NOTEBOOK: EX-49ER, RAM WRAGGE SIGNS; 2013 CAP OUTLOOK

By Joe Platania

OWINGS MILLS -- First, the good news: 14 players returned to the practice field Tuesday afternoon for the first of the Ravens' three-day mandatory minicamp.

Now, the bad news: 11 others, including free safety Ed Reed -- a player that majority owner Steve Bisciotti said he expected to be at the Under Armour Performance Center -- were either not on the field with various health issues or not on the premises at all.

But head coach John Harbaugh seemed buoyant after the first 2.5-hour workout of the week, which took place outdoors in a steady downpour.

"It was a really good opportunity for us," Harbaugh said. "We got a lot of work done out there and had fun doing it.

"(Minicamp is about) trying to find yourself as a team. It's about what we do well and what we're not doing well. You're trying to figure out what you're going to be."

Even though media have not been allowed to watch all of the team's organized team activity practices, it is thought that none of those 10 workouts was held indoors. But the weather was mostly favorable during that period.

That was certainly not the case Tuesday; veteran wideout Anquan Boldin was asked whether he liked practicing in the rain.

"No," he said, "but it felt good to be out there, and we really got some football weather today. You have to play in the rain."

Indeed, lightning is the only element that can stop an NFL game, as opposed to other sports, which can be halted by mere rain showers. Lightning stopped part of a 2000 Ravens scrimmage in Washington, as well as a 2007 preseason game against the Redskins.

Last year, the only Ravens game affected by precipitation was their road win in Cleveland. The last time the team played in a steady shower like Tuesday's was a December 2009 home game in which it obliterated the visiting Detroit Lions, 48-3.

The Ravens were one of 24 teams that opened their mandatory three-day minicamps Tuesday. Six others (Atlanta, Buffalo, Minnesota, Miami, San Diego, Tennessee) will conduct those same sessions next week, and two others (Cleveland, New Orleans) conducted them last week.

Among those returning to the practice field after missing most, if not all, of the OTA workouts were veterans such as Boldin; linebacker Ray Lewis; guards Marshal Yanda and Jah Reid; fullback Vonta Leach; defensive tackle Haloti Ngata; linebackers Jameel McClain and Brendon Ayanbadejo; safeties Emanuel Cook and Bernard Pollard; and rookie cornerback/returner Asa Jackson, whose school schedule has now concluded.

Plus, even though his return to the field is still months away, linebacker Terrell Suggs (Achilles surgery) reported on his Facebook page that he is off crutches and ready to begin rehabilitating his injury.

The missing included players such as running back Ray Rice (contract), tackle Bryant McKinnie (conditioning), center Matt Birk (leg surgery), defensive lineman Pernell McPhee (knee), receiver David Reed (knee), wideout Tandon Doss (unknown) and cornerback Cary Williams (hip).

Also, third-round draft pick Bernard Pierce limped off the field early during practice with an unknown injury.

But Harbaugh could not fully explain Reed's absence; the 11-year veteran, who turns 34 Sept. 11, has said this offseason that he did not feel fully committed to the 2012 season. Yet, that comment came weeks after he said he could play an additional four years.

"I have not communicated with him," Harbaugh said.

Pretty soon, the league could be communicating with Reed, and not in a good way.

According to the new collective bargaining agreement, a player that misses all three days of a team's mandatory minicamp can be fined approximately $63,000. Because Reed also missed the pre-minicamp physical on Monday, another fine amounting to almost $10,000 will be added to that.

Lewis said he spoke to Reed often and cited the safety's newborn son as a possible reason for his absence.

"Sometimes, life calls you away from the game," Lewis said.

Harbaugh did say that while he feels he's trying to build a cohesive offensive line, that position unit had to do without McKinnie and Birk; the former was held out for conditioning purposes and the latter after leg surgery and not being allowed to fly.

Newly acquired Bobbie Williams played at left guard with the first unit.

"We're just building an offensive line," Harbaugh said. "Signing him (and Tony Wragge) makes us stronger. We'll just see how it works out."

The Ravens, one of the league's strongest teams during recent years, could be even stronger if everyone showed up to work out.

