Ravens Team Notes

[Baltimore Ravens]

Ravens fans, this is an automated news feed that shares the latest happenings in Baltimore football.

 

[Baltimore Ravens]

The Ravens cleaned out their lockers hours after the 27-25 loss to the Buffalo Bills in the Divisional round of the AFC playoffs, and emotions are still raw. A team with Super Bowl aspirations still has star power at key positions but will look different after free agency and the 2025 NFL draft.

General manager Eric DeCosta and head coach John Harbaugh will decide who stays and who goes.

According to Over The Cap, the Ravens will have 23 players test some free agency, with 19 players set to hit the open market, not including a potential Justin Tucker dismissal.

With Baltimore proceeding through the early portion of the off-season, we’re looking at what the Ravens could potentially lose.

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[Baltimore Ravens]

Todd Monken has gotten the best out of Lamar Jackson. After getting passed over for several high-profile head coaching jobs, the veteran offensive play-caller finalized a deal to remain with the Ravens.

Baltimore’s offensive coordinator was scheduled to interview with Jacksonville and Chicago before the team’s AFC Divisional Round loss to the Buffalo Bills.

OC Todd Monken has signed a contract extension to stay in Baltimore! pic.twitter.com/ybyZQ1YJmM

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) February 3, 2025

Monken spent three years in Athens as offensive coordinator, leading the Georgia Bulldogs to back-to-back national championships in the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons.

In his first season with the Ravens, Jackson had one of his best seasons, leading the team to an AFC-best 13-4 record.

Every offense Monken has commanded since 2021 has finished in the top 10 in total offense, with his title-winning team in 2022 and his first-year Lamar Jackson ranking in the top five.

Lamar Jackson could win another MVP this season after accounting for 45 touchdowns and the NFL’s No. 1 ranked offense.

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[Baltimore Ravens]

After parting ways with Mark DeLeone, the Baltimore Ravens have officially hired Tyler Santucci as linebacker coach.

Santucci will join the Ravens after spending 2024 as the Georgia Tech defensive coordinator.

“We are excited about the addition of Tyler, who has excelled as a collegiate coach and is fully prepared to make the jump to this level,” Head Coach John Harbaugh said. “Tyler’s knowledge, passion and collaborative qualities fit seamlessly within the culture of our coaching staff, and we’re excited for him to lead our linebackers group.”

Santucci arrived at Georgia Tech after one season as defensive coordinator at Duke and three seasons at Texas A&M, first as linebackers coach and then as co-defensive coordinator. Under Santucci, Tech’s defense made significant strides, going from 131st nationally in rush defense in 2023 to 30th in 2024, from 123rd in total defense to 42nd, and from 108th on third-down defense to 22nd.

“Tyler Santucci has a strong track record of being a great person, teacher and football coach,” Defensive Coordinator Zach Orr said. “He has had tremendous success both as a linebackers coach and as a defensive coordinator. We are excited to welcome his passion and football knowledge to the Baltimore Ravens and to continue to raise the standard of our inside linebacker corps.”

The Jackets also only allowed 30 points in a game five times during the regular season. Georgia was the only opponent to score more than 40 points on the Georgia Tech defense, and 17 of the 44 points the Bulldogs scored came in overtime.

More!​

NFL Honors 2025: Derrick Henry says he wants to retire as a Baltimore Raven​

Super Bowl LIV: Eagles’ Vic Fangio previously coached with Ravens​

2025 NFL Honors: How to watch, stream and enjoy awards show​

NFL stats leave no debate, Ravens WR Rashod Bateman can be great​

Ravens DB Kyle Hamilton did some cameraman work at Pro Bowl​

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[Baltimore Ravens]

Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu has a new team as the former Ravens draft pick, and the Oregon Ducks star is signing a Reserve/Futures deal with the Seattle Seahawks.

Aumavae-Laulu was released in October to make room for Yannick Ngakoue on the roster ahead of Baltimore’s win over Tampa Bay.

Today’s future @Seahawks roster transaction:https://t.co/f9FwqISQwI

— Seahawks PR (@seahawksPR) February 3, 2025

Aumavae-Laulu was active for two games last season, playing no offensive snaps. The 2023 sixth-round pick out of Oregon was inactive for every game as a rookie.

