Weight Room

Opposing offensive linemen aren't the only ones who can't slow Ravens defensive tackle Kelly Gregg. Gregg, who will turn 31 on Nov. 1 and is one of 13 Ravens 30 or older, has tried to defy some of the physical limitations that come with age by adding about 10 pounds of muscle to his 6-foot, 310-pound frame in preparation for the start of training camp Sunday. "I'm stronger than I've been in about four or five years," Gregg said during the team's mandatory minicamp last month. "I really wasn't sore this offseason, so I got into the weight room.

Steve Bisciotti was still a minority owner of the Baltimore Ravens when planning began for the team's new training facility in Owings Mills. After his staff canvassed other National Football League teams about what they liked, or might do differently, in their headquarters, he turned the team's wish list over to an architect. He wasn't pleased with the results. "He said it looked like his junior high," said Kevin Byrne, the Ravens' senior vice president for public relations. "He said he wanted something warm, welcoming and something that looked like it had been here for 100 years.

Archbishop Curley fullback-defensive end Nik D'Avanzo committed Tuesday to play football at Temple. The 6-foot-3, 265-pound rising senior, who was second on the Friars with 80 tackles in 2011, is expected to play defensive end for the Owls. D'Avanzo also had seven sacks for Curley last season. "He's an animal in the weight room," Friars coach Sean Murphy said. "That's the one area that separates him from a lot of kids. He's one of our strongest kids, and he's only 16. He doesn't turn 17 until October.

All of this talk about Pro Bowl outside linebacker Terrell Suggs playing Sunday against the Houston Texans is pretty funny. But, let's just use some common sense here. If the Ravens somehow lose their minds and put Suggs on the field, do you think it will be for more than five plays? Do you think he would have a significant impact? Now, ask this question: Why would the team put Suggs on the roster Sunday when the Ravens have a bye week coming up? It makes no sense. Suggs might have returned to practice Wednesday, but the Ravens will be very cautious when it comes to putting him on the field.

Even though he is still the starting quarterback, John Luster is in a new position for South Carroll.The senior -- surrounded by a solid group of classmates, most of whom have been together since they were freshmen -- is much more comfortable than he was last fall.Luster was the Cavaliers' starting quarterback for the last seven-plus games, but he had opened the season as a defensive back, and fitting into a senior dominated-lineup took him awhile.The change came at halftime at Rockville, with the Montgomery County team ahead 14-12.

For most of Navy's preseason, all the talk in Annapolis has been about first-year coach Paul Johnson's spread offense, which broke all kinds of school records when he was the offensive coordinator in 1995 and 1996. But there is an equally important question: Will Navy's defense be any better than last season, when it gave up 34.4 points and 461 yards a game? Josh Brindel thinks so, and if he's right, he'll be a big part of the improvement. The senior lineman was perhaps the Midshipmen's best defensive player a year ago, and he has gotten bigger and stronger in the offseason.

Just like two decades ago, a fleet of moving vans rolled out of the Owings Mills football facility. But in a stark contrast to the Colts' escape on that snowy night in 1984, the Ravens' relocation trumpeted a brighter future. The Ravens moved four miles down the road during this week's bye into their plush, new, $31-million training complex, a short drive that allowed the franchise to leap from an antiquated era to a cutting-edge one. Nestled in the woods of Owings Mills, the Ravens' 200,000-square-foot headquarters - whose new address is 1 Winning Drive - sits on 32 acres and features three outdoor football fields, the NFL's largest weight room, 32-inch high-definition televisions in nearly every room and a full-length indoor practice field.

Long Reach-football coach Pete Hughes thinks the first-year Lightning will be battling for a county championship in a season or two.He should know. Hughes has been successful as a player and a coach wherever he's been.As a player, the football team at Division II Valley City (N.D.) State University went 36-4 during his four years and made the national playoffs twice. Hughes, a four-time all-league pick at strong safety, was named an All-American his senior year.He was then head coach for four years at Finley-Sharon High School, about 60 miles from Valley City, where his teams compiled a 30-6 record in a turn-around for a program that had been 24-39.

COLLEGE PARK - Chris McCray had just lived through a forgettable night shooting the basketball against George Mason, and the Maryland Terrapins' sophomore guard quickly settled on a course of action. He returned a few hours after the crowd had vacated Comcast Center, and began to shoot, shoot and shoot some more. McCray said that he has split about 1,000 such after-hours shots with teammates John Gilchrist and Nik Caner-Medley several times this season. Maryland coach Gary Williams sees it as more proof of McCray's commitment to the game.

