Announcements » The Ravens host the Jaguars this week in

the preseason opener Replica Hayden Hurst Jersey , and security will be increased in the aftermath of Saturday’s mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton.Vernon Conaway of the Maryland Stadium Authority said earlier this week that an “additional, supplemental police presence” will be added outside M&T Bank Stadium (where the Ravens play) and Camden Yards (where baseball’s Orioles play).Via Amanda Yeager of the , Conaway said that there are no precise threats against the stadiums or the teams.“[W]e believe it’s the prudent thing to do and just reassure fans with the police presence that we are a safe environment,” Conaway said.When it comes to securing a place where thousands gather, the biggest challenge becomes drawing the line where enhanced security measures begin and end. Well before entering the stadium, fans already begin to gather. Wherever the perimeter of enhanced security begins, the other side of that line will not entail extra security measures.This doesn’t mean that enhanced security measures outside of a venue are pointless; they have real value when it comes to putting minds at ease, especially where the fans are most closely and tightly gathered. But for every hard target there are hundreds of soft targets, and any madman intent on wreaking havoc with a weapon of war will be able to find a place where there are plenty of potential victims, and little or no security, OWINGS MILLS Stitched Hayden Hurst Jersey , Md. (AP)Operating in the middle of the Baltimore Ravens defensive line, Brandon Williams is expected to bang helmets with one or two 300-pound brutes before pushing them aside so one of his teammates can make the tackle.Although the task is instrumental to the success of Baltimore’s gritty defense, it often goes unnoticed by the casual fan and does not produce impressive statistical numbers.”I’m totally fine with what I do,” Williams said after practice Monday. ”I know it’s a dirty job, but somebody’s got to do it and I’m happy to raise my hand and volunteer. As long as my guys have my back and are making plays around me, that’s all I care about.”Told it’s not exactly a sexy job, the 6-foot-1, 336-pound Williams smiled and said, ”Oh, it’s sexy. As long as I’m there, it’s sexy.”Drafted in the third round of the 2013 draft out of Missouri Southern State Baby Hayden Hurst Jersey , Williams has been Baltimore’s starting nose tackle for the past five years. He follows a long line of players who have effectively filled an unglamorous, pivotal position.”A lot of interior linemen who have come through here and had the honor of being considered a Raven for life, the No. 1 thing they had was toughness,” Baltimore linebacker Terrell Suggs said.”Can you be mentally tough? Can you physically dominate the man across from you? I think Brandon Williams embodies that. He can be considered in the rare group of the Tony Siragusas, the Kelly Greggs, the Haloti Ngatas.”The Ravens showed their appreciation to Williams in 2017 when they provided him with a five-year contract rather than allow him to test free agency.Last year, he started the first two games, both of them victories in which Baltimore allowed a total of 10 points and forced 10 turnovers.Williams missed the next four games with a foot injury, and the Ravens won only one of them.”When we lost him, we sunk a little bit,” defensive line coach Joe Cullen said. ”Brandon is the epitome of what you want an inside tackle to be. He’s really quick for a big guy Best Hayden Hurst Jersey , but so strong he can get big knock-back at the point of attack.”Williams has 188 career tackles, 4sacks and one touchdown – on a fumble recovery he took in from the 1.These facts and figures do nothing to convey his importance to the Ravens.”I’m a big Brandon Williams fan,” coach John Harbaugh said. ”Ask the offensive line coaches and the offensive linemen around the league how they feel about blocking him. He’s a force in there. He takes up two blockers, sometimes more. He’s very stout.”You want great players everywhere, but in the middle of your defense it’s important to have an anchor that can keep people from running inside and can create better angles for your defense. It’s nice to have a big, physical run stopper. The Ravens have always had that. It’s really been a staple here historically.”Williams certainly doesn’t mind being Baltimore’s next man in the middle, but he’s not interested in merely carrying on a tradition that began long ago.”I want to play how I play,” Williams said. ”I’m not Haloti, even though he was a great player and I learned a lot from him. I want to do my own thing, just be whatever I can be for the team.”—