The Baltimore Ravens might have something extra special in Vega Ioane. For years, they’ve lacked not only a stable piece at offensive guard, but one the franchise can revolve around. They haven’t had that since Marshal Yanda.
Ioane looks ready to turn over a new leaf for Baltimore’s offensive line. He had a very encouraging start to his NFL career in training camp and preseason. With that in the rearview mirror, he’s continuing to make sure he’s at his best come Week 1.
The preparation Ioane brings to practice every day is relentless. On Thursday, he spoke about how he’s feeling as his NFL debut closes in.
“I feel ready to go,” Ioane said. “There’s a lot of things I gotta fix in my game, a lot of things to learn. We still got a little over a week left until we play, so using that time to my advantage to get ready for it as much as possible.”
He revealed he’s staying ready for absolutely everything. Yes, even taking snaps at center in case of an emergency.
He’s truly doing whatever it takes to prepare for what the regular season will throw at him.
Baltimore Ravens might have the player they desperately needed in Vega Ioane
On paper, when you pair Ioane’s talent with his preparation and mindset, you get a superstar player. Obviously, it all has to come together on the field first, but just knowing what he’s capable of and how he practices, it’s hard not to get excited about what he could bring. He’s a gifted player who’s never satisfied.
No task at hand will sneak past Ioane.
This goes back to his time at Penn State, where he’d print out pictures of players from the other team and put them on his bedroom wall to prepare him for that week’s game. He used it to remind himself of the goal and who he was going up against.
Evidently, he’s as meticulous as it gets, and it's already translated on the field.
His preseason debut saw him absolutely wreck the Philadelphia Eagles defensive line. Ioane put on a show with his elite pass protection, and perhaps more notably, his mean style of play, blindsiding pass rushers and taking guys out through the whistle.
He’s a tone-setter. Baltimore needs that.
And they need that sooner rather than later. The team made it obvious they’re looking to make Lamar Jackson untouchable in the pocket with their offensive line makeover this offseason. Ioane is expected to be a centerpiece of that.
There's another level of pressure on Ioane, too. Sure, the interior has improved, but between John Simpson and whoever starts at center, there isn’t much firepower there. Heck, there might not be much above-average play. Ioane needs to start hot.
Thankfully, he’s laying the groundwork for that. Ioane’s clearly doing everything in his power to conquer the NFL learning curve before it even has the chance to hit him. It may be inevitable, but if he keeps pushing himself like he is, we may see a special version of Ioane early on.
Add us as a preferred source on Google