Camp Report

[Bullrush]

Ross Tucker from SI on Ngata:
[quote][b][url="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/nfl/players/7761"]Haloti Ngata[/url] has a great chance to be the best defensive tackle in the league[/b]. Ravens defensive tackle [b][url="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/nfl/players/6025"]Justin Bannan[/url][/b] told me that he would absolutely take Ngata over any other interior defensive linemen in the league and said that Ngata has "Hall of Fame potential". That is high praise for a player only going into his fourth year in the league but Ngata is undoubtedly worthy. He is blessed with extraordinary agility and cat-like quickness for a man that weighs 340 pounds and really took the league by storm last season, especially during the playoffs. One player I spoke with compared Ngata's lower-body to a rhinoceros while veteran center [b][url="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/nfl/players/4402"]Matt Birk[/url][/b] said Ngata's natural ability makes him a "next generation" type of player, comparing his physical dominance at the defensive tackle position to his former teammate [b]Adrian[/b] [b]Peterson[/b]'s exceptional traits for a running back.
...[/quote]

On Flacco:
[quote]...
Flacco was impressive in practice throwing the ball to a bunch of receivers that are so green they could be vegetables. Even against the vaunted Ravens defense, Flacco was able to matriculate the ball down the field through the air, a good sign for the Ravens to be sure. Now that [b][url="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/nfl/players/3988"]Derrick Mason[/url][/b] is back in camp, look for Flacco to have significantly better passing numbers this year than he did as a rookie.[/quote]

On Oher:
[quote]First-round pick [b][url="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/nfl/players/9287"]Michael Oher[/url][/b] is being counted on to man the right tackle spot and the Ravens have thrust him onto the first unit from Day 1. He raised some eyebrows in his first one on one pass protection drill against the Ravens top rusher, [b][url="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/nfl/players/6346"]Terrell Suggs[/url][/b]. Oher punched him with his inside hand and it knocked Suggs to the ground. Suggs is so well respected that there was a palpable silence after the play. But the veterans definitely took notice.

Oher, for his part, didn't want the word to get out about his impressive opening play.

"No, no, no, don't say anything about that," said Oher, "I don't want him to start to turn up the heat on me."[/quote]

There's a lot more though, check out the link below. Mason, Gaither, Webb, Rice, Mattison, Heap etc. etc.


[url="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/ross_tucker/08/02/ravens.postcard/index.html?eref=si_nfl"]http://sportsillustr...tml?eref=si_nfl[/url]

[EdReedFTW]

"No, no, no, don't say anything about that," said Oher, "I don't want him to start to turn up the heat on me."

ROFL. It he really is that good then we should be REALLY good against high pressure teams.

[BloodRaven]

Either Suggs is holding back a bit or Oher got lucky, either way I'm hearing different things about Oher in camp.

[Bullrush]

Well, tackles usually win the one on ones unless the OT really sucks. Especially if there's just one try. Gaither also held his ground vs Suggs in his rookie season. I read 2 days ago that Suggs beat Oher for a sack during practice so it's all good.