so many times by Defensive Line Coach Clarence Brooks that all Brooks has to say now is, “Hey, hey, hey, Bryan.”

Hall responds with, “I know Coach, shut up.”

“When he talks it’s like a buzz in your ear,” Brooks said. “I’m like, ‘Bryan, do you ever shut up?’ He’ll shut up for like 30 seconds and then he’s right back at it again.”

Kidding aside, Brooks gushed about his young lineman, saying his personality is “infectious” and that he’s one of the most well-liked players on the team. He talked about his tireless work ethic (Hall nearly had perfect attendance this offseason).

Head Coach John Harbaugh called Hall an “exceptionally explosive player.” But not before talking about his personality.

“You love being around him,” Harbaugh said. “I think he’ll be an entertainer when he gets done playing football.”

The other nominees for the award of biggest mouth were outside linebacker Terrell Suggs, nose tackle Terrence Cody and cornerbacks Lardarius Webb and Chykie Brown.

“Chykie’s voice is irritating,” defensive end Pernell McPhee said. “When you hear him talking, you’re like, ‘[Dang], why we start him talking?’”

He hit Joe Flacco’s wife in the head.

Here’s how this scandalous story (sarcasm) played out:

It was family day at training camp, bringing scads of employees’ little ones to the sideline, including Dana Flacco and baby Stephen.

It was a hot day, so Dana called it quits a little early and wheeled Stephen back from the field. But she walked behind the field goal posts at just the wrong time.

Tucker was practicing kicks from the sideline as the rest of the team was on the other end of the field. It’s a high-difficulty, extreme angle kick.

Tucker squeezed it through the uprights and DOINK!

Like a trooper, Dana shook off the kick as if nothing happened. What would you expect from the wife of a quarterback who hasn’t missed a game in his four-year career? Little Stephen was unfazed and the two went about their way.

Tucker immediately ran over to apologize, not even knowing who it was that he hit. I can’t imagine what he thought once he realized what he’d done.

Flacco’s reaction was priceless.

He gave Tucker a hard time, laughed about the whole thing and made jokes about making a call to General Manager Ozzie Newsome.

Tucker was extremely embarrassed and said he felt terrible before scurrying off into the locker room. Despite going 13-for-13 on field-goal attempts in practice, it was not the best day for Tucker.

How about not only being at training camp practice every day, but being part of the drills.

That’s what Offensive Coordinator Cam Cameron’s son, Danny, is experiencing at Ravens camp. During the individual quarterback drills, Danny is in on the same reps as Joe Flacco, Tyrod Taylor, Curtis Painter and Chester Stewart.

I know, lucky kid right?

Danny, 16, is a soon-to-be junior at Loyola-Blakefield High School. He plays quarterback, but for now he’s stuck behind a teammate named Jake Clise, who is a possible Division I prospect. So Danny will likely play safety for another year.

But if Danny keeps getting lessons from his dad, Quarterbacks Coach Jim Caldwell and the Ravens’ stable of signal-callers, he may not be the backup for too long.

It was hilarious talking to Caldwell and Taylor about Danny. I jokingly asked for a scouting report. They gave me one as if they were describing an NFL rookie.

“He’s a guy that’s capable and has ability and loves the game,” Caldwell said. “He works hard and he does well. I could see some improvement.”

“He’s looking good out there,” Taylor said. “His footwork is nice, I like his arm.”

Danny first learned how to throw a football from now Saints quarterback Drew Brees when he and Cam were together in San Diego.

Because of John Harbaugh’s open-door policy allowing players and coaches to bring their kids to the team facility whenever they’d like, Danny can continue his apprenticeship.

It’s a small, but meaningful, policy that helps Harbaugh promote family within the Ravens organization. It’s also a continuation of his own childhood experience.

Harbaugh grew up getting stuffed in lockers at Western Michigan as father Jack coached. Cam spent his childhood in the gymnasium at Indiana State, helping out dad Tom Harp.

You may have already heard of Danny. He’s the one who united his dad with a classmate struck with cancer, Matthew Costello. That introduction changed lives (and helped lead to the 83-yard Ray Rice touchdown gallop in the wild-card playoffs in New England).

It’s been neat to watch red-headed Danny (just like his dad) grow up around the Ravens program the past few years. It’s been more fun watching him get to throw right alongside Flacco and company this training camp.

