Yanda on track for return, start at right guard
Gilman grad Jones happy to get back to work as new member of practice squad
Barring any sudden hiccups, Marshal Yanda is planning to start at his customary right guard spot when the Ravens open the regular season against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday at 1 p.m. at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. It will mark the six-time Pro Bowl player’s first appearance in a game since Sept. 17, and his eagerness to return was palpable before Wednesday afternoon’s practice at the team’s headquarters in Owings Mills.
“It’s been a long time, but I’ve just been preparing the same way,” he said. “Last year is last year. It was definitely tough, but I’ve just been preparing like usual. I’m just working hard every day and being ready to be productive. So I’m definitely excited to get back out there.”
The 6-foot-3, 305-pound Yanda, who turns 34 on Sept. 15, started the first two games of 2017 before fracturing his left ankle in the third quarter against the Cleveland Browns. Then in the offseason, he injured his right shoulder while lifting weights, requiring him to undergo surgery.
Yanda was activated from the team’s physically unable to perform list Aug. 4, and although he took part in joint practices with the Indianapolis Colts, he was held out of the final four games of the preseason. He agreed with the cautious approach.
“Last year, I think I had only10 reps in the preseason, and that was great, too,” he said. “But yeah, they’ve definitely taken care of me. There’s been a plan in place for a long time, and we’re getting ready and are just going to keep rolling with that plan.”
Coach John Harbaugh said Yanda has impressed in practice.
“He’s been practicing now for three or four weeks, and he looks like Marshal Yanda to me – a hard worker, very into what he’s doing,” he said. “He looks the same, and we’ll have the regular competition start on Sunday, and all the guys are excited about it.”
Yanda’s anticipated return would bolster an offensive line that includes two players starting at different spots in center Matt Skura and left guard Alex Lewis. Yanda acknowledged that he will have a few nerves before Sunday’s game, but said he has no concerns about his surgically repaired ankle or shoulder.
“I’ve felt really good and strong,” he said. “I haven’t had any soreness or anything. I feel like I can cut it loose and go because otherwise, it would have come up in camp. I’ve had enough reps by now, and I had some good reps against Indy. So I don’t think I’ll Ravens guard Marshal Yanda hasn’t played since fracturing his left ankle against the Browns in the second game last season. He also had offseason shoulder surgery. be holding back. I’ll be rolling.” Jones excited to be back on field: Former Gilman standout Cyrus Jones went from being a member of the New England Patriots on Friday, a free agent Saturday, and then a late addition to the Ravens practice squad Monday. It was quite a roller coaster ride for the cornerback and return specialist, who is the sixth University of Alabama player to join the team.
“I would say extreme low to extreme high, but it wasn’t extreme at all,” Jones, 24, said of his emotions. “I’ve been in this for a couple years, and you could sense it coming off of my injury from last year. I could feel the shift of trying to go in a different direction. So I had braced myself mentally for the unexpected or if anything like that were to happen. Once it happened, I was like, ‘Where do we go from here?’ [Ravens general manager] Ozzie [Newsome] called me, and it was uplifting. I felt good, and I was excited to get to work.”
Jones, the All-Metro Football Offensive Player of the Year in 2011, was drafted in the second round in 2016 by the Patriots, but sat out all last season because of a torn ACL. As a cornerback, he made seven tackles in 2016, but no interceptions or pass breakups. On special teams, he averaged 4.2 yards per punt return and 22.5 yards per kick return while fumbling five times. Boldin to be honored: Former wide receiver Anquan Boldin will be honored at Sunday’s game as the team’s “Legend of the Game,” and quarterback Joe Flacco has fond memories of the three seasons they played together from 2010 to 2012.
“When he first came in, you just saw right away what kind of work ethic he had, how much he understood the game, how tough he was, and then, obviously, all he can do on the field,” Flacco said. “It showed up right away. But obviously, I think the one thing that stands out when you think about Anquan is just how tough he was and what he played through and how he played when he was out there, both mentally and physically. He was obviously a very special player, very special to this city, so it will be cool to have him there.” Canady, Youngoptimistic: Ravens cornerback Maurice Canady and rookie inside linebacker Kenny Young were limited in Wednesday’s practice, but both said they would give themselves the green light to play in Sunday’s regular-season opener against the Buffalo Bills at M&T Bank Stadium if the decisions were theirs to make.
“That’s definitely not up to me,” Canady said before the session. “But if it was up to me, I would obviously be out there.”
Added Young: “If it was up to me, I’m out there playing.”
Canady, who was listed in the team’s injury report as dealing with a thigh injury, has been sidelined since suffering what coach John Harbaugh called a muscle strain in a joint practice Aug. 17 with the Indianapolis Colts. Canady’s return would fortify an outside cornerback group that will miss Jimmy Smith for the first four games of the season for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy and consists of two rookies in Anthony Averett and Darious Williams.
“My main focus was to just get back with the team and get back to where I was at before the injury happened,” Canady said. “I’m feeling good. I’m excited to get things back up started for this upcoming season.”
Young suffered a bruised left knee in the first half of the team’s 30-20 victory over the Washington Redskins last Thursday. Before the injury, he was battling incumbent Patrick Onwuasor to start at weak-side linebacker next to middle linebacker C.J. Mosley.
“That’s why I got drafted — to come in and contribute,” said the organization’s second of three fourth-round picks in April’s NFL draft. “And no matter who the four starters were, I wanted to come in and play my ball and help the Ravens win on the defensive side of the ball. … We’ll be ready to ride.”
The Ravens practiced Wednesday without defensive end Willie Henry (hernia surgery) and rookie tight end Hayden Hurst (stress fracture in foot). Neither player is expected to play Sunday. Extra points: Onwuasor and defensive end Brent Urban are two of 11 NFL players who will participate in Show Your Soft Side, a public service campaign that aims to stop animal cruelty. They join a trio of former Ravens players: defensive end Lawrence Guy( Patriots), center Ryan Jensen ( Tampa Bay Buccaneers) and wide receiver Torrey Smith (Carolina Panthers). The photos of them posing with cats and dogs can be found on the organization’s website at ShowYourSoftSide.org. … Flacco has partnered with Terra’s Kitchen, a Baltimorebased, meal-kit delivery service, and customers can get $40 off their first delivery by using the code FLACCO.