Garrett Downing of Baltimore Ravens.com was there and he filed this report:
“The Ravens held their first padded practice of training camp, and putting on the full-gear raised the intensity during the two-and-a-half hour practice.
“It’s the first day of pads – a lot of good, a lot of bad,” Defensive Coordinator Dean Pees said. “Guys are playing hard.”
“The introduction of pads was most evident at the line of scrimmage, where the men in the trenches had a physical day of work. Pees pointed out that he got a better sense of where his run defense is after Saturday’s practice.
“The practice was also notable because veteran tight end Dennis Pitta went through a full-contact practice for the first time since returning from his second major hip injury. Pitta actually went to the ground after a collision early in practice – a fan yelled out “Oh no, Dennis!” – but he popped right back to his feet without any issue.
“Pitta took a couple of shots from defenders over the course of the day, but he absorbed all of them without issue.”
Here were some of the other key observations and news items from practice:
- Defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan
(unreported), tight end Crockett Gillmore (reported hamstring), running back Kennneth Dixon (knee) and wide receiver Chris Moore (unreported) did not practice. Jernigan talked with the trainers late in Friday’s practice after he appeared to get stepped on, but it’s unclear if that’s why he missed practice. - Veteran cornerback Jerraud Powers passed his conditioning test and went through his first practice.
- Rookie linebacker Kamalei Correa came up with the play of the day during seven-on-seven drills. While running away from the line of scrimmage, he tipped up a pass from quarterback Joe Flacco with one hand, and then brought it down for the interception. Correa took off in the other direction for the end zone and may have had a pick-six on the play.
- Inside linebacker Zach Orr also had a strong day. He was constantly around the football and broke up a couple of passes in the flat. Orr is competing with Correa for a starting job, and neither of them wanted to lose any ground to the other.
- Cornerback Sheldon Price is off to a strong start in training camp. The 6-foot-2, 194-pound cornerback is physical with wide receivers. He also seems to have good instincts. Price was able to break some passes in his direction, and he consistently played tight coverage.
- Rookie receiver Keenan Reynolds had a bit of a rough day. He dropped a pass and also fumbled a kickoff return. The Ravens are giving him plenty of reps at returner, and they want to see how he handles that responsibility while making the adjustment from college quarterback.
- The centers had a few issues with shotgun snaps. Jeremy Zuttah had a pair of bad snaps and John Urschel had another.
- The Ravens are using Michael Campanaro in a bunch of different ways. It’s clear he has the ability to be a difference maker on offense and special teams, as long as he’s able to stay healthy.
On Sunday, near the end of practice, Juston Tucker hit one of the longest field goals of his life. He bombed a 69-yarder through the uprights with room to spare.
“We’ve had some long ones out here before,” Tucker said. “I think in OTA’s last year, on a kind of rainy day, we had a little tailwind and we hit a 70-yarder on the same field going the same way.”
Known for his celebrations, Tucker was joined by head coach John Harbaugh, who called for a leaping bump.
“I always get nervous when I see the high school and college players doing the jump side bump,” Tucker said. “My whole thing is, if you’re going to celebrate, stay on the ground. But, if it’s with the head ball coach, then you do it.”
Here are some other news and notes from practice:
- There were 13 Ravens not practicing on another hot, padded session. Guard Marshal Yanda and wide receiver Michael Campanaro were given the day off by trainers but do not have injuries. Rookie wide receiver Chris Moore has a little tweak, per Harbaugh, and rookie cornerback Maurice Canady has an issue “that he’s going to be out for a little while with.” Defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan has a minor rib issue.
- Wide receiver Mike Wallace caught multiple touchdowns and was hit in the middle of the field several times. Wallace had a drop at the start of practice, but got encouragement from Harbaugh and bounced back with his strongest practice yet.
- Rookie undrafted linebacker Patrick Onwuasor continued his physical ways. Onwuasor first decked fellow undrafted rookie defensive tackle Trevon Coley on a special teams drill. Then he clobbered fullback Kyle Juszczyk on 11-on-11 red zone work. Juszczyk didn’t appreciate it and got in his face as the two were quickly separated. Onwuasor has now hit rookie Kenneth Dixon, run over Buck Allen and crushed Juszczyk.
- Wide receiver Kamar Aiken just keeps going about his business being one of the best offensive players on the field. He and Flacco connected on one of the prettiest plays of the day with a back-shoulder touchdown with Jimmy Smith in tight coverage.
- Running back Terrence West showed his nimble feet and physicality on one play, making a spectacular cut to get through the hole, then trucking into linebacker Zach Orr. West got the better of the collision as Orr went to the turf and West stumbled forward.
- Allen wasn’t about to be outdone, however. He had a nifty spin move in the backfield that left one linebacker completely whiffing.
- Harbaugh got on backup quarterback Ryan Mallett for not getting rid of the ball fast enough at one point, threatening to take his non-contract jersey off to teach him a lesson.
- Tight end Benjamin Watson had a nice practice with several long grabs, including one with his fingertips over the middle. He’s bounced back after a couple drops on the first day.
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