Published: Sunday, May 11, 2008
NFL NOTES: Ravens are a little feisty
Associated Press
RAVENS: The Baltimore Ravens are doing more than merely fighting for jobs at their first mandatory minicamp under new coach John Harbaugh.
They're fighting each other, too.
Nearly all 85 players in camp were involved in a squabble Saturday that began when offensive tackle Oniel Cousins and defensive tackle Amon Gordon, who played at Mariner High School, threw punches after running back Allen Patrick was taken down hard on a burst up the middle. All the players surged toward the middle of the field, and it was nearly two minutes before peace was restored.
"Guys are competing, so tempers flare a little bit," Harbaugh said.
Later during practice, which was held indoors because of rain, defensive backs Corey Ivy and Frank Walker came to blows during a blocking drill.
"Don't grab me, man!" Ivy yelled.
After the players were separated, veteran cornerbacks Chris McAlister and Samari Rolle spoke with Walker, who signed as a free agent during the offseason after playing with Green Bay in 2007.
"Chill out, man," Rolle said. "There's too much at stake."
For the first time in a decade, the Ravens are conducting a minicamp without Brian Billick, who was fired in January after a nine-year run. There are jobs at stake and a new offense to learn under Cam Cameron, which has fueled emotions at the three-day camp that started Friday.
"Man, it's intense out there," tight end Todd Heap said. "Everybody's trying to learn what's going on and everybody's a little bit on edge."
"You go 5-11, guess what? You'd better be intense," defensive end Trevor Pryce said. "It doesn't matter who the coach is. You have to develop a sense of urgency at 5-11. You have to earn the right to have a calm and relaxing offseason, and you can't do that at 5-11."
Pryce, however, can't condone the fighting.
"Go ahead, wrestle each other, pull each other's facemasks, yeah, great, wonderful, have fun. Now we gotta go play the Patriots. They won 18 straight football games. The Giants won the Super Bowl. Do we really have to prove we're all men?" Pryce said. "If we can get all this out of the way now, scrapping and being undisciplined and 80 men jumping in a pile together, fine. So now we've proved I'm tough, you're tough, hooray, we're all tough. Are we a good football team? What's more important, proving you're tough or proving we're a good football team? That's how I look at it."
GIANTS: Wide receiver Mario Manningham and quarterback Andre' Woodson were sidelined by injuries Saturday during New York's minicamp for rookies and free agents. A third-round draft pick from Michigan, Manningham suffered a hip flexor on his left side. Woodson pulled a quad muscle in his left leg.
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