Ravens’ six-foot-four, 350-pound nose tackle Haloti Ngata

The Redskins hit hard at their camp, but the Ravens literally pound on each other. It's no wonder there have been so many Ravens players getting hurt in camp considering how hard they go at it in their 11-on-11 drills. Sure enough, receiver Derrick Mason  was just rocked as he was heading to the end zone. Next thing you know he has two trainers helping him off the field and into the locker room.

The early diagnosis is a sprained right ankle. Head coach John Harbaugh said they have no idea when Mason will be back on the field. Considering what happened to cornerback Domonique Foxworth last week, it could have been a lot worse.

Now I have seen some big football players in my travels, but few can compare to the Ravens' six-foot-four, 350-pound nose tackle Haloti Ngata. With the massive Ngata clogging up the middle, it allows Ravens linebackers like Ray Lewis the time and space to seek and destroy.

Other than the intensity of the hitting, the other thing that jumps out at you at Ravens camp is their newfound vertical passing game. Even with Mason's ankle injury, Joe Flacco still had a field day going downfield to his newest weapons, Donte' Stallworth and Anquan Boldin. Stallworth displayed great hands and vertical and he went up pulled down a few nice catches. Boldin has made an immediate impact on the Ravens passing game. There's little doubt that Flacco will be looking to Boldin early and often when he needs to make a throw. Having another downfield threat like Stallworth in the mix gives offensive coordinator Cam Cameron so many more options with which to work.

Even running back Ray Rice is heavily involved in the Ravens passing game. That's what makes Rice such a dynamic offensive player and such a valuable weapon for Harbaugh. He's strong enough and tough enough to pick up the tough yards between the tackles running the football. But he's also quick enough and has good enough hands to make plays out of the backfield.

After their second practice of the day, I had a chance to have an extended one-on-one interview with Rice. For such a young and talented up-and-coming NFL star, Rice could not have been more well grounded or more pleasant to speak with. If you are looking for an athlete Haloti Ngata to be a role model, you could do a lot worse than Rice.

I know Lewis has a bad reputation and there are a lot of people who have a certain image of the man. All I know is what I saw and how the man treated me. After a punishing two-and-a-half hour practice, Lewis stood there in 90 degree weather and signed autographs for over 900 kids. A middle-aged woman said it best when she screamed, "We love you Ray!" at the top of her lungs. To Ravens fans, Lewis is a rock star, an absolute god. John Harbaugh might be the coach, but the Ravens belong to Ray.

After signing all those autographs in the hot sun I asked him if he wouldn't mind answering a few questions for the Ray Rice feature I was working on. Lewis was extremely gracious and gave me two amazing answers for my story. That is what I call a class act.

Boldin should give Baltimore what it's been lacking for seemingly forever, a quality Haloti Ngata complement to the remarkably steady Derrick Mason at the wideout spot. With the addition of the physical three-time Pro Bowl honoree and veteran speedster Donte' Stallworth, along with the emergence of third-year pro Ray Rice into an elite all-around running back and Flacco's continued progress as a passer, the Ravens now field what could be one of the more balanced and dangerous offenses the league has to offer.

Baltimore's calling card has always come on the defensive end, however, and the 2009 squad continued the Ravens' longstanding tradition of excellence by ranking among the NFL's best in virtually every major category. The unit is getting a bit long in the tooth at several positions, but Newsome addressed those concerns by overseeing another potentially fruitful draft that garnered University of Texas outside linebacker Sergio Kindle and mammoth Alabama nose tackle Terrence Cody with the team's top two picks.