The Ravens concluded their three-day mandatory minicamp with practice inside the fieldhouse at the Under Armour Performance Center. Early morning storms and the threat of more severe weather pushed the team indoors for their final practice.
It was another up-tempo practice to finish the week, which was the final full team practice before training camp next month.
Here were some of the highlights from Thursday's session:
- The Ravens dealt with some injuries Thursday, as tight end Ed Dickson was held out of practice because of a groin strain, Harbaugh said. Outside linebacker Adrian Hamilton also went down with a back injury and had to leave practice early. Hamilton went down to the turf and was writhing in pain, before he ultimately got up to his feet and walked off the field under his own power. Harbaugh said that the injury with Hamilton does not appear to be series, and looks to be a muscular issue.
- Run Game Coordinator Juan Castillo is incredibly active in working with the offensive line. He's enthusiastic and energetic, and puts himself right in the drills with the players. He's constantly talking with the linemen and running them through the drills. It's easy to see why the linemen have responded so well to working with him.
- Owner Steve Bisciotti was at practice Thursday, and he talked with some of the new faces on defense. He chatted with outside linebacker Elvis Dumervil on the sideline between drills, and he also talked with defensive lineman Chris Canty right after practice.
- Quarterback Joe Flacco was sharp during practice, distributing the ball all over the field to a number of receivers. Watching him is impressive, as he has great anticipation for receivers in their routes. Most of the time he's starting to throw the ball before the receiver is even open, but he can anticipate where they're going to be. It really is fun to watch.
- Overall, the defense had another strong day. The offense struggled to move the football at times, even against the second-team defense. Players like Elvis Dumervil, Chris Canty and Pernell McPhee showed a solid ability to get into the backfield and force quick throws. Defensive backs also had tight coverage on the receivers, and cornerback Corey Graham came up with several nice pass breakups throughout the day.
- Ray Rice and Bernard Pierce both bring different skillsets out of the backfield, and they both excel at their craft. Rice is such a patient runner, and he's able to wait for the holes to open up and then burst through the defense. Pierce is much more of a slasher, and he can change direction in no time. They make quite the one-two punch.
- Outside linebacker Courtney Upshaw is clearly trying to slim down before training camp, practicing the last two days in a heavy sweatshirt. Upshaw has acknowledged that he has to lose about 15 pounds before camp opens next month.
- David Reed had a few nice plays in the passing game. In one situation, he found the soft spot in the middle of the defense and took a pass from Flacco for about a 40-yard touchdown. He also hauled in a tough catch down the sidelines with a defender draped over his back.
- Justin Tucker drilled a 55-yard field goal with plenty of room to spare. The kick would have been good from 60-plus yards. He missed a kick from the same distance earlier in the day, but that kick also had plenty of leg, it was just wide right.
- Practice concluded with a successful field goal attempt from Tucker, and then everyone ran to the middle of the field cheering as the final horn sounded. It was a nice way to cap off the week.
