The Ravens spent their Wednesday practice inside preparing for the weather conditions they will likely face on Sunday afternoon in Miami.
Forecasts are predicting temperatures in the 80’s with a 60% chance of rain – basically, typical south Florida weather.
Back inside the practice bubble at the Under Armour Performance Center, temperatures and humidity were high.
“We’re cranking [the heat] in that direction.,” responded Harbaugh when asked if it was “Miami hot” inside yet. “We started cranking it last night, so it works its way up. Everybody seems comfortable.”
The Ravens are looking to continue their successful overall streak against the Dolphins (Ravens have won five straight including playoffs), but are looking to improve on the road against the fins. In South Florida they are historically just 3-4.
The weather is just one of many things the team is preparing for on the short week but the conditions inside their practice facility were definitely noticed by the players.
“[The players] mentioned it. Muggy, stuffy, hard to breathe – those are all the words that were used,” said Harbaugh. “I don’t know if there’s any science behind it, but it makes sense to me.”
Buck Allen Ready To Run
After his getting his first career start against the Browns on Monday Night, next up for rookie running back Javorius Allen is a Miami defense that ranks last in the league in run defense.
While Allen is still expected to split carries with Terrance West, he is for now the lead ball carrier in the Ravens offensive backfield.
“I saw a really good running back,” remarked Harbaugh about the performance of Allen against Cleveland. “I thought he did a heck of a good job.
“I also thought Terrance West did a heck of a good job. Those guys acquitted themselves very well as National Football League running backs, and it was good to see. It’s good for our team.”
Given the state of the current Ravens offense and it’s weapons, the Dolphins will likely force the issue defending the run. Allen, a solid one-cut runner, is still primed for a big day.
“Whatever the game plan is, the run game plan, that’s what we’re going to go with, and that’s a great defense over there,” said Allen. “You’ve got [Ndamukong] Suh, and those guys do a great job of pushing up field. And whatever the plan that coaches [have] this week, I’m going to go with it, execute to the best of my abilities and go from there.”
Allen, a Tallahassee native is excited to head back home, a place he said he hasn’t been lately.
“It’s going to be home for me, the state of Florida. I haven’t been home in a while. So, it’ll be great to have a couple family members come down.”
Dumervil Ready For Tannehill
The Ravens pass rush has not been what many people expected through the first eleven games of the season, but it has improved over the past few weeks.
Leading the charge will be OLB Elvis Dumervil who will look to increase his sack totals against Miami quarterback Ryan Tannehill, the NFL’s 4th-most sacked QB.
“Every year there is new personnel, new coaching staff, guys get better in the offseason, so you’ve got to try to learn what you can learn from the past,” said Doom. “But then, you’ve got to move forward and try to study the past few games.
“They create some difficulties; they’ve got some skill players, explosive running backs, some talented receivers. They’ve got a lot of talent. We’ve just got to make sure up front we can disrupt the game as much as possible.”
In the Ravens’ 2014 win at Miami, Dumervil registered 3.5 sacks in the game and was key in the defense’s six total quarterback drops.
“It’s got to be a record; I’ve never played a team three years straight at their house,” remarked Dumervil about facing the Dolphins in Miami. “But it’s the hometown for me, so I like it. They’ve got good players, a talented quarterback.
“It’s the NFL; it’s always going to be a challenge. [They have] really big, talented offensive linemen. So, we’ve got to make sure we can recover, get our legs back and get ready for a good game this Sunday.”
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