Pernell McPhee on how the Ravens view the Steelers: “We hate them”

There was a time when the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens didn’t just dislike one another, they hated each other. The days when Joey Porter went onto the Ravens’ team bus to go after Ray Lewis. When Hines Ward de-cleated Ed Reed with a crack back block. And when Haloti Ngata broke Ben Roethlisberger’s nose on prime time.

However, since players like Lewis, Reed, Porter and Ward have all since retired, the rivalry has changed with it. You don’t hear the same vitriol when players talk about the upcoming opponent, more just about the respect the two rivals have for one another.

Well, if you are someone who can’t stand where the rivalry has gone recently, then you’ll love how Pernell McPhee has injected a word which hasn’t been used recently — hate. Here is what McPhee told Steelers.com when he was asked about the Ravens-Steelers rivalry:

“We hate each other. I know for sure we hate them. We hate them. We respect them as men, but we really hate them. That is just how it is. That is the blood between the teams. It’s just a taste. We respect them as men. As a team, as an organization, me personally I don’t care too much for them.”

He would continue...

“It’s the Baltimore Ravens vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers. Both based off great defenses. They don’t have Big Ben (Roethlisberger) but they have guys that can come in and get the job done. I know they have a veteran offensive line, pretty solid, they still have some good receivers, their back is pretty good.

“They are still the same old Pittsburgh. They are going to come in with the run game. They have Mike Tomlin, he is a physical coach, so he is going to come in with a physical team. They are going to try to be physical and run the ball down our throats. That is a challenge for the front seven to slow down the run.”

Well then, it looks like McPhee has added a little spice to this matchup, and possibly brought some of that old school feel to this storied rivalry between AFC North opponents. Even quarterback Lamar Jackson chimed in on the rivalry, and I’m sure Steelers fans will love how he described the “Renegade” tradition in Heinz Field, and the Terrible Towels.

“Physical, everyone after each other. I just can’t wait to perform in it.” Jackson said. “They play that little song (Renegade), they wave their little flags and stuff, with the little towels around. It was pretty dope. I enjoyed it.”

Oh yeah, you can already start to feel the tension building over this upcoming Week 5 game at Heinz Field. There is a lot on the line between the 1-3 Steelers and 2-2 Ravens. How much? The winner of this game could find themselves in first place of the division on Tuesday morning depending on the outcome of the Cleveland Browns and San Francisco 49ers Monday Night Football game.

Stay tuned to BTSC for the latest news and notes surrounding the black-and-gold as they prepare for the Ravens this Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.