But before he got to meet Reed and Lewis, Gerard had to collect himself after taking in the breathtaking view of the Castle, the Ravens' training facility in Owings Mills, for the first time.
When he first saw the Castle, the somewhat shy, soft-spoken kid from Fountain Valley, Calif., thought he was at a Disney park.
"To come around that corner, I thought, 'Wow, I'm going to Disney,' " Gerard said. "That was an eye-opening experience."
It wasn't quite as overwhelming as the first day of practice, when Gerard found himself lining up opposite Mark Clayton. He had never seen a quarterback throw with as much velocity or accuracy as Joe Flacco or Troy Smith.
The game was twice as fast as what he played against at Northern Arizona. And he hasn't seen anything yet. Wait until the pads come on during training camp in late July.
"The first day on the field was dizzying," Gerard said. "Everybody just moved so fast, and the quarterback was so accurate. I thought everyone had like 4.1 speed in the 40."
Gerard has apparently caught on fast, and safeties Dawan Landry and Reed have already become mentors. The coaches like Gerard's overall knowledge of the game, and despite his being a rookie, he is seldom out of position. He had 232 career tackles at Northern Arizona, and if he can hit as well as he plays pass defense, the Ravens might find a spot for him on the roster.
"I can't tell you why he didn't go in the draft just like I couldn't tell you why Bart Scott didn't go in the draft," Newsome said. "All I know is that the kid has potential, and he definitely has a shot of making the team."
