Dennis Pitta's hips, twice fractured and dislocated, have stunted the tight end's career, limiting him to seven games over the past three seasons. Through five days of training camp, Pitta's hips have responded well. But the 31-year-old is now injured again, this time with a sprained finger.

He hurt the finger Monday in a scuffle with rookie linebacker Kamalei Correa during a live drill at the Ravens' first open practice in front of a sparse crowd at M&T Bank Stadium.

Ravens fans can breathe a sigh of relief over this injury, though. Pitta said he will be out only a few days, and the injury was minor enough for quarterback Joe Flacco to joke: “At least he didn't break his hip.”

Flacco, a close friend of Pitta's, added: “He got his little baby injury that he always gets in camp and gets himself out of a week in camp.”

On the field, Flacco immediately got into Correa's face and appeared to chew out the second-round pick out of Boise State.

“I'm just out there playing football. I ain't trying to hurt nobody, I'm just doing as I'm asked,” Correa said in the locker room after practice.

Flacco tried to downplay the message he gave the rookie.

“Listen, I'm protected. I can say whatever I want to him because I've got a big army coming behind me. I challenged him, I wanted to see if he would come after me a little bit. And he made the right decision, I think.”

Pitta said he had not been in a fight since college, but he thought Correa was hitting him too much, so he responded. The two players cleared the air afterward.

“I do like the competitiveness,” coach John Harbaugh said. “I like the fact that Pitta's out here making plays and he's blocking people and he's getting after it.”

During practice, Harbaugh didn't seem too thrilled that there were six fights within the first 45 minutes.

Late in the practice, when second-year linebacker Za'Darius Smith took a swing at offensive lineman Ryan Jensen, Harbaugh yelled at both players and sent them off the field.

Playing on grass: Monday night's practice was the first on a grass field at the stadium since 2002.

The new sod, installed in May after being shipped from North Carolina, seemed to be a consistent surface, with only one noticeable divot chewed out of it, and good footing for the players despite the recent rain.

Kicker Justin Tucker got off to a solid start on the new field, nailing a 63-yard field goal — one yard short of the NFL record in actual games. Tucker made one from 69 yards in Owings Mills on Sunday.

“The field felt solid,” Tucker said. “I just think more than anything, it's how's the field going to be in two months, three months from now, when we get into November and December, maybe when we get a little weather, then we'll really see how the field is holding up.”

There are also aesthetic differences to the field. The Ravens announced Monday that the shield logo at midfield will be replaced this season by their primary logo of the Ravens bird. One of the end zones also will have “Baltimore” across it, rather than “Ravens” in both end zones.

Fans impressed at first glance: Monday offered fans their first chance to see the Ravens in Baltimore since last season.

To three fans on opposite sides of the stadium, many of the same players stood out — mostly running back Terrance West and Correa.

“Terrance West is playing his heart out,” Middle River resident Shawn Johnson said on one side of the stadium. “Looking like he wants that starting job. He has a lot of fight in him.”

The former Towson University and Northwestern High star, who joined the team in the middle of last season after being released by the Tennessee Titans, showed a burst of speed to escape for a long run in one of the drills and often looked like the team's most explosive back.

Meanwhile, other than finding himself in the middle of the scrum with Pitta, Correa continued to play in the first-team rotation at linebacker.

“They must like him,” Pikesville resident Ken Rosen said on the other end of the seats, “so that's a good thing.”

Johnson's friend, Donte Holland of Rosedale, also liked Correa's physicality. Johnson and Holland said they go to Ravens games every year, including two last season. Rosen has season tickets.

“I was a little disappointed last year,” Rosen said. “Everybody had high expectations, so my expectations are a little bit tempered.”

Perhaps other fans felt the same way, as the crowd was staggeringly small compared to the announced 22,000-plus the Ravens drew for their open practice last year.

Johnson, though, expects the team at least to make it back to the playoffs this season, and hoped watching Monday's practice was the beginning of that run.

“I like these open practices,” Johnson said. “They give me a chance to learn these new players, see the kind of team they're putting together.”

End zone: For fans who couldn't get to Monday's workout, the Ravens will hold another open practice at the stadium Saturday, beginning at 6 p.m. … Today will be the Ravens' first day off since training camp began. The team will resume Wednesday in Owings Mills.

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