As Nestor Aparicio, Luke Jones and I were sitting at the Baltimore Ravens’ facility in Owings Mills Friday night, we were discussing the finality of the Ravens’ Super Bowl XLVII season/celebration. Luke pointed out the team would still have the ability to hang a Super Bowl championship banner at M&T Bank Stadium before their home opener Week 2 against the Cleveland Browns, but that’s about all that’s left for this team.

With the White House visited and the rings handed out, the Baltimore Ravens are now-in the words of now NFL agent Jay-Z-”on to the next one.” It was nice to have Ray Lewis and Ed Reed around Charm City for a week. It was nice to reflect once more on this particular era of Ravens football.

But as of today, that’s over.

As of today, the relationship between Ed Reed and the Baltimore Ravens is once again severed. He won’t be back in the building again until his career comes to a close. As of today, Ed Reed is nothing more than a player the Ravens will have to go up against when they play the Houston Texans…if he’s healthy enough to play.

It has been remarkably fun to celebrate a Super Bowl title for Baltimore Ravens players (and coaches and staffers who also received rings Friday night) and fans alike. It’s been a wild four months of player movement, late-night talk shows, Dancing With The Stars, accolades and high-fives.

It’s all in the past now.

The Ravens open their only mandatory mini-camp of the offseason tomorrow in Owings Mills. While a number of players have taken part in voluntary OTA’s and strength programs, this will be the first gathering of what will make up the overwhelming majority of the 2013 version of this team. There will still be a few lingering injuries that will prevent players from taking part in practice, but it will most certainly be the closest thing we’ll see to the first look at the Ravens in the post Lewis/Reed era before Training Camp.

While you’re scrambling to make sure you have your copy of “Purple Reign 2″ before Father’s Day (and that isn’t a bit-you REALLY need to make sure this is the gift you’re giving), the Purple Birds will spend their week taking the best look they can at the team that will take the field this year to try to protect their Lombardi Trophy.

For the World Champs, there are a number of questions as always. None will be fully addressed in minicamp; because no NFL issue has EVER really been fully addressed during the course of a minicamp. But many will be viewed closely with the understanding that this is the best opportunity to set the tone for how the team handles both Camp and preseason games.

The Ravens will have to plan a depth chart before Training Camp gets underway. While all players will get reps, determining who gets which reps with which unit and how many are necessary is something that will happen between now and the start of Camp. At no position is that determination more difficult than wide receiver.

The Ravens know what they have at the top of the depth chart at wide receiver. Torrey Smith (or “Samson” as LB Terrell Suggs joked Friday night) is expected to lead the group and appears to be on the verge of breakout stardom. His exceptional speed was combined with better route running and improved catching consistency last season, leaving many to believe he could become a 1,000 yard type of receiver in his third year out of Maryland.

(Continued on Page 2…)

(Updated: 6:15 p.m.)

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Fielding a smaller contingency of players after trimming the roster to 75 players, the Ravens were without Marshal Yanda and five others for Monday’s practice.

Yanda (knee) hasn’t worked since last Monday when he was undercut by linebacker Chavis Williams. The starting right guard finished the practice but missed the Ravens’ third preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars last Thursday. Coach John Harbaugh has said on two separate occasions that the injury isn’t considered to be serious.

Offensive lineman Jah Reid (calf), wide receiver Tommy Streeter (foot), linebackers Ricky Brown (hip) and Josh Bynes (back), and safety Sean Considine (concussion) were also absent from the portion of practice open to media.

Linebacker Sergio Kindle (shoulder) appeared to be practicing without a red non-contact jersey for the first time since sustaining a stinger in the second preseason game of the summer.

“He’s not a lock, but he’s done very well,” Harbaugh said. “This game will be important for him.”

Tight ends Ed Dickson (shoulder) and Dennis Pitta were practicing on a limited basis for the second straight workout after returning to the field Saturday. To no surprise, Harbaugh squashed any lingering chance of the tight ends seeing some action Thursday night against the St. Louis Rams.

“No chance,” Harbaugh said. “No chance of that. They’re not ready for that yet.”

The Ravens officially placed linebacker Terrell Suggs (Achilles tendon) and wide receiver David Reed (knee) on the reserve physically unable to perform list, meaning both will miss at least the first six weeks of the regular season. Defensive lineman Ryan McBean (ankle), safety Emanuel Cook (leg), and linebackers Darryl Blackstock (leg) and Stevie Baggs (leg) were placed on season-ending injured reserve Monday morning.

Owings Mills-The drama of the Ravens kicking situation continued on Saturday, as Billy Cundiff was still present and on the field and working with the specialists for the team’s practice session available to the media.

Cundiff, who has been widely criticized for his 32-yard field goal miss in the AFC Championship game last season among  other struggles, has been competing with rookie kicker Justin Tucker in camp for the team’s job at the position.

And the situation got even more intriguing Wednesday night before the Ravens eventual 48-17 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars, as Ravens coach John Harbaugh named the rookie Tucker as the team’s sole kicker for their third preseason game the following night.

