GREEN BAY – Tanner Phillips of New London scored the biggest coup during the joint practice of the Baltimore Ravens and Green Bay Packers on Thursday.
Phillips, 17, an experienced cyclist, got NFL Most Valuable Player and all-world quarterback Lamar Jackson to ride his bike from Lambeau Field to Clark Hinkle Field. The Ravens, who volunteered to participate in the Packers’ tradition of riding bikes to practice, said any player would ride if there were enough bikes. There were and they did, with Jackson and running back Derrick Henry being the ones most likely to get off. They didn’t.
“I just told him, ‘I have a bike big enough for you,'” said Phillips, whose advice to newbies is: “Call their name pretty loudly and get their attention.”
It helps if you look cute or have a really nice bike, you might add. In fact, Phillips has a big, solid e-bike that Jackson, who also won the Heisman Trophy, seemed to like.
Unfortunately, they didn’t get to talk much because Jackson was one of the players who came out of the locker room late and he was “quite in a rush.”
Still, Phillips, familiar with the whims of a certain Packers No. 12 quarterback from his days as a biker kid, was excited about the opportunity.
“I thought he was driving a golf cart,” he said.
His reward was a couple of nicely signed Ravens mini helmets, one of them personalized with his name, and an autograph from head coach John Harbaugh.
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While Phillips was an experienced cyclist, 9-year-old Cameron Kropp of Seymour was at the other end of the experience scale. Thursday was only his second attempt at cycling, the first being earlier this year when Packers defensive lineman Brenton Cox Jr. rode with him. On Thursday, it was Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey.
“It was pretty cool,” said Kropp, who is a Kansas City Chiefs fan and a bit of a Ravens fan. “He had a little style. He ran (fast) down the hill and I had to run to catch up to him.”
Kropp got his hat and his bicycle signed.
As mentioned, it was the Ravens who asked if they could be a part of this tradition, and the Packers were quick to accept, as they take pride in the opportunity to bring future fans alongside current players.
Children and parents came in large numbers. There were about 100 bicycles parked outside the Baltimore locker room. A surprising number of children wore Ravens jerseys, most of them with Jackson’s No. 8 or Henry’s No. 22.
There were also more than enough bicycles in front of the Packers locker room.
Ravens’ long snapper Nick Moore was one of the first out the door. He chose a bike and rode down the hill, perhaps even faster than he intended. A few hands were reached out to slap him as he rode by, a common practice, but he let it go.
“I haven’t been on a bike in a long time. I need two hands,” he said as he glided past, the bike’s owner keeping pace with him at a jog.
He wasn’t alone. There were several players who started out a little shaky. Even Jackson, who was hitting with his hands outstretched and racing down the slope a little fast, had a moment where he almost lost control. Being the good athlete that he is, he recovered. Fortunately, there were other options.
“I was afraid of bikes. I had to get a scooter,” said security guard Ben Cleveland. He weighs 350 pounds, but he probably would have been afraid of bikes, too. A scooter was a good choice.
The slope of the hill probably came as a surprise. The Packers have a flat area from the locker room to the field, but the outside entrance to the visitors’ locker room is under the south end zone, which has a decent incline.
However, the entire parade came to a rather abrupt halt when the leading players stopped to sign autographs, with two dozen bicycles lined up behind them, resembling I-695 in Baltimore at rush hour.
“Rookie mistake,” said Packers President Mark Murphy, who was standing at the other end of the road with Packers COO and President-elect Ed Policy and some Ravens representatives.
It was soon explained that the best time to sign autographs was after practice, and the line began to move again, although the Ravens players were more accommodating on the way there than the Packers players have learned to be.
The only other organization to participate as a team was the Houston Texans in 2019. Some Saints players did so individually in 2022. The Ravens players could be seen enjoying the novelty, and the interaction between fans and players was positive, with many “good luck” and “thank you” expressions.
After practice, not as many players rode their bikes back – golf carts raced back and forth – although some did. And they signed footballs and jerseys and interacted with fans.
Defensive back Brandon Stephens rode an electric scooter up the hill after practice. These Ravens are learning fast.
Contact Richard Ryman at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @RichRymanPG, on Instagram at @rrymanPG or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RichardRymanPG
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