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Less than 24 hours since he found out he was traded to the Ravens from the Seattle Seahawks, cornerback Josh Wilson boarded a plane with his new team to St. Louis.
While he admits he was in a haze from a red-eye flight from the Pacific Northwest to Baltimore, and then a journey to the Midwest, Wilson still managed to smile when asked about his future with the Ravens and their tradition of strong defense.
“I’m excited,” said Wilson, who was following the pack from the charter plane to the bus to the team hotel in St. Louis. ”You don’t ever want to move, but if you are, you want to move to a team that has the firepower that these guys have.”
The biggest thing that Wilson has been looking at in his limited time as an official Raven is the front seven.
Known as a speedy cover corner – Wilson ran a blazing 4.39-second time in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting combine in 2007 – he thinks the Ravens’ pass rush will help with his transition.
“That front seven is what you look for as a defensive back,” he explained. ”We’ve got a lot of people that can get to the quarterback and get him to make bad throws and get the ball out quick.
“And then, safeties with the skills of Ed Reed and [Dawan] Landry, a cornerback has to love this.”
It won’t be a tough transition across the United States for Wilson.
The University of Maryland product grew up in Upper Marlboro, Md., and played with current Ravens cornerback Domonique Foxworth for the Terrapins.
Foxworth mentored Wilson when they were both in College Park. As they both join forces again, Wilson hopes Foxworth will continue the favor.
“Having Domonique is a major asset because I remember at Maryland when I had to play quick,” Wilson said. ”I never redshirted, and he helped speed up my development. My second year, I got a chance to start with him. We didn’t win many games, but we sure shut some people down.”
Wilson started 12 games last year, returning two of his three interceptions for touchdowns.
And after losing Foxworth to the season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament and bringing Lardarius Webb back cautiously from the same injury, the Ravens needed some starting-quality depth at cornerback, creating a logical match.
Now, Wilson knows he faces the daunting task of getting up to speed in time for the Ravens’ season opener against the New York Jets (Sept. 13), where he could see significant time.
“I want to be thrown in the fire. I told them I’m ready to play,” said Wilson. ”As soon as they gave me the playbook, I told them I was going to learn it yesterday. I want to be a major contributor to the defense.”
If nothing else, Wilson is just glad to be home.
His family still lives in Maryland. His wife is from here.
Considering his circumstances, Wilson will never forget his first day as a Raven.
“I called my mom, and she asked me, ‘How do you feel?’ When I told her I was excited, she went crazy,” Wilson recounted. ”She wanted to make sure I was OK with the move before she said anything.
“My family, my wife’s family, everybody’s ecstatic because this is the perfect situation.”
