Former Steelers OT Trashes Ravens Pass Rush

As much hate as there is between the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers, they usually aren't afraid to praise each other with how many intense battles they've had over the years.

However, that isn't always the case.

In an interview with Steelers Takeaways, longtime Pittsburgh offensive tackle Alejandro Villanueva said he never saw Baltimore's edge rushers as a threat to him personally.

"The Ravens and the Jaguars – they were just other teams to me," Villanueva said. "The Ravens never had a great pass rusher when I was there. It was never tough for me particularly. Now the interior line – that was tough. That was physical."

Not even Terrell Suggs, the Ravens' all-time sack leader with 132.5, managed to phase Villanueva. Granted, Suggs was in the later stages of his career when Villanueva was with the Steelers, but he was still productive during this time.

"I matched up well with [Suggs] and he was closer to the end of his career then," Villanueva explained. "Guys like [Robert] Mathis and [Dwight] Freeney – those are the guys you had to run on. They were crafty and had those good spin moves. The Steelers and Ravens too – they had that unwritten rule that whoever ran the ball most was going to win. They were stubborn – they didn’t want to pass the ball. The Browns would come out and throw it and that made it tougher – now you’re behind and have to go against Myles Garrett. As a lineman when you throw 40 times, if you let up one sack, that’s what people see - that guy celebrating after that one play."

This isn't even the first time Villanueva has talked down to the Ravens, as he previously said the rivalry was "not special." That's all the more confusing considering he spent the final season of his career with the Ravens in 2021 and didn't play that well for them, but to each their own we suppose.