John Harbaugh flashed a wide grin last week when a reporter asked the Ravens' coach about Terrence Cody nearly "pancaking" a quarterback during passing camp.
"I'm not going to go there," Harbaugh said, taking a lighthearted poke at his 360-pound rookie nose tackle. "I think there's a lot of opportunity with the pancake comment, but we'll stay away from that."
The eating habits of "Mount" Cody have become a hot topic ever since the Ravens drafted him with their second pick of the second round in this year's draft. But what has stood out the most about Cody this offseason has been his ability to gobble up the playbook.
Cody will try to remain on top of his game today as the Ravens continue a four-day rookie minicamp.
"He's really a bright guy," Harbaugh said. "I mean, he really does a good job studying the defense. Really, in the first minicamp, as much as we threw on him, he came out here and picked it up really quickly."
Cody has been forced to learn from the sideline recently, missing nearly a week of practice with hip soreness.
Then, in his first full practice back, Cody tore up the middle of the offense's second-team line on back-to-back plays. He hit backup quarterback Troy Smith and forced a fumble on the first one, and he enthusiastically battled to sack Smith again (Cody essentially grabbed him in the no-contact passing camp) on the next.
"I'm just learning things from the coaches that I can add to my toolbox," Cody said. "We don't have any pads [on], so we can't really bull-rush or do anything like that. So, it's really finesse right now."
Cody's strength isn't rushing the passer. He had only a half-sack in two years at Alabama. His impact will come on run defense. No one gained 100 rushing yards against the Crimson Tide during Cody's 26 starts there, when he routinely occupied two blockers in the middle.
So, while Cody has been impressive in the no-contact minicamps, he is eagerly awaiting training camp in late July, when he can put on the pads and deliver some hits.
"I'm just counting the days down right now," said Cody, who is expected to rotate with starting nose tackle Kelly Gregg this season. "I'm really strong and explosive."
Kokinis back with Ravens
George Kokinis has rejoined the Ravens as a senior personnel assistant, the team announced Tuesday.
Kokinis was the Ravens' director of pro personnel from 2003 to 2008. He left to become the Cleveland Browns' general manager, but he was fired Nov. 2.
"It's good to have George back," general manager Ozzie Newsome said in a statement. "He will help evaluate college and pro players, plus work with Pat" Moriarty, the Ravens' vice president of football administration. "George knows the game, understands what it takes to win, and he will help us find players who will help us win."
The Ravens also announced that Mark Azevedo was promoted from a pro scout to an area scout, covering the Southeast, Southwest and Midwest. He has been with the Ravens since 2005.
