The Ravens got a dose of a nasty weather in the middle of Tuesday's training camp practice.
After about an hour of practicing outside, dark clouds rolled in and Head Coach John Harbaugh called an audible to move practice to the indoor fieldhouse. Harbaugh made the decision just in time, as a loud roar of thunder hit just minutes after the team cleared the field.
The thunderstorm lasted about 20 minutes.
The biggest downside of the rain was that several hundred fans in attendance had to be cleared from the stands to head home early. They were able to see about 45 minutes of practice before lightning was reported in the area.
Fans who attended practice will be contacted by the Ravens to receive a rain check to attend a camp practice at the Under Armour Performance Center again next summer.
Here were some other notes from the day:
- The practice was clearly the lightest session of training camp, resembling more of a walk-through than an actual practice. Harbaugh said yesterday he would dial back the intensity to keep his team fresh for Thursday's preseason opener.
- Wide receiver Breshad Perriman (knee), defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan (foot) and offensive guards John Urschel and Robert Myers (concussions) all didn't practice. Harbaugh indicated that it's unlikely for players who missed practice to play Thursday, but that he will treat eat case on an individual basis.
- Cornerback Lardarius Webb (hamstring) and safety Kendrick Lewis (leg) both returned to practice.
- One of the most entertaining portions of practice was a period of one-on-one coverage drills between the tight ends and outside linebackers. It's a tough assignment for pass rushers like Terrell Suggs and Elvis Dumervil to cover the faster tight ends in space, and the rookies Maxx Williams and Nick Boyle were consistently able to get open. However, Suggs taught Boyle an important lesson about holding on to the football when he jarred it loose after Boyle caught pass and thought he had Suggs beat by turning upfield.
- Former Raven Jarret Johnson looks at home on the football field in his role as a personnel intern. He watched most of practice behind the line of scrimmage with the players. He spent several minutes talking with fellow outside linebacker Courtney Upshaw, and he chatted with Harbaugh for a few minutes, as well. Johnson is still determining what he wants to do in his post-playing career, but he seems to be enjoying himself with the training camp internship.
- Former Maryland hoops stars Juan Dixon and Steve Francis were both at practice.
