Reports Place Cotchery In Baltimore Today

Yesterday, we wrote about how it didn’t seem that the Ravens were aggressively pursuing former New York Jets wideout Jerricho Cotchery.

So why are the Ravens bringing Cotchery to their training facility today?

According to Jason La Canfora of NFL Network, Cotchery traveled to Baltimore Monday night to meet with team officials on Tuesday.  Cotchery visited the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.

The Ravens have been rumored to be in the Cotchery game after Derrick Mason decided to hit the Big Apple and sign with the Jets last Saturday.

Cotchery didn’t pass his exit physical with the Jets after he was released following offseason back surgery, but Aaron Wilson of the Carroll County Times reports that he “has resumed cutting and running and is expected to be ready to play.”

Still, Jamison Hensley of the Baltimore Sun isn’t putting all the Ravens’ eggs in Cotchery’s basket just yet, even if the receiver caught 210 passes for 2,809 yards from 2007-09.

“Won’t rule out #Ravens signing Cotchery, but source told me over the weekend that there was more interest from Cotchery’s side,” Hensley tweeted Monday evening.

Besides, the Ravens could simply move forward with rookies Torrey Smith and Tandon Doss filling in alongside established veteran Anquan Boldin.  Both draft picks have impressed during training camp.

Williams Wants To End Career In Baltimore

The addition of bruising running back Ricky Williams had many of the Ravens’ offensive contributors buzzing on Monday, as visions of his 230-pound frame providing a perfect complement to the shifty Ray Rice abounded.

Apparently, the feeling is mutual.

Williams, 34, wants to end his career in Baltimore after signing a deal good for a reported two years, which should send the 11-year veteran out nicely.

“I mean, Baltimore is a perennial playoff team,” Williams said Monday during a radio interview on WQAM in Miami. “I’ve only been to the playoffs twice, and they were short trips. It’s a great opportunity, a wonderful way to end my career, so I am looking forward to it.”

The former Miami Dolphin said the Ravens’ chances of making the playoffs each year caused him to choose Baltimore over the Detroit Lions.

Supplemental Draft Set

As ESPN’s Chris Mortenson first reported, the NFL announced that the supplemental draft has been set for Aug. 17.

The two players who filed papers with the NFL to petition for their eligibility – it has yet to be granted – are Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor and Georgia tailback Caleb King. 

The two prospects are scheduling “Pro Day”-type workouts for teams in the coming week, according to The Sports Xchange’s Len Pasquarelli.

The Ravens have had success in the supplemental draft before, landing offensive tackle Jared Gaither in the fifth-round of the 2007 lottery.

Could the Ravens have an interest in dipping their toe back in that pool?  Considering the current state of their roster, it would be surprising.

But a few months ago, ESPN’s John Clayton did offer the notion that the Ravens might – just might – take a flier if they think they can convert Pryor into a receiver.

I guess we’ll just have to see.

Ravens Building More Audible Opportunities

A (close-to) hometown paper came to Owings Mills to talk with Audobon, N.J., native Joe Flacco as he prepares to take on the Philadelphia Eagles this Thursday.

And one nugget from Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Marc Narducci’s story on Flacco caught my eye this morning.

In chatting with Ravens Head Coach John Harbaugh, it was noted that the team is looking to give Flacco more chances to audible at the line of scrimmage, something that had been hinted at all offseason.

“We’ve got more confidence than ever in Joe’s ability to lead our offense, so as we set the offense up this offseason, we were building a lot more of those opportunities for Joe to audible at the line and have that direct input,” said Harbaugh, per Narducci.

Entering his fourth year, Flacco has looked more authoritative under center in training camp, and he has to with a cadre of young pass catchers.

Such confidence should bode well for the Ravens’ offense.

Quick Hits

• The Williams signing got a nice thumbs up from ESPN’s AFC North blogger James Walker.  Walker thinks the Ravens got better in the run game by adding Williams and fullback Vonta Leach.
• Interesting notion here from CSNBaltimore.com’s John Eisenberg, who writes that Williams is definitely NOT another Sammy Sosa or Vladimir Guerrero, two players the Baltimore Orioles added too late in their careers.
• Flacco said he is hoping to hear the trademark tongue lashing from the Eagles crowds in the Ravens’ preseason opener. “I hope I throw a touchdown pass and get booed,” he said. “That would be awesome.”
• “LET THE FUN BEGIN” tweeted Ray Rice (@RayRice27) to Williams, his newest backfield-mate.
• Former NFL quarterback and current CBS analyst Phil Simms called Flacco one of the league’s top unsung signal-callers: “Joe Flacco has taken a lot of – I guess you’d say – heat down in Baltimore because they wonder if he’s the man to lead them.  I’ve done a lot of Baltimore Ravnes game, and in preparation for those games and watching them play, it’s never crossed my mind once that, ‘Oh, maybe Joe Flacco’s not the guy.’  [He's] big, strong, can throw with anybody in the NFL, breaks tackles. He’s an imposing, physical person out there at 6-foot-6. He’s a guy that can get it done, he just needs more help.”