Ray Lewis said a lot of nice things about new coach John Harbaugh after practice the other day -- blah blah blah, canned answer, blah blah blah -- but Harbaugh is an unknown commodity, and he has to be careful not to lose control of the locker room before the season starts. He already has a QB controversy on his hands, and the last thing he needs is unnecessary distractions.
Yesterday a brawl erupted at minicamp. Nearly all 85 players present were involved, but the fisticuffs started with OT Oniel Cousins and DT Amon Gordon . Cousins was a day-two draft selection last month. Gordon has played three seasons in the league, amassing a grand total of 23 tackles. Here is what DE Trevor Pryce had to say: "If you can fight, go join the UFC. Can you play football? Can you help us not be 5-11 again? I could give a crap about the rest of it."
Tempers flared. Punches were thrown. Egos were inflated, bruised, and eventually order was restored. After years of easy offseason workouts under Brian Billick, some Ravens fans see the wrangling and intensity as good news. I'm not sure I agree. On one hand, who really cares if guys throw a few punches in May; however, it's worth bearing in mind that discipline was a major problem for the Ravens last year.
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1 hour ago
2 comments:
All the guys who started it were rookies from what I hear. They are just trying to compete and I think it was a product of intensity and nervousness. Ryan was quoted as saying that Harbaugh never lost control. They appeared to be letting them work through it. Although I agree with Trevor Pryce's comments, I think it is May and things will settle down when guys know whether or not they made the team.
I wouldn't worry about it. Training camps have brawls all the time. Players understand not to act that way on the field, it's just that when the stakes are so high for them (roster spot) they get extremely aggressive.
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