Oniel Cousins doesn't know former Ravens offensive tackle Orlando Brown, but he has heard about him. He smiles when you mention Brown's name.
Cousins is reminding a lot of people of Brown at the Ravens' practice facility. He's not as tall or as big, but, like Brown, Cousins won't walk away from a good fight.
"When I play the game, I usually tick a lot of people off, and they try to fight me," Cousins said. "Hopefully, they lose their focus, and that's all part of my game plan."
Cousins is part of the new game plan implemented by first-year coach John Harbaugh, who wants to change the culture surrounding this team.
Part of it calls for the Ravens to develop some hard-nosed leaders on offense. When quarterback Steve McNair and tackle Jonathan Ogden retired recently, the Ravens were basically out of offensive tough guys, with the possible exception of center-guard Jason Brown.
But they might have two more on the horizon in right guard Marshal Yanda, a second-year player out of Iowa, and Cousins, a rookie right tackle taken in the third round out of Texas-El Paso.
The Ravens won't reach the dog days of training camp until August, but Cousins has already reached the ornery, cranky stage. He has been involved in two fights, one with defensive tackle Amon Gordon and the other with outside linebacker Dan Cody.
"He has some Raven characteristics at this point, and he goes against some great defensive linemen every day," Ravens offensive coordinator Cam Cameron said. "So, we like his spirit; we like his physicalness."
Cousins has vintage Orlando Brown characteristics, except that Brown would take it further. It didn't end on the field. Brown took the fights to the showers, the steam room or the hot tub.
"Fighting is just a part of competing," Cousins said. "Everybody out there is ... being physical. It's intensity. At the end of the day, it's over. You forget about it because it's just a game. But when the whistle blows. ... "
Cousins has a decent shot of making the roster. Mike Kracalik and Adam Terry are possible starters on the right side, but neither has earned the job.
Cousins should be right in the mix. He is athletic and runs fairly well. He has decent strength, having bench-pressed 225 pounds 23 times at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis shortly before the April draft.
