Just a few months ago, many Ravens fans and national media members alike thought that maybe Baltimore’s first trip to Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara would be just a warm-up for their eventual appearance there in Super Bowl 50. Instead, the team sits at a franchise-worst 1-4 after five games, and at this point all of those national media members have rightly jumped off the bandwagon, while we fans would just like to see the team beat somebody other than the Pittsburgh Steelers (which is always nice, but the Ravens haven’t beaten any other team since Week 17 of last season; that streak has gotta end soon, right? Right??)
Let’s look at the stats, quotes, and more for this Super Bowl XLVII rematch of now 1-4 teams.
KNOW THY ENEMY
QUOTES OF THE WEEK
ESPN.com’s Jamison Hensley on the Ravens’ injury issues:
“[Joe] Flacco says you can’t use injuries as an excuse. It’s just inexcusable not to recognize this isn’t the Ravens team that general manager Ozzie Newsome and coach John Harbaugh envisioned putting on the field. To say injuries have decimated this team is an understatement. The number of wounded Ravens rivals an episode of ‘The Walking Dead.’”
LB C.J. Mosley on the Ravens’ 1-4 record:
“We’re disappointed, because we know what kind of team we are. We know how we work, and we’re definitely better than 1-4. We’ve just got to put our foot down and prove that. We play hard, but like I said, we’ve just got to finish as a team.”
DT Timmy Jernigan on the multitude of injuries:
“At the end of the day, everybody gets paid. Just because you’re second or third on the depth chart, that doesn’t mean that you don’t have expectations for you that are high. Your rank on the depth chart doesn’t matter. You have to be ready to go.”
QB Joe Flacco on dealing with injuries to Ravens receivers:
“That’s part of being a leader, being the guy that people look to and making everybody around you better. You can’t go out there and force that. You just have to go play your game and stuff like that will happen. I don’t look at it any other way. I look at it as, just going out there and trying to find a way to get us wins. It’s always been my job to go out there and lead the team and do whatever I have to do to pull us through.”
CB Jimmy Smith on how to move forward from this position:
“We’ve got to win more games. We’ve got another game next week; we don’t have time to sit and sulk about our problems. What we’ve got to do is go back, get to practicing hard, figure out what we need to do to get better in those situations and come out on top this next game. It’s not a lot of time to sit and worry about being 1-4, even tho ugh it’s hard to look past. It’s very hard to look past, but we have another game. Every game for us from now on, even this one [vs. Cleveland], is a playoff game. We have to take that mentality for the next [12] weeks.”
GETTING TO KNOW YOU ~ Q&A with Daryl Smith
Many teammates and coaches have described you as an “unsung hero.” What do you think about that?
“I don’t read much into it. I take all of it with a grain of salt and keep working. I try to go out and get better every day, and that’s pretty much how I look at it.”
After 12 seasons in the NFL, how do you define success?
“Winning ball games, and at the end of the day, winning championships. That’s one of the reasons why I [came to Baltimore]. There are a lot of reasons why I came here, but this is a winning organization, and they just do everything the right way.”
What do you think is the most difficult position to play in all of sports?
“Quarterback. It’s just a lot that you have to do. You have to know a lot – know what the defense is trying to do to you and know what you’re trying to do to the defense. You have to think about where they may be blitzing from and where they may not be blitzing. You have to control the offense. The quarterback is just so important to a team. If you have a good quarterback, you always have a chance to win ball games.”
What was your first job as a teenager?
“I did some construction work, and that was in the summertime; it was hard. It was very hot. I just remember being out there for what seemed like forever doing little tedious stuff to a building’s foundation. But it was hard, and I just remember thinking, ‘I don’t want to do construction work.’ It really made me focus on my schoolwork.”
If you could go back in time and give advice to yourself as a rookie, what would it be?
“I guess it would be some of the same things I tell the young guys about taking care of their bodies and how to watch film. Really, I just wish I would have known what I know now. [Learning] some of that is just living through life and experiencing and years of playing football and seeing certain plays.”
What is your favorite football memory?
“Winning a high school championship my junior year. I remember it like yesterday.”
What is your favorite memory as a Raven?
“Going to the playoffs last year. That’s my favorite memory so far – going to Pittsburgh, the first playoff game and then winning. I hadn’t been to the playoffs since 2007. That has definitely been my favorite time.”
If you were on an island and could only bring three things – besides food and water – what would they be?
“My wife, my kids and a TV.”
If you could sing one song on American Idol, what would it be?
“Something by Luther Vandross.”
HEY, YOU LOOK FAMILIAR! ~ Key Connections
Before their time in San Francisco, 49ers WR Anquan Boldin (2010- 12) and WR Torrey Smith (2011-14) were major targets for QB Joe Flacco, combining for 6,236 yards and 44 TDs on 399 receptions as Ravens. Boldin led the team with 104 yards and 1 TD on 6 catches in the Ravens’ 34-31 Super Bowl XLVII victory over San Francisco, while Smith caught a team-high 8 TDs during the 2012 regular season to help propel Baltimore to an AFC North title.
Ravens offensive coordinator Marc Trestman, QBs coach Marty Mornhinweg and WRs coach Bobby Engram have all served on a 49ers’ coaching staff. Trestman was the “O” coordinator/QBs coach in 1995 and offensive coordinator in 1996. Mornhinweg took over for Trestman as “O” coordinator/QBs coach in 1997 and held the position until 2000, and Engram was an offensive assistant in 2011.
49ers defensive coordinator Eric Mangini was a coaches’ assistant for the Browns in 1995 and remained with the franchise for its inaugural season in Baltimore as an offensive quality control/assistant coach. While in Cleveland, Mangini worked with Ravens general manager and executive vice president Ozzie Newsome (director of pro personnel), senior vice president of football administration Pat Moriarty (director of business development), director of pro personnel Vincent Newsome (special assignment scout) and senior personnel assistant George Kokinis (scout). Mangini and Kokinis returned to Cleveland in 2009 as head coach and general manager, respectively.
49ers O-line coach Chris Foerster, senior personnel executive Tom Gamble and defensive assistant Aubrayo Franklin were with the Ravens before joining San Francisco. Foerster served as the O-line and assistant head coach (2005-07), Gamble worked as a pro scout (1997), and Franklin played DT (2003-06) after being selected in the fifth round of the 2003 NFL draft.
49ers defensive coordinator Eric Mangini was the DBs coach (2000- 04) and “D” coordinator (2005) in New England, while Ravens “D” coordinator Dean Pees led the LBs (2004-05).
LAUGH OF THE WEEK AT EXPENSE OF RAVENS’ OPPONENT
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Close your eyes and listen to the first 20 seconds of that video. Amazing.
Then, of course, there’s this (be sure to un-mute):
