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"The Tugboat"
http://www.baltimoreravens.com/temp...ingle_news_show§ion=press&content_id=2181
May 13, 2003
NEW RECEIVERS ASSIMILATE INTO GROUP
More than an hour after the Ravens wrapped up their final practice of the weekend, the team’s new-look receiving corps was just getting started.
Offseason additions Marcus Robinson and Frank Sanders, both veteran free agents, bunkered down with their new teammates in the players’ recreation room and spent the afternoon getting to know one another.
The two men have been given the task of pumping up the Ravens’ passing game, which ranked 27th in the NFL last year, and they were determined to get started as early as possible.
Even if that meant staying late on Mothers’ Day.
“Right now, as receivers, you get the camaraderie with the group of receivers you’ve got, get camaraderie with the quarterback, and you start gelling,” Robinson said, after the lunch.
The road to passing excellence may have begun over a plateful of fried chicken and a bowl of crab soup, but it will not end until Robinson and Sanders can get on the same page as the other receivers on the team, and the Ravens’ youthful quarterbacks.
Before Sanders and Robinson entered the fray, Travis Taylor, a first-round draft pick back in 2000, was the team’s only wide receiver with more than 10 career catches.
Now, the Ravens can strike their opponents from every direction.
During last weekend’s four practices, Ravens coach Brian Billick had his new weapons line up in various ways during passing repetitions.
Taylor and Sanders, who joined the Ravens after spending his first eight seasons with the Cardinals, often lined up as the two wideouts during the base offensive formation. When the team went to three-wide, Taylor moved into the slot and Robinson took his place on the outside.
The Ravens plan to continue to use Pro Bowl tight end Todd Heap in the slot, and so when the Ravens go four-wide, they’ll have four explosive options.
“You’ve got to hope the offense will improve, substantially,” Billick said. “The veteran presence at receiver is something we haven’t had, particularly with the class and character that both Frank Sanders and Marcus Robinson give us, and their approach to the game. That’s going to be a big plus for us.”
First, however, they need to learn the playbooks and build a relationship with the team’s inexperienced quarterbacks.
The four quarterbacks on the team’s roster – Chris Redman, Anthony Wright and rookies Kyle Boller and Grant Noel – have a combined 11 NFL starts.
“Right now, it’s learning the plays and me teaching the techniques to make the plays work,” said receivers coach David Shaw. “It’s kind of a growing process, along with getting used to the quarterback, and developing a chemistry along with the quarterback.”
While Shaw said that these early minicamps are not about evaluation, he already picked up on the strengths of his newest apprentices.
Sanders, who caught a career-high 89 passes in 1998, but his production has tapered off ever since for various reasons, already showed the team he knows how to play. He displayed superior route-running and a strong feel for the defense.
Robinson, who could end up being the team’s premiere deep threat, has been hampered by injuries over the last few years, including knee injuries that necessitated surgery.
In the course of the weekend, the former Chicago Bear’s performance helped allay fears that he was not all the way back from the injuries.
“He’s in a new environment. He’s got a new life,” Shaw said. “He’s loving it, enjoying it and it’s been a positive influence on our guys to have two veterans come in and show these guys what level they have to work at to be successful.”
Offseason addition Frank Sanders pulls in a catch during last weekend's minicamp:
May 13, 2003
NEW RECEIVERS ASSIMILATE INTO GROUP
More than an hour after the Ravens wrapped up their final practice of the weekend, the team’s new-look receiving corps was just getting started.
Offseason additions Marcus Robinson and Frank Sanders, both veteran free agents, bunkered down with their new teammates in the players’ recreation room and spent the afternoon getting to know one another.
The two men have been given the task of pumping up the Ravens’ passing game, which ranked 27th in the NFL last year, and they were determined to get started as early as possible.
Even if that meant staying late on Mothers’ Day.
“Right now, as receivers, you get the camaraderie with the group of receivers you’ve got, get camaraderie with the quarterback, and you start gelling,” Robinson said, after the lunch.
The road to passing excellence may have begun over a plateful of fried chicken and a bowl of crab soup, but it will not end until Robinson and Sanders can get on the same page as the other receivers on the team, and the Ravens’ youthful quarterbacks.
Before Sanders and Robinson entered the fray, Travis Taylor, a first-round draft pick back in 2000, was the team’s only wide receiver with more than 10 career catches.
Now, the Ravens can strike their opponents from every direction.
During last weekend’s four practices, Ravens coach Brian Billick had his new weapons line up in various ways during passing repetitions.
Taylor and Sanders, who joined the Ravens after spending his first eight seasons with the Cardinals, often lined up as the two wideouts during the base offensive formation. When the team went to three-wide, Taylor moved into the slot and Robinson took his place on the outside.
The Ravens plan to continue to use Pro Bowl tight end Todd Heap in the slot, and so when the Ravens go four-wide, they’ll have four explosive options.
“You’ve got to hope the offense will improve, substantially,” Billick said. “The veteran presence at receiver is something we haven’t had, particularly with the class and character that both Frank Sanders and Marcus Robinson give us, and their approach to the game. That’s going to be a big plus for us.”
First, however, they need to learn the playbooks and build a relationship with the team’s inexperienced quarterbacks.
The four quarterbacks on the team’s roster – Chris Redman, Anthony Wright and rookies Kyle Boller and Grant Noel – have a combined 11 NFL starts.
“Right now, it’s learning the plays and me teaching the techniques to make the plays work,” said receivers coach David Shaw. “It’s kind of a growing process, along with getting used to the quarterback, and developing a chemistry along with the quarterback.”
While Shaw said that these early minicamps are not about evaluation, he already picked up on the strengths of his newest apprentices.
Sanders, who caught a career-high 89 passes in 1998, but his production has tapered off ever since for various reasons, already showed the team he knows how to play. He displayed superior route-running and a strong feel for the defense.
Robinson, who could end up being the team’s premiere deep threat, has been hampered by injuries over the last few years, including knee injuries that necessitated surgery.
In the course of the weekend, the former Chicago Bear’s performance helped allay fears that he was not all the way back from the injuries.
“He’s in a new environment. He’s got a new life,” Shaw said. “He’s loving it, enjoying it and it’s been a positive influence on our guys to have two veterans come in and show these guys what level they have to work at to be successful.”
Offseason addition Frank Sanders pulls in a catch during last weekend's minicamp:
