Ravens linebacker Jarret Johnson might have a future as a high jumper.
A fight broke out early in Sunday morning’s practice at McDaniel College in Westminster when linebacker Nick Greisen took exception to being blocked to the ground by shoving tackle Mike Kracalik. The altercation ignited a scuffle, during which Johnson flew to Greisen’s defense, running from the sideline without a helmet and jumping into the scrum like a crowd surfer at a rock concert.
Johnson emerged from the fracas with a cut underneath his right eye.
“He’s crazy,” defensive tackle Justin Bannan said while he made a circular motion with his finger beside his head.
NEW LINEUP
Rookie tackle Oniel Cousins practiced with the first-team offense on Sunday morning after missing the past few days because of an injured knee. With Cousins back in the mix, the starting offensive line is Chad Slaughter and Ben Grubbs at left tackle and left guard, Jason Brown at center, Marshal Yanda at right guard and Cousins at right tackle. Kracalik, who started the preseason game against New England at right tackle, was practicing at left tackle with the second-team offense.
“He’ll compete,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said of Cousins. “[But] he’s got a lot to learn, a lot of technique things.”
Projected starting left tackle Jared Gaither and starting right tackle Adam Terry remained sidelined with lower leg injuries. The return of Cousins and the rest of the projected starters is imperative for a unit that yielded three sacks and failed to consistently open rushing lanes against the Patriots, who held the Ravens to 35 rushing yards on 21 carries.
INJURY UPDATE
Safety Ed Reed practiced on Sunday morning in full pads, but still had the red ‘no-contact’ jersey. Reed had missed the first few weeks of training camp with a shoulder injury. Running backs Willis McGahee (left knee) and P.J. Daniels didn’t dress for practice and neither did linebackers Dan Cody (right foot) or Prescott Burgess (broken left wrist) or defensive tackle Kelly Gregg (left knee). Cornerbacks Fabian Washington (undisclosed) and Chris McAlister (right knee), were both absent Sunday morning, as was tight end Todd Heap (right calf). Linebackers Robert McCune (undisclosed) and Tavares Gooden (undisclosed) and defensive tackle Haloti Ngata (right knee) dressed in jerseys and shorts but did not participate in full contact drills.
