I have gone through the Ravens’ roster as it sits today and I have circled who in my opinion are 38 lead pipe locks (list below) to make the Ravens’ final 53 man roster. The mix of those players goes like this: (2) QB’s; (5) WR’s; (3) RB’s; (2) TE’s; (5) OL’s; (8) DB’s; (5) LB’s; (5) DL’s; (3) Specialists. The rationale behind the players that I have NOT included among the 38 may stem from performance, salary cap issues; an abundance of talent at the position or there may be less expensive players outperforming those with bigger paychecks.   Another factor that may weigh into the shaping of the roster is the de-emphasis on special teams thanks to the insanity of the new kickoff launching pad – the 35 yard line. Last season the Ravens final 53 man roster on opening day consisted of: (2) QB’s; (6) WR’s; (4) RB’s; (3) TE’s; (8) OL’s; (9) DB’s; (9) LB’s; (9) DL’s; and ...

OFFENSE One way to stave off a big pass rush is to run the football or execute screens. On Tuesday the Ravens spent a significant part of practice focusing on both. Working in the red zone while facing a third and 10 from the 15, Joe Flacco, Ricky Williams and the O-line executed a flawless screen to the right that resulted in a touchdown, Williams scampering in untouched. It’s interesting to watch Williams. He’s very professional and workmanlike seemingly speaking only when spoken to. He’s shown a burst in short spaces and looks to be faster than his predecessor Willis McGahee. In the running game the offense focused a significant amount of time on quick pitches. The challenge appears to be getting the blockers out in space without losing gap integrity. It will be interesting to see how this plays out on Friday night against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Ravens also invested time in running deep routes in 7-on-7 drills and during one-on-ones. Cam Cameron had his un...

The WBAL live coverage from the sidelines was cheesy, embarrassing, distracting, oftentimes annoying and mostly unnecessary. If they had given Qadry Ismail the day off and just allowed Gerry Sandusky to set up Stan White to explain the various segments of practice albeit briefly, it may have worked. But for the most part it seemed like someone playing a boom box featuring The Backstreet Boys over the live tunes of Jimmy Buffett. Throughout camp the Ravens have been emphasizing the back shoulder throw. When executed properly such a pass is nearly unstoppable. Flacco’s touch is coming along on such throws and it’s nice to see rookies Torrey Smith and Tandon Doss adapting nicely to them. Smith looks strong and that strength combined with great hops make him an attractive weapon in the red zone. Doss is a polished route runner. He looks smooth on the field and he reminds me a bit of the Bills’ great WR Andre Reed in the way he moves. But on this Saturday he was an incon...

OFFENSE Joe Flacco had a rough day on Wednesday seemingly rattled by Chuck Pagano’s aggressive blitz packages. The Ravens’ QB was handicapped in part by a few things: 1) A patchwork offensive line missing starters Birk, Grubbs & Yanda; 2) A less than impressive trio of receivers running with the first team (Boldin, Justin Harper & Brandon Jones); and the fact that the offense was practicing pass plays almost exclusively and Pagano’s unit knew it. That said, Flacco still struggled during 6 on 7 drills (as opposed to the more common 7 on 7), unable to find open receivers and holding on to the ball too long.   Tyrod Taylor had a decent day but clearly not the practice that Cam Cameron has been selling to the public. Cameron lobbied for Taylor on draft day so his enthusiasm needs to be taken with a grain of salt. Also, he could be selling Taylor to the media so the Ravens don't appear so desperate for a veteran backup. Don't buy the hype.   An...

During practice on Wednesday (the team wore shells and shorts) it became clear that Joe Flacco is trying to perfect the back shoulder pass to well covered receivers. So far so good and that was evident later in practice and during the one-on-one drills when corners line up against wide receivers. Flacco connected with Torrey Smith on one such beauty for a score beating UDFA Talmadge Jackson…Later during the one-on-ones former Terp LaQuan Williams juked Ed Reed badly on a post corner for a score. A large portion of Wednesday’s practice was spent on late game situational plays. To set the scene the offense was asked to drive 80 yards for a score (TD) during the first few situational sequence (Sequence I). Then they were asked to drive the same 80 yards within 2 minutes (Sequence II) and finally they were given 0:45 to score a touchdown from the opponent’s 35 yard line (Sequence III).  SEQUENCE I   Down-Distance-Yard Line Play Result  ...

