Opposing offensive linemen aren't the only ones who can't slow Ravens defensive tackle Kelly Gregg.
Gregg, who will turn 31 on Nov. 1 and is one of 13 Ravens 30 or older, has tried to defy some of the physical limitations that come with age by adding about 10 pounds of muscle to his 6-foot, 310-pound frame in preparation for the start of training camp Sunday.
"I'm stronger than I've been in about four or five years," Gregg said during the team's mandatory minicamp last month. "I really wasn't sore this offseason, so I got into the weight room. I'm 30 years old, and I'm pushing weight like I'm 25. I feel good about that, and I'm looking forward to the season."
Another factor is the sense of security Gregg gained this offseason when he agreed to a four-year contract extension worth about $20 million that could keep him with the Ravens through the 2011 season.
Gregg had been signed through 2008, but team officials decided to reward him for posting his third 100-tackle season in the past four years.
"It was the one thing that they didn't have to do," Gregg said. "I had a couple of years left on my deal, and I can't thank them enough. It's truly a first-class organization, and it's a good thing for the young guys to show them that if you work hard for the organization, they'll work hard for you."
Said coach Brian Billick: "He's always there and underrated from the standpoint that he doesn't get a lot of publicity. Not a lot of people talk about him. But if you check around the league and check with the coaches around the league, they'll tell you that Kelly Gregg's as good as there is in the middle."
Many of the Ravens and their fans thought so last year, when Gregg ranked fourth on the defense with 101 tackles and registered 3 1/2 sacks, three recovered fumbles and one forced fumble. Former Pittsburgh Steelers coach Bill Cowher singled out Gregg during both of his conference calls with the Baltimore media last season.
Despite those numbers, Gregg was left off the Pro Bowl team - an omission he said didn't perturb him then and doesn't bother him now.
"I never really care about individual stuff," he said. "The only thing that sticks out with me is the loss to Indianapolis [in the AFC playoffs]. You play this game to win and go to the Super Bowl. That's the only goal you should have. The individual stuff will come. If we had won the Super Bowl, I wouldn't have cared what anybody said."
Defensive line coach Clarence Brooks said he thinks Gregg has been overlooked because of a lack of flair to his game.
"He didn't come into the league with a big bang," Brooks said. "He was a low draft choice [sixth round in 1999 by the Cincinnati Bengals] and was released a couple of times and played in Europe. Rex [Ryan, Ravens defensive coordinator] got him here on the practice squad. He's had that kind of way to go.
"He's had to move around and survive, but at every step and every year, he's gotten better and better, and I think it's because of who he is. He's a very unassuming guy. If you saw him, you wouldn't say that he's flashy about anything that he does - except that he does play football very, very well at a high level."
Gregg said he hopes to maintain that level of performance in the coming years, joking he wants to prove wrong the saying that the NFL stands for Not For Long. And if that takes flying under the radar for the rest of his career, what's wrong with that?
"I've always been told that it's better to be underrated than overrated," he said. "When people start saying that you're overrated, that sort of makes you think. So I'd rather be underrated than overrated every time. I'll take that as a compliment."
edward.lee@baltsun.com