A three-year starter at Oregon, Aumavae-Laulu earned All-Pac-12 honorable mention honors as a senior, starting all 13 games at right tackle while playing a team-high 902 offensive snaps, including 24 at right guard. Aumavae-Laulu started 29 games in his Oregon career, including 22 straight, seeing most of his playing time at right tackle with 184 snaps at right guard.

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[Baltimore Ravens]

Cooper Kupp is breaking his own trade rumors, and Baltimore should be first in line to call the Rams and gauge their asking price. The Ravens have an excellent passing attack but only have Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman as experienced pass catchers under contract.

John Harbaugh’s team could use an efficient assassin and should have an interest in trading for the record-breaking receiver after he announced that the Rams were looking to trade him this off-season.

I was informed that the team will be seeking a trade immediately and will be working with me and my family to find the right place to continue competing for championships. I don’t agree with the decision and always believed it was going to begin and end in LA.

Still, if there’s… pic.twitter.com/XWmbGVscGy

— Cooper Kupp (@CooperKupp) February 4, 2025

According to Over the Cap, If Kupp is traded, his new team would inherit his $20 million salary in 2025 ($7.5M roster bonus + $12.5M base) and $19.85M in 2026—unless his contract is renegotiated.

Kupp was the No. 69 pick by the Rams in 2017.

During his tenure with the Rams, Kupp has totaled 634 catches for 7,776 yards and 57 touchdowns, winning Offensive Player of the Year and Super Bowl MVP in 2021.

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[Baltimore Ravens]

For a cameraman, Kyle Hamilton is a pretty good professional football player. Hamilton, or “K-Ham,” as his teammate Kyle Van Noy calls him, had a fun and productive Pro Bowl, which was well-deserved after he completed another stellar season.

Only one safety had a higher grade from Pro Football Focus (PFF) than Hamilton in 2024- Kerby Joseph of the Detroit Lions. Hamilton’s career is only starting to take off, with the best of it probably still yet to come, but he’s also pretty good at working the camera.

In this video, posted on the Ravens’ official website (they don’t allow embedding, sorry!), Hamilton mans the camera and records his position group mate, Marlon Humphrey. Then, he takes the microphone to interview Van Noy, Joey Bosa, Marshall Manning, Patrick Queen, and more.

Although it’s very short, we were able to find a video clip of Hamilton videotaping his Pro Bowl teammates that is embeddable:

Kyle Hamilton has a bright future as an NFL cameraman

pic.twitter.com/EQ02hs6t6X

— The Big Lead (@TheBigLead) February 1, 2025

Yes, the intra-divisional rivalry and leaving the Ravens to join the Steelers were indeed the first questions Humphrey asked Queen.

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[Baltimore Ravens]

Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Rashod Bateman is somewhere living life right now, away from football. Nevertheless, we must praise him for his performance at wideout this past NFL season.

Bateman caught six touchdowns over the last six games (including playoffs) and finished the season with a 16.8 yards per catch average. He also ranked No. 9 in the NFL in touchdown receptions. Often overshadowed by the superstar prowess of teammate Zay Flowers, Bateman turned his seven post-season targets into six catches.

RASHOD BATEMAN!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tune in on CBS! pic.twitter.com/XDZVzotBh4

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) January 20, 2025

Flowers will return from injury next season, and both Ravens’ tight ends, Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely, will continue to be at the top of the league in their craft. Hopefully, Bateman will continue to improve winning on routes at the intermediate level to give quarterback Lamar Jackson a viable target.

The Ravens continue to fall short of championship glory, but faith tells us it’s only a matter of time. Bateman has definitely proven his weight in gold, though.

pic.twitter.com/VYy5xKCwGB

— Rashod Bateman (@R_bateman2) October 17, 2024

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[Baltimore Ravens]

We’re just days away from the start of Super Bowl LIX, and Thursday night will provide the backdrop for the NFL’s annual awards show.

The NFL Honors, presented by Invisalign, an Align Technology brand, is a two-hour primetime award special that recognizes the NFL’s best players, performances, and plays from the 2024 season.

Here’s how you can watch, stream, and enjoy the 2025 NFL Honors sponsored by Invisalign on Thursday, Feb. 6, at the Saenger Theater in New Orleans.

How to Watch​

The 14th annual show will air live at 9 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. CT on FOX and NFL Network and stream on NFL+.

