OTL: Spirit of Joe D Still Hovers Over Ravens OL

For several years, one of my favorite elements of covering Ravens’ training camp was taking that walk to the media area and seeing the offensive line being the first unit on the field going through drills.

“Try it again,” then-offensive line coach Joe D’Alessandris could be heard saying to one of the behemoths under his careful watch. “Good. Just like that. There you go.”

Always chasing perfection. Always celebrating progress. It was easy to see why the linemen were so fond of the coach, and why they appeared eager to soak in his instruction. The coach, affectionately known as “Joe D,” unexpectedly passed away this offseason, during training camp, and left a giant imprint on the hearts of, well, giant men.

“They always wanted to make him proud and happy,” Harbaugh said, per an ESPN article by Jamison Hensley. “Joe was always easy about letting them know when they didn’t do it right and he let them know when they do it right. He was an open book that way. The guys respect that. His approval was really valuable to those guys.”

Center Tyler Linderbaum benefitted from Joe D’s tutelage when he first got to the team three years ago from college. He was asked what the coach would think of this unit’s work this season, which is paving the way for a league-leading offense.

“He would still be getting on us in the meeting rooms,” Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum said, per Hensley. “He certainly would. He’d be still impressed. He’d always be impressed with Lamar and the things he’s able to do. He would love watching Derrick Henry run the football, just saying, ‘Hey, we got to block for this guy. He’s going to make guys miss.’ But he’s certainly going to find a lot of things that we can work on, that’s for sure.”

Ronnie Stanley, the unit’s most accomplished player and leader, took a ton from D’Alessandris, both personally and professionally. He felt like the coach always wanted more, making the players become the best version of themselves they could be — thus forming a unit that could pace the team’s offensive attack.

“He was a very serious coach,” left tackle Ronnie Stanley said. “He always wanted to do more. I don’t think it was ever enough. He was always looking for an advantage.”

Would Joe D be happy with this group? Well, we know the group would be definitely seeking his approval.

Of course, this is not just a regular run-of-the-mill Thursday, is it? The Ravens will be playing host to division-rival Cincinnati tonight, and PFF put out their preview of the game.

Setting the stage, PFF’s Mason Cameron gave a little recap of their earlier matchup this season — arguably one of the league’s most exciting games to this point of the season.

“Their last face-off was a track meet, netting 79 total points as Lamar Jackson and company traded blows with Joe Burrow’s Bengals and stormed back from a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to force overtime,” wrote Cameron. “From there, the game went off the rails. The Ravens started overtime with the ball just to cough it up on a snap that hit Jackson in the face mask. The Bengals responded by missing the game-winning field goal off a mishandled snap and hold. That made all the difference, as Baltimore closed out the game with a chip-shot field goal to win.”

As far as tonight’s game, well, he sees another potentially memorable game, with the Bengals playing better ball, and the Ravens’ offense still rolling.

His best bet for tonight is Zay Flowers going over 59.5 yards.

“The last time these teams faced off, Flowers erupted for his biggest performance of the season to that point, hauling in seven of his 11 targets for 111 yards,” explained Cameron. “That outing sparked something inside of the second-year receiver, as he’s gone on a tear in the four games to follow, setting career marks in PFF receiving grade not once, but twice, culminating in his phenomenal 94.5 grade this past week against a strong Denver secondary.”

Also of note:

Quick Hits c/o the #Ravens. pic.twitter.com/9uRXcLF4vH

— Tony Lombardi (@RSRLombardi) November 7, 2024

Once a Raven, Always a Raven @BrandonW_66 officially retires as a Ravenpic.twitter.com/hPCUkMpHXD

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) November 5, 2024

You heard @megatronnie correctly, Derrick is @KingHenry_2 making ð‘µð‘­ð‘³ ð’‰ð’Šð’”ð’•ð’ð’“ð’š… not just team history

Watch Wired tonight at 8 p.m.: https://t.co/QAMrHDbpc4 pic.twitter.com/p9z0Y65e2f

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) November 6, 2024

“Y’all lying to me!!!”

When we showed the guys the new helmet for the first time… pic.twitter.com/13REZPYJ5x

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) November 6, 2024

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