The last time we saw our Ravens on the field, they were being shadily substituted on by, and blowing a couple of 14-point leads to, the eventual Super Bowl Champion* New England Patriots. Finally, after a long offseason of gnashing our teeth about whether or not Torrey Smith should have tried harder to break up the final pass and hearing about deflated footballs until our brains were deflated, football is back.
It’s not “real” football just yet, but a bunch of guys will be wearing Ravens laundry and running around on the turf at M&T Bank Stadium tonight, and for football-starved fans everywhere, that’s enough for now.
Let’s get to the stats, notes, quotes, & more for Ravens-Saints, in this week’s Crab Bag.
KNOW THY ENEMY
QUOTES OF THE WEEK
MMQB.com’s Peter King on ranking the Ravens No. 1 in his offseason poll:
“Why? I trust John Harbaugh to find answers in a league devoid of a truly great team. I trust the running game to take pressure off Joe Flacco until he develops chemistry with new receivers, and I trust Dean Pees to replace Haloti Ngata with a combination platter of front seven change-ups. This is a battle-tested team that had two 14-point playoff leads in Foxboro last January. I just think the Ravens will find a way.”
NFL.com’s Elliot Harrison on ranking head coach John Harbaugh No. 3 on his list of NFL head coaches:
“Harbaugh’s run in Baltimore rivals that of the best coaches of all time. While it might be hard to think of him in such lofty terms, consider that the Ravens have made the postseason in six of Harbaugh’s seven seasons at the helm, nabbing a Lombardi Trophy in the 2012 season, to boot. He’s also 10-5 all-time in the playoffs.”
NFL.com’s Albert Breer on the Ravens’ strengths:
“Health-permitting, the offensive line will return intact from last year, which would be a first in the 20-year history of the franchise. And the defensive line has a fleet of young studs led by Brandon Williams and Timmy Jernigan that should be able to make up for the loss of Haloti Ngata. Add that up, and it fits into what the Ravens always strive to be: A team that’s most comfortable dragging games into a dark alley and winning them there.”
Grantland’s Robery Mays on G Marshal Yanda:
“I’d be willing to argue that aside from J.J. Watt and Aaron Rodgers, no one in the league had a more comfortable margin as the best player at his position than Yanda. Last season was Yanda’s fourth trip to the Pro Bowl, and in 2014 he was a wrecking crew. Watching Yanda in the run game last season was something to behold. In some ways, you can’t even call it a clinic because so much of it wouldn’t translate to another person. There are so many hip checks and tiny leverage ploys that are singular products of one man’s ingenuity. The one part of Yanda’s game that is transferable is the way he just never stops. His eyes are constantly downfield, and his feet are always moving in the direction of the play. He really is the perfect zoneblocking guard. … It’s pretty simple. Right now, no offensive lineman is dominating the line of scrimmage like he is.”
RB Justin Forsett on being even more motivated this season:
“The hunger that I have now is actually more than I had last year, believe it or not. Even in free agency, there were still a lot of doubters, still issues with size, speed and other stuff – even after I’ve shown throughout my whole career that when I get an opportunity, I’ve been able to do well. I’m always going to have that fire, always going to have that chip on my shoulder.”
GETTING TO KNOW YOU ~ Q&A with Kendrick Lewis
You made the switch from receiver to safety in college. Do you credit your ball-hawking ability to your days on offense?
“Yes, absolutely. In high school, I played receiver and DB, but my ball-hawking comes from my receiver days. I go up and attack the ball as a receiver would.”
Dean Pees called you an “intelligent football player” and said you are taking command of the safety group. What is the best asset you bring to the team?
“My ball-hawking would be my best ability. My knowledge of the game and knowing how opposing offenses want to attack a defense are my second-best abilities.”
Is there any particular play – including high school and college – that stands out as your favorite?
“My favorite play was in high school. When I was playing receiver in a playoff game, I went up between three defenders and grabbed the ball in the end zone for a touchdown to win a big playoff game and move us into the next round.”
Your family relocated to Georgia from New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina. Have you spent time back in the New Orleans community since joining the NFL?
“Absolutely. Right after the storm, I was displaced. I moved to Georgia, but went back to New Orleans after the football season of my senior year in high school. I went back to help my school get back to normal, because they were planning on opening. I helped clean up the school, and then I was able to enroll back into it and graduate from there. As far as the community, we would go out every day with my mom and my grandma to help get our neighborhood back into place.”
As a criminal justice major, what would be your dream job if football wasn’t an option?
“I majored in criminal justice, but I love football. So, coaching is always dear to my heart. I want to have a son, and I want to be able to coach him at some point in time. That would be one of my dream jobs, because I love football.”
Favorite athlete of all time:
“Sean Taylor.”
Game you’re most looking forward to in 2015:
“Kansas City.”
Pre-game pump-up song:
“‘Future,’ by Lil Wayne.”
Favorite vacation destination:
“Dominican Republic and Jamaica.”
Favorite former Raven:
“Ed Reed.”
HEY, YOU LOOK FAMILIAR! ~ Key Connections
Ravens head coach John Harbaugh and offensive line coach Juan Castillo and Saints head coach Sean Payton and assistant head coach/LBs coach Joe Vitt served on the Philadelphia Eagles’ staff during the 1998 season. Harbaugh was the Eagles’ special teams coordinator, while Payton was the quarterbacks coach.
Ravens offensive coordinator Marc Trestman served as a consultant for New Orleans during the 2007 season.
Ravens defensive backs coach Chris Hewitt signed with the New Orleans Saints as a rookie free agent in 1997 and played in 39 games (four starts). Hewitt played as a defensive back, serving primarily as a special teams performer for the Saints.
From 2000-04, Ravens east-regional scout Andy Weidl was the Saints’ northeast area scout and covered Big East and ACC schools.
Saints assistant head coach/LBs coach Joe Vitt was the strength/ quality control coach for the Baltimore Colts from 1979-81. He was also a three-year letterman (1974–75, 1977) as a linebacker at Towson (MD) State University.
Ravens G/T Marcel Jones was selected by New Orleans in the seventh round of the 2012 NFL Draft. In 2012, Jones appeared in four preseason games before being placed on Injured Reserve. He spent the entire 2013 season on the Saints’ practice squad.
Saints ILB Dannell Ellerbe signed as a rookie free agent with the Ravens in 2009 and started for their Super Bowl XLVII Championship team.
Ravens CB Kyle Arrington and Saints CB Brandon Browner were teammates in New England in 2014 and members of the Patriots’ Super Bowl XLIX Championship team.
LAUGH OF THE WEEK AT EXPENSE OF RAVENS’ OPPONENT