“It’s amazing,” Danny said. “I never thought I would actually be able to do this.”

Ryan Mink: The bad news is the first-teamers on offense, defense or special teams were badly beaten. The good news is we’re still in the preseason. The Ravens won the game, but will likely leave the Georgia Dome feeling bummed. The most surprising thing was watching a secondary that has been justifiably touted as one of the best in the NFL get carved up. Atlanta has a good passing game with Matt Ryan, Julio Jones and Roddy White – but still. The offense interestingly ran the no-huddle, but it didn’t go well for a while. The best offensive performance probably came from rookie free agent Bobby Rainey and the third-string offense. That’s good for Rainey, but the Ravens probably would have rather seen their first-teamers shine.

Garrett Downing: The preseason certainly didn’t start the way the Ravens had hoped. The first-team offense struggled to do much of anything against Atlanta’s starting defense, as it took Joe Flacco and company four series to get a first down. Flacco had defenders in his face throughout the first quarter because the offensive line struggled to fend off the Falcons’ pass rush. Shoring up that offensive line will be a key focus in the coming weeks. Defensively, the play of the secondary was concerning. Matt Ryan was able to move the ball through the air and Julio Jones finished with 106 receiving yards and a touchdown. The Ravens will leave this game with plenty to improve on both sides of the ball, as Head Coach John Harbaugh said at halftime, “I’m not happy with any of it.”

Sarah Ellison: The Ravens didn’t do anything to ease one of the biggest concerns heading into the season – the offensive line. Quarterback Joe Flacco was frequently on the run, getting sacked twice, and there weren’t many running lanes for Ray Rice. The first-team units struggled in all three phases of the game, with Atlanta outgaining Baltimore 191 yards to 9 in the first quarter. The good news is there’s still plenty of time to get the o-line settled as veterans Matt Birk and Bryant McKinnie didn’t get the start. The starting offense ended on a good note, finishing its night on a 77-yard touchdown drive. On defense, Falcons receiver Julio Jones abused what is considered one of the team’s strongest units – the secondary. Cary Williams, who had hip surgery in the offseason, struggled early and will need to do more if he wants to prevent Jimmy Smith from taking over his starting job.

Safety Bernard Pollard rocked to the White Stripes.

Yes, the 11-on-11 portion of Ravens training camp practice has gone all hip on us.

Usually the team pumps mind-numbing crowd noise into practice to simulate a road game and make it more difficult for the offense to communicate.

But for the past three practices, Harbaugh has turned it into a medley of rap, hard rock and oldies. I must say, it’s an extremely welcomed change of pace.

“We got tired of the white noise, I guess,” Harbaugh said.

Here’s some of the music the Ravens have been rocking out to last three days:

• Rick Ross – Blowin Money Fast
• Lil Wayne – John
• The Who – Baba O’Riley
• Ozzy Osbourne – Crazy Train
• Lynyrd Skynyrd – Sweet Home Alabama
• Steppenwolf – Born To Be Wild
• The White Stripes – Seven Nation Army
• Styx – Renegade, Blue Collar Man
• Blue Oyster Cult – Don’t Fear The Reaper
• The Clash – Rock The Casbah, Should I Stay Or Should I Go
• Metallica – Sandman
• U2 – Bloody Sunday
• DJ Khaled – All I Do Is Win

Harbaugh has been involved in deciding the playlist, but everybody is welcome to make contributions.

“We need to mix in some old school, some Johnnie Taylor some Mel Waiters,” wide receiver Jacoby Jones said. “You know what I’m saying? Can we get that played out there?”

The most popular music amongst the players is rap, and there are some rumblings that more should be added to the playlist. Harbaugh’s cool with that – but no more Rick Ross and Lil Wayne.

“That one has been scratched from the list. Did you notice?” Harbaugh said with a laugh. “We haven’t heard that one since. And I like some rap music. There are a few of them I like, but that’s not one of them. Keep it clean.”

I have received a non-approved list of the songs, and players will be happy to know that there’s more hip hop on the docket. Eminem, George Clinton, Run-DMC, Young Jeezy, 50- Cent, Flo Rida, Chiddy Bang and a lot of  Jay Z are temporarily penciled in.

The music is spun by DJ Master/Facilities Maintenance Manager Keith Mathews and operations intern Dan Parsons, who are pretty much the equivalent of Girl Talk and Deadmau5.

