2 years ago
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OWINGS MILLS, Md. (WJZ) — Alejandro Villanueva doesn’t cognize however he’ll consciousness erstwhile helium gets to Heinz Field, his nonrecreational location for the archetypal six years of his NFL career.
“We’ll spot erstwhile I transverse that bridge,” helium told reporters Wednesday.
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There will, of course, beryllium immoderate emotions for the Ravens’ near tackle. Pittsburgh is the metropolis Villanueva, the son of an serviceman successful the Spanish Navy, has lived successful the longest and wherever helium had each his children. He called Pittsburgh Steelers manager Mike Tomlin a “father figure,” and said helium utilized to mimic Tomlin’s vocal cadence erstwhile talking to his kids.
The Steelers took a accidental connected Villanueva, a erstwhile U.S. Army Ranger who served 3 tours Afghanistan, by signing him to their signifier squad successful 2014, erstwhile helium was 26. It much than paid off. Villanueva, who lined up astatine violative tackle, antiaircraft lineman and wideout at West Point, played each crippled connected the team’s violative enactment betwixt 2015 and 2020 and made each commencement successful his past 5 years. He doubly was selected to the Pro Bowl successful achromatic and gold.
With the Ravens acceptable to look the Steelers this Sunday, helium finds himself connected the different broadside of the rivalry betwixt AFC North foes.
“None of these teams privation to crook a genu to the other, truthful they’re ever going to beryllium competing for No. 1, No. 2,” helium said.
But to him, it doesn’t travel adjacent to games betwixt Spanish fútbol teams Real Madrid and FC Barcelona, a matchup simply known arsenic El Clásico.
“To me, that’s a rivalry,” helium said. “That’s a rivalry that’s tearing the state apart.”
Both the Ravens and the Steelers tally the shot hard and play pugnacious defense, Villanueva observed, and the fans and media truly get into it.
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But helium reduced immoderate rivalry betwixt Baltimore and Pittsburgh to “two bully teams that hap to play each different doubly a year, usually successful the cold.”
The 2 instrumentality bases are successful working-class towns, “so everybody wants to beryllium the astir bluish collar, if you will,” helium said.
“Unfortunately, I cannot supply immoderate further hype to the rivalry,” helium deadpanned.
Aside from his flimsy to the past of Ravens-Steelers, Villanueva declined to springiness immoderate bulletin-board worldly to his erstwhile team, losers of their past 2 games.
Tomlin is 1 of the champion minds successful football, helium said, and Pittsburgh’s defence inactive has large players successful linebacker Devin Bush, antiaircraft extremity Cam Heyward and cornerback Joe Haden, to sanction a few. (Another helium subordinate named, linebacker T.J. Watt, was recently placed connected the reserve/COVID-19 list.)
“Records, statistics, they’re awesome to constitute articles and to hype up and bring down shot teams. But for america arsenic players and america arsenic teams, we recognize that we’re going against a very, precise bully defense, 1 of the champion successful the NFL,” helium said. “It’s going to beryllium a tremendous situation for us, careless of what they’ve done successful the past.”
The 33-year-old did marvel astatine the durability of Harbaugh and Tomlin, who person some managed to person agelong careers and triumph much than 200 games portion countless different caput coaches person been shown the door. So what has allowed them person specified sustained success?
Apparently, it’s a agelong answer.
“I can’t archer you that, unless you connection maine a java and a cigarette,” helium quipped.
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