By Jeff Zrebiec / The Athletic
The time to engage Mark Andrews is early in the week. That’s a known fact around the Baltimore Ravens’ facility in Owings Mills, Maryland.
The closer it gets to game day, the less inclined Andrews, a 29-year-old tight end, is to small talk. His piercing stare and no-nonsense demeanor send a clear message: There is a game to prepare for and distractions are unwelcome.
“Mark’s just an intense guy,” said Isaiah Likely, a fellow Ravens tight end.
His teammates are awed, and often amused, by Andrews’ unwavering intensity. Some, including safety Kyle Hamilton, watch how he approaches practices and meetings and try to emulate him. Baltimore’s players and coaches view him as a quintessential Raven, someone whose personality and playing style mirror the franchise he has represented for seven years.
“It couldn’t be any better said: I was born to be a Raven,” Andrews said recently. “The way we like to play football here, the style we play, there’s no place in the world I’d rather be. I just want to keep on winning games for this team and start hitting our stride.”
Two weekends ago, Andrews hauled in a 13-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Lamar Jackson, the first points in the Ravens’ 35-14 rout of the New York Giants in East Rutherford, New Jersey. It was the 48th touchdown of Andrews’ career; he surpassed Jamal Lewis, a running back, to set a franchise record.
Andrews sprinted toward Jackson, and the two celebrated with a leaping chest bump. It was a fitting gesture between two players who were a part of the Ravens’ productive 2018 draft class and who developed an immediate chemistry. There’s a simple understanding between them that transcends X’s and O’s.
“Just get open,” Jackson tells Andrews.
The how and the where depend on what Andrews, who caught another touchdown pass from Jackson in the Ravens’ 34-17 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, is seeing on the play. They trust that they know what the other guy is thinking and doing. Improvisation is their superpower.
Sometimes, Andrews does not even need to get open to get the ball. Against Philadelphia in Week 13, Jackson threw to Andrews when he was surrounded by three Eagles defenders in the end zone. The 14-yard touchdown throw had an 18.1% completion probability, according to NFL’s Next Gen Stats. Andrews caught it anyway.
“Mark,” Jackson said, “is that guy.”
For the better part of seven seasons, Andrews has been Jackson’s go-to target, the player he looks for on third downs, in the red zone or whenever the quarterback is in trouble. Andrews is a three-time Pro Bowler, but he has probably been under the radar nationally. Such is life when Travis Kelce, one of the best pass-catching tight ends in NFL history, is playing for an AFC rival, the Kansas City Chiefs.
Only Kelce has more receptions among tight ends than Andrews since the 2019 season. Only Kelce and San Francisco’s George Kittle have more receiving yards. Andrews, however, has the most touchdowns during that time.
Andrews is one of the most productive pass catchers and playmakers in Ravens history. Going into this past weekend’s games, he ranked first in receiving touchdowns (48) and third behind Derrick Mason and Todd Heap in receptions (426) and receiving yards (5,371).
Playing one of the game’s most demanding positions, Andrews had not missed extensive time until he cracked his fibula and sustained ligament damage in his ankle in a Week 11 game against the Cincinnati Bengals last year. He missed Baltimore’s final six regular-season games and the divisional-round playoff win over Houston before returning for the AFC championship loss to the Chiefs.
Otherwise, Andrews has been durable, consistent and productive since arriving on the scene as a third-round pick. (The Ravens drafted another tight end, Hayden Hurst, who is now with the Los Angeles Chargers, in the first round that year.)
“Just one of a kind,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “He has the nickname Man-drews for a reason, because that’s what he brings. He’s all ball all the time. You can just tell he thinks about it driving home, driving into work, probably while he’s sleeping. He probably dreams about it. That’s really who he is.”
Friendly and easygoing off the field, Andrews becomes a different person when he steps inside the Ravens’ facility. The intensity ratchets up even more when the Ravens hit the practice field.
Andrews has yelled at defenders, slammed his helmet and flipped off a referee — all during a training camp practice. He practices at full speed, treating July workouts as if he were an undrafted free agent trying to make the team.
“You never want to take that fire away from Mark,” Likely said. “I feel like that’s what makes him go. That’s what makes the offense go.”
The Ravens’ decision-makers have talked about giving Andrews the occasional practice off, or at least limiting his reps. Andrews is not interested.
“An elite competitor,” offensive coordinator Todd Monken said. “I think that’s the best way to put it. Football is important to him. Everything we do is important to him — meetings are important to him, his body is important to him, how he plays. He’s a top-top-level competitor — one of the top competitors I’ve ever been around.”
Teammates joke with him, try to make him laugh and lighten up. Andrews is not humorless. He is an extremely popular teammate, but relaxing is a tough sell.
“I take this very seriously,” Andrews said. “There’s always room for improvement. There’s nothing like being out there and playing football with the guys. If you don’t get those real looks in practice, if you don’t feel good, if you don’t feel exactly right, I think it’s hard to play well.”
This has not been the easiest of seasons for Andrews. A leg injury from training camp has lingered. He was in a car crash near the Ravens’ facility Aug. 14 that he felt could have been fatal if he had not been wearing a seat belt.
In the first four games of the season, he had just six catches (on nine targets) for 65 yards. He was held without a catch in back-to-back games for the first time in his career. The questions began.
There was even some talk, at least outside the building, that the Ravens should trade Andrews to feature Likely and Charlie Kolar more. That there was even that discussion still rankles Jackson.
“I didn’t forget that, and I know he didn’t forget that, and he’s just showing it each and every game,” Jackson said two weekends ago.
Andrews acknowledged that there was a time in his career when the criticism and questions might have bothered him. But he handled this year’s slow start by staying positive. It has paid off.
Over the past 10 games, since enduring the back-to-back no-catch contests, he has eight touchdowns. He is also averaging just under 45 receiving yards per game. He is not getting the volume of targets that he has in the past, but the Ravens have the top-ranked offense in football. They have also had the best red zone offense in football, partly because of Andrews’ exploits.
Andrews was asked recently what inspired his effort and attention to detail. He offered a quick response.
“I like to compete and I love this game,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to be the best at my position. I’ve always wanted to become the best version of myself. I know how good I can be. I feel like I’m just scratching that. I’m always trying to get there and get better. And I want to win a Super Bowl.”
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