The Ravens will have a new – and old – look in the M&T Bank Stadium end zones for the kickoff of their 30th season celebration Sunday versus the Cleveland Browns.
It's the same logo the Ravens used in the end zones for their inaugural 1996 season, when they opened at Memorial Stadium with a 19-14 win over the Oakland Raiders. Rookie Ray Lewis had an end zone interception in that game to preserve the victory.
The Ravens' other 30th anniversary celebrations feature Ozzie Newsome as the Legend of the Game, special pre-game recognitions honoring pro football's return to Baltimore in 1996, and a halftime show featuring a number of Ravens Legends.
All fans attending the game will receive a "Ravens Forevermore" 30th season flag and are encouraged to get to their seats early.
Roger Rosengarten: No Room for Mistakes vs. Myles Garrett
Myles Garrett had 14 sacks last season, but he didn't have any in two games against the Ravens.
Still, the Ravens and second-year right tackle Roger Rosengarten know slowing down Garrett is the key when facing Cleveland's defense.
"He's the elite of the elite," Rosengarten said. "You've got to bring your A-game. You can't have any mistakes against a player like that. Their whole defense is well-coached."
One key is running the ball well to keep Lamar Jackson and the offensive line out of third-and-long situations where Garrett can pin his ears back.
"You've got to do a great job [with] the modes you play in, the looks you give him and the help you've got to give your guys," Monken said. "He's going to wear a gold jacket. He's hard to go against. He's hard to prepare for – as the whole defense is. They do a great job at an attacking style defense [and] make you earn it."
How Joe Flacco Helped a Young Ronnie Stanley
Young Ronnie Stanley protected Joe Flacco's blindside for two-and-a-half seasons (2016-2018) in Baltimore.
Now, Flacco is a 40-year-old veteran playing for the Browns and Stanley is the Ravens' longest-tenured player at 31 years old.
Asked what impact Flacco had on his career, Stanley pointed to the quarterback's cool demeanor rubbing off on him.
"He was just always making sure I was calm and situated, especially when I was young, when I was a rookie," Stanley said. "He just made sure he kept everything under control and had his composure. He's really a great guy."
Stanley said he's not surprised Flacco is still playing.
"I know how much Joe loves the locker room and the brotherhood," he said.
John Harbaugh Happy With How the Ravens Responded This Week
The Ravens have been through painful losses before, but Stanley said the Week 1 defeat in Baltimore "hit different" than some others.
"[For] me, personally – and I know a lot of guys that were here [feel the same way] – I think it was probably tougher because that was the last team we played last year and the first team we played this year and kind of having that same result. I think that kind of hit a little different for a lot of us," Stanley said.
That was the case last year against the Kansas City Chiefs as well, but the Ravens never controlled that game the way they did in Buffalo before surrendering 16 unanswered points in the final four minutes.
Baltimore returned to M&T Bank Stadium last year and suffered an upset loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. The Ravens are determined not to repeat that history Sunday versus the Browns, and Head Coach John Harbaugh likes what he's seen this week in practice when asked about his defense.
"I would say just generally how they responded has been great, but it's not any different than the way they've been all along taking care of their business. They've been locked in, they've been working hard, they've been focused from Day One. So today [and] this week they were the same," Harbaugh said.
"It's a little different because we had a sour taste about the game. You wanted to win the game. We're all ticked off that we didn't win the game. We're all disappointed. It's like a perfect storm goes against you in a lot of ways, but you have a chance to stop that at some point in time, and we weren't able to do it. So that's got everybody's attention, obviously. So, there's definitely part of it that is in there. So that's good. That's the way it should be."
