Ravens Mini Camp Update

by Rexx on May 9, 2009 11:28 AM EDT Comment 21 comments

Baltimore Ravens' Ray Lewis, left, and Tavares Gooden share a laugh during NFL football minicamp, Friday, May 8, 2009 in Owings Mills, Md. (AP Photo/Gail Burton)

6 months ago: Baltimore Ravens' Ray Lewis, left, and Tavares Gooden share a laugh during NFL football minicamp, Friday, May 8, 2009 in Owings Mills, Md. (AP Photo/Gail Burton)

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From a variety of sources, here is a little bit about who stood out during the Ravens first full squad mini-camp, which started Friday (yesterday):

Of course, Terrell Suggs hs yet to sign his Franchise Tag, so he was a no-show, whithout any issues. It was nice to see Ray Lewis in camp, and new right tackle, Michael Oher, who ran with the first team, said how surreal it was to look up and see Ray-Ray on the other side of the line of scrimmage. With Willie Anderson and Adam Terry nursing injuries, Oher read up on some plays the night before and played fine, despite betting beat on a swim move from veteran Trevor Pryce.

The wideouts were depleted by the injury bug. Derrick Mason and Mark Clayton sat out and Demetrius Williams wore a red jersey, signalling everyone not to touch him. However, despite his limp when he walked, he seemed to run fine. Marcus' Smith & Maxwell each made nice catches. Of the free agents recently brought in, Kelley Washington seemed to distance himself a bit, making a nice catch. While Jerry Porter made some grabs, they say he looked lazy in running his routes. Tab Perry did nothing to talk about, although he appears to be in great shape.

Quarterback-wise, it was reported that John Beck threw tight and accurate spirals and looked real good.

Tavares Gooden ran with the first team defense at inside LB next to Ray and they said he ran real quick, especially side to side, not showing any effects from his list of injuries he suffered last season.

Not much else to report, as most of this was based on what I read over at the Carroll County Times and the Baltimore Sun. Feel free to click over and check out their full articles if you wish. Just giving credit where it is due. SB Nation is working on getting us all credentialed, which would be huge, but I don't think anything will happen anytime soon. If so, who wants to be my photographer?

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D.J. Hacket...

Nothing positive on him then? I was thinking he would be the best WR out of the 4 new ones invited to camp. Nice to know everyone is dedicated on working hard this year since they were all there. I hope Suggs gets the contract he deserves.

by ravsagain on May 9, 2009 1:31 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I thought I heard...

that DJ Hackett decided to try out w/ the Texans instead.

Rexx

by Rexx on May 9, 2009 1:51 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I was just going off of this

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/rumors/post/Ravens-bring-in-four-wide-receivers-for-minicamp;_ylt=AvMpHbOckay4IalbXcnaMQw5nYcB?urn=nfl,16184

If thats true, Texans over Ravens? he mmust not be too smart

by ravsagain on May 9, 2009 6:15 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

That’s not necessarily true. I’ve seen several people picking the Texans to (finally) go to the playoffs. The most egregious source is this:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/don_banks/05/07/friday.insider/index.html

He picks the Texans to go mostly because they’re due. As much as I’d like to see them go (I’m an underdog kind of guy), it’ll definitely be an uphill climb with the stiff competition in our conference.

Also, he picks the Ravens to miss the playoffs in 2009, mostly — it seems — because he needs to fill out six spots in that column. He gives no other reason than breaks won’t be going our way this upcoming season. I usually like his work, but this article is mostly tripe.

Water covers 2/3 of the Earth's surface. Ed Reed covers the rest.

by Ampallang on May 9, 2009 7:04 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Also, the Texans passing attack might offer Hackett

more bang for his futurebuck(s)!

Rexx

by Rexx on May 10, 2009 12:01 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

only billick says “egregious”

sparce and injury peppered receiving corps…we won’t make the playoffs like this AND we might have a mini QB contoversy on our hands when Flacco can’t get the job done with the current receivers. not his fault but a backups dream.

by raven on May 10, 2009 12:22 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Didn’t we make the playoffs last season with this exact same group of receivers, injuries and all?

