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The Ravens had their final minicamp practice today and won't reconvene until the end of July, when players report to training camp.
Unlike previous years, coach Brian Billick sent his offensive players back home with their playbooks.
"We're going to start [training camp] fast," Billick said. "If they don't know what to do on their first day back, it's going to be hard for me to understand."
The Ravens held their final minicamp practices this week, but there were many star players who decided to head for early vacation.
Eleven players -- quarterback Steve McNair, running backs Willis McGahee and Mike Anderson, safety Ed Reed, cornerbacks Chris McAlister and Samari Rolle, linebackers Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs, offensive tackle Jonathan Ogden, and receivers Derrick Mason and Damien Linson -- all were no shows for the voluntary camp today.
Even coach Brian Billick was missing because he was attending the high school graduation of his daughter, Keegan.
"Obviously it's a voluntary camp because the head coach isn't here," one team official said after practice.
Defensive coordinator Rex Ryan handled the head coaching duties in Billick's absence and seemed very comfortable with the new position.
Asked if Billick had to worry about his job, Ryan joked, "I didn't want to say anything, but the guys here liked the changes."
Ryan also dismissed any disappointment over the largest amount of no shows this offseason.
"You look into that too much," he said. "We know where our players are. This is a voluntary camp. We don't look down on the people not here."
Second-year cornerback and third-round pick David Pittman returned to the field today for the team's final minicamp before training camp at the practice facility in Owings Mills. Although he didn't wear a helmet and was limited to running on his own, Pittman said his pulled left hamstring is healing.
"It's getting a lot, lot better than what it was," Pittman said of the hamstring that he injured during the first minicamp in early May. "I'm just taking things slow and getting back into the swing of things."
Pittman, who has been forced to watch, said he doesn't believe the injury will seriously hamper his ability to compete for more playing time this season.
"As long as I pick up where I left off in time for training camp, I think I'll be fine," he said.
Fellow cornerback Evan Oglesby appeared to be joining Pittman on the sideline as he limped off the practice field during 7-on-7 passing drills with a sore right heel. But after noticing that it was his turn on defense, Oglesby ignored the pain and intercepted rookie quarterback Cullen Finnerty on the very next play.
"I was about to go out and get taped, but it wasn't over yet," Oglesby said. "I just went out there and toughed it up and made a play. I've got to learn how to play hurt, so I guess this is teaching me how to play hurt and perform at a high level."
Rookie quarterback Troy Smith has had his ups and downs in practice. He's thrown away a few passes and missed a few receivers, but his height (6 feet) hasn't been an issue, and he connected with rookie wide receiver Matt Willis on what would have been a 25-yard touchdown pass during a 7-on-7 drill.
"My comfort level is continuously rising, and it's on an incline," Smith said. "There can be days where some of the stuff can be overwhelming, but the staff does a great job in helping me come back down to earth and letting me know that it's going to be a long process. I feel good thus far."
No, this isn't an outdated review of the movie. Wide receiver Demetrius Williams, aka Spider-Man for the tattoo of the superhero on his right biceps and his acrobatic skills on the football field, looked to be in midseason form today during the team's final session of mandatory minicamp.
On a seven-on-seven passing drill, Williams split the cornerback and safety for an uncontested long completion from quarterback Kyle Boller. Several minutes later, Williams outleaped cornerback Evan Oglesby to haul in a pass from quarterback Steve McNair in the end zone. Both examples served as another example of Williams' potential in the NFL.
"It's not second nature yet, but it's definitely getting better than last year," Williams said of his progression, which included 22 catches for 396 yards and two touchdowns during his rookie season a year ago. "Things are starting to appear a lot clearer, and I'm starting to understand the whole offense instead of just my position. I think these OTAs [Organized Team Activities] have definitely been good for me."
On the opposite end of the spectrum, wide receiver Romby Bryant had a rough day. First, he let an apparent touchdown pass from Boller slip through his hands during a one-on-one drill. Then, he couldn't catch up to another Boller pass after Bryant had left two defenders behind him. Bryant, a practice-squad player last season, is competing with Clarence Moore, Devard Darling and rookie Yamon Figurs to crack the active 53-man roster.
The Ravens broke out the two-minute drill today, and as expected, the defense looked more in sync than the offense. Offensive lineman Mike Kracalik, filling in for 10-time Pro Bowl left tackle Jonathan Ogden (toe), got beat a couple of times by two-time Pro Bowl linebacker Terrell Suggs, and McNair was forced to throw the ball away on a couple of occasions under a heavy pass rush. Said coach Brian Billick: "It showed them that they've got a little ways to go [to get into] football shape. They were a little gassed. They hadn't done that in a while. And the first time up is always about process. ... Did you line up right? It's less about the clock and the time than getting everybody where they're supposed to be."
Linebackers Mike Smith (shoulder) and Dan Cody (knee) and cornerback David Pittman (hamstring) did not practice, but linebacker Dennis Haley did return to the field. Afterward, Haley said he missed the first two days because he was still recovering from emergency appendectomy surgery last week.
