Tag: Anthony Levine Sr.

Ravens DL Michael Pierce shares excitement about reuniting with teammates, coaches in Baltimore

Ravens defensive lineman Michael Pierce talked about being back with the team

The Baltimore Ravens signed defensive lineman Michael Pierce in 2022 free agency to a three-year $16.5 million dollar contract. He returns to the team for his second stint after a short stay with the Minnesota Vikings, who he inked a three-year contract with during the 2020 offseason, but was cut before the duration of the contract finished.

Pierce spoke to the media after a training camp practice and answered a plethora of different questions. He went into detail about what it feels like to be back in Baltimore and reunite with members of the organization, sayin git feels like a homecoming for him.

“It’s just, like I said, when I first came back in a bunch of interviews, it’s the people around the building. You obviously know your teammates, ‘TJ’ [Tony Jefferson II], Marlon [Humphrey], Ronnie [Stanley], Lamar [Jackson] etcetera, etcetera, Gus [Edwards] and all of those guys. But just the rapport I had with our coaching staff, obviously we know who Coach ‘Harbs’ [head coach John Harbaugh] is. [Defensive coordinator] Mike Macdonald was the linebackers coach at the time, but having familiarity with him, I played with [inside linebackers coach] Zach Orr, [Anthony] Levine, we can just go on and on about those guys. But like I said, seeing Manny and Shorty in the cafeteria again, [team clinician] Dr. Tricia [Bent-Goodley], ‘Ms. Val’ [Valerie Wideman], [team chaplain] Johnny [Shelton]. I have a really, really special relationship with all of those people. So, it’s like a homecoming for me. So, that was a no-brainer.”

Pierce is expected to replace a lot of what former Baltimore defensive tackle Brandon Williams did for the team, but over the past few years he he hasn’t played a ton of football. He only suited up for six games during the 2021 season as a member of the Vikings after opting out of 2020. Pierce is looking for a comeback season to prove to the rest of the NFL that he still has plenty left in the tank, and should have a sizable role on the Ravens’ defensive unit.

Ravens players react on Twitter to retirement of DB Anthony Levine Sr.

Many Ravens players reacted to the retirement of DB Anthony Levine Sr.

The Baltimore Ravens lost a great part of their team on Wednesday, as defensive back Anthony Levine announced his retirement from the NFL after 10 memory-filled seasons in Baltimore. The Ravens signed Levine after he had spent two seasons on the Green Bay Packers’ practice squad, and he turned into a special teams ace who could also play in multiple spots on the defense.

After the news was announced, many Baltimore players took to Twitter to express their congratulations to Levine on a phenomenal career, as well as share memories about the veteran and all that he did both on and off of the field.

Some of Levine’s former teammates also showed their appreciation.

Even other players from around the NFL also had warm messages for Levine.

Ravens DB Anthony Levine Sr. announces retirement, will assume new role within organization

Ravens defensive back Anthony Levine Sr. announced his retirement and will transition to a scouting and coaching assistant role

After a few quiet weeks, the Baltimore Ravens’ 2022 offseason has picked up with a few pieces of big news. First the team announced that they had parted ways with defensive coordinator Don Martindale, and now one of their key special teams players has called it a career.

On Wednesday, veteran Baltimore defensive back and special teams standout Anthony Levine Sr. announced his retirement from the NFL after a 10-year stint with the organization. The Ravens signed Levine in 2012 after he spent two seasons with the Green Bay Packers’ practice squad.

Even though Levine is retiring from his on-field duties, he won’t be going far. He’ll move from the field to a scouting and coaching assistant role with the Ravens.

Levine was a reliable force on special teams and could fill in on defensive snaps if necessary. From 2013 to 2021, he only missed one game as a Raven. In his 10 seasons as a member of the team, Levine totaled 143 tackles, four sacks, and two interceptions. His leadership on the field will be missed for the Ravens, but with him remaining with the organization, he will make sure the players are ready for every snap.

Ravens make four roster moves, including the promotion of two veterans to active roster

The Ravens made four roster moves on Wednesday, including promoting two veterans to the active roster

The Baltimore Ravens have been busy shaking up their roster after dealing with a plethora of injuries. They’ve signed multiple new faces who are working hard to get up to speed with their new team, and Baltimore is adjusting to life without some of their injured stars.

