The Ravens coaches and players jogged off the practice field and into the locker room, but offensive lineman John Urshcel stayed behind to get some extra work on his shotgun snaps.
The backup center struggled with the snaps after Jeremy Zuttah went down against the Chargers, and the Ravens want to make sure the issues are cleaned up before this week's matchup with Jacksonville.
Urschel has spent extra time with quarterback Joe Flacco and long snapper Morgan Cox to get a better feel for the shotgun snaps.
"I'm working on them," Urschel said. "Morgan has been giving me some advice and that's been paying dividends. He's an expert at snapping the ball, so naturally he's an expert I can talk to. He's been very helpful."
Getting inserted at center last week was somewhat new for Urschel. Zuttah hasn't missed a game during his time with the Ravens, and Urschel's playing time has come at both guard spots. He also played guard in college, so he couldn't lean on previous game experience snapping the ball out of shotgun.
His only reps had come in limited practice time, so he spent the last two weeks taking a crash course on the shotgun snaps.
"I think the more reps he gets at it and the more he's out there making calls and things like that, he'll be comfortable with everything around him," Flacco said. "So, he won't have to worry about that part of it as much – it'll come natural to him – and he'll be fine with it."
Cox explained that he's given Urschel tips on snapping technique. Long snapping is a different art, but the fundamentals still translate and Cox also played center in high school.
"I'm just trying to work with him and help him get more comfortable holding the ball," Cox said. "I was telling him that putting the ball up on the nose is going to help flatten it out and help it spiral back to Joe."
The misfired snaps against the Chargers didn't actually hurt the Ravens because Flacco was able to corral them or jump on the one that sailed over his head.The Ravens still marched down the field for a game-winning field goal.
It's also up in the air as to whether Urschel will actually be snapping to Flacco Sunday. Zuttah hasn't practiced yet this week because of a shoulder injury, but the Ravens have indicated he has a chance to play against Jacksonville.
He will likely be a game-time decision, and if he's out, Urschel hopes to put the issue to rest.
"It will be good to get another shotgun snap in the game," he said.
