The Ravens’ new run game coordinator is active and energetic, barking out commands as he runs the offensive line through drills. He makes his way from player to player, critiquing them and pushing them on every rep.
“His passion for the game is very evident,” second-year center Gino Gradkowski said. “I think it’s contagious. Guys are buying into his passion, his energy.”
The longtime Philadelphia Eagles coach joined the Ravens during the playoffs last season, teaming up with Offensive Line Coach Andy Moeller. Castillo has a reputation as one of the premier line coaches in the NFL, and the players gravitated toward his instruction almost immediately.
“He tries to simplify everything as best he can,” Gradkowski said. “I know Coach Moeller built me a great foundation my first year. Coach Castillo, I think, is just taking my game to the next level, and I’m very excited about where I’m going as a player. I think a lot of players feel the same way.”
In addition to the energy he brings, Castillo is known for his attention to detail. A number of players have praised Castillo’s focus on the fundamentals, which has been a point of emphasis during the offseason.
Left tackle Bryant McKinnie, a 12-year veteran, said that working with Castillo was part of the attraction to participating in the entire offseason program.
“He focuses on our technique, and that’s something that I kind of get away from sometimes,” McKinnie said. “Right now is a great time for us to work on our technique and me in pass protection – sitting straight back. So, Juan’s been a great help.”
Castillo works with everyone on the line, but he’s spending a good deal of time with the young linemen. He had a knack for developing a number of small-school prospects during his 10 years with the Eagles, and he’s looking to continue that trend in Baltimore.
Castillo played at Texas A&I in college and eventually went on to coach there, which is part of his attraction to coaching players from small schools.
“I never coached at a big school. I went from Division II to the NFL,” Castillo said. “Throughout my years, the biggest thing that I enjoyed coming from a Division II school is that at our place what we learned is that it didn’t matter who you got; you developed whatever you got, because you didn’t have that many players.”
The Ravens currently have eight rookies or first-year offensive linemen on the 90-man roster, including a number of undrafted or late-round prospects, and Castillo is relishing the opportunity to coach them.
“I really enjoyed developing players, and I think that’s something that throughout my career at Philadelphia that I’ve done, especially college free agents,” Castillo said.
That excitement is mutual for the players.
“We have fun with him,” Gradkowski said. “We work hard, but we have fun at the same time. He’s a very intelligent guy. He’s very intelligent and I think it’s going to be good for all of us.”
Pernell McPhee feels like he’s undergoing “a new change in life."
He has shifted from playing defensive end to outside linebacker, playing more of a stand-up role in the Ravens defense behind Terrell Suggs.
After a tough 2012 season, the change has McPhee thinking big.
“It’s a new style of play, new position coach, new year, new everything,” McPhee said at the conclusion of minicamp. “There are zero stats. You can be Defensive MVP, a Pro Bowler. Who knows? Why not?”
McPhee was a big-bodied college defensive end. At 6-foot-3, 280 pounds, he added bulk last season, when he competed with Arthur Jones for a starting position.
The change didn’t work out largely because of injuries. McPhee, who finished second on the team with six sacks as a rookie in 2011, notched just 1.5 sacks and 21 tackles last year.
Knee injuries erased McPhee’s offseason last year, then flared up and caused him to miss four regular-season games midway through the year. Now McPhee is healthy, and focused on getting back at the quarterback.
His change to more of a rush linebacker should help with that. McPhee said he’s the same weight he was last year, but trimmer and more muscular.
Asked for his opinion of his new position, McPhee said, “It’s cool, it’s good.”
“I won’t know until we put on pads and we have to cover people,” he said. “Anybody can be a football player without pads. When you put on those pads, that’s going to determine it. It comes down to how fast can I move with the pads on, cover and get in my drops, know my reads.”
But most of all, McPhee anticipates seeing more pass-rush abilities this year.
It’s where he has excelled in the past. Before his six sacks as a rookie, McPhee posted seven sacks at Mississippi State. In 18 games at Itawamba Community College, he logged 32.5 sacks. He led the nation with 13.5 sacks in 2008.
“That’s how I eat and I’m going to keep it like that,” McPhee said. “Put me down in that three-point stance and go after the quarterback.”
Veteran addition Elvis Dumervil, who sits at the locker next to McPhee, has taken the young linebacker under his wing. The two lift weights together and spend extra time after practice doing football exercises.
The work seemed to pay off, as McPhee looked to have good burst and still held the edge well during the Ravens’ three minicamp practices.
“The guy’s been working really hard, man,” Dumervil said.
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