When Zay Flowers has been on the field, he's been borderline unstoppable so far this season.
After dealing with a hamstring injury during training camp and then again not long into the start of the regular season, Flowers expects to be on the field more moving forward.
Asked whether the hamstring injury feels behind him, Flowers said, "I think so. I think we'll be good. I think we'll be all right."
Flowers was a full practice participant Thursday for the first time since before the Ravens' season opener.
Flowers missed the second half of the Ravens' season opener in Indianapolis, sat out the Week 2 loss to the New Orleans Saints, and was on a 20-25-play snap count in Sunday's thrilling win over the Dallas Cowboys.
He still leads the Ravens in receiving yards (234) on just 10 catches and 12 targets, and Flowers' production per opportunity isn't in the same stratosphere as the rest of the NFL's pass catchers, too.
According to Next Gen Stats, Flowers has gained 10.6 yards per route run this year. He's run 22 routes and gained 234 yards.
Seattle Seahawks wide receiver and reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year Jaxon Smith-Njigba is next closest with 4.7 yards per route run.
Flowers hadn't seen the stat and didn't give it much credence, but it doesn't surprise him. He said Offensive Coordinator Declan Doyle has done a good job calling plays that "allows me to have more freedom and find more space in areas."
"Just be explosive. That is the offense — make plays," Flowers said. "Dec' said he is going to get his ball players the ball, so that is what we have been doing."
Marlon Humphrey Says Defense Is Looking for More 'Connectivity'
The Ravens' defense is looking for more consistency after an up-and-down start to the season.
Cornerback Marlon Humphrey said one of the messages this week from Head Coach Jesse Minter is to improve the team's on-field "connectivity."
"I think you can tell how connected a team is based off the celebrations when somebody makes a big play," Humphrey said. "That does matter, all that stuff. We want to be able to feed off each other's energy.
"That will fix some of these things. A guy can shoot his shot for a tackle because he knows somebody is coming. A guy can play their zone drop and feel free. There are some little bitty things that we're shooting for and we hope to get it fixed this game."
The Ravens' defense is ranked No. 14 in the league in yards allowed (321.3) and No. 21 in points (26) per game. Baltimore dominated the Colts for much of their Week 1 game. They held the Saints to just six points in the first half in Week 2. After the Cowboys had a hot 10-0 start, they scored just three points on their next five drives.
But some missed tackles, particularly in high-stakes situations, have been costly and the Ravens gave up too many explosive plays to the Cowboys' high-octane offense.
"The urgency is definitely here to get it fixed," Humphrey said. "I don't think we feel we're doing a bad job necessarily, but if you're trying to be the No. 1 defense in the league, you have to be doing great. So that's what we're all chasing."
How the Ravens Plan to Help Vega Ioane
Rookie Vega Ioane is expected to make his first start at center in Week 4 against the Tennessee Titans, a move necessitated by the Ravens losing three centers to injury. Ioane has been doing extra work to get ready, and Doyle is looking for the entire offense to rally around the first-round rookie.
"My message to the players was, we're going with a guy who's never really played center at a high level," Doyle said. "Everybody else has to lift their communication, their level of play.
"We all are responsible to cover for where the shortcomings are. Whether that's Lamar (Jackson), whether that's myself being able to ask him to do things he can handle, or the rest of the players elevating their play. We all have a hand in picking each other up."
Ioane made an impressive transition during Baltimore's victory over the Dallas Cowboys, moving from guard to center after Jovaughn Gwyn and Ethan Pocic left the game. However, this week is the first time Ioane has taken regular practice reps at center.
He's also going against one of the NFL's best interior defensive linemen in Titans four-time Pro Bowler Jeffery Simmons, who is coming off a game in which he logged a career-high 10 tackles, one sack, and two quarterback hits.
Veteran left tackle Ronnie Stanley (toe) has returned to practice this week after not playing against Dallas, and his experience always helps the entire offensive line. Doyle said players and coaching staff are putting in the extra work necessary to help Ioane prepare.
"It takes what it takes," Doyle said. "You have to spend extra time with the centers, you've got to spend extra time with the guys who haven't played as much, making sure they understand the plan. That's a very cerebral position where he's got to communicate well. We have to put guys around him that also know what to do."
Doyle Considers Quarterback Sneak As Short-Yardage Option
Derrick Henry came up short in four short yardage situations against Dallas, making Doyle and the entire staff go back to the drawing board. The Ravens haven't used the quarterback sneak often with Jackson at quarterback, but Doyle mentioned that as one possible option.
"Having the ability to sneak in some sort of way always needs to be within your offense," Doyle said. "It starts with myself, looking at the plan. Were we asking our guys to do things that fit the defense? Were we asking them to do things that fit what they're capable of? And how did we execute those things?
"Anytime we go down there and we don't score on a run play or four run plays, I feel like I failed as a coach. Our staff feels like we failed our players. Our players feel like they failed on execution. Everybody's got a hand in it. It's really about problem solving moving forward."
Andre James Is Trying to Get Up to Speed Quickly
Ioane isn't the only one trying taking a crash course on the offensive line. Veteran center Andre James, who the Ravens signed to the practice squad on Wednesday, is trying to get up to speed as fast as possible.
James has 61 career starts, mostly with the Las Vegas Raiders, but learning an entirely new offense on the fly is another challenge.
"It's a lot," James said. "I'm confident myself to be able to do it quickly, but obviously there's a learning curve with the playbook."
James was with Titans this offseason before they placed him on injured reserve and then released him on Sept. 1. He said he's coming back from a high ankle sprain and Wednesday's practice was his first time playing football in a month.
He was watching football just like any other fan when his agent called and said the Ravens were interested.
"You never want to see guys get hurt and those are two really good centers," James said. "It was an opportunity for me to come here and play. It's a great organization, great guys on the field. So, yeah, it's a good situation to be in."
