The Ravens returned to the Under Armour Performance Center Monday after holding an off-site practice at nearby Stevenson University Sunday evening.
The players were in shorts and shells for Monday's session, which included preparation for Thursday's game against the Carolina Panthers at M&T Bank Stadium.
Here were some of the highlights from practice:
- Outside linebacker Elvis Dumervil (groin) returned to practice for the first time since getting hurt in last week's game against the Falcons. His injury is not considered serious, but the Ravens held him out of practice over the weekend.
- Tight end Ed Dickson (hamstring) returned to practice for the first time in two weeks, as he had a slight muscle tear. Dickson was limited in practice, as he was able to run around and participate in individual drills.
- Wide receiver Torrey Smith was also back at practice after having the day off Sunday.
- Rookie receiver Aaron Mellette continued to get some work with the first-team offense. He had a strong showing early in practice with a touchdown pass in red-zone drills. Mellette ran by cornerback Chykie Brown on the play, and tracked down the perfectly-placed pass from quarterback Joe Flacco. Mellette did a great job running around Brown to make the grab in the back of the end zone.
- Veterans Brandon Stokley and Dallas Clark continue to get more involved in the offense. They both took a good portion of the reps with the first team, and Stokley was used as the slot receiver in three wide receiver sets. Offensive Coordinator Jim Caldwell said after practice that both of them will get more reps this week against Carolina.
- In his first week in Baltimore, Stokley has shown that he still has a knack for getting open over the middle of the field. He can find the soft spots in the defense, and has a quick step to beat cornerbacks. On one play, the 14-year veteran initiated contact with cornerback Corey Graham and then cut to the middle of the field to catch a wide-open pass from Flacco for the first down.
- Jacoby Jones had a strong day of practice, as he beat the cornerbacks in a number of drills on deep patterns and slant routes over the middle of the field.
- Linebackers Coach Ted Monachino was very active in coaching up outside linebacker Pernell McPhee in between drills. McPhee is making the switch form defensive end to outside pass rusher, and Monachino was working with him on some specific techniques.
- Rookie inside linebacker Arthur Brown is known for his speed, but running back Ray Rice burned him in pass coverage on one play. Rice came out of the backfield and ran down the sideline to haul in a lofted pass from Flacco. Rice ran right by Brown and then displayed great hands to make the fingertips catch.
- Defensive Coordinator Dean Pees was asked about cornerback Jimmy Smith getting beat by Atlanta's Julio Jones last week, and whether there was a breakdown in the coverage. "There have certainly been some times that guys get blamed for something on a coverage that may not be theirs. But for the most part if the ball is deep and there are two guys there, it's [the closest defender]," Pees said. "That's part of living on the edge and playing defensive back. There's not a defensive back in the Hall of Fame that hasn't gotten beat. None. Let's be realistic."