Preceding the awards special, the NFL Honors Red Carpet Show presented by Invisalign will air at 8 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CT on NFL Network leading up to NFL Honors.

AP MVP Finalists​

• QB Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens

• QB Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
• RB Saquon Barkley, Philadelphia Eagles
• QB Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
• QB Jared Goff, Detroit Lions

Making things even more interesting, Snoop Dogg will host the NFL Honors presented by Invisalign.

NFL Honors, which debuted in 2012, also features the announcement of the prestigious Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year, presented by Nationwide, and the newest Pro Football Hall of Fame Class during the week before the Super Bowl.

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[Baltimore Ravens]

Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio was an assistant coach with the Baltimore Ravens in the early 2000s when hall-of-fame legend Ray Lewis was the star middle linebacker. Perhaps Vangio’s defensive genius will finally help the Eagles prevail against the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV.

Coach Vic Fangio didn’t disappoint in this Q & A

pic.twitter.com/Tvx241ejwc

— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) February 4, 2025

Fangio’s Eagles allow just 18.3 points per game in the postseason, but they were nearly upset by the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Divisional Round. The win over the Rams is worth mentioning, given that quarterback Matthew Stafford, like Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, is a Super Bowl Champion.

Fangio must account for the dynamic speed of Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy and decide where he wants to pick his poison versus the loaded opposing offense.

Will Fangio cover Chiefs wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins with Darius Slay? Will Fangio blitz Mahomes and double tight-end Travis Kelce? Indeed, a legend with Fangio’s experience will be needed to slow down the multifaceted attack of Chiefs head coach Andy Reid. Fortunately enough for the Eagles, Fangio has competent experience as a professional in the NFL, including work with a franchise known for defensive prowess – the Ravens.

IT’S OFFICIALLY SUPER BOWL WEEK

: #SBLIX – Sunday 6:30pm ET on FOX

: Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/Cdi3F5LZVH

— NFL (@NFL) February 3, 2025

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[Baltimore Ravens]

Derrick Henry joined the Ravens on a two year and made an already dangerous offense nearly impossible to stop. Henry battled Saquon Barkley for the rushing title, and he’s been rewarded as a finalist for the Associated Press Offensive Player of the Year award.

Barkley, Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, Henry, and teammate Lamar Jackson are finalists for the award.

During the red carpet for Thursday’s awards ceremony, Henry told Dianna Russini of The Athletic that he “wanted to retire as a Raven.”

Just spoke with Derrick Henry on the red carpet the #NFLHonors about his future.

The 31-year-old All-Pro tells me he wants to finish his career in Baltimore.

“I want to retire a Raven.” pic.twitter.com/GFWhN5Eypt

— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) February 6, 2025

Catching up with @KingHenry_2 at NFL Honors! pic.twitter.com/P5t9N9jsE9

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) February 7, 2025

Henry, the 2020 Offensive Player of the Year, was the second most impressive free agent signing last spring; Henry had the second-most rushing yards in the NFL (1,783), only trailing Philadelphia’s Saquon Barkley (2,005). Both players averaged 5.8 yards per carry this season.

Henry’s 14 rushing touchdowns were tied for the second-most in the league, only behind the Bills James Cook (15).

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[Baltimore Ravens]

Lamar Jackson had, by any measure, his best statistical season ever in 2024. And yet he still came away from NFL Honors night empty-handed. Jackson came up just short in his bid to win his third NFL Most Valuable Player award, as Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen earned 27 first-place votes for MVP, edging out Jackson’s 23.

Lamar also finished second in NFL Offensive Player of the Year voting, although this race was much more decisive. Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley took home 35 first-place votes, considerably more than Jackson’s 12.

While he didn’t claim any new awards on Thursday night, Jackson still retains his status as the greatest dual-threat quarterback in the game—quite possibly ever.

Two-time NFL Offensive Player of the Year and Super Bowl XLIV MVP Drew Brees seem to agree.

“Lamar Jackson is a guy with such a unique skill set,” Drew Brees said in an exclusive with RG. “Because there is no other quarterback that can run like him. You could truly design an offense and a game plan behind his ability to run or his ability to affect how the defense plays the run, just because of the threat that he poses.”

