SPARTANBURG, S.C. — There was a different vibe at the Panthers’ first joint practice with the Ravens on Wednesday compared to their two practices with the Colts last week.
For starters, they don’t sell beer at Wofford.
It was a calmer, quieter crowd on Wofford’s hill, and the action on the field was also a little less intense — something Panthers quarterback Sam Darnold picked up on. “I think they were tagging off a little bit more on our guys, which is a good thing,” he said. “Whereas Indy was wrapping up and punching at the ball and all those things.”
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Ravens coach John Harbaugh has a veteran team that doesn’t have to try to prove its worth during a two-hour practice in August. It was a semi-productive day for the Panthers, who will work with the Ravens again Thursday morning during their final day of camp.
What we learned Wednesday:
1. Darnold hasn’t been doing much downfield lately, which he said is more about following his reads than anything scheme-related. I had Darnold at 19-of-36 passing in the team and seven-on-seven periods. The majority of Darnold’s completions were on checkdowns and intermediate-length routes, which was the case last week against the Colts, as well.
He was victimized by a number of dropped passes Wednesday, including two by rookie receiver Terrace Marshall Jr. But Darnold also had some misfires, most of them sailing a bit high. “We have a ways to go to where we want to get to,” he said. “But we can get there.”
2. The Panthers missed Robby Anderson, who is nursing a hamstring injury and would have helped the deep passing game. Darnold found Anderson after practice and told his former Jet teammate they could have used him.
“He’s super-fast, so he’s always someone who’s gonna take the top off,” Darnold said. “There’s plenty of guys on this team to be able to do that. But when you have elite speed like Robby has, you’re gonna miss him.”
3. One byproduct of the lack of downfield throws: Darnold hasn’t been throwing many interceptions, which was among his problems in New York. Wednesday was another turnover-free day for the 24-year-old, who had 39 picks in 38 games with the Jets.
“He’s protecting himself well. He’s making the right checks. He takes responsibility when something’s wrong. He’s protecting the football,” Rhule said. “Every day he comes out here and doesn’t turn the ball over or … throw a silly, hey-I’m-gonna-try-to-make-a-play interception, that’s a positive for me.”
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4. One of the benefits of joint practices is Darnold can face a live pass rush without taking hits. Rhule still hasn’t said whether Darnold will play in Saturday’s exhibition against Baltimore. Darnold, who was sacked 98 times in New York, drew laughs when asked the importance of getting tackled. “Obviously, I have experience with it in the past the last few years.”
5. Marshall had a terrific debut in the first preseason game. But he has to practice more consistently, same with some of the other young playmakers.
“A little sun out here today and all of a sudden felt a little tired, felt a little sorry for ourselves,” Rhule said. “I told some of our young guys: ‘You don’t get to like all the Instagram posts and then come out here and not practice well. What you did last week doesn’t matter. It’s about what you did today.’”
6. As mentioned here before, it’s tough to judge the run game when ball carriers aren’t being tackled. But Christian McCaffrey was making moves Wednesday that would have made tackling him a tricky proposition under any circumstance. So while the drops were bad, the rest of the Panthers’ offense looked OK.
“I thought going against that Ravens’ defense, their vaunted front, I thought we held our own running the football, protected well,” Rhule added. “We weren’t very good getting open and catching the football today. But in terms of the other things … I thought it was about what we wanted.”
7. Dennis Daley is back practicing after missing most of last week due to personal reasons. I should have mentioned him more in my column after the 2019 draft class. Rhule talks about finding the best five offensive linemen, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Daley is among them.
8. Middle linebacker Denzel Perryman was also back after missing a couple of weeks with a soft-tissue injury. He didn’t do anything after individual drills as trainers try to ease him back in. While he’s been gone, Jermaine Carter might have Wally Pipped him.
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9. The biggest hit of the day was Ravens linebacker L.J. Fort’s pop on running back Spencer Brown after a catch near the goal line. Brown held on. The undrafted free agent from UAB has impressed Rhule with the way he’s run while Reggie Bonnafon and Rodney Smith have missed time with injuries.
10. Panthers rookie cornerback Keith Taylor upset the Ravens with his hit on wide receiver Binjimen Victor during team drills. Baltimore players thought Taylor came in too low on Victor, prompting a pretty big scrum. Rookie corner Jaycee Horn, who was involved in the first fight at the Colts’ joint practices, jawed with Ravens corner Marcus Peters on the sideline.
“Marcus Peters, he talks a lot. So it’s always fun to get out there and compete, two physical teams, like I said,” Horn said. “Tensions was just up. But it’s over with now. We can’t wait to get back tomorrow and work with those guys.”
11. Harbaugh didn’t seem to have an issue with the Panthers or Taylor, who was seen talking with defensive coordinator Phil Snow after the scuffle. “Tempers are going to flare at some point in time. It was a good practice. I thought both teams took care of one another. We did a good job with that. That’s it. We’re moving on.”
12. Horn is the epitome of a physical corner at a sculpted 6-1 and 200 pounds. But despite the events of the past week, he said he doesn’t go out looking for fights.
“The one today didn’t really have much to do with me. Everyone wants to blame me for the scuffles, but nah,” he said. “I was on the sideline and it just broke out. Everybody came from the sideline to just help their teammates, like anybody would.”
13. There’s a fine line between being a physical, press-man corner who “can’t back down to nobody,” and one who draws costly penalties and engages too much with receivers trying to bait him. Horn, the son of former NFL wideout Joe Horn, insists he won’t cross it.
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“I’m physical and competitive and confident,” Horn said, “but I know when enough is enough.”
14. We didn’t learn if or how much Rhule plans to play his starters Saturday. But we did learn Horn’s preference. “I can’t wait to touch the field,” he told reporters.
So will he? “I’m not sure, but I hope so.”
15. Rhule raved about his first Wofford camp, which is good since the Panthers plan to be back in Spartanburg next summer for the final time before moving into their Rock Hill facility in 2023.
“I’ve loved being here. I’ve loved the town. I love some of the restaurants,” he said. “I’ve loved getting away. I’ve loved this experience. The set-up here’s fantastic. The people at Wofford are fantastic. … It’s been really good for us.”
That’s a lot of love for the Sparkle City. Rhule’s only prior experience at Wofford was as an assistant coach at Western Carolina in the early 2000s.
(Photo of Sam Darnold: Zach Bolinger / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
