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Matt Birk made a habit last year of showing up to training camp practices even when he wasn't required to attend.
The Ravens' starting center continued that tradition today.
Birk was, according to my eyes at least, the only veteran who wasn't practicing or injured who chose to spend his morning on the practice fields at McDaniel College.
Instead of sleeping in or watching some TV in his hotel room, the 13-year veteran opted to watch practice and help out his teammates.
"I'm back in town and my family is back home," Birk said. "Just killing some time. Idle time is the devil's playground, you know? Gotta stay busy."
Birk spent the bulk of his time at practice mentoring rookie long snapper Morgan Cox, who will also get reps at center.
"We only have one rookie, but to get him out here a little bit early and get into the flow before the veterans and everybody show up, it's a good idea just to get an idea of the pace and the drills," Birk said.
"It helps everybody else, too, when the other guys come back. You take these couple days and teach him how we do things, and then he can hit the ground running."
