With the Ravens' first preseason contest on the horizon, Head Coach Jesse Minter said he wanted Sunday's practice to look "game-like".
Minter got exactly what he wanted. Like last Thursday, Sunday's practice was padded, lasted almost two-and-a-half-hours, and played on a hot and humid morning.
There weren’t any scuffles like there was on Thursday, but players got a ton of reps — Minter said each of the three units tallied between 32 and 34 snaps in 11-on-11. The first team played at a "thud" tempo (not hitting with full power), but other units popped pads in game-like fashion.
Arguably the best example of the heightened physicality came from running back Adam Randall, a hard runner who's barreled and bashed through defenders during recent practices. On a run to the left side, defensive lineman Aaron Graves hit Randall in the backfield, but Randall bounced off Graves, reversed field, and rumbled up the right sideline for a chunk gain.
"Maybe in a 'thud' tempo, that play is blown dead," Minter said, "and now that we're tackling, you run through an arm tackle, which you love to see."
Elsewhere, the Ravens endured challenges, especially on offense, in the lead-up to Saturday night's game against the Philadelphia Eagles at M&T Bank Stadium.
Here are other notes from Sunday's practice.
- The offense was flagged for too many false start penalties. Minter said Offensive Coordinator Declan Doyle mixed up cadences, which can contribute to the mistimed jumps. "You want to be able to use that as an advantage, as a weapon," Minter said. "I think it's a great message of just the focus and the details that's required for that to become a real weapon and not something that puts you behind the chains like it did a few times today."
- In general, each offensive unit struggled finding a rhythm, and the false starts that caused some unconverted third-and-longs had a lot to do with that. The Ravens' defense also generated a couple of turnovers: outside linebacker Adisa Isaac recovered a fumble by wide receiver Devontez Walker, while safety Keondre Jackson intercepted quarterback Tyler Huntley late in practice, continuing what's been a strong offseason for the second-year player out of Illinois State.
- Running back Derrick Henry did have open running lanes and hit them hard for a handful of chunk gains on the ground.
- One byproduct of the Ravens' struggles on offense was kicker Tyler Loop getting plenty of opportunities, and he made the most of them by going 7-for-7 on field goals, three of which were from at least 50 yards.
- Wide receiver Ja'Kobi Lane had yet another exceptional day. He made a tough two-handed catch over the middle when he worked back to catch the ball when facing tight coverage by cornerback Marlon Humphrey. Moments after that, Lane made a sprawling catch toward the left sideline for another first down. He also drew a pass interference on Humphrey while running a vertical route down the left sideline later in practice.
- Cornerback Chandler Rivers had a solid day of practice. He made a tackle for loss on a halfback toss to Randall and almost had a leaping pass breakup behind the line of scrimmage on a screen pass to wide receiver Elijah Sarratt.
- Wide receiver LaJohntay Wester blazed past inside linebacker Dominic DeLuca, and Huntley hit Wester for a wide-open touchdown in the red zone.
- Earlier in practice, Huntley extended a play by rolling to his right and connected with Walker on a deep pass down the right sideline.
- Defensive lineman Calais Campbell returned to 11-on-11 practice. He was excused from Saturday's session, as he was in Canton, Ohio, for former teammate Larry Fitzgerald's Hall of Fame induction.
- Quarterback Joe Fagnano took third-team snaps, as quarterback Skylar Thompon was dealing with "something small," according to Minter. Fagnano's best highlight came on a touchdown pass to wide receiver Octavian Smith Jr. in the red zone.
The Ravens have an off day on Monday before returning to practice on Tuesday morning.
