The Ravens LoungeWelcome into Lounge presented by DraftKings. I'm Ryan Ink here with Garrett Downing and we are thrilled to sit down with fullback Pat Ricard.
Who's back.
Uh?
Pat, really good to have you back. And I feel like I'll.
Break a little news for you. You are now a co host of the Lounge. You've been on so many times. It's now the three of us on the Lounge. Congratulations, buddy, thank you.
Welcome to my show.
Everybody, my special guests here, and then I had my wife and my daughter back here. You know, they had a join on the show. But of course always good to be on the podcast with you guys.
I know you just signed the contract. I don't know how closely, yeah said. You are now the third member of the Lounge.
I officially got stock in this.
So well, we're thrilled to have you back, really excited, and can you just take us through how the process worked, how'd it come to be?
You know, it was one of those things when the season ended, I knew it's gonna be a free agent, and my heart, my mind knew I wanted to come back. It was just really hard to see me play for a different team live in a new city, have different coaches, teammates, all the people in this building. So when it came down for the Ravens to give me an offer, it was to you know, kind of see if if kind of what my market is and if it's even worth leaving this building and this team, and at the end of.
The day, just just wasn't the right decision for me.
So ultimately I signed back and I'm very happy and I recited, and you know, Baltimore's home for me. It's gonna be my ninth year here, so you know, just just happy.
Yeah. Yeah.
It's kind of crazy because like we were saying throughout going into free agency, like it's just gonna work out, and Eric kind of said that at the end of season press conference. He was like, we've done multiple deals, like I feel like we'll be able to get it done. And I was just kind of like, yeah, this is just gonna happen. And then like you get closer and I'm like it's gonna happen, right, like we're sure it's gonna happen, Like how did you kind of handle it?
It was kind of like, Okay, let's see if the team wants me back first and foremost because I know I want to be back, So it's like, you know, it's a business at the end of the day. Maybe they want to don't want the position anymore, maybe they think I'm too old, maybe they think I played didn't play very well, all those things, but it was kind of like, Okay, they want me back, then I'm going to.
I personally want to come back.
So I felt like it the only way, like I said, only why I wasn't coming back if there was just an offer from a team that was just way too good to pass up on that it just didn't make sense for me to say no to. But it's still I think it it would have to be some at this point, I think ridiculous offer just because I love it here. I've been here, Like I feel like Baltimore is one of the best fits for me just in terms.
Of what I do, how I'm used. But yeah, I don't know.
It's just it's one of those things where like it would have tooken taken a lot for me to leave, and I just felt like the right decision was to come back and not even really fully explore those options because you know, I signed two days into free agency in my position, it's you know, I'm not a top priority for teams. It's going to be one of those things where it takes a little bit of time to see. So like, you know, I could I could have gambled and said, you know, I don't want to play for the Rains anymore. Let's see what other teams are gonna want to give me, or what's out there for me, you know, just whatever it may be. So it's just kind of one of those things where I just felt like, you know, the right decisions to stay.
How weird is that position to be in where it's almost like a game of musical chairs and there aren't a whole lot of teams that employ a fullback, especially one you know, like you right right, and you know you're in this position of being like are there even any chairs out there for me to find?
You know what I mean? Like that's a weird position to be.
It's like the fullback market is already pretty limited comparing to other positions. You know, if I was a quarterback, every team needs a quarterback, they need a backup quarterback exactly. So for me, it's like, you know, there's a handful of teams that use it and then there might be teams that don't use it, but because of what I do, they might want to use it. So you just don't know, and it takes time to get the coaches on board, the front office on board, everyone on board, and then want to invest into the position. So it's kind of one of those things. And then for me, it's like I'm three hundred pounds. I'm really good at multiple things, better at.
Most better or not and most.
So it's like I have to also fit schemes of offenses and offensive coordinators have to get creative. And that's why I love being here because all the offense corners I've had here have been able to use me and utilize me, and you know, I think I have great success.
Right right, all right, I have to cross this off the list here because reports came out today that the Steelers are hosting cole Use check on a visit, so they're in the fullback market. Tell me Pat that you never considered all right.
No, I mean no, no, no, no, I don't answer.
It's one of those things where you're in the free agey process and your agent reached out and said, hey, so and so has interest to reach out to me in the back of my head, I'm like, there's no effing way I'm ever going to this place. I'm not going to say where, right, Okay, well okay, you know, it's one of those things. And it's like I don't care if they pay me a billion dollars, I don't.
Know, as long as that went through your mind.
