A few scuffles during training camp are a pretty regular occurrence in the NFL, especially since players endure regular three-hour practices in the intense heat of the sun.

But the fight between wide receiver Antonio Brown and cornerback Ike Taylor – for the second time at Steelers training camp – was not considered “normal.”

“[T]his went beyond the usual training-camp tussle,” wrote Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

The altercation began when Taylor tried to wrestle a ball away from Brown in the end zone, according to the report. They fought for the ball on the ground, and when they eventually got back on their feet, Brown threw a punch at Taylor.

Several teammates intervened, but it didn’t stop there.

A “spirited” goal-line drill toward the end of practice seemed to further incite the players, especially safety Ryan Clark and Taylor.

Once practice concluded, Taylor went after Brown in the middle of the field and the players had to be separated again, this time even by Steelers General Manager Kevin Colbert.

The teammates eventually walked off the field together with Taylor holding an ice pack to his forehead.

Head Coach Mike Tomlin downplayed the Sunday fight.

“These guys understand what we’re working for, and when we step into stadiums, we’re together,” Tomlin said. “When you fight your brother, sometimes, it gets a little heated … the guys understand what that’s about, and they’ll leave it on the grass where it should be.”

But he won’t be able to give the same speech if a third brawl occurs, says ESPN’s Jamison Hensley.

“If a third altercation occurs between Brown and Taylor, head coach Mike Tomlin can’t chalk it up to ‘those things happen’ like he did Sunday,” wrote the AFC North blogger. “Brown and Taylor are the best at their positions on this team. Tomlin can’t allow them to keep butting heads (sorry, Chad Johnson).”

Does Thompson Have Edge Over Streeter?

It’s unclear how many receivers the Ravens will keep on the roster in 2012.

If they keep six like they did the two last seasons, that final spot could come down to undrafted rookie free agent Deonte Thompson and sixth-round draft pick Tommy Streeter. (David Reed could also be in the mix once he returns from an ACL injury.)

In order to get that sixth spot, if available, Head Coach John Harbaugh said each competing receiver will have to 1) make plays on offense and 2) play an important role on special teams.

“Thompson would appear to be the more capable of the two to help out on special teams,” wrote the Carroll County Times’ Matt Zenitz.

The undrafted rookie also appears to be making more plays on offense. After a standout performance in the preseason opener with three catches for 53 yards and a touchdown, Thompson continued his streak in practice. He’s since caught a few more touchdown grabs from quarterback Tyrod Taylor.

Harbaugh said that Thompson had a lull for a couple days in camp prior to the contest in Atlanta, but said he’s enjoyed another big spark.

“He’s making a little bit of a move,” the head coach added.

But don’t count out Streeter.

He’s still a little raw and lacks polish as a route runner, say Zenitz, but he’s 6-foot-5, 220 pounds and ran a 4.40 in the 40-yard dash at the combine.

“Streeter, though, could be tough to get rid of because of his combination of size and speed,” wrote Zenitz. “[He] has big upside as both a deep threat and a weapon inside the red zone.”

C. Williams Losing Ground, Has A Weakness To Correct

Cornerback Cary Williams is losing ground to second-year player Jimmy Smith in the battle for starting cornerback, says Hensley.

Despite not playing in the Ravens preseason game (back), Smith may have helped his chances because Williams struggled to cover Falcons receiver Julio Jones. Williams gave up five passes for 79 yards and a touchdown in the first quarter.

“The numbers are worse than the effort,” wrote Hensley. “On the first catch allowed, Williams tried to jam Julio Jones, who was able to get inside position for a 26-yard gain on a slant. The next two passes were completions to Jones when Williams played seven to eight yards off the line.”

The five year veteran’s weakness, according to Hensley, is that he plays the receiver rather than the ball. There were two plays in which Williams ran stride for stride with the receiver and was in good position, but just needed to turn to deflect the pass.

