Ravens Joining Packers Bike Ride Tradition Nearly Crashes Their Season

Fans were lined up outside Lambeau Field Thursday morning in anticipation of the joint practice about to begin across the street between the Green Bay Packers and Baltimore Ravens.

And, yes, the kids brought their bikes.

If you're not a Cheesehead, you may not be aware that when the Packers open practices to the public, fans typically wait for the team to come out of its locker room. And kids have for years brought their bicycles so that players and coaches can ride their bikes to the practice field nearby.

The kids walk or jog along with whomever borrowed their bike. And there might be an autograph or conversation with the player involved in the exchange.

GREEN BAY, Wis. - Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFluer bikes with a fan during Packers Training Camp at Ray Nitschke Field on July 26, 2023.. (Photo by Larry Radloff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Green Bay Packers Bike Tradition Lives

Even Green Bay coach Matt LaFleur has been part of the fun.

"It's a pretty cool experience for our guys with these open practices," LaFleur said Thursday morning. "We talked about it in the team meeting this morning, just in terms of the tradition with the kids, riding the bikes, what a great experience it is for those kids and how memorable it'll be for them. And just don't take it for granted." 

LaFleur did not speak with Ravens coach John Harbaugh about the tradition. But Packers staff alerted Ravens staff about the tradition and the possibility some fans might want to offer their players bikes to ride to the field.

And, sure enough, some fans lined up outside the Baltimore locker room with their bikes.

Ravens Join In Great Tradition

And Ravens' players embraced the tradition.

We're not talking some guys got on bikes and others walked. We're saying a lot of Baltimore players got on the bikes offered to them.

There was an exception with Baltimore guard Ben Cleveland. He's 6-foot-6 and 360 pounds. He didn't get on any child's bike.

Cleveland instead accepted a scooter from one boy. And the two went to the practice field together, the kid walking and Cleveland kind of slowly kicking with one foot as the other foot barely fit on the deck of the scooter.

At one point, as players were picking out bikes, signing autographs and generally engaging with the fans, a minor traffic jam developed.

This really does seem like a wholesome experience for everyone.

Kids get up close with their heroes. Players get a chance to revert to their childhood when many rode their bikes to Pop Warner or high school practice.

Hold-Your-Breath Moment For Ravens

But …

There was one moment that would have Ravens fans fainting if they had been there.

Just as he cleared the majority of the crowd on somebody's sleek black bike, quarterback Lamar Jackson decided it would be cool if he would ride and dap up the people lining the way at the same time.

And, for a moment, he lost control of the bike.

If there were a bike film session for the Ravens after practice, Harbaugh might just about need oxygen.

Here's another view of the moment from behind. Yeah, this is kind of the All-22 film of Lamar's bike riding moment.

Weird Injuries Happen In NFL

Thankfully for the Ravens, their star quarterback and elite athlete recovered before anything cataclysmic happened.

And for folks out there who dismiss this and say nothing could have possibly happened to Jackson if he'd fallen off his bike, well, you don't know NFL history. Or life.

In 2003 Miami Dolphins defensive end David Bowens tore his ACL while changing a light bulb.

A Jacksonville kicker nearly tore open his leg in 2011 while playing with an axe.

And the Ravens are not unfamiliar to bizarre injuries. In 2010, the team drafted linebacker Sergio Kindle, but he missed his rookie season because he fell down a flight of stairs.

He fractured his skull.

Bike Crisis Averted

Jackson, by the way, comes with a bit of an injury history. And when he's injured, the Ravens are toast.

So, crisis averted as Lamar Jackson was able to regain his balance and avoid potentially blowing up the Ravens' season.