Tag: Patrick Ricard

Ravens players use GIFs to bemoan tough conditioning test

Several Baltimore Ravens players took to Twitter to talk about how difficult the team’s conditioning test is.

As the Baltimore Ravens continue to work out virtually in preparation for training camp in late July, it appears as though the team just started their conditioning tests. And based on the players’ reactions on Twitter, the notoriously difficult conditioning test hasn’t gotten any easier.

The Ravens are well known for having one of the toughest conditioning tests in the NFL. Even players who have been in the league for years with several different teams have complained about how severe it is. For the Ravens’ rookie draft class, they got their first true taste of the difference from college to the NFL.

It all started when UDFA quarterback Tyler Huntley made a post on Twitter, joking about how tired he was following the test.

Once the elephant in the room was addressed, rookie linebackers Patrick Queen and Malik Harrison echoed in with their own thoughts.

Fullback and defensive lineman Patrick Ricard got in on it too.

Others simply laughed at the complaints.

But Huntley, Ricard, Queen, and Harrison were far from the only players to be exhausted after their conditioning tests. Baltimore quarterback and MVP winner Lamar Jackson also posted a GIF on Twitter to show how hard the test is.

Just last offseason, Baltimore saw Orlando Brown Jr., Jermaine Eluemunor and Shane Ray fail their conditioning tests. Michael Pierce got kicked off the practice field at minicamp for poor conditioning. Former Ravens players like Mike Wallace, Jerraud Powers, Fabian Washington, and Justin Forsett have all talked about how difficult the test is and their own experiences with failing it.

When asked by a fan if the conditioning test was similar to a middle school pace test, Ricard was quick with a reply.

BaltimoreRavens.com reporter Ryan Mink previously ran a version of the team’s conditioning test designed for offensive and defensive linemen, and barely passed. The 2012 version of the test Mink ran included six sprints totaling 900 yards. Each sprint had to be completed in 35 seconds or less, with just a 70-second break in between them. A failure to meet the time in any sprint means a failure of the whole test. We also know, from coach John Harbaugh talking about it previously, that the test also includes needing to pass anaerobic heart rate standards afterward. So not only do you need to be in ridiculous condition just to run the whole thing, you need to be in even better shape to recover fast enough after it.

With this offseason being abnormal due to social distancing regulations from the coronavirus, we might not know who failed their test like in previous years. But if the complaints from players are any indication, it wouldn’t be shocking if a few had to run it again.

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Ravens added serious size to defensive line this offseason

Signing Calais Campbell, Derek Wolfe, Jihad Ward, and Justin Ellis; the Baltimore Ravens added 1,222 pounds to their defensive line

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The Baltimore Ravens came into the offseason with a clear objective of improving their defensive line. After struggling against the run at times last season, the hope is that beefing up the trenches will improve upon the defense’s weakest unit and help guide the Ravens to a Super Bowl.

With the addition of Calais Campbell via a trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars and the signing of unrestricted free agent Derek Wolfe, Baltimore has done exactly that. When combined with the re-signings of Justin Ellis and Jihad Ward, the Ravens have signed contracts with defensive linemen totaling 1,222 pounds this offseason.

Player Height Weight
Calais Campbell 6-foot-8 300 pounds
Derek Wolfe 6-foot-5 285 pounds
Justin Ellis 6-foot-2 350 pounds
Jihad Ward 6-foot-5 287 pounds

When added to the size of Brandon Williams, Daylon Mack and Patrick Ricard, the Ravens have over 2,200 pounds available on their defensive line.

Winning consistently in football is tough to do but for offenses looking to run the ball effectively inside against the Ravens, they’ll have the difficulty of moving a defensive line that averages 316 pounds. If Baltimore wants to put their serious weight upfront in obvious run situations, they can use Ellis, Daylon Mack and Brandon Williams together to create a defensive front that totals in at 1,026 pounds. That has all the looks of an impenetrable wall already.

Of course, adding more size to the defensive line is just one portion of what the Ravens need to do to remedy their run defense. Finding good inside and outside linebackers either in the 2020 NFL Draft or free agency will take advantage of the wall of meat Baltimore has in the trenches. However, those players will now find it easier to set the edge and scrape down to make plays on the ball carrier without having to battle through offensive linemen.

Though maybe not intentional, the Ravens have also helped their pass defense as well and could create even more turnovers in 2020 thanks to the height of their signings. Campbell alone is 6-foot-8, which will lead to plenty of passes batted down at the line of scrimmage or tipped into the air. With Wolfe and Ward both standing at 6-foot-5, opposing quarterbacks will find throwing lanes more cluttered with the hands and arms of defenders.

