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There was a scary moment during yesterday morning's practice when offensive lineman David Hale was carted off the field after colliding with Haloti Ngata.
Head coach John Harbaugh said today that Hale suffered a bruised tailbone in the collision and the team is not sure how long he'll be out.
"They haven't been able to get a CAT scan or an MRI to my knowledge yet, so we'll make sure it's not fractured," Harbaugh said. "We'll have to check on that. He just landed straight on it with Haloti right on top of him, so that's a little bit painful."
Asked if it might be an injury which could keep Hale out for an extended period of time, Harbaugh responded, "I really don't know. We haven't gotten an MRI yet. I wouldn't be writing that yet."
Center Matt Birk was also held out of practice today as he is battling tightness in his neck.
Harbaugh said the Ravens will play it very slow with Birk, who after 12 NFL seasons doesn't need as many reps in practice as some of his teammates.
"Matt Birk is a guy we're going to be very judicious with throughout training camp and even throughout the season," Harbaugh said. "I don't think a lot of practice is what he needs. When you play on the offensive line that many years, you want to be smart with those guys and how many contact reps they take."
In addition to Hale and Birk, tackles Jared Gaither and Stefan Rodgers and center Daniel Sanders were held out of practice today.
That's five - count 'em - five offensive linemen who are currently on the shelf. The Ravens' depth at offensive line is certainly getting tested right now.
