Ravens Players Impressing In Camp, Harbaugh’s Speech

Dec 8, 2013; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Chargers running back Ryan Mathews (24) gets a first down as he stopped by New York Giants free safety Will Hill (25) and cornerback Jayron Hosley (28) in the third quarter of the game at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Welcome to Lunchtime Links, where we round up all the latest Ravens news from around the web for your convenient consumption.  Today we tell you about a couple of Ravens players impressing coaches in camp, discuss why Torrey Smith isn’t worried about his contract situation, and Eugene Monroe likes the cohesiveness of the new look Ravens offensive line.

Ravens players impressing coaches

Players like Kyle Juszczyk and Will Hill are making big impressions on the coaching staff early in training camp.  We fully expected Juszczyk to play a role in the passing game after Gary Kubiak’s comments in minicamp, but he is also proving to be a more than adequate blocker in training camp.  The versatile fullback has laid dished out several crushing blocks already.

It’s no surprise that Will Hill is playing well either, as talent has never been the issue with him.  Hill has graded out as a top safety in the league whenever he is on the field.  Unfortunately, he hasn’t been on the field much while serving multiple substance abuse suspensions.  Hill promised that he has learned his lesson, and if he is telling the truth, the Ravens will be rewarded handsomely for taking a chance on him.

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Eugene Monroe happy with cohesiveness on new offensive line

Left tackle Eugene Monroe is pleased with the cohesiveness of the new look offensive line.  “Being here all offseason and working with the guys through the spring (and) going through training camp now only gives you an advantage,” Monroe said. “We’ve been working together building our relationship.”  We often forget that Monroe didn’t have the benefit of a full offseason last year with the Ravens.  O-line cohesiveness is an underrated component in their success, and settling the depth chart early should be a huge boon for the offense this year.

Lardarius Webb says that back injury isn’t a big deal

Lardarius Webb is insisting that his back injury isn’t a major problem, despite missing practice all week.  While it is normal for teams to use smoke screens in relation to injuries and for players to be overly optimistic, we believe Webb. The team has no reason to rush him after he has missed a great deal of time due to injuries recently.  Not only that, they are counting on him in a major way this season.

Torrey Smith isn’t worried about his contract situation

Torrey Smith repeated to CSN Baltimore that he isn’t worried about his contract status, a stance he has remained consistent on all offseason.  Smith really has no reason to be, as he holds all the cards.  Already an ascending and young receiver, he will only increase his value by having another good year in 2014.  If he truly breaks out, someone will pay him big bucks if the Ravens don’t.  The worst thing that can happen is injury, in which case he will still get compensated fairly well.

John Harbaugh makes a very unique motivational team speech

Finally, the Raven’s official site discusses some of the components of John Harbaugh’s recent speech to the team, which had some interesting references in it.  Some of those references included such seemingly random subjects as the African Impala, Jesus, Martin Luther King Jr., and Robert F. Kennedy.  It’s a fascinating read and a great motivational tool by Harbs to kick off the season.