It was advertised as a "location, location" – type practice session, but suddenly at the end of Friday's practice it opened up into an intramural slugfest.
The pads did the talking on Friday. The Ravens emphasized situational work for the majority of practice, then Head Coach John Harbaugh told them they were going live, with full tackling, for the final 11-on-11 drives.
It’s only the second time the Ravens tackled during training camp, and it came at a good time. The players have the day off Saturday before practicing at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium on Sunday.
The defense got in some pops Friday afternoon, but so did the offense. “It was a good, tough practice. [I’m] proud of the guys,” Head Coach John Harbaugh said. “Really appreciate the way our guys work, the way they fought through practice.”
Wide receiver Torrey Smith made the play of the day with a one-handed catch on a pass that was thrown a bit behind him. Smith then used his free hand to toss a defender to the ground before running up-field for a first down.
Quarterback Joe Flacco yelled, “Nice catch!” and went out of his way to congratulate him.
– Safety Anthony Levine, who has been having a good camp, laid the biggest hit. He stood up tight end Billy Bajema with a huge knock along the sideline during the tackling period. It brought a gasp from the crowd just yards away.
Rookie free-agent wide receiver Marcus Rivers hauled in a long pass delivered from third-string cornerback Caleb Hanie during the tackling session.
– Flacco showed good command of the snap count, as he caught the defense in transition once during red-zone drills, then quick-snapped them during 11-on-11 work to pick up a fourth-down conversion on a handoff to running back Bernard Pierce.
– Veteran linebacker Daryl Smith got a good hit in on running back Anthony Allen. It’s easy to see how Smith became the Jaguars’ all-time leading tackler. He has a knack for finding running lanes and doesn’t waiver once he gets there.
– Safety James Ihedigbo appeared to hurt his hand on the final play of practice. He walked to the sideline in pain and tossed his helmet. Good news, however, as Harbaugh said all injuries for the day were minor.
– Rookie outside linebacker John Simon heard from Defensive Coordinator Dean Pees after not holding the edge on one play. A few plays later, Simon got a sack on Flacco during 11-on-11 drills.
– Wide receiver Jacoby Jones was wearing golden cleats and asked a few reporters if they liked them. It was more of a rhetorical question.
– Linebacker Terrell Suggs, who was smack chatterbox on Thursday, hardly said a word.
– Newly-signed tight end Visanthe Shiancoe continues to show good hands, but he’s got a ways to go in learning the Ravens offense. “He’s not up to full speed because he’s not there mentally yet,” Harbaugh said. “But we sure have a lot of talent and ability. He’s doing a good job.”
– Known for his pass-rushing skills, outside linebacker Adrian Hamilton found himself deep in coverage during 11-on-11 drills. He made a nice pass-breakup on a pass from Tyrod Taylor intended for Shiancoe.
– Rookie safety Matt Elam notched a diving interception on an overthrow by Flacco. One other time he got a pick he stayed on the ground, as is usual in college football. This time he scampered to his feet and brought it back for a touchdown.
Tom Coughlin was said to have legendary training camps throughout his coaching career. Yet former Giant and defensive end Chris Canty said the Ravens camp is no joke, and harder than the Giants' TC ever was…. Seems like Harbs has found a great balance of toughness combined with selective contact, while still making it fun.
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