Getty Jimmy Smith playing for the Ravens.
The Baltimore Ravens have a road battle on their hands against the Houston Texans, but figure to have some important players ready to go when things get going on the field.
Dinged up this week were a few key players for the team in offensive lineman Ronnie Stanley as well as cornerback Jimmy Smith. The good news? Both will be suiting up Sunday according to NFL Network analyst Ian Rapoport. Early Sunday morning, Rapoport revealed that the Ravens would have both veterans this week.
Obviously, there is no minimizing the impact both of these guys could make for the team this week. Stanley paves the way up front for the offense and Smith is a key player on the back end for the Ravens and their new look defense, who got off to a huge start last week.
So far, the Ravens have done a great job to avoid the injury bug, and the fact that these guys will be playing is huge for the team.
Ravens Week 2 Hype Video Drops
Somewhat of an excitement has become the team’s weekly hype video, which drops sometime on Thursday night or Friday morning. This week, the Ravens team outdid themselves again by putting together a great package as the Ravens prepare to hit the road for Houston early in the 2020 season.
Here’s a look to get you ready for all the excitement on the field this weekend:
Iron sharpens iron and our iron doesn’t rust.
Chapter Two 📖
Once again, the Ravens outdid themselves with this video, looking back at last week’s dominating win and explaining why the team is in great position to be able to have another great week. As the video explains, everything is a competition for the Ravens in-house, which becomes stronger than any competition they feel on the field of play when the game arrives. This mindset is captured by the phrase “iron sharpens iron, and our iron doesn’t rust.”
It’s an excellent concept and one that will obviously get tons of play heading into this game.
Ravens Reveal Jersey This Week
Last week, the Ravens wore white when taking on the Cleveland Browns, but this week, they go back to their standard purple jersey look when taking on the Texans on the road.
Here’s a look at their announcement, with a special shout out to Tyus Bowser who attended the University of Houston:
Back to Houston (s/o @UHCougarFB) for @tbowser23 😈🤠
No word in the preview what color pants the Ravens will wear, but it’s likely most fans are hoping for them to wear the dark black pants with the purple tops. That’s a popular combination in Baltimore.
Last season, the Ravens thrashed the Texans 41-7 at home and were wearing the exact same purple kits, so it’s more than likely there will be more than a few good feelings for the team in these uniforms as they take the road for the first time this season.
Wink Martindale Praises Deshaun Watson
As Martindale told the media, he believes Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson resembles James on the football field thanks to his leadership and his command over the team’s offense. As a result, Martindale and the Ravens defense is not feeling overconfident heading into this weekend’s tilt against the Texans in spite of the dominating way in which their team won last season’s matchup.
“We’re not overconfident trust me. Deshaun gets better every year. He’s a Pro Bowl QB for a reason.” DC Wink Martindale
Here’s what Martindale said:
“We’re not overconfident, trust me. (Deshaun Watson) gets better every year. He’s a Pro Bowl quarterback for a reason, it was just one of those days (in 2019). He to me is like a LeBron James type player in the NFL. He’s a general, he’s a point guard out there.”
Watson has been an elite quarterback early in his career, and the comparison to James is certainly an interesting one. The Los Angeles Lakers star has been physical in his career as well as an unquestioned leader, something which Martindale thinks Watson has been as well.
Whether or not Watson can be an MVP and a championship winner remains to be seen, but with this comparison, few people would question the point being made.
This week, the Ravens will be able to have some key players to help in their battle.
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