Gwen Patillo started lifting weights eight years ago as a way to reshape her body, something to just "move some things around a little."At the time a 52-year-old grandmother, Patillo had never of heard of a "dead lift" or a "clean and jerk," and the idea of lifting just a barbell was somewhat intimidating.Today, she's 60 years old, her grandchildren have children and her body is totally reshaped. Now she's nearly obsessed with getting stronger for her latest vocation: powerlifting."That's my goal these days and I think I've accomplished that in a lot of ways.

Home Turf: 1400 Panther Drive, Hampstead Head Coach: Matt Martello (first season) 2011 Record: 2-8 overall; 2-5 county Matt Martello has been here before. As North Carroll's head coach in 2002, he guided the Panthers to a 3-7 record. Martello hopes for better results in his second stint in Hampstead. "We're really emphasizing the weight room," said Martello, who was an assistant to the retired Jeff Oeming last year. "I feel like we're in great physical condition.

Archbishop Curley fullback-defensive end Nik D'Avanzo committed Tuesday to play football at Temple. The 6-foot-3, 265-pound rising senior, who was second on the Friars with 80 tackles in 2011, is expected to play defensive end for the Owls. D'Avanzo also had seven sacks for Curley last season. "He's an animal in the weight room," Friars coach Sean Murphy said. "That's the one area that separates him from a lot of kids. He's one of our strongest kids, and he's only 16. He doesn't turn 17 until October.

OK, how nutty is this season going? Consider outfielder-infielder Steve Pearce, whom the Orioles bought for minimal cash from the New York Yankees on June 2. He exercised an opt-out clause in his contract. Had he stayed withTriple-AScranton/Wilkes-Barre, Pearce would be in the middle of a 13-game road trip. The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre team has been playing basically on the road all year, using the Rochester park as a home field at times because their park is under construction.

Second-year outside linebacker Michael McAdoo, who spent his rookie year on injured reserve with a knee injury, tore his Achilles tendon last Thursday and will sit out the 2012 season. Ravens coach John Harbaugh said Wednesday that McAdoo isn't going anywhere, though. "I'm just disappointed for him. You feel bad,” Harbaugh said. “Here's a guy that's done a good job. He's in the weight room, all offseason he's been in the weight room. He hasn't played football in really two years.

Patrick McGlinchey heard “great things” about Derrick Hayward before the young linebacker/defensive end ever set foot in the Wicomico weight room as a freshman.  Just minutes into the first meeting between player and coach, McGlinchey could sense that reports of Hayward's potential were not exaggerated. “I could tell he was going to be a great athlete with his work ethic in the weight room,” said McGlinchey, who has served as a varsity assistant and JV head coach at Wicomico.

The Ravens continued their busy Tuesday, announcing a three-year contract extension with hard-hitting safety Bernard Pollard. Pollard had one year remaining on his contract, but he's now signed through 2015. After signing with the Ravens as a free agent last offseason, Pollard, 27, made an immediate impact and finished the season with 75 total tackles (55 solo), two sacks, one interception, a career-high 13 passes defended and three forced fumbles. He started 15 of the Ravens' 18 games.

Soon after last season ended, Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti challenged third-year player Joe Flacco to become a franchise-caliber quarterback in 2010. Ravens running back Ray Rice took the message personally, as well. "It wasn't just to Joe," said Rice, entering his third season. "It was to all the young players, including myself. Basically, he was saying the learning curve was over and the time is now." Rice got the message. Oh, did he ever. Last season was a breakout year for the former Rutgers star as he rushed for 1,339 yards and gained an additional 780 yards on 78 catches.

Steve Bisciotti was still a minority owner of the Baltimore Ravens when planning began for the team's new training facility in Owings Mills. After his staff canvassed other National Football League teams about what they liked, or might do differently, in their headquarters, he turned the team's wish list over to an architect. He wasn't pleased with the results. "He said it looked like his junior high," said Kevin Byrne, the Ravens' senior vice president for public relations. "He said he wanted something warm, welcoming and something that looked like it had been here for 100 years.

Though he never had the chance to wear the cartoon bird on his cap day-in and day out, former Orioles outfielder and current Tampa Bay Ray Luke Scott is doing his best to, well, remain a cartoon character with his new ballclub -- and he's still endearing himself to Orioles fans while doing it. “As a baseball player, going [to Fenway Park] to work, it's a dump,” Scott told Scott Chastain of MLB.com earlier this week . “I mean, it's old. It does have a great feel and nostalgia, but at the end of the day, I'd rather be at a good facility where I can get my work in. A place where I can go hit in the cage.

Ray Rice not only established a career best with 1,364 rushing yards, but the Ravens running back also leads the NFL in runs of at least 40 yards with five. Two of those runs ended in touchdowns in Sunday evening's 24-16 win victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, and coach John Harbaugh said those scores were the latest indicator of Rice's ability to finish plays. “His vision and his courses and his aiming points and all those things continue to get better all the time,” Harbaugh said Monday.