Wolfe and Campbell are no slouches when it comes to providing a pass rush from the interior either. Last season, the pair combined for 13.5 sacks and 51 pressures over 28 total games Between their height potentially blocking short and intermediate receivers for quarterbacks and their ability to get penetration keeping passers from sitting in the pocket on deep throws, the Ravens have massively revamped their entire defense thanks to the big boys up front.

Sometimes, in the game of football, size matters. And now Baltimore has it in spades on their defensive line.

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GM Eric DeCosta saving Ravens from free-agency hell

Ravens GM Eric DeCosta’s philosophy of signing key players early is already having a major impact on the NFL free agency this offseason

The 2020 NFL free agency period begins in less than a month. But for Baltimore Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta, free agency is a never-ending process that can happen any day of the year.

Since taking over for Ozzie Newsome, DeCosta has gotten in the habit of re-signing players early. It’s partially to end the cycle of developing players for other teams by keeping key players from hitting the free-agent market and ultimately leaving. But a secondary effect is that Baltimore saves money by inking players to a deal at the current market value instead of in a year or two when the increasing salary cap will drive up salaries.

In the case of this offseason, DeCosta’s philosophy is already having a major impact. Though Baltimore started the offseason with 21 pending free agents, including key starters in Matthew Judon and Michael Pierce, things could have been a lot worse had DeCosta not gotten a head start.

The Ravens have signed a number of players early, including nine that would have been free agents this offseason:

Player Position
Patrick Ricard FB/DL
Willie Snead WR
Andre Smith T
Jordan Richards DB
Justin Tucker K
Marcus Peters CB
Tavon Young CB
Marshal Yanda G
L.J. Fort ILB

Just imagine the Ravens having to try to re-sign Pro Bowlers like Ricard, Peters, Tucker and Yanda, alongside Judon and Pierce. It’s very likely Baltimore would have struggled to retain even the number of guys they already had, at least not without breaking the bank and dipping further into their salary cap.

As we saw last offseason with C.J. Mosley, Za’Darius Smith and even Terrell Suggs, plenty of other teams are more than capable of beating any offer the Ravens can throw out. In the case of those three free agents, all earned bigger contracts than expected. Even re-signing one at their current contracts would have bankrupted Baltimore’s salary cap for the near future, ultimately forcing DeCosta to watch them leave with no real plan to replace them. Hopefully, DeCosta’s current philosophy will change that practice and see fewer star players leave after their rookie contracts.

It’s a strategy that has its potential negatives, however. In the case of Young, who spent last season on injured reserve, the Ravens might have been able to get a better value on his contract had they waited until now. Still, signing players early eliminates some of the anxiety of having to work on multiple contracts at once. As long as DeCosta and Baltimore’s front office do their due diligence and have a good eye for talent, they should have far more hits than misses.

As it stands now, the Ravens head into free agency this offseason with a clearer picture of how the salary cap looks for the next few years. With just two major free agents set to hit the market, Baltimore is in far greater shape to make decisions about the future of the franchise and be aggressive in making moves as soon as free agency begins on March 18.

The Ravens will likely turn their attention to tackle Ronnie Stanley and cornerback Marlon Humphrey next in an effort to keep their two biggest pending free agents in Baltimore for the long haul.

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Here’s all seven Fat Guy Touchdowns scored in the 2019 season

More than ever in NFL history, the big guys are making it into the end zone! Here are all seven Fat Guy Touchdowns in the 2019 NFL season.

Most times, when an offensive lineman reports as eligible, opposing defenses don’t take it seriously. The 2019 NFL season is when that should change, or more defensive coordinators will be caught unaware. Because there has been a rash of Fat Guy Touchdowns scored this season — there had been six through the first 16 weeks of the season, and against the Buccaneers in Week 17, Falcons offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter dialed up this bit of magic — a 35-yard touchdown pass from Matt Ryan to offensive tackle Ty Sambrailo.

We stand in awe.

And yes, it is fair to say that the Bucs blew this coverage in all sorts of ways.

Would you like to see every Fat Guy Touchdown scored this season? Touchdown Wire has you covered there. Because, as John Madden said in The Replacements, “I love to see a fat guy score. Because first you get a fat guy spike, then you get the fat guy dance.”

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Happy Holidays! Here are all five Fat Guy Touchdowns from the 2019 season

Outside of Santa Claus, these five large dudes catching TD passes in the 2019 season have been the biggest win for jumbo guys in uniforms.

John Madden: I love to see a fat guy score.

