C.J. Mosley did just about everything right his rookie season.
He won a starting job early in training camp. He played more snaps than anybody on the roster. He led the team in tackles. He made All-Pro. He became the first Raven in a long line of defensive greats to make the Pro Bowl as a rookie.
What's next for the dynamic young linebacker?
"It's just learning the little things about the defense," Mosley said. "I'd say learn every day. Pretty much the saying is, 'If you don't get better, you get worse.'"
Mosley picked up the defense with relative ease as a rookie, and by the middle of the season he was calling the plays and wearing the helmet with an earpiece from the coaches' booth. He started every game despite a wrist injury that reportedly required surgery after the season, and he was the only player in the NFL with at least 125 tackles, three sacks and two interceptions.
As Mosley looks to make strides, he plans to spend more time under the tutelage of 12-year veteran linebacker Daryl Smith.
"There are still a lot of things to learn, as far as being a defensive player, being a young player," he said. "It's getting in touch with Daryl Smith more to see the things that helped him progress each year in his long career that can help me out."
Part of Mosley's progress is also getting healthy. He was sporting a cast on his left hand Wednesday, which has limited some of his offseason weight training. Once he's considered full-go during offseason workouts, Mosley's focus will "definitely be getting back stronger."
Mosley has made a significant impact on the defense less than a year into his Baltimore tenure. He's one of the young cornerstone pieces of the unit, and a reporter even asked him about the possibility of signing a second long-term contract with the Ravens down the road.
"This is a great organization, and if I'm doing the right things I'll definitely try to be here for my second contract," he said. "I feel very at home here."
