ExtremeRavens Posted June 11 Posted June 11 The Ravens had an old-timers’ convention on the first of three mandatory minicamp practices Tuesday in Owings Mills. It was great seeing some of the old guys again, including the old guard of offensive linemen Wally Williams, Ben Cavil, Jason Brown, Adam Terry, Herman Arive and Harry Swayne; defensive backs Kim Herring, Duane Starks, Donny Brady and DeRon Jenkins; wide receivers Torrey Smith and Calvin Williams; defensive end Trevor Pryce; outside linebackers Adalius Thomas and Jamie Sharper; and running back Tony Vinson, just to name a few. Overall, about 80 former players were there. Of course, Cavil set the tone. “Darn man, they still let you in the place?” he said, laughing and pointing at me. That might be the biggest thing I miss with the current team. Back then, former Ravens owner and the late Art Modell made the local media feel as though they were part of the team. So, it wasn’t unusual for the beat writers to spend an hour or possibly two in the locker room joking around with players. Sometimes, it was humorous and there were times when we crossed the line, but that was part of the locker room banter. The next day, we’d be at it again. I used to like sitting around with offensive linemen such as the late Jeff Blackshear, Tony Jones and Orlando Brown and defensive tackle Tony Siragusa, as well as former standouts such as defensive linemen Mike McCrary, Rob Burnett and Sam Adams. It was a different time, but there was mutual respect. That’s unlike today, when the media is allowed about 45 to 50 minutes per day in the locker room. Back then, it was about building relationships and developing trust. It was fun listening to some of the old players because they started out at the old facility on the other side of Owings Mills, which was the former Baltimore Colts training facility and Baltimore County police headquarters until the Ravens arrived in 1996. The older Ravens laughed and joked about the current facility and remarked how it looked like a castle. They commented on how soft these minicamp practices were and how the current Ravens spend more time in team sessions than individual breakdowns. They talked about how the game had changed, especially on defense, and how there were no longer any more “big butt” tackles such as Siragusa and Adams, and how offenses were more schemed toward individual matchups instead of overloads. But it was Wally Williams who had the best story. He recounted how the team moved from Cleveland to Baltimore and Modell still didn’t have a name for the team. So the Ravens came out wearing white pants with black jerseys with no names on the back. They looked like the old penitentiary team in the movie “The Longest Yard,” starring Burt Reynolds. The only thing missing was the chant of “Mean Machine, Mean Machine, Mean Machine.” Those were the good old days. Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson blocks a ball during a passing drill at mandatory minicamp at Ravens' training facility in Owings Mills. (Kevin Richardson/Staff)Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, left, throws a pass during mandatory minicamp at Ravens' training facility in Owings Mills. (Kevin Richardson/Staff)Baltimore Ravens offensive lineman Daniel Faalele rehydra himself during mandatory minicamp at Ravens' training facility in Owings Mills. (Kevin Richardson/Staff)Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson throws a pass during Tuesday's mandatory minicamp practice in Owings Mills. (Kevin Richardson/Staff)Baltimore Ravens defensive back coach Chris Hewitt talks with secondary players during mandatory minicamp at Ravens' training facility in Owings Mills. (Kevin Richardson/Staff)Baltimore Ravens offensive line coach Joe D'Alessandris gives instructions during mandatory minicamp at Ravens' training facility in Owings Mills. (Kevin Richardson/Staff)Baltimore Ravens running back Justice Hill during a drill at mandatory minicamp at Ravens' training facility in Owings Mills. (Kevin Richardson/Staff)Baltimore Ravens running back coach Willie Taggart hands the football to Derrick Henry during mandatory minicamp at Ravens' training facility in Owings Mills. (Kevin Richardson/Staff)Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry during a drill at mandatory minicamp at Ravens' training facility in Owings Mills. (Kevin Richardson/Staff)Baltimore Ravens tackle Ronnie Stanley working on blocking drills during mandatory minicamp at Ravens' training facility in Owings Mills. (Kevin Richardson/Staff)Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, left, greets