After a chaotic weekend featuring the ousting of Earl Thomas and an extended Lamar Jackson absence, things settled back down at 1 Winning Drive this morning with a simple practice in shells. Unfortunately, the shell practices are always a bit lackluster in terms of exciting plays. Players aren’t cracking pads, and in turn, the intensity is noticeably down. Now add in the absence of high energy defender Calais Campbell, along with a handful of other players (Eli Wolf, Justice Hill, Kenjon Barner, Josh Nurse), and the whole morning riddled with positional drills, and the result was that the better part of the day felt rather monotonous.
And yet, perhaps that was the plan today: to bring the energy levels down, get back to the basics, and settle back into a rhythm with the lunacy behind them (at least on the field). The team made themselves very clear in the post-practice interviews today they’re 100% done discussing the former Ravens safety, and are focused on their family of a team.Â
[Related: Cap Impacts of Earl Thomas’ Release]
One thing I will say in regards to the safety group today- I was very impressed with seeing DeShon Elliott, not just on the field, but on the sidelines as well. He seemed to be always asking questions, chumming it up with the other DBs, and heaping praise on guys in his unit after a great play (and likewise receiving it from his teammates when the self-proclaimed ‘Joker’ made a play or two). That type of unity is what this Ravens team has shown they’re all about- not guys with a ‘me first’ mentality that stand alone on the sidelines, don’t account for their missteps, and blow off mandatory team meetings.Â
But I digress…
One last note on Elliott: where the media folks were standing this morning (thank you, Ravens, for putting us in the shade) we had the defensive unit within earshot on the sidelines. At one point a coach was chumming it up with Elliott, who promptly responded “Shoot… I was in bed before 9pm last night, I go to bed early man, I’ve gotta be up early for work to do my job!”
In the wake of the Earl Thomas fallout, hearing Elliott say something so insignificant suddenly feels so significant and welcome for the Ravens and their fans…
As for the practice itself, as mentioned, there wasn’t a ton to speak of. Here’s the brief camp notes in regards to some notable plays I witnessed:
- Jimmy Smith had a solid day in coverage today, with a few great reps against Mark Andrews.
- Likewise, Marcus Peters had a standout play, blowing through Andrews and getting to Hollywood Brown in the backfield for a two-yard loss after a quick pass by Lamar Jackson.
- UDFA QB Tyler Huntley found Brown in the back of the end zone for a touchdown on a play that required the perfect amount of touch, dropping it in between the corner and the safety.Â
- Jackson returned from his minor break in practice, looking sharp as usual. Lamar had but two misfires on the day in 11-v-11, and came back both times with a sure-fire completion with his next attempt. While we don’t see a ton of need for mobility in camp, Lamar seemed relatively unimpeded by any sort of injury that may have kept him out this past weekend.
- Trace McSorley has become Trace McCheckdown in my book. Rarely does he take a chance downfield, and when he does, it’s rarely finding his intended target. Today was no different, completing just one pass over 10 yards in 11-v-11.
- Jaleel Scott didn’t make a highlight catch, but he stood out on a particular pass by Bobby G3, where he climbed the ladder over Jimmy Smith and I’m pretty sure he could’ve touched the top of the goalpost. Those ups are scary if he can get a ball on target…
- Charles Scarff had himself a nice toe-tapper on the near sideline on a pass from RGIII…. then had a wide open drop towards the end of practice… then caught a touchdown in the red zone drills. Regardless of the drop, I think Scarff is showing he deserves to make this roster.
- JK Dobbins had the best play on the day for me: throw to the back of the end zone, Dobbins gets tangled with fellow rookie Malik Harrison for a brief moment, but doesn’t loose focus on the ball, regains control and gets two feet in bounds. Those type of plays from a rookie in Dobbins are going to earn him some early looks out of the gates once the season starts.
HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY: So I’ve long mocked the Ravens purple camo. It’s corny. It’s tacky. It’s not a good look. That being said, Ronnie Stanley and Jimmy Smith were rocking some grey/black/white camo shorts with their shells today and I gotta say… they make it look sleek. I mean, this isn’t quite Harbs-clothing-line level of style, but it’s great to see the camo actually working once again.
PLAYER OF THE DAY: OT Sean Pollard. Nothing in particular stood out today in Pollard’s play on the field (held his own, but again, shells) but what did stand out to me was his beard. The dude has a fantastic beard, and dare I say it? The best beard on this team since Eric Weddle. I’m not sure there’s a roster spot for Pollard in 2020, but I’m hoping he sticks on the Practice Squad to keep the beard game strong for the Ravens.
