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Yamon Back on the Field*Just when Mark Clayton goes down with a hamstring injury, Yamon Figurs comes off the PUP. *Yamon Figurs broke his foot at perhaps as good a time as any. He went down at the beginning of the Ravens' offseason string of minicamps, allowing him ample time to recover for training camp. After a week of toiling on the Physically Unable to Perform list, Figurs was finally back on the field Tuesday. Figurs was confident he would be fine to practice, mainly because he had been running routes for a while, just without pads. "I was very excited to get out there and run," Figurs said. "I was working out before, running routes and stuff like that. I was doing that at practice, so that got me away from being tentative about it. I eased my way back into it." Figurs said that team doctors consulted X-rays of his foot before clearing him to play. Now, the third-year receiver faces an uphill battle. Because he wasn't able to practice, Figurs may be behind in the battle for a spot on the roster. He is competing with Chris Carr for the main kick returner job, and a bevy of wideouts creates a logjam at the receiver position. "When you're starting practice after the beginning, and you're playing catch-up learning the offense and everything," Figurs said. "I'm just going to go back to doing what I've been doing since I first got here. I know the playbook like that [snaps his fingers], so I'm just trying to learn everybody's position to play everything." Last year, Figurs saw action in 12 games, returning 29 kickoffs for 608 yards (21.0-yard average) and 23 punts for 138 yards (6.0). He also caught one pass for 43 yards that was a touchdown. Clayton's Status In QuestionThe Ravens receiver has no timetable for a return to the field. When Ravens wide receiver Mark Clayton was carted off the field Sunday morning with a hamstring injury, it wasn't thought to be too serious. But Clayton is being cautious about his return to the field. "Those things are sensitive," Clayton told reporters after Tuesday's practice. "Right now, it's preseason, and we know how important it is. But at the same time, to not be able to do anything physical, and especially as a receiver, to not be able to run full speed and show speed, it limits you and it would limit our offense. There's no good [in going] half-speed or whatnot, so we'll just try to make sure we take care of it now." Now that Derrick Mason is in-house, Clayton was regarded as the Ravens' No. 2 wideout, but his hamstring injury means that Demetrius Williams will likely take Clayton's snaps with the starters. Live Action Highlights Tues. MorningThe Ravens were hitting on Tuesday. That, and a kicking update. ** There was a lot of action in Tuesday's morning practice, as the Ravens held a long live-hitting segment to the enjoyment of the huge crowd. When it was the first-team offense against the backup defense, the Ravens moved easily to the 1-yard line when a fade to wideout Demetrius Williams in the back left corner of the end zone drew a pass interference penalty. That was followed by a fade to Derrick Mason in the back right corner that fell incomplete. Mason slid on the wet grass into the fans that had gathered near the practice field furthest from the stands, and when he got up, one fan shouted, "Awesome!" Quarterback Joe Flacco hit Williams on a quick slant on the next play to finally punch it in for a touchdown. The second-team offense didn't need that much time. On their first live play from scrimmage, quarterback Troy Smith placed a perfect 30-yard pass in the hands of wideout Kelley Washington, who made a tough catch under close coverage from Domonique Foxworth. Washington got some cheers, but he also drew a little ire from some fans when he performed Ray Lewis' signature dance after scoring. "You're not in Cincy anymore!" yelled a fan. But it was all in good fun. He went over and tapped Lewis on the helmet, and No. 52 returned the pat. The starting defense got revenge on the subsequent series when Smith tossed an interception to cornerback Frank Walker. Here are some more notables from the morning practice:
L.J. Smith, Yamon Figurs On the FieldPair comes off the PUP List to practice for first time Tuesday. The Ravens are confident that the tight end position can be a strength for them this season, and that feeling was bolstered Tuesday with the return of L.J. Smith to practice. Smith had missed the majority of training camp after tweaking a hamstring last week. The former Philadelphia Eagle had watched practice from the field every day since then, but had not participated. He is finally back in full pads. Additionally, receiver Yamon Figurs must have come off the Physically Unable to Perform list, because he is practicing. Figurs broke a bone in his foot this offseason, but expected to be fully healthy by the time training camp opened. Meanwhile, wideout Mark Clayton (hamstring), linebacker/defensive end Terrell Suggs (heel), linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo (toe), tight end Davon Drew (ankle), offensive tackle Stefan Rodgers (undisclosed), defensive tackle Lamar Divens (undisclosed), and wideouts Biron Ealy (undisclosed) and Thomas White (undisclosed) are not practicing. Drew, Rodgers, Ealy and White are all on the field watching practice. In addition, tight end Edgar Jones and guard Ben Grubbs left the field under supervision of a trainer early in the session but later returned to the field.
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