"I went to the hospital on Tuesday, on Wednesday I was in surgery, and I was out of the hospital on Thursday," Haley said. "Then I had to be in Virginia because my wife and I had our first child. So we were both laid up in the hospital -- literally. ... I was still sick as a dog after that surgery. We were both laid up in there, and she was like, 'Get it together.'" Haley said his daughter, Leila Grace Haley, and wife are doing well.
Pro Bowl defensive end Terrell Suggs said yesterday that he wasn't concerned about his contract negotiations, and despite all the greediness we see in pro sports, I believe him.
Suggs looked at ease and extremely comfortable in front of the media when asked about a new contract. Suggs is entering the last season of his contract.
On the field, he seemed to be having a lot of fun trading barbs with offensive players and goofing around with inside linebackers Ray Lewis and Bart Scott.
Maybe I'm reading this wrong, but Suggs appears confident that a deal eventually will get done that will keep him in Baltimore, regardless if it is completed now or at the end of next season.
Other observations:
-- Naughty boy, Brian. I heard coach Brian Billick recently took a shot at his favorite local sports columnist at a seminar for local high school football coaches.
What a shame. My heart grieves. I thought I taught him better at the end of the 2005 season when owner Steve Bisciotti publicly reprimanded him, but apparently a little success last year has gone to his head.
I guess I've got to start all over again. Some people never learn, but like any teacher, I'll never give up hope. I love the Compu Coach.
-- Receiver Demetrius Williams blew by Samari Rolle on a long pass play Tuesday, which was reminiscent of last year. The ball was overthrown, but it had touchdown written all over it.
I waited patiently for defensive coordinator Rex Ryan or secondary coach Dennis Thurman to come over and declare it was safety Ed Reed's fault. These days, every thing is Ed Reed's fault.
-- There was speculation that guard Keydrick Vincent walked out of a recent minicamp soon after he learned that he wasn't starting on the right side, and was backing up Jason Brown on the left. Vincent denied it and said he left because he had some personal business to take care of, and it involved an automobile.
"I'm under contract, and I'll play wherever they want me to play," Vincent said. "I'm very aware that this is a business, and I will do anything to help my team."
I like the guy's attitude.
-- The Ravens got into a formation yesterday where there were three receivers bunched together on the right side, and I started to get excited. Maybe this was going to be one of those explosive plays they had talked about during the off-season, and finally there was going to be some creativity.
And then quarterback Steve McNair threw a one-yard pass to tight end Kendrick Ballantyne.
Oh well...
It's Ed Reed's fault.
-- Middle linebacker Ray Lewis anointed rookie Troy Smith the quarterback of the future Monday afternoon when he said he was a Troy Smith fan. That was Lewis' way of giving Smith the blessing, and if Lewis said it, you better believe Smith has the backing of McNair.
It will be interesting to see how it all works out with McNair, Smith and Drew Olson.
Ooops, forgot one, "My Man" Kyle Boller, who now becomes "The Big Man" Kyle Boller because he has gained about 15 pounds of bulk.
-- And while on the subject of absences, reserve running back Musa Smith might make veteran Mike Anderson disappear from Anderson's backup role if Smith can stay healthy. Smith is a better third-down back coming out of the backfield.
-- Between McNair and receivers Derrick Mason and Mark Clayton, they have the timing down on a lot of out routs in practice. McNair doesn't deliver the ball with a lot of zip, but he puts it right on the fingertips of the receivers.
That's the ideal location because if the receiver can't catch the ball, then it's incomplete and can't be intercepted.
-- We won't see much of the running game until training camp, according to Billick. He would like to run the plays when the players are in full pads. The Ravens are expected to attack the edges or the perimeter more because new running back Willis McGahee is more of a change-of-direction back than former starter Jamal Lewis.
What's interesting is that the Ravens, in 2000, forced teams to attack the outside because they had two enormous defensive tackles in Sam Adams and Tony Siragusa. A lot of the teams copied the Ravens, but the Ravens were one of the last teams to attack the outside until they signed McGahee in the off-season.
I bet it was Ed Reed's fault.
Ten-time Pro Bowl offensive tackle Jonathan Ogden spent his second straight day off the field during the team's mandatory minicamp for all players today.
Ogden, who hyperextended the big toe on his left foot against the Cleveland Browns on Dec. 17 and was sidelined for the final two games of the regular season a year ago, said the toe is healing, but the recovery process has been slow. He said he decided against surgery during the offseason after discussing his options with Dr. Robert Anderson, a foot and ankle specialist in North Carolina and team orthopedist for the Carolina Panthers.
"He kind of just recommended that the tendon was still attached to the bone, so surgery wasn't necessary," Ogden said. "He said it's going to be four to six months for it to really get better."
Ravens coach Brian Billick said the organization was aware of Ogden's health status.
"We had no anticipation of him being ready for OTAs [Organized Team Activities]," Billick said. "Just being around here, we appreciate that Jonathan's here, but our expectations were for him not to be ready to go until training camp, and we may very well adjust that first week of training camp to make sure that we've got a firm footing underneath him."
