ATLANTA - - Before tonight's preseason finale against the Atlanta Falcons, the last time Ravens rookie Jason Phillips concerned himself with making a cut for a team was nearly a year ago.
As the blue-collar linebacker struck a pose for a promotional poster for Texas Christian, the photographer jokingly said, "The only thing missing is blood." Phillips then ran to the training room, grabbed a plastic knife and cut the bridge of his nose.
"It wasn't a big deal," Phillips said. "I just cut it enough where the blood drained down the side. It made for a good photo, though."
Whether he makes the Ravens' team picture this year will be determined by the end of the week. Phillips is one of the players on the roster bubble who is trying to make an impression before Saturday's final cut. It's been said that 42 players have guaranteed themselves a spot on the Ravens. That means 33 players are vying for the final 11 spots.
"The chance for me to go out and make plays is this game," Phillips said, "and it's something I'm going to take advantage of."
Phillips has had fewer chances than the Ravens' other rookies. He tore the meniscus in his knee Feb. 23, when he was running position drills at the NFL scouting combine. He underwent surgery a few days later and showed up at his school's Pro Day on crutches.
The injury dropped him to the fifth round of the NFL draft and kept him off the field for months. He was sidelined for the offseason minicamps and didn't practice with the Ravens until a week into training camp.
He could see his most extensive action of the preseason tonight, when he will try to stand out from a crowded second-tier linebacker group that includes Antwan Barnes, Prescott Burgess, Dannell Ellerbe and William VanDeSteeg.
"Playing in the NFL is something I've looked forward to since I was a little kid," Phillips said. "To actually be here is kind of surreal. You suck it up and say, 'I'm here now, and I got to make myself stay.' "
Unlike Phillips, offensive tackle Joe Reitz didn't always dream of reaching the NFL. Reitz played basketball at Western Michigan, finishing as the school's third all-time leading scorer and rebounder.
Instead of playing basketball professionally overseas, he has tried to make the NFL, even though he didn't play football in college. The Ravens signed him as an undrafted rookie last year, thinking he could play tight end. But the team switched him to offensive tackle, and the 6-foot-7 Reitz has added 55 pounds (from 255 to 310) since college.
