Though the skills are different, a career in broadcasting is an easy jump to make. Last year, 12 of the 20 boot camp participants found work. In recent years, Ravens Deion Sanders, Shannon Sharpe, Qadry Ismail, Tony Siragusa and, most recently, Brian Billick, have headed into TV gigs.
Group B had four work stations to hit before lunch, and at each stop a new fear seemed to emerge. Flynn, for example, says he's comfortable discussing the role of a lineman, but can he read defensive coverages or dissect offensive plays?
"I look at everything first through a lineman's eyes and then work my way out from there," he says. "The farther I get away from the middle, the less I know and the less comfortable I am."
Some players, including Mason, already host radio shows and appear regularly on local TV. But at the boot camp, they sense the scrutinizing eyes and ears.
"I feel like a rookie all over again," Mason says.
Discussing film study with ESPN's Ron Jaworksi, Group B broaches a subject that every player-turned-analyst struggles with: how to handle insider information. Players don't want to burn former teammates but recognize that privileged information is what sets them apart.
Mason mentions that he was bothered last year when the media reported that the Ravens locker room was fractured, even though he didn't think that was the case.
Jaworski pipes in that at an ESPN production meeting, a Ravens player volunteered that the locker room was in disarray and that the player said he had told Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti that a leadership change was needed.
"Sometimes, you're only as good as your sources," Jaworski tells the group.
After spending the morning in T-shirts and sneakers, the 20 players slip into expensive suits and sit in the makeup chair. Time will tell what the boot camp leads to, but their first day culminates in a studio appearance, which means each has to stare down that red light.
Sitting next to the venerable James Brown, Mason tries to keep his cool. Surprisingly, it's Brown who stumbles over his words and calls for a second take. Mason lets out a huge sigh of relief.
"At least it wasn't me that time," he says in a hushed, relieved voice.
rick.maese@baltsun.com
