The Baltimore Ravens held training camp for the first time at Owings Mills. The Ravens facility isn't large enough to hold the thousands of fans that would swarm into the facility so it is only open to the media. Here's a short list of notes to keep you up to date on the happenings at camp.
- The Ravens plan of attack in camp is to methodically set a pace that will benefit the veterans without overwhelming the rookies. It has worked fairly well so far.
- Ravens third round pick OT Jah Reid was signed during the middle of practice. He immediately took a physical which was followed by a conditioning test. Any football player will tell you that those things are not easy. After he finished the test, he immediately stepped into the field and was placed with the first team. He performed well, keeping his side of the field in check. He did a good job picking up a couple of blitzes and seemed to get some push at the line. I like what I see from him.
- The receiving corps of the Baltimore Ravens have an identity. Big and strong. James Hardy (6-5) and Justin Harper (6-3) were the biggest guys I saw. They performed well on the 1-on-1 drills. Torrey Smith suffered what appeared to be cramps on his right leg at the beginning of drills. However it doesn't appear to be serious.
- The Ravens have three quarterbacks at camp right now. Joe Flacco, Hunter Cantwell, and Tyrod Taylor. They spent the majority of camp working on footwork. Rollbacks, three step drops, etc. During passing drills, Flacco possessed his usual zip on the ball but hasn't got his timing down with the receivers as of yet. That's understandable. Even with the red jersey, it was hard to spot Taylor on the field at times. He's really short for a QB. He practiced with the third team so it was hard to get a feel for where he was at. Keep in mind, it's only the first day.
- The offensive line was clearly the underachievers for the first day. Many of them were sucking wind through half of camp. I honestly thought that rookie Justin Boren was going to pass out. And I'm dead serious. The trainers did a good job of taking care of him though. Michael Oher was flagged with a couple of holding calls. The entire unit was flagged for about 5 false start penalties. At one point, you could hear Harbaugh yell out "Embarrassing...this is Embarrassing." We'll see if they can pick it up.
- One of the bright spots of the first day of camp was the cornerback group. Most notably Domonique Foxworth. He was all over the ball during practice. He was leading the group as well, helping the rookies understand where they should be. A couple of rookies who made a strong impression on camp on Thursday were S Mana Silva from Hawaii and CB Josh Victorian from Louisiana Tech. They both looked good. Kept seeing them around the ball. Good to see.
- Injuries to note. Jason Mckie was carted off the field half way through practice. Terrell Suggs was placed on the non football injury list. Ben Grubbs (ankle), Brandon McKinney, David Reed (wrist), and Ramon Harewood (knees) were all placed on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list. From what I see, David Reed shouldn't be on there for too long. Ed Reed was not present at camp today, but is expected to join the team by Saturday.
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