AM PRACTICE NOTES
-If there's one thing to be said about the morning practice, it has to be that there was significantly more energy on the field. That doesn't mean that there still weren't mistakes to be made, but a buzz hovered over the entire team.
-Quarterback Steve McNair progressed nicely from day one to day do, continuing his development in the Ravens' offense. Although he had a few errant throws, he always bounced back. On one particular overthrown pass to tight end Dan Wilcox in the flat, which Wilcox leapt to catch, McNair pounded his helmet in disgust. Even though it was a completion, the quarterback didn't hit his target in stride, and his angst showed the high standard he's holding himself to in these practices.
-The beginning of the session had the makings of a great day for receivers, as the defensive backs and linebackers seemed to be getting beat on a lot of big plays in one-on-one drills. Of course, McNair's chemistry with wideout Derrick Mason is strong, and the signal-caller perfectly placed a ball into the running receiver's hands as cornerback Samari Rolle was just out of arms reach. Even in full-team sessions, that would have gone for big yardage.
-Rookie wideout Demetrius Williams had a great practice. He was noticeably explosive in and out of his routes, and really adjusted to nab some difficult catches. On one spectacular snag, he was blanketed by corner Evan Oglesby, and as McNair lofted a ball to the sideline, Williams turned, jumped and extended for the catch, eliciting a "Whoah!" from the crowd.
John Middlebrook
Sams (36) races to the end zone as Suggs (55) and Thomas (96) cheer him on.
Head coach Brian Billick commented on Williams' skills after practice, saying, "Yeah, he's still learning. He's on a curve that no one else is just because of the time he missed. So he's got to be swimming right now, but you can see the physical abilities that he has."
-Wilcox gained some fans, as well, when he caught a touchdown pass from rookie free agent Drew Olson and ran up into the audience to exchange some high-fives.
-The defense seemed to get its legs under it towards the end of practice, as they snagged two interceptions. One was off a pass from quarterback Kyle Boller to wideout Brian Bratton. Cornerback Corey Ivy forced the ball out, which fell into the hands of Oglesby, who raced to the end zone.
-The other came from an unlikely source: return specialist-turned-defensive back B.J. Sams, who made a spectacular diving pick off a pass that tipped off the fingers of tight end Rob Abiamiri.
"You know what, that kind of depth, when you get to that 45-man roster, for BJ to be able to help us in a disastrous situation to just give us that depth," said Billick, "because you know he's going to be that returner, is just a huge asset."
Jennifer Hinkle
Koch was really kicking well in the morning practice.
-On the special teams side of the ball, punter Sam Koch was really getting a hold of some kicks today. Even though there was a slight breeze, he was able to get his all into it, releasing high, spiraling punts that traveled form some pretty good distance.
-One of those punts was fumbled by rookie free agent Cory Ross, who has garnered some notice by the coaching team with his special teams play and his quickness in the backfield. He may be slight (5-6, 201 pounds), but he is incredibly elusive.
The drop didn't do much to change the head coach's impression of Ross, however.
"(He's a) good, very impressive young man," said Billick of Ross. "He protects you, just the overall knowledge of the game, the little things that he does I'm very impressed with him
PM PRACTICE NOTES
-The energy carried over into Saturday evening, as the Ravens took the field for the second day's final session. Sunday, the players are off until dinner and meetings in the evening.
-Running back Jamal Lewis (hip flexor), wideout Clarence Moore (groin) and cornerback David Pittman (hamstring) did not practice.
-Haloti Ngata did. The massive defensive tackle officially signed his contract today and hit the field for the first time with the entire team. He was immediately thrust into the starting lineup next to defensive tackle Kelly Gregg. Ngata showed quick feet and expert hands in position drills, shuffling side to side over bags on the ground and then reaching low for a football tossed at his feet. He didn't fumble any. Defensive line coach Clarence Brooks then had the linemen go through a series of similar rushing drills, and even though it was scorching hot - and he's 340 pounds - Ngata didn't seem winded at all.
Jennifer Hinkle
Reed was having a lot of fun on the practice field Saturday.
-Here's a great quote from Ngata in his post-practice Q&A with the media. When asked about if the fast pace of the Ravens will be an adjustment, he said that the terminology was probably the toughest thing. Luckily, he knows how to do his job well. "Some of the DBs and linebackers were talking, and I just kind of went straight."