2024 saw Jackson become the first quarterback to throw for 4,000+ yards and rush for 800+ yards in a single season. On Christmas Day, Jackson surpassed Michael Vick to become the all-time leader in career rushing yards by a quarterback.

While Brees has never won the NFL MVP award, and Lamar has never won Super Bowl MVP honors, both quarterbacks have one elite award on their resumes.

The Baltimore Ravens signal caller earned first-team All-Pro honors earlier this week, a feat Brees accomplished in 2006.

Jackson’s backfield mate, running back Derrick Henry, finished two places behind him (good for fourth) in NFL Offensive Player of the Year voting tonight.

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[Baltimore Ravens]

The Baltimore Ravens faced the Chiefs and Eagles in 2024, losing to Kansas City (27-20) in the season opener and Philadelphia (24-19) in Week 13.

It is not often that the NFL’s top two teams meet in the Super Bowl, but that’s precisely what we’ll have when the Eagles (14-3) battle the Chiefs (15-2 at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana.

The game is a Super Bowl 57 rematch, and the two franchises will meet for the 12th time in history, dating back to their first matchup in 1972. Including their Super Bowl LVII victory over the Eagles, Kansas City’s overall record is 6-5 against Philadelphia.

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[Baltimore Ravens]

Unlike what happens when we all go to the polls in November, the NFL MVP award is not a secret ballot. The Associated Press posted a table displaying how all 50 voters voted for the league’s Most Valuable Player honor.

There is a distinct anomaly in Lamar Jackson. Every voter except one placed the Baltimore Ravens signal caller first or second. That specific voter didn’t even put the 2023 NFL MVP in third place.

Jim Miller, yes, Jim Miller, the former Michigan State and Chicago Bears QB, voted Jackson fourth.

It could be that he’s just doing this as a straight-up troll job to get attention for his show on SiriusXM radio. If so, here is that attention that you so strongly ordered.

It could also be that Miller does not respect Jackson’s game as much as other pundits do because this has happened before.

According to Athlon, Miller has a history of odd voting patterns. In 2019, for example, Miller was one of three voters who did not include Jackson on the All-Pro team.

Lamar won the MVP award unanimously that season.

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[Baltimore Ravens]

The Ravens have started their offseason retooling, and one of the most significant decisions will involve star left tackle Ronnie Stanley and his future with the franchise.

Baltimore will have 21 free agents and several looming contract scenarios that will significantly impact shaping this roster. NFL.com looked at one big offseason move for the 30 teams who didn’t make the Super Bowl, and “continuing to rework the offensive line” was the Ravens’ task.

Stanley is coming off his first injury-free season in his nine-year career, and Baltimore wants to reward the offensive tackle with a huge payday. Stanley will undoubtedly have a team with a ton of money looking to add him to a potential playoff team. Rosengarten is one of the top young right tackles in the NFL and could move to left tackle if Stanley departs. Patrick Mekari is another soon-to-be free agent whom Baltimore could re-sign, with the versatility to play inside or outside. Daniel Faalele has enormous potential, and the Ravens could use a first or second-round pick on an interior offensive lineman or another tackle.

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[Baltimore Ravens]

If Baltimore Ravens fans want to find a rooting interest in Super Bowl LIX, they will need to reach out a little bit, but they do have some connections to the team favored to three-peat, the Kansas City Chiefs.

Lamar Jackson seems to support the Chiefs because of his close friendship with a former teammate, Marquise “Hollywood” Brown. Let’s look at this connection and a couple of others.

Marquise “Hollywood” Brown​

Jackson posted an Instagram story in support of Brown, expressing his hope that the former Ravens wideout will win his first Super Bowl ring this Sunday. Brown played with Jackson for three seasons, including 2021, which was a monster year for him.

Before leaving Charm City for Arizona, Brown put up a 91-1,008-6 in ’21.

Steve Spagnuolo​

He’s the classic example of a man ideally suited to being a defensive coordinator but ill-equipped to be the head coach. He could win his fifth Super Bowl ring as a DC tomorrow, and he’ll always be remembered as the football genius who somehow stifled the offensive juggernaut that was the 16-0 regular-season 2007 New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII when no one else could.

However, his one head coaching stint ended with a record of just 10-38. With the Ravens, he served as a defensive assistant in 2013 and a secondary coach in 2014.

