The transactions brings the roster down to 84 players, so Baltimore will have
to cut 19 players on Aug. 29 to get down to the league-mandated limit of 65
players. Teams have to shave their roster to 53 players by Sept. 2.
It offered another reminder that players on the bubble are down to one of their
final chances to make an impression Friday night against the Minnesota Vikings.
"Not a lot of opportunities, you only have so many snaps," Ravens coach Brian
Billick said. "You've got to show some way that you belong in this league. The
only place you can really do that is on the game field. Practice is great and
you get an inclination, but if it doesn't show up on the game field, I'm not
sure what the value is."
QUICK HITS: Offensive guard Brian Rimpf (hamstring), safety B.J. Ward
(migraines), running back Jamal Lewis (hip) and wide receiver Matt Cherry
(shoulder) didn't practice. ... Punter Leo Araguz returned to practice after
missing the previous two days as his wife gave birth to a baby girl. ... Billick
sounded non-plussed about Tuesday's practice. "It was okay," he said. "The look
teams need to sharpen up a little bit." When asked what displeased him the most,
he replied: "Lack of focus, taking this game for granted, thinking you know it
all. It's hard not to because you've been at it a long time, you've heard the
same thing over and over. 'I got it, I got it.' Then, you go and make a mistake.
You can't fall into that trap."
Aaron Wilson writes for the Carroll County Times