Afternoon Practice – Getting Ready For The Ravens
Posted by Matt Terl on August 11, 2009 – 5:27 pm
Despite the heat — clear skies and bright sun, no rain after all — this was one of the most uptempo practices we’ve seen in awhile, lively enough to send even the notoriously ice-phobic Fred Smoot to the ice bath afterward.
With Santana Moss and Anthony Alridge again the only two sidelined, this shorts-and-shells practice was the first I’ve noticed covering such specific plays as the Hail Mary (one of which was caught by Malcolm Kelly, just like we all dreamed about when he was drafted), the kneel-down, and the QB scrambling and heaving the ball to run out the clock.
Jason Campbell had a good practice (although I think tired legs tend to favor the offense in practices like this), and — with this as the last full practice before Thursday’s game — everybody seems pretty enthused about facing the Ravens.
“My first college game was at M&T,” rookie cornerback Kevin Barnes told me, “so it’s ironic that my first pro game will be too.”
Barnes went to high school in Glen Burnie, not far from Baltimore, but he’s not viewing this game as any kind of homecoming. “Technically the Redskins play in Maryland too, so all my home games’ll be at home.”
Despite the proximity, Barnes is emphatic that he’s not a Ravens fan. “Never,” he said. “Never never never. I liked their defense, but I was never a Ravens fan. Purple’s not a good color for me, at all.”
As to what he’s expecting from Thursday’s game, Barnes is simultaneously optimistic and realistic. “I’ll definitely be in there at the end of the game,” he said, “proving that I belong, but I’m not sure how the beginning of the game is gonna go.”
Rookie linebacker Cody Glenn is even more pragmatic. “The way this game goes, it’s a business,” he said, “so this is like an interview for a lot of guys. So you gotta go, you gotta perform, and that’s my mindset going in. It’s big-time for me.”
The other big news regarding the Ravens game came from special teams coach Danny Smith: for this game, Shaun Suisham will be kicking the first half, Dave Rayner will be kicking the second half. Once one game is out of the way, Smith will look to see what kind of kick each guy has gotten and make sure that the competition is fair moving forward, but that’s where things are starting.
According to Rich Campbell of the Free Lance-Star, who was keeping careful track, Suisham went 5/8 in this afternoon’s practice, while Rayner went 6/8.
Smith also had some kind words for speedster Domonique Dorsey, who’ll be getting a look as a returner this preseason.
“He’s an experienced guy,” Smith said. “He’s done it in another league. Obviously it’s not the same as our league but you’ve gotta give him credit for that. We’ll see how he does in our games, but he likes it, he loves it, and those are the kind of guys you like working with. He’s got good hands, he’s got good feet, he’s got good power, he’s got good speed … he can do a lot of things. We’ll see if we can get him loose in the preseason, see if he can make a run at it.”
Yep. Those position battles — job interviews, as Cody Glenn put it — kick into overdrive in just two nights.
Tags: cody glenn, CodyGlenn, Danny Smith, DannySmith, Kevin Barnes, KevinBarnes, on the field at practice, OnTheFieldAtPractice
Posted in General | No Comments »
