Oniel Cousins has endured sprains and tears of varying degrees. But the 6-foot-4, 315-pound offensive tackle was not prepared when he began experiencing problems with his throat last month.
Soon after, doctors discovered a cyst attached to Cousins' esophagus, and the subsequent operation to remove the cyst is the primary reason the third-year pro began Ravens training camp on the physically-unable-to-perform list Tuesday.
Cousins' troubles began innocently enough.
"It started out as a little strep throat, and that got better," he recalled. "But then I started feeling pain in my chest, and I had a hard time swallowing food. Everything would come back up. That's when we found out that I had a cyst down there."
Cousins said that before the diagnosis, he was genuinely concerned.
"It was definitely scary," he said. "I didn't know what it was exactly, and I was thinking it might be a tumor or cancer. Thank God, it was just a cyst and something that they could remove. It made me look at life in a different way. I'm going to value and appreciate every day of my life."
Doctors made an incision in the right side of Cousins' chest to remove the cyst. Cousins said he has not experienced a recurrence, but he said the side of his chest is still tender, making it difficult for him to twist.
"As a football player, your mentality is to get out there," Cousins said. "I've always wanted to be out there without hurting the team and improve myself as a player. But I had surgery and that's something I can't control. I want to make sure that I'm 100percent before I go out there. But I'm improving every day, and I'm getting better."
Other PUP news
In addition to Cousins, the Ravens placed nine players on the PUP list. They are cornerbacks Fabian Washington (torn anterior cruciate ligament in left knee), Lardarius Webb (torn right anterior cruciate ligament), Walt Harris (failed conditioning test) and rookie Prince Miller (unspecified reason); free safety Ed Reed (hip surgery); linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo (torn tendon in left quadriceps); rookie defensive tackle Terrence Cody (failed conditioning test); running back Matt Lawrence (knee); and wide receiver Rodelin Anthony (knee).
The inability of Cody and Harris to pass the running portion of the conditioning tests raised eyebrows. Cody, a second-round pick who is listed at 349 pounds, battled weight issues throughout his college career. Harris, who joined the Ravens late in the offseason, is trying to rebound from a torn right anterior cruciate ligament that forced him to miss last season.
Ravens coach John Harbaugh said he wasn't surprised.
"Part of our process is everybody has got to pass the conditioning test to be sure they're ready to compete," Harbaugh said. "It's going to be hot out here. Our practices are fast. We want to make sure our guys are physically ready to practice at the pace we practice at. When he passes the conditioning test, he'll practice."
Ngata 'feeling fantastic'
Defensive tackle Haloti Ngata worked out Tuesday morning with the quarterbacks, rookies and certain injured veterans. Ngata suffered a torn pectoral muscle last season and had surgery during the offseason.
He says he will be ready for the preseason opener.
"I'm feeling fantastic," Ngata said. "The surgery I had lasted about an hour, and it went well. I have healed pretty fast and started lifting about 21/2 months ago. I feel good right now. I'm a little stiff and sore, but that's more about getting into football shape. I'm working on things like my range of muscle, and definitely building that muscle."
Ngata wants to stay away from arm-tackling.
"I'm going to try to help myself by getting in front of the runner, none of those wide-arm tackles," Ngata said. "I'll definitely be ready for that first game."
Riley is first on field
The first Raven to hit the field Tuesday morning was second-year wide receiver Eron Riley.
"I'm trying to get out here early, get an early start on things, and get my hands warm," he said. "That's one thing I try to do with getting a few extra catches."
Riley said that being the first player on the field is more for personal benefit than to impress the coaches.
"I don't really do it for [the coaches] to notice, I do it more for myself to get prepared," he said.
Riley pointed out that he was not working on any specific area of his game, but on improving every aspect of his play.
Phillips 'looking ahead'
Looking back now, second-year linebacker Jason Phillips thinks that missing all of his rookie season with a knee injury could be seen as a blessing. But it didn't feel that way when he was watching from the sideline last year.
"I look at it as a blessing now that it's over," Phillips said of his rookie season spent on injured reserve. "I hated it while I was going through it, but now that it's over, I feel good that I had a year to learn the system."
Phillips arrived at camp with a better knowledge of the defensive system than last season and thinks he can use that to his advantage.
"I learned how to play the game a little smarter" last season, Phillips said. "Everybody out here is a great athlete, but you can set yourself apart by really knowing the defense."
A four-year starter for Texas Christian, Phillips is the only player in Mountain West Conference history to earn All-Conference honors in four consecutive seasons.
"I only missed one game in college, and that was because of a slightly pulled muscle," Phillips said. "Sitting out last year was tough, but that's over now and I'm looking ahead."
End zone
Although he was not required to report to training camp until Thursday, center Matt Birk attended Tuesday's session and watched while standing on the practice field in a T-shirt and shorts. "I'm back in town and had nothing else to do," Birk said. "My family's back home [in Minnesota]. ÃÂÃÂ Kill some time. Idle time is the devil's playground. Got to stay busy." ÃÂÃÂ In addition to an "arm and hammer" patch to signify offseason participation, the players' jerseys sport patches from the Maryland National Guard, which is sponsoring the team. Patches for each of the 81 jerseys were sewn on by the wife of equipment manager Ed Carroll. ÃÂÃÂ The Ravens announced that 985fans attended Tuesday's morning practice.
Baltimore Sun reporters Jamison Hensley and Mike Preston contributed to this article.