He didn't say what it was for, but cornerback Lardarius Webb revealed that Defensive Coordinator Dean Pees ripped into the defense this week following its first two preseason games.
Pees understood that it was just the preseason. He understood that the secondary is still rounding into form, Webb said.
But the defense the first-year coordinator saw wasn't the patented Ravens defense.
"He gave it to us about something, but it wasn't about the first two games," Webb said. "We still have to understand that it is the Ravens defense and we expect a certain level of play around here, and that's from everybody."
The fast, physical Ravens defense made an appearance Thursday night against the Jaguars in its best performance of the preseason. Baltimore held Jacksonville to just three points through the first three quarters and 258 total yards.
Particularly without last year's leading rusher in Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville's offense isn't as lethal as those in Atlanta or Detroit – two units that found great success through the air against Baltimore.
But the Jaguars did put up 32 and 27 points, respectively, against the New York Giants and New Orleans Saints in their two earlier preseason games. Second-year quarterback Blaine Gabbert had back-to-back games with quarterback ratings over 100.
The Ravens held Gabbert to just 11 completions on 21 attempts for 117 yards and sacked him once, finishing with a quarterback rating of 68.9.
"We came out today and gave 110 percent and were flying to the ball," Webb said. "As long as they're flying to the ball like that, we can play ball with anybody."
Webb led the Ravens with six tackles. He said he was just trying to get to the ball before anyone else.
Webb said safety Bernard Pollard set the tone with a huge hit early in the first quarter, and the rest of his teammates followed from there.
The Ravens mostly shut out the Jaguars' starting offense. They gave up two long drives, but kept them out of the end zone both times. Jacksonville settled for a 25-yard field goal and defensive end Pernell McPhee blocked another attempt.
"The goal is to go out there and make plays regardless, no matter what game it is," linebacker Jameel McClain said. "Whether it's the last preseason game, the first preseason game, or the third, we want to go out there and be competitive and show our style of defense."
Following the game, a number of defensive players were asked for their impression of the offense's performance in the third preseason game.
While the defenders are happy to see the offense excel, Webb stressed that it isn't license for the defense to drop off.
"We want that same pressure [to be great] no matter what the offense is doing," Webb said. "We want to be dominant. … When we handle our business and [the offense] handles their business, you see what the score's going to look like."
