A Successful Project!

There’s a great old song by Steely Dan called “Dirty Work”. Essentially, it’s about a guy who regularly gets a booty call from a woman in a relationship with another man. He concludes that “I’m a fool to do your dirty work”.

The Ravens have a guy who instead of answering booty calls, he opts to kick booty whenever called upon. He willingly does the dirty work and does it as well as anybody in the NFL. And during the Ravens v. Bills Sunday Night clash, he did it all night long.

After the Ravens convincing 35-10 dismantling of the Bills last night, Derrick Henry had this to say about this week’s unsung hero, aka The Big Crab Cake, Pat Ricard:

“I might not sleep tonight, but I might get a little sleep knowing that Pat [Ricard] got a touchdown. But I always tell Pat I appreciate his unselfishness. Just going in there and blocking unwillingly; banging his head – he had a cut on his nose [and] still [was] practicing hard each and every day. In the game it’s not an easy position for somebody to just go in there and bang their head [and block] guys running full speed at them. Pat’s been doing this [for] a long time; he’s a Pro Bowl player and I’m glad I’m able to be his teammate and he’s the one blocking for me now. So, it’s been fun.”

On the Ravens very first offensive play of the night, Henry ran 87 yards untouched, for the game’s first score. And it was Project Pat that got things going, with the help of Roger Rosengarten and Mark Andrews.

You may recall that Ricard was an undrafted free agent who the Ravens signed in 2017. Ricard was a defensive lineman for the Maine Black Bears and showed up well during the 2017 preseason as a defender. He made the team but somewhere along the line, a coach had the idea of making Pat a fullback. Four Pro Bowls later he is still the game’s most imposing fullback.

Derrick Henry is a beast but boy…when Patrick Ricard is in the game a lot of business decisions are made!

42 is a GAME-CHANGER pic.twitter.com/jflQAKoXKO

— Darius Butler (@DariusJButler) September 30, 2024

Believe it or not, there was even a time when the Ravens looked to graduate Ricard from his position when they wasted a 5th-round pick on FB Ben Mason in 2021. Last summer the team even worked him out during training camp as an offensive lineman. In retrospect, even the thought of that represents corporate malfeasance.

Joining the Baltimore Ravens family changed Patrick Ricard’s life forever. #RavensFlock pic.twitter.com/3XFSPzfD1G

— Sunday Night Football on NBC (@SNFonNBC) September 30, 2024

[Related Article: Ravens Week 4 Report Card]

Ricard brings toughness to the offense. He embraces the heavy lifting that doesn’t always get noticed by casual fans. But for those who watch the game closely, his contributions are massive and undeniable.

FB Pat Ricard blocks down, springs this long Henry touchdown run: pic.twitter.com/0URZLneuuA

— Fullback Watch (@FullbackWatch) September 30, 2024

And sometimes he even saves the offense the embarrassment of fumbling away a golden goal-to-go opportunity.

Ricard with a touchdown!

He’s good for ONE every year. Unconventional, but a TD. pic.twitter.com/sh8QdFDL3H

— AJ Gersh (@AJGershTV) September 30, 2024

Congratulations Pat Ricard. You are this week’s Big Crab Cake, courtesy of Jimmy’s Famous Seafood & TailGOAT.

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Source: https://russellstreetreport.com/2024/09/30/the-big-crab-cake/pat-ricard/