Summer in Baltimore officially begins when the Ravens break their final week of OTA’s… This summer begins with a few more questions about the state of the Ravens roster than anticipated.
Ray Lewis showed up for final minicamp…Ed Reed did not…
So many questions, in fact, that the Ravens PR department addressed them with a compilation of responses to reporter’s questions as minicamp ended:
Head Coach John Harbaugh takes the questions:
With everything you that you have on your plate this time of year, how much are you able to communicate with [Terrell] Suggs when he is the building about what’s going on? (Joe Platania)
“He’s in every meeting. I talk to him all time; he is a part of everything we’re doing, except for practice.”
Does he seem upbeat despite what’s happened? (David Ginsburg)
“I really don’t get into all of that. You guys are the guys that attribute people’s emotions and what they are thinking and what they are feeling. ‘This guy seemed this way, and that guy seemed that way.’ So, you guys can try to get in everybody’s head; I’m not really interested in doing that.”
We saw Jacoby [Jones] yesterday; he seemed to kind of limp around. Is he doing OK after yesterday? (Aaron Wilson)
“Yeah, he is going to be OK. We’ll see.”
Saw Jah [Reid] get carted off. Is he OK? (Aaron Wilson)
“Why are you even asking me? Why? They are fine, everybody is fine.”
After watching these guys, are you happy with what you saw? (David Ginsburg)
“I’m really happy. I’m really happy. It was a really good minicamp. I love the way we worked. I love the mindset of our guys, the very determined mindset. They are having fun, working hard, and that’s what you ask for – spirited, spirited.”
Have you talked to Joe [Flacco] about his little [newborn]? (Rob Carlin)
“I haven’t. Texted, texted, but I have talked to him. I think the baby was eight pounds, a little boy, Stephen. That’s named after Joe’s dad, I would assume.”
This time of the year, you guys won’t have the guys for a month. Do you sort of send a certain message and say, “Have fun, be with your family, relax, but also be careful and just be mindful of what you are doing?”(Aaron Wilson)
“No, it will be a little bit more detailed than that, I would think, the message that we will give to them. It will encompass our mission – what we have at stake starting on the 25th [of July], what we need to accomplish next in training camp. Our eyes move to the next horizon, which is the training camp aspect of what we are going to do. We had a successful offseason. It’s individual and it’s group. Also, I am very proud how they have been throughout the whole offseason. I would like that to continue. You see things happen around the league and life – a lot of media guys getting into trouble here and there, things like that. So, we try to make sure we all do that. And hey, things can happen, but our guys did a great job if you look at the whole offseason. So, I am proud of the guys for that, and obviously, would like them to continue with that, too. Nutrition is a big part of it, rest, recovery, training, studying football. Get with your family, absolutely. Get refreshed a little bit mentally. All of those things.”
Do you feel good about where you team is – you had the offseason, you had the NFL Draft, you had the tryouts with free agency – as you head into a time where you got your team formed a little bit before camp starts. (Aaron Wilson)
“We are on schedule. I like where we are at right now. We just have to keep building. Every day is a new day. Every day you have to make the most of every day. It’s nothing more complicated than that. Everything else is just speculation. We just really have to go to work when the time comes.”
As far as Bryant McKinnie, what does he have to show you to be on the field that first day of training camp? (Jamison Hensley)
“We will leave that between us. That’s something that is an in-house type of thing right now. Bryant [McKinnie] has done a good job, he’s worked hard. It’s not as simple as some of you guys want to make it. It’s just a situation where we are going to do what is best for the team, what is best for Bryant. We want him here; there’s no reason he wouldn’t be here. He has worked hard, so you try to do what’s most beneficial for every guy in every situation, and it’s always individualized.”
We are going to hear from [Terrell] Suggs in a little bit. What’s conversation like with him now with balancing his trying to get well quicker than maybe is needed? (Ed O’Brien)
“No, no conversation that way. Once again, you guys put your own spin on it. You think it needs to be talked about in some certain way. We have doctors, we have professionals and we have a professional player who know the pace. You work hard, but you do it within the boundaries of what you are able to do at the time. We have a lot of people who are professional at that. Nothing really needs to be said other than to get back as soon as we can, and part of that is no setback. Professionals take care of that.”
With Joe [Flacco] gone the last two days, have Tyrod [Taylor] and Curtis Painter gotten a chance to do some things over the last two days that maybe they wouldn’t have if Joe would have been here? (Gerry Sandusky)
“Sure, they got more reps. That was good. The reps were very valuable. Sometimes the old saying is, ‘Life is what happens when you make other plans.’ These guys had a chance. The plans were for Joe [Flacco] to take most of the reps, and they took most of the reps. So, what an opportunity and for our team to build reps around those guys, and that’s something that will be invaluable for us going forward.”
How does Michael Oher look at left tackle? (Aaron Wilson)
“He looks really good. Did you watch practice? OK. Put your spin on it. I’m sure you will. You’re an evaluator. Mike [Oher] looks great. Mike always looks great. Mike practices his tail off. He does a great job.”
Is there a specific player that has really stood out in your mind through all these camps that may have jumped out a little bit more than the rest? (Kris Jones)
“Not off the top of my head, no.”
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