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Jerry Coleman: Ravens Get Going

The Ravens off-season workouts are underway, and despite it only being the first session of organized team activity (OTAs), the club could not avoid being a victim of early injuries which can
always be a nuisance before training camp. Michael Campanaro who was selected in the 7th round of the 2014 draft, injured his thigh during Wednesday's OTA and Harbaugh said: "I think there's a slight tear in there. [Campanaro] won't require surgery, but he probably is out for the rest of this time here. No one is more disappointed or frustrated with it than Camp, but he has been working hard, so he'll just have to get that right and be ready for training camp."

Harbaugh on Campanero

Regardless of the early injuries some veterans are arriving prepared and ready for the season. The presence of Steve Smith Sr. who is 36 years old and Daryl Smith who is 33 years during a voluntary workout, sets an example for the younger players, and also sets an example for them. The aging wide receiver doesn't want to think about his age but knows he will not play into his forties, like a certain HOF Receiver. "Jerry Rice is, obviously, the greatest wide receiver to ever play, and I really don't have the family structure to chase 40, to be honest. I have a lot of things on my 'to do' list that don't have to do anything with football. So, I'm going to take it day by day, but I will not be playing until I'm 40."

Smith Sr. on Longevity

There are some new faces at the OTA, one is offensive coordinator Marc Trestman who is taking over for Gary Kubiak after he departed following a brief one year stint with the team to become the head coach for the Broncos. An aspect the Ravens would like to have continued success at is the run game, which the team ranked 8th in during the 2014 season, and with Justin Forsett at Trestman's disposal the run game should be even better in 2015.

When it comes to how players are adjusting to his new system, it hasn't been too hard for players like veteran quarterback Joe Flacco., "It's been great to work with him so far. He's very detailed in what he wants and how he puts things in and making sure that he teaches it in a way that everybody understands it and gets it pretty quickly. It's only been a couple of times out on the field with him, but I think he's doing a great job of motivating and getting everybody going, so it's been good."

Flacco on Trestman

Despite not having the same offensive coordinator year after year, Flacco feels comfortable learning new schemes no matter who is in charge,and is also able to adjust to the new terminology that Trestman wants to install.

On the defensive side, nose tackle Brandon Williams will need to carry the D-line in the absence of former Pro Bowler Haloti Ngata, who he was able to learn some things from during the last few months.

"[I] worked out in the offseason with Haloti [Ngata], just seeing what he was doing and putting that in the repertoire and move forward with that."

Brandon Williams on Off-Season

There is still ample time for the players to learn the new offensive system and also get accustomed to what Trestman wants to accomplish. the early signs are encouraging – but the journey is just beginning.

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