On Wednesday, Baltimore made four roster moves, including promoting two veterans from their practice squad to the active roster in defensive lineman Justin Ellis and defensive back Anthony Levine Sr., both of which could be asked to play big roles on game day. The team also signed offensive tackle Andre Smith and defensive back Kevon Seymour to their practice squad.

Ellis and Levine were both promoted from the practices squad for Monday night’s Week 1 game, while Smith was cut during cut down day, signed back to the practice squad, and then let go again after a short amount of time.

Seymour has appeared in 33 games since being drafted in the sixth round of the 2016 draft by the Buffalo Bills, accumulating 52 total tackles and seven passes defended.

Ravens elevate two practice squad players to active roster for Week 1 game vs. Raiders

The Ravens elevated two veterans from their practice squad ahead of Week 1 vs. the Raiders

The Baltimore Ravens will be rounding out Week 1 of the 2021 NFL season by taking on the Las Vegas Raiders. Baltimore hopes that they will get solid contributions for all over their roster, and even though they’ve dealt with injuries, they have the depth to soften the losing players such as running backs J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards, as well as cornerback Marcus Peters.

Before the game, the Ravens elevated two veteran players from their practice squad to the active roster in defensive tackle Justin Ellis and defensive back Anthony Levine Sr., both of which will help the team on Monday night.

Ellis will be relied upon to provide depth up front on defense since fellow defensive lineman Derek Wolfe won’t play in Week 1 due to a back injury. Levine has been one of Baltimore’s most consistent special teams contributors and will provide the team with secondary depth after the loss of Peters.

In a somewhat surprising move, the Ravens decided not to activate running backs Le’Veon Bell or Devonta Freeman. Some were expecting the team to elevate one for running back depth, but the team is rolling with Ty’Son Williams, Latavius Murray, and Trenton Cannon at the position.

Ravens protect four players on practice squad ahead of Week 1

The Ravens protected four players on their practice squad ahead of Week 1 against the Raiders

After trimming their final 2021 roster to 53 players, the Baltimore Ravens have put together a well-balanced practice squad that includes young talent as well as experienced veterans. With the NFL keeping many practice squad rules from 2020, Baltimore can keep 16 extra players with the team, call up two for game day, and protect four each and every week.

On Wednesday, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic shed light on who the Ravens would be protecting on the practice squad for the first week of the 2021 season. They used every one of their protection slots, choosing to protect one offensive player and three others on the defensive side of the ball.

Now that McSorley, Bynes, Ellis and Levine are protected, teams can’t sign them from Baltimore’s practice squad until next week at the earliest, unless they are then protected once again.

McSorley is the only other quarterback with the team outside of Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley and he knows the Ravens system, which is valuable. Bynes, Ellis, and Levine each have a case to be game day call ups.

Bynes would be a veteran in the inside linebacker group in the wake of L.J. Fort’s season-ending injury. Ellis could be used for defensive line depth with fellow defensive lineman Derek Wolfe trending in the wrong direction for Week 1 with a back injury. Levine has been the most consistent special teams contributor for years in Baltimore.

Ravens re-sign OLB Pernell McPhee

The Ravens re-signed outside linebacker Pernell McPhee to their active roster

The Baltimore Ravens parted ways with outside linebacker Pernell McPhee during final cutdown day as they trimmed their roster down to 53 players. It widely expected that McPhee would return to the active roster in short order, but with players like defensive tackle Justin Ellis and defensive back Anthony Levine Sr. re-signing with the team’s practice squad, some began to get a bit antsy, wondering if something unexpected was happening with the veteran defender.

Despite it taking a bit longer than anticipated, on Thursday Baltimore officially announced that McPhee was returning to the team in a move that many are excited about.

McPhee has been a key rotational piece on the Ravens’ defense ever since returning to the organization in 2019. He was originally drafted by Baltimore in the fifth round of the 2011 draft, and spent the first four years of his career with the Ravens before signing a big-money deal with the Chicago Bears. After his stop in Chicago as well as another in Washington, he signed back in Baltimore, where he’s seen success playing outside while also being able to kick inside.

In 10 NFL seasons, McPhee has accumulated 246 total tackles 37 sacks, and six forced fumbles.