-Coach Billick was the scout team quarterback for the defense, taking snaps and handing off to Ravens director of pro personnel (and former Ravens linebacker) O.J. Brigance. Every third play or so, he'd roll out in a bootleg and completely fool the linebackers and defensive line, prompting the coach to call out once to Jarret Johnson, "I hope there's a safety out there, J.J.!"
-Safety Ed Reed had a great practice. First of all, he just seemed to be having a great time. When he was out on the field, he was lights-out in coverage. One receiver did catch a pass on him, but the wideout was way out of bounds. When receivers coach Mike Johnson yelled, "Nice catch!" Reed shouted back, "Yeah, nice catch out of bounds. You know if that was in-bounds, I'd be running down that sideline!" On the sideline, he was jawing with the wideouts, most notably rookie Demetrius Williams.
-After some skel work, Steve McNair pulled receiver Mark Clayton aside in front of the bench and asked Clayton if he gave the wideout enough room to make the catch and run. It was a good example of how McNair is trying to assimilate himself into the offense.
-The battles on the edges were particularly physical. On one play in 11-on-11, rookie Ronnie Prude made a tackle - a no-no in practices with only shells - prompting Reed to tell him, "Nice to see that physicality in you, LSU." It's obvious that the defense is going to relish playing with a nasty streak.
-Starters for the day on offense were: Steve McNair, Mike Anderson, Derrick Mason, Mark Clayton, Todd Heap, Adam Terry, Keydrick Vincent, Mike Flynn, Edwin Mulitalo and Tony Pashos. Justin Green and Daniel Wilcox both got work with the first unit.
-Starters on defense: Ed Reed, Adalius Thomas, Samari Rolle, Chris McAlister, Bart Scott, Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs, Trevor Pryce, Kelly Gregg, Haloti Ngata and Jarret Johnson.
-Practice ended with a touchdown in the red zone portion of the practice, when Kyle Boller put perfect touch on the ball he lofted to wideout Romby Bryant, who was crossing the back of the end zone.
-If there's one thing to be said about the morning practice, it has to be that there was significantly more energy on the field. That doesn't mean that there still weren't mistakes to be made, but a buzz hovered over the entire team.
-Quarterback Steve McNair progressed nicely from day one to day do, continuing his development in the Ravens' offense. Although he had a few errant throws, he always bounced back. On one particular overthrown pass to tight end Dan Wilcox in the flat, which Wilcox leapt to catch, McNair pounded his helmet in disgust. Even though it was a completion, the quarterback didn't hit his target in stride, and his angst showed the high standard he's holding himself to in these practices.
-The beginning of the session had the makings of a great day for receivers, as the defensive backs and linebackers seemed to be getting beat on a lot of big plays in one-on-one drills. Of course, McNair's chemistry with wideout Derrick Mason is strong, and the signal-caller perfectly placed a ball into the running receiver's hands as cornerback Samari Rolle was just out of arms reach. Even in full-team sessions, that would have gone for big yardage.
-Rookie wideout Demetrius Williams had a great practice. He was noticeably explosive in and out of his routes, and really adjusted to nab some difficult catches. On one spectacular snag, he was blanketed by corner Evan Oglesby, and as McNair lofted a ball to the sideline, Williams turned, jumped and extended for the catch, eliciting a "Whoah!" from the crowd.
John Middlebrook
Sams (36) races to the end zone as Suggs (55) and Thomas (96) cheer him on.
Head coach Brian Billick commented on Williams' skills after practice, saying, "Yeah, he's still learning. He's on a curve that no one else is just because of the time he missed. So he's got to be swimming right now, but you can see the physical abilities that he has."
-Wilcox gained some fans, as well, when he caught a touchdown pass from rookie free agent Drew Olson and ran up into the audience to exchange some high-fives.
-The defense seemed to get its legs under it towards the end of practice, as they snagged two interceptions. One was off a pass from quarterback Kyle Boller to wideout Brian Bratton. Cornerback Corey Ivy forced the ball out, which fell into the hands of Oglesby, who raced to the end zone.
