LIVE from Ravens Training Camp...
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As most of you know, I was granted a press credential to Baltimore Ravens training camp due to my "exememplary service" to Sports Talk 1570 WNST in Baltimore. I have been substituting as the producer for Sports Night with Michael Popovec, and I will be producing up until Thursday night...afterwards, I will be going on a much-needed vacation with my family and friends for the better part of August, but I will be the production assistant to Sports Night when I am home from college (i.e. Fall Break, Thanksgiving Break, Xmas break, etc.)...
Many thanks to all of you who wished me luck as I embarked on my dream job...to become involved in Baltimore sports media...hopefully, within the coming weeks, I can fix the problems with my digital camera and post these pictures...trust me, these are up-close and personal photos that no one else on this site can claim as being original...
Anyway, here are my news and notes from the first week (and one day) of Baltimore Ravens training camp:
Supplemental draft pick Jared Gaither (tackle from Maryland) continues to impress anyone and everyone who has been covering him on a day-to-day basis. If it weren't for his academic struggles, he might have been a first round draft pick in April '08. He has had some troubles during blocking drills, especially getting leverage and having an effective first step...but it seems to be different during 11-on-11 and scrimmages...Gaither epitomizes the notion of "game speed"...he also seems to make adjustments quickly and listens to his coaches, which has led to him getting a ton of reps with the first-team offense..
During the Ravens/Redskins scrimmage this past Saturday, he man-handled the Redskins' pass rush. For some of you, that might not be saying much, because the Redskins, frankly, suck. But mind you he is only 21 years old, and is a physical specimen. Obviously, perrenial All-Pro Jonathan Ogden is the starting left tackle, but Gaither is certainly his predecessor.
Surprisingly, the Ravens receiving corps has been quite impressive. Veteran Derrick Mason has been lining up in the slot for most of camp, and has been extrememly successful in doing so. Second year player Demetrius Williams is due for a break out year, and possession receiver Mark Clayton is a sure-handed option. Williams has break-away speed that will surprise most of the NFL and catches anything that is thrown anywhere near him. Devard Darling has surpassed Clarence Moore (the putz that let Champ Bailey rip a TD out of his hands last year), and will most likely claim the final wide receiver slot on the roster, as Yamon Figurs (the fastest man in the NFL) will certainly obtain a roster spot.
The tight end corps remains tops in the NFL. As shown in Saturday's scrimmage, they block, catch, and run better than any other TE corps in the NFL. Todd Heap should be a Pro Bowler this year, and Dan Wilcox would start on any other team (sans San Diego and KC) in the NFL.
Willis McGahee gets to the edge faster than Jamal Lewis used to, and also has better hands. He has also shown the ability to chip block and chuck (for you rookies, that means delay) linebackers from getting to the quarterback. He has also shown the ability to get to the second level and, unlike Lewis did last season, make DBs miss...he was a nice upgrade.
Troy Smith had a slow start (as expected...hell, he's a ROOKIE QB), but he continues to improve with each snap. Look for Kyle Boller to be a back up somewhere else next year, and maybe the Purple City Bird Gang will bring in Daunte Culpepper? Who knows?
The defense is the defense...the Ravens have set the standard for defensive football since 1999. Losing Adalius Thomas was a big blow, but thank God for Ozzie Newsome...he knew what he was doing. Jarrett Johnson is a better run-stopper than AD, and, let's not forget, Bart Scott played some safety in college...replacing AD won't be a one-man job, but in Rex Ryan's scheme, AD's absence can be accounted for. This has been made apparent by looking at this defensive this morning, a session which was closed to the pudlic.
Other side notes:
-Look for Haloti Ngata to line up at MLB at times and just bull-rush the center...that's a whole lot of man with a whole lot of momentum
-Demetrius Williams is due for a break out season
-Trevor Pryce, Bart Scott, and Terrell Suggs are three of the funniest and most approachable professional athletes...I had the pleasure of meeting these men last week...they are just like the rest of us, except that just happen to play football
-This morning, I sat down on a bench on the McDaniel College sideline and began to organize my notebook (I have been asked to contribute to commentary on-air). Who came up to say hi? Trevor Pryce, Jarrett Johnson, and Gary Stills...we shot the breeze for about 15 minutes before practice started...not even talking sports, just talking life...would an Oriole do that?
FREE THE BIRDS
GO RAVENS!
-Alex Thomas
1570 AM WNST, Baltimore http://www.wnst.net
