Ask the Ravens

Posted Jan 4, 2008

By BaltimoreRavens.com



You asked, and the Ravens answered. BR.com took a collection of questions from Ravens fans and got the answers from Troy Smith, Ed Reed and more Ravens.


You asked, and the Ravens answered. BR.com took a collection of questions from Ravens fans and got the answers from Troy Smith, Ed Reed and more Ravens.

Note: Questions have been edited for clarity.

Ted (Columbus, Oh.) to quarterback Troy Smith: "What are you looking to improve on as you go into your second season? Did you think you did well with the pressure you faced in the final two games?"

Smith: "Thanks a lot for the question. About the pressure, I think teams did an incredible job in game study and knowing what they wanted to do, because they did pressure us and get us into some situations where we had to get the ball out of our hands faster than we wanted.

"I want to improve everything as a quarterback, and that starts with decision making. My whole process as a quarterback is going to be how fast and how well I can make decisions on the fly. That just goes with better film study, better game-planning. I look forward to getting better and stepping my game up this offseason."

Mazin to safety Ed Reed: "Hi, I'm a huge fan of yours, and I was just watching a couple videos of your highlights. With the factors of Rolle and McAllister out for the season end, how physical did you have be with Ward?"

Reed: "It's a team sport, so we all had to go out and make plays. Hines is a physical guy, so everyone's going to have to account for him. Even though Hines didn't play in that last game, I think our young guys did a good job on the receivers that they had."

#1 D (Glen Burnie, Md.) to Reed: You are one of my favorite players in the NFL. Well I just have to ask what went wrong with Pittman? He was supposed to be a first year contributor for us. What can he do to improve?

Reed: "He just needs to understand that there are other people on the field that will help him do his job. He's got to keep communicating and keeping his head in it in the film room. It's a growing process for all of us."

Justin (Jarrettsville, Md.) to fullback Le'Ron McClain: "I was very impressed with your toughness this year, and you played the position like a seasoned vet. I enjoyed watching you bulldoze people for McGahee. What are you looking to improve on, if anything, for next year? How was your first season in the NFL with the Ravens despite the loosing streak?

McClain: Well, I'm looking forward to coming in better conditioned than I was this year. I don't mean to say that I was in bad condition, but as a rookie, you don't know what you're preparing for. It's been a good year, and I was happy to come out and play every week. I thought I improved, and that's what you ask for.

"With Willis, we knew we would have a good relationship in the backfield from the start. It didn't take long for us to get on the same page, and I was happy to see him have such a great year."

Mark (Fredericksburg, Va.) to tackle Marshall Yanda: "What was the biggest change you had to make when adapting from college to the NFL?"

Yanda: "Thanks for the question, Mark. Honestly, I'm still learning how to play at this level. The big thing I try to do is I try to focus on the guy I'll be going against during the week, see what they're good at. I try to look at their tendencies so I'm not surprised by it. That was one of the biggest differences - just the amount of talent at this level. You really have to study your opponent. It was more mental, not physical."

雨のロイヤルリザム＆セントアンズ、今年の栄冠の行方は？

2012年07月18日14時44分






女神が微笑むのはいったいだれ？（撮影：上山敬太）











＜全英オープン　事前情報◇17日◇ロイヤルリザム＆セントアンズ(7,128ヤード・パー70)＞

　今季のメジャー第3戦「全英オープン」が19日(木)に開幕を迎える。

【関連リンク】全英オープン2012フォトギャラリー

　舞台はイギリスのロイヤルリザム＆セントアンズGC。リンクスコース特有の海からの重い風に加え、全英オープン史上最多となる206個ものバンカーが口を開ける難コースだ。前回ロイヤルリザムで行われた2001年大会は、デビッド・デュバル(米国)がトータル10アンダーでメジャー初優勝を飾っている。

　今年も戦略的に配されたバンカーに選手が苦しむ場面を見ることになりそうだが、今大会は雨が降り続いた影響で地面がソフトになっていると指摘する選手が多い。硬いフェアウェイを転がったボールがバンカーへ吸い込まれるという、全英らしいシーンは少なくなりそうだ。加えて、初日、2日目は雨予報が出ており、選手の攻め方に影響を及ぼす可能性は高い。果たして今大会はどんな戦いが繰り広げられるのか。