Zay Flowers, a receiver for the Ravens, thinks he’s figured out why a lot of his teammates have ended up in the (ice) tub over the past few years, particularly later in the season: former coach John Harbaugh ran them into the ground on the practice field.
During an appearance on the “4th & Short Podcast” with former NFL players Jarvis Landry and Leonard Fournette, Flowers stated:
“Full pads all the time,” “However many practices in pads you can get, every single one. We’re doing one-on-ones in Week 17. Week 17, we’re doing one-on-ones, everybody out there, we’re tired, we’re still going.”
Baltimore made a name for itself as a strong squad that can prevail physically in the competitive AFC North and beyond. Harbaugh’s preparation of his team probably contributed significantly to the development of that identity.
However, the impact of injuries on Baltimore’s chances of achieving their highest objectives cannot be disputed. He went on:
“That’s why we had a lot of injuries because of how we practiced, how we went,” “The load was heavy.”
For instance, consider the career patterns of quarterback Lamar Jackson. In eight years, he has only participated in a full season once, and only three times has he been well enough to do so (he missed the regular season finales in 2023 and 2019). Jackson missed the last month of the season (or more) in both 2021 and 2022 due to injury, which led to an 8-9 record and a home postseason in 2021. In 2022, the Ravens had to rely on Tyler Huntley before losing to Cincinnati on Wild Card Weekend.
