Ravens wide receiver Willie Snead IV was spending time in the offseason in his hometown of West Palm Beach, just one hour from Hard Rock Stadium where the Ravens will open their season Sunday against the Dolphins, when he heard the story of a local woman who had been hospitalized.
According to a GoFundMe page, 69-year-old Delores Allen was placed in the intensive care unit in July after being assaulted and her home set on fire. Snead and Allen had a mutual friend and the receiver felt compelled to donate money to the GoFundMe for medical expenses.
Snead donated $1,000 to the campaign, which raised $14,000.
“I saw that a family lost their house in a fire due to some violence within the family,” Snead said. “I just donated out of the goodness of my heart and gave and that’s all it was.”
According to an update on the account, Allen died Aug. 23.
As of Friday, Snead said he had not heard back from the family but said he planned to reach out.
Devin Hester commends Koch’s ‘leaf ball’ punt
Former NFL return specialist and former Raven Devin Hester Sr. had high praise for Ravens punter Sam Koch when answering questions Thursday on a Reddit AMA.
The NFL’s all-time leader in return touchdowns was asked which punters he hated fielding punts from and named Koch.
“If Sam was allowed to punt the way he did in practice, you didn’t want to catch none of his balls,” Hester answered. “He had a leaf ball. It wasn’t a knuckleball. Imagine a leaf dropping 100 feet from the air the way it swoops back and forth. It looked like a leaf falling from the sky. Only faster.”
The Ravens signed Hester days before the start of the 2016 season. He lasted 12 games with the team, released midseason after struggling with fumbles and a hesitancy to field punts.
Koch, who’s regarded for his arsenal of punts, said he’s used the tactic in game situations several times in recent years.
“You put it up there when you have a little wind in the face,” Koch said. “You put it up there when the returner is standing underneath it, it goes back and forth like a leaf would fall from a tree.
“I think our first time ever doing it might have been eight, nine years ago. I know games that we did it against the Browns. We’ve done it against Patrick Peterson. I think I’ve thrown a couple at [former Cleveland Browns returner Josh] Cribbs, ‘Pacman’ [former Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Adam Jones].”
‘Hollywood’ questionable for opener
Four Ravens are listed as questionable for Sunday’s season opener against the Miami Dolphins, including rookie wide receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown (foot).
Brown, the team’s first-round draft pick, did not practice Friday but coach John Harbaugh said he will play.
“No,” Harbaugh said when asked if Brown suffered a setback. “No, he’ll play in the game.”
Brown surfaced on Thursday’s injury report as a full participant after not being placed on it Wednesday.
The team also listed cornerback Brandon Carr (hip), cornerback Cyrus Jones (finger) and fullback-defensive lineman Patrick Ricard (foot) as full participants in Friday’s practice.
The Dolphins named six players questionable for Sunday’s game, including defensive end Charles Harris (wrist), safety Bobby McCain (shoulder) and wide receiver Albert Wilson (hip).
Ravens release RB Dixon
The Ravens released running back Kenneth Dixon from injured reserve, the team announced Friday.
The team placed the fourth-year back on IR on Saturday. On Monday, Harbaugh told reporters Dixon suffered a knee fracture and the team would be “moving on” from him.
Dixon, a fourth-round draft pick in the 2016 draft, only appeared in 18 games for the Ravens, often sidelined for injury or suspension-related reasons. He missed the entire 2017 season after suffering a torn meniscus in his left knee.
After suffering a knee injury in last season’s opener, he returned for the final six games and played an integral role in the team winning the AFC North, rushing for 333 yards and two touchdowns.