“When the regular season begins next month, Williams could look back at this game as a missed opportunity,” wrote Hensley. “The Ravens need to give Smith, a first-round pick from a year ago, a hard look with the first-team defense over the next three preseason games.”

Reed Sneaks Into Offensive Huddle

A playful Ed Reed was on display during Monday’s practice.

The veteran safety snuck into the offensive huddle as quarterback Joe Flacco was calling a play during 11-on-11 drills.

He found a nice little hiding place, standing next to the gigantic Bryant McKinnie (6-foot-8, 360 pounds).

“Reed blended in nicely. However, he was eventually noticed, prompting him to jog away,” wrote The Baltimore Sun’s Jeff Zrebiec.

Reed’s shenanigans come just a few days after the Ravens announced he wouldn’t play in the preseason opener, but the All-Pro ended up out there anyway because he didn’t have anything else to do and he needed to break in his jersey.

Which Defender Should Play On Offense?

With the New York Jets allowing cornerback Antonio Cromartie get some action at receiver, CSNBaltimore.com’s Ray Frager wonders which Ravens defender fans would like to see play some offense.

He throws out a few ideas:

Reed = a pass-catching running back
Ngata = fullback
Terrence Cody = guard
Lardarius Webb = wideout
Ray Lewis = tight end

Quick Hits

• This has got to be the first time Ma’ake Kemoeatu (6-foot-5, 345 pounds) was called a mini anything … mzenitz: P. McPhee on Kemoeatu: “Dude’s a beast. He’s a mini Haloti Ngata.” [Twitter]
• Oh perfect, just when he is switched back to left guard in practice yesterday … mzenitz: [Kelechi] Osemele on position he’s most comfortable at: “I feel like I’m actually more comfortable at tackle in general. … But, I’ve been hearing from a lot people that my frame would work really well at guard.” [Twitter]
• Marshal Yanda brought in a T-shirt with a saying that players are embracing … KOsevendeuce: Just posted a photo [Twitter]
• Haloti Ngata feels much more comfortable with his added weight. He’s gone from 335 at the end of the season to 342 now. Not only does he feel stronger with opponents double-teaming him, but he doesn’t feel like his conditioning is any worse. He says he is breathing just fine in camp. Listen to more of his explanation. [CSNBaltimore.com]

Left tackle Bryant McKinnie has not been participating in mandatory minicamp practice at the direction of the coaching staff.

The team felt it was better that McKinnie not practice for conditioning reasons, which is a decision that CSNBaltimore.com’s John Eisenberg calls “weird,” especially considering the Ravens gave him a $500,000 roster bonus in March with the understanding that he would be in better shape.

The columnist wonders if there is something deeper going on.

“They didn’t comment further, but the only way to take it is they aren’t happy with his conditioning,” Eisenberg wrote. “[I]t could be they’re becoming disenchanted with him.

“Michael Oher is filling the No. 1 left tackle spot at minicamp this week, with Jah Reid moving into Oher’s previous spot at right tackle. That’s Plan B, and don’t be shocked if it becomes permanent. The Ravens want McKinnie, but if they’re still unhappy with him in a couple of months, his roster spot could be in jeopardy.”

No Coincidence Team Signed Wragge

The same day the Ravens announced the signing of 32-year-old center Tony Wragge, reporters discovered starter Matt Birk would not be attending mandatory minicamp because of minor surgery to repair varicose veins in his legs.

Eisenberg says the two occurrences must be related.

“The team wouldn’t have signed [Birk] to a new three-year deal in February if it didn’t expect him to continue to start,” he wrote. “But it wasn’t a coincidence that the team also signed veteran Tony Wragge, who can provide an alternative if Birk’s injuries add up.”

Osemele Out Until Training Camp

Second-round pick Kelechi Osemele is out until training camp, according to ProFootballTalk.com.

