After running around for three days kinda being able to hit one another, the Ravens and Eagles line up tonight with the chance to take out a few practices worth of frustrations. In case you missed it, here’s a list of things to keep an eye on this evening.
For now, let’s dive into this week’s Crab Bag:
KNOW THY ENEMY
GETTING TO KNOW YOU ~ Q&A with Lorenzo Taliaferro
What’s your favorite aspect of the run game?
“It’s about making one cut. It’s being decisive. If you cut too early or make the wrong cut, you have to be decisive with it. Don’t get out there and guess and make one cut and then make another cut. You want to be decisive, and that’s what coaches preach all the time. If you make the wrong read, be decisive with it, take that cut and go get three or four [yards].”
What goals have the RBs set in 2015?
“We want to protect the ball and protect Joe [Flacco]. Our coach [Thomas Hammock] always says, ‘Let’s start with us.’ He doesn’t want us to wait later in the game to start the turn-up. We want to set the tone early and often.”
How has RB Justin Forsett been a mentor?
“Last year, our player development guy – Harry Swayne – assigned Justin to work with me and ‘Fitz’ [Fitzgerald Toussaint]. We’d have talks in the cold tub, and he would ask us simple questions about how we are transitioning and how we are spending our money. You can look up to Justin without even having to talk to him. You can follow how he contributes to the game. You see how he takes care of his body, how he prepares mentally, how Christ is big in his life. He’s a leader without having to talk to you directly. His voice is heard throughout the whole team.”
Did you have a “welcome to the NFL” moment as a rookie?
“There was so much being thrown at me last year that I don’t think there was ever that moment. It’s more hitting me now going into Year Two. It’s like, ‘You’re really not a rookie anymore. I really am in the league.’ Everyone goes through that rookie process, and it’s so mentally draining that you don’t have time to think about things.”
If you weren’t a running back, what position would you most like to play?
“Guard. Besides running back, that was the only position I played back in Pee Wee. I was a guard and a linebacker. Other than that – on the offensive side – I don’t think there’s any other position. “
Talk about your relationship with Eagles DB Denzel Rice, with whom you were teammates at Coastal Carolina.
“We are really close. We were actually roommates, not just teammates. I’ve been talking to him about this [rookie] process. He’s out there working. Anytime you come from a small school, you always have a chip on your shoulder.”
QUOTES OF THE WEEK
Former Ravens offensive coordinator and current Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak on QB Joe Flacco:
“Is Joe Flacco elite? You bet he is. He helped me. That’s probably why I’m standing up here today [as head coach of the Broncos]. Joe was tremendous. I really enjoyed working with him.[He is] as talented a young man as I’ve ever coached, and as good of a person as I’ve ever coached. I think we’ll be talking about Joe for a long, long time. I really appreciated my time with him, and I wish him the best.”
NFL.com/SiriusXM’s Adam Schein on OLB Terrell Suggs:
“I could start by mentioning the 12 sacks last season. But to me, Suggs’ indispensability runs far deeper than that. He’s the heartbeat of the Ravens in the post-Ray Lewis/Ed Reed Era. Joe Flacco leads with his calm demeanor. Suggs leads with his bravado. He makes the Ravens the Ravens, putting forth the image this franchise has cultivated on defense for years. Due to turn 33 in October, Suggs is no longer the physical freak he once was. But he’s still T-Sizzle, an invaluable presence for this franchise.”
Offensive coordinator Marc Trestman on the Ravens’ run game:
“Ravens football starts with the running game, but that doesn’t mean you’re not going to throw the ball. But, the emphasis here is we want to be a great running football team, and we have the players to do that. So, that’s where we start. … You try to go to your strengths. But there is no doubt that the strength of this football team, or one of them offensively, is the offensive line and the back that runs the ball.”
The Washington Post’s Mark Maske on the Ravens’ 2014 playoff run and their 2015 roster:
“It was the Ravens, not Peyton Manning’s Broncos, who were the primary obstacle to Brady and the Patriots in their run through last season’s AFC playoffs. The Ravens suffered some significant offseason losses, but the league’s best general manager, Ozzie Newsome, undoubtedly has assembled another contending roster.”
MMQB’s Peter King on how the Ravens stack up in the AFC North:
“They just keep on ticking. They have to replace guys all the time, but they’ve got the quarterback, and they’ve got the coaching staff. And I think they do a really, really good job of knowing what’s important and keeping their eye on the prize of what’s important.”
HEY, YOU LOOK FAMILIAR ~ Key Connections
Ravens head coach John Harbaugh first coached in the NFL after being hired by Philadelphia. “Harbs” led the Eagles’ special teams unit for nine seasons (1998-2006) and their secondary for one (2007).
Ravens QBs coach Marty Mornhinweg was a member of the Eagles’ coaching staff for 10 years as a senior assistant (2003) and offensive coordinator/assistant head coach (2004-12).
Ravens offensive line coach Juan Castillo coached Philly’s O-line from 1998-2010 before moving to defensive coordinator for the 2011-12 seasons. Castillo entered the NFL coaching ranks as an Eagles offensive assistant in 1995, moved to TEs coach in 1997 and remained with the team before joining Baltimore in 2013.
Ravens strength and conditioning coach Bob Rogucki was an assistant on the Eagles’ staff during the 2006-07 seasons.
Ravens coaching consultant Scott Cohen was the Eagles’ director of pro personnel from 2001-07. Ravens kicking consultant Randy Brown served in the same special teams capacity for Philly from 2004-05.
Several veterans from both teams – Ravens RB Justin Forsett and QB Matt Schaub and Eagles LB Connor Barwin and P Donnie Jones – played on a 2012 Houston Texans team that won the AFC South and posted a 12-4 overall record.
Ravens DE Chris Canty and Eagles WR Miles Austin played together for three seasons (2006-2008) in Dallas. The duo helped propel their former team to an NFC East title and Divisional Playoff spot in 2007.
Eagles senior director of pro personnel Louis Clark spent 16 seasons in the Jaguars’ scouting department (1997-2012), a tenure that coincides with several Jacksonville stints on both teams: Eagles S Chris Prosinski and Ravens ILB Daryl Smith played two seasons together for the Jags (2011-12); Ravens T Eugene Monroe played four years in Jacksonville – including part of the 2013 season – when he blocked for Ravens RB Justin Forsett; Ravens TEs coach Richard Angulo appeared in 20 games during the 2007-08 seasons, and Ravens TE Allen Reisner spent 2013 and part of 2012 with the Jaguars; Ravens strength and conditioning coach Bob Rogucki served a one-year stint (2004) as the Jaguars’ assistant strength coach, and Ravens LBs coach Ted Monachino led the team’s defensive line from 2006-09; Eagles DBs coach Cory Undlin served as a defensive assistant (2009) and DBs coach (2010-11) on Jacksonville’s staff, and Eagles strength and conditioning coach Josh Hingst worked as the Jaguars’ assistant strength and conditioning coach in 2012.
Eagles assistant LBs coach Brian Smith worked on the Jets’ coaching staff in various roles from 2007-14, while Ravens QBs coach Marty Mornhinweg was the offensive coordinator in New York for two years (2013-14) and coaching consultant Scott Cohen was the assistant GM (2008 -12). Eagles QB Mark Sanchez started 62 games for NYJ from 2009-13, QB Tim Tebow shared snaps with Sanchez in 2012, and Ravens TE Konrad Reuland played in 26 games from 2013-14.
LAUGH OF THE WEEK AT EXPENSE OF RAVENS OPPONENT
Enjoy the game, everybody!
