During training camp it is often difficult to watch offensive linemen and interior defenders play and conclude with certainty who wins the battles in the trenches.
Plays are seldom finished and they are blown dead quickly. Tackling, one of the most important elements in the game, is practiced once every full moon (or so it seems) since the dawn of the new collective bargaining agreement.
Imagine Major League Baseball limiting the time players can spend in the batting cage. Isn’t tackling every bit as important to football as hitting is to baseball?
That said the league’s 32 head coaches have been dealt a hand, via the CBA, that they’re stuck with and forced to make the best of. Today the Ravens tried to do exactly that.
The team practiced red zone and down and distance situations with live contact, save of course the quarterbacks who are always off limits. Here are a couple of the more noteworthy hits:
• From the 3-yard line Maxx Williams caught an out pass from Joe Flacco in the left flat and was quickly dumped by safety Terrence Brooks.
• CB Will Davis diagnosed a screen to newly acquired RB Stephen Houston and despite giving away 45 pounds to the UDFA out of Indiana, Davis dropped the former Hoosier for a 3-yard loss.
• Davis had another impressive stop on a 3rd and 8 play when he dropped Kaelin Clay well short of the first down marker, much to the delight of his teammates. Davis has played very well and it was nice to see him back out on the field.
• On a 4th and 6 play from around midfield Ryan Mallett dumped off a pass to Houston circling out of the backfield. Arthur Brown dropped Houston with a thunderous shot short of the first down marker.
During the same sequence of plays Keenan Reynolds took a reverse around the right side. The play was quickly diagnosed by the defense as Albert McClellan shot a gap to disrupt the play’s flow forcing Reynolds to belly a bit deeper into the backfield and was seemingly a sitting duck for Kendrick Lewis.
But Lewis, true to his 2015 form, whiffed on the attempted tackle as the light-footed Reynolds scampered for a first down.
Speaking of whiffs, there’s James Hurst. For the second consecutive day Hurst has been bumped inside to left guard where he was flanked throughout the day to his left by rookies Ronnie Stanley and Alex Lewis. On one stretch run to the right Hurst completely missed his man while falling to the ground shortly after the snap. It prevented the possibility for any backside run.
Crabby Mallett
Ryan Mallett has had a very weak camp to date. His throws have sailed, fluttered and bounced short far too often. On other occasions he has been on the mark only to have his targeted receiver fail to finish the play, much to his dismay. Today he was visibly frustrated when WR Dobson Collins let a back shoulder throw down the right sideline slip through his fingers.
Mallett seems to be pressing and it’s only natural to feel agitated. But be a pro. Those receivers that he’s short-hopped who are doing their best to make the team aren’t throwing their arms in the air when a pass play fails despite sufficient separation.
Bronson Kaufusi
Just before Kaufusi suffered a broken ankle I chatted with The Sun’s Jeff Zrebiec about the former BYU Cougar. I wondered if he had seen the same sluggishness and stiffness that I believe have marked his practice performances to date. Jeff concurred. Kaufusi just seems to get caught in the wash during stretch runs when blockers approach him angularly. His height could also be a problem without the proper bend and he seems to lack flexibility from the waist down.
During his post practice presser John Harbaugh confirmed our suspicions.
“[The injury will] be an opportunity for him to take the next year and go to work on his body and become a mature NFL football player physically. He’s young, and he needs a lot of work on his lower body, strength-wise and flexibility-wise.”
Here’s to your speedy recovery Bronson…
High and Tight
The Ravens have what appears to be an abundance of riches (at least on paper) at tight end. Ben Watson moves like a player far younger than the 35 years his birth certificate claims. Dennis Pitta looks like the Pitta of old while Dan Brown and Darren Waller provide athleticism and verticality to the position. Brown is a long-shot. A very long-shot.
Then of course there are Maxx Williams, Nick Boyle and Crockett Gillmore. Gillmore’s potential is exciting but he can’t seem to find his way out of the trainer’s room. He missed another practice today. Boyle looks the part but he has a 10-week forced vacation starting on September 11. Williams is a plodder. He is arguably the slowest of the tight ends, doesn’t have particularly good moves and seems sluggish in and out of his breaks. I wonder if he wasn’t a second-round pick, would he see as many reps?