Greg Lewis ​

This is the very rare “connections to both teams in the Super Bowl” situation. The 44-year-old Chicago native became the Ravens wide receivers coach in March of 2023, following a very successful stint with the Kansas City Chiefs.

He led the Chiefs’ running backs in 2021 and 2022 after serving as WRs coach the three previous seasons. During his time in Kansas City, Lewis went to five conference championship games and three Super Bowls, winning two of them.

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[Baltimore Ravens]

Ravens set to start negotiations with RB Derrick Henry on a contract extension

Last off-season, the Ravens signed Derrick Henry to a two-year, $16 million deal, greatly benefiting both parties.

After Baltimore was eliminated from the postseason, GM Eric DeCosta and head coach John Harbaugh held their end-of-season press conference.

DeCosta was asked about a potential contract extension for Henry, who will enter his deal’s final year.

“Derrick proved he had a lot left in the tank. We’ll look at that… I’m so grateful Derrick chose us last year.”

GM Eric DeCosta on RB Derrick Henry: pic.twitter.com/kOb9Fb1SB4

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) January 22, 2025

Ian Rapoport states Baltimore is set to begin negotiations on a new deal.

The Insiders on @NFLGameDay with @MikeGarafolo, @TomPelissero and @judybattista: An international Super Bowl? #Chiefs TE Travis Kelce could be playing his final game; On the #Vikings QB plans…; #Ravens and RB Derrick Henry set to start extension talks. pic.twitter.com/2yL2FvRjHp

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 9, 2025

The second most impressive free agent signing last spring, Henry had the second-most rushing yards in the NFL (1,783), only trailing Philadelphia’s Saquon Barkley (2,005). Both players averaged 5.8 yards per carry this season.

Henry’s 14 rushing touchdowns were tied for the second-most in the league, only behind the Bills James Cook (15).

Source: https://ravenswire.usatoday.com/202...egotiations-derrick-henry-contract-extension/

 

[Baltimore Ravens]

Marlon Humphrey makes eerily prescient Super Bowl tweet

If Super Bowl LIX had actually been scripted, then someone showed the script to Baltimore Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey, who then leaked it on Twitter two hours before kickoff.

We’re obviously joking of course, but this is in fact a real tweet, and an eerily prescient one at that.

Pay special attention to the time stamp.

Two turnovers by the Chiefs were too much to overcome. The Eagles were able to run the ball and stay on schedule. Ultimately the Eagles won in dominant fashion. 3 peat denied

— marlonhumphrey.eth (@marlon_humphrey) February 9, 2025

It goes without saying that Humphrey was talking—let’s say “stuff” here. He was “talking junk,” but it all came to fruition when the Chiefs turned the ball over twice before halftime, with one of those turnovers being a Cooper DeJean pick-six.

The reigning dynasty was down 24-0 at the break and never recovered. With 2:40 left in the third quarter, the Philadelphia Eagles held a 34-0 lead, and the fourth quarter was essentially garbage time.

The final score of 40-22 was a bit “window dressed,” to say the least.

Humphrey was essentially right, except for one thing: The Eagles didn’t really achieve domination through the run game. While they were indeed dominant, they did it more through defense and the passing game.

Wait a second

https://t.co/PLJl1p9W4N

— marlonhumphrey.eth (@marlon_humphrey) February 10, 2025

The whole story arc was reminiscent of another Super Bowl played in this stadium 39 years ago. The 1985 Chicago Bears were similar to this year’s Eagles team in that their star player was their running back.

However, just like Saquon Barkley in tonight’s game, Walter Payton was mostly just a decoy in Super Bowl XX.

Source: https://ravenswire.usatoday.com/2025/02/10/marlon-humphrey-makes-eerily-prescient-super-bowl-tweet/

 

[Baltimore Ravens]

Eagles saved NFL fans from Taylor Swift with Super Bowl LIX victory

NFL fans were dreading what seemed like the ultimate horror. A Kansas City Chiefs three-peat, haughty narrations of their superior, and endless cameos of pop star Taylor Swift with her boyfriend, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, during Super Bowl LIX.

Taylor Swift laughed off being booed at the Super Bowl

pic.twitter.com/Zdc5fHKc0A

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 10, 2025

Instead, Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio (a former Baltimore Ravens assistant coach) executed but putting the clamp down on Kelce and quarterback Patrick Mahomes II Sunday night in the 40-22 win.

