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There is a respect which resides between the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers. Now, don’t get respect and admiration confused here, because the two teams still despise each other. But there is a greatness recognizes greatness feeling between the two franchises.
That doesn’t mean the Steelers, and their fans, don’t still enjoy to see things not go Baltimore’s way. This would certainly be the case as 35-year old, and 8x Pro Bowl Guard, Marshall Yanda has decided to call it a career.
#Ravens eight-time Pro Bowl guard Marshal Yanda will retire and make it official this week, source confirms (as @jamisonhensley reported). After strongly considering it last year, one of the great run-blockers steps away this year.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 10, 2020
As Ian Rapoport of NFL Network points out, Yanda almost hung up the cleats prior to the 2019 season, but decided to give it one more year. And it seems that is enough for him.
Yanda was great for a lot of reasons, his run blocking being paramount, but also his versatility along the line. Yanda was able to step up in certain situations at multiple positions, and his durability was a constant for the Ravens along the offensive line.
As for the Steelers, I’m sure the likes of Stephon Tuitt, Cameron Heyward and others will enjoy not having to deal with Yanda in the future. As the Steelers prepare to potentially gut their roster of dead weight, their division rivals will now be forced to fill a gigantic hole along their line left by Yanda’s departure.
Few have done it better than Yanda since he entered the NFL, but it is safe to say the Steelers won’t miss Yanda on game days when the Ravens and Steelers square off against one another.
Be sure to stay tuned to BTSC for the latest news and notes surrounding the black-and-gold as they prepare for the new league year to start in March, as well as the 2020 NFL Draft in April.