Humbled Reitz still 'stoked' about pro football.
Former Western Michigan University basketball star Joe Reitz catches a pass Saturday morning at the Baltimore Ravens' minicamp in Owings Mills, Md.
"It was pretty overwhelming at first," Reitz said, still sounding so early Monday afternoon after his weekend introduction to the National Football League -- a three-day full-squad minicamp with the Baltimore Ravens. "They throw of stuff at you. The playbook is very detailed. The pace of practice moves at a pretty fast pace. ... Meetings, practice, it was go, go, go."
Reitz, who spent the last four seasons starring as a 6-foot-7, 255-pound center on the court, made his debut as a 270-pound tight end two weeks after signing with the Ravens as a priority free agent.
Reitz went from fantasy camper to real football player real fast.
"When I sat there in the first team meeting and looked around and saw all these NFL veterans -- Ray Lewis, Kyle Boller, Willis McGahee, guys who have been playing a long time -- it really hit me that this is for real," Reitz said, less than an hour after waking up at 11:30 a.m., a product of complete exhaustion. " ... I knew it was going to be faster, but I don't think any of us rookies were ready for how fast the pace was going to be.
"The split-second decisions you have to make. ... You turn and (quarterbacks) Joe Flacco or Kyle Boller or Troy Smith is gunning it in on you."
With several tight ends banged up, injured or being held out -- including starter Todd Heap -- Reitz said he actually took a few reps with the first team.
"It was pretty crazy," he said. " ... There were ups and downs. Sometimes I didn't know exactly what I was doing and messed up a route. For me, it's just amplified more. They just throw so much at you."
With all of this NFL chaos, one might assume Reitz would be rethinking his plans and longing for a basketball career in some exotic European city.
"No, no. I'm definitely still stoked about it," Reitz said of the NFL. "The first weekend was a little humbling, but I'm sure the rest of the rookies will tell you that, too.
"There wasn't any part of me saying, 'I can't compete with these guys at this level.' I hope to put in the time and down the road have a good career. ... Overall, I thought I played pretty well. I'm excited to get back out there later this summer and get better."
And he's planning on doing so as a tight end. While at least one Ravens scout originally saw him as an offensive tackle, plans apparently have changed."As of now, they're running with me as a tight end," Reitz said. "They haven't told me anything different or to try to get as big as I can for training camp. ... I'm trying to make the team as a tight end."
Reitz returns to Baltimore for an extended stay later this week. He'll take part in the Ravens offseason training program until a short break in July.
"I think the thing I really realized going out there is it's definitely a job," Reitz said. "Guys are in there at 6 in the morning and stay until well after 6 at night.
"That's the kind of time you have to put in to make it in this league. One of the coaches said the NFL is the most competitive job market in the world. That statement I think is pretty accurate."
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