NEW ORLEANS -- Baltimore Ravens defensive tackle Haloti Ngata admitted he couldn't wait to end the meet-and-greet with media-types and get down to preparing for Super Bowl XLVII against the San Francisco 49ers.
That's evident in these Ravens players -- not a disdain of journalists, but a pure love for football. The organization sums up that mindset with the promise to "Play Like A Raven." Sounds nice, but what does it mean?
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"It means being nasty and playing rough, tough football," Ngata said. "Playing with some type of cruelty, but not trying to kill somebody. It's a nastiness where you're going to impose your will on teams, so that's we what want to do."
I simply nod and agree as Ngata -- giant beard, looking like a tank -- defines the catch phrase and explains that it emerged with the arrival of coach John Harbaugh.
"He brought that motto to our team and we just took off with it. We always talk about it," Ngata said. "There's a sign at every practice and every game that says 'Play Like a Raven.' That's always there."
Not as edgy as "grind the meat, rattle the molars," but these Harbaugh brothers have cornered the market on motivational speak.
Follow Marc Sessler on Twitter @MarcSesslerNFL.
