{"id":11580782,"date":"2025-07-26T17:19:30","date_gmt":"2025-07-26T21:19:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/?p=11580782"},"modified":"2025-07-26T18:27:46","modified_gmt":"2025-07-26T22:27:46","slug":"ravens-observations-training-camp-false-starts-problem","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/2025\/07\/26\/ravens-observations-training-camp-false-starts-problem\/","title":{"rendered":"Ravens observations: False starts continue to be a problem early in camp"},"content":{"rendered":"

A point of emphasis for the Ravens this summer has been cleaning up the presnap penalties that plagued them last season<\/a>. In 2024, 32% of Baltimore\u2019s 132 penalties came before the ball was snapped, according to Sharp Football Analysis, thus setting the offense behind schedule.<\/p>\n

Through the first week of training camp, not much has changed.<\/p>\n

On Saturday, the offense was flagged for five false starts in the 11-on-11 and 7-on-7 periods, including once from its own 1-yard line. A timeout also needed to be called at one point over apparent confusion on the play call.<\/p>\n

Of course, now is the time of year to work out such kinks.<\/p>\n

Still, it doesn\u2019t make it any less annoying, especially when it\u2019s a consistent problem.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s real easy to get frustrated, which I do,\u201d offensive coordinator Todd Monken said. \u201cI\u2019m the king of overreacting. But if you do that, then you\u2019ll just go on one [with the snap] all the time and that doesn\u2019t help you either.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo where is that sweet spot? Now is the time to do that. We\u2019re practicing some other things in the throw game and the run game to try like heck to be on point when we play the first game. But obviously we\u2019ve got a lot of work to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Last season, left tackle Ronnie Stanley led the team with 13 penalties, per nflpenalties.com, with left guard Patrick Mekari with 11. Of those 24 flags, nearly half (11) came before the ball was snapped.<\/p>\n

With Mekari now with the Jacksonville Jaguars, one would expect those numbers to be down this season, but that hasn\u2019t been the trend through the first handful of practices.<\/p>\n

Monken also said that there hasn\u2019t been more variance in the cadences of snap counts this week, either.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere really isn\u2019t anything different other than were starting back up again and it\u2019s hot and we have a number of guys going in the game,\u201d he said. \u201cSometimes it\u2019s the quarterback that takes a little bit of time at the line of scrimmage, more than he should, then all off a sudden you\u2019re making calls at the line and you forget a different cadence. All those things are a part of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added that there\u2019s no reason that Baltimore can\u2019t be \u201celite\u201d with its cadence.<\/p>\n

\"Ravens
Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey has enjoyed having Jaire Alexander on the team so far. (Kenneth K. Lam\/Staff)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

1-on-1 highlights<\/h4>\n

Training camp isn\u2019t just about conditioning and running plays. The roughly two-hour long practices are broken down into different periods, focusing on specific areas of the game.<\/p>\n

Perhaps the most glamorous and entertaining of them is when players go one-on-one, with receivers and tight ends matching up against cornerbacks and safeties mano a mano.<\/p>\n

Saturday was no exception, as the session delivered a few fun plays.<\/p>\n

Unsurprisingly, two-time Pro Bowl safety Kyle Hamilton shut down a pair of throws from backup Cooper Rush, first to Isaiah Likely, whom he was running stride-for-stride with, then Mark Andrews, whom he undercut to break up the pass after the tight end tried to juke him to the outside.<\/p>\n

Second-year wide receiver Devontez Walker, meanwhile, made a nice catch against cornerback Jaire Alexander on a comeback route, while receiver Rashod Bateman plucked one off the turf on a similar route with Marlon Humphrey on him in tight coverage. The referee called the play incomplete, though, and Bateman flung the ball away in disgust after an obvious catch, while Humphrey sarcastically dapped up the official for the call.<\/p>\n

Kicking update<\/h4>\n

The kicking job is still to be determined between sixth-round draft pick Tyler Loop and undrafted free agent John Hoyland, but one thing that\u2019s not debatable is that the ball comes off Loop’s foot with an authoritative thump. That was evident again Saturday.<\/p>\n

A day after only Loop kicked during practice, both men were in action, and Loop had the better day.<\/p>\n

Ravens special teams coordinator explains thinking behind kicker battle<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n