Harbaugh was asked about including “Renegade,” the Steelers’ signature song used to drum up the Heinz Field crowd to help get a critical defensive stop.

“We love that song,” Harbaugh said. “It’s one of our favorite songs.”

And do the other songs have any special meaning?

“Look at some of the lyrics and you decide,” Harbaugh said to a reporter (not myself). “You’re a connoisseur of rock n’ roll music.”

I don’t see a theme. Fans? And don’t be shy about giving us your playlist suggestions.

But if he was still with us, his son, Chad Unitas, believes he would be a big Joe Flacco fan.

Chad even sees an “eerie” similarity between the two quarterbacks’ personalities.

Chad works in the Ravens corporate sales department. Last year, he stopped Flacco in the hallway and told him, “My Dad would have really enjoyed watching you play.”

Nobody is saying Flacco is Unitas.

But the way he plays the game, his personality, and even the way he’s currently handling his contract, sparks memories of the great Johnny U.

“He reminds me of Dad,” Chad said.

This came up when I was just chatting with Chad over lunch a week or so ago. It wasn’t that he was being a Ravens homer, or trying to pump up Flacco. It’s really how he’s felt, and for some time.

Flacco, as you can imagine, was pretty flattered by the whole thing.

“I wish Johnny was still around so I could meet him and talk to him,” Flacco said. “It’s definitely pretty cool. I mean he’s one of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game and from everything you hear around town he was a great guy.”

Chad’s father was a no-nonsense, no-frills kind of quarterback. He cared about one thing and one thing only: winning. And he did a lot of it.

Flacco takes his fair share of criticism from media and fans. But something nobody can argue is that he wins. Flacco’s 44 regular-season victories are the most ever by a starting quarterback in his first four years in the NFL.

“Dad’s whole thing is he never cared about stats. The only stat he cared about was whether they won the game,” Chad said. “That’s the way Joe seems too. He’s a class act.”

It’s not only their approach that is similar, but the way they carry themselves too.

Chad remembers one Colts game when his father threw a deep pass and started walking off the field before it was even caught. He knew it was going to be a touchdown.

In an interview afterwards, Johnny U said, “Well, I know I put it in the right place. It was up to the wide receiver to do his job. My job was done.”

Chad sees that attitude in Flacco. It’s not about self-glorification. It’s not about yelling at teammates, or showing a ton of emotion after a touchdown or interception.

It’s about the job at hand.

“[My dad] would have liked the way Joe handles himself,” Unitas said. “Dad never was a ‘rah-rah’ quarterback.

“It seems the way Joe is too. He knows what he’s supposed to do. He doesn’t need to throw for 500 yards a game, he doesn’t have to have four or five touchdowns a game. He knows how to manage the game, how to control the game. He can do it if he needs to, but it’s not like he has that ego.”

Who wants to start the Flacco in black high-tops campaign?

Tell that to the players bent over with their hands on their knees, sucking wind with the little rubber pellets sticking to their body – a clear sign that they collapsed to the turf after finishing.

The Ravens’ baseline test is no joke. I know from experience.

After top draft pick and rookie outside linebacker Courtney Upshaw failed his first crack at it, I decided to see how hard this thing really is for myself.

“Yes I missed 1st walk through because of condition test but went back and passed it the same day to make it to the 1st practice Yesterday!!!” Upshaw tweeted.

So it should be noted that Courtney passed on his second try … and that he did it faster than me … and that he weighs exactly 100 pounds more than me.

I am happy to inform readers that – despite the physical trauma I inflicted on my unsuspecting and likely angry body – I am still alive.

And I PASSED!

For a heavyweight. Cue the “Price Is Right” horn.

I am barely fast enough to be an NFL offensive or defensive lineman.

All players who did not attend at least 90 percent of the team’s full offseason program (strength and conditioning, Organized Team Activities and minicamp) have to take the test.

The players have to sprint a total of 900 yards – nine football fields. It’s broken into six chunks.

One heat is a player starting at the goal line, sprinting to the 25-yard line and back three times. That’s 150 yards. Then they get a rest before darting out again. Six times.

If you fail to make your time in any of the six legs, you flunk the whole test.

It’s really a safety precaution as much, or perhaps more, than a way to see if players have been staying in shape.

If a player can get through it, the brutal pivoting of the hips, the stopping and going, then they have demonstrated they are fit enough to take on the rigors of an NFL practice (something I will never try).

