The NFL has been taking part in video games overseas for many years. It began with exhibitions happening in all places from Mexico to Japan to England to Australia, amongst others.
The first regular-season recreation outdoors the United States, nonetheless, didn’t happen till 2005, in Mexico City. Two years later, the eventual Super Bowl champion New York Giants beat the Miami Dolphins within the league’s first regular-season recreation in England.
It wasn’t till a decade later that the Ravens ventured throughout the pond for the primary time, and the end result made them tired of going again anytime quickly.
The Jacksonville Jaguars blew out Baltimore, 44-7, on Sept. 24, 2017, in a recreation that was crammed with blunders and an abundance of missed tackles in what was the second-largest margin of defeat in franchise historical past. Then-Ravens cornerback Jimmy Smith mentioned, “We fell flat on our faces.” Receiver Jeremy Maclin added, “That’s what happens in the National Football League when you don’t come ready to play.”
With that because the backdrop, it’s no marvel then that the Ravens will do every part practically the other of what they did final time relating to getting ready for his or her recreation Sunday towards the Tennessee Titans at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.
On Monday morning, the Ravens flew abroad in what was the earliest departure by a workforce taking part in a world recreation this 12 months. In 2017, Baltimore didn’t go away till Thursday, which is when the Titans will journey.
“It’s mostly driven by the fact that we didn’t do well, so we did the opposite,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh mentioned. “There’s no data, and we looked for it, to say when you should go out there and what’s the ideal thing.”
Playing a recreation abroad is something however perfect, no less than logistically.
Before the season even started, the Ravens needed to ship a number of thousand kilos of every part from dietary gadgets to medical provides and tools by way of cargo ship in August as a result of the gadgets couldn’t be transported by aircraft. There had been scouting journeys revamped the summer time to examine the observe facility, on this case Tottenham Hotspur’s coaching facility, and lodging for a larger-than-normal touring contingent. And there was the same old paperwork and safety measures that go together with touring overseas.
Everything else that usually will get despatched to away video games — jerseys, tools, and so forth. — went on the workforce aircraft as it might every other week.
“The good thing about it is I personally don’t have to worry about any of that,” Harbaugh mentioned. “I simply anticipate it to be excellent.
“They do a great job. You got the video, you got the medical, you got the equipment, you got all those things — you got the computer stuff. As coaches and players, all we really have to do is go out there and focus on preparing and getting ready for the game.”
While the NFL handles among the particulars — resembling reserving resorts — it’s additionally not like every other week. There are myriad changes gamers should make, resembling ensuring their circadian rhythm isn’t out of whack and that their our bodies are in tune with the calls for of getting a extremely regimented routine stirred up for what will probably be a 9:30 a.m. ET kickoff on Sunday.
That was simpler mentioned than finished the final time they ventured throughout the Atlantic.
When the nationwide anthem began to play earlier than the Ravens’ recreation towards the Jaguars, about two dozen gamers from each groups — together with former Ravens star and Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Lewis, who was working the sport for Fox Sports — took a knee to protest racial injustice and police brutality in response to then-President Donald Trump’s incendiary feedback about athletes protesting throughout the anthem. Before taking the sector, gamers within the locker room had additionally been discussing what they had been going to do in response, and by advantage of being 5 time zones forward it was the primary of a number of protests across the league that day.
“It had to do more with the circumstances around the game,” Harbaugh mentioned. “It was crazy. We didn’t play well. Probably our worst game ever. It sticks in your mind, so we’re going to try something different.”
Much is totally different this time.
Trump is now not president, after all, and is dealing with a slew of prison costs. The Ravens, who logged one observe at a rugby facility two days earlier than their recreation towards the Jaguars, arrived this 12 months late Monday evening and have Tuesday off earlier than resuming what will probably be three days of afternoon practices as typical on the coaching floor of one of many world’s most elite soccer golf equipment.
Last time, the Ravens had been additionally coming off the excessive of two straight wins to begin the season, with a 20-0 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals and a 24-10 conquer the Cleveland Browns. This time, they’re making an attempt to rebound from a mistake-filled, gift-wrapped 17-10 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
What they tried six years in the past in London didn’t work, so Harbaugh is hoping the other will this time.
“We just decided that we would get out there, get dug in, get sleep on Monday night, get sleep on Tuesday night, get ready to have the best practice we can have on Wednesday, give the guys an opportunity to not be rushed if they want to go see Big Ben or something like that,” he mentioned. “That approach, simply cope with it, form of have all that out of the best way and never be coping with any form of sleep points and be at our greatest potential on Sunday. We’ll see the way it works out.
“The only thing you can really do is just go a different time and do it differently. That’s the only thing you can control. All of the other factors that were a part of that [last time] were just multi-faceted. Put it that way.”
Week 6
Ravens vs. Titans
Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London
Sunday, 9:30 a.m.
TV: Chs. 11, 4, NFL Network
Radio: 97.9 FM, 101.5 FM, 1090 AM
Line: Ravens by 3 1/2
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Source: www.bostonherald.com