The Ravens made their last stop of their training camp tour as they practiced at Stevenson University, just minutes away from their Owings Mills team headquarters.
The practice was the third public appearance the Ravens have made during their preseason preparations but was not open for general admission due to limited space inside of the 3,500-seat facility.
Roll Call
Torrey Smith made his return after sitting out of Friday’s preseason home opener against the Detroit Lions. After the game, Coach John Harbaugh said that Vonta Leach and LaQuan Williams suffered sprained ankles but both participated in practice Sunday.
Other players returning were linebacker Darry Blackstock and wide receiver Devin Goda. Sean Considine (undisclosed) and Sergio Kindle (shoulder stinger) were both limited in practice and wore red non-contact jerseys.
Missing from practice was David Reed (ACL), Ed Dickson(shoulder), Dennis Pitta (hand),Jah Reid (calf), Josh Bynes (chipped vertebrae), Terrell Suggs (Achilles), Pernell McPhee (undisclosed) and Ryan McBean (ankle).
Kicking Competition
For the first time since the beginning of training camp, Billy Cundiff outkicked Justin Tucker in a practice session, making all four of his attempts (30, 36, 39 and 44 yards). Tucker, kicking from the same distances, missed his 44-yard attempt. After the miss, Tucker stepped back almost ten yards and redeemed himself by drilling 53-yarder, finishing 4-for-5 on the afternoon.
Tucker still leads Cundiff by 12 field goals but how much weigh is put on that statistic by the coaching staff remains to be seen.
Offensive Line
Marshal Yanda was dressed for practice but didn’t participate in team drills. Filling in at right guard was rookie center Gino Gradkowski. The other rookie offensive lineman, Kelechi Osemele, played left guard while Bobbie Williams watch from the sidelines.
Bryant McKinnie was rotated in with the first team at left tackle and Michael Oher moved back over to the right side.
It appears that Harbaugh is still trying to figure out the best combination on the offensive line, even though the starting lines have been identical – with the exception of Matt Birk – for both preseason games.
Wide Receiver
Jacoby Jones dropped a very catchable ball against Detroit, showing that he still has troubles with consistency. The same struggles were on display at practice Sunday.
After catching a pass behind the secondary, the ball fell out of Jones’ hands as he pulled it into his chest. As mentioned during an interview earlier this preseason, Jones purchased a JUGS machine once he signed with the Ravens but it seems he needs a little more time practicing.
Jones displayed his speed during Friday’s game as he ran for 35-yards on an end-around and had a decent kickoff return.
Anquan Boldin had a nice one-handed catch while being guarded by Asa Jackson and trying to stay in bounds.
Secondary Woes
It still is premature to be worried about the Ravens secondary but they did falter against the third-string offense today.
Curtis Painter connected on a pass with Dorian Graham, a UFA from Syracuse. Graham was covered by Lardarius Webb and eventually got past Bernard Pollard as well.
It’s hard to make too many defensive notes during these practices, as defenders have to give up early on plays to prevent from hitting the offensive players.
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