ExtremeRavens Posted July 21 Posted July 21 Assuming second-year Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken won’t mind a possible play suggestion or two, maybe he should go visit some of the old Green Bay Packers film of the 1960’s. Remember the old Green Bay sweep, in which they would pull both guards, Jerry Kramer and Fuzzy Thurston, out in front of the running back and get around the right end? Well, the Ravens should have a similar play with new power back Derrick Henry. They could go pro right with swing lineman Patrick Mekari as the tight end and then toss to Henry, with 300-pound fullback Patrick Ricard as the lead blocker. No opposing team wants to see that, especially with the lightweight cornerbacks in the league these days. Once the 247-pound Henry squares his shoulder pads at the line of scrimmage, it’s good night. The Ravens could work the angle blocks and get big production with that play. I only have a few words for Coach Monken: “Oh, c’mon, man.” Ravens first day of training camp 2024 | PHOTOS Jackson out Quarterback Lamar Jackson was absent from the first full team practice of training camp Sunday. According to coach John Harbaugh, Jackson became ill during meetings Saturday and was sent home shortly afterward. It’s only Day 1 of camp, so it was no big deal, except for the fans who came out to see the reigning NFL Most Valuable Player. There were a couple of fumbled exchanges by the quarterbacks throughout practice, but that’s to be expected, especially with backup Josh Johnson taking most of the repetitions with the first team and Devin Leary, the rookie from Kentucky, working with the second unit. Calling it now It’s way too early to make predictions, but I will do it anyway. The bet here is that second-year player Andrew Vorhees starts at left guard unless he struggles in the preseason. Vorhees has a nice base, good lateral movement and takes up a lot of space with his 6-foot-6, 320-pound frame. The former Southern California standout is explosive off the ball and seems to have filled up in the upper body after missing all of last season with a torn ACL. The Ravens gambled and picked Vorhees in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL draft. Tight end trio? The Ravens are in a good position having to get tight ends Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely on the field at the same time. Both are explosive, but Likely can make opposing tacklers miss. Both can be used on the outside as receivers, even though Likely’s vertical leap could cause more matchup problems on the outside. The Ravens also have third-year tight end Charlie Kolar to work with, even though he doesn’t have as much of a downfield presence. It appears Ricard could do some heavy lifting again as a tight end or H-back, but he looked good running and as a receiver Sunday. Likely, as usual, had the catch of the day, beating cornerback Brandon Stephens down the left sideline on a back-shoulder fade. Actually, the pass was just chucked up by Johnson, but Likely adjusted and made a great play. Nice catch The second best reception of the day belonged to rookie receiver Dayton Wade, a free agent out of Mississippi, who hauled in a 47-yard pass despite being smothered by cornerback Bump Cooper Jr., an undrafted rookie from Oregon State. It’s only one day into camp, but coaches keep notes on plays like the one Wade made. Flowers blossoming I just like watching second-year player Zay Flowers because he keeps doing all the right things that indicates he wants to be a great receiver. Long before the team was on the field for practice, Flowers was out stretching and going through other routines. His hand placement is better than a year ago, and he is always the first in line for drills, even ahead of 10-year veteran Nelson Agholor. That’s impressive stuff. Wiggins watch I like when people ask me if rookie cornerback Nate Wiggins, the Ravens’ first-round pick out of Clemson in April, will get much playing time this season. Is water wet? Is the sky blue? Does a cow give milk? He might be small at 6-1 and 182 pounds, but the kid has great speed and acceleration, which translates into good recovery ability. The Ravens will find a way to get him playing time, especially if they move cornerback Marlon Humphrey inside over the slot or near the line of scrimmage, which is a better position for him. The X-factor in this could be the development of third-year cornerback Jalyn Armour-Davis. The 2022 fourth-round pick has played reasonably well in previous training camps, but he can’t stay healthy. If he plays up to expectations, though, that gives the Ravens a major advantage at a position that has been hit hard by injuries in recent seasons. 1-on-1 matchup Stephens has the same confidence as Flowers. A year ago, he didn’t know whether he was going to play cornerback or safety. Now he’s a starting corner. Stephens was very physical in practice and wasn’t backing off receivers in press coverage, an area he struggled in early last season. He had no problems getting in the face of receiver Rashod Bateman. Bateman also had some nice receptions Sunday but did have a big fumble on a quick slant. The fourth-year receiver needs to have a big season, especially after the Ravens signed him to a three-year, $15 million contract extension on April 24. Defensive line shaping up Fifth-year defensive tackle Justin Madubuike looks bigger in the lower half of his body but still has great explosion off the ball. He makes a difference in the pass rush because the Ravens finally have a strong inside presence. Nose tackle Michael Pierce should have a good season as well. The only players on the front line with question marks are tackle Broderick Washington and outside linebacker David Ojabo. Washington disappeared in games last season and didn’t get much pressure as a pass rusher. As for Ojabo, who has spent the past two seasons recovering from injuries, it’s hard to tell where he fits in as a run stopper or pass rusher. At least he’s participating in team drills to start camp. Good idea Harbaugh said he spoke to the team recently about visions and standards, and the need to raise the standards. After the Ravens failed to beat the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC title game here in Baltimore last season, it was the appropriate topic. View the full article Quote
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