It was cloudy and, at times, pouring rain Saturday at Ravens training camp, but the heat got turned up in the trenches in the first day of pads.
At one point, Head Coach John Harbaugh yelled out to get in the "battles" phase of practice, which left the whole team watching one-on-one offensive linemen versus defensive linemen.
Here are notes from those exchanges and other aspects of practice:
- Tight end Crockett Gillmore was not back at practice after suffering a leg injury Friday. Head Coach John Harbaugh did not speak with reporters, so there was no update provided. The Baltimore Sun's Jeff Zrebiec reported that the Ravens feel they "dodged a bullet" and that it wasn't a major injury.
- Other players missing from practice were quarterback Joe Flacco (back), cornerback Maurice Canady (undisclosed) and wide receiver Michael Campanaro (toe). Safety Tony Jefferson (sports hernia surgery) played in some full-team drills for the first time in training camp.
- On the first play of 11-on-11 drills with the pads, veteran outside linebacker Terrell Suggs tossed aside tight end Nick Boyle to make what would have been a tackle for loss. Suggs just simply starting cackling.
- Second-year inside linebacker Kamalei Correa has gotten off to a strong start. He had an interception in each of the first two days of practice, and showed his run-stopping aptitude Saturday when he exploded through a gap for what would have been a tackle in the backfield.
- Wide receiver Breshad Perriman made a couple of very impressive catches. The first was a bit lucky as cornerback Jimmy Smith stepped in front to break up a pass, but Perriman stuck with it and hauled in the deflection. The other was an impressive snag on the sideline that Perriman plucked off his shoelaces as he went to the turf.
- The first scuffle of practice broke out between ... (drum roll) ... center Ryan Jensen and inside linebacker Patrick Onwuasor. Not all that shocking considering both players compete with an edge. Overall, Harbaugh reminded players to be smart despite the pads coming on, and they did a good job with it.
- Second-year outside linebacker Matthew Judon continues to be all over the field. He's trimmed down some since minicamp and it shows. He's quick and still physical.
- Veteran safety Eric Weddle came over the top to pick off quarterback Ryan Mallett in the end zone. It was a really nice play. Weddle also had a pick earlier in practice. Rookie safety Chuck Clark also had an impressive pick near the end of practice.
Now, onto the trenches evaluation ...
- Rookie third-round pick Tim Williams was tormenting the offensive linemen. He beat Ronnie Stanley, James Hurst and Stephane Nembot for what would have been sacks. Williams is explosive off the edge and Defensive Coordinator Dean Pees has been impressed, saying Williams has been exactly what they thought when they drafted him.
- Defensive tackle Carl Davis, who spent last year on injured reserve, had a strong day. His power is a lot for Jensen to handle, and Davis manhandled an undrafted rookie.
- Second-year defensive tackle Willie Henry also flashed at times. He has some quickness inside.
- Left guard Alex Lewis, however, stood Henry up in a one-on-one battle. Lewis, who seems to adore the challenge of going toe-to-toe, had a good laugh.
- Rookie guard Nico Siragusa's power in a phone booth is evident in one-on-one drills. Like all rookies, he still has a lot of room to grow, but the tools are there.
- Stanley is still a beast. The No. 6-overall pick last year had a very strong rookie year, and he's picked up where he left off. He hardly ever loses a battle.
