There is an old saying; “Iron sharpens iron.” That was exactly the case when the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers wrapped up a series of three joint practices on Monday. The first two practices where very physical sessions in full gear. Monday’s practice was geared more towards technique work and the teams were only in helmets. Both coaches have stated that the joint practices went surprisingly well and that both teams helped each other get better.
There were a few players who suffered small dings but only one player fell victim to a serious injury. Kapron Lewis-Moore suffered a ruptured achilles injury which will cost him the season. The practices were up tempo and spirited, much like the coaches of both teams. Seeing John and Jim Harbaugh work together was a work of art. They were sure to give each other the looks that their teams needed on both sides of the ball. They interacted very well with the opposing team’s players. It was clear that the players respected both coaches.
John Harbaugh described the 49ers as a “very tough football team.” He saw some real benefits in practicing with the 49ers. “We appreciate the way both teams took care of each other.” Harbaugh continued; ” There was a little apprehension not knowing what to expect but we got familiar with each other and had a good day. The 49ers have a lot of great players, I love the way they practice. I am happy with the three days of work. I feel like we got a week-plus worth of work in. We got to see schemes that we won’t get to see. It was fun to work together.”
Jim Harbaugh was very pleased with the way things were set up for his team. “Everything from meetings, the food it was all top notch. Not one complaint. That’s rare. A big thank you to the Ravens organization. A++ in terms of treating us right. We got better. There’s no question.”
Terrell Suggs is always a guy that speaks his mind. He had nothing but good things to say about the opportunity to face a different opponent in practice. “I like the tempo. You get to compete against another phemomenal team. They’ve been in the championship game the last four years. It’s really good. Both teams are getting a lot out of this camp.”
Suggs also had great things two say about particular two players that stood out to him. “Going against Kaepernick is very beneficial because of the simple fact that not many quarterbacks move like him. He poses a dual threat. He gives us flashes of taking off, it’s good for us to prepare and practice against a quarterback like Colin. You’re not going to find a much better left tackle than Joe Staley. He is one of the best tackles in the league. They do so many different things on offense, you have to be technically sound. Any play can explode for them.”
The main theme that the players saw as a benefit was getting the opportunity to get looks that they don’t normally get when practicing against their teammates. Patrick Willis elaborated on this concept. “We get to go against different guys. Going against another team’s offense is always a good thing. They run the ball really well and they do play action to get guys biting. We had a few live periods but practice has pretty much been a mirror image of each other.”
Steve Smith Sr. saw it as an opportunity to get evaluated in a different light. “It was very productive. We got a lot done and got the opportunity to be evaluated against guys that don’t know your tendencies unlike guys that we have been going against since April and May. It’s a great opportunity for the young guys also to get evaluated. I am having a ton of fun. I think I won the office pool because they had an over/under on how many fights and I didn’t get into any so I won a lot of cash!”
Both teams looked very good at practice. The veteran receivers, Steve Smith Sr. and Anquan Boldin stood out. Colin Kaepernick and Joe Flacco each threw interceptions but took turns carving up their opposing defense. One of the highlights of practice was the match ups of Aldon Smith against Eugene Monroe and Staley against Suggs. These battles in the trenches gave both teams a series of high quality reps.
Although it is on the back burner, there is a slight possibility that these teams will hold joint practices together in the future. Jim Harbaugh touched on it but pointed out how they play against each other in the regular season next year. He said that it may influence them not to do it next year but the year after that is definitely an option. He concluded by saying that hopefully they can go against each other this year because that would mean they’re playing in the Super Bowl.
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