Showing a little fight
Safeties Clark, Thomas involved in unexpected dust-up, have to be separated twice at practice
A heated confrontation between starting safeties Earl Thomas III and Chuck Clark punctured the tranquility of the Ravens’ first week of training camp Friday.
A sideline argument escalated with about 15 minutes left in the morning practice. Clark had to be held back by teammates, while Thomas appeared to ball his fists as Clark approached him. The first scuffle of camp halted practice for a minute, and tempers seemed to cool.
After a couple of plays in the red zone, Clark again moved toward Thomas, who by then was standing near one end of the cluster of players on the sideline. As their argument renewed, cornerback Marlon Humphrey had to restrain Clark, who left the practice field soon thereafter. Defensive back Anthony Levine Sr. walked him back to the team facility.
Thomas returned to 11-on-11 action before moving into positional drills. Clark’s scheduled post-practice videoconference was canceled. Neither safety has been made available to reporters since camp opened.
Ravens coach John Harbaugh said afterward that he didn’t see what had prompted the confrontation. The circumstances were unusual, as this was not a padded practice, and players on the same side of the ball, much less the same position group, rarely scuffle.
“We’ll find out the details of it,” Harbaugh said. “It just lasted longer than it needed to for me.
“You’re going to have these things in training camp. I think you’re going to have tempers flare, sure. It happens every training camp, especially right about now, but I don’t like them when they extend like that and eat into our reps.
“We’re going to have to find out why and make sure that doesn’t happen. We need to keep our eye on the prize, which is preparing for the [Cleveland] Browns.”
Inside linebacker L.J. Fort said “squabbles” like Thursday’s are inevitable in training camp.
“It’s just football,” he said. “Stuff like that’s going to happen. You want stuff like that to happen. … At the end of the day, there’s no ill will toward anybody. It’s just what it is.”
Hollywood’s speed
The Ravens offense struggled at times during Friday’s training camp practice, with even the normally accurate Lamar Jackson missing a couple of open receivers downfield.
But wide receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown doesn’t need much to get going. The 2019 first-round pick had the morning’s two biggest catches — both in 11-on-11 action, both from Jackson and both at cornerback Marcus Peters’ expense.
First, Brown got open downfield on a play-action pass for a 62-yard touchdown. Later, he shook loose on an in-breaking route and turned a short completion into a 73-yard catch-and-run score.
Harbaugh said the team’s player-tracking data shows that Brown is running faster than he was last year, when he still had a screw in his surgically repaired left foot.
“He always has looked fast to me, but that deep route he went and got today, I thought he really showed that acceleration and burst,” Harbaugh said. “There was really a third, fourth gear.
“How many gears are there on a sports car? Whatever it was, he was in it. He went and got that.”
Barner hurt
Running back Kenjon Barner left practice early after safety Nigel Warrior tumbled into his legs during a punt return drill. Running back Justice Hill and cornerback Khalil Dorsey were also involved in the play.
Athletic trainers tended to Barner’s left leg for a couple of minutes before he rose to his feet and limped off the field under his own power. He did not return.
The Ravens signed Barner, a productive punt returner last season for the Atlanta Falcons, last week to compete against wide receivers James Proche, Devin Duvernay, Willie Snead IV and Devin Duvernay at the position.
Elsewhere, outside linebacker Jaylon Ferguson returned to action after missing the team’s first three padded practices. Tight end Eli Wolf, who was hurt Wednesday, and wide receivers Chris Moore
(finger) and Antoine Wesley (shoulder) did not practice.
End zone
■ Harbaugh opened his videoconference call by acknowledging Washington Football Team coach Ron Rivera and his family. Rivera, who worked with Harbaugh on the Philadelphia Eagles staff from 1999 to 2003, revealed in an ESPN interview Thursday that he has cancer but plans to remain coaching.
“I love Ron and the fight that he’ll now conquer,” Harbaugh said. “Our thoughts and our prayers are with them completely.” ■ Harbaugh had praise for wide receiver Jaleel Scott, who has done “really well” in his special teams work and continues to see meaningful snaps on offense.
“He’s got a great chance to make our team and he’s doing fine,” Harbaugh said. “He’s doing a good job. He’s playing well.”
■ Pro Bowl tight end Mark Andrews took a couple of repetitions as the holder for kicker Justin Tucker late in practice. He could be an emergency option if punter Sam Koch is unavailable.
“Well, we’ve got to have a backup holder,” Harbaugh said. “We have to have one — [former Ravens safety] Eric Weddle did it, if you remember. You try to start with guys that you think have really good hands,”