Quinn Sypniewski

Tight end Quinn Sypniewski was a fifth-round draft pick for the Ravens this year. In his final season at Colorado he played in all 13 games, started seven and had 29 receptions for 447 yards and five touchdowns. What type of music do you listen to? "I listen to a wide variety of music, but it pretty much consists of rock and country. It doesn't stray too far from that." What is the last movie that you saw? "I don't know what the last thing I saw was but the best thing I've seen lately was Walk the Line.

Now that the 2009 NFL draft is history, it appears that one big blight on the Ravens' drafting record remains, as does a major need on their roster. The drafting problem can't be denied: They once again couldn't nab a big-time wide receiver. The need, however, is something the Ravens aren't ready to acknowledge. "If we get a healthy Demetrius Williams back, and he's working toward that," Ozzie Newsome said Sunday as he took part in Michael Oher's introductory news conference, "the way we can protect it, the way Joe [Flacco]

Tight end Quinn Sypniewski caught his first career touchdown pass in the Ravens' 27-13 loss to the Cleveland Browns last Sunday. But the weekend was not a total loss for the former Colorado Buffalo. How did you feel about Colorado upsetting then-No. 3 Oklahoma on Saturday? That was great. Colorado has had some struggles the last few years. So to get a win like that is definitely a boost for that program. It was definitely nice to be able to come back on Sunday and talk a little smack to some of our Oklahoma brethren [Chris Chester, Mark Clayton, Kelly Gregg and Corey Ivy]

Looking to upgrade their depth at tight end, the Ravens are expected to sign L.J. Smith today, a league source said. The parameters of a one-year, $1.5 million deal are in place with Smith, the source added. Smith, 28, the best tight end left in free agency, needs to pass his physical with the Ravens today before signing the contract. A six-year veteran from the Philadelphia Eagles, Smith would improve a thin tight end group for the Ravens. The team, which did not re-sign Daniel Wilcox, has Todd Heap (35 receptions last season)

HERE THEY GO AGAIN Linebacker Terrell Suggs and rookie offensive tackle Jared Gaither went at each other again during a one-on-one pass-rushing drill. The duo battled to a draw twice, and Suggs did not challenge any other offensive linemen. TIP DRILL Quarterback Steve McNair tried to hit tight end Todd Heap on a seam pass down the middle, but safety Gerome Sapp reached out and batted the football into the air. Safety Jamaine Winborne dove and made the interception. QUOTABLE "This is going to be a man-up day."

Once considered a position of strength, tight end has become a concern for the Ravens. Injuries to Todd Heap and Daniel Wilcox have thinned the depth at the position, where Quinn Sypniewski is the only healthy player. The team also has Lee Vickers on the practice squad, but the converted defensive end was signed just last week. "It's a tough one," coach Brian Billick said yesterday during his weekly media briefing. "A couple of weeks ago, it was the receivers; now it's the tight ends.

With all the attention surrounding Jonathan Ogden's possible retirement, the future of center Mike Flynn has gone unnoticed. But that has been typical for Flynn, an undrafted free agent out of Maine who has quietly become an eight-year starter for the Ravens. "When I retire, I'm going to make sure I don't do it after J.O. because nobody is going to care," Flynn said, laughing. "I've played a few games around here and I'm old, too." Joking aside, Flynn said his decision whether to come back will be based on whether the team wants him to return and how he feels about playing.

Trevor Pryce said he feels good, and he proved it yesterday at Ravens training camp. The defensive end looked trim and didn't seem to be carrying extra weight on his 6-foot-5, 286-pound frame. After practicing with mostly rookies in the morning at McDaniel College in Westminster, Pryce ran sprints on an empty football field, finishing the last one by backpedaling the entire way. "My wind is a lot better," said the four-time Pro Bowler, who trained during the offseason with a 30-pound weight jacket and adopted a basketball-style regimen.

Looking to upgrade their depth at tight end, the Ravens are expected to sign L.J. Smith today, a league source said. The parameters of a one-year, $1.5 million deal are in place with Smith, the source added. Smith, 28, the best tight end left in free agency, needs to pass his physical with the Ravens today before signing the contract. A six-year veteran from the Philadelphia Eagles, Smith would improve a thin tight end group for the Ravens. The team, which did not re-sign Daniel Wilcox, has Todd Heap (35 receptions last season)

Now that the 2009 NFL draft is history, it appears that one big blight on the Ravens' drafting record remains, as does a major need on their roster. The drafting problem can't be denied: They once again couldn't nab a big-time wide receiver. The need, however, is something the Ravens aren't ready to acknowledge. "If we get a healthy Demetrius Williams back, and he's working toward that," Ozzie Newsome said Sunday as he took part in Michael Oher's introductory news conference, "the way we can protect it, the way Joe [Flacco]

With veterans P.J. Daniels and Cory Ross and fellow rookie Ray Rice vying to back up starter Willis McGahee, Allen Patrick is aware of the logjam at running back. But the rookie doesn't have time to concern himself with his position on the depth chart. "I'm just trying to better myself in every aspect of the game," he said. "Everybody's pretty much in the same row right now. We've just got to come out and fight for our position, and the best man's going to win. I'm just out here trying to fight every day."