-The other came from an unlikely source: return specialist-turned-defensive back B.J. Sams, who made a spectacular diving pick off a pass that tipped off the fingers of tight end Rob Abiamiri.
"You know what, that kind of depth, when you get to that 45-man roster, for BJ to be able to help us in a disastrous situation to just give us that depth," said Billick, "because you know he's going to be that returner, is just a huge asset."
Jennifer Hinkle
Koch was really kicking well in the morning practice.
-On the special teams side of the ball, punter Sam Koch was really getting a hold of some kicks today. Even though there was a slight breeze, he was able to get his all into it, releasing high, spiraling punts that traveled form some pretty good distance.
-One of those punts was fumbled by rookie free agent Cory Ross, who has garnered some notice by the coaching team with his special teams play and his quickness in the backfield. He may be slight (5-6, 201 pounds), but he is incredibly elusive.
The drop didn't do much to change the head coach's impression of Ross, however.
"(He's a) good, very impressive young man," said Billick of Ross. "He protects you, just the overall knowledge of the game, the little things that he does I'm very impressed with him
PM PRACTICE NOTES
-The energy carried over into Saturday evening, as the Ravens took the field for the second day's final session. Sunday, the players are off until dinner and meetings in the evening.
-Running back Jamal Lewis (hip flexor), wideout Clarence Moore (groin) and cornerback David Pittman (hamstring) did not practice.
-Haloti Ngata did. The massive defensive tackle officially signed his contract today and hit the field for the first time with the entire team. He was immediately thrust into the starting lineup next to defensive tackle Kelly Gregg. Ngata showed quick feet and expert hands in position drills, shuffling side to side over bags on the ground and then reaching low for a football tossed at his feet. He didn't fumble any. Defensive line coach Clarence Brooks then had the linemen go through a series of similar rushing drills, and even though it was scorching hot - and he's 340 pounds - Ngata didn't seem winded at all.
Jennifer Hinkle
Reed was having a lot of fun on the practice field Saturday.
-Here's a great quote from Ngata in his post-practice Q&A with the media. When asked about if the fast pace of the Ravens will be an adjustment, he said that the terminology was probably the toughest thing. Luckily, he knows how to do his job well. "Some of the DBs and linebackers were talking, and I just kind of went straight."
-Coach Billick was the scout team quarterback for the defense, taking snaps and handing off to Ravens director of pro personnel (and former Ravens linebacker) O.J. Brigance. Every third play or so, he'd roll out in a bootleg and completely fool the linebackers and defensive line, prompting the coach to call out once to Jarret Johnson, "I hope there's a safety out there, J.J.!"
-Safety Ed Reed had a great practice. First of all, he just seemed to be having a great time. When he was out on the field, he was lights-out in coverage. One receiver did catch a pass on him, but the wideout was way out of bounds. When receivers coach Mike Johnson yelled, "Nice catch!" Reed shouted back, "Yeah, nice catch out of bounds. You know if that was in-bounds, I'd be running down that sideline!" On the sideline, he was jawing with the wideouts, most notably rookie Demetrius Williams.
-After some skel work, Steve McNair pulled receiver Mark Clayton aside in front of the bench and asked Clayton if he gave the wideout enough room to make the catch and run. It was a good example of how McNair is trying to assimilate himself into the offense.
-The battles on the edges were particularly physical. On one play in 11-on-11, rookie Ronnie Prude made a tackle - a no-no in practices with only shells - prompting Reed to tell him, "Nice to see that physicality in you, LSU." It's obvious that the defense is going to relish playing with a nasty streak.
-Starters for the day on offense were: Steve McNair, Mike Anderson, Derrick Mason, Mark Clayton, Todd Heap, Adam Terry, Keydrick Vincent, Mike Flynn, Edwin Mulitalo and Tony Pashos. Justin Green and Daniel Wilcox both got work with the first unit.
-Starters on defense: Ed Reed, Adalius Thomas, Samari Rolle, Chris McAlister, Bart Scott, Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs, Trevor Pryce, Kelly Gregg, Haloti Ngata and Jarret Johnson.
-Practice ended with a touchdown in the red zone portion of the practice, when Kyle Boller put perfect touch on the ball he lofted to wideout Romby Bryant, who was crossing the back of the end zone.