Ravens officially announce 13 practice squad signings

The Ravens officially announced 13 practice squad signings

The Baltimore Ravens have always been able to find talent to keep on their practice squad. Whether those players are young guys or veterans, they do a good job of keeping balanced depth who can step up if called up to the active roster when needed, whether that’s on game day or permanently.

On Wednesday afternoon Baltimore officially announced 13 practice squad signings, which included many familiar faces such as quarterback Trace McSorley, defensive tackle Justin Ellis, defensive back Anthony Levine Sr., and defensive back Jordan Richards. They were also able to retain multiple young talents including wide receiver Binjimen Victor and offensive tackle Adrian Ealy.

With the Ravens announcing only 13 practice squad players so far, there are still three more spots available to be taken. Baltimore does not have a running back on their practice squad yet, and with the injury to J.K. Dobbins, it feels like an addition there could be imminent. Rookie FB/TE Ben Mason also didn’t appear on the initial list, and it feels like he could be an option to return to the team as well.

Ravens trim roster to 53 players, officially announce 21 moves

The Ravens officially announced 21 roster moves, trimming their team to 53 players

The Baltimore Ravens trimmed their final roster to 53 players on Tuesday. There were multiple tough decisions that had to be made, and although they parted with many talented playmakers, their roster still consists of a great mix of depth who all have diverse skill sets and can play multiple positions.

Shortly after the 4 pm EST deadline to trim the roster, Baltimore officially announced the moves that they made to get their final team to the required number of players, which included plenty of transactions that made a lot of sense but also a few definite surprises that shocked quite a few people.

Some of the surprises include the Ravens letting go of OLB Pernell McPhee, DB Anthony Levine Sr., and DB Nigel Warrior. All three players could return to the team in some way, with McPhee and Levine being more likely to at this point, as Warrior has to clear through waivers. Another surprise was Miles Boykin making the final roster, as he hasn’t played much during camp and has struggled a bit during his first two NFL seasons.

The initial 53-man roster won’t be what the team likes in a few days. Players such as Rashod Bateman and Nick Boyle are likely to be placed on injured reserve, paving the way for others to be re-signed. Guys who were cut from other teams could peak the Ravens’ interest as well, which could spark another move. There is still a bit of roster construction to do, but overall Baltimore has a very good initial team.

Anthony Levine Sr. impressed with offseason work from Lamar Jackson, Marquise Brown

The Baltimore Ravens have competitive players. Anthony Levine Sr. has liked what he’s seen from Lamar Jackson and Marquise Brown

The Baltimore Ravens suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of the Buffalo Bills in the Divisional Round of the 2021 playoffs. They haven’t been able to get past the second round of the playoffs in any of Lamar Jackson’s three trips to the postseason, something that they’ll have to figure out how to do if they want to win a Super Bowl championship.

When talking to Garrett Downing of BaltimoreRavens.com, Ravens safety Anthony Levine Sr. was asked about how Baltimore can get over the hump and advance further in the playoffs.

“It’s being consistent. As long as you be consistent, being consistent at the work, being consistent at the grind, understand your successes, and understand what’s not so successful.”

Levine is confident that his teammates can improve on their performances during the 2020 season, and has been impressed with what he’s seen out of Lamar Jackson and Marquise Brown when it comes to putting in work during the offseason.

Jackson and Brown have been posting workout videos throughout the offseason, showing different strength training regimens and on-field drills.

With the videos that have been posted, it seems like Jackson and Brown are hungry to improve and achieve their goals. Jackson has said he wants to bring a Super Bowl back to Baltimore, and with the work ethic that he and other Ravens have displayed, it seems like they’re going to do everything they can to make their dreams a reality.

Levine also talked about the importance of camaraderie, but mentioned that playing through a pandemic last season was “weird”, recalling that he couldn’t hang out with his teammates or even sit next to them during meetings. He said having that experience will better prepare them for this upcoming season for protocols that remain in place.

“Now I feel like now we understand, if we have to do that same thing again this year, understanding how to maneuver through all those obstacles now, and I think we’ll be able to do it.”

Like Levine, there are plenty of leaders on Baltimore’s roster. Whether they’re 10-year veterans or guys who have only played for a few years, the organization has a hungry batch of players who are ready to win. They know it’s on them to improve and get better. So far this offseason, players like Jackson and Brown have shown their determination, and Levine feels confident that the team can take the next step to becoming Super Bowl champions.