Water covers 2/3 of the Earth's surface. Ed Reed covers the rest.

by Ampallang on May 10, 2009 10:02 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

As if Bilick truly knows

anything about a passing attack. I guess if I had a young Randall Cunningham throwing to Cris Carter, Jake Reed, Randy Moss and oh yeah, a runner like Robert Smith, I’d be an “offensive guru” as well. It gets old, doesn’t it guys?

Rexx

by Rexx on May 10, 2009 12:03 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Give it up man

You might as well be a Browns fan with that attitude

by DT711 on May 10, 2009 5:00 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

browns fan? i was until you stole them from ohio and i had to move here to watch my browns. you should move to indy and watch your colts. errr.

my attitude is correct. we got the breaks last year. if you want to depend on that next year its thin ice. we got by with some timely D but our O wasn’t included in the playoffs. nothing wrong with being pissed off because we haven’t done anything to bolster the passing game except pray a rookie can guide us. Mason gets lost in the negativity but he is the only proven/dependable bright spot. thats 1 player on the entire O that we’re certain of.

by raven on May 12, 2009 1:18 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

So

Improving our pass protection and running game, will not help?
Joe Flacco improving and becoming a leader will not help?
D. Williams (hopefully) being healthy won’t help?
The young WR’s having a year of experience won’t help?
All of our WR’s having an extra year to gel won’t help?
Being in the second year of Cam’s offense won’t help?

I don’t think your looking at the big picture.

by DT711 on May 12, 2009 11:57 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

All of our WR’s having an extra year to gel won’t help?

To gel with Flacco is what I meant to say.

by DT711 on May 12, 2009 11:57 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Totally agree

we are better if we didn’t add anyone. Anything else is just icing for the cake we’ll eat after our SB victory next February!

Rexx

by Rexx on May 12, 2009 5:10 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

ILB Size

Is it me or is it the lighting, camera angle, etc? In the picture above with Ray and Gooden, Gooden likes tiny next to Ray -both in height and weight. Gooden looks more like a DB, not an ILB…

Just wondering if Gooden has the stature to play sixteen games at ILB.

by vlad755 on May 11, 2009 1:31 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I think you have it backwards. Gooden weighs in at 247#; maybe Ray Ray should be playing on the D-line.

Water covers 2/3 of the Earth's surface. Ed Reed covers the rest.

by Ampallang on May 11, 2009 3:30 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Ray is definitely a little thicker

But that is because he is a freak of nature, physically. Plus getting older, guess his body is “shaping” out a little. Remember, people said Ray was too small to play LB when he was coming out of Miami.

5 other LB’s were taken ahead of Ray because he did not have “ideal” height and weight. Ray was 6’1" 230 I think coming out of college. Gooden is almost 250 pounds. He is perfect LB size.

You have to hate losing more than you love winning.

by Mr MaLoR on May 11, 2009 4:53 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I Raised the Point

…because Gooden was injured most of last year and I wonder if he has the body and stature to hold up at ILB for a full slate of games.

I just hope last year was an anomaly and not an indicator.

Ray is a freak -I keep going back to that poor door…

by vlad755 on May 11, 2009 5:11 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

hes also wearing saddle shoes in the pic

by raven on May 12, 2009 1:22 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Gooden has beefed up, but..

..if you remember, Ray said last season he went up to around 265 to better absorb the pounding, so he’s in rare LB territory, weight wise, although Adalius was playing around 270, but he was taller than Ray.

Rexx

by Rexx on May 12, 2009 8:40 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

ray is a gap diving potatoe on toothpicks at this point. im glad that Titan TE ran awkwardly into him and fell hard on the sideline. it reminded us of rays glory years when he initiated the contact.

by raven on May 12, 2009 1:21 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Nah...

Of course he’s not the player he was many years ago, but give me and him a break, he’s still the best MLB in the game. Hits real hard, still very fast sideline to sideline, may miss on good jukes by younger players, but still the BEST!

Unless of course, youy want to go out on a limb and name a better one than him? On the Beatdown!? Don’t go there!

Rexx

by Rexx on May 12, 2009 8:42 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs