Up and coming outside linebacker Courtney Upshaw is an embarrassment to the Ravens' nutritionist right now— because the guy refuses to eat the right diet to perfect his physique.
This is a big problem, no pun intended…
If Ray Lewis caught you eating a bag of potato chips in the Ravens lockerroom, I guarantee he would rip the bag away from you and throw it in the trash.
Sadly there is no more Ray Lewis for the Ravens… but there is a ton of potato chips waiting to be had!
That's the dilemma Courtney Upshaw now faces.
Courtney Upshaw didn’t attend the Ravens’ visit to the White House so he could get in extra hours of cardio.
After Thursday’s practice, he immediately hopped on the stair master, then had a meeting with the team nutritionist, and finally chatted with a member of the strength and conditioning staff to outline his weight-loss plan.
Upshaw’s got some pounds to shed, as both he and now Head Coach John Harbaugh have noted. He is up to 285 pounds after being listed at 272 last season.
But Upshaw is putting in the work to lose it.
“I’m working, man. I’m working real hard,” Upshaw said Thursday. “It’s anything to try to get me down. It’s frustrating to not see my weight go down knowing I’m putting in all that work.”
Harbaugh addressed the issue for the first time following Thursday’s Organized Team Activity (OTA) practice.
He first pointed out that Upshaw is “playing very well.” He said the second-year outside linebacker understands the defense exceptionally well and is working really hard. Then Harbaugh dove into the weight.
“Courtney’s weight issue – which he does need some pounds – is that he doesn’t eat right,” Harbaugh said. “Courtney eats too much and he doesn’t eat all the right foods.
“He knows that and that’s something he’s going to have to get a handle on, or he’s not going to be the best he can be. But he’s aware of it. Everybody in our building is involved with it. He’ll be in fighting shape, I promise you that.”
Upshaw had a similar struggle with his weight last season and eventually worked it off. He responded with a strong season with 16 games played, nine starts, 60 tackles and 1.5 sacks.
“It’s frustrating because I had to go through the same thing last year. But I did it,” Upshaw said.
“This offseason I didn’t really train the way I should have because of those personal situations I had to deal with back in Alabama. So when I was in Baltimore I was training, but when I was in Alabama I didn’t really do too much. But I’m working every day.”
Man, you got like 20 minutes of a lifetime to excel in the NFL. Don't blow it on junk food.
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