ExtremeRavens Posted September 3 Posted September 3 John Harbaugh often talks to his team about the tranquility of sitting on the beach, simply watching the waves undulate. Some find it boring, he said. The longtime Ravens coach finds it fascinating. And he loves a good metaphor. “They don’t stop,” Harbaugh said. “Sometimes they’re kind of calm, nice and fun. Warm and inviting. Other times they get a little rough and the storm comes in and they can be dangerous. That’s kind of a time analogy.” Before the Ravens travel to Kansas City for their season opener against the Chiefs on Thursday night, Harbaugh waxed poetically about the confluence of juggling football anticipation with grief, having lost two important figures this offseason. Ravens legend and Super Bowl 47 hero Jacoby Jones died suddenly July 14, days before his 40th birthday. And offensive line coach Joe D’Alessandris died early morning Aug. 25, less than two weeks after it was announced that he had been hospitalized for an acute illness. The losses of both Jones and D’Alessandris have weighed heavily on the organization. Baltimore announced Tuesday that each players’ helmet will feature a commemorative decal on the backside above their number. The tags, Harbaugh said, serve as a reminder about the people they lost and about making the most of life as they move into the season. For 12 and Joe D pic.twitter.com/3MKIvAyovY — Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) September 3, 2024 “Those waves just keep coming,” Harbaugh said. “You just gotta keep swimming.” He offered another metaphor for the anticipatory feeling of the next wave: a Week 1 clash with the Chiefs, who are chasing the NFL’s first three-peat. Harbaugh didn’t try to downplay the weight of the game. It’s in prime-time, on the road, against the reigning Super Bowl champs. It’s an immediate litmus test for how Baltimore bounces back from a disappointing end to last season. But he called the feeling of heading into the opener “tension,” rather than anxiety. “It’s like a bridge,” he said. “A suspension bridge. Those cables — they have tension to hold that bridge up there and keep everybody safe. There’s tension when you’re lifting weights, there’s tension in your arms [and] in your muscles. There has to be tension. So guys are going to be tense, they’re going to be locked in, they’re going to be focused.” To honor his Nigerian heritage, the Ravens’ star defensive lineman will now be known as Nnamdi Madubuike. (Kim Hairston/Staff) Madubuike name change Justin Madubuike slowly tested the waters before officially changing his name with the NFL. One of the league’s premier defensive lineman recently swapped out his nameplate in the Ravens’ locker room to his Nigerian-given name, Nnamdi Madubuike (pronounced NAHM-dee). He liked the way it looked. Then on Monday, he updated his social media profiles to reflect his preferred name, the one his family used since he was little. And with that, he made it official with the league. “Coming from Nigerian culture, our parents give us like an American name and give us a Nigerian name,” Madubuike told the team’s website. “When we were growing up as little kids, they addressed us as our Nigerian name. So Nnamdi, I believe in my heart, that’s my real name.” Part of Madubuike’s inspiration to go by his Nigerian name came from his teammate, Odafe Oweh, who went by Jayson Oweh until he was drafted in 2021. “Just learning from the older vets and stuff, I keep finding ways to get better every single year. I just started to just keep everything real in terms of my life,” Madubuike said. “After I signed my [four-year, $98 million] contract, I just need to keep doing that. I just felt like when I keep it real, the better player I am, the better man I am.” Injury report The Ravens enter their season opener fairly healthy. Only linebacker Adisa Isaac (hamstring) and running back Rasheen Ali (neck) were listed on the team’s first injury report heading into Kansas City. Isaac missed the start of training camp with two separate offseason hamstring injuries. The third-round draft pick returned for Baltimore’s second preseason game but suffered another similar setback. He was the only missing player from Tuesday’s practice. Ali missed preseason action with a stinger but his limited participation in practice this week indicates the fifth-round draft pick cleared the league’s concussion protocol. View the full article Quote
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