For me, I just had to beat 35 seconds per heat with a 70-second rest in between. That’s the bar for the heavyweights, of which I am not but only have a chance of matching. Middleweight and lightweight players have to finish each leg faster and have less rest time.

To give you some perspective, I’m 28 years old, 5-foot-11, 172 pounds, grew up playing sports and still play them recreationally and am generally regarded as quick (despite what you see on the video).

I didn’t do any specific training for this. I did mix up my diet a little bit on the morning of the run, however. Instead of the usual Cheerios with blueberries I went for a mini Belgian waffle and sausage.

Now to my times for each of the six legs:

1) 27.6 seconds

2) 29.0 seconds

3) 30.9 seconds

4) 32.4 seconds

5) 33.4 seconds

6) 34.1 seconds

So what did I learn, other than the fact that I’m out of shape?

It gives me a newfound respect for the kind of athletes these players are.

For example, consider 36-year-old, 310-pound center Matt Birk. Or 349-pound nose tackle Terrence Cody. Or 32-year-old, 6-foot-8, 360-pound tackle Bryant McKinnie.

When a player flunks a test, they can’t practice until they pass it. The mere fact that a lot of these guys could pass this test at their size is pretty darn impressive to me.

I know it’s not easy for them. In fact, I know they don’t look forward to lining up on that goal line.

“It’s tiring,” outside linebacker Paul Kruger said with a laugh. “You just have to wrap your mind around it. It’s something nobody likes to do, but it’s a good indicator of how good of shape you’re in.”

Thus, it’s a real good feeling when you finish with a stamp of approval … at least 30 minutes later after recovering.

“Beat the conditioning test with time to spare,” tweeted rookie lineman Kelechi Osemele on Monday evening. “Tha gluteus on fire right now #PAUSE #RavenNation ..proud of myself lol.”

“Passed the conditioning test!” rookie running back Bernard Peirce excitedly tweeted.

See if you can do it at home. I dare you.

So I called to get the scoop from Team Nutritionist Sue James and talked to the chefs at Classic Catering, who handle all the food for the team.

Turns out, the team is not eliminating pizza and wings (whew!), but is adding more nutritious options and making those “other” foods healthier.

The team has long been concerned about having good, healthy options. There are clear indicators of what’s healthy: a full salad bar, plenty of fruits and veggies and always a slimming main entrée option.

Now the Ravens are simply trying to – figuratively and literally – trim the fat.

For example, white bread, white pasta and white rice are out. They’ve been replaced by whole wheat bread, whole wheat rice and quinoa. Mashed potatoes used to be made with three pounds of butter and heavy cream, but are now crafted with 2% milk.

The chest full of ice cream treats has been moved aside to make room for a new triple-wide soft serve dispenser. When you shoot air into ice cream it gloriously makes it healthier.

The use of vegetable oil has been replaced with olive oil. They’re using local products that will have more vitamins (not to mention support local businesses).

Pizza day is being moved from Fridays to Monday or Tuesday, and thus not close to game days.

Tater tots are now sweet potato tots, and are baked instead of fried. In fact, fried foods are out entirely. That’s right, no more fried wings. They’ll be baked wings instead.

Even “Victory Cake,” the treat served to players and staff the day after a win, is up for discussion.

“We’re not taking away the less healthy options, but we’re adding a lot more variety of healthier options,” said Director of Food Services, Tenille Moore.

“We’re just trying to make everything healthier. It’s baby steps, but it will make a big difference in how they play and how they feel through the week.”

The team has always had color-coordinated indicators of the healthiness of foods. A red dotted item means eat in moderation. Yellow is middle of the road. Green means go ahead and stuff yourself.

Now, there will be an info sheet detailing exactly how many carbs, how much protein and fat content is in meals. Eaters can choose the “best performance” foods of the day, which will hang right next to a recipe for the Power Man’s Salad.

It’s all good stuff, all intended to help the players perform better and keep weekend warriors with love handles like myself in better shape.

While we’re at it, here are a few fast facts when it comes to feeding the Ravens:

• 1,620 – The number of individual meals consumed by a 90-man roster in one week (breakfast, lunch and dinner)
• 500 – The number of ordered pounds of chicken per week
• 200 – The number of burgers flipped on Grill Day
• 80 – Pounds of fish required when serving it as an entrée in one meal