At the end of Jesse Minter's first Organized Team Activities practice, he gathered his team and everybody, including the new head coach and his staff, got into plank position on their toes and elbows and held it for a long two minutes in scoring heat.
It was a unique and new challenge to show they finish everything strong. The standard is being set in Baltimore under Minter, just as he preached since the day he was hired, as the Ravens kicked off OTAs at the Under Armour Performance Center.
The Ravens took their next step Monday afternoon, and you could see it, hear it, and feel it. Here are observations from the first day at OTAs:
- Minter starts practice differently than John Harbaugh did. There's no easing into practice with individual drills and special teams at the start. The Ravens quickly jump into a lighter 11-on-11 period that gets the juices flowing and muscles warm before breaking into team stretches.
- Effort is stressed throughout practice – finish every play. So is precision. There were only two false starts throughout the whole practice, which is very good for the first day. First-year Offensive Coordinator Declan Doyle stresses getting the details right.
- Ravens practice is loud, both from coaches and players. Minter said he wants the defense to be the "loudest, most crazy, obnoxious, communicative unit in the history of football," and it's evident at OTAs with Roquan Smith barking out orders in the middle and the secondary following suit. The defense gets set extremely quickly. There doesn't seem to be an ounce of hesitation with the call, which allows for adjustments based on what the offense presents.
- Don't think rookie tight end Josh Cuevas is just going to be a blocker. Even though Matt Hibner, who was drafted a round earlier is more in the receiving mold, Cuevas had one of the best practices on the team Monday. He made a diving catch on an intermediate route over the middle, which got big props from veteran Mark Andrews, who came down the field to dap him up. Cuevas made several more catches, including an extended grab down the seam with a safety closing in and a one-handed snag when flaring out into the shallow flats. He was one of the most active pass catchers of the day.
- Devontez Walker caught the first deep ball of OTAs. Walker made a nice play to haul in a long touchdown with Nate Wiggins in close pursuit. Defensive backs don't play through the ball, so maybe Wiggins would've broken it up. Malaki Starks also may have had a sack before the pass was launched. Either way, the speedster Walker picked up where he left off last season when he flashed his big-play ability.
- Rookie wide receiver Ja'Kobi Lane made a nice extended catch along the sideline, getting kudos from Doyle. Lane also made a good catch reaching a little behind him on a crosser.
- Ledford talked about how he wants the offensive line to play with an attacking style, almost like a defensive line. They fire off the ball and it's often that you see offensive linemen hustling down the field following the ball carrier. They cleared one big hole for Justice Hill for a long run. Again, we'll know more about the offensive line once the pads come on, but it's a good starting point.
- Ledford indicated that Emery Jones Jr. isn't an option at center, but he could be a valuable versatile offensive lineman at right tackle, where he played in college at LSU, and guard.
- Starks was around the ball a lot. The second-year safety and first-round pick has a chance to take a big step this season. Starks and cornerback T.J. Tampa got props from Minter for tight coverage on an underneath pass that went incomplete.
- Seeing hulking rookie running back Adam Randall bear down on 5-foot-9, 177-pound undrafted rookie cornerback Lardarius Webb Jr. on the sideline emphasized how opponents are not going to like seeing the 6-foot-3, 232-pounder catch the ball out of the backfield. Knowing Webb's DNA, he may have been up to the task but it's not going to be easy for smaller defensive backs.
