Jonathan Ogden, a probable Hall of Fame offensive tackle and an 11-year Ravens veteran, briefly entertained the thought that he had played his final NFL game this summer.
Following the death of his father, Shirrel, last month, the nine-time Pro Bowler was overcome with grief. Ogden, who at 6-foot-9, 345 pounds is one of the biggest men in the NFL, was reduced to feeling alone and small.
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“I?ve thought about it,” Ogden said of retirement. “I did think about it for a second. My dad wanted me to come out and play and I can this year, and that?s what I?m going to do. Who knows after this year and the next year? Who knows? But I know this year I?m going to go out there and do what I?m used to doing. And hopefully it?ll be the same as it?s been. Hopefully.”
That?s all the Ravens can ask. Ogden sat out the entire training camp before returning full-time to the team Saturday for practice at the Ravens? Owings Mills facility.
“Jonathan is back and ready to go,” head coach Brian Billick said. “The key in it right now is a little like: You?ve seen it before in other scenarios when a guy comes in to camp late, and you?ve got to be very careful that you don?t put a player in a situation where he could get injured.”
Billick said he expects Ogden to start in the regular season opener against Tampa Bay, although it remains to be seen if the tackle will see action in the team?s final two preseason games. Players and coaches attended Shirrel Ogden?s funeral as a show of support.
“This is 11 years now,” Ogden said. “I?ve been playing with a lot of these guys a long time. They are extended family. It?s really been helpful being back around here.”
Ogden spent the last week of training camp working out with his brother, Marques, and a team trainer, trying to get back into playing shape. Ogden, the first player ever drafted by the organization (in 1996) after it moved from Cleveland to Baltimore, is the linchpin of the offensive line. Last year, the unit struggled, something Ogden hopes to help correct.
“Yeah, I really feel that last year we just didn?t have an effective season running the football, and there are a lot of reasons for that, but the line was definitely a part of it and we?re going to try to make that a priority for us this year,” Ogden said. “[We want to] move some people out of there, open up some holes, try to protect [quarterback] Steve [McNair] and try to up our level of play so that people won?t be writing that the line is weak.”
The football field is where Ogden knows he belongs, even as still deals with the grief.
“It?s what I?ve been doing for a long time,” Ogden said. “It?s just trying to get back to it. … As long as I?m really ready to go by Tampa, that?s really my goal.”
