Gästeforum » Operating in the middle of the Baltimore

Ravens defensive line Youth Tavon Young 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, 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 http://www.ravenscheapstores.com/alex-collins-jersey-cheap , 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, 4陆 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, 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." Dean Pees' retirement from his old job as defensive coordinator with the Baltimore Ravens sure didn't last very long. Not with Mike Vrabel pouncing on the chance to lure his former coach to work with him in Tennessee.Now the NFL schedule is giving the defensive coordinator a chance to try and slow down his old team on Sunday."At some point in time when I do conclude my career," Pees said, "it will be to me a unique situation and a unique opportunity I was given to work for two guys that are great coaches and were great players for me, and for me then to kind of give back and the fact that I kind of know them so well. We're on the same page as far as how you do things and that kind of stuff Cheap Ronnie Stanley Jersey , it all kind of came from the same school."Ravens coach John Harbaugh, who played for Pees at Miami (Ohio), hired his former defensive coordinator in 2010 as linebackers coach before turning over the defense to Pees in 2012 — a year Baltimore won the Super Bowl. Pees held that job through last season before retiring after 45 years as a coach.Vrabel, who played for Pees in New England, called Harbaugh and Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome for permission to talk to the retired Pees once hired as the Titans head coach.Safety Eric Weddle said it was tough to see Pees join the Titans."We were all happy for him, because we know how much he loves coaching," Weddle said. "But he's with them now. We appreciate what he did here, but we're doing our thing now, and he's doing his."The Ravens replaced Pees, 69, by promoting Don "Wink" Martindale. Vrabel hired Pees to replace Dick LeBeau in Tennessee."Replacing Dick LeBeau anywhere is not an easy thing to do, and I was very aware of that, but I felt like we needed a change," Vrabel said. "And Dean has been everything that I had hoped for."Both the Ravens (3-2) and Titans (3-2) come into this game off disappointing road losses. Baltimore lost 12-9 in overtime in Cleveland, while the Titans fell 13-12 in Buffalo.After kickoff, friendships are forgotten for at least three hours."Once the game starts, we'll be trying to choke each other out Youth Michael Crabtree Jersey ," Harbaugh joked.Some things to know about the Ravens and Titans:DEFENSIVE SHOWDOWNWithout Pees, the Ravens remain just as stingy, leading the NFL in scoring defense and with 34 tackles for loss. The Ravens haven't allowed a touchdown in the second half of a game this season. Baltimore also is third in fewest yards allowed, four spots ahead of Pees' Titans, with Tennessee third against the pass, just ahead of Baltimore. Tennessee leads the NFL in red zone defense.The Titans hope to get back veteran linebacker Wesley Woodyard after missing a game with an injured shoulder, while Harbaugh hopes to get back defensive tackle Michael Pierce after missing a game with an injured foot.JACKSON'S JAUNTSDrafted 32nd overall, rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson gives opposing defenses something else to think about when he lines up behind center. The 2016 Heisman Trophy winner ranks fourth on the team with 72 yards rushing and leads Baltimore with an average of 4.5 yards per carry. Jackson ran three times for 10 yards last week and threw an incomplete pass. He's 1 for 5 through the air this season.NEED MORE OFFENSEThe Titans are coming off their second game this season when they couldn't score a touchdown. Luckily, Marcus Mariota and his elbow is off the injury report for the first time since being hurt in the season opener. But the Titans could be missing left tackle Taylor Lewan, who hurt his right foot in Buffalo. Mariota said it's just a matter of execution and the Titans have to get better.HEAVY WORKLOADTerrell Suggs was used for 66 of the 71 total snaps last week against the Browns, no small workload for a 16-year veteran who turned 36 on Thursday. Suggs is Baltimore's career sacks leader with 129, including 3 1/2 this year. A rigorous training regimen has enabled him to maintain a degree of excellence, but Harbaugh acknowledged that 66 plays might be too much.PAYBACK TIMEOdds are good that C.J. Mosley will get a chance to tackle his former Alabama teammate and current Titans running back Derrick Henry at least once, and the Ravens linebacker says he still owes Henry from last year. Henry converted a big third-down late in a Tennessee win with a big stiff arm, breaking loose from Mosley. "I have to make sure that this time I don't let him get a big play," Mosley said.AP Sports Writer Dave Ginsburg contributed to this report.Follow Teresa M. Walker at teresamwalker