Anticipation gives birth to reality when professional football -- in the form of the Canadian Football League -- returns to Baltimore this morning after a 10-year hiatus.
Christened the CFL Colts after the NFL team they're replacing, the expansion team leaps off the drawing board with a 9 a.m. practice at Towson State.
The five-week training camp begins with high expectations and lofty goals. The team's personality -- and its reputation -- will come later.
"We're going to have an attitude, we're going to play with an attitude," said Don Matthews, the coach. "We're going to expect to win. And I'm going to surround myself with people who believe in that and work toward that end."
Approximately 90 players, minus a dozen CFL veterans due to report June 10, will participate in Baltimore's first pro football training camp since 1983. It is the first pro football camp at Towson since 1973, when Howard Schnellenberger was a rookie coach and Bert Jones a rookie quarterback.
To help mark the occasion, these Colts have invited Hall of Famer John Unitas for "ribbon-cutting" ceremonies.
Then, finally, Baltimore will get a glimpse of this work in progress. Ninety-nine days after Jim Speros formally was
granted an expansion franchise, Matthews' blueprint for success will hit the field.
The Colts wanted a mobile quarterback who could create big plays out of sheer chaos. They got the man Matthews wanted most: Tracy Ham, 30, a seven-year CFL veteran and the team's marquee player.
They wanted some dominating defensive players who can rush the passer. They got two of the best in nose tackle Jearld Baylis, the CFL's defensive player of the year in 1993, and pass rusher O. J. Brigance, who had 20 sacks a year ago for the British Columbia Lions.
They wanted running backs who were as skilled catching the ball as lugging it into the line. They got some intriguing possibilities in Sheldon Canley, who spent a year on the San Francisco 49ers' active roster, and Peter Tuipulotu, who spent two seasons with the San Diego Chargers. They'll even attempt to recycle former Super Bowl hero Tim Smith.
They wanted experience in the secondary, where defenders must cope with unlimited motion and scrambling quarterbacks. They signed two free agents from the Calgary Stampeders, Karl Anthony and Ken Watson, and traded for Enis Jackson of the Toronto Argonauts. Those three combine for 14 years of CFL experience.
It's even better than Matthews thought it would be.
"I said in the beginning the key to our success was to get experienced [CFL] players in the free-agent market," he said. "We have been even more successful than I had hoped.
"I anticipate being competitive the very first regular-season game. I do not want, or expect, to have any growing pains. . . . We've got enough veterans to demand success immediately."
If experience holds up through two-a-days, the Colts could have as many as 15 players with extensive CFL resumes. For that reason, they should have no trouble exceeding the expansion record of 6-12 by the Sacramento Gold Miners in 1993.
"When you look realistically, I don't look at us as an expansion team at all," said Jim Popp, Colts director of player personnel. "That shouldn't be an excuse if we're not winning. It's a question of how long before the guys are playing together. I think it will happen here a lot faster than most places because of Don."
Matthews' track record says he will win early and often. He is the sixth-winningest coach in CFL history, with a 96-59-1 record. He never has had a losing record when he's been with a team the full season. In 17 CFL seasons, he's been to the Grey Cup eight times -- six straight as defensive coordinator with the Edmonton Eskimos and twice as head coach of the B.C. Lions.
His track record also suggests how Matthews' teams will win: with defense -- in a league known for explosive offense.
"I'm going to build a successful team with defense first," said Matthews, 54. "When we decided where to spend our money . . . the focus was on defense.
"Don't misunderstand that this will be a defensive team and there will be 10-8 ballgames. It's not. It's a CFL game where you try to get the ball back for the offense as much as possible, so we have more opportunities to score. That's going to be the name of the game."
On offense, the burden of scoring will fall to Ham, who was the CFL's most outstanding quarterback in 1989 for Edmonton and twice has rushed for more than 1,000 yards.
"The No. 1 choice on my hit parade was Tracy Ham," Matthews said. "The reason was that when all the structured offense falls down -- because of great defense or guys missing a block -- Tracy has the ability to make a successful play on his own with his athletic ability. My philosophy is get the ball back for the offense. That's what we've done in assembling this football team."
The bonus was getting three experienced CFL receivers. Joe Howard-Johnson, a former Redskin, came in a trade with Sacramento. Signed as free agents were B. K. Williams, who played for Matthews with the Saskatchewan Roughriders last season, and Shawn Beals, who last played for Calgary in 1992. Their presence, Matthews said, will help escalate the development of the young, inexperienced receivers.
Matthews says he expects to make the playoffs in the Eastern Division (four of six teams advance in each division), and hopes to play at least one postseason game at Memorial Stadium. The Grey Cup also is in his sights.
