The Baltimore Ravens have a history of being one of the most entertaining teams in football. Even when they’re struggling, their fans still love them. The team is now in a rough spot with their quarterback, but they have a plan to put him back on track.
On Monday Night Football, the Baltimore Ravens defeated the Indianapolis Colts in a dramatic overtime victory. M&T Bank Stadium now welcomes Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers.
Wink Martindale, the Ravens’ defensive coordinator, praised Herbert’s arm strength. With his remarks, he joins Michael Vick, Brett Favre, and Joe Flacco in an elite club.
Justin Herbert is one of the NFL’s finest young quarterbacks
Justin Herbert is making the front staff of the Los Angeles Chargers seem like geniuses. After Tua Tagovailoa and Joe Burrow, he was the third quarterback selected in the 2023 NFL Draft. He has, however, outperformed both of them.
Herbert had an outstanding first season, throwing for 4,336 yards and 31 touchdowns on 66.6 percent of his throws. For a rookie quarterback, he only threw 10 interceptions, which was very remarkable. The 2023 AP Offensive Rookie of the Year Award went to the Oregon product.
Herbert had a breakout season in his first year in the NFL, but he seemed to be just scratching the surface of the quarterback he might be. Year two is also off to a great start. Through five games, he’s passed for 1,576 yards, 13 touchdowns, and three interceptions.
Many people across the league, including Bruce Arians, are praising the second-year signal-caller. Herbert was chosen by Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Jon Gruden as the finest quarterback under the age of 26.
Herbert has guided the Chargers to a 4-1 start and is a strong contender for MVP.
Wink Martindale, the Ravens’ defensive coordinator, paid Herbert an odd praise
Before a game, Ravens’ Wink Martindale walks onto the field | Nick Cammett/Diamond Images/Getty Images During a preseason game, Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert looks on | Abbie Parr/Getty Images
In order to slow down Justin Herbert and the Chargers’ attack, the Baltimore Ravens defense will have its work cut out for them.
Wink Martindale, the defensive coordinator, is blown away by the 23-year-raw old’s arm talent. During the team’s media conference, he made some intriguing remarks regarding Herbert’s passing skills.
Martindale said on NFL.com, “He’s one of those guys that can hurl a strawberry through a battleship.” The comparison makes one question what he means precisely by that.
Whatever the meaning, Herbert has a formidable arm. He has a cannon and has shown that he is capable of making all of the required throws.
With ease, the Eugene, Oregon native is chopping through opposition defenses. Herbert and the Chargers’ offense, which includes Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, and Austin Ekeler, is presently ranked in the top ten.
In the past, this strange comparison has been employed to characterize quarterbacks
Joe Flacco, according to “Wink” Martindale, is “a big, powerful kid who sits back there and can hurl a strawberry through a battleship.”
The odd strawberry-battleship comparison used by Wink Martindale isn’t the first of its sort. The identical phrase was previously used by Baltimore’s defensive coordinator to disparage a former Ravens quarterback.
When he was coaching the Broncos, he described Joe Flacco as “a big, powerful kid who sits back there and can hurl a strawberry through a battleship.” The quarterback of the Philadelphia Eagles spent his first 11 seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, where he helped them win a Super Bowl.
Rex Ryan, the former Ravens defensive coordinator, has also used the comparison on many occasions. In 2011, Ryan used the term to characterize Michael Vick.
In 2010, the former head coach of the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills used the comparison to describe Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre’s arm power.
When Wink Martindale and Rex Ryan came up with this unusual term, it seems that they were at the same brainstorming session. Justin Herbert is a young quarterback who has almost certainly never heard such words. It must be great to have a characteristic in common with Vick, Favre, and even Flacco.
Martindale and the Ravens defense may be in for a long day against the Chargers if Herbert’s arm is that powerful.
Pro Football Reference provided the statistics.
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