He has been sidelined for the past couple weeks with an undisclosed injury, which turned out to be a quadriceps injury, says Aaron Wilson of The Carroll County Times. He added that Osemele should be fine when camp opens on July 25.

It’s unknown if Osemele could have returned before then. The rookies have a football school next week, but beyond that, the Ravens don’t have any more scheduled football activities until the start of training camp.

With the rookie down, PFT.com’s Josh Alper believes newly signed veteran Bobbie Williams’ chances at the starting left guard spot are looking better.

But even if there were no injury, Williams would still be considered the favorite.

“Harbaugh went to lengths to state that newly-signed veteran Bobbie Williams would compete for the starting job with [Jah] Reid and rookies Kelechi Osemele and Gino Gradkowski,” wrote Eisenberg. “But Reid could be the right tackle, Osemele and Gradkowski have never played an NFL snap, and Williams is a rugged old pro who could step in tomorrow.

“Barring something drastic, he has the job.”

Tucker Beat Cundiff From Long Range?

The kicker competition continues to get interesting.

Rookie Justin Tucker bested veteran Billy Cundiff from long range yesterday, according to CBSSports.com’s Jason Butt.

Butt reported that Cundiff missed three kicks on a tee from 50 yards to the right while Tucker drilled a 54-yarder “with room to spare” during team drills.

Many times reporters will watch various drills throughout practice, which may explain why our own Ryan Mink has a different account:

“Cundiff was good from 40 and 51 yards. Rookie Justin Tucker was good from 41, 48, 44 and 54 yards. Neither missed a field-goal attempt.” Those kicks were during team drills.

Ray Rice Ranked 22nd Best Player In NFL

Just get him the ball.

That was Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor’s advice for the Ravens.

Just give the ball to running back Ray Rice and you will inflict pain upon opponents.

Current NFL players ranked Rice as 22nd-best on the NFL Network’s Top 100 Players of 2012 (even though fullback Vonta Leach thinks he should have been rated even higher).

“I’m honored to be in the top 25 best players in the NFL,” Rice tweeted after his ranking was revealed last night along with the other athletes listed between Nos. 21-30:

21: Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski
22: Ravens RB Ray Rice
23: Patriots WR Wes Welker
24: Giants DE Jason Pierre-Paul
25: Texans RB Arian Foster
26: Bears DE Julius Peppers
27: Packers LB Clay Mathews
28: 49ers RB Frank Gore
29: Steelers LB James Harrison
30: Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger

In the video, Taylor, who knows what it’s like to play against Rice at least two times year, explains that as Rice goes, so does the Ravens offense.

“The stats showed when Ray Rice got the ball, they won. When he didn’t get the ball, they lost,” he said.

“So when they did start giving Ray Rice the ball more and more throughout the year, you start seeing the clock going down, you start seeing Flacco throwing play-action passes, you start seeing t. Smith getting the ball deeper – all because of Ray Rice.”

Rookie WRs ‘Stole The Show’ In Practice

Well that name is popping up again – Deonte Thompson.

He’s the popular pick among media to become the next rookie free-agent to make the roster as a long shot.

Sixth-round draft pick Tommy Streeter is another popular player who fans can’t seem to get enough updates about.

The two rookie wide receivers “stole the show” at practice yesterday in Owings Mills, according to The Baltimore Sun.

Thompson hauled in two long touchdown passes, one of which had Anquan Boldin and fullback Vonta Leach taunting linebacker Ray Lewis.  Meanwhile, Streeter made a few “acrobatic” grabs, including one in the back corner of the end zone. To celebrate, Streeter punted the ball about 20 yards straight up into the sky.

“Streeter won’t be able to make the team as a backup punter, but if he can show signs this summer that he has the hands and leaping ability to be a target for fades in the end zone – a dimension that could help the Ravens score more touchdowns in the red zone – it certainly won’t hurt his chances of making the squad,” wrote The Sun’s Matt Vensel.

