At some point last season, Head Coach John Harbaugh looked at Ravens defensive end Brent Urban and told him to take a good, hard look at himself.
Really, look in the mirror.
Urban is a 6-foot-7, 300-pound mountain of a man. He should be kicking tail on every play, Harbaugh told him (in roundabout terms).
Urban's going to get his chance this year, as he's projected to be the defense's new starter replacing departed free agent Lawrence Guy. And judging by Saturday's preseason opener, Urban's up to the task.
Urban dominated the Redskins' first- and second-team offensive lines. On a defense that shined and shut Washington out in the first half, Urban was the player who stood out most with four tackles, one sack and two forced fumbles.
"You know, there's a lot of expectations being on the starting defense, and every time I go out there I try to hold myself to those standards," Urban said.
"It was pretty great to go out there and make a couple of plays. I think we played well as a defensive front, and luckily a few plays came my way."
On Washington's first offensive series, he nearly got a sack on third-and-long. Urban bullied his blocker into the backfield and safety Anthony Levine Sr. knifed through for the sack.
On the Redskins' second drive, Urban blew up a run on third-and-short. Defensive tackle Michael Pierce cleaned up the play to get the tackle.
On the fourth drive, Urban tracked down Redskins quarterback Colt McCoy from behind to get a sack and forced the ball out (recovered by McCoy). Later on the same drive, Urban again got into the backfield, reached out and punched the ball out of the running back's hands.
A fourth-round pick out of Virginia in 2014, Urban missed his entire rookie season because of a torn ACL. He missed 10 games during his sophomore year after tearing his biceps in training camp. Last year was his first healthy season, but he played in a reserve role for all 16 games and made 10 tackles and two sacks.
"I think coming off the injuries, you kind of doubt yourself a little bit in certain ways," Urban said. "The way I feel, how my body is responding to practices every day feels so much better, and it builds your confidence every day."
With Guy now in New England, it's Urban's time. The Canadian-born former big-time hockey player has the ability.
"I personally expect Brent to be a dominant five-technique," Harbaugh said. "He knows that's how we feel about him, he knows that's how I feel about him, and that's what's expected of him. He had a good start tonight."
