Today by most counts 27 Ravens (in one case a Ravens wannabe) gathered at Johnny Unitas Stadium at Towson University for informal workouts shepherded by Derrick Mason. Today was the first of three consecutive days of workouts, none of which is open to the public and only this one to the media.
It’s often difficult to determine if success or failure in these workouts projects similarly to the playing field during live scrimmaging and more importantly during games. Some guys can look like future Hall of Famers without the threat of contact but insert NFL caliber physicality and it isn’t uncommon to see fearlessness in shorts transform into near fetal positioning in pads.
That said here are a few observations about some newcomers and other players of interest who were in attendance…
With question marks surrounding the return of Dawan Landry (who did not participate on Tuesday) it is possible that a position vacated by Landry could be assumed by Tom Zbikowski or Haruki Nakamura. Nakamura was an enthusiastic participant today and it appears as though he’s added some muscle mass perhaps to prepare for a looming positional battle at strong safety. Something to keep in mind…many once thought former Raven Jim Leonhard didn’t have the size to play alongside Ed Reed. He proved to be more than adequate during the Ravens run into the AFC Championship Game in 2009.
Nakamura’s match on the enthusiasm meter was free agent corner Josh Wilson. Wilson looks to be in great shape and the lucrative pay day that awaits, is not a bad incentive to remain that way. Wilson’s participation in these voluntary drills suggests that he’d like to remain a Raven and the obvious rapport that he shares with Torrey Smith and Domonique Foxworth could help the team keep Wilson for a hometown discount.
Speaking of Foxworth, he participated in sideline agility drills with Wilson and did line up against some of the Ravens receivers during passing drills. His movements were smooth albeit cautious.
Back to Torrey Smith for a moment, the Terrapin described by former Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen as a “perfect human being” moved swiftly and with a burst during individual drills. He possesses great feet and glides when in gear. His strong character suggests that he’ll be a dedicated student of the game and if that translates to him playing confidently and without hesitation, his explosiveness may be the most impactful we’ve seen from a receiver wearing purple and black.
While it would be accurate to say that Derrick Mason spearheaded these practice sessions the man responsible for orchestrating much of the work with the football is Joe Flacco. For the most part the fourth year signal caller is keeping it simple but the team does seem to be getting in a decent number of reps in a short amount of time and credit for that goes to Flacco.
Quarterbacks are always under scrutiny and today was no exception. Rookie QB Tyrod Taylor plays a bit smaller than another vertically challenged QB who once wore a Ravens jersey – Troy Smith. While both are a reported 6’1”, Taylor’s release point is lower than Smith’s and the guess here is that he’ll have his fair share of batted balls at the line of scrimmage. It’s early but this looks like a really curious pick by Ozzie Newsome. Ravens24x7.com has learned that Taylor is a player Cam Cameron liked on draft day.
QB Hunter Cantwell possesses a pretty good fastball but his motion is a bit awkward. He starts out low near the hip and he isn’t too difficult to envision him being plagued by stripped balls from oncoming pass rushers. I highly doubt that the Ravens go into training camp, preseason or the regular season (whichever comes first) with Flacco, Taylor and Cantwell. If it isn’t Marc Bulger carry the clipboard for Flacco it will be some other veteran you’ve heard and seen before.
Another of the Ravens’ rookies is WR Tandon Doss who by his own admission is a little lighter than he should be having dropped some weight following a hernia injury. He’s in the process of breaking down related scar tissue. Doss looks like an accomplished pass catcher who will have to learn to be crafty in the NFL. He has only average speed and in order to make his mark as a professional his route running skills, hands and football IQ will have to be among his and his quarterback’s best friends.
The first thing that stands out about James Hardy is his physicality. We knew he was tall but if you are expecting Clarence Moore II, he’s not the guy. He is ripped and showed solid hands. And while he isn’t a burner, he has long strides and decent change of direction skills. On a couple of sideline passes today Flacco put the ball high and outside and seemingly on its way to the bleachers. But Hardy’s ample wingspan helped him reel in the well placed tosses as the former Hoosier finished the plays with some accomplished sideline toe tapping.
I heard a couple reasons why Jimmy Smith wasn’t there today: 1) he’s in California and doesn’t have the money to get across the country; and 2) he was told that given 1) and the fact that this was more of an offensive gathering with only a few other DB’s expected (Nakamura, Foxworth & Wilson all with east coast roots) that it wasn’t a big deal.
And I tend to agree…
These types of gatherings are normally short on marquee names unless of course your name is on the marquee. Anquan Boldin showed up and it wasn’t just a token appearance as he was locked and loaded on the agility drills and executed them not as an accomplished, rest-on-your-laurels multi-time Pro Bowler but as a player hoping to make the team and looking to prove something. Way to send a nice message Q!
OTHER OBSERVATIONS: Sam Koch looked like he was in mid-season form launching missiles all over JU Stadium…Long snapper Morgan Cox was on hand sporting a knee brace to support the injured ACL from 2010. He seemed to go through the paces without incident…Davon Drew looks like he’s put on some muscle mass in his torso. His goal has to be to show well and land on the roster of another team that lacks the talent the Ravens possess at tight end…Brandon McKinney is probably a pretty good dancer judging from the way this massive man navigated the foot agility drills…Art Jones has slimmed down and that should be good news to D-Line coach Clarence Brooks who is looking to create a better interior pass rush from his defensive front…The mystery player that no media member could name was none other than running back Walter Sanders. Sanders is an undrafted free agent from St. Augustine’s who attended the workout by player invitation according to one source and his presence is not an indication of interest on the part of the Ravens’ front office.
