Harbaugh: Rookies not ‘as callused up’ anymore
Tight ends Hurst, Andrews out; open stadium practice hasn’t been rescheduled
The Ravens practiced Monday without their top two receiving threats at tight end, Hayden Hurst and Mark Andrews. Hurst sat out his third consecutive practice because of a “soft tissue” concern, and Andrews missed his second session of training camp after already sitting out the first day because of a “muscle tissue issue.”
That both players are rookies — Hurst was the No. 25 overall selection in April’s NFL draft, and Andrews was the second of two picks in the third round — was not lost on coach John Harbaugh, who questioned whether players coming out of college are adequately prepared for the NFL’s more physically taxing practices.
“One thing I’ve noticed: Guys coming out of college aren’t as callused up as they used to be,” he said. “We used to practice twice a day in full pads. And those players know — I’m talking to you out there who know, who’ve played in the National Football League or played in college 10, 15 years ago — [that] it’s not even close to the same thing. There’s a certain type of ‘in shape,’ certain type of football fitness, certain type of callusness — muscles, joints, tendons, ligaments — that kind of toughen up. They callus up a little bit, and you can practice all day and run all day. Then our guys coming in right now, most of them don’t have that. So you practice for half a practice, and all of a sudden, things start tweaking on them.”
In the absence of Hurst and Andrews, Vince Mayle, Nick Boyle and Maxx Williams have seen extended repetitions at tight end in passing situations. The trio might not be the pass-catching threats that the rookie duo are, but Harbaugh sounded happy to give them every opportunity to stand out.
“You look at the other tight ends. Boyle, look at Maxx Williams — they’re taking every rep out there,” Harbaugh said. “And because the other guys are nicked right now, they’re taking all the reps. They’re not batting an eye. Why? Because they’re callused up, because they know how to practice, because their bodies are just tougher. There’s a physical toughness to it. They’re mentally tough. But you have to practice football to be able to practice football the right way.”
In other injury-related news, Harbaugh said cornerbacks Jimmy Smith (left Achilles tendon) and Maurice Canady (knee) were given the day off. Cornerback Bennett Jackson (undisclosed) missed his third straight practice, and rookie offensive tackle Greg Senat, a sixth-round selection, continued his absence from an unspecified injury suffered at the end of minicamp.
Meanwhile, left tackle Ronnie Stanley, defensive end Brent Urban and rookie linebacker Kenny Young returned Monday after sitting out Sunday’s practice.
Right guard Marshal Yanda ( shoulder), wide receiver Quincy Adeboyejo (upper leg muscle), linebacker Bam Bradley (ACL) and cornerback Jaylen Hill (right ACL, MCL) remain on the physically- Rookie linebacker Kenny Young runs a drill. “You practice for half a practice, and all of a sudden, things start tweaking on them,” coach John Harbaugh said of the rookies. “There’s a physical toughness to it,” Harbaugh said of NFL practices. unable-to-perform list. Averett adjusting: Five days in, rookie cornerback Anthony Averett was still amazed by the path to his first NFL training camp, where he’s performed in front of nearly 2,000 fans attending practice at the Under Armour Performance Center.
But the change in preseason atmospheres pales in comparison to the frenetic pace at this level. Averett, the first of the Ravens’ three selections in the fourth round of May’s NFL draft, marveled at the way veteran cornerbacks Jimmy Smith and Brandon Carr have discerned hints on opposing receivers’ routes based on their stances, footing and other tells.
“A lot of these guys, they know the route that’s coming before the guy runs the route,” the former Alabama star said. “That’s something I’ve got to prepare for and work my way up.” No update: Fans who were hoping to attend Saturday’s open practice at M&T Bank Stadium had those hopes dashed by torrential downpours that caused nearby ponds and lakes to overflow.
Rescheduling the canceled practice would require the Ravens to make some major schedule adjustments, and as of Monday, Harbaugh could not provide an update on the situation.
“That would be up to [team president] Dick [ Cass] and [owner] Steve [ Bisciotti] and [executive vice president of public and community relations] Kevin [ Byrne],” he said. “I know they’re looking hard to find a day. As far as players and coaches, we’re great. We like being over there [in Baltimore]. Hey, send us down. We’ll go do it. It’s just right now, I don’t know if we can find a day or not. If we can, we’ll load the buses up and head down.” Extra points: Three days after taking Bisciotti’s golf cart at the start of Friday’s practice, outside linebacker Terrell Suggs explained that it’s part of a tradition he and former defensive tackle Haloti Ngata started. “We used to just steal it because Steve wouldn’t be here, and it seemed like a very fast and fun way to get onto the practice field,” Suggs said. “But [Friday] was the first time in 16 years that I’ve actually gotten caught. He usually comes later, and the cart would be back, but he was actually sitting up there, and I turned just like a kid with hands stuck in a cookie jar. It was fun, though.” … The team braved a 15-minute stretch during which rain pelted the practice field. Harbaugh referenced a scene from “Caddyshack” in which the character Carl Spackler (played by Bill Murray) advises a golfer to continue playing in a downpour. “I got warnings two or three times, ‘It’s coming in! The heavy stuff is coming!’ ” Harbaugh said. “I think I said, ‘The heavy stuff’s not coming for quite a while yet.’ You know, ‘Caddyshack’? Thank you.”