"That will be our goal, absolutely," he said. "And everything we do will be geared to that. That will be in the type of players we choose and the type attitude they have, the ability to make plays. It's all geared to that."
NOTE: The Colts signed 6-foot-7, 310-pound offensive tackle Jeff Sniffen of West Virginia. Sniffen participated in the team's open workout at Johns Hopkins University in March. He'll replace guard Jeb Flesch of Clemson, who signed but isn't expected to come to camp.
CFL COLTS TRAINING CAMP ROSTER
OFFENSE
Quarterbacks
No. .. ..Name .. .. .. .. ..Ht. .. .Wt. .. ....College
8 .. ..Tracy Ham .. .. .. .5-11 ...195 .. .. ..Georgia Southern
15 .. .John Congemi .. .. .5-11 ...190 .. .. ..Pittsburgh
4 .. ..Bobby Goodman .. ...5-11 ...210 .. .. ..Virginia
9 .. ..Mike Pawlawski .. ...6-2 ...204 .. .. ..California
10 .. .Shawn Jones .. .. ...6-1 ...195 .. .. ..Georgia Tech
Wide receivers
5 .. ..Shannon Culver .. ..5-10 ...160 .. .. ..Oklahoma State
14 .. .Marcus Goodwin .. ...5-8 ...160 .. .. ..Toledo
12 .. .Tony Harris .. .. ...6-3 .. 190 .. .. ..N. Carolina Central
84 .. .Robert Henry .. .. ..6-3 ...195 .. .. ..Florida State
1 ... .Joe Howard-Johnson ..5-8 ...170 .. .. ..Notre Dame
7 .. ..David Keaton .. .. .5-11 ...180 .. .. ..Glenville State
83 .. .Shawn Narcisse .. ...5-9 ...175 .. .. ..Prairie View
16 .. .Reggie Perry .. .. ..6-3 ...205 .. .. ..Southern Cal
17 .. .Joe Washington .. ...6-3 ...200 .. .. ..Tuskegee
Slot backs
86 .. .Marcus Badgett .. ...6-0 ...185 .. .. ..Maryland
85 .. .Shawn Beals .. .. ..5-10 ...180 .. .. ..Idaho State
11 .. .Clayton Driver .. ...6-0 ...200 .. .. ..East Carolina
81 .. .Scotty Dykes .. .. ..6-1 ...175 .. .. ..E. Tennessee State
18 .. .Jimmy Guarantano ...5-10 ...175 .. .. ..Rutgers
80 .. .Andrew Hill .. .. ...6-5 ...210 .. .. ..Indiana, Pa.
87 .. .Michael Palomino .. .6-3 ...230 .. .. ..Portland State
2 .. ..Jerry Ursin .. .. ...6-2 ...210 .. .. ..Tulane
88 .. .B. K. Williams .. ...6-3 ...180 .. .. ..Texas-Arlington
Running backs
25 .. .Anthony Barbour .. ..5-8 ...180 .. .. ..N.C. State
20 .. .Sheldon Canley .. ...5-9 ...200 .. .. ..San Jose State
22 .. .Victor Pegram .. .. .5-7 ...190 .. .. ..Prairie View
36 .. .Tim Smith .. .. .. .5-11 ...210 .. .. ..Texas Tech
27 .. .Kelly Yancy .. ... ..6-0 ...200 .. .. ..Morningside
Fullbacks
13 .. .Sean Doctor .. .. ...6-1 ...235 .. .. ..Marshall
31 .. .Jamal Farmer .. .. .5-11 ...225 .. .. ..Hawaii
34 .. .Everette Sands .. ..5-10 ...215 .. .. ..Citadel
32 .. .Peter Tuipuluto .. .5-11 ...215 .. .. ..Brigham Young
28 .. .Chuck Weatherspoon ..5-8 ...220 .. .. ..Houston
Centers-guards
61 .. .Jeb Flesch .. .. .. .6-3 ...280 .. .. ..Clemson
60 .. ..Eric Harmon (c) .. .6-3 ...290 .. .. ..Clemson
66 .. ..Jarrod Johnson (c) .6-1 ...280 .. .. ..Lehigh
64 .. ..Dietrich Lockridge .6-3 ...290 .. .. ..Jackson State
51 .. ..Terry Long .. .. ...6-0 ...280 .. .. ..East Carolina
80 .. ..Scott Miller .. .. .6-4 ...285 .. ... .Rutgers
69 .. ..Jerry Sharp .. .. ..6-3 ...290 .. .. ..Syracuse
65 .. ..Jason Youngblood ...6-3 ...275 .. .. ..Houston
Tackles
49 .. ..Keith Ballard .. ...6-4 ...300 .. .. ..Minnesota
62 .. ..Donte Campbell .. ..6-3 ...295 .. .. ..Morehouse
47 .. ..Neal Fort .. .. .. .6-7 ...310 .. .. ..Brigham Young
67 .. ..Diego London .. .. .6-2 ...310 .. .. ..Miami
59 .. ..Karl Nieberlein .. .6-5 ...280 .. .. ..Towson State
48 .. ..Andrew Oberg .. .. .6-7 ...295 .. .. ..North Carolina
