Ravens rookie tight end Crockett Gillmore got a good taste of the Ravens-Steelers rivalry Saturday night, and he didn't back down.
Gillmore, a hard-nosed, 6-foot-6, 251-pound Texas country boy, got slapped/punched by Steelers linebacker Jason Worilds after an 8-yard run by Justin Forsett in the second quarter.
Gillmore was blocking hard to the whistle and Worilds didn't appreciate it.
Here's Gillmore's take on the hit:
"I think that was the second one," he said with a chuckle. "It's just part of the game. I've got a helmet on. His hand probably hurts."
Gillmore and the Ravens did a good job of maintaining control in a heated playoff game in Pittsburgh.
It's something they struggled with last time in the 43-23 loss. The Ravens were penalized 10 times for 108 yards in Week 9.
This time, they took the Steelers punches and kept rolling. On Saturday, it was the Steelers who were flagged eight times for 114 yards while the Ravens were penalized twice for 14 yards.
"I never felt like we got pushed around, and we did a good job of keeping composure at the same time," Gillmore said. "Let them know you're here, but also not do anything stupid."
Gillmore also drew the ire of one other person: his mother. And he doesn't seem too scared of her either.
Gillmore scored his second touchdown of the season in the fourth quarter off a 21-yard pass from quarterback Joe Flacco, giving the Ravens a 15-point lead with just under eight minutes left. Gillmore was surprised by how open he was, and he cruised into the end zone.
"I had to hit the super spike," Gillmore said. "My mom is a little upset about the ball being gone [for a keepsake], but it's OK."
Gillmore also spiked his first touchdown, which also came in Pittsburgh in Week 9, into the stands where a fan retrieved it as a souvenir.
"I spiked it out of the stadium and then I did it again today," Gillmore said. "I do what I do. [My mom's] going to keep hounding on me and I'm going to keep spiking it out of the stadium."
Gillmore, a fourth-round rookie out of Colorado State, became more of a receiving weapon as the season went on. He now has five catches for 89 yards and a touchdown in his past four games. They're not gaudy stats, but Gillmore has shown a soft pair of hands.
"Like I've said from the beginning, I want to block," he said. "Everything after that is a plus for me."
