Physical workouts take toll on Ravens

WESTMINSTER, Md. (AP) -- The Baltimore Ravens are in a survival mode at training camp, for reasons that have nothing to do with roster cuts or the formulation of the depth chart.

A myriad of injuries, some of them serious, have kept head trainer Bill Tessendorf sprinting from one table to another in a fashion that would have made a M*A*S*H surgeon proud.

"It's been a long time since I've seen something like this," said Tessendorf, referring to an injury report that lists more than a dozen players.

Most significant is the season-ending injury sustained by wide receiver Javin Hunter, who ruptured his right Achilles' tendon during Monday's spirited morning practice.

The session also claimed linebacker Bernardo Harris, who broke his left leg and will miss four to six weeks, and safety Ray Perryman, who will be sidelined indefinitely with a dislocated left shoulder.

"Stuff happens. They're accidents," Tessendorf said Tuesday. "It runs in streaks. Yesterday was my Friday the 13th."

The injuries began mounting on the first day of camp, when defensive end Joe Salave'a hurt his knee. Tight end Todd Heap (back injury), right tackle Orlando Brown (thigh), linebacker Ed Hartwell (back), kick returner Lamont Brightful (knee), and center Mike Flynn (knee) were all held out of Tuesday's morning session.

Those who did practice were thankful to hit the showers in one piece.

"Coach stepped it up the last couple days," guard Edwin Mulitalo said. "It was real physical. I've got a lot of nicks all over my body."

Mulitalo noticed the absence of some familiar faces, most of whom were receiving treatment from Tessendorf.

"That's the nature of the game. Sometimes you can get away with few injuries in camp, other times they hit you all in one day," Mulitalo said. "Those are little setbacks. No disrespect to those guys, but we've just got to keep moving forward."

Head coach Brian Billick is aware of his shrinking depth chart, and knows that the team must be healthy for the Sept. 7 opener at Pittsburgh.

"I'm always concerned about injuries. Fortunately, they're not very serious," he said. "But you have to be prudent about it because we've got a month before the opener."

Ever since he took the job in five years ago, Billick has made an effort to avoid turning training camp into survival of the fittest. He often allows the players to practice in shorts and usually keeps full contact to a minimum.

But there's a season to get ready for, and football is a dangerous game.

"Every day you can walk off the field, you feel like you've survived another day, especially when it comes to injuries," wide receiver Frank Sanders said.

"Javin's injury happened when he was running a route and his Achilles gave out," Sanders noted. "Things like that just happen. It's not that coach is banging us too much, or guys aren't in shape; it's just that injuries are part of the game.

"You do your best to protect your players, but there's only so much he can do. He has to prepare his players for the game, too."

Sanders joined the Ravens during the offseason after spending eight years with the Arizona Cardinals. All things considered, he's never had it so easy.

"I love it. This is the freshest I've ever felt," he said. "Coach Billick does a great job of taking care of the players -- not just the veterans but the young guys. In Arizona, we'd have been banging all the time."

Now that the preseason games are about to begin, practices will be more cerebral and, thus, less physical. Therefore, the Ravens hope to reduce the activity in the training room to a minimum over the next few weeks.

"It's a substantial list," Tessendorf said, "but I'd rather get them now than later on."

 

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