The Ravens returned to the practice field early Wednesday morning after having their first off-day of training camp Tuesday.
After three days of physical full-padded practice, Head Coach John Harbaugh backed off the intensity by having his team in shorts and shells. It was the first day of training camp the Ravens wore shorts.
While practice wasn't as hard-hitting as the weekend sessions, it still had plenty of entertainment thanks to veteran outside linebacker Terrell Suggs. He isn't one to keep quiet on the practice field, and Suggs made sure to let the officials know when he wasn't happy with them.
Suggs' disapproval started when the refs flagged cornerback Lardarius Webb with a pass interference on a fade route to receiver Michael Campanaro. Suggs complained to the officials and promptly told them, "that's why you're going to be reffing the toilet bowl!"
The discussion continued for several minutes after the play while the second teamers were on the field. Suggs blamed the referee's flag on the play happening right in front of the media. He also said, "they baited you into it. Nobody throws a fade to a 5-8 receiver!"
Billick Delivers Wise Word
Former Ravens Head Coach Brian Billick was in town Wednesday as part of a training camp tour for the NFL Network. He spent some of practice talking with General Manger Ozzie Newsome and President Dick Cass.
After practice, Harbaugh invited him to give the daily "wise word" in the team huddle.
"He coached a lot of bad-ass Ravens teams," Harbaugh said.
Billick spoke with the team for about five minutes after the three-hour practice.
Here were some other highlights from practice:
- Veteran outside linebacker Elvis Dumervil (tendinitis) returned after missing four straight practices. Cornerback Rashaan Melvin (hamstring) was also back.
- Wide receiver Breshad Perriman (knee) and Marlon Brown (back), and cornerbacks Tray Walker (hamstring) both missed practice. Head Coach John Harbaugh said the doctors are holding Perriman out of practice, and the team also had Brown undergo an MRI. Perriman could miss a few more days, and it's unknown exactly how long Brown will miss.
- Safety Will Hill is coming on strong during training camp. During a seven-on-seven drill, he broke up three straight passes and nearly came up with an interception. He has good instincts in pass coverage and can come up to make plays against the run.
- Quarterback Joe Flacco is a joy to watch at some points during red-zone one-on-one drills. It's an incredibly difficult drill for defensive backs, and Flacco makes it even tougher. He is so precise in his throws, and he connected on passes to Steve Smith Sr., Darren Waller, Jeremy Butler, Trent Steelman and Dan Brown.
- Tight end Nick Boyle displayed good hands during practice. He hauled in a fingertips catch from quarterback Matt Schaub on a rollout pass.
- Campanaro seems like a natural punt returner. He has sure hands in that position and doesn't get rattled when Harbaugh jumps in front of him to distract him. He could certainly end up as the lead punt returner if healthy.
