Mosley makes surprise appearance
Martindale vague about linebacker’s availability; label as fumbler bothers Grant
Only a week after suffering a bone bruise on his left knee and requiring a cart to get off the field during a loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, Ravens middle linebacker C.J. Mosley made a surprise appearance at Thursday afternoon’s practice.
Mosley, who has not been available to comment on his status for Sunday’s home game against the Denver Broncos, did some light running and took part in individual drills during the portion of practice open to the media. Afterward, he was listed as being limited in the team’s injury report.
Although it was anticipated that Mosley would sit out Sunday’s game, his return after missing Wednesday’s session might suggest otherwise. Defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale was vague about which player would wear the headset, which has traditionally belonged to the three-time Pro Bowl selection since he was selected by the organization in the first round of the 2014 NFL draft.
“We don’t know who’s going to wear the headset this week because we don’t know who’s going to be out there yet,” Martindale said. Grant annoyed by fumbles: Janarion Grant ranks 12th in the NFL in punt return average at 7.4 yards on seven attempts, but the Ravens rookie is tied with the Los Angeles Chargers’ J.J. Jones for the most fumbles on punt returns with two, and the notion of being labeled a fumbler irks him.
“It bothers me a lot,” the undrafted rookie said Thursday. “I’m not trying to be that guy. Especially doing that, I won’t be able to have a job, and I need this job. I love this job. So I’m willing to do whatever it takes to be able to keep this job.”
To that end, Grant said he has been fielding punts when punter Sam Koch has been warming up for practice. He also has been carrying a football around with him to emphasize the importance of holding onto the ball. Ravens linebacker C.J. Mosley, nursing a knee injury, participated at practice Thursday, but his status is still listed as questionable for Sunday’s game against the Broncos.
Special teams coordinator/associate head coach Jerry Rosburg said Grant has been working on his punt returns “continuously.”
“Janarion understands the importance of hanging on to the ball,” Rosburg said. “It’s the first and foremost thing of being a returner. It’s having the ball at the end of the play. He gets it, he’s working on it. We all understand it. The fact that his teammates have been there to rescue the situation doesn’t lessen the importance of hanging onto the ball. He’s working on his ball security every week, every day.” No confusion: While several current and retired players have decried the roughing the passer penalty called on Green Bay Packers outside linebacker Clay Matthews after he hit Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins last Sunday, the Ravens took a decidedly noncontroversial stance on the subject of hitting opposing quarterbacks.
Outside linebacker Terrell Suggs, the dean of sacks in Baltimore, paused Wednesday before answering a question whether he understood howhe was supposed to hit a quarterback according to NFL standards.
“I was told to be political,” he said. “So you’ve got to gently lay the guy down. Just gently lay him down, caress him and all of that.”
Sarcasm aside, even Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco sympathizes with his defensive teammates.
“I definitely have feelings for those guys over there because not only are they penalizing people and affecting the outcomes of games, but they’re also taking paychecks away from people, and they’re acting like it’s no big deal. That is a big deal,” he said. “That’s a lot of money for anybody. So there’s a lot of issues with it, I think.” Extra points: Martindale began his weekly session with media by extending “thoughts and prayers” to the victims of a shooting at a Rite Aid distribution center in Aberdeen on Thursday morning. “I think it’s a tragedy,” he said. “We don’t know the ins and outs of what happened, but we’ve seen the news, just like, probably, the rest of you have. It’s a situation that happens too much, it seems, here of late. The timeline on it is yours to put on it, but it just seems like it’s happening too much.” … Count Suggs as someone who is excited about former middle linebacker Ray Lewis’ anticipated appearance for Sunday’s game, when he will be honored as the team’s Legend of the Game and presented with his Hall of Fame ring in an on-field ceremony at halftime. “He’s definitely the Maximus of Baltimore in the arena with you,” said Suggs, who played 10 of his 16 seasons with Lewis. “So that’s definitely going to fire us up. It’s going to be Sept. 9: Buffalo (W, 47-3) Sept. 13: at Cincinnati (L, 34-23) Sunday: Denver, 1 p.m. (CBS) Sept. 30: at Pittsburgh, 8:20 p.m. (NBC) Oct. 7: at Cleveland, 1 p.m. (CBS) Oct. 14: at Tennessee, 4:25 p.m. (CBS) Oct. 21: New Orleans, 4:05 p.m. (FOX) Oct. 28: at Carolina, 1 p.m. (CBS) Nov. 4: Pittsburgh, 1 p.m. (CBS) Nov. 11: BYE Nov. 18: Cincinnati, 1 p.m. (CBS) Nov. 25: Oakland, 1 p.m. (CBS) Dec. 2: at Atlanta, 1 p.m. (CBS) Dec. 9: at Kansas City, 1 p.m. (CBS) Dec. 16: Tampa Bay, 1 p.m. (FOX) Dec. 22 or 23: at Los Angeles Chargers, TBD Dec. 30: Cleveland, 1 p.m. (CBS) awesome.” Speaking of Suggs, Broncos outside linebacker Von Miller put himself in the group of young players who looked up to the 16-year veteran. “Especially me growing up, it was Terrell Suggs, [the Dallas Cowboys’] DeMarcus Ware, [the Indianapolis Colts’] Dwight Freeney, [the Colts’] Robert Mathis — that was my era growing up,” Miller said in a conference call with Baltimore media. “Those were the guys I would watch. Terrell Suggs is definitely a legend. We’ve got to get him to come to the Pass Rush Summit. If you’re in the Ravens’ locker room, give him an invitation for next year.”