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SAYING GOODBYE

in Balance Discussion Mon Sep 10, 2018 8:29 am
by hong wei • Farseer | 232 Posts | 2320 Points

Operating in the middle of the Baltimore Ravens defensive line Logan Woodside Color Rush Jersey , Brandon Williams is expected to bang helmets with one or two 300-pound brutes before pushing them aside so one of his teammates can make the tackle.

Although the task is instrumental to the success of Baltimore’s gritty defense, it often goes unnoticed by the casual fan and does not produce impressive statistical numbers.

”I’m totally fine with what I do,” Williams said after practice Monday. ”I know it’s a dirty job, but somebody’s got to do it and I’m happy to raise my hand and volunteer. As long as my guys have my back and are making plays around me, that’s all I care about.”

Told it’s not exactly a sexy job, the 6-foot-1, 336-pound Williams smiled and said, ”Oh, it’s sexy. As long as I’m there, it’s sexy.”

Drafted in the third round of the 2013 draft out of Missouri Southern State, Williams has been Baltimore’s starting nose tackle for the past five years. He follows a long line of players who have effectively filled an unglamorous, pivotal position.

”A lot of interior linemen who have come through here and had the honor of being considered a Raven for life Breeland Speaks Jersey Elite , the No. 1 thing they had was toughness,” Baltimore linebacker Terrell Suggs said.

”Can you be mentally tough? Can you physically dominate the man across from you? I think Brandon Williams embodies that. He can be considered in the rare group of the Tony Siragusas, the Kelly Greggs, the Haloti Ngatas.”

The Ravens showed their appreciation to Williams in 2017 when they provided him with a five-year contract rather than allow him to test free agency.

Last year, he started the first two games, both of them victories in which Baltimore allowed a total of 10 points and forced 10 turnovers.

Williams missed the next four games with a foot injury, and the Ravens won only one of them.

”When we lost him, we sunk a little bit,” defensive line coach Joe Cullen said. ”Brandon is the epitome of what you want an inside tackle to be. He’s really quick for a big guy, but so strong he can get big knock-back at the point of attack.”

Williams has 188 career tackles, 4 sacks and one touchdown – on a fumble recovery he took in from the 1.

These facts and figures do nothing to convey his importance to the Ravens.

”I’m a big Brandon Williams fan,” coach John Harbaugh said. ”Ask the offensive line coaches and the offensive linemen around the league how they feel about blocking him. He’s a force in there. He takes up two blockers Cheap Anthony Miller Jersey , sometimes more. He’s very stout.

”You want great players everywhere, but in the middle of your defense it’s important to have an anchor that can keep people from running inside and can create better angles for your defense. It’s nice to have a big, physical run stopper. The Ravens have always had that. It’s really been a staple here historically.”

Williams certainly doesn’t mind being Baltimore’s next man in the middle, but he’s not interested in merely carrying on a tradition that began long ago.

”I want to play how I play,” Williams said. ”I’m not Haloti, even though he was a great player and I learned a lot from him. I want to do my own thing, just be whatever I can be for the team.”




Titans left tackle Taylor Lewan wants a contract extension. He deserves a contract extension.

But the sides have had no substantial talks, according to Lewan.

Still, Lewan is showing up to work every day, even though it’s not mandatory. He figures something will get done when it gets done.

鈥淎s of right now, there is no situation,” Lewan said Cheap Hayden Hurst Jersey , via Terry McCormick of titaninsider.com. “I understand that this is a business, and if something gets done here, that鈥檚 great. But if not, I understand it. That鈥檚 how it is. That鈥檚 how this game works. Whatever happens happens.”

Lewan currently is scheduled to make $9.341 million on the fifth-year option the Titans exercised. He is not opposed to his representation, CAA, negotiating into the season if that’s what it takes to get a long-term deal.

鈥淲hen it comes to this kind of stuff, that鈥檚 why I have an agent,” Lewan said. “I don鈥檛 give them 3 percent to sit on their [expletive]. I鈥檓 being serious. If they want to go, and Jon [Robinson] wants to call, and they want to have a conversation, I鈥檓 more than willing to, but I鈥檓 not going to move forward any in my life not focusing on football. That鈥檚 the main most important thing Billy Price Jersey Elite , and I can鈥檛 lose track of what is important, and that鈥檚 playing football.鈥?/p>

Lewan, 26, will get something similar to the four-year, $62 million deal Nate Solder signed with the Giants. Lewan has become one of the NFL’s top tackles, or maybe the best.

鈥淚 would say from a competitive standpoint, absolutely,” Lewan said when asked if he was the best. “There are a lot of things I do well and a lot of things I can improve upon as a football player. But for me, if I don鈥檛 walk on the field and think I鈥檓 the best player in the NFL every time I step on the field, then I鈥檓 doing something wrong.鈥?/p> Adidas Mikko Rantanen Jersey

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