Pat Summerall: Why?

John Madden: Because first you get a fat guy spike, then you get the fat guy dance.

That line from The Replacements has always held true. There are few things more extemporaneously joyful than when a huge dude in a football uniform scores a touchdown and gets, for a moment, the adulation usually reserved for the smaller skill-position guys. When the Bills scored a touchdown on a Josh Allen pass to 6-foot-5, 320-pound offensive tackle with one second left in the first half of Buffalo’s Week 16 tussle with the Patriots, it set a mark that hasn’t been set in a long time.

Because we know what you need at Touchdown Wire, we’re presenting all five Fat Guy Touchdowns right here.

Week 1: Ravens FB/DL Patrick Ricard

(AP Photo/Nick Wass)

With 7:54 left in their 59-10 thrashing of the Dolphins, the Ravens dialed up this one-yard pass from Lamar Jackson to the 6-foot-3, 311-pound Patrick Ricard. It was Jackson’s fifth passing touchdown on the day.

“It was my idea,” Harbaugh said. “My brother had his guy in San Francisco… I just thought that was a weapon, a dominant type guy, and he looked like a really good athlete. Then I asked him, he said he played it in high school, and the rest is history.”

Jim Harbaugh’s guy in San Francisco from 2011-2014 was Bruce Miller, a linebacker and defensive lineman at Central Florida who Harbaugh converted to a fullback after the 49ers took him in the seventh round of the 2011 draft. Ricard is no stranger to the end zone — the former Maine defensive lineman caught two touchdown passes in his rookie campaign of 2017, and he has eight receptions on 11 targets for 47 yards and that touchdown. Ricard has lined up all over the place for the Ravens in 2019 — 152 snaps in the backfield, 69 snaps inline, 47 in the slot, 20 as a wideout, and 134 on the defensive line.

So, if you see this play when the Ravens get their postseason going, don’t be surprised.

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2020 NFL Pro Bowl: Which Ravens should be selected

The Baltimore Ravens sit atop the NFL and with the 2020 Pro Bowl rosters to drop tonight, several players should get recognized for it.

The NFL is set to announce the 2020 Pro Bowl roster later this evening. And with the Baltimore Ravens sitting at 12-2 and leading several respective positions in fan voting, it got me wondering which players should actually make their way into the Pro Bowl this season?

Of course, the ultimate hope is Baltimore has to have all their players turn down the event as they prepare for Super Bowl LIV. But regardless, this is a golden opportunity for many players to get their very first Pro Bowl nod and for some others to continue their streak. So let’s take a look at the 13 Ravens players I believe should be selected to the 2020 Pro Bowl.

QB Lamar Jackson

Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images

A Pro Bowl appears to be nothing more than a formality at this stage. Jackson led every NFL player in fan votes by a wide margin. And given his MVP-caliber season on top of it, Jackson not making the cut would be worthy of a headline all its own.

But just in case anyone is unsure why Jackson should get a Pro Bowl nod, Neil Dutton went through all the Ravens franchise records Jackson has already set. Add to it breaking Michael Vick’s single-season rushing record, leading the league in touchdown passes, TD% and QBR seems like good enough reasons by themselves for Jackson to get his first Pro Bowl nomination.

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Lamar Jackson topped all NFL players in Pro Bowl voting

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has taken the NFL by storm, getting more fan votes for the Pro Bowl than any other player

As if anyone needed more reason to believe Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is the NFL’s MVP, the people have spoken. At the end of Pro Bowl voting by fans, Jackson is not only the most voted-on quarterback but he also received more votes than any other player.

Jackson finished with 704,699 votes, beating second-placed Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson by more than 160,000 votes, according to a league press release.

The fan vote is just one portion of what determines if a player make the Pro Bowl, with players and coaches also getting to vote. Each section counts as 1/3 towards a player’s Pro Bowl nomination.

Jackson isn’t the only Ravens player to get a bunch of fan votes. Fullback Patrick Ricard, tight end Mark Andrews, tackle Orlando Brown Jr., guard Marshal Yanda, kicker Justin Tucker and cornerback Marcus Peters all top their respective positions.

If the fan vote holds true, Baltimore will have seven players receive Pro Bowl nomination. Though the hope is the Ravens have to turn it down because they’re too busy practicing for Super Bowl LIV.

Report: Patrick Ricard’s contract extension worth $7.3 million

Ravens two-way player Patrick Ricard went from undrafted free agent to the second-highest-paid fullback in the league with his extension

From undrafted to a multi-millionaire, Baltimore Ravens fullback/defensive lineman Patrick Ricard has played himself to better and better situations. The Ravens announced they inked Ricard to a two-year contract extension that will keep him signed through the 2021 season. But now we know how much it’ll cost Baltimore to keep the key two-way player.

