Per usual, a ton of Tuesday’s news was centered on the vaunted Ravens offense and defense, but for today’s Out to Lunch, we’ll kick things off with some Special Teams. With just seven more field goals, Justin Tucker will pass Matt Prater for 12th all-time:
LEGEND: #Ravens K Justin Tucker needs to make seven more field goals to pass Matt Prater for 12th all-time in #NFL history with 402.
🤯
Tucker will be the FIRST KICKER IN HISTORY TO BE A 1ST BALLOT HALL OF FAMERS & only 2 kickers are in the Hall. pic.twitter.com/rFW8ISUQdm
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) August 13, 2024
I hate to argue against who I believe to be the league’s best ever kicker, but I do think Tucker’s Hall of Fame case would benefit from a few more clutch playoff kicks. That said, if everything goes well, he should be in a position to add some to his resume this season.
As we’ve discussed heavily this offseason, continuing to add weapons for QB Lamar Jackson is a key piece of GM Eric DeCosta’s plan. Fans should be excited to see that pushing the ball downfield is a focal point in practice, too:
Ravens took a ton of deep shots at practice today. Nelson Agholor and Mark Andrews caught deep scores. So did Anthony Miller. But there were also a number of incompletions and a few drops.
Miller has had a strong first two days of practice. Clearly has fresh legs.— Jeff Zrebiec (@jeffzrebiec) August 13, 2024
And, in the case of Anthony Miller in Zrebiec’s tweet and Deonte Harty below, some of those deep balls were to new arrivals:
.@tayynation1 making plays‼️@Head8cke pic.twitter.com/t5iHIW1X5y
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) August 13, 2024
While Miller and Harty may not be expected to make an immediate impact, Rashod Bateman is, and fans will also enjoy seeing him progressively return to practice:
Ravens WR Rashod Bateman looks a lot more comfortable today in positional drills than he did Monday. Next step is full-go in team drills. pic.twitter.com/ZMuXmrIk4h
— Jonas Shaffer (@jonas_shaffer) August 13, 2024
I’d be remiss, however, if I did not mention the state of the offensive line. All indications show that second-year OL Andrew Vorhees has a grip on the Left Guard position, and he really showed out in the first preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Friday. Vorhees stood out as a riser despite the loss, and nothing illustrates that better than his pass-blocking efficiency grade:
The following Ravens achieved 100% pass-blocking efficiency vs. the Eagles (minimum 10 snaps):
– G Andrew Vorhees
– G Ben Cleveland pic.twitter.com/2D5GqNpxxg— 𝗥𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝙇𝙄𝙑𝙀 (@LIVERavenNation) August 13, 2024
For Jackson to efficiently hit his deep shots, it’ll critical that he’s given the time to do so.
If there was one weak point that I picked up on against Philly, it would be the play of Jackson’s backups. Todd Monken spoke to his confidence in journeyman Josh Johnson on Tuesday:
“@head8cke is a consummate pro.” OC Monken pic.twitter.com/fmgKnhyhPt
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) August 13, 2024
Johnson is a “pro’s pro,” but is he consistent enough to be a viable backup given Jackson’s injury and illness record? While I hope Jackson plays a full season, I have my doubts about the quality of his backups.
But all that could be moot if the defense doesn’t pick up where it left off under new Defensive Coordinator Zach Orr. The former Ravens linebacker spoke to the media after Tuesday’s practice, and specifically noted the potential of two key pass rushers:
“We know what type of talent @DavidOjabo is. He’s going to have a great year for us.” DC Orr pic.twitter.com/kdP4MllwWK
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) August 13, 2024
Ravens DC Zach Orr, who’s been in Baltimore since 2022, said this is Odafe Oweh’s best training camp of his career. pic.twitter.com/Ddun5bOQRm
— Jonas Shaffer (@jonas_shaffer) August 13, 2024
I love that I continue hearing good things about Odafe Oweh, but it’s even better to hear Orr expects a breakout from Ojabo. A former second-round pick with Top-15 potential, the Ravens are heavily relying on him to turn the corner this season. As we all know, a strong pass rush makes things easier for the secondary, which brings me to a few final highlights from that position group.
First and foremost, Baltimore avoided a scare with Kyle Hamilton:
.@kyledhamilton_ back on the practice field ‼️ pic.twitter.com/vdPQAc5al1
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) August 13, 2024
Second, exciting Day 3 steal TJ Tampa returned to the field on Tuesday:
.@Tamp1A stacking days ‼️ pic.twitter.com/lcdcXgepiS
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) August 13, 2024
Third, and perhaps most interestingly, more data surfaced about the play of UDFA slot corner Bump Cooper:
Ravens CB Ryan Cooper in slot coverage vs. Eagles:
– 4 targets
– 0 receptions
– 0 yards— 𝗥𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝙇𝙄𝙑𝙀 (@LIVERavenNation) August 12, 2024
I kept hearing Cooper’s name called last Friday night, and while the depth in Baltimore’s secondary may make it tough for him to crack the 53-man roster, he’s a name to watch moving forward.
We close today with some off-field news. First, we heard early this afternoon that Mark Andrews was in a car accident driving to the Ravens’ practice facility today. Thankfully, it looks as though he’s fine.
Statement from the Baltimore Ravens. pic.twitter.com/Y5Hi2l3tDI
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) August 14, 2024
Could everyone please stop driving like maniacs out there? Thanks in advance.
We got some more concerning news just a bit later, unfortunately. Coach Joe D’Allesandris, a fan and player favorite, will be away from the team with an undisclosed “acute illness.”
Statement from the Baltimore Ravens and Head Coach John Harbaugh on Offensive Line Coach Joe D’Alessandris. pic.twitter.com/MbS9qaWUj7
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) August 14, 2024
We wish “Joe D” a full and speedy recovery. Get well soon, Coach!
One Response
So embarrassing to see a the GOAT kicker’s career get pissed away. Even more embarrassing to watch Lamar’s career get pissed away. Harblow is the common denominator. FIRE HARBLOW