Ravens receiver Randy Hymes says that after a few warm-up tosses, he can throw a football 80 yards.
Not even strong-armed starting quarterback Jeff Blake can send a spiral that distance.
"Yeah, I'm a young buck, and he's old. Probably in his younger days, he could sling it 85 yards," Hymes said. "But I can still get it out there. It's still in me."
Outside of a trick play in Sunday's regular-season finale against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Ravens will need Hymes just to catch and run in what will probably be the second start of his rookie season.
Hymes, an undrafted quarterback last year at Grambling State, has moved his way up the receiver depth chart because of injury (Brandon Stokley), suspension (Javin Hunter) and ineffectiveness (Ron Johnson).
It is a story of inspiration for Hymes, desperation for the Ravens.
"It's a crazy story but a great story," receivers coach David Shaw said. "From a guy who lost one game as a starter playing quarterback in college to a starting NFL receiver, Randy has come a long way. When he first got here, we had to start from the very beginning because he played only one game at receiver in college. We started with stance, how to start, where to put your hands, how to get a release, how to control your body weight."
In other words, the basics. What the Ravens did not have to teach Hymes is what comes naturally to a 6-foot-3, 211-pound former basketball player.
Hymes' leaping ability got him noticed early in training camp, (he caught a Hail Mary on the final play of an intrasquad scrimmage) and the team signed him to the practice squad before the start of the season. He was promoted to the active roster on Nov. 14, received extensive playing time at Houston (Dec. 15) and now looks to pattern his game after some of the taller receivers in the league, including one that has given the Ravens fits, Pittsburgh's Plaxico Burress.
"I've been watching him since he was at Michigan State," Hymes said. "I knew I could be one of those receivers, like Plaxico, David Boston, Terrell Owens, using my size as a big advantage.
"Teams are looking for a receiver my size, my height. I knew the only way to play was to get stronger, better and work on my technique."
In his first start against Cleveland on Sunday, Hymes caught three passes for 36 yards, two of them for first downs. Of his four catches this season, three have been for first downs and the other came on a third-and-12 early in the fourth quarter, a yard short of the first down.
Several Ravens receivers have had trouble holding onto passes this season, but not Hymes.
"He's had great hands since the beginning," Shaw said.
Hymes epitomizes a raw talent and likely would not have made it off the practice squad of any other NFL team this year, but with the Ravens' commitment to younger players, he may have made a niche for himself heading into training camp next season.
"Think about if we would have signed an Antonio Freeman when that opportunity came available and what he might have meant to this team and the difference it might have made this year," Ravens coach Brian Billick said. "It's kind of intriguing, but we committed on a course across the board to develop what we have, and hopefully, we have something in a Randy Hymes that we would have not otherwise found.
"You see the athleticism, but it's out at practice. He's making catches all over the place in practice. So you wonder if he can do that in a game. We found out, yeah, he can do that in a game."
Besides making catches during practice, Hymes has also lined up with the quarterbacks and heaved balls downfield afterward.
"I thought maybe I'd get a chance to play quarterback in the league, but if receiver is the spot for me, then that's where I'm going to play," he said.
"But I would have never thought I would be a starting receiver opposite Travis Taylor, a guy I saw at Florida. It goes to show, when you work hard, good things happen for you."
NOTES: The Ravens moved yesterday's practice to the McDonogh School because of the snow. "This time of year, particularly on Christmas Day, it's not much more than a walk-through anyway, but it's a good initial start getting ready for the Steelers," Billick said. ... Cornerback Tom Knight (thigh), Sam Gash (leg) and Chris Redman (back) are questionable for Sunday's game. Hymes (thigh) and Adalius Thomas (thigh) are probable.