OWINGS MILLS, Md. — One of the Ravens veterans who could see some playing time during Saturday night's preseason finale against Washington is Brent Urban. The defensive lineman is entering his eighth NFL season and is now in his second stint with the Ravens.
He played for Baltimore from 2015-2018. Then he suited up for the Titans, Bears and Cowboys before re-joining the Ravens as a free agent.
He primarily plays defensive end and with his 6-foot-7 height he is always a threat to get his paws on a pass or a block a field goal on special teams. WMAR-2 Sports Reporter Shawn Stepner caught up with him, 1-on-1, following practice. He said he is a more versatile player now compared to his first go-around with the Ravens. He has played in both preseason games over the past couple weeks and said he is having a blast.
Below is Urban's conversation with Stepner:
Stepner: How do you think you have performed? How do you feel out there through two preseason games?
Urban: I feel good, man. It’s a fun defense to play and [defensive coordinator] Mike Macdonald has kind of mixed things up and kept things interesting even during the preseason. There is so much good, young talent on this team where it's just kind of, the youth is kind of infectious. It's kind of just fun. We are all flying around, high energy just having fun.
Stepner: How do players view this last tune-up for the regular season, this last preseason game?
Urban: It’s your last time to get action but as well there are guys fighting for a job. There is heavy competition. Everything is not ironed out as far as rotation and stuff like that goes. So you just kind of want to put your best foot forward going into the season and kind of letting the chips fall as they may as far as playing time and even making the team. So, it’s really just, for some guys the last bit of work to have you feel good going into the season or you’re playing for a job or it’s an audition for all 31 other teams watching.
Stepner: How many blocked passes and how many blocked kicks can we expect from Brent Urban this regular season?
Urban: Oh man. I’m excited. Having me and Calais [Campbell] out there on the field goal block is going to be crazy, Travis Jones to help knock the line back a little bit for us. So, the sky is the limit kind of. I think when I was here earlier we were like leading the league at one point. So, we should lead the league in blocked field goals. Sky is the limit. We should be leading the league in both categories as far as I’m concerned.
Stepner: We have to talk about the winning streak. What do players think of this preseason winning streak, an NFL record 22 going for 23 straight?
Urban: It’s huge. We are all competitors. If I am playing video games I’m not losing. If we are playing checkers I’m not losing. So, that kind of competitive nature is normal for all of us. So, you want to win. If you’re suiting up you want to win. I don’t care what anybody says. It’s a big deal. It’s a big deal to me. It’s a big deal to the coaches, everyone. We are competitors. We are not losing.
Shawn Stepner: The Commanders are going to play their starters for some snaps. Do you kind of get up more a little bit, do you like it when the other team does play their starters, their first team and you get to go against them?
Urban: 100 percent. Yeah, you want to play against the best. That’s how you get better. The old adage iron sharpens iron. I want to go out there and play against their starters. The regular season is right around the corner. I want to play against the best and be ready so I know when I go out there I feel prepared and if I make plays on them I know I’m going to make plays September 11 (the first regular season game).
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