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This morning's practice exemplified David Reed's training camp in a nutshell.
The rookie wide receiver displayed the hands and skill that he exhibited throughout offseason minicamps with a smooth touchdown grab late in practice, jumping for a Troy Smith pass in the corner of the end zone and tapping both feet in bounds for the score.
But Reed also had a couple drops, including one on a deep ball where he had two steps on his defender and could have coasted in for a touchdown.
Simply put, Reed has struggled with his consistency throughout camp. There have been a few practices where he's strung together a couple nice grabs, but for the most part, the fifth-round pick has been unable to hit his stride.
Despite Reed's up-and-down performance in Westminster, he's tried to stay positive as he fights for a spot on the Ravens' 53-man roster.
"I am starting to get comfortable and get used to it," Reed said. "It's starting to settle down a little bit for me. Everything's starting to get smoother and everything's coming together."
At this point, Reed acknowledges that consistency is "the biggest thing" that he needs to work on. He looked very sharp in OTAs, seemingly catching everything thrown his way, but he hasn't carried that play into camp.
The rookie is working hard to improve, staying after practice most days to catch extra passes off the JUGS machine or from one of the Ravens' backup quarterbacks.
"Just keep grinding and just get my confidence back and get my swagger back," Reed said. "I'm definitely getting better every day."
One of the guys Reed is competing with for a roster spot is Demetrius Williams, who has also had problems with consistency throughout his four-year career.
A fourth-round pick of the Ravens in 2006, Williams has the size and speed to be a quality NFL receiver, and at times, it's appeared like the Oregon product is ready to put it all together.
But injuries have been an issue for Williams, and even when healthy, he hasn't proven to be a reliable target in the Baltimore passing game.
Williams, who was given the low restricted free agent tender by the Ravens this offseason, knows that this might be his last shot to win a job in Baltimore.
"At this point, I want to concentrate first on making the team," Williams said. "Then, I want to figure out a way to get on the field and help the team. I just work as hard as possible and try to do everything I can to show the coaches what I can do. I can't sit there and dwell on whether I'm going to make it. If I do that, I won't play up to my abilities."
Williams has impressed so far in camp, drawing praise from head coach John Harbaugh and Cameron.
"He's always been a guy who flashes," Cameron said a couple days ago, "and now he's flashing pretty consistently."
But there have been times, like this morning, when Williams has reverted back to his inconsistent self. He, like Reed, had a few drops today, which prompted some groans from the fans watching practice.
Those are the moments that Williams knows he needs to cut down on if he's going to stick around through the final roster cuts.
"I've been in the league for four years, and I think it's time for me to get better," Williams said. "I bring my hard hat to work every day and I do my thing. Wherever the chips may fall, that's where they'll fall. It's time for me to prove myself."