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Ricard’s two-year contract extension is worth $7.3 million.

While the Ravens were likely to retain Ricard this offseason thanks to being a restricted free agent, they get an extra year and potentially at a steal. It’s unclear exactly how the contract will be split up, but $7.3 million for two years could be considered cheap for a player as important as Ricard.

The last time Baltimore had a fullback hit free agency, Kyle Juszczyk signed a record-setting four-year deal worth $21 million. Though Juszczyk was used far more in the Ravens’ passing attack than Ricard currently is, Juszczyk also didn’t play defense as well.

Don’t rule out an increased role for Ricard in the passing game either, as he has eight receptions for 47 yards and a touchdown this season. It took until Juszczyk’s third season with the Ravens before he became an impact receiver out of the backfield. Given Ricard is well known as “project Pat” for being developed into his current two-way role, he might take an extra year to reach the same level of productivity as Juszczyk had.

Regardless of if his role is ever increased, $3.65 million per year for a guy that plays offense, defense and special teams seems like a bargain.

Ravens sign FB/DL Patrick Ricard to a 2-year contact extension

The Baltimore Ravens have locked up fullback/defensive lineman Patrick Ricard to an early contract extension through the 2021 season

The Baltimore Ravens have seen enough out of fullback/defensive lineman Patrick Ricard this season. According to the team’s Twitter account, they’ve locked him up to a two-year contract extension that will keep him through the 2021 season. Ricard was set to be a restricted free agent this offseason. While likely to return for at least a season, Baltimore’s extension ensures they keep him for the near future.

Ricard is one of the few two-way players in the NFL, playing both on offense and defense. But that actually doesn’t do Ricard justice as he plays a significant number of snaps on special teams as well.

Sadly, what Ricard does for Baltimore doesn’t tend to show up on the stat sheet. Ricard has eight receptions for 47 yards and a touchdown while posting nine combined tackles, a pass defensed, one sack and two quarterback hits. While those stats are underwhelming for a guy getting a contract mid-season, the Ravens clearly feel he’s an asset on their roster.

He’s a big portion of Baltimore’s depth on the defensive line but he’s been a star at fullback. Ricard is a huge reason the Ravens have had such success on the ground, blocking the way for guys like Mark Ingram, Gus Edwards and quarterback Lamar Jackson. A quick look at film from any game will show Ricard blowing up defenders and pushing them downfield, opening holes for big rushing yards. Ricard’s play has him headed towards his first Pro Bowl nomination, as he leads fan voting at fullback.

Baltimore has aimed to extend their pending free agents early when possible. Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta has been able to lock up cornerback Tavon Young, kicker Justin Tucker, guard Marshal Yanda and wide receiver Willie Snead to extensions during the regular season. Ricard is just another in a line

Ravens QB Lamar Jackson leads all NFL players in Pro Bowl voting

Lamar Jackson is just one of six Ravens players to lead fan Pro Bowl voting at their respective positions, though Jackson leads all players

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has been electric this season. Seemingly every week, Jackson is adding yet another amazing run or perfectly placed pass to his highlight reel. So it’s no wonder Jackson leads all players in voting for the 2020 Pro Bowl.

According to NFL.com, Jackson has 146,171 fan votes. In second place is Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes with 116,325 fan votes. While fan votes are just one portion of the total process for determining who gets a Pro Bowl nomination, they show just how interesting NFL fans find Jackson and Baltimore’s offense this season.

Through 10 games, Jackson has thrown for 2,258 yards, 19 touchdown passes and just five interceptions for a 106.3 quarterback rating (ranks fourth in the NFL entering Week 12). But Jackson has also put up 781 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns so far this season as well. He’s well on his way to breaking Michael Vick’s single-season rushing record for quarterbacks, which would just be one of the records Jackson has shattered since coming into the NFL.

Jackson isn’t the only Ravens player impressing the fans this season, however. Fullback Patrick Ricard, cornerback Marcus Peters, tackle Orlando Brown, guard Marshal Yanda and kicker Justin Tucker lead their respective positions in voting as well.

Considering cornerback Marlon Humphrey, tackle Ronnie Stanley and safety Earl Thomas will likely receive quite a lot of player votes, Baltimore could reasonably put nine players into the Pro Bowl this season. But Ravens fans would ideally love it if Baltimore’s players had to skip the event in order to prepare for Super Bowl LIV.