As the Ravens rookies reported to training camp Monday, all the attention was directed at the one who wasn't at McDaniel College.
Sergio Kindle was ruled out of training camp with a fractured skull, Ravens coach John Harbaugh announced. The Ravens' top pick in the 2010 draft, Kindle has some swelling but remains in stable condition at an Austin, Texas, hospital after falling down two flights of stairs Thursday night.
"I know one thing: we're going to be very careful with that," Harbaugh said. "We're talking about a head injury playing football. It's not something we're going to be in a hurry to mess with."
It's unknown when Kindle will return to playing football. He can't travel for three weeks because of the injury, and the Ravens will assess his status at that point. The season opener at the New York Jets is 48 days away.
Kindle was expected to make an immediate impact on the Ravens' pass rush, which recorded 32 sacks (tied for the second-fewest in team history). Young linebackers Antwan Barnes and Jameel McClain could benefit the most from Kindle's accident.
"If at some point in time he can come back and play, that would be a great bonus for us," Harbaugh said. "But he'll have a lot of catching up to do. The main thing right now is his health, him taking care of — along with his doctors — what he needs to, to make sure he's OK long term, and then we'll take the next step as it comes."
General manager Ozzie Newsome is talking to the NFL management council on how the Ravens should proceed in contract talks with Kindle, who is the only unsigned rookie on the team.
The Ravens have had an offer on the table to Kindle for a couple of weeks, but they probably will want to wait to see Kindle's health status before signing him to a multimillion-dollar deal.
"I'm sure he'll be signed," Harbaugh said. "He's a part of our football team. He's a Raven. He'll be here. But the timing of all that, we'll just have to work all that stuff out."
Harbaugh provided more details about the night Kindle got hurt, saying the second-round pick was at a "function" with friends and stayed overnight there.
"He got up in the middle of the night, took a wrong turn," Harbaugh said. "It was pitch black where he was at and couldn't see where he was going and fell down two flights of steps."
Some players didn't learn about Kindle's accident until they reported Monday. Most were shocked about the incident.
"It's crazy, and I hope he gets well soon," said defensive end Arthur Jones, a fifth-round pick. "It's tough when you get close to guys and bad things happen. But he's a strong kid. He'll be all right."
For a team receiving increased Super Bowl hype, the week leading up to training camp has been anything but smooth.
Besides Kindle's accident, safety Ed Reed publicly expressed his frustration about the team and backup cornerback Cary Williams got suspended for two games for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy.
Reed said the Ravens haven't provided the "support" that he needed after refusing to give him game film when he requested it a couple of weeks ago.
Harbaugh indicated he will meet with Reed to talk about what went wrong in getting game tape to the six-time Pro Bowl safety. Reed reported to training camp Monday evening.
The Ravens have a policy when dealing with tapes, which Harbaugh said they "handle with care."
"We try to control the information as soon as we can, but we send it out to our players," Harbaugh said. "There is a certain communication that goes on that obviously didn't go on very well this summer since Ed is upset about it. But when we get a chance to talk one-on-one, we'll get it worked out."
Harbaugh added, "Ed studies football, and if Ed needs tape, he'll have tape. That's very straightforward."
Reed is expected to start camp on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list after having hip surgery this offseason.
"I agree with Ed, he has fought through injuries as well as anybody in the NFL. I really respect that," Harbaugh said. "He will be playing for us as soon as he possibly can, and I believe it will be as early as he possibly can."
Harbaugh also addressed Williams' suspension for the first time, saying it won't hurt the reserve cornerback's chances of making the team.
Williams was disciplined over "a situation" involving his family in Tennessee while he was a member of the Titans, according to his agent Marc Lillibridge.
"Cary's still got to make our team and still has to prove that he can be a guy who can play corner in his league," Harbaugh said. "But we have high hopes for Cary. We think he's very talented. He's come a long way since what happened in Tennessee happened. He's got to put that behind him now."
The Ravens' rookies, quarterbacks and select veterans will take the McDaniel College fields for the first time Tuesday morning. The first full-team practice is Friday.
"Training camp is really when foundations are put under football teams," Harbaugh said. "We want to come out of this thing as strong as we possibly can, as healthy as we can and as good as we can. That's our goal — to be the best Ravens football team that we can be."
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