Lamar Jackson won’t play within the Ravens’ preseason finale Saturday, coach John Harbaugh introduced Thursday, marking the primary time within the quarterback’s five-year profession that he can be held out of a complete preseason.
The resolution to once more sideline Jackson and different starters in opposition to the Washington Commanders displays a broader reversal in crew technique after one of the crucial injury-marred seasons in latest NFL historical past.
In final 12 months’s preseason finale, lengthy thought-about a costume rehearsal for the common season, the Ravens performed most of their starters for no less than a collection, with some getting greater than a 3rd of the crew’s snaps. Through the Ravens’ two preseason video games this month, nonetheless, simply three projected offensive starters — operating again Mike Davis, left guard Ben Powers and fullback Patrick Ricard — and three projected defensive starters — defensive linemen Justin Madubuike and Michael Pierce and outdoors linebacker Odafe Oweh — have performed, after which solely sparingly.
In March, Harbaugh stated preserving the Ravens wholesome was “priority one, for sure, along with being really good and making sure we put a good team on the field and we’re prepared.” The group has recalibrated the crew’s offseason program and preseason schedule over the previous 12 months, transferring coaching camp practices from the morning to the afternoon, emphasizing flexibility in its exercises, fastidiously monitoring workloads and even naming a brand new head athletic coach.
Saturday’s recreation at M&T Bank Stadium comes 364 days after Ravens operating again J.Okay. Dobbins suffered a season-ending knee harm on a first-quarter display move within the crew’s preseason finale in opposition to Washington. Dobbins, who appeared poised for a breakout second season in Baltimore, was not cleared to return to observe till Aug. 8, and his availability for Week 1 stays unclear. He didn’t observe Thursday.
In the times after the Ravens’ 37-3 win at FedEx Field, which prolonged their preseason streak to an NFL-record-breaking 20 video games, Harbaugh acknowledged the second-guessing of his resolution to play starters like Dobbins in a comparatively meaningless recreation. “It’s a fair conversation,” he stated. Harbaugh famous that whereas “great teams in the AFC” performed their starters, different groups “don’t play their starters even one snap.”
“I know we’re farther down that road than we’ve ever been; we played our guys so little this offseason,” he added. “It’s just been how we’ve done it. But anytime a guy gets hurt, you ask yourself those questions.”
The season that adopted prompted a deeper reckoning in Baltimore. Even earlier than Dobbins’ knee harm, Ravens rookie vast receiver Rashod Bateman had undergone surgical procedure to restore a core muscle harm, inside linebacker L.J. Fort had suffered a season-ending ACL harm, and defensive finish Derek Wolfe was affected by hip and again accidents that might in the end finish his profession. Three days earlier than the season opener, operating again Gus Edwards and cornerback Marcus Peters suffered season-ending knee accidents simply minutes aside at observe.
Left sort out Ronnie Stanley (ankle), cornerback Marlon Humphrey (pectoral), security DeShon Elliott (biceps/pectoral), tight finish Nick Boyle (knee) and Jackson (ankle), all Week 1 starters, additionally would miss important time with accidents. According to the analytics web site Football Outsiders, no crew over the previous 20 years, even when prorated for a 16-game season, has had extra injury-related personnel losses than the 2021 Ravens.
After the season, Harbaugh stated the Ravens would “change a lot” about their strategy to harm prevention. About a month into coaching camp, they’ve misplaced just one projected contributor, outdoors linebacker Vince Biegel (Achilles tendon), to a season-ending harm. Rookie defensive lineman Travis Jones will miss three to 5 weeks with a knee sprain, Harbaugh stated Tuesday. Outside linebacker Tyus Bowser (Achilles) and Stanley have but to return to observe as they proceed their rehabilitation.
Even with fewer padded practices in camp, and solely a handful operating longer than two hours, Ravens coaches have expressed happiness about their crew’s improvement. The Ravens beat the Tennessee Titans handily of their preseason opener earlier than holding off the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, their twenty second straight preseason win.
“You definitely know our philosophy here on how we operate,” first-year defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald, who first joined Harbaugh’s employees in 2014, stated Wednesday. “We’re a company constructed on arduous work, so we’re going to go put arduous work in. So that’s positively vital. I feel that if we knew the magic variety of reps, everybody would do it. It’s form of like if there was one magical protection on the market, everybody would run it the entire time.
“So I think that it’s something that you’re just trying to work, and there’s a lot of research that goes into it with all of the guys off the field, behind the scenes trying to figure out loads and things like that. Communication with the players on how they’re feeling. ‘Harbs’ deserves a lot of credit on knowing when to push and when to hold back as well, so he just has a great feel for that.”
Jackson, who’s set to enter this season on the ultimate 12 months of his rookie contract, deflected questions final week about whether or not he wished to play within the preseason. His preseason workload has decreased since his rookie 12 months in 2018, when he performed all 4 video games. In 2019, forward of his first season as a full-time starter, Jackson performed in solely the primary two of the Ravens’ 4 preseason video games. In his first regular-season recreation that season, he posted an ideal passer ranking in a blowout win in opposition to the Miami Dolphins.
The NFL canceled its 2020 preseason slate amid the coronavirus pandemic, and Jackson performed simply 10 preseason snaps final 12 months, all in opposition to the Commanders. Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman, who’s coached within the NFL for over 20 years, stated he couldn’t recall having labored on an offense that sat most of its starters all through the preseason.
“But when I sit back and try to think logically through it … I think back to a series here and a series there that we’ve played — what has that really gotten us? Did it make us feel better?” he stated Wednesday. “It’s like, ‘I feel better; I saw him go out and execute these four basic plays and put a drive together.’ And that’s good; there’s nothing wrong with that. … I’m not worried about it. We’re just full steam ahead, preparing with no concerns. But how much did that really gain us? I don’t know. I’ll get back to you on that.”
Asked Thursday whether or not the Ravens’ strategy with Jackson might set up a precedent for his or her quarterback, Harbaugh stated he hadn’t thought that far forward.
“I don’t know,” he stated. “We’ll see in future preseasons.”
Preseason, Week 3
COMMANDERS@RAVENS
Saturday, 7 p.m.
TV: Ch. 11
Radio: 97.9 FM, 101.5 FM, 1090 AM
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Source: www.bostonherald.com