Exactly one year ago, the Baltimore Ravens attempted to light a fire under wide receiver Mike Wallace by publicly admitting that he failed the conditioning test to open training camp.
This year, Wallace went out of his way to make sure there was no such trouble.
"I passed my conditioning test so y'all can stay off my back this year," Wallace jokingly told reporters Wednesday, via ESPN.com.
Wallace added that he was practicing multiple times a week for the event; a development which must have warmed coach John Harbaugh's heart.
While the failed conditioning test last year had no bearing on Wallace's season -- he finished with 1,017 yards and four touchdowns and a 62.1 percent catch rate for his best all-around year since 2011 -- his preparedness for this year's test might.
After losing wideout Steve Smith this offseason and, more recently, receiving the grim news about quarterback Joe Flacco's back issue, the Ravens need Wallace to be more than just a pleasant surprise. The offense is starving for a pace-setting veteran and after disappointing stops in Miami and Minnesota, Wallace could finally be settling into the role many pegged him for four years ago.
One day in, he's already sounding up to the task.
"I don't care what anybody says, they'll see soon enough," Wallace said, via the team's official website on the low expectations surrounding the offense. "I know our defense, it's going to be great, but they're not going to carry us at all. The offense is going to come and do its part."
