Thanks, Mom

In the Ravens' locker room, players will cite the role that teachers, coaches, pastors and even teammates have played in shaping their careers. But, on Mother's Day, they were all happy to honor one of their most important mentors.

The start of veteran participation in organized team activities (OTAs) this week is a testament to the year-round entity the NFL has become, serving as a reminder that the season never really ends. Still, football was the last thing on the minds of many Ravens Sunday. That was a time to send some flowers, buy a card and place a well-deserved call.

"My mom meant the world to me," said Dawan Landry of his mother, Rhonda. "Without her being so supportive of me growing up in everything I did, no matter what, she's one of the main reasons I'm successful."

Being the matriarch of the Landry household must have been a challenge for Rhonda. Not only is Dawan one of the league's best young safeties after earning a mention on Pro Football Weekly's All-Rookie team last year, his younger brother, LaRon, was the top-rated safety in this year's NFL Draft.

Imagine chasing down those two as toddlers.

With love and patience, Rhonda did it - and never stopped.

"She was always there," Dawan Landry noted. "She rarely missed a game, even though she had to separate going to my games or my brother's. Being from Louisiana, she could go to any of [LaRon's] games [at LSU], but she traveled so far to see me play. It meant so much to me."

Dorita Scott-Adams is also revered by her son Bart. The talkative linebacker was certainly not at a loss for words when asked about the impact his mother had on his life.

"She had a big influence on me to even play football," he said. "When I was a kid, she told me to go play football because I kept hurting myself playing with the other kids.

"It actually brought us a lot closer together, because when I started playing football, she became the cheerleading coordinator. We were both actively involved in the same thing. She never missed a game then and rarely misses a game now."

In fact, Scott admitted that he almost quit playing football entirely as a junior at Southern Illinois, and if it weren't for Dorita, the Ravens would have lost out on one of the fiercest players on its defense.

"She sent me a poem that said, ‘Never Quit,'" explained Scott. "That constant motivation and her leading by example, getting up and going to work every day instilled in me to never quit. That's why I went back to school and finished my degree. That's why I finish everything I start.

"She didn't just walk the walk, she talked the talk," he continued. "She always inspired me to do my best. If I didn't do a paper right, she'd make sure it was better. If it was good, she wanted to make it great."

The holiday had an even bigger meaning to punter Sam Koch, who spent the weekend with his wife, Nikki, and three sons (Ryan, 8, Braxtyn, 3, and Camdyn, 1). While he was thinking about his mother back home in Nebraska, Koch made sure his children recognized theirs.

"My oldest is eight years old, so he definitely knows what it's all about," he said. "I took him out with me so we could pick up something nice for his mom, and you've got to have the flowers."

Whatever the gesture may be, the Baltimore Ravens hope all moms in the Ravens' family had a happy and healthy Mother's Day.