Linebackers Mike Smith (shoulder), Dan Cody (knee) and Dennis Haley (unspecified) and cornerback David Pittman (hamstring) also missed today's practice.
(A note of apology: Yesterday, I wrote that running back Mike Anderson practiced for the first time at a Ravens minicamp. Not true. Anderson had been at a minicamp two weeks ago. My apologies to Anderson and thanks to public relations assistant Patrick Gleason for pointing out my error.)
One player who did return to the field was wide receiver Mark Clayton, who missed yesterday's session. Without getting into the specific reason for his absence, Clayton told a group of reporters that it was related to a family matter.
Finally, cornerback Ronnie Prude had the kind of day few would relish. During one-on-one drills, the second-year corner matched up against, in order, wide receivers Mark Clayton, Demetrius Williams and Derrick Mason. All three hauled in receptions, including a perfectly thrown bomb from quarterback Steve McNair to Clayton in the end zone, but Prude refused to hang his head afterward.
"Going against those guys will make me better in the long run," he said. "I've got that competitive side in me, so it really doesn't matter who's out there. I'm going to go out there and try to cover them the best way that I can."
The fun has already begun. Even before the regular season has started, offensive coordinator Rick Neuheisel has separated himself from the offense. Neuheisel has already stated that this is Brian Billick's offense and that Billick is calling the plays.
Neuheisel is a very smart man. He is very aware of the fact that the Ravens haven't had a very good offense since Billick became head coach in 1999, and despite some improvements last season, that basically remains unchanged. Neuheisel doesn't want to become the fall guy like former offensive coordinators Matt Cavanaugh and Jim Fassel. He's separating himself from this offense as if it had some incurable disease.
In all honesty, who can blame him? Cavanaugh and Fassel both got tickets out of town.
Notes from the first day of mandatory minicamp:
But sometimes when he talks, it's hard to listen. Lewis said today that despite entering his 12th season, he is about to play his best ball. Apparently, that is some strong barbecue sauce he is brewing at his restaurant in Canton.
Instead of making such ridiculous statements, why doesn't Lewis just simply say he is trying to remain one of the best in the game? We all see that his skills have diminished, and we admire his competitive spirit and his leadership abilities. He's still better than 80 to 90 percent of the linebackers in the league, but these statements make him look like another aging athlete who isn't ready to deal with reality.
Maybe this season will be his breakout year because the Ravens are looking for a fourth receiver. It would be nice if he made some catches when it really counts.
It didn't work last year against the Colts. Maybe the Ravens ought to review the video of that game.
-Mike Preston
It’s only a minicamp in June and training camp is weeks away, but the media may have caught a glimpse of the Ravens' newly configured offensive line during today’s opening session of minicamp, which was mandatory for all players.
When the first unit took the field with quarterback Steve McNair, the lineup from left tackle to right tackle went Mike Kracalik, Jason Brown, Mike Flynn, Chris Chester and Adam Terry. Ten-time Pro Bowler Jonathan Ogden also attended practice, and although he spent most of the session watching from the sidelines, there’s no question that Ogden, not Kracalik, will be the team’s starting left tackle.
But the presence of Chester -- and consequently, the absence of former incumbent Keydrick Vincent -- at the right guard position perhaps signals a change in the Ravens' offensive philosophy. While Vincent, listed at 6 feet 5, 325 pounds, is considered the stronger and beefier lineman, the 6-3, 305-pound Chester is quicker and more agile.
In another surprise move, Vincent took the field with the second unit as the left guard. First-round pick Ben Grubbs of Auburn was the right guard, and both players flanked Chester at center. Kracalik and third-round selection Marshal Yanda anchored the left and right tackle positions, respectively.
While Ogden, linebackers Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs, defensive end Trevor Pryce and running back Mike Anderson made their first appearances at minicamp this spring, wide receiver Mark Clayton was the most notable absence. Coach Brian Billick said Clayton called the coaches earlier today to inform them that he would not be at minicamp.
"He had something going on today," Billick said. "I’m not quite sure what that was."
Linebacker Dan Cody (knee) and cornerback David Pittman (hamstring) also did not practice, but both players were in the locker room afterward. Linebackers Mike Smith (shoulder) and Dennis Haley (unspecified reason) joined Ogden on the sidelines for the first day.
Finally, cornerback Jamaine Winborne joined cornerbacks Chris McAlister, Samari Rolle and Corey Ivy and safeties Ed Reed and Dawan Landry when the defense went to its dime package today. Is this a sign that Winborne, an undrafted free agent signed by the Ravens almost two years ago, has leapfrogged guys like Ronnie Prude, Evan Oglesby and Derrick Martin on the depth chart? Let’s see if the same personnel is out on the field tomorrow.
- Edward Lee
Mike Preston has been with The Sun since 1983. Prior to becoming a columnist in 2000, he covered the Baltimore Ravens for four years. Preston is a native of Essex and a graduate of Towson State University, where he played football.
Edward Lee covers the Ravens for The Sun. E-mail Edward.
Don Markus covers the Ravens for The Sun. E-mail Don.
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Jamison Hensley covers the Ravens for The Sun. 