Marshal Yanda had a very long successful career with the Baltimore Ravens. But, his impact will go long beyond his impact on the field and will be seen in 2020.
Lamar Jackson made his debut this year on the NFL Top 100 List at number one. The same guy who went 32nd overall and Bill Polian said should change his position to wide receiver. “Action Jackson” revolutionized Ravens football. A brand of football typically led by the defense; is now led by their offense. They put up points in bunches, ranking first in the league in points, yards, and rushing yards, this includes breaking the all-time rushing record in 2019. To say the least his ranking at number one was not only well deserved but shows the amount of respect his peers have for his dynamic talents that have never been seen before.
Jackson may get all the camera time, but one man has been the catalyst of Ravens offensive success for 13-years. He is an eight-time Pro Bowler, has seven total All-Pro selections, and is a future Hall of Famer. Marshal Yanda did the dirty work, opened lanes for the running game, and help create and carry a culture that has and will continue to lead the Ravens to success. Yanda was a well-respected player, every team had to game plan for #73, but it did not matter. The Ravens continuously ran the ball behind Yanda.
Marsal Yanda for years has elevated the play of the guy next to him, Ricky Wagner, Austin Howard, and now Orlando Brown Jr. Wagner parlayed his performance into a huge contract with the Lions, which to date, can be classified as a disappointment. Howard was less of a liability with Yanda next to him and Zeus Jr was already a pro bowler in his second season after falling to the third round of the NFL Draft.
We’ve all seen the clip from the fourth-down play last season with Coach Harbaugh asking Lamar if he wanted to go for it. But what seems to get lost in that clip behind Lamar’s passion is who he turned to. The leader of the offensive line, Marshal Yanda. Yanda, mostly a soft-spoken guy, had to take more of a leadership role in the last few seasons. With the departures of Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Terrell Suggs, Steve Smith Sr., and many other leaders on the team, the Ravens needed Yanda to step up and that he did. His role on the team may have been his largest yet and played a huge role in not only the Offensive success but on the whole team’s success. When the Ravens needed a play from their running game it was no coincidence that those plays typically were ran to the right side and there were very many of those.
Marshal Yanda’s impact was much more significant than just in the run game though. According to Pro Football Focus, Yanda played 968 snaps last year, allowing just one sack and having zero penalties called against him. Before that sack, Yanda had not allowed a sack since the 2015 season and in his entire 13-year career he only allowed 16 sacks. To make that statistic even more shocking, Yanda has mainly played Right Guard, but has also started at Left Guard, Right Tackle, and made the occasional appearance at Left Tackle when injuries forced. This, all for a third-round pick. His impact was felt both on and off the field as he led by example and showed grit and determination on a different level than the average man.
Replacing Marshal Yanda will be impossible, but his impact will be felt. His impact on bookend Tackles Ronnie Stanley and Brown Jr. will be felt and shown on Sunday’s for years to come. Yanda carried the tradition of “Play Like a Raven” and was the perfect bridge between the Ray Lewis era to the New Era of Baltimore football with Lamar Jackson at the helm. The abundance of young talent that the Ravens have set to compete for the starting Right Guard spot, have a lot to live up to and that will be a large challenge to follow. But if I have seen anything from the Ravens organization is that it’s always next man up. Yanda will always be remembered as a Raven and one day will take his spot in the Hall of Fame.