Waller is a very interesting project and as I’ve opined before, his suspension may be a blessing. He’s explosive for the position, has great size and leaping ability and he can get downfield to create mismatches with safeties. If the Ravens can get him on to the practice squad and develop him heading into 2017, he could be a productive weapon for Joe Flacco.
The Returns Are In
If you don’t think that Michael Campanaro is a lock, if healthy, to make the team, then you aren’t paying attention. Campanaro had his 2nd day off in the last 5 practices and that is clearly the team’s way of preserving him. His skill sets are unique and the Ravens clearly want to put them to work in 2016. More than likely he’ll be the team’s punt returner too.
The kick return responsibilities are up for grabs. They too could go to Campanaro but others in the field who will push for both punt and kick return duties are Keenan Reynolds and Kaelin Clay. Reynolds had at least 2 drops on punt returns and he wasn’t Special Teams Coordinator Jerry Rosburg’s first choice when the team ran through some live kick returns. For that he turned to Clay.
Clay looked smooth and ran with purpose and good vision. He returned one kick for 60 yards. He doesn’t have top end straight-line speed but he is shifty and can change direction without noticeably decelerating.
We’re at the halfway mark of camp practices. Unless Reynolds shows up well in the preseason, I fully expect him to “fall out of bed” and end up on IR so that the Ravens can retain his services in 2017. It’s unlikely that he would pass through waivers and on to the practice squad. He’s just too high profile and it’s no secret that the Patriots had their sights set on the Midshipman.
Other Observations
Joe Flacco has enjoyed a very productive camp but today was a slight setback. He was off target regularly, and other times he seemed to lock in on his receiver allowing defensive backs to close on the play and register PD’s…Mike Wallace, one day removed from his best day of practice, looked really smooth on crossing patterns. It appears as though the Ravens are using the bunch formations that offensive coordinator Marc Trestman employed in Chicago. Wallace has been seen often cutting off the heels of the two receivers to his left when all are bunched to the right. When he is hit in stride coming out of the bunch, it’s off to the races. On the downside, Wallace looked like old T-Rex on a left to right crosser when Eric Weddle closed quickly to break up the play.
False starts have been a regular occurrence with the second team offensive line. Today Ryan Jensen was singled out…Jeremy Butler continues to make his case for a spot on the final 53. Today he made a diving catch to finish a long TD pass from Mallett…Chris Matthews provides versatility to the receiving corps with his 6’5” frame. Today he hauled in a nice back shoulder throw from Flacco that received accolades from Head Coach John Harbaugh. The back shoulder throw is definitely back for the Ravens if the summer of 2016 is any indication.
Brent Urban was active today with pressures and batted balls. He could be a big time disrupter when facing teams with short passing games…Victor Ochi is explosive. He has the ability to get small and shave the edge. He’s regularly disruptive and is far ahead of Matt Judon who relies more on a power rush. He’ll need to refine his arsenal in the big leagues…Kamalei Correa is like the Tasmanian Devil. 
He’s relentless during scrimmaging and even during individual drills. His progress as a cover linebacker continues.
The Ravens have some good-looking prospects from the 2016 draft class. Stanley, Correa and Chris Moore have been discussed while Kenneth Dixon, who returned to practice today, is promising. But the rookie who so far is arguably the biggest surprise is Tavon Young. He just regularly makes plays and doesn’t shy away from tough coaching and/or competition. He’s also a solid contributor on special teams, working hard to shield gunners on the punt return team. He even blocked a field goal attempt while rushing off the edge…Anthony Levine also blocked a FGA, as did Sheldon Price. Price’s block resulted in a TD return by Kendrick Lewis.
Former Ravens fullbacks Vonta Leach and Sam Gash were in attendance today.
We’re less than one week until the first preseason game when the Ravens host Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers on August 11.
