THREE HEADED
MONSTER
Ravens tight ends are having a ball on and off the field By Jack Carney The Baltimore Ravens’ tight ends are at once unique amid the NFL landscape yet completely relatable to the common football fan at the same time.
Co. The results certainly speak for themselves, as the Ravens are on pace to easily surpass the team rushing record of 2,674 yards set in 2003.
Second-year players Mark Andrews and Hayden Hurst, along with veteran Nick Boyle, combine to form one of the NFL’s most versatile and rare tight end trios. They also form a tight-knit group of friends with everything you would expect from three close pals in their 20s.
The dual abilities of all three tight ends have paired perfectly with Jackson’s extraordinary multifaceted game and have helped Roman’s nontraditional offense become one of the NFL’s best.
Across the league, many tight ends have specialized into one of two distinct categories: pass catcher or blocker, a hulking receiver or an athletic but undersized lineman. But each of the Ravens’ tight ends can be both, and they serve as an interchangeable part within the league’s highest scoring offense. The trio has been instrumental in the passing game, hauling in a combined 92 receptions and accounting for three of quarterback Lamar Jackson’s top five targets. Andrews leads the team in receiving with 48 receptions for 598 yards and 6 touchdowns, while Boyle, generally considered one of the league’s best blocking tight ends, has already set a career high for receiving yards (270). Meanwhile, Baltimore leads the NFL in rushing by a wide margin. Offensive coordinator Greg Roman utilizes three-tight end sets more than anyone as part of his unorthodox attack, leaning on Andrews, Boyle and Hurst to open holes for Jackson, Mark Ingram and 10 | 2019 BALTIMORE RAVENS GAMEDAY
The three friends will tell you that they have meshed in a great way together off the field as well, even though they technically are competing for playing time and positioning on the depth chart every day. The position mates are practically inseparable at the Ravens’ training facility in Owings Mills, spending most of their workdays together moving as a unit from workouts to meetings to practices to the locker room. And despite their status as professional football players bopping around an NFL building, their friendships resemble something you could find anywhere. In fact, their interactions resemble something you might discover on a high school football team, complete with towel-whipping, locker room wrestling, foot races, practical jokes and incessant teasing. In that spirit, the three sat down together for a fun conversation about their friendships.
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WHO WILL MOST LIKELY BE A COACH SOMEDAY? MA: Nick, for sure. That's something he will do. He's going to be like a high school coach one day. NB: I think I want to be a coach, because I think I could help people relate and coach them realistically. HH: Nick. He wants to do it. He always talks about it. He and [assistant tight ends coach] Andy [Bischoff] have an ongoing joke. They go back and forth about Nick keeping some of the information sheets that Andy gives us. It's an ongoing joke.
WHAT’S THE WEIRDEST THING YOU’VE LEARNED ABOUT THE OTHER TWO GUYS? MA: On off days, Nick doesn't wake up before 10:30 a.m. He can't wake up before 10:30 a.m. If we're lifting at 9 or 10, he won't even be up by that point. NB: Hayden likes to make fires in his backyard and cut down trees with a chainsaw like a lumberjack.
WHO’S THE MOST SENSITIVE?
WHO IS THE FUNNIEST?
Mark Andrews: Nick. Nick loves to give grief, but he doesn't like to take it. And so, when people do give it to him, he doesn't take it very well.
MA: I laugh at Nick the most because he does the most outrageous things, but I think Hayden is probably funnier than Nick.
Nick Boyle: That depends on the day. Not me. I think it depends on the day and how everyone is behaving. Hayden Hurst: Definitely Nick. He probably would say me, but I think it's definitely Nick.
WHO IS THE BIGGEST MEATHEAD IN THE WEIGHT ROOM? MA: This is close between Nick and Hayden. I'm going to go with Nick. They both love to lift. They put on a lot of weight in the offseason to get stronger. It's something that they both take to. It's kind of their 'me' time. NB: Hayden, because he thinks he has a big chest and all that, and he likes to lift. HH: It goes back and forth between me and Nick. I'd probably say Nick. He loves getting in there and lifting.
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NB: These are hard, because they all rotate days. I think we're all very funny. That depends on the day, because we all rag on each other. I think I'm the funniest. I have the best burns, for sure. HH: Sometimes I'm feeling myself when I crack some jokes. Sometimes Nick comes out of his little grumpy moods, and he'll fire off some jokes. And then Mark has his days, too. It just kind of varies.
WHO HAS A FUTURE WORKING IN SPORTS MEDIA SOMEDAY? MA: I would say me. I would say I have the best chance out of all of us. I don't think the other two would want to do it. NB: Definitely Mark. Mark loves to get out there and express himself, so I think he would have a future in that. HH: Mark, for sure. He's just good on camera. He likes that kind of stuff.
HH: Mark gets really quirky on gamedays and the night before games. I always call him “Serious Mark.” I always tell him, “I can't wait for 'Monday Mark,’” because he locks in on Sundays. I try to joke around and keep it light, because I know he likes to get locked in. But it's funny. He's very superstitious and has to have his routine.
WHO WOULD MAKE FOR THE WORST ROOMMATE? MA: Nick, for sure. I don't think I could live with Nick. I think his personality and his emotions are kind of all over the place. (laughter) That would kind of get to me after awhile. They may say me and say that I'm dirty. I think Nick would be the dirtiest person, and Hayden has the worst hygiene. So, I'll say both of them. (laughter) NB: Mark. He's messy and stinky. HH: I guess it would be Nick. You can check out his locker. He's kind of a messy guy. He steals stuff all the time. I think it's a good thing he has a wife.
PATRICK RICARD If the Ravens’ tight end room wasn’t versatile enough for you, it often adds a fourth piece, likely the NFL’s most versatile player. A third-year player out of Maine, Patrick Ricard is the rarest of breeds in the league: a two-way player. Ricard came to Baltimore as an undrafted defensive lineman, but his athleticism caught offensive coordinator Greg Roman’s eye. Roman began using him as a blocking tight end or blocking fullback in certain situations, and his role has continued to grow on both sides of the ball over the past few years. This season, he’s tallied nine tackles on defense, a sack and a forced fumble that was returned for a touchdown by Tyus Bowser in the Week 10. He’s also in the running for a Pro Bowl nod at fullback and has infinitely impressed his teammates and coaches here in Baltimore. “He's been awesome,” Nick Boyle said. “Playing two ways, that's stuff you hear about in high school. You don't do that in the pros, so that's a credit to him and his hard work. And I think what stands out about him is his physicality. He's always trying to block someone as hard as he can for as long as he can. He’s a really big key to our offense.” 2019 BALTIMORE RAVENS GAMEDAY | 13