Enjoy your Labor Day Weekend, knowing it's the last weekend without NFL football.
We've made it through training camp and the preseason. Very soon it gets real for the Ravens, starting with their Week 1 opener against the Buffalo Bills on Sept. 7.
The players are eager and so are the coaches.
"The only disappointment is we can't play until [next] Sunday night," Head Coach John Harbaugh said this week. "But we'll be there. We'll show up. We'll be right on time, and we'll be ready.
"I am proud of our guys. I am excited about the roster [and] happy about the practice squad. I am really happy for the guys that made the team that were kind of on the bubble. We're ready to go."
Here are my thoughts on the Ravens as the regular season creeps closer, all in 50 words or less:
- General Manager Eric DeCosta says they're being "careful" with Jaire Alexander (knee), but it'd be great to see him handle a full week of practice prior to Week 1. The Ravens want to have every resource available to defend Josh Allen and the Bills' offense.
- In seven career playoff games, Alexander has three interceptions. He has a history of rising in big moments. The opener isn't a playoff game, but it will have a postseason feel – a matchup between two AFC heavyweights. It's the kind of party Alexander doesn't want to miss.
- Alexander is one of several players I'm highly anticipating seeing in a Ravens uniform. Another is DeAndre Hopkins, who's kind of flown under the radar since the start of training camp. Hopkins and Lamar Jackson have had a summer to build chemistry, and we'll soon see the fruits of their labor.
- Jackson's body clock is also ready to start the regular season, according to Quarterbacks Coach Tee Martin. "About two weeks ago – I just got this sense that he was ready to play the first game," Martin said. "I was like, 'This is mid-season Lamar right here.'"
- I know Jackson had two turnovers against the Bills in last year's playoff game. But he completed 31 of 43 passes with four touchdown passed in two games against them last season. Buffalo's going to have its hands full trying to contain Jackson and the weapons he has.
- A familiar face joined the Ravens' practice squad this week in the person of Tyler "Snoop" Huntley. The Ravens obviously hope Jackson and Cooper Rush stay healthy, but Harbaugh is glad to have Huntley back as quarterback No. 3. "It makes our team stronger to have him in that spot," Harbaugh said.
- I don't know if the Ravens inquired about trading for Micah Parsons, but I'm sure they're happy he's staying in the NFC. They already face Myles Garrett, Trey Hendrickson, and T.J. Watt twice a year. They'll see Parsons when Baltimore faces the Green Bay Packers in Week 17.
- After signing his lucrative contract extension, All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton said, "I'm willing to play wherever, whenever they need me to." I think his versatility will be unleashed in 2025 more than last year, which should make the Ravens' defense more dynamic.
- Rookie safety Malaki Starks will give Hamilton more freedom to roam. Starks isn't your typical rookie and has already passed many tests in football and life. Defensive Coordinator Zach Orr believes Starks covers well enough to play corner in the NFL if he had to.
- I loved Hamilton's response when asked about the next step he wants to take in his career. "Super Bowl, really," Hamilton said. "… We're not trying to wait anymore. We want to get greedy with that. We want to do that now, as soon as possible, and stack them." Perfectly said.