Today by most counts 27 Ravens (in one case a Ravens wannabe) gathered at Johnny Unitas Stadium at Towson University for informal workouts shepherded by Derrick Mason. Today was the first of three consecutive days of workouts, none of which is open to the public and only this one to the media. It’s often difficult to determine if success or failure in these workouts projects similarly to the playing field during live scrimmaging and more importantly during games. Some guys can look like future Hall of Famers without the threat of contact but insert NFL caliber physicality and it isn’t uncommon to see fearlessness in shorts transform into near fetal positioning in pads. That said here are a few observations about some newcomers and other players of interest who were in attendance… With question marks surrounding the return of Dawan Landry (who did not participate on Tuesday) it is possible that a position vacated by Landry could be assumed by Tom Zbikowski or Haruki...

The more you observe OTA’s the more you are reminded that such activities are nothing more than dress rehearsals – the sound checks for a concert called training camp. Cam Cameron put it all into perspective a couple of weeks ago when he cautioned the media, “It’s easy to get excited about [practice performances] when there’s no threat of contact.” That said the OTA’s are a nice way to keep tabs on the players and observe their individual progress as they ready for the heat and physicality that goes hand-in-hand with Camp Harbaugh at McDaniel College in late July. Tuesday’s practice was very uneventful for the first 75 minutes as there was little going on other than ½ to ¾-speed play installment with the offense and defense along with some special teams practice under the watchful eye of Jerry Rosburg. The S/T coordinator’s focus on this Tuesday morning was perimeter blocking on the gunners and the other wide coverage ...

MORE NOTES & OBSERVATIONS: Marcus Smith is trying to work his way back into shape after his season ending knee injury during the preseason last year. He seems a little thick at the moment and still struggles with consistency when catching the football…On the other hand, Justin Harper has shown marked improvement with his hands and has consistently caught everything thrown his way…David Reed has impressed the coaches and scouts early during OTA’s this offseason but he didn’t get many reps on Tuesday. Reed adjusts well to balls in flight and has soft hands…Domonique Foxworth temporarily took himself out of practice with what looked like a leg injury. He did return with no ill effects…Ray Rice looks slimmer than he did in 2009…RB Curtis Steele, an UDFA out of Memphis is looking very solid and if he can contribute on special teams while continuing the momentum he’s built in OTA’s, he has a shot at the 53 man roster…Haruki Na...

I have been covering the Ravens since the 2003 season. Never have I witnessed the enthusiasm nor felt the contagious electricity that hovered over Ravens’ headquarters like I did this weekend during the team’s mandatory mini-camp. There is a buzz in the air. The team feels it. They live it and breathe it. By his own admission Ray Lewis said, “The energy is freakin’ incredible!” Yet he is quick to remind the media and his teammates not to get carried away and to maintain focus. The pieces are there yet there is work to be done – a lot of work! After all, it is only early May and there are many teams not named the Cleveland Browns or St. Louis Rams that have their collective sights set on Super Bowl XLV. That said it was hard not to get intoxicated by the buzz, one that even gripped media members who pride themselves on objectivity. Cam Cameron eloquently put things in perspective for all observers after practice on Saturday, temp...

It was a tough morning for all receivers not named Derrick Mason and Demetrius Williams. The group as a whole dropped every pass in sight. In turn, the quarterbacks lacked touch and timing, as balls sailed high and wide. The defense was able to take advantage and get off the field.   Here are other key observations and notes from today’s morning session:   ·         Formations and Fronts: The defense set up in its sub packages during 11-on-11 drills. At times the nickel package consisted of just two linemen – usually Trevor Pryce and Haloti Ngata – with four stand-up linebackers and five defensive backs. When the unit switched to the dime, it went to its patented three safety look. It also featured three safeties in the nickel defense as well, with all three safeties dropping and one of the two cornerbacks, rookie Ladarius Webb, blitzing from the slot. The interesting aspect of the dime alignment was...