Tucker excelled-going two-for-two in his attempts from 33 and 53-yards.

Tucker was excited and thrilled leading up to the game, and said he appreciated the fact that he was given a fair opportunity to compete.

Meanwhile, Cundiff, who did suit up and watched from the sidelines, certainly showed his frustration with the situation in the locker room following the game.

“I found out before this game that I wasn’t going to get any reps, which shocked me,” Cundiff said. “I felt like I had a really good week of practice. So, it’ll just play itself out.”

Cundiff defended himself, and he brought up his 90% completion percentage on kicks below 50 yards, and his 12-of-13 record  in the playoffs. And that’s where Cundiff said he feels like he deserves better.

“I feel like if that’s not good enough, I’ll take my services elsewhere to be perfectly honest,” Cundiff replied.

The Ravens have to make 15 cuts on Monday by 4PM to trim the roster limit to 75.

If Ravens coach John Harbaugh and the staff feel like Thursday was enough of a test to give Tucker the job, they would save roughly 1.8 million this season in cap savings by cutting Cundiff, as reported by the Baltimore Sun.

Harbaugh said the team will not be hurt by either kicker’s departure, and know what each of them has in store with their abilities.

“Obviously both of them bring something to the table..I dont think it’s as complicated with what the factors are, so we’ll just have to make a decision.”

But Harbaugh said they will not make any rash choices until they have to.

“I don’t think we’ve made any decision yet,” Harbaugh said. “We’re on schedule. We learned what we needed to learn. If it was an easy decision, we would have made it.”

“Why should we rush that? We can get as much information as we can.”

Dickson, Pitta return to practice

While Ravens fans may be hoping to see Billy Cundiff absent from team practices, they may be encouraged to hear about tight ends Dennis Pitta and Ed Dickson’s return to the practice field Saturday in limited fashion.

Both were in uniform and doing light running and catching with tight ends coach Wade Harman.

Pitta has been slowly working his way back from a broken right hand suffered in the first days of training camp.

“It feels really good being able to practice a little bit-run around, catch a few balls but not at full-speed, but it feels good to be back certainly,” Pitta said.

Pitta said his right hand and wrist feel better each day, and he expects to be back ready to go with Joe Flacco for the season opener against the Bengals.

“I think being able to get out there and run around and actually catch the ball a little bit certainly helps my confidence. And it helps me understand that I will be back playing soon enough.”

Having missed the first three preseason games with Flacco, you could say that Pitta might be off-track with his quarterback.

But Pitta denied that, saying that he’s already built enough of a rapport with his quarterback in his first two NFL seasons.

“That’s something we’ve been developing for a few years now, and I don’t think it’s something that you lose right now,” Pitta said, “and I don’t think it’s something that you lose right away. I think it will come back quickly once I’m able to start jumping in there and running with the offense.”

Dickson meanwhile is nursing a sprained right shoulder that he sustained in the team’s preseason opener against the Atlanta Falcons.

“I feel really good,” Dickson said. “It’s tough not to be out there, and once you get a chance to be out there for a little bit, you go out there with all smiles.”

Dickson said it’s pained him more to not be able to practice than it has to raise his arm or catch a pass.

“I’m a competitor,” Dickson said. “I don’t like sitting out for anything-it doesn’t matter if it’s a scrimmage or a game. Just missing these preseason games was tough on me.”

Dickson has been encouraged on his return and his role in the Ravens’ new “Sugar Huddle”, no-huddle offense.

“That’s all we did at Oregon,” Dickson said of his time in college. “I like it. I think it helps us out because we get more plays, and it puts the defense on their toes.”

Those absent from practice Saturday included LB Terrell Suggs (Achilles), G Marshal Yanda (leg), T Jah Reid (calf), WR/KR David Reed (ACL), S Emanuel Cook (broken leg), S Sean Considine (concussion), LB Stevie Baggs, Josh Bynes, WR Tommy Streeter and Ryan McBean (ankle).

Cook appears to be out for the year after suffering his leg injury Thursday, and both Considine and Baggs received their injuries in Thursday’s game as well.

This is the second concussion in preseason for Considine, so the team will have to be careful with that going forward.

WR Tommy Streeter, who caught two passes for 40 yards and a touchdown against the Jaguars, received an MRI for a sprained foot Friday.

He had been battling back problems in camp, but told WNST, “I’m fine. Everything’s okay. Just a little banged up.”

Given the decisions the Ravens have at the wide receiver position, it also could be forseen that the Ravens may try to stash Streeter on IR to avoid having to cut him Monday.

Streeter has been raw so far, but certainly is an intriguing and difficult piece to give up given his 6’5” frame. If the team were to place him on IR, he would not be allowed to practice with the team.

CB Corey Graham returned to practice after suffering a stinger in Thursday’s game.

Be sure to follow WNST on Twitter for all your Ravens news! WNST-We Never Stop Talking!