63 .. ..Ray Porter .. .. ...6-4 ...285 .. .. ..Arkansas-Pine Bluff
68 .. ..Shahriar Pourdanesh 6-8 ...290 .. .. ..Nevada
NA .. ..Jeff Sniffen .. .. .6-7 ...310 .. .. ..West Virginia
DEFENSE
Tackles
98 .. ..Jearld Baylis .. ...6-0 ...280 .. .. ..Southern Mississippi
92 .. ..Rick Dolly .. .. ...6-3 ...280 .. .. ..West Virginia
96 .. ..Tom Fuhler .. .. ...6-4 ...280 .. .. ..Tennessee
95 .. ..Randy Hart .. .. ...6-5 ...290 .. .. ..Auburn
72 .. ..Robert Presbury .. .6-3 ...285 .. .. ..Delaware State
76 .. ..Derek Steele .. .. .6-4 ...265 .. .. ..Maryland
90 .. ..Aaron Tallman .. ...6-3 ...260 .. .. ..Tulsa
Ends
3 .. ...Lorenza Baker .. ..5-11 ...210 .. .. ..Louisiana Tech
57 .. ..O. J. Brigance .. ..6-0 ...220 .. .. ..Rice
53 .. ..Ivan Caesar .. .. ..6-2 ...240 .. .. ..Boston College
52 .. ..Cornell Collier .. .6-2 ...230 .. .. ..California
50 .. ..Otis Nealy .. .. ...6-0 ...225 .. .. ..Texas A&M;
97 .. ..Greg Patrick .. .. .6-1 ...220 .. .. ..Brown
93 .. ..Erik Ringeon .. .. .6-3 ...235 .. .. ..Delaware
91 .. ..David Webb .. .. ...6-4 ...240 .. .. ..Southern Cal
Outside linebackers
94 .. ..Jesse Becton .. .. .6-0 ...200 .. .. ..New Mexico
55 .. ..Malcolm Goodwin .. .6-2 ...235 .. .. ..Iowa State
7 .. ...Tracey Gravely .. ..6-3 ...215 .. .. ..Concord
7 .. ...Eric Hickerson .. ..6-3 ...220 .. .. ..Indiana
5 .. ...William King .. .. .5-9 ...210 .. .. ..Marshall
14 .. ..Jim Paddock .. .. ..6-0 ...210 .. .. ..Lindenwood
56 .. ..Felix Parham .. .. .6-2 ...220 .. .. ..Tennessee Tech
36 .. ..Andre Vaughn .. .. .6-2 ...200 .. .. ..Maryland
4 .. ...Alvin Walton .. .. .6-0 ...220 .. .. ..Kansas
Middle linebackers
38 .. ..Ken Benson .. .. ...6-2 ...220 .. .. ..Arkansas
54 .. ..Melendez Byrd .. ...6-1 ...225 .. .. ..Virginia Tech
99 .. ..Earnest Fields .. .5-11 ...240 .. .. ..Tennessee
Cornerbacks
18 .. ..Karl Anthony .. .. .5-9 ...175 .. .. ..SW Missouri State
23 .. ..Norris Brown .. ...5-11 ...195 .. .. ..Clemson
2 .. ...Carlton Buckles .. .5-9 ...175 .. .. ..LSU
22 .. ..Mark Campbell .. ..5-10 ...180 .. .. ..E. New Mexico
39 .. ..Reggie Robinson ...5-11 ...175 .. .. ..Taft
37 .. ..Kwame Smith .. .. ..5-9 ...180 .. .. ..West Virginia
6 .. ...Tony Tellington .. .5-9 ...175 .. .. ..Youngstown
30 .. ..Wayne Williams .. ..5-9 ...180 .. .. ..LSU
Halfbacks
25 .. ..Paul Davis .. .. ..5-10 ...180 .. .. ..Western Michigan
27 .. ..Matt Goodwin .. .. .6-2 ...205 .. .. ..Iowa State
31 .. ..Casey Greer .. .. ..6-0 ...200 .. .. ..Miami
29 .. ..Enis Jackson .. .. .5-9 ...175 .. .. ..Memphis
28 .. ..C. J. Masters .. ...6-0 ...210 .. .. ..Kansas State
35 .. ..Horace Smith .. ...5-11 ...180 .. .. ..Oregon Tech
26 .. ..James Smith .. .. ..6-2 ...210 .. .. ..Richmond
33 .. ..Ken Watson .. .. ...6-2 ...200 .. .. ..Livingston
Free safeties
17 .. ..Michael Brooks .. ..6-2 ...190 .. .. ..N.C. State
11 .. ..James Harbison .. ..6-0 ...180 .. .. ..Gardner-Webb
21 .. ..Irvin Smith .. .. .5-10 ...180 .. .. ..Maryland
10 .. ..Jerry Woods .. .. .5-10 ...195 .. ... .Northern Michigan
Punters
41 .. ..Kirk Maggio .. .. ..6-0 ...170 .. .. ..UCLA
44 .. ..Steve Pinkerton .. .6-2 ...205 .. .. ..Lindenwood
43 .. ..Robert Sims .. .. ..6-1 ...210 .. .. ..Penn
42 .. ..Jackie Smith .. .. .6-2 ...212 .. .. ..Clark-Atlanta
Kickers
46 .. ..Ian Howfield .. .. .6-2 ...215 .. .. ..Tennessee
45 .. ..Donald Igwebuike ...5-9 ...185 .. .. ..Clemson
