A little R&R after an OTA
The Ravens wrapped up today’s passing camp with a little fun for the players and coach.
Behind the team’s training facility in Owings Mills, the organization set up barbecue grills, a volleyball net hovering over white sand, and a fishing tournament in a drainage pond behind the indoor field house.
The fish were large mouth and small mouth bass, striped bass and catfish. It was catch and release, and folks like defensive coordinator Greg Mattison and cornerback Evan Oglesby were already fishing about 30 minutes after practice had ended.
Several players said it was difficult to concentrate on practice once the smell of barbecue wafted over the practice fields.
“I’m tired, I’m hungry, and you can smell the barbecue,” cornerback Fabian Washington said. “I definitely couldn’t wait to get off the field.”
“I kept seeing the smoke coming up from the grill,” rookie defensive end/outside linebacker Paul Kruger said. “We were getting excited about having a nice little lunch.”
Comments
is that pond / drainage area open to the public for fishin ?
Posted by: Daniel Jacks | June 9, 2009 3:43 PM
The Sun referred to Billick's training camps as camp creampuff. What is this, camp bon bons?
Posted by: Joe | June 10, 2009 3:40 PM
Let me get this straight. Billick was run out of town because he tried to keep his team fresh for January by not hitting excessively during practices. Now the new regime is having freaking bar-b-ques and stocked fishing ponds, but it's Camp Hardball? I guess Ed Lee didn't get the memo that the Sun reporters are supposed to keep up the charade of the new no-nonsense coaching approach. No way Hensley or Preston would've ever reported this story.
Posted by: Bernie | June 10, 2009 10:11 PM
Bernie and Joe or should I call you Mr. and Mrs. Billick. You guys are both idiots and I am sitting here wondering how you had enough knowledge to even turn on your computers let alone type (you even managed to have complete sentences). Dont compare OTA's with "Camp cream puff". Cream Puff was training camp, not optional work in the middle of vacation. Optional camps, by the way, that happen to be the most well attended ever. The other concept that you cant grasp is that the team worked all month and all day and after putting in the hours, they had a break to celebrate the end of OTA's. That is vastly different than sitting veterans during training camp and removing contact from drills. Brian Billick isn't here because he was an arrogant, pompous PR geek who got the opportunity to coach because he was lucky to have Robert Smith, Chris Carter, Randy Moss and Randall Cunningham. He walked into a team primed and ready to win and the only positive thing he added was to back Ray during the Super Bowl. Outside of that he sucked and i guarantee we would have at least one more Super Bowl if we had another coach. That said, i hope they continue to reward the guys who show up during optional camps with barbecue and fishing. Isn't that what every American wants after hard work?
Posted by: Chris | June 11, 2009 9:07 AM