For many of you, up until now, we have been your eyes and ears at training camp, reporting on the progress of some key players and the unfortunate decline of a few. Tomorrow night that may change a bit for some as you draw your own conclusions about the Ravens players following their preseason game against the Carolina Panthers.
But here’s a word to the wise…
Tomorrow night’s efforts will be abbreviated for most but consider that 2 weeks of training camp performances aren’t necessarily trumped by a bad – or good – quarter or two of fake football.
YOU may view Thursday night as an audition of sorts for players you’ve yet to see on the field, but for the coaching staff, players that fail on Thursday won’t be summarily dismissed if their practices have not been productive. Similarly, a productive outing doesn’t wipe a slate of bad practices clean.
Considering both ends of this spectrum, here’s a list of players who have surprised during camp and those who have disappointed.
Surprises
Dennis Pitta: The effects of Pitta’s devastating hip injury have been completely undetectable. He glides through practices, makes toe-tapping sideline grabs and dives all over the field to haul in missiles from Joe Flacco. He looks like the Dennis Pitta of old but the jury remains out until we can see him play a game that is a bit more physical than the touch football that takes place at One Winning Drive.
Terrance West: Most thought that West would be the odd man out and would be elbowed from a serviceable albeit unspectacular collection of running backs. Now there are some who believe West is deserving of the starting nod. While he has been impressive showing great vision, solid pass catching skills, a willingness to pass protect and plus conditioning, let’s curb the enthusiasm a tad until we see how he performs when tackling is added to the equation. But so far so good. Props to a player who is seizing what could be his final opportunity.
Jeremy Butler: Butler runs razor sharp routes, and he’s earned the trust of Ravens quarterbacks because he’s where he is supposed to be and he competes for contested throws as well as any receiver in Coach Bobby Engram’s unit. We’ve seen productive camps from Butler before but so far this summer, things really seem to be coming together for the former Tennessee-Martin Skyhawk.
Kamalei Correa: Hearing that Correa has a relentless motor is one thing. Seeing it is another. The Ravens 2nd-round pick plays with enthusiasm, takes well to coaching and possesses an insatiable desire to improve. Mix in his obvious physical talents and the result is a guy who may remind you of Carolina’s Luke Kuechly. That’s high praise for sure, and he has a long way to go to regularly earn such praise, but the traits are there. It’s up to Correa to corral them and mix in an understanding of opponent’s tendencies. If he does, he’ll quickly be a Baltimore favorite.
Tavon Young: From day 1 the former Temple Owl has shown laser focus and is completely fearless and unintimidated playing in the big leagues. He’s quick in short spaces, possesses fluid hips and has solid ball skills. He has been by far the best nickel corner on the field this summer, and he’s an eager and productive contributor to Jerry Rosburg’s special teams.
Disappointments
Jimmy Smith: The Ravens are counting on Smith to be a lockdown corner, but so far the 2011 first-round pick has looked sluggish and stiff. If training camp is any indication, Smith will not be a target for opposing QB’s to avoid, but rather one to attack.
Keenan Reynolds: When the performance doesn’t approach the hype, disappointment naturally sets in. Reynolds looks overwhelmed by the transition to WR at the NFL level, and it seems to have spilled over to his acumen as a punt returner. Remember Lamont Brightful – the returner who regularly dropped punts? Reynolds has reminded me of him this summer.
Ryan Mallett: Many will hold Mallett in high regard because he led the Ravens in an upset win over the Steelers in 2015. But this summer Mallett has triggered flashbacks of Curtis Painter and Matt Schaub. He’s been off target regularly during camp.
Bronson Kaufusi: Even before his unfortunate injury (broken ankle) the former BYU Cougar was unimpressive as a 5-technique defensive lineman. He often got caught up in the wash, and his lower body movements were just too stiff to slip or overpower opposing linemen. Some players start slow and maybe an offseason of conditioning and added flexibility will be good for Kaufusi. But so far, it’s hard not to think that he is the 3rd round pick the Ravens didn’t sacrifice in order to move up in the first-round and select Jalen Ramsey.
Michael Campanaro: It’s the same old story with Camp. He dazzles you with his play WHEN he plays. But he spends so much time on the sidelines and/or nursing minor injuries that you wonder if things will ever change. But then you see him play and you can’t help but think that he’s deserving of patience and maybe the Ravens need to figure out a way of waiting him out. But for how long?
