Ravens News 7/26: Remembering Ray Lewis, Stanley’s goal and more

Observations from the fifth day of Ravens training camp - Mike Preston

Decisions loom at wide receiver

If the pattern continues to hold into the preseason, the Ravens will have to make some interesting decisions at the wide receiver positions.

Michael Crabtree, John Brown and Willie Snead IV are the starting three, but some of the young guys, like third-year player Chris Moore and second-year pro Tim White, are performing well.

The Ravens also have fourth-year player Breshad Perriman, a former first-round draft pick, as well as rookies Jaleel Scott and Jordan Lasley, competing for spots. Scott and Lasley are draft picks, but another rookie who has been solid is Janarion Grant, a free agent from Rutgers.

With this second group, it might come down to special teams, and Grant can absolutely fly and is a return specialist. I’d like to see him and Brown compete against each other in the 40-yard dash.

The competition at wide receiver is tightly contested this year. The Ravens could conceivably take seven into the regular season.

Impressions Ray Lewis left on teammates and team officials - The Baltimore Sun

For Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome, one game sticks out: Super Bowl XXXV. The Ravens, and Lewis, dominated the New York Giants, drubbing them, 34-7. Lewis was named the game’s Most Valuable Player.

“Man, he must have deflected five or six passes, and then there was the tackle he made on Tiki Barber where he broke free and was running down the sideline,” Newsome said. “I mean, that performance was the greatest individual performance I have ever seen from any player on a high school, college or pro level.”

[Jamal Lewis’] favorite moments were when “we were getting ready to play and Ray running out of the tunnel.”“To watch him transform into a machine was an intimidating factor and left an imposing impression on the other team. They were more excited to watch him come out of the tunnel than we were.

I knew it was big, but I didn’t know how big until I went to Cleveland. Their players would tell the rookies, ‘Wait until you see Ray Lewis come out of the tunnel.’ I told them they should be concentrating on winning.

Hall of Fame tight end Shannon Sharpe called Ray “the greatest leader in team sports history.” Ravens fans are fortunate to have had the privilege of watching Lewis play for their team.

Ronnie Stanley’s Goal Is to Leave No Doubt That He’s a Dominant Left Tackle - Ryan Mink

“Just being dominant, and leaving no doubt when I come off the field on gameday knowing that ‘79’ dominated the guys across from him,” [Stanley] said.

During his rookie season, Stanley graded out as the NFL’s 17th best left tackle (among those who played at least 10 games), according to Pro Football Focus (PFF). Stanley gave up three sacks and 22 quarterback hurries, and got higher marks for his pass blocking than run blocking.

Last year, PFF ranked Stanley as the league’s 13th-best left tackle. He yielded three sacks and 29 quarterback hurries, but this time got higher grades for his run blocking than pass blocking.

If Stanley is able to step up into the upper echelon of blindside protectors, that would certainly fortify an unproven offensive line.