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Before I get into the notes of the day, here is your daily Jared Gaither weight/health update (it wouldn't be a day at Ravens training camp without one):
We already know that Gaither dropped 29 pounds this offseason, going from 340 pounds to 311. He missed five practice sessions over three days because of what he called "a couple cramps", but returned to practice yesterday and said today he's feeling healthy again.
The offensive tackle admitted that he lost more weight than he had planned and said that the Ravens were not aware that he would be shedding pounds this offseason.
"No, we had not previously talked about it," Gaither said. "I wasn't planning on losing this much weight, but that's done now, so we're looking forward."
Gaither said that the team has asked him to put some weight back on, but was tight-lipped when I asked him how much.
"We talked about it," he said.
Without further ado, here are your notes from Tuesday's practice.
Hit of the day: Surprisingly, this goes to an offensive player. During full team red zone drills, rookie tight end Ed Dickson caught a pass on a crossing route. He turned upfield and got to two-yard line without being touched, but had rookie cornerback Prince Miller waiting for him. Instead of trying to spin away from Miller, the tight end lowered his shoulders and ran through the 5-foot-8 cornerback, bulldozing him to the ground as he fell into the end zone for the touchdown.
Give-me-that-ball play of the day: With both the second-team offense and second-team defense on the field, Marc Bulger dropped back to pass and looked for rookie wide receiver David Reed over the middle. Bulger's pass initially looked like it would be corralled by Reed, but out of nowhere, Haruki Nakamura jumped in and ripped the ball out of Reed's hands. The safety fell to the turf with the interception, drawing cheers from the defensive players looking on.
Red zone performer of the day: Wide receiver Justin Harper showed flashes of greatness during training camp last year, and he gave another glimpse at his potential today, when he made back-to-back touchdown grabs during red zone drills. Both were in tight coverage over the middle, and Harper reached up to snatch the passes out of the air. Safety Ken Hamlin came crashing on top of Harper on one of the plays, but the third-year wide receiver held on.
Fight of the day: The training camp fights are coming fast and furious now. Today's battle was between offensive tackle Joe Reitz and defensive end Paul Kruger. This marked the only scuffle thus far where punches have actually been thrown, as Reitz let a haymaker or two fly after getting tangled up with Kruger in a red zone drill. Reitz also grabbed Kruger's facemask and dragged him a few yards, then finished by tossing the defensive end to the ground. The win clearly went to the 6-7, 320 pound offensive tackle.
New guy quote of the day: "It's a great time to shine now. I come to compete hard. I'm fast. I can use my talents and come up in run support and play hard." - Newly-acquired cornerback Doug Dutch on his opportunity with the Ravens.
