Ravens running back Ray Rice is Rutgers all-time leading rusher and a second-team All-American, but his collegiate accomplishments now mean nothing.
The second-round draft pick said he’s entering his first NFL training camp with the same mindset he used as a college freshman: He just wants to prove his worth.
“Honestly, it is a beginner’s mentality with this new offense,” he said. “But I just go back to when I was a freshman, when I was at Rutgers fighting for the job. It’s the same process. This is your job now.”
So far, he’s making his presence felt. During the first two days of camp, the 5-foot-8, 200-pounder fielded punts — something he hadn’t done since high school — as he tried to establish himself as the backup to Yamon Figurs.
“Ray Rice has done a great job fielding punts,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “I don’t think that it’s something he’d done at Rutgers too much, so it’s developmental right now. He’s got good hands, and it seems like he’s got a knack for it.”
Rice left Rutgers for the NFL after rushing for 2,012 yards and 24 touchdowns during his junior season. He finished his collegiate career with 4,926 yards rushing and 49 touchdowns.
But his role with the Ravens will be much different, as the team already has a premier running back in Willis McGahee, who rushed for 1,207 yards and seven touchdowns last season.
Rice grew up in a housing project in New Rochelle, N.Y., where his mother, Janet, raised him and his three siblings after his father, Calvin, was killed in a drive-by shooting when Ray was just a year old.
“My mom has been a role model for me all my life,” Rice said. “She’s been my biggest fan, my No. 1 supporter. It’s always good to keep your mom happy.”
Rice also has role models on the field, including Jacksonville’s Maurice Jones-Drew, who at 5-foot-6 and 210 pounds, had 1,986 all-purpose yards last season. Rice is among the league’s smallest players.
“I do have some similar attributes,” Rice said of Jones-Drew. “I definitely think I’m good. I can catch the ball. It just comes down to can you make plays?”