***

JOEY P'S TRIVIA TIME: Today's question:

When the Ravens played in front of 71,547 M&T Bank Stadium fans during last year's Divisional Playoff round against the Houston Texans, the crowd would have constituted a regular-season record if the game had been played between September and December.

Although that attendance figure was an all-time Baltimore football record, it did not set a Ravens' regular-season mark. When was that record set?

The answer will be revealed at the bottom of today's entry.

***

ANOTHER NEW LINEMAN: With the signings of ex-Cincinnati Bengals guard Bobbie Williams and former St. Louis and San Francisco starter Tony Wragge -- a 6-foot-4, 310-pound guard/center who has been in the league since 2002 -- it means the Ravens' roster breakdown now looks like this:

Five quarterbacks, four running backs, two fullbacks, 12 receivers (six flankers, six split ends), 17 offensive linemen, five tight ends, 11 defensive linemen, 14 linebackers (seven inside, seven outside), 15 defensive backs (eight corners, seven safeties), one punter, two kickers and two long snappers.

All told, there are 45 offensive players on the 90-man roster -- which does not include franchise-tagged running back Ray Rice -- and 40 defensive players, along with five specialists.

To make room for Wragge on the roster, rookie defensive lineman Elliot Henigan (Alabama-Birmingham) was waived.

Wragge (pronounced "RAG-ghee"), yet another name on the ever-growing list of candidates to play left guard, was an undrafted free agent, who played in Arizona for two seasons before spending the 2004 season out of football. He is the fifth player on the Ravens' roster who could also be classified as a center.

After his hiatus from the game, Wragge spent the next six seasons with the 49ers as a right guard -- starting 10 games in 2008 -- before moving on to St. Louis in 2011, where he started eight games at center.

But part of his training-camp time last year was spent in San Francisco, where head coach Jim Harbaugh was able to scrutinize him enough to tell brother John about him.

With the additions of Williams and Wragge, there are now 40 players on the team that were not in Baltimore last year. Eight of them came from other teams, one was out of football (nose tackle Ma'ake Kemoeatu), eight of them were drafted and 23 are undrafted rookies or first-year players.

Wragge, who signed a one-year deal with financial terms unavailable, will wear Henigan's former jersey No. 61, while Williams (two years, $2.9 million) has been assigned No. 63, which was also worn by early era Ravens guard Wally Williams (no relation).

***

BOLDIN LIKES HIS GUYS: Even though the current Ravens' receiving corps contains just three players that have caught a pass from Joe Flacco and only four that have caught regular-season NFL passes, veteran Anquan Boldin likes the 12-man group.

"I think we got a good group of guys," Boldin said. "They're really talented, and it was good that they got to get in here early and learn. They didn't get that opportunity last year (due to the lockout)."

Boldin and Torrey Smith were, for the most part, last year's starting tandem. But if Jacoby Jones pans out as a deep threat, Boldin can go back into the slot, where he spent most of his career with the Arizona Cardinals.

LaQuan Williams could have an inside track at one of the roster spots, which would leave the remaining eight receivers -- a group that includes promising Florida grad Deonte Thompson, sixth-round pick Tommy Streeter, and 2011 holdovers Tandon Doss and David Reed -- fighting for only one or two roster spots.

"We have guys who are talented and hungry," Boldin said. "They're competing for (a small number of) jobs, and the competition is bringing out the best in them."

***

'13 IS LUCKY (SO FAR): According to published reports, the Ravens already have at least $15 million in salary-cap room under the projected 2013 ceiling, the eighth-highest figure in the league.

During the current offseason, the team has struggled to free up cap room, but thanks to several re-structured deals -- most notably, that of guard Marshal Yanda -- the Ravens were able to carry over a significant amount of money, a key factor because the cap, which went up only $225,000 this year, won't rise much more than that in 2013.

Not only could fortunes change for the better in that department -- the true cap figure won't be known until early next year -- but as of now, there are only six marquee Ravens whose contracts run out after the 2012 season out of a possible free-agent class of 26.