From day one, Deonte Thompson has been making plays.  The un-drafted free agent from Florida has serious speed and good hands.  Thompson is fighting for a roster spot among group of receivers filled with youth and talent.  Most predict that the Ravens will keep six wide receivers on the final 53-man roster.  Anquan Boldin,  Torrey Smith, and Jacoby Jones are locks to make the roster.  After those three players, the picture is not so clear.

The players competing for the final three wide receiver spots are LaQuan Williams, Tandon Doss, Tommy Streeter, and Deonte Thompson.  Williams and Doss will most likely make the roster because of their production on special teams and their potential at wide receiver.  Although coaches have praised Doss, he has struggled to stay on the field due to injuries.  If Doss can’t stay healthy, the Ravens could surprise everyone and let him go.  While this is unlikely, it is still a possibility.

Every team in the league values players who can make an impact on special teams.  The Ravens are no different.  Therefore, the competition for the final three roster spots could come down to special teams.  Williams and Doss have been good on special teams and are somewhat established players in the Ravens organization.  Therefore, you can really narrow down the competition to be between Tommy Streeter and Deonte Thompson for the final roster spot at wide receiver.

While Tommy Streeter was a sixth round draft pick and Thompson was un-drafted, Thompson seems to be making more of an impact on offense and special teams.  Streeter is more of a project player and Thompson could produce for the Ravens right away.  Therefore, I think Thompson should make the team.

In addition to his potential role on special teams, I think Thompson could make an impact on the offense.  The Ravens are looking for a fourth receiver and neither LaQuan Williams or Dandon Doss have made significant strides to win that job.  Thompson’s presence in the offense would make the Ravens receiving core one of the fastest in the NFL.

If the Ravens do pick Thompson over Streeter, they can still keep Streeter seeing as they love his potential and raw ability.  Streeter could spend one year on the scout team and come back next year to make the team.  After all, Anquan Boldin will be a free agent and the Ravens might decide not to resign him.  Streeter could, one day, become the number two receiver for the Ravens.  He just needs time to develop.

The impressive performance of rookie wide receiver Deonte Thompson during training camp has raised questions about how the Ravens will handle roster decisions at what’s considered to be a deep position.

The top of the depth chart is essentially set with starters Anquan Boldin and Torrey Smith and veteran Jacoby Jones locked into the No. 3 spot, but the questions begin after that. Second-year wideout LaQuan Williams appears to have a strong hold on the No. 4 overall spot on the depth chart after an impressive camp while 2011 fourth-round pick Tandon Doss has dealt with a hamstring injury.

Despite being sidelined for much of the summer, Doss’ pedigree and offseason work suggest he’s still a safe bet to make the 53-man roster, pushing the Ravens’ total to five receivers before you consider the surprising Thompson or 2012 sixth-round draft choice Tommy Streeter. Thompson has performed at a higher level overall with his exceptional speed and better-than-advertised hands in practices, but Streeter’s 6-foot-5 height and straight-line speed make him the player with the higher upside despite his limited route-running ability and inconsistent hands.

However, the question of whether the Ravens can keep six — or even seven — receivers involves much more than the passing tree and reining in passes from quarterback Joe Flacco. Many will try to project a number of players at each position that are ultimately kept on the 53-man roster, but those decisions are determined by versatility and what type of contributions players can make on special teams. In that sense, a wide receiver is suddenly viewed as an all-around football player and not an individual with a specific skill set at a given position.

“The best players will be kept on the roster,” offensive coordinator Cam Cameron. “And you may be heavy at a position, but I know John [Harbaugh] believes that, and Ozzie [Newsome] believes that we are going to keep our best players, and if you have a bunch of receivers that are your best players, that will dictate that. If you have receivers that aren’t, than you probably will not have a lot. I’m confident that we have a really good group of receivers on this offense. How many? We are probably going to have more than maybe we can keep, so we’ll see.”

Thompson may gain the edge over Streeter when it comes to his ability on special teams where he’s working in a number of areas. Though only listed as the fourth kick returner on the team’s most recent depth chart, Thompson has also worked as a gunner on the punt team and is learning multiple jobs on the special teams units.

It can only help his cause when the Ravens trim their roster to 53 on Aug. 31 for the regular season.

“He’s working at a variety of different positions,” special teams coordinator Jerry Rosburg said. “He’s one of those guys that we like to cross-train, and we have this expression: ‘The more you can do.’ So, for example, on kickoff coverage, he’s worked as an inside player, he’s worked as an outside player. And on punt return team, we’ve had him work at the end where he’s rushing punts. We’ve had him work at the vice, where he’s holding up gunners. And so, he’s got enough skill where he can play a variety of positions, so we’re trying to expose him to all those different opportunities.

“Depending on how the roster all works out, and depending on where the opening is, we can insert him there and see what he can do. So yes, his speed and his agility – and he’s a football player – you watch him play offense and you can see that, because he has the ability to get open. He’s got good hands, he’s got good spatial awareness and a football sense, and it shows up in special teams as well.”

Even if Thompson or Streeter — or neither — find their way onto the 53-man roster, both would be ideal candidates for the eight-man practice squad.

Whether they’d make it that far before being snatched up by any of the other 31 NFL teams, however, remains in doubt.