Ravens Stevenson University Practice Huge Success

Ending their third and final public practice yesterday at Stevenson University in Owings Mills, Maryland, the Ravens might have downsized it from the previous two, but the results were exactly the same. The 3,500 fans included approximately 1,000 kids, all of whom lined up at the end of practice for the players to sign autographs on everything from footballs, to photos to jerseys and even on dollar bills.

The capacity crowd may have been a lot smaller than the 20,000-plus crowds at both Baltimore's M&T Bank Stadium and Annapolis' Navy-Marine Corps Stadium, but they were still loud and boisterous, showing their appreciation for good plays as well as cheering for their favorite players, who interacted with the crowd at every chance.

(More on the Ravens' practice at Stevenson University after the 'Jump')

Along with all the drills and plays the team ran between the offense and defense, the placekicking competition continued to remain tight. Veteran Billy Cundiff hit all four of his kicks from 30, 36, 39 and 44 yards. Rookie Justin Tucker made the same first three, but hooked the 44-yard one to the left. However, he got right back on track nailing a 54-yarder immediately after the miss.

After the practice was over, head coach John Harbaugh called his troops to the center of the field as he always does after practice. This time, he had the entire team kneel down for an extended time, before releasing them to the hordes of kids lined up along the far sideline.

Without a doubt, this was another successful public event for the Ravens. Stevenson University did an excellent job hosting the practice, from providing space, internet access and refreshments for the media in the press box, to maintaining a new and impressive facility for such a small school that worked out beautifully for the Ravens and their loyal fans who were lucky to be selected for tickets in the team's Lottery.