Harbaugh pleased with camp performance
Waller battling roster crunch after suspensions; rookie wideouts seek spots
WESTFIELD, IND. – These are happy days for John Harbaugh. Officially, his Ravens are tied for the NFLlead in preseason victories (two). Unofficially, they might also lead the league in fewest injuries per days of preseason.
Cornerback Maurice Canady and linebacker Alvin Jones were the only players on the team’s active roster to miss a joint practice Saturday. As if to underscore the Ravens’ good fortune, Indianapolis Colts wide receivers T.Y. Hilton and K.J. Brent both left the field Saturday with injuries.
And with quarterback Joe Flacco impressing, the team’s free-agent acquisitions at wide receiver panning out, and the usual standouts standing out, Harbaugh said Saturday that the Ravens have performed this preseason “probably about as good as I’ve ever seen.”
He added: “I’d have to say our best camp in terms of guys focused on improving every day, and becoming 1 percent better at what they do from one day to the next and keep building on that. That’s what I’m proud of.”
After two years without a joint practice, the Ravens filled their extra-long preseason with a pair of two-day workouts — first against the Los Angeles Rams, and this weekend against the Colts.
It has been a welcome change of pace. Guard-center Matt Skura said before the team’s trip to Indiana that the offense has started to understand the Ravens defense’s “patterns,” and wide receiver Willie Snead IV said Friday that the one-on-one battles against familiar opponents gets tiring after a while.
“The different guys lining up on the other side are really good for us,” Harbaugh said Friday. “It gets your attention. This is a long week. This would have been a hard week to Ravens coach John Harbaugh, left, talks with Colts coach Frank Reich on Friday. Harbaugh said the Ravens have performed this preseason “probably about as good as I’ve ever seen.” keep the guys really focused from Thursday until Monday night, so to have these couple days is really good for us.”
“We’ve been in camp,” Flacco said Saturday, “for a really long time.” Waller’s tough squeeze: After a yearlong ban made it easy to forget about Darren Waller, the twice-suspended tight end has made it hard for the Ravens to forget about him this preseason.
Since his reinstatement two weeks ago following a violation of the league’s substance-abuse policy, Waller has flashed his potential as a receiving threat. The converted wide receiver, who also missed the Ravens’ first four games in 2016 for substance abuse, “knows what he’s doing,” Harbaugh said Friday, “which is no small feat.”
“He’s been getting better,” he said. “He looks good. He’s made a couple plays. He has to continue to work on the fundamentals ... securing the football, things like that. But he’s made some plays. His speed showed up. His athleticism showed up.”
It might not be enough. Twoof the Ravens’ first four draft picks were tight ends — Hayden Hurst and Mark Andrews — and Harbaugh also has praised Nick Boyle and Maxx Williams. The veterans started a combined 19 games last season.
“Very pleased with the tight end group,” Harbaugh said. “We have a deep group. There are four that everybody talks about, then there are a couple more guys. Vince Mayle has had a tremendous camp. We’ve talked about Darren Waller coming on. We have a young guy [Nick Keizer]. ... [He] has really done a good job. So we’re just pretty impressed with the whole group.” Rookie wideouts look to climb depth chart: After starting wide receivers Michael Crabtree, John Brown and Willie Snead IV were pulled after one series in the Ravens’ 33-7 preseason home victory over the Los Angeles Rams on Aug. 9, the second group that came on featured Chris Moore and two rookies, Jordan Lasley and Janarion Grant.
That Lasley, a fifth-round draft pick, and Grant, an undrafted free agent, came in ahead of veteran teammates Breshad Perriman and DeVier Posey might have raised eyebrows among fans, but the rookie duo relished the opportunity.
“It’s just a testament to our hard work,” Lasley said recently. “We’ve been coming out to practice every day with a positive attitude, and we’ve been coming out here working, and it’s showing in the games and practices as well.”
Said Grant: “I’ve just got to keep working one day at a time. I never get ahead of myself or think too much of myself. Every day, it’s one day at a time and one play at a time. That’s what I’m thinking.”
Theyoung wideouts had differing levels of success against Los Angeles. Grant caught two passes for 36 yards, leading to field goals by Justin Tucker and Kaare Vedvik in the first and second quarters, respectively.
“I really appreciate those guys believing in me,” said Grant, who ranks second on the team with 42 receiving yards in two preseason games. “I’m trying to showcase my talent and see what I can put on the field and on film.”
Lasley, on the other hand, did not catch a throw on two targets. He has one catch for 14 yards this preseason but said he remains optimistic that he can help the offense.
“As a receiver, you always want to get the ball and you always want more than one or two targets,” he said. “Whenever the ball comes my way, it’s up to me to make a play. I’m just trying to seize every opportunity that I’m given.”
Where Grant and Lasley stand in the receivers’ pecking order could be evident when the Ravens play the Colts in Indianapolis on Monday night. Regardless of what happens, Grant said he and Lasley understand what is expected of them.
“You’re still a rookie, and you’ve still got to get to know everything because you don’t know what type of situation is going to come up,” he said. “You’ve just got to know that and do well. This is the big leagues now. You’ve got to be on your p’s and q’s. That’s your job. So every day, you’ve got to come out here and work on whatever you need to work on.”