OWINGS MILLS — Nose guard Terrence "Mount" Cody had an encouraging finish to his rookie season, enough so that general manager Ozzie Newsome predicted that he’ll become the Ravens’ breakout player whenever the labor dispute is resolved.
"I’m going to take the Alabama guy," Newsome said during a conference call with season ticket holders. "I’m going to go with Cody. Cody is going to have a great year this year. He got a taste of it. So, if someone is going to step up, he also appreciates playing next to Haloti Ngata, I would say Terrence Cody."
By the end of the season, Cody shed weight and improved his mobility and stamina.
Cody had arthroscopic knee surgery before the season to repair his lateral meniscus. He started one game and played in 13 games after missing the first three games.
The second-round pick from Alabama recorded 13 tackles during the regular season.
"I think Terrence Cody is a guy that as the season progressed he got more and more reps and he started to make some big plays and really impacted some things in the running game," Ravens director of player personnel Eric DeCosta said. "He’s a big, strong, physical guy with a ton of upside. We’re very, very excited about him."
The 6-foot-4, 349-pounder forced a fumble during the Ravens’ wild-card playoff win over the Kansas City Chiefs. Cody separated Pro Bowl running back Jamaal Charles from the football.
"Yeah, it was positive," Cody said after the season. "It started off slow and it got better each game. I was playing faster by the end of the season. Hopefully I can start next year if I dominate in offseason and camp.
"I just want to learn more about the defense and how they want me to play and little things in general and get in the weight room and get faster and stronger. I started getting in better playing shape and that’s important for me."
FLACCO IN NFLN’S TOP 100 ~ Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco was ranked 90th on the NFL Network’s top 100 players list. The voting was conducted by players.
"I’m not surprised at all that he’s on the list," NFL Network analyst Charles Davis said. "And at 90, he might even be a shade low."
Flacco passed for a career-high 25 touchdowns last season and became the Ravens’ all-time leading passer in every major statistical category. Flacco has never missed a start since being drafted in the first round out of Delaware.
"Durability is a big part of what makes a guy successful in this business, especially at quarterback," former NFL lineman Brian Baldinger said. "He’s there every single week, week-in and week-out, in the postseason has played well."
