ExtremeRavens Posted July 20 Posted July 20 Ravens middle linebacker Roquan Smith was fresh off trips to Paris, Barcelona and Germany because, in the words of Baltimore’s perhaps most curious mind, “why not.” Defensive lineman Justin Madubuike, meanwhile, chose to stick with a more familiar environ, opting for a gym in Atlanta, where he trained alongside outside linebackers Odafe Oweh and David Ojabo, among others. The offseason is over now, though. Veterans reported to Owings Mills on Saturday for training camp ahead of Baltimore’s first full-team practice set for Sunday afternoon. Last season, the Ravens’ defense became the first in the modern era to lead the league in sacks, takeaways and points allowed per game, so what could they do for an encore? “I think we can be better,” Smith said. “It starts in training camp, day in and day out. Everybody’s excited early on and I know we got the mindset of guys pushing through adversity when we face that, but I love the pieces that we have here.” None might be more important than Madubuike. The 2020 third-round draft pick out of Texas A&M, who has steadily improved in each of his first four seasons in the NFL, is used to applying pressure. His 13 sacks last season led all interior linemen in the league. But now, he’s the one facing it. That’s the string attached to the four-year, $98 million contract extension he signed in the offseason. The deal makes him the third-highest paid player at his position, behind only Kansas City Chiefs star Chris Jones and 2019 13th overall pick Christian Wilkins, who signed with the Las Vegas Raiders in the offseason. Los Angeles Rams superstar Aaron Donald, the gold standard for interior linemen, retired in March. The weight of such a hefty contract isn’t lost on Madubuike. “Teams are gonna definitely be blocking me different … they’re gonna try to slow me down,” the 26-year-old said. “So you could say pressure in terms of pressure from myself, to stay polished and stay focused and stay better than last year. That’s the only pressure I feel.” It’s why Madubuike spent the offseason working on what he called the “little pebbles” that add up over the course of a long season, particularly when the expectation is the Super Bowl. He didn’t get specific on his goals, other than to say that he expects to reach double digits in sacks again after tallying one, two and 5 1/2 his first three seasons, respectively, before a breakout 2023 that landed him his first Pro Bowl selection. Most important, he said, are focusing on sleep, nutrition, staying in shape, having a high motor and “just focusing on ways to not get tired.” Evidence from the Ravens’ final two games of last season — a 34-10 divisional round playoff rout of the Houston Texans, followed by a 17-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC championship game at M&T Bank Stadium — suggests he was anything but, however. Against the Texans, Madubuike wreaked havoc with seven pressures and two run stops while receiving an 81.7 pass rush grade from Pro Football Focus. The following week against the Chiefs, he had six pressures and a sack, becoming the first player in last season’s playoffs to take down eventual Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Patrick Mahomes. The sack came early in the fourth quarter with Baltimore trailing 17-7 and the Chiefs barreling down the field toward more potential points. But Madubuike’s play helped lead to a punt. Still, the Ravens lost, while the Chiefs went on to win the Super Bowl for a second year in a row. The defeat lingered, but now a new opportunity awaits. “After those performances, even though I played well I just had it [in my mind], they haven’t seen nothing yet,” Madubuike said. “I can be better. I can be stronger. I can be faster.” After several departures on defense, he might have to be. Gone are outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney (Carolina Panthers), inside linebacker Patrick Queen (Pittsburgh Steelers) and third safety Geno Stone (Cincinnati Bengals), last year’s interceptions leader in the AFC, among others. Questions linger about where else on the defense Baltimore’s pass rush and disruption might come from. Meanwhile, former defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald is now the coach of the Seattle Seahawks and former defensive line coach Anthony Weaver the Miami Dolphins’ defensive coordinator. Former inside linebackers coach Zach Orr replaced Macdonald, but the 32-year-old is the second-youngest defensive coordinator in the NFL and will be calling plays for the first time. It perhaps helps, though, that Orr is already plenty familiar with Madubuike. After Baltimore lost to the Bengals in the wild-card round to end the 2022 season, Orr told the defensive tackle, “You’re going to be an All-Pro. I can see it. I can feel it.” Madubuike hasn’t forgotten that conversation. And in Donald, a three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year and eight-time All-Pro, including last year, Madubuike also sees inspiration. “When I came in as a rookie, I wanted to be not ‘like him,’ but play like him in the sense of just being great and being a known player in this league,” he said. “It added that focus. “I guess you could say year after year after year, I’ve gotten better, and it’s been working. I have a long way to go to even be mentioned in the same sentence as him in terms of play, but I’m determined and willing.” View the full article Quote
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