ExtremeRavens Posted 10 hours ago Posted 10 hours ago The sound of losing, it’s usually silent. Inside the visiting locker room at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York, this past January, though, frustration echoed thunderously through the cramped and dated space for one Ravens player in particular. While most solemnly dressed and quietly exited, left tackle Ronnie Stanley was still angry. So, as another painful playoff loss soaked in, this one by two points to the Buffalo Bills in the divisional round, he vented to quarterback Lamar Jackson about Baltimore overcomplicating things during the game one minute and not being able to get out of its own way the next. “That loss hurt as bad as any, yeah,” he told The Baltimore Sun in a recent interview. “To keep adding another one, it’s like again? You keep getting so close. In that moment, you’re just shattered. Having all these past instances doesn’t make it easier; it makes it harder.” That was only part of the motivation behind Stanley’s decision to eschew a likely more lucrative free agent offer from another team this past offseason and return for a 10th season with the Ravens, making him the longest-tenured player on the roster. Yes, the blindside protector of Baltimore’s $260 million face of the franchise considered exploring the riches of the open market, he told The Sun, and there was outside interest from at least a few teams, including the New England Patriots and Washington Commanders. The three-year, $60 million extension he signed in March was, well, also close enough. But he was acutely aware of what he has in staying with the organization that drafted him sixth overall out of Notre Dame in 2016 in terms of comfort and a talent-rich environment. There is “unfinished business” in the 2019 All-Pro’s eyes as well, and the 31-year-old appears to be having a late-career renaissance after a bounce-back 2024 in which he was selected to the Pro Bowl following years of injury-marred seasons, questions about his commitment and, in 2023, being rotated in and out of the lineup down the stretch of the season because of his poor play. “That was part of it,” he continued. “Also, the connection I have with my teammates, this city and this organization. I do have a ton of belief in our team and in our players, our whole organization. “We should be winning championships. That’s the standard that we have and we’ve come up short to that standard, but I still believe in us because I know how we work and what type of players we have.” The work Stanley put in during the offseason has continued through training camp. It’s notable. So far this summer, he hasn’t missed a practice — an anomaly for a player of his experience, age and what was once a proclivity for his share of veteran days off. Now, on almost any day after practice, he also stays on the field to spend extra time with younger, less experienced linemen, polishing their technique and working on communication, something he started doing midway through last season and said that he used to do in college. “I think it’s really good at the end of practice when your legs are really tired to get a couple technique-focused drills in,” Stanley said. “Being able to do it in a slow, controlled environment while you’re already that fatigued, it’s a good opportunity. You really can’t get it unless you’re that tired, so after practice is the perfect place.” For an offensive line with three players (left guard Andrew Vorhees, right guard Daniel Faalele and right tackle Roger Rosengarten) with less than two years of NFL experience at their respective positions and an average age of just under 25, the sessions are invaluable as they are impactful. “He’s a tremendous player and an even better dude,” Vorhees said. “You guys don’t get the opportunity to spend as much time as we do, but Ronnie is an awesome dude. When you get the opportunity to play next to an All-Pro player, kind of makes your life a little easier at times.” Added Rosengarten: “Every piece of information I can get from him, I’ll take it.” Said general manager Eric DeCosta after re-signing Stanley: “He’s really grown into being one of the leaders of our team, and just looking out at the draft and free agency, we just didn’t really see a lot of guys that we felt were better than him.” Last season offered plenty of proof. Stanley allowed just two sacks, per Pro Football Focus. He also had a pass-block win rate — how often a lineman can sustain their blocks for 2.5 seconds or longer — of 92%, ranking him 11th among offensive tackles, per ESPN analytics. Few players on the Ravens’ historic offense mattered more. It wasn’t perfect, though. “We should be winning championships," Ravens left tackle Ronnie Stanley said. "That’s the standard that we have and we’ve come up short to that standard, but I still believe in us because I know how we work and what type of players we have.” (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) Communication issues and penalties plagued Baltimore’s offensive line. In all, the Ravens’ O-line was flagged 45 times during the regular season, per nflpenalties.com, more than any other group on the team. Stanley was the biggest culprit, with 13 penalties (though three of those were part of a crackdown for illegal formation in the first game of the season against the Kansas City Chiefs). Part of the problem, Stanley said, was all the moving parts within the group, particularly early in the year, with three new starters up front. This year, that group returns intact, with Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum, 25, the next most experienced player after Stanley. Though penalties have reared their head at times during training camp, Stanley insists that things are more “stable” now and the unit is now “operating on a pretty high level at this point.” Time will tell. But it helps that Stanley came into training camp healthy this year for just the second time since 2019. To do so, he completely retooled his highly regimented routine, both during the offseason and within the plush confines of the Ravens’ training facility. “This year and last year my whole lifestyle revolved around my body,” he said. Stanley, who spends much of his offseason in Los Angeles, doled out for all sorts of bodywork, including extra gym sessions, pilates, acupuncture, sauna and cold tub treatments, swimming, foam rolling and a pair of Normatec boots, a type of pneumatic compression device used for recovery and rehabilitation that apply dynamic air pressure to the legs to promote circulation, reduce muscle soreness and aid in the removal of lactic acid. He also for the first time took part in a mixed martial arts program at Unbreakable, a gym in Hollywood, California, run by Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer. In doing so, Stanley said that he was able to get better at different techniques while focusing on certain muscle groups that are integral to blocking. And throughout training camp, his routine has included daily sauna, ice, stretching and foam rolling, followed by those Normatec sessions every night. “That helps me set up for a better next day instead of going home and waking up super sore,” he said. Most importantly, he believes that all of it will help keep him on the field and playing his best when the stakes are at their highest. “It’s just about sharpening up those little details, playing how you already play in those moments,” he said. “You don’t have to do anything more or anything else.” Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. To stay healthy, Ronnie Stanley's routine has included daily sauna, ice, stretching and foam rolling. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff) View the full article Quote
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