Trevor Pryce said he feels good, and he proved it yesterday at Ravens training camp. The defensive end looked trim and didn't seem to be carrying extra weight on his 6-foot-5, 286-pound frame. After practicing with mostly rookies in the morning at McDaniel College in Westminster, Pryce ran sprints on an empty football field, finishing the last one by backpedaling the entire way. "My wind is a lot better," said the four-time Pro Bowler, who trained during the offseason with a 30-pound weight jacket and adopted a basketball-style regimen.

With all the attention surrounding Jonathan Ogden's possible retirement, the future of center Mike Flynn has gone unnoticed. But that has been typical for Flynn, an undrafted free agent out of Maine who has quietly become an eight-year starter for the Ravens. "When I retire, I'm going to make sure I don't do it after J.O. because nobody is going to care," Flynn said, laughing. "I've played a few games around here and I'm old, too." Joking aside, Flynn said his decision whether to come back will be based on whether the team wants him to return and how he feels about playing.

Troy Smith isn't too worried. The former Heisman Trophy winner and rookie quarterback will lead the Ravens' offense against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, and one of his tasks will be solving Pittsburgh's top-ranked 3-4 defense. "I think through the course of the week when you go about learning what exactly a 3-4 is, and the different problems that it can bring, you learn how to counteract that, and that's what the staff does," Smith said. "They come up with incredible game plans.

Tight end Quinn Sypniewski caught his first career touchdown pass in the Ravens' 27-13 loss to the Cleveland Browns last Sunday. But the weekend was not a total loss for the former Colorado Buffalo. How did you feel about Colorado upsetting then-No. 3 Oklahoma on Saturday? That was great. Colorado has had some struggles the last few years. So to get a win like that is definitely a boost for that program. It was definitely nice to be able to come back on Sunday and talk a little smack to some of our Oklahoma brethren [Chris Chester, Mark Clayton, Kelly Gregg and Corey Ivy]

Once considered a position of strength, tight end has become a concern for the Ravens. Injuries to Todd Heap and Daniel Wilcox have thinned the depth at the position, where Quinn Sypniewski is the only healthy player. The team also has Lee Vickers on the practice squad, but the converted defensive end was signed just last week. "It's a tough one," coach Brian Billick said yesterday during his weekly media briefing. "A couple of weeks ago, it was the receivers; now it's the tight ends.

The Ravens' final major cutdown yesterday came with a few mild surprises, as the team decided to keep two quarterbacks while stocking up on running backs and cornerbacks. The Ravens cut former No. 3 quarterback Brian St. Pierre after a rocky preseason along with rookie Drew Olson (who is expected to be added to the practice squad), leaving them with only two quarterbacks (Steve McNair and Kyle Boller) on their 53-man roster. The Ravens then chose to hold onto seven running backs (fourth-round pick P.J. Daniels and undrafted rookie Cory Ross made the cut)

Troy Smith isn't too worried. The former Heisman Trophy winner and rookie quarterback will lead the Ravens' offense against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, and one of his tasks will be solving Pittsburgh's top-ranked 3-4 defense. "I think through the course of the week when you go about learning what exactly a 3-4 is, and the different problems that it can bring, you learn how to counteract that, and that's what the staff does," Smith said. "They come up with incredible game plans.

When punter Sam Koch walked into the Ravens' special teams meeting room Wednesday, attached to the board was a printout noting he was second in the AFC in punting average. Koch quickly took down the sheet of paper. "I immediately took it off there because I don't want to put that in the back of my head," he said. "I could have a solid game with only inside-the-20[-yard line] punts, but that would bring down my average. So I don't really try to think about it. I just want to do what I have to do to help the team out."

Besides fighting each other, the Ravens battled another opponent yesterday: the heat. Hazy, hot and humid conditions blanketed Ravens training camp at McDaniel College in Westminster, and the weather played a significant role during yesterday's practice, which was the first session featuring full pads and live hitting. Rookie fullback Le'Ron McClain lay on the turf for several minutes with what appeared to be heat-related cramps. The team's trainers tried to stretch out McClain's left calf and, after the fourth-round pick took off his jersey and pads, wrapped his upper body with wet towels and bags of ice. The heat might have exacerbated a skirmish between linebacker Jarret Johnson and rookie tight end Marcus Freeman, and shoving matches between wide receiver Demetrius Williams and cornerback Evan Oglesby and wide receiver Romby Bryant and cornerback Corey Ivy. "It's really, really hot out here," linebacker Terrell Suggs said with a smile and beads of sweat on his face.