Ravens Pro Bowl guard Marshal Yanda back to full strength

By Aaron Wilson The Baltimore Sun
June 24, 2014

A year ago, veteran guard Marshal Yanda was dealing with scar tissue and a grueling rehabilitation after undergoing rotator cuff surgery five days after the Ravens' Super Bowl XLVII victory over the San Francisco 49ers.

Now, the Ravens' three-time Pro Bowl blocker is healthy after starting every game last season. Unlike last year, Yanda had the entire offseason to lift weights and strengthen his shoulder heading into this season.

“Injuries are part of the NFL," Yanda said last week during the final day of the Ravens' mandatory minicamp. "They’re just a part of it. So, you take it one day at a time, and you definitely do as best you can that day.

"Last year at this time I wasn’t even lifting yet, and this year now I’ve been lifting for a long time and feeling good. You can’t change that, so you just take it one day at a time. You approach it as a pro and you get after it.”

Yanda, 28, is entering his eighth NFL season and has two years remaining on his five-year, $32 million contract with $5.5 million base salaries due this year and in 2015.

The gritty Iowa native was named to the NFL Network top 100 players list for the first time, ranked 55th overall in voting by NFL players.

Yanda's toughness is legendary.

Yanda grew up on a farm in Iowa, rising at dawn to perform back-breaking chores. He once won a cash bet as a rookie when he allowed cornerback Samari Rolle to repeatedly jolt him with a Taser.

Yanda started and finished a key AFC North game two seasons ago against the Cincinnati Bengals days after undergoing a painful leg surgery. The Ravens won the division title that day with Yanda in the lineup.

"Marshal is your typical Iowa lineman, a really tough kid with his technique down to a science," former Chicago Bears director of college scouting Greg Gabriel told The Baltimore Sun last year. "He's got that farm-boy strength, and you could run a clinic by watching his technique. He's considered an overachiever because he's undersized, but he's as good at what he does as anyone in the league."

Yanda is upbeat about the Ravens' opportunity to improve with the hiring of offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak and the installation of his zone-blocking scheme. The Ravens finished 30th in total offense last season, 29th in rushing offense and allowed 48 sacks.

"I think it could be really good," Yanda said of the running game. "We’re all excited; we all like running the zone scheme and know that Gary [Kubiak] is going to do that, and we’re just excited. We all love running the ball.

"We understand that we’ve got to pass the ball as well, but as offensive linemen, you always love to run the ball, and we’re excited to do that. We understand we’re going to have to pass the ball a bunch as well to win, too, so it’s exciting.”

The Ravens have revamped their offensive line, adding a new starting center after trading for Jeremy Zuttah to replace Gino Gradkowski. Rick Wagner is running with the first-team offense at right tackle following Michael Oher's departure in free agency. Kelechi Osemele returns at left guard after undergoing season-ending back surgery last November. And the Ravens retained left tackle Eugene Monroe with a $37.5 million contract.

Yanda has been the constant presence for the past seven years with 88 starts in 99 career games.

Yanda said he'll judge the progress of the offensive line more when training camp starts in July. The first full-team practice is scheduled for July 24.

“Obviously the pads aren’t on [now], so it’s going to be a whole different element with the pads and just getting the timing down with the pads and stacking days at that point and building a football team," Yanda said. "It starts in the offseason, and it definitely starts come training camp on who we’re going to be and what we’re going to be about.”

New York Giants’ Markus Kuhn Quietly Made Big Impression During Offseason Workouts

June 21, 2014
By Dan Benton


When Linval Joseph left and signed with the Minnesota Vikings early on in free agency, the common belief was that 2013 second-round pick, Johnathan Hankins, would immediately step in and take over at defensive tackle for the New York Giants. And although he's had an impressive Spring, it's not a sure bet to pencil him in alongside Cullen Jenkins just yet.

Despite Hankins flashing more often than not, he's been met step-for-step this Spring by a forgotten man: 2012 seventh-round pick Markus Kuhn.

Kuhn, who tore his ACL in Week 10 of his rookie season and missed much of the 2013 season recovering, arrived for offseason workouts in tremendous shape and with a warrior's mentality. And his relentless work ethic, which has been soundly praised by Tom Coughlin since the defensive tackle arrived as a rookie, has helped draw the attention of the decision-makers.

"I’ve been extremely impressed with Johnathan Hankins. Markus Kuhn came back from the injury last year and played just a little bit last year. I’ve been extremely impressed with both of those guys," defensive coordinator Perry Fewell said. "They have, technique-wise, accomplished a lot in phase one, phase two and phase three of the offseason program and then just their knowledge of the game, I think they’ve done a really, really nice job."

With the exception of one day earlier this week when he had to leave the field due to a heat-related issue, Kuhn has been a persistent presence in the middle of the defensive line — and Perry Fewell wasn't the only one to take notice.

"He had an outstanding offseason, really outstanding practices. He and Hankins, they’ll definitely get more reps in training camp than Mike P and Cullen if everything goes as planned," defensive line coach Robert Nunn said. "He showed up every day. When we go out there and go in team situations Markus was, there wasn’t a day that went by that we didn’t call his name out in a positive manner."

