Baltimore Sports. Period
Justin Houston, Mark Andrews and Marlon Humphrey have joined “The Tyus Bowser Show” this season to discuss a range of topics, from sacks to the Ravens’ coaching staff to Type 1 diabetes to … a hot tub on the roof? Here’s what they had to say.
Ravens outside linebacker Justin Houston, who recorded his 100th career sack against the Miami Dolphins last season, currently sits at 104 career sacks and ranks No. 33 on the official all-time sacks leaderboard (since 1982). Houston’s son, Junior, has a goal for his dad to reach despite an already impressive resume.
“[Junior] has 130 in mind,” Houston said on The Tyus Bowser Show Sept. 6. “He keeps up with all the stats, so he’s figured if I get to 130 sacks that will get me my gold jacket.”
If Houston continues his career for at least a few more seasons and gets to the quarterback on a consistent basis, it is not outside the realm of possibility he is enshrined at the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Houston sustained a groin injury against the New England Patriots in Week 3 and has not played since, which is a roadblock for now. Regardless, Houston will prove to be one of this era’s great pass rushers alongside the likes of Chandler Jones, Von Miller and J.J. Watt.
Houston has enjoyed his time in Baltimore since joining the Ravens last year. He said he would love to stay if that’s where the chips fall. (He signed a one-year $3.5 million guaranteed contract for the 2022 season and is scheduled to become a free agent in 2023.) He loves his teammates and coaches in Baltimore and appreciates playing for head coach John Harbaugh.
“[Harbaugh is] a straightforward guy and that’s hard to find nowadays,” Houston said. “A lot of coaches aren’t straightforward. You can go sit down with Coach Harbaugh and have a real man-to-man talk. You all can agree to disagree and he’s going to speak how he feels and you can speak how you feel and there [are] no hard feelings. It’s all love.”
“You’ve got [some] coaches that will look you dead in your eye and tell you something that’s not real,” Houston added. “But what Coach Harbaugh tells you is exactly what he feels and what he believes and you have no choice but to respect it. As a man I respect that and I appreciate that.”
Houston’s love for his coaches extends beyond Harbaugh and to fellow former Georgia Bulldog Mike Macdonald. The Ravens’ new defensive coordinator was a graduate assistant while Houston played at Georgia, and Houston is just as fond of Macdonald now as he was back in 2010.
“To see him now and see how much he’s grown and how hard he works, it’s amazing,” Houston said. “I love it and I’m glad he’s got this opportunity. The little time we’ve spent so far, I just love everything about how he’s gone about doing the system. [I love] how he’s demanding greatness from us, he’s not asking, he’s demanding it. … To be a winning defense, that’s what you got to have.”
Ravens tight end Mark Andrews met a young Patriots fan with Type 1 diabetes before the Ravens beat New England, 37-26, on Sept. 25. The Patriots fan was wearing a Mark Andrews jersey and held a poster that read “T1D” for Type 1 diabetes.
"You're not alone man"@Ravens tight end Mark Andrews, a Type 1 diabetic, talks with a young fan about his Type 1 diabetes and offers some encouraging words of support 🥹💜pic.twitter.com/dr4bTF28BK
Andrews, a Type 1 diabetic himself, is given separate Gatorade Zero bottles and checks his blood sugar numbers throughout practices and games. The moment between Andrews and the Patriots fan was a special one for both.
“Letting people with Type 1 diabetes know that I’ve walked in their shoes [is what it’s all about for me],” Andrews said Oct. 4. “I walk in their shoes daily. So, just to [let them] know that they’re not alone, to follow their dreams, to keep on working hard and not to let people say that they can’t do anything, because they can, that’s something that hits home to me.”
“It’s a scary kind of thing you have to deal with,” Andrews added. “But you got to do what you got to do. I’ve been fortunate to have great people around me that look after me and sometimes bad days happen with Type 1 diabetes. But my advice to people out there is to have people around you that really care about you and look after you.”
Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey recently installed a hot tub on the roof of his Baltimore home. Humphrey was granted a permit by the city to halt to traffic on his street in order to make some expensive roof renovations.
“I got a hot tub, I had to block off the street,” Humphrey said Sept. 20. “I had a permit to block the street off to get a crane to lift a hot tub onto my [roof].”
Humphrey seems to be following in the footsteps of former first-round draft pick Josh Rosen, who installed a hot tub in his dorm room at UCLA. However, Humphrey does not encourage others to make the same home modifications.
“It was very baller, very expensive and I would not recommend,” Humphrey said.
Catch “The Tyus Bowser Show” at Hamilton Sports Bar & Grill on Tuesday, Nov. 1. For the upcoming schedule and full replays of past shows, visit PressBoxOnline.com/bowser.
Photo Credits: Kenya Allen/PressBox
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Covering Baltimore sports, from high school to the pros since 2006.