George Kokinis has served as an intern, an entry-level assistant and a scout. He took another step up the franchise ladder yesterday, when he was named the Ravens' assistant director of pro personnel.
Kokinis, 33, the Ravens' Northeast area scout for the past four seasons, replaces the retired John Wooten, who will serve as a consultant to Ozzie Newsome, the team's vice president of player personnel.
Kokinis joined the then-Cleveland Browns in 1991 as a summer intern in the operations department, after earning his master's degree in sports management from the University of Richmond. He stayed into the fall by running errands, then filled an opening two months later in the scouting department, where he has become a fixture for the franchise.
In his new role, Kokinis will handle the advance scouting on Ravens opponents and oversee the workouts of potential free-agent signees.
"I kind of fell into the scouting department and decided to see where it would take me," Kokinis said. "I was kind of riding it out."
By promoting from within, the Ravens decided to reshuffle the scouting department rather than create an additional hire. T. J. McCreight, who assisted with both pro and college scouting, will now handle Kokinis' responsibilities in the Northeast.
The Ravens also promoted scouts Terry McDonough and Vince Newsome to their East and West Coast supervisors, respectively. McDonough and Newsome, who both joined the franchise in 1993, also were candidates for the assistant director job.
"It basically came down to tenure," Ozzie Newsome said. "All three are very capable of doing the job. So when it came down to making a decision, we went with the one who's been with us the longest."
Double play
Tight end Ryan Collins showed some versatility this past veterans camp, working out as a long snapper for the first time with the Ravens. He is listed as the backup on the punt team behind Frank Wainright.
Double duty isn't unusual for Collins, who is wrapping up his internship in the Channel 2 sports department. He has logged tapes, cut up highlights and conducted his first interview with a professional athlete, when he tossed out questions to the Ravens' fourth-string quarterback, Dan Robinson. "I was on that 4 1/2 -year plan," said Collins, who has three classes remaining before graduating from St. Thomas in Minneapolis. "I didn't know the NFL thing was going to actually work out."
Out with the old
