Troy Aikman Says DeAndre Hopkins Is Exactly What Ravens Needed
The Ravens entered the offseason with an offense featuring a two-time MVP at quarterback in Lamar Jackson, arguably the best running back of his generation in Derrick Henry, the top tight end trio in the NFL in Mark Andrews, Isaiah Likely, and Charlie Kolar, and a pair of ascending wide receivers in Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman.
What they didn't have was a receiver who specializes in contested catches, who also happens to have a propensity for making jaw-dropping circus grabs.
Enter five-time All-Pro DeAndre Hopkins, who is already paying dividends after signing with the Ravens last March. Through two games, Hopkins has caught all four of his targets for 99 yards and two touchdowns.
"He's been a good fit, and it's really what I thought this offense needed a year ago, if not even before then – somebody who can go down the field and make plays on these contested balls, these 50-50 balls," "Monday Night Football" analyst Troy Aikman said ahead of Monday's game between the Ravens and Detroit Lions. "[Jackson] hasn't had that type of wide receiver over the years. DeAndre Hopkins has already shown that in the first couple of weeks with some of the highlight catches that he's made.
"So, I thought it was a great pickup, and it's been nice to see him do what he's been able to do and what he's added to that offense for Baltimore."
NFL.com’s Nick Shook also took notice of the impact the 33-year-old Hopkins is having on the offense.
"Hopkins' signing with the Ravens might have flown under the radar of the average NFL fan, especially those who only know him from his last two seasons spent in Tennessee and Kansas City," Shook wrote. "But those who properly recall Hopkins' receiving artistry from his best years – including three first-team All-Pro selections in Houston and a legendary snag of a Hail Mary in Arizona – know Hopkins has owned game-changing skills for quite some time.
"With this in mind, Hopkins' addition was significant, especially for a Ravens offense that already finished atop the league in yards per game last season."
Shook added that with Hopkins, it's about quality, not quantity.
"Hopkins' rare skill set was on full display when he hauled in his first touchdown grab in Buffalo and when he snagged the long pass that set up the Ravens on Cleveland's 1-yard line in Week 2," Shook wrote. "Hopkins hasn't seen a high volume of targets – four catches on as many targets for 99 yards through two games – but in this offense, he doesn't need it to make a difference.
"The Ravens now know what they have in Hopkins: a weapon who can make defenses pay for loading up the box and produce huge chunks of gains. It's a key part of why Baltimore boasts one of the most threatening offenses in the NFL."
Two Super Bowl Champion Ravens Players Discuss Jackson's Greatness
Not only is former Ravens wide receiver Qadry Ismail confident that Jackson will get the Ravens over the Super Bowl hump sooner than later, but he also believes there are multiple Lombardi trophies in Jackson's future.
"Patrick Mahomes, because of his resume, you have to give him his flowers. However, when you look at now and what now represents, you also have to recognize that Lamar Jackson takes a back seat to no one," Ismail said on the “Locked on Ravens” podcast. "And it's just a matter of time for him to string together some awesome postseason runs, plural, starting with this year, of course, that then he will be put up in the ultimate pantheon of that upper tier."
Hall of Fame defensive back Rod Woodson, a teammate of Ismail's on the 2000 Ravens team that won the Super Bowl, marveled at how the two-time MVP keeps topping himself.
"It's his [eighth] year, and he's gotten better. That's the crazy thing," Woodson said on the "Up & Adams" show. "He's really gotten better at throwing the football deep. His deep ball used to be flat. Now his deep ball reminds me of [Hall of Famer] Warren Moon. Warren Moon used to throw this high-arcing ball to his receivers, allowing these guys to adjust to it.
"On top of that, how do you tackle a guy like Lamar Jackson? Because when he gets in space, he's still looking down the field. But then, when he wants to run it, he makes all of the grown men in the National Football League look silly in space because it's hard to tackle him one on one in space."
Roquan Smith Reveals How He Instills Fear in Opponents
As noted in Late for Work earlier this week, Hall of Famer Ray Lewis fired up three-time All-Pro inside linebacker Roquan Smith just prior to the Ravens taking the field against the Cleveland Browns last Sunday, and then Smith delivered a Lewis-like performance that earned him AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors.
Smith appeared on “Good Morning Football” Thursday and discussed the most important thing he's learned from Lewis.
"Just be yourself, that's the main thing that he says," Smith said. "Don't try to be anything that you're not and just instill fear and play the game until the last whistle. And make sure you let your opponents know after they've finished playing you that they know who they've played."
Asked how he instills fear in his opponents, Smith said: "You instill fear on the field by first and foremost knowing what to do and what possibly could come out of certain situations, and then when the ball is in an individual's hand, making that individual pay and hitting that person as hard as you can within the rules."
Smith also talked about the lesson learned from the 41-40 loss to the Bills in Week 1 that saw Buffalo rally from a 15-point deficit in the final four minutes.
"It just added more fuel to our fire in knowing that we can't let our foot off the pedal at all until there's no life left in our opponent."
