Josh Victorian is no longer an unfamiliar face inside the Ravens' training facility in Owings Mills.
The rookie cornerback's acrobatic interception in the fourth quarter of the team's 31-13 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs Friday night has garnered him the approval of several coaches employed by the Ravens.
"Every time I see a new coach today, they tell me, 'Great catch,' and I keep telling myself, 'All I really did was tip it to myself,'" Victorian said after practice Sunday. "So I guess it was."
On fourth down-and-2 from the Chiefs' 29-yard line, Victorian said he played off of wide receiver Chandler Williams, but anticipated a quick slant route."I actually attacked it kind of slow," Victorian recalled. "I was a little late, and I slipped out of my break. But when he went for it, I swiped his hand, and the ball went in the air. I tried to tip it to myself, and that's how it went."
Victorian made the grab just moments after being involved in an earnest discussion with Ravens wide receiver Anquan Boldin. Victorian said Boldin advised him to attack the run if Kansas City ran an option play, which didn't materialize.
For Victorian, an undrafted rookie out of Louisiana Tech, the interception bolstered his confidence about competing with his fellow cornerbacks for a coveted spot on the 53-man roster.
"It's not difficult," Victorian said of pressure to distinguish himself from his peers. "It's great competition that makes everybody go harder each day. I just try to go out each day and try to catch the coaches' eye any way possible."
