ExtremeRavens Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 The Ravens will finish up the first of three voluntary offseason team activities today, though they’ll do it outside the glare of the media. Yesterday was the one day for media availability, and while no big news came out of it, it was still good to see some action after so much attention has been placed on off-the-field stories over the past couple of months. Making any conclusions after a two-hour practice -- which did not include some of the team’s top veteran players, including running back Ray Rice , linebacker Ray Lewis and safety Ed Reed , and featured most of the players in jerseys, gym shorts and no shoulder pads -- would be foolish. However, I think it is appropriate to make a couple of observations: View the full article Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vmax Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 This is the kind of article that I like. It's just one mans observations, but since we can't see practices and camp, we need somebody to be our eyes and ears.He's talking football...not contract stuff...not looking for controversey...not trying to see if somebody's feelings are hurt...he's not drawing ridiculous conclusions...just sharing observations on players at practice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vmax Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 Here's more observations... How do the rookies look next to veterans? When the Ravens held rookie minicamp earlier this month, some of the team’s draft picks, [add] like outside linebacker Courtney Upshaw and offensive lineman Kelechi Osemele, [add] outshined their peers. When they took the field for OTAs this week, it was a slightly different story, as Upshaw and Osemele didn’t have the same kind of size advantage they did during minicamp. Both Upshaw and Osemele still performed well against the veterans, taking a number of reps with the first teams. Fourth-round lineman Gino Gradkowski also worked with the first team at times. They will all likely compete for starting jobs this offseason. Some of the other draft picks like Bernard Pierce, Christian Thompson and Tommy Streeter didn’t have as many reps. Who stands out at wide receiver? After watching practice, the wide receiver spot may be one of the strongest positions of the roster. Anquan Boldin and Torrey Smith are clearly the top two receivers, but there are a handful of players clamoring for time behind them. Jacoby Jones got the bulk of the reps as the No. 3 receiver and he looked good, even though he’s still getting acclimated to Flacco and the offense. His speed is evident and he could certainly bring another vertical threat on the opposite side of Smith. “He’s done really well,” Harbaugh said. “Great attitude. Really hard worker, really, really hard worker. Very fast, big, physical guy.” Who’s healthy? The Ravens are mostly healthy at this point, as only Cary Williams and David Reed were forced to watch from the sidelines because of injury. Williams is recovering from hip surgery and Reed is working his way back from a torn ACL. Torrey Smith, who had offseason surgery to repair a double sports hernia, says he is healthy and doesn’t appear hindered at all. He participated in all of the drills and still has his breakaway speed. Chavis Williams and Ramon Harewood, who both ended last season on injured reserve, were back practicing and participating in all of the drills. Who’s filling in for Terrell Suggs? As expected, Paul Kruger, Sergio Kindle and Upshaw are all getting reps at the rush linebacker position that Suggs plays. They also allworked in at SAM linebacker, which is also open after Jarret Johnson left via free agency, so it’s tough to tell who has an edge at either spot right now. The competition for both of those spots will likely last throughout the offseason. Upshaw did perform well against the veterans, and Harbaugh likes what he sees in the Ravens top draft pick. “He’s a very smart player – very football-knowledgeable guy,” Harbaugh said. “He has been very well-coached down there. He understands the game, he works hard. He has been everything that we anticipated he’d be so far.” Other impressions Second-year cornerback Chykie Brown looked good in the secondary, as he had a number of interceptions and displayed strong cover skills. He will likely compete for the dime back position.Jacoby Jones has good hands. He was catching passes out of the jugs machine coming at 35 miles per hour from about five yards away.Anthony Allen appears to be leading the pack to win the No. 2 running back job, ahead of Damien Berry and Bernard Pierce.Dennis Pitta and Ed Dickson both look comfortable and ready to build on strong second seasons.http://blogs.baltimoreravens.com/2012/05/24/impressions-from-otas/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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