Feel as if I have to post this. Print from the Baltimore Sun newspaper. Here is another player from UGA that is turning heads. What happened at UGA with WM coaching Ellerbe? The Raven's have one of the most feared defenses in the NFL. What???
He has been so impressive that Pro Bowl outside linebacker Terrell Suggs doesn't call him by his name, but his jersey number. That's usually reserved for players like Suggs, and No. 52, Ray Lewis.
\"No. 48, right from the beginning, you could see that he had talent and came here to hit,\" Suggs said. \"He has been playing well. He has a good feel for the game, and he swarms to the ball. A lot of rookies come here but don't move well at first because they don't know where they're going. No. 48 never had that problem.\"
Ellerbe began training camp on the third team, but with starting inside linebacker Tavares Gooden in and out of the lineup with injuries, Ellerbe has split time on both the first and second teams.
When training camp opened at the end of July, Gooden was expected to challenge Jameel McClain for a starting inside position next to Lewis. Move over. Ellerbe is in the mix.
\"The fact is that he has been a standout player for us in training camp, and it's going to be a great battle,\" said Eric DeCosta, the Ravens' director of player personnel. \"We're working him with different personnel groups trying to get him acclimated with the system. He has all the physical ability in the world, and now we're all trying to put him in position to make plays.\"
Ellerbe, 6 feet 1, isn't a typical Ravens inside linebacker. The Ravens prefer their linebackers sleek so they can run and cover a lot of ground. Ellerbe is more of a thumper. In football terms, he's more of a downhill type who attacks the line of scrimmage.
\"He is very strong at the point of attack,\" DeCosta said. \"He has to shore some things up, obviously, but with his aggressiveness, demeanor, reckless style, violence and heavy hands, you have to believe that he could become a really good player in this league.\"
Right now, here's what you're thinking: If he was that good, then why wasn't he drafted?
Bingo, Buc, on the NASCAR TEAM comparison....and