Camp tour: Ravens
WESTMINSTER, Md. -- Observations from Ravens camp:
1. With the addition of free agent Mike Anderson the
question is: Who gets the carries, Jamal Lewis or Anderson? It's
Lewis, and the club made it clear to the veteran running back the job is
his ... and his alone. Now, the question: Who's next off the bench? It
may not be Anderson, and that's not a reflection on the former Denver
back. It's more about Musa Smith and how well he's played in
training camp. Smith and Anderson are likely to share the second spot,
but Smith "looks great," according to coach Brian Billick. "He's apt to start out as our third-down back," Billick said. "But if Jamal
stays healthy and shows that he, indeed, has that step back this should
be a 325- or 350-carry year. There is no reason to believe he can't
regain that form."
2. If there's a concern it's at cornerback ... and I'm not
talking about the starters. Chris McAlister and Samari Rolle
are fine. But who's the third cornerback? That's where there could be a
problem. The choices are David Pittman and Ronnie Prude,
and the two have something in common: They're rookies. Pittman is a
third-round draft pick who has been hampered by a sore hamstring, and
Prude -- one of the surprises of camp -- is a free agent from LSU. The
word is that Baltimore signed him after former LSU coach Nick Saban
made a push for him, but Prude -- disappointed the Dolphins didn't draft him
-- chose the Ravens instead.
3. Just a hunch, but linebacker Terrell Suggs could have a
monster year -- with one coach saying he thought Suggs could wind up
with close to 20 sacks. There are a couple of reasons: First, he's in
the best shape of his life. Suggs added 10 to 15 pounds of muscle and
dropped from 15 percent body fat to 10. Second, he benefits from the
additions of players like Trevor Pryce, rookie Haloti Ngata
and second-year linebacker Dan Cody. Cody, who missed all of
last season with a knee injury, looks good in practice and should have
an impact. Pryce can rush the passer from the inside, and Ngata looks
like an anchor who is so athletic he could control the middle of the
defensive line. "I have never seen our defensive coaches as excited
about a new guy quite like this year with Trevor and Ngata," Billick
said. "We can present (offenses) some dilemmas as to whom they double."
4. Once you get past Derrick Mason and Mark Clayton
there aren't a lot of recognizable names at wide receiver. The club
likes Clarence Moore (expected to come off the Physically Unable
to Perform list soon), Devard Darling and rookie Demetrius
Williams. Which means the Ravens aren't looking for Ashley Lelie
or Jerry Porter. Not now. If the scene stays the same, and Clayton
conquers hamstring problems that popped up early in camp look for the
Ravens to make no major moves at wide receiver.
5. With quarterback Steve McNair spending 11 years with
the Tennessee Titans and two months with Baltimore, you have to wonder
if he has sufficient time to master a new offense -- particularly
terminology which is drastically different from what he had in
Tennessee. McNair insists he does, and no one on the Ravens -- including
the head coach -- appears concerned. "With each day I see more and more
of a comfort zone," Billick said. "We're not there yet. We have four
games. But I'm confident that by the time we get to Tampa Bay (the
season opener) he may still be translating a little bit -- saying
something like, 'OK, this was that in Tennessee so now I know what to
do' -- but he's in total immersion. I'm confident he will be fully
fluent by the time we get to the opener." The Ravens can only hope so.
Their opener might be the key game to their season, and here's why: It's
at Tampa Bay, and the Ravens didn't win a road game last year. In fact,
they've lost their past 11 road starts, last winning on Nov. 14, 2004
against the New York Jets ... in overtime.
Why I Like This Club
McNair stabilized the most important position on the field. More important, he has the respect of all his teammates, who tired of answering questions about Kyle Boller. McNair will make the offense better, but he will make the defense better, too. Drives will be longer; turnovers will be fewer; the Ravens will be better.
Why I Don't Like This Club
We all know McNair's history of injuries. So when does the next one happen? If it's serious we're back where we started.
