Welcome to the latest edition of *Inside Answers, where we've taken questions from fans and brought them to a top performer in the Ravens' most-recent game. *
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Here's center Jason Brown with his answers to your questions about Baltimore's 31-3 loss to the Colts and his life in Charm City.
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[Ed. note: Questions may have been edited for clarity.]
Anthony Morris, Delaware: Hey Jason, thanks for taking your time out to answer my question. As a center myself on the collegiate level, I know there is a lot that goes into game preparation for you and all the calls and adjustments that you have to make, being the quarterback of the line.
Having a rookie quarterback behind you, are there a lot more adjustments that you have to make to help ensure that you take care of him and give him as much time possible. I would imagine there is a lot of stuff that you have seen that Flacco hasn't.
Jason Brown:"We split the responsibilities. Yes, I do make the line calls for the offensive line, but the quarterback's job is to make checks to his receivers as to what coverages are out there. The quarterback doesn't really direct the offensive line, and the center doesn't change the routes for the receivers. So, while I'm making some of the calls for my guys, there are two separate responsibilities out there, even when we have to work together. Thanks for the question."
Warren Moyd, Baltimore, Maryland: As a center, I know that you face many "good" tackles and linebackers. Who is the toughest in the league to block?
JB:"Oooh, that's a good one. At this point in the year, it would be a tie between [Tennessee defensive tackle Albert] Haynesworth or [Cleveland defensive tackle] Shaun Rodgers. Those guys are two of the best in the league. They're man-childs. They definitely play the game tough in the trenches.
"Of course, we've got some pretty good ones here. It wouldn't be fun to go up against Haloti [Ngata] in a game. If I was on another team, he would be my answer."
Curtis Alefeld, Waynesboro, Virginia: If you didn't play football what would you do?
JB:"Well, that's a tough one, because I haven't thought about that lately. I think I would say a teacher. I don't have an education degree now, but would think about going back to school so I could teach. That would be fun."
Christopher Majoue, Slydell, Louisiana: Hey Jason, my question is: I know you played center at North Carolina, so how smooth was the transition to move back to center as a Raven? By the way I think you guys as a team are doing a great job, keep your heads up and keep up the good work.
JB:"Thanks for the support. And that's a good question. Really, since I played center in college, it wasn't much of a transition to go back to the position. I felt like it was home for me.
"But, going from center to guard wasn't too hard. It's doing some of the same types of things – moving in a small space. I think my body type, the way I'm stocky, helps me on the interior of the line."
Ryan Rudzinski, Gaithersburg, Maryland: Jason, I saw your cooking show during the pre-game where you made a chicken w/ brown rice dish. It looked delicious. Any thoughts of opening a restaurant in Baltimore?
JB:"Ha ha. Thanks for watching. You know what? I don't think I would. The level of competition from Baltimore restaurants is pretty high. I think I'll leave that up to the professionals, and I can just eat the food they make. Sounds good to me."
Dave Morgan, Milton Keynes, United Kingdom: How does blocking for a quarterback prone to scrambling differ from blocking for a pure pocket passer? And which, if either, is easier?
JB:"A little bit. If there's a guy like Steve McNair, he's a guy that stands in the pocket, no matter what's going on around him. He was almost stubborn in that. But, you knew where he was going to be, and you defended him with your life.
"Now, if you get a guy like Troy Smith in there, who is going to scramble a little, you have to have the mentality that you could be running around a little more, too. You have to make sure you keep the guy you're blocking in front of you, even if you're moving left to right because he's chasing your quarterback."
