ExtremeRavens Posted September 11 Posted September 11 Lamar Jackson slumped forward slightly and thumped his shoulder pad into his hand. He flashed a grin and let out a soft-spoken, “Boom!” The agile quarterback carrying a summer’s worth of dialogue about slimming down mimicked his particularly physical performance from the Ravens’ Week 1 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. He rushed for 122 yards on 16 carries and invited contact with every scramble, having been tackled on 13 such attempts. Jackson was absent from Monday’s practice for what he downplayed as simply a day off. “I feel great,” he said, returning to the field Wednesday after the team didn’t practice Tuesday. He was not listed on the week’s first injury report. The hit Jackson recounted came early in the second quarter of Thursday’s season opener at Arrowhead Stadium. He stepped up into the pocket, then zipped out to his right to pick up about 5 yards. When Jackson neared the sideline, Chiefs cornerback Jaylen Watson appeared to decelerate. That’s when Jackson, still in bounds, barreled his head and shoulder into Watson. “I’m just playing football,” the two-time and reigning NFL Most Valuable Player said. “I didn’t want to get hit. … I think I’ve [gotten] hit like that before — going on the sideline [when] I’m about to step out and somebody hits me. So, it was like, ‘I’d rather hit you before you hit me.’” It’s an aggressive energy he chalked up to competitive spirit. That, coupled with thinking back to all the times he slid on a run or avoided contact and still took a hit without drawing a penalty. Is that type of physicality sustainable for five-plus months of football? “I don’t know. I’m not trying to find out,” the 27-year-old Jackson said. “But I’m going to do whatever it takes to win, and in that type of game, sometimes you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do.” Harbaugh showed no signs of concern either. “I’m comfortable with a physical football team,” he said. The last time Jackson rushed more than 16 times in a single game was 2021. He did it thrice that season: 16 carries in Week 2 against the Chiefs, then 21 carries in Week 8 and 17 in Week 11. In Week 14, Jackson suffered a season-ending injury when Cleveland Browns linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah brought him down by his ankles as he scrambled away from pressure. (Jackson also missed the final five regular-season games and a wild-card-round loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in 2022 with a sprained knee.) Jackson is also far different from his 2021 counterpart — and Harbaugh noted earlier this week how malleable Baltimore’s offense can be. “I feel like an offensive identity is definitely something that you develop over the course of time,” Harbaugh said. “We’ve had a lot of iterations of offensive identities over the years, especially since Lamar has been here, but they do start with your quarterback.” Davante Adams said Lamar Jackson is “the best ball carrier ever, regardless of position.”Adams watched a lot of film of Jackson four years ago when he worked on improving his tackle-breaking skills. — Vic Tafur (@VicTafur) September 11, 2024 After battling the Chiefs’ Chris Jones a week ago, Jackson and the Ravens will see a similarly dominant defensive lineman in Las Vegas’ Maxx Crosby. Crosby had four tackles and two sacks in his only career game against Baltimore, a 33-27 overtime win by the Raiders in the 2021 season opener. He finished with five tackles and a sack last week in a 22-10 loss against the Los Angeles Chargers. Harbaugh called him a “game-wrecker” and a high-energy, “very unpredictable player.” Jackson, with distasteful memories of that matchup three years ago, still recalls the friendly trash talk they exchanged in that meeting at Allegiant Stadium. “He was trying to get after me and I was talking trash back, and he was like, ‘But I love your game, Lamar!’” the quarterback recalled Crosby saying. “He’s a great edge rusher. My hat’s off to him. He has a high motor. He was just going at it all game.” Injury report Veteran outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy, who exited Thursday’s loss in Kansas City after suffering an orbital bone fracture, missed Wednesday’s practice with an eye injury and was the Ravens’ only absentee. Middle linebacker Roquan Smith was a limited participant with a shoulder injury. Rookie outside linebacker Adisa Isaac was limited with a hamstring injury. On his podcast Tuesday, Van Noy expressed frustration with the Chiefs medical staff’s handling of his injury, calling the treatment he received “unprofessional.” Harbaugh said Wednesday that he has not had a conversation with Van Noy regarding his treatment and didn’t offer any details on the veteran’s recovery timeline. “I didn’t hear the quotes or comments at all,” Harbaugh said. “They were sent to me. I read them. And that’s about as far as I can get on it.” Smith, who practiced Monday, is a new addition to the injury report. Isaac did not play Thursday but could have an expanded role if he returns this week. The Ravens, now possibly without Van Noy for some time, were already dealing with thin outside linebacker depth. “I feel probably the best I felt since coming in OTAs,” said Isaac, a third-round pick in April’s draft. “I feel ready, feel prepared. It’s definitely been a little challenging being patient.” Cornerback Nate Wiggins and wide receiver/returner Deonte Harty, who were not on the field for the viewing portion of Monday’s practice, returned Wednesday and are not listed on the injury report. Arthur Maulet, who is on injured reserve and will miss at least three more games, worked out with trainers on a side field Wednesday. The 31-year-old cornerback had arthroscopic knee surgery in August. Raiders defensive end Tyree Wilson (knee) and cornerback Decamerion Richardson (hamstring) did not practice Wednesday. Starting offensive linemen Kolton Miller (knee) and Andre James (elbow) and reserve rookie guard Jackson Powers-Johnson (illness) were limited participants. View the full article Quote
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