The first skirmish of camp

July 31, 2010 12:17 PM by Dan Kolko View Comments

Fights are inevitable in training camp.

Emotions are high, the temperature is as well, and guys are trying to get the attention of coaches with their intensity and physical play.

While you expect to see a few skirmishes from time to time, it was surprise when the first dust-up of camp involved rookie defensive tackle Arthur Jones and reserve offensive lineman Bryan Mattison.

Jones constantly (and I mean constantly) has a smile on his face, and Mattison, the son of defensive coordinator Greg Mattison, is one of the quieter and seemingly more unassuming players on the roster.

Halfway through this morning's practice, however, the two players got tangled up during a play. Jones knocked Mattison to the ground while trying to get to the quarterback, and the two got into a little showing match.

Players rushed in from all angles to break up the fight, and order was quickly restored.

"We're just competing, it's all in competition," Jones said of the altercation. "We talked afterwards and it's nothing serious. There's going to be a lot more fights in training camp. One thing about the Ravens, they say 'Learn how to be a bully.' That's a part of it, you know? Just competing."

Tom Zbikowski seemed to actually enjoy the skirmish, as the safety ran over to fullback Le'Ron McClain and jokingly jumped on his shoulders.

Jones said that he actually saw some upside to the incident.

"We're both fighting for jobs, and I think it kind of set the mood for practice," he said. "Practice was a little uplifted and guys were ready to hit after that.

"We've got a sign on the wall that says, 'Don't settle for being good, try to be great.' I'm just trying to be great and get better every day when I'm out here."