Kyle Van Noy Wants to Exact Revenge on Aaron Rodgers
Back in September 2023, Kyle Van Noy was a free agent looking for a team to play for. In the meantime, he booked a media appearance with NFL Network but had to bail as he went to the Ravens for a second visit before signing a day later.
On Monday, he made an appearance on "The Insiders." Here are the highlights:
On facing new Pittsburgh Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers:
"I was back in Detroit, when I was playing inside linebacker for whatever reason, the D-coordinator, who is actually the D-coordinator of the Steelers, wanted to go Cover-0 all game against Aaron Rodgers. And [Rodgers] caught us, and we're like, 'We gotta run it,' scoring a touchdown to Jordy Nelson. He ended up walking by and kind of tapped me on my butt like, 'Nice try.' So, I got to get him back for that. That's been there for 10 years."
On his 72-hour water fast:
"It's my third time that I've done it. It's a little bit easier, but at the same time, it got a little bit harder because the last hour, you know you're about to eat and you're so hungry. But what it does to your mind, you regain control of your mind, and it's an amazing opportunity to get that spiritual, mental, and physical aspect. You can even shed a couple pounds if that's what you're trying to do. But ultimately, you get that regain. That restructure of the mind. You win the mind, you win that battle. You can win a lot of things."
On the "secret sauce" of getting better as a pass rusher at 34 years old:
"Focus. I feel like that's what I've been able to do. I've been able to focus on one job. I used to do a lot of things in Detroit, and in New England, I was playing here, I was playing there, still making plays. And then with the Ravens, I've been able to just focus on one job. That's getting after the passer. I've been doing it; I feel like I've been one of the best in the NFL at doing so the last two seasons. And I just want to continue to shine and continue to make game-changing plays and continue to get back into the playoffs and get to that last game. That's our team goal. That's what we want to do."
How the new additions can be a part of Defensive Coordinator Zach Orr's scheme:
"We already have what we have. We're not starting from ground zero. We're starting from where we've been. Where we finished last year and we're going to build on that. I think the chip on the shoulder from everybody on the defensive side of the ball wasn't up to our standards, and it wasn't up to my standard either as a player. Personally, I can always get better and continue to be a better mentor, be a better player when I'm on the field. They're going to have to fit in with what we've got on the field. Because what Zach Orr is trying to do and the places he's trying to go is to the top."
On Orr's future in the NFL:
"One thing that I'm super proud to be his friend, watching from afar – being able to battle what he went through for the first 10 weeks of the season and not giving up, staying the course and believing in what he's preaching and then standing 10-toes down, it was impressive to see the change in him leading the room. But our way of looking at what he's teaching and get the most out of us, I was proud of him as a friend and as a coach. … He's going to be a head coach one day, and you can bookmark it right now because he is all about football."
Ravens Have a Three-Headed Monster at Cornerback
Since 2019, the Ravens' offense has been among the NFL's most dominant in league history, but Good Morning Football’s Isaiah Stanback sees the Ravens getting back to their defensive roots.
A big reason for that prediction is the cornerback trio of Marlon Humphrey, Nate Wiggins, and Jaire Alexander.
"I really believe that their defense [has] always been at their core. It's been the ethos of the Baltimore Ravens," Stanback said. "That's what we've known them to be over all their successful years. And I really think they're going to take a tremendous step forward.
"You talk about Zach Orr and his first year as a coordinator – he was out there, able to do some things, have a top 10 defense, but they weren't dominant. They were effective, they were impactful, they impacted the game in a lot of different ways, but I think that now with some of the additions that they've had … they have a three-headed monster at the cornerback position that's going to allow their safeties to intermingle and do the things that they want to do."
Humphrey, Alexander, and Chidobe Awuzie have been among the NFL's best in tight-window target rate since 2018. Add in Wiggins, who from Week 11 on was PFF's No. 19 graded cornerback, and the Ravens may have a four-headed monster.
"Then you look at Kyle Van Noy and Nnamdi Madubuike, who is a problem on the inside," Stanback said. "I think now they've gotten back to having a solid front seven and the one piece that they were missing – that three-headed monster at the cornerback position. Now they have it. Now they can go out there and be dominant on the defensive side of the ball."
Sparking the conversation was Humphrey's comments on wanting his unit to be the foundation of the team.
"I feel that when I first came to the Ravens, it was all about the Ravens defense," Humphrey said. "It was all about the Ravens defense. It was all about the Ravens defense, and I feel like I've let that standard – being here, I think [I'm] the longest [tenured] defensive guy – I feel like I've let that standard kind of slip, and that's something that I want to get back."
With the additions over the offseason, Humphrey may have his wish.
Pundit Says Ravens Have a Real Kicking Competition
As noted in yesterday’s Late for Work, there simply aren't many starting roles available on the Ravens' roster. But the kicking competition, according to The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec, is real.
"Knowing they were likely to release longtime standout Justin Tucker, the Ravens did extensive work on all the available kickers in the draft and decided Arizona's Tyler Loop was the guy they wanted," Zrebiec wrote. "They used a sixth-round pick to make sure they got him. Loop is still the favorite to succeed Tucker, but it appears the Ravens are headed for their first training camp kicking competition since Tucker beat out Billy Cundiff before the 2012 season. Loop had a few rocky offseason practices, opening the door for John Hoyland, an undrafted rookie out of Wyoming. Hoyland's form has been good enough to suggest the Ravens could have a difficult decision to make late in the preseason."
Quick Hits
Yesterday's Most Read: Jaire Alexander Jersey Number Revealed; Four Other Ravens Change Numbers
- PFF’s Max Chadwick sees Ravens selecting S Duron Harmon in 2013 NFL Re-Draft: "Harmon was quite the find for the Patriots, who drafted him in the third round in 2013," Harmon wrote. "He recorded PFF coverage grades of 69.0 or better in eight of his 11 seasons, headlined by a career-best 85.1 mark in 2015. In all, he recorded 28 interceptions with 17 passes defensed, which would have been quite the upgrade over [Matt] Elam, who played just three seasons in the NFL."
