4:05 p.m. – I chatted with Frank Walker as he walked off the field, and he was definitely glad to be breaking camp, though he emphasized it was a great experience in Westminster.
Even though the players were eager to leave summer camp behind, they continued to sign autographs for the fans out here in Westminster this afternoon. You can tell these guys genuinely enjoy interacting with the fans. The organization does things the right way, and it’s why the Ravens are king in this town.
4:00 p.m. – The special teams practice has concluded, as has the Ravens’ 2009 training camp here in Westminster. The team will hold a walk-through tomorrow morning (closed to the media and public) before breaking camp.
The hour-long afternoon practice was uneventful, but tackle Oniel Cousins did not practice with the other young offensive linemen. There was no word on any injury, but I did overhear offensive line coach John Matsko asking Cousins if he’d be able to play Monday as they were leaving the field toward the end of practice.
Cousins is the team’s top reserve tackle, so this will definitely be a situation to monitor leading up to Monday night’s game with the Jets. The Ravens are thin at the position with veteran tackle Adam Terry already on injured reserve.
1:33 p.m. – I’m getting ready to head out to the field for the last public workout of the summer. If the hotel lobby is any indication, I may be the only member of the local media out there this afternoon.
The ESPN Monday Night Football crew is here, as they prepare to broadcast Monday night’s game. I saw Ron Jaworski and Jon Gruden chatting with Harbaugh and Joe Flacco during lunch.
12:03 p.m. – As previously mentioned below, Suggs and Clayton were again absent from practice.
Harbaugh once again described Suggs’ Achilles strain as a “nagging injury” but admitted he thought the star linebacker would have returned by this point. Suggs has been riding the exercise bike to maintain his conditioning.
Suggs injured the heel on Aug. 2 and has missed the last 20 days of training camp.
Clayton was working out after practice, catching passes from quarterback John Beck. He appears to be making progress, but it’s doubtful we’ll see the receiver before the last preseason game, if not the regular season opener.
12:00 p.m. – When asked how long the first team would play against the Jets on Monday night, Harbaugh suggested we’ll see the starting units into the second quarter if not the entire half. It will all depend on the number of plays they receive in the first quarter or so.
Of course, Harbaugh did say the amount of time will vary from player to player, so one would think veterans like Ray Lewis and Ed Reed will not play as long as younger starters such as Tavares Gooden or Michael Oher.
11:56 a.m. – The last Ravens practice open to the public and media will take place at 2:00 p.m. this afternoon. It will only be a special teams practice, so many of the big names will not be present.
The team will hold a walk-through tomorrow (closed to the media and general public) before breaking camp and returning to the Owings Mills facility. It’s obvious to see how eager the players are to break camp and get back to their normal lives and routines without the two-a-days in the August heat.
11:47 a.m. – I spoke to Kevin Byrne after practice, and while there is no official number yet, the Ravens expect to set a new record for a camp that did not include a scrimmage. The overall record of 111,492 fans was set in 2001—the year following the Super Bowl XXXV victory.
If you ever wondered how the team comes up with those training camp attendance figures, no, it’s not the job of a new intern or long snapper Matt Katula, as it was suggested by one reporter.
The team uses the number of parked cars and multiplies it by 3 to get their estimated figures.
11:42 a.m. – Derrick Mason was once again wearing No. 85 in practice. There was no word on whether the NFL has squashed his plan to honor the late Steve McNair by wearing No. 9 during practices.
11:37 a.m. – Harbaugh speculated with reporters about having the longest camp in the NFL. When Philadelphia was mentioned as having a longer camp, the Ravens head coach jokingly suggested they’ll try to have the longest one next year.
He was pleased with the work his players have completed this summer and described the defense’s transition from Ryan to Mattison as “seamless.”
11:27 a.m. – Willis McGahee is expecting the second preseason game to be more intense than usual when considering who will be coaching on the other sideline.
With Rex Ryan returning to Baltimore as the head coach of the New York Jets, McGahee expects both sides to really go after each other compared to what you would normally see in the preseason.
When asked about his former teammate Bart Scott and his propensity for trash talk, McGahee playfully replied, “Bart’s going to be Bart.”
Monday night clearly won’t resemble a postseason game, but it’s definitely more compelling than what you’ll typically find during an August football game. As Glenn Clark has said all week, it wouldn’t surprise me to see Ryan mix in more blitzing than normal in a preseason game.
11:22 a.m. – When asked about the differences between Rex Ryan and new defensive coordinator Greg Mattison, Pryce noted that Mattison gives the defense more time to meet with positional coaches. The defensive schemes are very similar with just a few minor tweaks.
The veteran defensive lineman also noted that both men clearly have a passion for football, but everyone’s personality is different.
11:18 a.m. – Pryce spoke to reporters after practice and said this is the deepest defensive line on which he has ever played, an impressive statement considering Pryce played on two Super Bowl-winning defenses in Denver.
He emphasized how big the return of Dwan Edwards to the rotation will be for the defense. Edwards missed the entire 2008 season with a back injury.
11:16 a.m. – The defensive play of the morning came from cornerback Domonique Foxworth when he picked off a Cleo Lemon pass.
The former Terp has had a very solid training camp and looks very comfortable playing in the Ravens defense.
11:13 a.m. – Rookie Eron Riley had the catch of the morning, grabbing a jump ball in a crowd on a pass thrown by John Beck.
The former Duke receiver has good size at 6-3 but hasn’t really done enough to warrant serious consideration for a roster spot.
11:08 a.m. – It will be interesting to see where Jayson Foster fits into the plans on Monday night. Though mostly working with the second offense, he continues to receive a few reps with the first unit.
His shining play of the morning was a 33-yard touchdown reception from Troy Smith.
While he still may be on the outside looking in when the team trims the roster to 53, Foster is certainly one of the biggest surprises of training camp, even earning comparisons to Wes Welker from offensive coordinator Cam Cameron earlier this week.
11:04 a.m. – The Ravens worked on fake field goals at the beginning of practice before focusing on various third-down packages on defense.
The scout team offense showed a few Wildcat looks to the defense, but they were not very impressive. Cedric Peerman will never be confused with Ronnie Brown as he threw a wounded duck that was easily picked off by Ed Reed (sporting the red jersey today).
On the next play, Yamon Figurs tried to take the shotgun snap but fumbled. Needless to say, it was a comedy of errors from the Wildcat scout team.
11:02 a.m. – Terrell Suggs (Achilles heel), Mark Clayton (hamstring), and Dannell Ellerbe (knee) did not practice today, and Trevor Pryce did not participate in any team drills.
Pryce spoke to the media after practice and basically equated it to a morning off with no significant injury.
10:58 a.m. – The Ravens held their last full-squad workout this morning, a brief hour and a half practice in shorts and shells.
John Harbaugh eliminated the individual portions of practice, leaving only the team drills to execute. The team practiced on the lower field due to the torrential rains that swept through the area last night, leaving the upper grass fields very slick.
