Brendan Carney's Training Camp Blog
8/16/2007 11:55:59 PM | Football
Editor's Note: The Orange's all-time leading punter Brendan Carney is writing a series of reports from his first National Football League training camp with the Baltimore Ravens at McDaniel College in Westminster, Md.
August 16: (Pre-season) Game Week
We had our first pre-season game on Monday night against the Philadelphia Eagles at home and we won 29-3. I kicked off five times in the game and felt I had a good night aside from one kick. My distance and hang time were good and at this level you really understand why you need to have both because the speed of the game is so much faster. I didn't get to punt only because we didn't have any punting opportunities from the middle of the third quarter to the end of the game. Hopefully next week I'll get that chance. I did hold for a field goal and two extra points, all of which were successful. A lot of friends and family came down to the game which was great and I'd like to give them a shout-out and say, "Thanks for the support".
Tuesday was an off day for us and now we are preparing for the New York Giants, who we play Sunday night. Now that we are about half way through camp I feel really good about where I am in terms of my punting and kicking. My consistency is a lot better and I'm quicker in my get off times. In the beginning it was difficult adjusting to the speed these guys have at this level, so I found myself rushing to get the punt off and wasn't hitting the ball as clean as I would've liked. But throughout two-a-days I've been constantly working on trying to get my times under two seconds and I'm getting more consistent in that area.
t's hard to say where I stand right now in terms of making the team and I try not to think about it, even though it's hard not to, but I just try to get better every day and whatever happens I'll know I did my best.
Still haven't been called up yet to sing, but there are literally four of us left so any day now my number will be called. There's also a rookie show on Friday night when all the rookies have to put on a show for the team and I'm pretty sure it's all about making fun of people and having a good time.
Take care.
Brendan
August 5: A Day Off
Just a quick update on what's going on down here in camp. We have Sunday off after a two-hour scrimmage with the Redskins yesterday at Ravens stadium. It was really hot on the turf (140 degrees) and the fan turnout was very impressive, around 20,000. Former NFL coach Dick Vermeil was there and what a respected man he is in the NFL community. He was embraced by every coach and a lot of the veteran players.
Now to talk football... We started it off with special teams where I got three punt reps and one kickoff rep. Overall I felt I had a good day. I would've liked to have done better, but it was good to get a look from guys in different uniforms to see how our special teams units are progressing. After that I watched the defense and offense go to work against the Skins and it really gave some younger guys a chance to showcase their skills in front of the coaches and some of them really stood out.
We got back to training camp around 5 p.m. where we had the rest of the night off and Sunday as well. Some of the rookies and I went to see Bourne Ultimatum just to get away for a little and all I'm going to say is that it is a GREAT!!! movie filled with action and intense fight scenes. Other than that, I'm just going to relax and rest up for practice on Monday morning.
Haven't had to sing yet, but so far there is some tough competition. Rookies are taking this seriously so I'm going to have to give them a real good show. I'll keep you updated.
Take care!
Brendan
August 1: Billick Speaks, Ravens Listen
The Baltimore Ravens training camp began Sunday, July 29th with a team meeting headed up by, of course, the head coach Brian Billick (often confused with Bill Belichick, New England's head coach). He's ok if you call him that once, but if you do it twice ... he'll be sure to let you know and you WILL NOT make that mistake again.
The team meeting lasted about an hour and the message he wanted to send to everyone was that you have to be very passionate about football and this team to get to the ultimate goal that everyone shares in this league. Coach Billick is a very good speaker and does a great job of keeping everyone's attention with his commanding tone.
After the meeting, I went back to my room and put my things in order for the following morning practice. I wanted to get to bed early, but I was anxious to get started and wasn't tired, so I stayed up and talked to my roommate for a little bit. My roommate is Matt Stover. I have to say, I'm very fortunate to be rooming with him because of his wealth of knowledge not only about kicking/punting, but also about the NFL itself and he has been very helpful in my adjustment at this level. I've been telling everyone back home in Pennsylvania, with Matt it's like getting free swinging lessons from Tiger Woods -- that's how good he is.
I get up at 6:00 a.m. and eat breakfast, then I head over to the college and relax for a little before I dress for practice. Training camp is a lot like college in terms of scheduling and practices. We practice once in the morning (full pads) and then once in the afternoon (shells). They usually run two hours and it is nothing short of full speed, high intensity the entire time.
For the past few days, I've been working with the second punt team and it's going very well. The guy on first team is very good and proven. He's also a real good guy, too. I'm also kicking off with the second team and we haven't done too much of that yet, but I am looking forward to it.
After practice, we sign autographs for the fans and there are a lot of them -- 5,000 a day so far. The majority of them are kids and they all want autographs, but it's always fun meeting new people and I have actually met a few 'CUSE fans, so that was nice.
Everyone always asks "What is it like playing with Ray Lewis and Steve McNair and all those Pro Bowlers?" And it is very cool to be around those guys especially when you watch the way they work on and off the field. All of these guys work so hard to keep their bodies in tip-top shape and I can't even begin to tell you how long they all spend in the film rooms. They are perfectionists.
This is a very competitive business and if you don't show up every day ready to play, they will find someone else who will and that is no joke. The coaches want every play to be perfect and they'll let you know when it's not. I was chewed out the first day in a special teams meeting for punting a ball through the endzone when we were trying to down it on the ten. But you always have to remember, "It's not personal, it's business".
And, they started the rookie singing contests where everyday one rookie has to stand in front of the team and sing a song. I haven't been called up yet, but I'm trying to think of one I could really impress them with ("Ironic" maybe??). I'll let you know how it all goes.
Take care!
Brendan