Quick Hits

• Paul Kruger faces the daunting task of replacing Terrell Suggs on the Ravens defense, but right now, he doesn’t fill the same role as Suggs on all three downs. For now, rookie Courtney Upshaw fills Suggs’ weakside linebacker spot on first and second downs, while Kruger takes Jarret Johnson’s strongside position. On third downs, they switch. “My job is actually different from what Suggs does on regular downs,” Kruger explained. “I’m dropping into coverage a lot, moving around and doing a lot of the tight-end stuff. On third downs, I’ll be getting after the quarterback like I was last year, but I have more of a SAM linebacker position right now.” [CBSSports.com]
• RavensInsider: Terrell Suggs is scheduled to talk with Baltimore reporters following the Ravens’ minicamp practice [Thursday]. [Twitter]
• Ravens: Last year, Sizzle signed this in our office. Yesterday, he came in and made an addition. #DPOY http://t.co/3EdCLtTZ [Twitter]
• For all you Michael McAdoo fans (and we know you’re out there, because we hear from you often), the linebacker cleared waivers, allowing him to be placed on the Ravens’ injured reserve list. [The Baltimore Sun]
• Rice will have his high school number, No. 5, retired by the City School District of New Rochelle (N.Y.) on Saturday. [The Baltimore Sun]
• TorreySmithWR: Throwing the First pitch at the O’s game tomorrow [vs. Pittsburgh Pirates] #hypetweet [Twitter]
• RavensInsider: Cut by the Ravens this week, rookie defensive lineman Elliott Henigan went unclaimed on waivers [Twitter]
• Kevin Cowherd says it’s time that Ed Reed makes up his mind. [The Baltimore Sun]
• The Ravens will offer a new Bud Light Zone at M&T Bank Stadium this season as part of a continuing move to ramp up hospitality options for businesses. [Baltimore Business Journal]

Chad Ochocinco was cut by the New England Patriots yesterday, and CSNBaltimore.com’s John Eisenberg wants to stop the Ochocinco-to-Baltimore chatter before it begins.

Oops. Too late.

PFT.com’s Mike Florio already named Baltimore as a potential suitor. (He also tossed out 11 other teams, more than a third of the league, so you may not want to put too much stock in that one.)

Let’s be honest, Ochocinco would be an endlessly entertaining addition to the Ravens locker room and he‘s had a terrific NFL career. But you don’t pay millions to a player to make you laugh, or for the catches he’s made in the past for another team.

Eisenberg offers three reasons why the 34-year-old receiver wouldn’t make sense in a Ravens uniform:

• He’s too old and his best football is behind him. “The Ravens are trying to get younger and faster at receiver, not older and louder,” wrote Eisenberg.
• Baltimore has been there and done that with T.J. Housmandzadeh and Lee Evans. “Enough already with the names,” he said.
• The Ravens have limited and precious salary-cap space left. The little money they did have, they already spent (reportedly $7 million for two years) on receiver Jacoby Jones. Jones, 27, is younger, faster and entering his prime. See point No. 1.

Ochocinco could be primed for a bounce-back season after the New England experiment failed (he caught just 15 passes for 276 yards and a touchdown), but Eisenberg doesn’t think that’s enough reason to take a chance on the likable 12-year veteran.

“[T]he Ravens’ reaction to his availability should be quick, immediate and easy to summarize,” he wrote.

“Thanks, but no thanks.”

Rookie D. Thompson Making WR Competition More Interesting

Undrafted rookie free agent wide receiver Deonte Thompson is turning heads.

At least three journalists – Eisenberg and The Sun’s Matt Vensel and Jeff Zrebiec – have picked Thompson as a player likely to follow in the footsteps of Bart Scott, Jameel McClain and LaQuan Williams and earn a roster spot as a longshot.

“[H]e has stood out in the workouts open to the media, primarily because of his speed, which landed him a spot on Florida’s track team,” Zrebiec wrote.