Quarterback Joe Flacco, free safety Ed Reed, tight ends Dennis Pitta and Ed Dickson, defensive lineman Arthur Jones and linebacker Paul Kruger are sure to be the main free-agent targets next spring, with the remainder of the class presently made up mostly of fringe players and mid-level veterans.

Running back Ray Rice could join that group if he doesn't sign a long-term deal by July 16 and plays the coming season while eating up $7.7 million in cap space.

It's also important to consider Flacco's possibly imminent extension, Reed's always-vacillating position as to whether he plans to play in 2013 -- or this year, for that matter -- as well as where Kruger and Jones stand a year from now.

Kruger is being counted on to revitalize the team's pass rush in the wake of Terrell Suggs' Achilles tendon injury, and Jones' versatility along the defensive front is sure to be highly coveted, particularly if he has another good year.

Other notable Ravens that could hit the free-agent market after the coming season include wideout LaQuan Williams, guard Bobbie Williams, linebackers Dannell Ellerbe and Albert McClellan, cornerback Cary Williams and long snapper Morgan Cox.

***

FOR THE BETTOR: People that like to place wagers on football like to get any possible edge, even if it comes three months before the season actually starts.

Our friends at MarylandGaming.net -- spearheaded by local expert Bill Ordine -- can help out, as they have acquired game-by-game spreads for the entire season from Cantor Gaming in Las Vegas.

There is but one Ravens game for which there is no line yet, the possibly pivotal season-closing game at Cincinnati Dec. 30. In fact, the entire Week 17 line is not posted, because of the many variables that accompany the season's final week.

But Baltimore is favored by seven points against the Bengals for the Monday-night lidlifter Sept. 10.

In between those two dates, the Ravens are favored in nine of the other 14 games, with the biggest spreads being a 10-point edge against Cleveland during Week Four and an eight-point advantage against the Oakland Raiders Nov. 11.

Of the five games in which Baltimore is currently listed as an underdog, the biggest deficit is a 3.5-point disadvantage during the Week Two game at Philadelphia.

Interestingly, the Ravens are merely a one-point underdog at San Diego Nov. 25, despite getting blown out during their last visit there. They are three-point underdogs at Pittsburgh Nov. 18, despite having won at Heinz Field during their last two trips there and going 3-3 during their last six visits.

***

QUOTE OF THE DAY: The fact that retiring wideout Derrick Mason was so appreciative to everyone within the Ravens facility was good to see. But he was so grateful, he didn't leave anyone out.

"The equipment room, those guys ... made sure I had my shoes, my gloves, everything I needed," Mason said. "... The staff inside the dining room ... you can't say enough. When you needed your eggs, (you) had them."

***

JOEY P'S TRIVIA TIME ANSWER: Here's the question we asked you earlier in the column:

When the Ravens played in front of 71,547 M&T Bank Stadium fans during last year's Divisional Playoff round against the Houston Texans, the crowd would have constituted a regular-season record if the game had been played between September and December.

Although that attendance figure was an all-time Baltimore football record, it did not set a Ravens' regular-season mark. When was that record set?

ANSWER:

This fact is rather surprising, given the Ravens' insatiable and enthusiastic fan base, but the team's regular-season single-game attendance record hasn't been broken since it was raised to new levels three times during the 2008 season.

On Nov. 23 of that year, the Ravens' blowout win against the Philadelphia Eagles drew 71,379 fans. Two weeks later, a Sunday-night win against the Washington Redskins was seen by 71,438 despite the game being flexed to a nighttime kickoff for the only time thus far in team history.

A mere seven days after that game, a still-standing regular-season record crowd of 71,502 saw the Ravens lose a 13-9 heartbreaker to the eventual Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers.

Since then, only five home games have managed to crack the team's top 10 list, with last year's home opener against Pittsburgh (71,434) ranking third all-time.

The Ravens have sold every ticket to each of their 128 regular-season home games, as well as their 32 preseason contests and four postseason dates on Russell Street.

It must be noted that some of the sellouts during the team's early years did not register on time to beat the 72-hour pre-kickoff blackout deadline. In 1997, for example, home games against Arizona and Seattle were not seen on local television.

Posted June 12, 2012