Ravens' Harbaugh Starts Off Training Camp with Press Conference

While the Baltimore Ravens' rookies are reporting today and the first two-a-day practices begin tomorrow (Tuesday), the team held its first Press Conference of their 2010 Training Camp with Head Coach John Harbaugh addressing the media and fielding questions. Obviously, the big news of the day was the fractured skull injury to their first pick in the second round of the NFL Draft, Sergio Kindle. However, the media peppered him with all sorts of questions and Baltmore Beatdown even managed to get one in as well.

Harbaugh started with the statement that "as long as there's been football, there's been Training Camp." He followed it up with another comment that he asked the media to make sure they quote all of it and it was:

"My expectations are really, really high..........for tomorrow's practice."

I guess he was expecting us all to think that he was going to say "for this season," although he did mention that the team was disappointed to walk off the field the past two years after playoff losses to the Pittsburgh Steelers and Indianapolis Colts, respectively. His goal, along with 31 other teams, is to be playing in Dallas in February in the Super Bowl and anything other than that as a team goal is unacceptable.

He stated that the team's second draft pick of the second round, Terrence Cody was signed and, "he'll be in on time and ready to go."

As far as my question to Coach Harbaugh, here it is:

Beatdown:  "In Dallas, Dez Bryant is not following tradition and said he's not going to carry veteran's shoulder pads. Any advice for the Ravens' rookies when the veterans report on Friday?"

Harbaugh: "We do and we will share it with them at tonight's meeting. We're not a hazing team, it's not something we believe in. We think all our players are Ravens, that's why we brought them in here and they're Ravens until they're not. So we try to be very respectful of all our guys and that includes the rookies, I also think there's a certain protocol that the younger guys have an opportunity to show some humility and respect for the veterans and what they've done in this league. If it means stepping back in line in dinner, stepping back in the taping line, taking care of pads coming off the field, that stuff is defferential to a veteran. We encourage that and our guys have always bought into it."