Regardless of who wins the starting job, this sort of competition and improvement in their play can only serve to help the Giants moving forward. If they're able to activate four quality defensive tackles on gameday to go along with health at defensive end, that immediately gives Big Blue a tremendous advantage.

Clark makes his retirement official

Livermore native, TRV graduate ends NFL career

June 18, 2014

By The Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS - Dallas Clark never took his eyes off the screen as a video tribute played highlights from his time in Indianapolis.

The standout tight end retired from the NFL after 11 seasons Wednesday and when he stepped to the podium at the team's practice facility, he could hardly keep his composure.

"Obviously you should have showed the video afterward," Clark said after taking a long pause to gather himself. "My wife told me to keep it lighthearted. I just don't know how to do that because this place and these fans and everyone here mean so much to me."

Tight end Dallas Clark played 11 seasons in the NFL, including nine with the Indianapolis Colts.

The Livermore native and Twin River Valley graduate retired as a member of the Colts, the team that drafted him in the first round in 2003. It's the place where he won a Super Bowl with Peyton Manning in 2006 and spent the first nine years of his career.

The former Iowa Hawkeye All-American played for Baltimore last season and for Tampa Bay in 2012. He was released by the Colts in 2011 after the team finished 2-14 and missed the playoffs for the first time in 10 years.

Clark signed with Indy just long enough to announce his retirement, though Colts owner Jim Irsay wisecracked that there was no signing bonus this time.

Fact Box

DALLAS CLARK: THROUGH THE YEARS

1997: Graduated from Twin River Valley High School.

1998: Redshirted at the University of Iowa after joining team as a walk-on.

2000: Earned Hawkeye Coaches Appreciation Award for special teams.

2001: Honorable mention all-Big Ten by league coaches and media.

2002: Started all 13 games at tight end. First-team all-Big Ten pick. Unanimous All-American. Had a 95-yard touchdown reception against Purdue, the longest pass play in Kinnick Stadium history and the second longest pass play ever for Iowa. Winner of John Mackey Award as nation's best tight end. Walter Camp Foundation first-team All-American.

2003: Drafted 24th overall in the first round by the Indianapolis Colts. Had one catch for 18 yards in his NFL debut against the Cleveland Browns. Football Digest NFL all-rookie team.

2006: Caught 21 passes for 317 yards in three playoff games, helping the Colts to their first Super Bowl berth - a 29-17 victory over the Chicago Bears - since moving to Indianapolis.

2007: Shattered John Mackey's Colts' tight end record for receptions (58) in a season.

2008: Broke the single-season franchise mark for yards receiving (848) by a tight end.

2009: Posted 100 catches for 1,106 yards and 10 touchdowns in leading Colts to another Super Bowl appearance. Pro Bowl selection.

Also: Clark ranks No. 1 in club history with 427 receptions and 46 touchdowns, and No. 2 with 4,887 yards and seven 100-yard games during the regular season.

Clark closed his career with 505 receptions, 5,665 yards and 53 touchdowns in 143 games. Just fifth tight end in NFL history with at least 500 receptions, 5,000 yards and 50 TDs, joining Tony Gonzalez, Antonio Gates, Jason Witten and Shannon Sharpe.

Clark ranks No. 6 in league history in TD catches, tied for No. 8 in receptions and No. 15 in yards.

Clark amassed 64 receptions for 847 yards in 13 playoff games, both NFL records for a tight end.

"There's a lot more meaning behind it than numbers," he said. "It's really a great moment when you have a chance to have somebody come back to town."

Clark is Indy's all-time leader in tight end touchdown catches (46) and receptions (427). He finished second in yards receiving (4,887) and 100-yard games (seven). Clark set single season records with the Colts with 100 receptions and 1,106 yards in the 2009 season. In 2007, he had 11 TD catches.

The Colts won at least 12 games for seven consecutive seasons and made eight straight playoff appearances leading up to Clark's final season in Indy, before his release and the release of other veterans, including Manning.

"You can't write this, you can't make this up," Clark said as he thanked everyone from team doctors and equipment staff, to former Colts coach Tony Dungy and former team President Bill Polian, who drafted him with Indy's first-round pick in 2003.

"Nothing but love," he said to a crowd that included Reggie Wayne, Robert Mathis and Adam Vinatieri. "For us to go do what we do, there's so many people. I'm not going to stand here and think I did it myself because that would be a boldface lie."

Wayne was drafted by Indy in 2001 and played alongside Clark each year he was with the Colts.

"From day one, he came in with a mission and focused in on it and he locked in on it and within that first year, he came in and made some plays and I knew he was going to be major, major contributor to this offense," Wayne said. "He was that last piece of the puzzle and without Dallas, I don't think we win as many games as we did."

Clark got emotional when thanking the teammates he's had throughout his career.

"When you have 52 men in the locker room giving everything that they have for one goal, special things happen," he said. "For us, we won like it was like, that's what you do. Until I went to other places, it was like, not everyone gets it. Not everyone can do what we did. That's the reason why it was so special.