Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh wasn't shy about rookies and their bodies coming into the NFL. Harbaugh has noticed a change in young guys coming into the league, and their bodies aren't ready to handle the rigors of the NFL right when they go into the league.
Ravens rookie tight ends Hayden Hurst, and Mark Andrews are both dealing with soft tissue issues which have caused them to miss practices.
“One thing I've noticed: Guys coming out of college aren't as callused up as they used to be,” Harbaugh said via ESPN. “We used to practice twice a day in full pads. And those players know — I'm talking to you out there who know, who've played in the National Football League or played in college 10, 15 years ago — [that] it's not even close to the same thing.
Harbaugh doesn't think the guys are out of shape; they aren't in the football shape that they need to be to avoid the injuries that are happening to the young guys.
“There's a certain type of ‘in shape,' certain type of football fitness, certain type of callusness — muscles, joints, tendons, ligaments — that kind of toughen up. They callus up a little bit, and you can practice all day and run all day. Then our guys coming in right now, most of them don't have that.”
Harbaugh has noticed after a bit in the Ravens training program the players seem to figure it out and get into “football shape.” It just isn't fast enough for some, and it has hurt the Ravens at the beginning of their training camp.
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