PICK 6 IS HECKUVA BIRTHDAY GIFT

@cdejean23 | #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/aIO8v7Czls

— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) February 10, 2025

Fangio used combo coverages to counter the nifty intermediate pass design of Chiefs head coach Andy Reid and offensive coordinator Matt Nagy. The Eagles intercepted Mahomes twice, including the epic pick-6 tallied by Eagles defensive back Cooper DeJean in the second quarter.

SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONS!
THIS ONE’S FOR YOU PHILLY! pic.twitter.com/tWxrzozMQU

— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) February 10, 2025

Kelce had four receptions in the game but just 39 yards and no touchdowns for Swift to cheer about. NFL fans are cheering, however, and thanks to Fangio, the entire league now knows that the Chiefs aren’t infallible. Most importantly, fans won’t have to be bombarded with Swift in the news media this upcoming week.

Source: https://ravenswire.usatoday.com/2025/02/10/eagles-super-bowl-59-taylor-swift-travis-kelce-chiefs/

 

[Baltimore Ravens]

Should the Ravens run their own 'Brotherly Shove' play more in 2025?

In this sense, sports are much like music, art, and fashion—what’s old will eventually become new again, and the classics will ultimately come back in style. The NFL did everything possible to facilitate pass-happy football that would be popular enough to draw higher ratings and sell more tickets.

But right now, it’s the very short-yardage run plays that people are talking about. When you’re the Super Bowl Bowl champion, people will try and emulate your success, so maybe the Baltimore Ravens should take a page out of the Philadelphia Eagles’ playbook?

Their “Tush Push” play, more popularly known as the “Brotherly Shove,” seems nearly unstoppable. It’s so effing, active that there have even been some calls for some have even called the cliche, “It’s a copycat league,” and it turns: ” It’s a copycat-ave the. ” Itist on the Brotherly Salready hove already.

We saw it in the Harbowl Monday night victory right before Thanksgiving. John Harbaugh, sometimes known for taking riverboat gambler-style chances on fourth down, went for it on 4th and one from his own 16-yard-line while down 10-7 in the first half. Tight end Mark Andrews lined up very close to center Tyler Linderbaum and took the snap.

Quarterback Lamar Jackson and the rest of the Ravens’ offensive backfield helped push Andrews into obtaining the first Baltimore Bum Rush” if you like.,

These plays, where the defense knows what’s coming, but it’s fun to see if they can try and stop it, are also popular in college football.

Take the Illinois Fighting Illini and their “barge” package, which consists of nine offensive linemen, the quarterback, and a single running back.

Yes, you can call a pass play out of the barge, but everybody knows that an interior run is coming as soon as you see the offense line up. The barge helped Illinois spring an upset at #7 Penn State in 2021, 20-18, in a game that will always be remembered, first and foremost, for its record-setting nine overtime periods.

Illinois brought the barge back on New Year’s Eve, and it helped them spring another upset victory, this time over #15 South Carolina in the Citrus Bowl. The Illini scored the game-winning touchdown on a short run out of the barge formation.

“You obviously saw the return of the barge formation,” Illini center and team captain Josh Kreutz said in an exclusive with RG. “I think every lineman loves that. When you hear barge, you keep breaking out the big formations that gives us a lot of confidence to keep running the ball.”

Josh Kreutz, the son of Bears legend and two-time first-team All-Pro Olin Kreutz, is developing into a pro prospect in his own right.

And he’s right when he says that the barge is something most offensive linemen love, for the same reason they enjoy the tush push/Brotherly Shove types of plays.

The short yardage/goal line type plays and the significant boy formations also provide O-linemen with the chance to make a sizeable forward push in run blocking. Of course, they love doing that. It’s easy to imagine the Ravens’ center, Tyler Linderbaum, saying the same types of things that Kreutz noted here.

And much like the Eagles run their offense around the NFL’s leading rusher, Saquon Barkley, the Ravens have the league’s second-leading rusher, Derrick Henry, as a focal point.

Maybe it’s time to see more of the “Baltimore Bum Rush” in 2025.

Source: https://ravenswire.usatoday.com/202...-their-own-brotherly-shove-play-more-in-2025/