teammate Tyler Linderbaum during mandatory minicamp at Ravens' training facility in Owings Mills. (Kevin Richardson/Staff)Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, left, walk on the field with quarterback coach Tee Martin during mandatory minicamp at Ravens' training facility in Owings Mills. (Kevin Richardson/Staff)Former St. Frances Academy and Baltimore Ravens rookie center Darrian Dalcourt, left, work on his blocking during mandatory minicamp at Ravens' training facility in Owings Mills. (Kevin Richardson/Staff)Baltimore Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith talks with teammates during mandatory minicamp at Ravens' training facility in Owings Mills. (Kevin Richardson/Staff)Baltimore Ravens tackle Ronnie Stanley working on blocking drills during mandatory minicamp at Ravens' training facility in Owings Mills. (Kevin Richardson/Staff)Baltimore Ravens tackle Ronnie Stanley watch his teammate getting instructions during mandatory minicamp at Ravens' training facility in Owings Mills. (Kevin Richardson/Staff)Former St. Frances Academy and Baltimore Ravens rookie center Darrian Dalcourt look on during mandatory minicamp at Ravens' training facility in Owings Mills. (Kevin Richardson/Staff)Baltimore Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton stands in street clothes while recovering from a elbow procedure. (Kevin Richardson/Staff)Show Caption of Expand Wide receiver turns heads Undrafted rookie wide receiver Isaiah Washington from Rutgers turned a few heads Tuesday with three over-the-shoulder catches down the left sideline, including two over the back shoulder. He once beat rookie cornerback T.J. Tampa, the fourth-round pick from Iowa State, and also wrestled a pass away from fourth-year cornerback Ka’dar Hollman. Of course, this is only practice and the cornerbacks don’t really want to contend for completions, but Washington’s concentration was impressive. Top tight ends It’s entertaining to watch Ravens tight ends Isaiah Likely and Mark Andrews. Both had great one-handed receptions on passes by quarterback Lamar Jackson that were either thrown too high or too far ahead. Andrews hasn’t slowed down one bit. He still practices as hard as former Ravens middle linebacker Ray Lewis, and Likely had a breakout season a year ago filling in for Andrews when he missed seven games with an ankle injury. Offensive coordinator Todd Monken has to find a way to get both of these guys on the field at the same time. They create too many mismatches. Lamar watch Jackson had a sporadic performance Tuesday. In a real game situation, he would have had two interceptions returned for a touchdown. On one, he threw extremely late into the end zone and cornerback Arthur Maulet read the pass and would have taken it 100 yards to the house. On another, he threw an errant pass to tight end Charlie Kolar, which middle linebacker Roquan Smith tipped and would have probably scored on as well. Jackson threw one other interception that would have been a touchdown for the defense, but it wasn’t his fault. Running back Derrick Henry bobbled a pass in the left flat, and cornerback Brandon Stephens intercepted and basically went 20 yards untouched for the score. Overall, it was not one of Jackson’s better days. Welcome back Outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy, an 11-year veteran, participated in his first practice of the offseason. I bet he had to use a GPS to find the practice fields. Pass rush development The two outside linebackers the Ravens are counting on to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks were in attendance. It looks like fourth-year player Odafe Oweh has gotten thicker in his shoulders and appears stronger. Meanwhile, third-year performer David Ojabo looks like he has cut some weight and is quicker. Eye on new coaches The Ravens have three new defensive assistants for the 2024 season, but the team won’t miss much as far as teaching technique. When you watch practice, the new coaches emphasize everything from hand placement to playing with power. The problem will be in building relationships. That takes time and it doesn’t always come in a season. Maybe by the middle of the year, the Ravens will have developed chemistry. He’s got potential Every time I watch outside linebacker Malik Hamm work on the sled, he plays with such power and controlled anger. Hopefully, the second-year player from Lafayette and City College will get more time on the field this season. View the full article Quote
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