44 .. ..Steve Pinkerton .. .6-2 ...205 .. .. ..Lindenwood
ROSTER AT A GLANCE
OFFENSE
Quarterbacks: Tracy Ham, the unquestioned starter, supplies experience and leadership. John Congemi is an experienced backup. The other three are in the learning mode. Colts will keep two QBs on active roster, one on practice squad.
Wide receivers: Joe Howard-Johnson, a former Redskin, played seven games with Sacramento last season, and Marcus Goodwin was on Winnipeg's practice squad. Robert Henry and David Keaton, both timed in the 4.3s, are burners, but inexperienced.
Slot backs: B. K. Williams, 33, played with the Giants from 1983-85 and is on his fourth team under Don Matthews. Shawn Beals, last in Calgary, is another proven CFL receiver. Marcus Badgett's experience in Maryland's run-and-shoot should help.
Running backs: Tim Smith is the most recognizable name, but Sheldon Canley has the advantage of having been with teams that like to throw to their backs. Receiving is the priority here. Victor Pegram is the brother of Falcons RB Erric Pegram.
Fullbacks: Peter Tuipuluto spent two years with the Chargers, mostly on special teams, and Sean Doctor was a special teamer with the Bills. Chuck Weatherspoon played for a CFL-like offense in college at Houston.
Centers-guards: With eight years in the NFL, Terry Long should anchor the line. Jason Youngblood comes out of a pass-happy system, and Scott Miller will try to make it playing two ways.
Tackles: Lacking CFL experience, the Colts went after players from schools that throw the ball a lot. Diego London, Neal Fort and Shahriar Pourdanesh fit the bill.
DEFENSE
Tackles: Jearld Baylis, the CFL's most outstanding defensive player last year, is a lock for one job. Randy Hart is fresh off Auburn's undefeated team, Robert Presbury played for coach Don Matthews in the World League and Tom Fuhler spent two years (practice squad, IR) with the Redskins. A very strong position.
Ends: O. J. Brigance, who had 20 sacks for the B. C. Lions last year, was a key pickup. Lorenza Baker, Greg Patrick and Erik Ringeon have CFL experience, and Ivan Caesar spent two years with the Vikings.
Outside linebackers: Speed is the key. Tracey Gravely has CFL experience, and William King is a smaller version of Brigance. Andre Vaughn had been slated at safety, but will try linebacker instead. Alvin Walton, a former Redskin, comes in some 30 pounds over his NFL playing weight.
Middle linebackers: Ken Benson led the CFL in tackles lasseason. Earnest Fields had more than 400 tackles at Tennessee, and Melendez Byrd is adept at pass coverage.
Cornerbacks: Karl Anthony, a polished CFL veteran, likely will play left corner. The rest will vie on the right side. Kwame Smith is among the fastest DBs on the team.
Halfbacks: Toughest position on defense, necessitating experience. Ken Watson and Enis Jackson are CFL vets. Matt Goodwin was a sprint champ in college.
Free safeties: The position calls for speed, aggressiveness and intelligence. Irvin Smith appears a good match.
Punters: Kirk Maggio and Jackie Smith, both former QBs, can throw the ball. Steve Pinkerton has the advantage of being a two-step punter who also place-kicks.
Kickers: Ian Howfield and Donald Igwebuike kicked in the NFL and will try to resuscitate their careers.
CFL COLTS CAMP
Where: Towson State practice fields behind the Towson Center.
When: 9 a.m.-noon and 4 p.m.-7 p.m. Practices are open to the public.