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Sporting News, The, July 19, 1999

Baltimore

CAMP PHILOSOPHY: Unlike the previous three seasons under former coach Ted Maruhibroda, the players will get a break from the tough, physical training camps he conducted. New coach Brian Billiok has worked under Bill Walsh, and most Walsh disciples believe in fast-paced practices with an emphasis on conditioning. So the players can expect less hitting and more running. The Ravens' defense will be way ahead of the offense because the team retained defensive coordinator Marvin Lewis from the previous staff, and Billick expects to have no more than 90 percent of the offense installed by the end of camp. The players will welcome the change in the approach to camp that comes with the coaching change. Once the games begin, better conditioning should help them in the fourth quarter, when they have lost their share of games the past three years.

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PRESEASON PRIORITY: The Ravens must find a receiver to start opposite Jermaine Lewis--someone to be a go-to guy inside the 20-yard line. Lewis is the team's home run hitter, but at 5-7, 175 pounds, he can sometimes get lost in the congestion once the field becomes shortened inside the red zone. The Ravens have several candidates, and they'll have to determine if Webster Slaughter or Qadry Ismail can still play at a high level. Neither had much of an impact on his respective team during the past three years. Slaughter, who didn't play at all in 1997, caught only eight Passes for the Chargers last season. Ismail hasn't caught a pass in the NFL since 1996.

KEY COMPETITION: Priest Holmes is listed as the starting running back, but the Ravens aren't sure he's the answer. That's why they are in the hunt for Lawrence Phillips. If Phillips isn't signed, Holmes will get plenty of competition from veteran Errict Rhett and third-year player Jay Graham. Rhett played well for the brief lime he was a starter last season before being sidelined with a groin injury and then inexplicably earning a spot in Marchibroda's doghouse. Graham may have more talent than any running back on the roster, but he seems to lack the toughness and savvy to earn a starting role. Holmes can run outside or inside, which Rhett can't do, and that gives him the edge over Rhett to be the starter on opening day.

KEEP AN EYE ON: CB Chris McAlister, the team's top draft pick, is a stud. At 6-1, 206, he is able to physically beat on receivers at the line of scrimmage and could eventually become one of the better cornerbacks in the league. It will be interesting to see how quickly he develops early in the season.... The highly predictable, run-oriented offense used by Marchibroda is history. Billick brings his version of the West Coast offense to town, and it will feature a short passing attack. Look for the Ravens to roll out and sprint out and nm more traps and sweeps.... WR Brandon Stokley could be the sleeper among the team's draft picks. He has shown some of the best hands on the team and runs great routes. He doesn't have great speed but could become the third or fourth receiver.... At 29, Pro Bowl DE Michael McCrery is at the peak of his career, but after major offseason knee surgery, he won't be asked to do as much during the preseason.... Watch C/G Everett Lindsay, who was obtained from the Vikings in a draft-day trade. He's smart and athletic and knows Billick's system. He might be second-string now, but that could change by the opener.

--Mike Preston

CAMP FACTS

Where: Western Maryland College; Westminster, Md.

Rookies report: July 29

Veterans report: July 29

Buffalo

CAMP PHILOSOPHY: It was a running joke for years that training camp under Mary Levy was more like summer camp for kids. Last season, coach Wade Phillips took up the intensity level a touch, but at the same time, the team always has refrained from heavy contact in camp, and that policy will continue. Like Levy, Phillips believes in saving his players' bodies for the regular season, and he advocates teaching rather than scrimmaging. Because this is Year 2 of the Phillips regime, this camp figures to be more productive because most of the players who were with the team last year are back and already know the systems. Consequently, the players will be able to fine-tune their games rather than trying to comprehend first, then putting concepts into practice.

PRESEASON PRIORITY: The first thing on the agenda is to continue to develop an offense that will take advantage of Doug Flutie's unique abilities. Coordinator Joe Pendry met this challenge last season when Flutie took over for Rob Johnson a third of the way into the year. Now he must find ways to build on Flutie's success. One thing Pendry plans to work on is the five-receiver formation, which will spread the field for Flutie and open more scrambling lanes if a play breaks down. Teams now have some film of Flutie to study, and it will be tougher for him to succeed this time around.

KEY COMPETITION: Johnson began the 1998 camp as the undisputed No. 1 quarterback because Phillips said he was the starter the day Johnson was acquired in a trade from Jacksonville. There was no open competition for the job in camp; it was Johnson's no matter how he played, and that irritated the highly competitive Flutie. This year, the tables are reversed and Flutie will strut into Fredonia as the clear-cut No. 1. But should he really be given the job before the first practice, like Johnson was? Absolutely not. In the what-have-you-done-for-me-lately world of pro football, Flutie's magical 1998 season is history, and he should have to win the job outright this summer. Regardless of who wins the competition, the battle figures to rage all season because both players are good enough to start and win for the Bills. If one struggles, there should be no hesitation on Phillips' part to turn to the other.

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Sporting News, The, July 19, 1999

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