BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Even though he’s out for the year, Baltimore Ravens left tackle Ronnie Stanley said he’s doing what he can to support his teammates as they enter Week 13 holding the No. 1 seed in the AFC.
“I still want to be a good leader for them,” the former All-Pro said during a Tuesday appearance on “The Rich Eisen Show.” “I want to help as much as I can for those guys.”
In October, Stanley underwent season-ending ankle surgery, almost a full year after an injury to the same ankle took him out for the remainder of 2020. The first injury came days after Stanley signed a five-year contract with the Ravens. The second came after months of rehabilitation to get back on the field.
“It’s definitely hard physically building everything back up, and then kind of going back to ground zero again,” Stanley told Eisen. “But I just try to focus on the blessings that I have. There’s a lot of things to be thankful for. And I think that’s just my approach, try to take it one day at a time.”
Stanley played in Baltimore’s 2021 season opener against the Las Vegas Raiders, but did not make a second appearance before opting for surgery a second time.
Injuries have been a recurring theme for the Ravens thus far. Aside from Stanley, the team lost starting running backs J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards, backup running back Justice Hill, starting cornerback Marcus Peters, and linebacker L.J. Fort before the first game was even played. Defensive lineman
Derek Wolfe tried to get back on the field but is now done for the year with a back injury. And safety DeShon Elliott went down with a torn pec and torn bicep during the overtime win against the Minnesota Vikings.
Despite all the setbacks, the Ravens have continued to win in the topsy-turvy NFL. Stanley attributes the team’s success to the resiliency of the players, as evidenced by the numerous wins in close games.
“To keep consistently winning those close games not only takes luck, but it also takes a lot of determination by those players,” he said. “I just love our culture and our team, and the way we play for each other.”
The lineman knew Lamar Jackson was a special player as soon as the quarterback stepped on the practice field as a rookie and started juking defenders and throwing the types of passes many he doubted he could make.
“I think very early on I knew he was built for it,” he said. “Some people, I feel like, you can tell they’re just not built for this type of pressure, especially at that position.”
Stanley also discussed the work of his foundation that trains rescue dogs for new roles as therapy animals.