Each Wednesday we'll bring you a Q&A with a Ravens player to help you learn a little more about the team. Today's guest is fourth-year offensive tackle Marshal Yanda, who talks about his development since being thrown into action as a rookie, a devastating knee injury his second year and a hit he made on an unsuspecting Iowa State player while at Iowa that still gets hits on YouTube.
Question:
Does your recent performance against the Pittsburgh Steelers and LaMarr Woodley a benchmark of sorts in your career?
Answer:
It was. It's tough to speak individually. I thought we did great as an offensive line and I thought I played well too. Woodley is no doubt a great player and I did my best against him. He got me a few times, but the ball was gone. Everything was perfect. The timing was good, Joe was getting the ball out, that made everything better. I would say that was a huge game for me. I was excited about that game, to get that opportunity to do that. That was a big game, no doubt.
Q:
Did you come out of that game and others saying, this is what I have to do better?
A:
It's definitely always what I still have to do better. Working at right tackle, I'm still perfecting my pass set as far as doing it the right way in trying to stay vertical. That's a job I continue to work on every day. I'm working on my craft every day to perfect it.
Q:
Do you like to show your versatility in being used in different positions on different sides of the line or would you like to settle into one spot?
A:
It would be nice to settle in, but it's the NFL and guys go down and guys get hurt. I've always been a team guy and it's never really come into my mind that I want to really play guard or play tackle. Wherever they need me to play, I'm happy that I'm out there. As long as I'm out there, that's all that matters. I get to help the team win. I know what it's like not to be a part of it, being hurt. It stinks.
Q:
When you were a rookie, you were thrown in the fire in your first game because Jonathan Ogden was hurt. Were you not quite ready for that experience, but did it help in your development?
A:
That's the way a lot of guys' careers start. A guy gets hurt and you got to play. I didn't play 100 percent great my rookie year. I could have done a ton of things better, but it definitely jump-started my career in terms of getting experience that was different than anything you would see in practice. … Getting in-game experience as a rookie was priceless.
Q:
What was the biggest adjustment coming from college?
A:
It was definitely the speed rushers, the speed off the edge. It's definitely the speed and your reaction time to that guy coming off the ball.
Q:
When you got hurt your second year and blew out your knee, were you concerned that it might be a career-threatening injury and that you might not get back to where you were?
A:
It really made me stumble because they say you usually play better your second year. I worked hard in the off-season and I thought I was doing some good things at guard. And then I got hurt and I was out of football for over a year. Getting back into it was tough. I lost a lot, I lost a lot of my fundamentals. That's the longest year I've had off since seventh grade. I've never been hurt in high school or college. When I came back, I was definitely rusty. I needed to get used to the speed of the game and it definitely gave me a hiccup as far as my career went, but I had to keep working day by day.
Q:
You have been mentioned among the strongest guys on the team. Is there a friendly competition in the weight room for that distinction?
A:
I would say it's just a pride or a reputation thing. There's two different types of strength. There's weight room strength and field strength. I definitely work hard in the weight room, but out on the field, it's being stout. You don't want to get pushed around out there. You want to stop guys, that's what you try to do. When I step on the field, I want to be the best.
Q:
Do you have visions of being used on the defensive line like Haloti is sometimes used as a blocker?
A:
I played offense for so long, the last time I played defense was high school. I liked playing defense, you get to tackle guys, but I love the O-line. I've done it for a long time. It's fun to get into those battles with a defensive tackle. It's third down, it's you and him. I like that competition between guys. Going against a guy like Woodley, that's exactly where I want to be. I want them to be able to have confidence and say he can get it done. That's what you want. Every Sunday is a different challenge.
Q:
Going to junior college might have been tough, but did it help you in the long run?
A:
It did. In high school, I didn't take school or even football seriously, so when I went to junior college, I learned to take football seriously, going to class and taking school seriously. It was a good place for me to do that, to wake up and to grow up. I did a lot of growing up when I went to junior college. It definitely made me respect Iowa. Playing at a junior college you have 15-hour bus rides, you've got to pay for your own cleats. I definitely appreciated Iowa. Definitely appreciate the Ravens too.
Q:
Why did you decide to major in economics in college?
A:
I wanted to be in the business side of things, try to get some insight into that.
Q:
There's still a video of a hit you made on an Iowa State player floating around on YouTube. Was that your signature hit in college?
A:
It's tough to say that was a butt-kicking. It was, but the guy the didn't even see me coming. I don't take a lot of pride in that. I hit somebody when he wasn't even ready. I take more pride in when the guy knows I'm coming. That was a [heck] of a hit. I just wanted to make sure he was OK. He wasn't getting up and I was a little worried. You want to get after it, you don't want to hurt him, but when the play's over, he's a person, he's a guy, you don't want to intentionally hurt him. That was a heck of a hit. But it's not something that I'd hang my hat on.
Q:
Being part of such a young offensive line, can you see the development that you guys have made and can you see it heading to be one of the best, if not the best, offensive line in the NFL?
A:
We're definitely a young group except [ Matt] Birk in the middle. It's just one of those things that you keep your head down, you put blinders on and you try to improve as much as you can week by week. You try not to look. We are a good line, but we want to be one of those great lines. But that happens on the practice field and on Sundays when you're buckled in and you're focused on improvement and playing your best. I just see it as a day by day thing where you're working your craft and you're trying to get better. The good thing is that we have all guys who want to do that.
Q:
I read an old story about the tattoos that the
wear. You have a tribal tattoo on your right bicep. What does it mean?
A:
I got that when I was in junior college. A bunch of football players went to get tattoos. This one meant determination. I always wanted to get a tattoo when I was younger. It was perfect for my place in my life at that time. I needed to pick up my slack and go after it, and that's what I did. I never really looked back.
don.markus@baltsun.com
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