Ravens fullback Patrick Ricard suffered a calf injury during training camp and later aggravated it, causing him to miss Baltimore’s first six games, but he has helped lead the Ravens to three wins since his return.
Ricard was asked whether he felt powerless when the team was struggling to get the running game going in losing five of the six games he missed. He admitted it was hard to watch.
“When you’re not able to help your team at all and you just see, we were getting blown out a couple of times. It was just really hard to watch,” Ricard said on Glenn Clark Radio Nov. 5. “It was hard to be there with my team and just know how hard we work and how much these guys care … There wasn’t a whole lot I could do to help this team win. That was the most I’ve ever had to be out with an injury in my whole life. It was definitely challenging, but I’m just happy to finally get back at this point.”
Ricard has been durable as a 6-foot-3, 300-pound fullback, playing in all 17 regular-season games in 2022, 2023 and 2024. He had played in at least 13 games in his first eight seasons leading up to this one.
Ricard was asked whether, by missing the games and having to sit back and watch, he sees the game differently or carries a different appreciation for the game when he got back from his injury.
“When I was in college, I had three or four straight offseasons with surgeries and dealing with rehab the entire offseason and trying to get healthy,” Ricard said. “I think I never really missed any games, but I understood just how hard it is to come back and all the extra work you put in and how much more it means to you when you are able to play. I did feel it this time, but I think it was more so just seeing us losing I think was more of like the driving factor for me instead of me missing time.”
Ricard returned for the Ravens’ 30-16 win against the Bears. He was asked how important the win on Oct. 26 was in getting the Ravens back on track and helping get the mood right.
“Everything that happened before, it’s in the past and we’re just moving forward and I think we’ve just had a good approach the last two weeks of just having fun together, not worrying wins, losses, worrying about the record or anything like that,” Ricard said. “We don’t even really talk about the record anymore.”
Ricard noted that the bye week prior to the Bears game was particularly beneficial.
“I think the biggest thing was our bye week before the Bears week, everyone kind of just take a deep breath, get away from football a little bit, maybe go see your family back where you’re from or go on a little break, vacation, do whatever you have to do, and also getting a lot of guys healthy coming back,” Ricard said.
Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has also been hit by the injury bug this year. He missed three games due to a hamstring strain, and the Ravens went 1-2 during that time. Ricard has shared the field with Jackson for the Ravens’ last two wins.
“Whenever you go into a game with Lamar, you always just have the ultimate confidence that this guy’s going to make us plays,” Ricard said. “He also motivates you to play even harder because he can make things happen. … He’s going to get the job done. He’s going to put guys in the right positions, he’s going to make the right checks, do all the right things to help us more.”
For more from Ricard, listen to the full interview here:
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