It was late in the fourth quarter and the Ravens were running the ball at Oakland’s defense, wearing down the clock and the Raiders front line in the process.
Center Ryan Jensen was just playing his game – blocking hard until the echo of the whistle – when Raiders defensive end Mario Edwards had enough.
Edwards threw a few jabs at Jensen at the end of one play, connecting with a couple. Cameras zoomed in on Jensen. He was laughing.
“I get enjoyment out of it. I just start laughing,” Jensen said. “I’m that annoying little mosquito that just won’t go away, I guess.”
“Little” isn’t the best description of the 6-foot-4, 319-pound blocker. Annoying, however, is spot on.
The Ravens lost some of the nastiness on their offensive line when Pro Bowl right guard Marshal Yanda left the field with a fractured ankle in Week 2.
Jensen, however, has provided his own brand of physicality to Baltimore’s trenches, and is a big reason why the Ravens offensive line is starting to show it’s better than people thought.
After Sunday’s 30-17 win, wide receiver Mike Wallace praised the offensive line’s performance and specifically brought up Jensen.
“Jensen is Jensen. He almost had like four fights, so you know, good day,” Wallace joked.
Defenders have a different reaction.
Outside linebacker called Jensen a "savage," and an "old-school mauler who likes to rumble, likes to fight." Inside linebacker C.J. Mosley called Jensen a “butthole."
"I take that as a compliment," Jensen said when told about the comment.
The thing is, the Ravens love it.
"He’s a great competitor," Mosley said. "You want that kind of play with all your players, especially on the O-line. He’s not going to let anybody big boy him.”
“The thing that you see with him the most is how nasty he is on Sunday and the style that he plays with,” quarterback Joe Flacco added. “You need that kind of player. You love to have those guys on your side.”
