ExtremeRavens Posted December 4 Posted December 4 The Ravens are back on HBO’s “Hard Knocks” for the first time since the venerable series’ 2001 premiere season, this time sharing each hour with their AFC North neighbors. The first episode of this in-season look at the division debuted Tuesday night with John Harbaugh and Lamar Jackson front and center alongside fellow AFC North luminaries Mike Tomlin, Joe Burrow and Myles Garrett. “No other division is as close, culturally or geographically,” narrator Liev Schreiber boomed in the prologue. “Tough towns sporting tough teams.” From now until the end of the season, we’ll recap each episode, highlighting striking moments, memorable characters and tasty Ravens-related nuggets. Key Ravens scene There weren’t many to choose from given the episode’s understandable focus on the one divisional showdown of the week: Steelers vs. Bengals in Cincinnati. The Ravens’ matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles was presented as a potential battle of the titans. “We’ve got to bully the bullies,” defensive coordinator Zach Orr told his players during a midweek meeting. “That’s what type of game it’s going to be.” That story never really took shape Sunday, and “Hard Knocks” instead zeroed in on kicker Justin Tucker’s woes. “His right leg was the most reliable thing in Baltimore,” Schreiber intoned, contrasting Tucker’s past mastery with his current fallibility. But none of the glimpses of Tucker showed much that we did not already know. “Hey, shake it off,” Harbaugh said, slapping his kicker’s hand after he missed an extra point in the first quarter. “Come on,” Tucker muttered, wincing after one of his three misses against Philadelphia. “It’s crushing,” he said with a pained expression during his postgame interview. Whatever conversations Tucker, his coaches and his teammates might have shared on the sideline or in the locker room remained private. Any insight into how he’s attempting repairs will have to wait for future episodes. Other Ravens tidbits Harbaugh said seeing Jackson at quarterback every day “makes me feel real happy inside.” No surprise there. But it was fun to catch glimpses of how No. 8 impresses him seven seasons in. After Jackson hit Mark Andrews in traffic for an early touchdown against the Eagles, Harbaugh marveled into his headset: “That’s a heck of a throw and catch. I don’t know how he got that in there.” “Right now, there’s another level of execution,” he said of his quarterback. “Another level of being dialed in.” Ravens tight end Mark Andrews makes a contested touchdown catch against the Philadelphia Eagles. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff) We also learned that Harbaugh is “always freezing” during late November practice, no surprise to Ravens reporters who know his unofficial rule that post-practice podium sessions go inside once the temperature drops below 50 degrees. “I would give you the jacket off my back,” special teams assistant Randy Brown told his boss as they bantered about the chill. Best non-Ravens scene As the Steelers prepared for the Bengals, Tomlin kept poking at second-year edge rusher Nick Herbig to get him psyched for his matchup with Cincinnati left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. “One-on-one on ‘Zeus,’ man,” Tomlin told Herbig. “You’ve got to kill him.” Herbig then made the strip on Joe Burrow, returned for a touchdown, that gave Pittsburgh a commanding advantage in the 44-38 shootout. The first episode of “Hard Knocks” illustrated some of the reasons why Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is beloved by his players. (Jeff Dean/AP) Tomlin’s Cheshire Cat grin on the sideline spoke volumes. He had foreseen the heroic scenario. Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson embraced him, shouting, “You said Herb! You said Herb!” “I’m not gonna act surprised,” Tomlin said when he caught up with Herbig. “This is what you were brought here to do.” It was the perfect setup and payoff to illustrate why Tomlin has won for almost two decades in Pittsburgh. Other amusements Burrow acknowledged before the Steelers game that his team was probably one loss from falling out of the playoff race for good. Despite that, he enjoyed a light chat with wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins about buying a Batmobile from director Christopher Nolan’s films and a complementary Batsuit to wear to games. The Browns’ Monday night visit to Denver didn’t make the episode, but assistant offensive line coach Roy Istvan got off some good lines, imploring his players to “pitch a fit” and “make it a grimy fight.” Episode MVP Tomlin in a walk. He came across as the perfect blend of tough, loving, sharp and earthy. He started the episode munching on Fritos, tossing off vivid descriptions of Cincinnati’s stars. On Burrow: “That dude feels the rush, his eyes are downfield, he be slithering around the pocket.” On Chase: “This is disgusting. Five touchdowns against Baltimore in two games.” He framed the “intimate divisional relationships” that come with AFC North football. “They play us a certain way, There’s a rhythm to it,” he said. Then, on Thanksgiving: “I’d like to open my home up to anyone and everyone.” During the game, after wide receiver George Pickens made a mental error that could drive any coach to imbibe, Tomlin wrapped him in a hug and said: “It ain’t going to decide the outcome of the game.” Who wouldn’t want to play for that guy? Have a news tip? Contact Childs Walker at daviwalker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6893 and x.com/ChildsWalker. View the full article Quote
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