* J.K. Dobbins’ return to the practice field was the big story of the day, and it drew plenty of eyeballs to the running backs as they worked out in individual drills. Dobbins looked comfortable and had limited rust, if any, but ran a limited number of reps today. It struck me as the staff not wanting to throw him right back into the fire on his return. Coach Harbaugh said that JK was “feeling good” and that they’ll be “ramping him up this week” in practice.
Combating the sweltering heat, Dobbins even offered to share some water with the media gathered on the sideline. I guess you could say he made a… splash in his return? I’ll see myself out.
* Coach Monken seemed to place emphasis on the running backs making themselves available as receiving options. Pat Ricard, after sitting out of Saturday’s game, also got involved in a few plays as a pass-catcher.
* In the 11-on-11 scrimmage session, the second-team offense seemed to have very little going beyond 10 yards from the line of scrimmage. They took what the defense was giving them, including involving those running backs when they were available, but the first-team secondary clamped down on the deep part of the field. It wasn’t until the first-team offense got out there that you saw some passes pushing deeper downfield.
* One of the most intriguing chess matches of the day was the interior O-linemen trying to outfox the linebackers as they stacked the box. Some reps went to the offense, as the RBs hit the lanes and mixed in some misdirection, while others saw the defense offering a gap and then snuffing it out for no gain.
[Related Article: Secondary Gets Some Bad News]
* Some footnotes: Coach Harbaugh addressed the game on Saturday and said he was proud of the Ravens playing “Winning Football”, so much so that he donned a shirt saying just that. He credited the Eagles for bringing a good game plan on Saturday, recognizing that Philly’s offensive tempo was tough to defend. Harbs also mentioned that a few guys look close to returning from injury, but that Pepe Williams will likely need surgery before he is ready to come back.
* Students from Frederick County Public Schools were in attendance, as members of their varsity flag football teams got to see the reveal of their new uniforms and welcome the team to the field along “The Gauntlet.”
A look at J.K. Dobbins’ first practice of the year for the Ravens pic.twitter.com/oXwNL8CMTx
— Jamison Hensley (@jamisonhensley) August 14, 2023
One Response
Is it coincidence that a bunch of running backs came back to camp or signed on the same day?