Joe Burrow Reveals His Thoughts on Trey Hendrickson Signing With Ravens
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow was asked Wednesday at OTAs what he thought when he first heard that his former teammate, pass rusher Trey Hendrickson, was signing with the Ravens.
"Um, not very surprising," Burrow said.
When pressed further, he said, "Because I know Trey. I love Trey." Burrow flashed a coy smile and added, "I just know how he operates."
When Hendrickson was asked at his introductory press conference in March how much getting to play the Bengals twice a year influenced his decision to sign with the Ravens, he replied, "Not much."
As for going up against Burrow, Hendrickson said, "Joe is one of the best in the National Football League. Going against quarterbacks is something that I like to affect games. So, I don't go into it with a high or low standard – it's my standard."
Hendrickson will get his first opportunity to sack Burrow on Oct. 25 at M&T Bank Stadium. The teams' second meeting, a primetime game in Cincinnati on New Year's Eve, could have major implications on the AFC North race and playoff seeding.
"Anytime we play the Ravens, that one is circled," Burrow said. "That goes back years, back from when Lamar [Jackson] and I were a lot younger. So that's always a battle when we get after it."
Kay Adams Is Excited to See What Jackson Can Do in Declan Doyle's 'Cutting-Edge Offense'
Jackson is a two-time MVP and three-time All-Pro, but could he take his game to an even higher level under new Offensive Coordinator Declan Doyle?
It's possible, and that's why Kay Adams of the "Up & Adams" show said Doyle might be the most intriguing hire of this year's coaching cycle.
"Lamar obviously had a ton of success under Greg Roman and Todd Monken, two MVPs to show for it. I can't wait to see what he's going to look like in what should be a cutting-edge offense," Adams said. "[Doyle] just spent a year with [Bears Head Coach] Ben Johnson. He came up under Sean Payton. I'm excited to see all of that. How does it translate with Lamar, Derrick Henry, Zay Flowers, all these toys?"
Adams' colleague, Matt Hamilton, believes Jackson will thrive in Doyle's system, which he expects to be similar to the Bears offense last season.
"We're still going to see an offense that's built off the run game first, like Lamar has kind of had, but I think it's going to highlight what Lamar does well in a way that we haven't fully seen," Hamilton said. "There's going to be more motion. But the biggest thing is the play action. It's hard to imagine, but over the three years of the Monken era … the Ravens were 29th when it came to utilizing play action. Over those same three years, Ben Johnson offenses were No. 1 when it comes to using the play action passing game.
"I think that's an element that's really going to open up this passing game even more for Lamar."
Jackson's Supporting Cast Ranked Just Outside Top 10
Jackson has his share of weapons, but how does his supporting cast stack up to the rest of the league?
FOX Sports’ Ralph Vacchiano ranked all 32 teams' supporting casts, and the Ravens were No. 11.
"Having RB Derrick Henry in the backfield is probably more than enough support for Lamar Jackson, but that's not all he has," Vacchiano wrote. "Zay Flowers is emerging as one of the best receivers in the game, and TE Mark Andrews is still a weapon, especially in the red zone (at least as long as he's healthy)."
Vacchiano noted that the Ravens took a hit with center Tyler Linderbaum departing in free agency, but he thinks first-round guard Vega Ioane should help offset the loss.
Pundit Predicts Whether Terrell Suggs or Marshal Yanda Gets Into Hall of Fame First
NFL.com’s Eric Edholm identified the most likely candidate to be each franchise's next Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee. The Ravens were the only team to have two: outside linebacker Terrell Suggs and guard Marshal Yanda.
It's understandable that both would be mentioned, as Suggs and Yanda have been finalists for induction the past two years.
While both are deserving, Edholm believes Suggs will get in first.
"Each is as decorated individually as you could hope for in a HOF résumé, although Suggs carries perhaps just a little more weight with his 2003 Defensive Rookie of the Year and 2011 Defensive Player of the Year awards," Edholm wrote. "Suggs also added a nice feather in his cap with a second ring, as a member of the Chiefs in 2019.
"I think both eventually get in, and Yanda fits the 'best at his position' mold that almost always ends in enshrinement, but it wouldn't surprise me if they don't end up in the same class."