“Thompson, who saw some time as the third receiver alongside Torrey Smith and Jacoby Jones yesterday, has also apparently gotten the attention of Flacco, who was working and communicating with the receiver after different plays and drills.”

Thompson was once one of the nation’s top recruits, but his college career with the Florida Gators didn’t live up to expectations. He notched just 21 receptions for 264 yards and one touchdown in a relatively disappointing senior year.

But he isn’t giving up yet, and now he is “emerging from the masses,” says Eisenberg.

The Ravens already have plenty of options at wide receiver and a strong competition behind starters Anquan Boldin and Smith, including Jones, Williams, David Reed, Tandon Doss and Tommy Streeter.

Despite the crowded receiver corps, it’s a real possibility that Thompson nabs a roster spot.

“The Ravens have a ton of receivers but it wouldn’t surprise me if Thompson proves a keeper,” Zrebiec wrote.  

Flacco Praise Not Just Lip Service

Both Head Coach John Harbaugh and Offensive Coordinator Cam Cameron have praised Flacco for his offseason thus far. Harbaugh did so unprompted in front of the media after Wednesday’s practice.

Despite looming contract negotiations and his first child on the way later this month, the coaches dubbed this offseason Flacco’s most consistent.

But you expect coaches to heap on that kind of praise for a franchise quarterback, right? Especially considering how much scrutiny Flacco receives from the media and fans. 

Zrebiec vouches for Harbaugh and Cameron’s comments, saying they’re not simply providing lip service.

“[Flacco] has looked in complete control,” Zrebiec wrote. “During the workouts open to the media, Flacco has taken a ton of reps, thrown plenty of nice balls and been extremely active talking and working with his young receivers.

“The pressure on him will only increase as we get closer to the season, but just watching how Flacco is going about his business these days, it’s easy to believe him when he says that his contract situation is not on his mind. The arrival of his first child – Flacco’s wife is due to give birth in less than two weeks – probably is, but you wouldn’t know that by watching him either.”

Reid Has Strained Lower Back

I mentioned yesterday that speculation surrounding second-year tackle/guard Jah Reid and a potential injury was increasing because he hasn’t participated in the past two organized team activities (OTAs) open to the media.

Turns out, Reid has been sidelined with a strained lower back, according to The Carroll County Times’ Aaron Wilson.

Combine that with the undisclosed injury to rookie offensive lineman Kelechi Osemele, who also hasn’t participated in the last two open practices, and the competition for the starting left guard spot has stalled.

Reid, Osemele and rookie Gino Gradkowski are widely considered the three favorites to win the job. Gradkowski has spent much of his time practicing at center and Justin Boren has taken many of the snaps at left guard.

“It’s safe to say that none of the three young players competing to replace Ben Grubbs took a strong step forward,” Eisenberg wrote. “To be continued in training camp.”

Quick Hits

• Nobody seems to be worried about running back Ray Rice conditioning, despite missing offseason workouts with his team. So where is Rice working out in order to stay in Pro Bowl form? Jason La Canfora writes about a secluded gym tucked away in a nondescript industrial park between Baltimore and Washington that has become a sanctuary for many NFL players. The stars travel to the gym, surrounded by woods and refineries, to work out while they wait for contract negotiations to play out or look for a new team. “It was impossible to workout anywhere else,” Rice said, because people would constantly ask for autographs and photos. [CBSSports.com]
• Crushboy31 [Bernard Pollard]: So I’m getting spatted in the training room and I come across this picture… Lol @MichaelOher I had to do it!!! [Twitter]
• MichaelOher: @Crushboy31 So that’s how you do bro!!! I got you I promise you that!!![Twitter]
• RavensInsider: Forgot to mention this yesterday, but rookie kicker Justin Tucker hit a 45-yarder at OTA that would have been good from 50-plus. Both Justin Tucker and former Pro Bowl kicker Billy Cundiff have been very accurate during practice sessions. [Twitter]