OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) Operating in the middle of the Baltimore Ravens defensive line, Brandon Williams is expected to bang helmets with one or two 300-pound brutes before pushing them aside so one of his teammates can make the tackle.
Although the task is instrumental to the success of Baltimore’s gritty defense, it often goes unnoticed by the casual fan and does not produce impressive statistical numbers.
”I’m totally fine with what I do,” Williams said after practice Monday. ”I know it’s a dirty job, but somebody’s got to do it and I’m happy to raise my hand and volunteer. As long as my guys have my back and are making plays around me, that’s all I care about.”
Told it’s not exactly a sexy job, the 6-foot-1, 336-pound Williams smiled and said, ”Oh, it’s sexy. As long as I’m there, it’s sexy.”
Drafted in the third round of the 2013 draft out of Missouri Southern State, Williams has been Baltimore’s starting nose tackle for the past five years. He follows a long line of players who have effectively filled an unglamorous, pivotal position.
”A lot of interior linemen who have come through here and had the honor of being considered a Raven for life, the No. 1 thing they had was toughness,” Baltimore linebacker Terrell Suggs said.
”Can you be mentally tough? Can you physically dominate the man across from you? I think Brandon Williams embodies that. He can be considered in the rare group of the Tony Siragusas, the Kelly Greggs, the Haloti Ngatas.”
The Ravens showed their appreciation to Williams in 2017 when they provided him with a five-year contract rather than allow him to test free agency.
Last year, he started the first two games, both of them victories in which Baltimore allowed a total of 10 points and forced 10 turnovers.
Williams missed the next four games with a foot injury, and the Ravens won only one of them.
”When we lost him, we sunk a little bit,” defensive line coach Joe Cullen said. ”Brandon is the epitome of what you want an inside tackle to be. He’s really quick for a big guy, but so strong he can get big knock-back at the point of attack.”
Williams has 188 career tackles, 4+ sacks and one touchdown – on a fumble recovery he took in from the 1.
These facts and figures do nothing to convey his importance to the Ravens.
”I’m a big Brandon Williams fan,” coach John Harbaugh said. ”Ask the offensive line coaches and the offensive linemen around the league how they feel about blocking him. He’s a force in there. He takes up two blockers, sometimes more. He’s very stout.
”You want great players everywhere, but in the middle of your defense it’s important to have an anchor that can keep people from running inside and can create better angles for your defense. It’s nice to have a big, physical run stopper. The Ravens have always had that. It’s really been a staple here historically.”
Williams certainly doesn’t mind being Baltimore’s next man in the middle, but he’s not interested in merely carrying on a tradition that began long ago.
”I want to play how I play,” Williams said. ”I’m not Haloti, even though he was a great player and I learned a lot from him. I want to do my own thing, just be whatever I can be for the team.”
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