Yeah, yeah, that's yeah, exactly, that's great.
So, like you coming back here. Obviously this office was really good last year. You were a huge part of it. Derek Henry had a monster season, like was was running it back. Just part of the reason that you want to come back here, Like, let's just keep us stay.
Yeah, Like, it's just like we've been in the playoffs so many years as I've been here, so many cracks at it where I just feel like the more we get to that spot, like the better odds we are to go all the way and.
Win the whole thing.
And and like I just felt like I would have been the dumbest player on this planet if I were to leave Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry and the weapons that we have and the coaches that we have to where it's like why would And I want to play with these guys, you know, it's like, yeah, it's it's very exciting.
Especially the success we had last year.
We're only going to build on it and get better and I'm just excited to, you know, play with these guys.
Well, Pat, I really think it's a testament to you that you've become part of the Ravens offensive identity. You know, like it's hard for us to imagine the Ravens offense without you, And that's a testament to you. Like what does that what feeling does that give you?
That?
Like the Ravens are a team that invests in a fullback and a three hundred pound fullback and like they want to keep bringing you back.
Yeah, I mean I think it's it's super cool.
I mean to come here as an n drafted d lineman and then for them to give me the opportunity to play fullback and keeping reinvesting in it and to keep using it and having success, I mean, it means the world to me.
And that's why I love this place.
I think They've given me so many opportunities that other places haven't and to kind of be the person offense to know that like we're a physical team.
We play to the whistle. We don't give up all these things.
That I try to represent, and it's really cool to hear that. You know, if I wasn't here, the offense would just feel different or be different. Yeah, and we have so many incredible players, so to even have that even spoken about is h It's truly special and another reason why I wanted to come back for you.
In addition to resigning, you also brought back Ronnie Stanley. Like you you two were you know, big two items that were on the to do list for the offense in particular and for the team that you're like, Okay, hopefull they can keep these guys really important pieces of this team. So I guess just how they just bring basically when the offense, the offense is coming back intact the starting offense with the exception of Pat McCarey, plus the up plus you add DeAndre Hopkins to the mix. But like the starting offense, now add DeAndre Hopkins is there as coming back. How excited are you just about the potential of this offense and what you guys can do this year?
Yeah?
I mean, look, last year we were I think finished the number one offense in terms of just I think efficiency, all these different stats you can go on about all these different things that it makes a lot of sense that we're keeping a lot of the same guys.
But now you know, you got d Hop and you don't know who else we're gonna add.
And it's just it's exciting to know the potential is it's gonna get even it's gonna increase, it's gonna get even more exciting and what we can do, and it's just it's just really, it makes a lot of sense for Eric to keep you know, the similar offense, same guys, coaching staff, all these things, because I think we were right there last year. So now, how can we get better? Okay, let's bring d Hop in. Okay, uh, maybe let's tweak how I don't know all these different things that can only help the offense be more efficient, scor more points, more yards, first downs, all these things.
Maybe you know, maybe I throw the ball once I can't throw.
It's kind of like when Monk was talking.
We had mounket on recently and he was talking about guys come up with plays and took plays and all this stuff.
So you're in his ear.
Now that would be very tricky, you know.
So we have Derek Henry under center, right, he snaps the ball, pitches it to me. I grab it, I'm running, yes, and I throw it back shoulder faded Ronnie Stanley on the corner end zone.
I thought, you say, you feel it's a lamar something.
I thought he was going, Yeah, that's twist emotion them or something. Yeah, at least blockument, you know.
Yeah, that's great. Pat last one for me.
You know, you have your beautiful wife and daughter here with us. How has that changed your life as a person and as a player.
How does it affect you?
And then secondarily like are you cooking up pancakes or you the pancake cheft on Saturday mornings?
No, I'm not, man, No, only.
She's she's making her pancakes. She's making her banana protein pancakes.
Right, yeah, nice, Yeah, that's good stuff. You know. We gotta get her going now.
Yeah.
Yeah, no, but it's been It's always hard people just you know, try to describe being her first time parents always super hard to describe. And now I get to experience it. I think the biggest thing I always tell people is just the amount of joys brought to my life. I didn't realize like every time I look at her, just like how happy it makes me feel, or or when I think about her, or you know, if I'm kind of by myself, if I'm feeling you know, down or lonely or whatever it may be, and I look at pictures of Emerson, it just gets me, like I just start like like glowing inside. And then on top of that, just like our families, like I didn't realize like how much they were gonna like love her, and like I should have expected it, but like I don't know, I just didn't realize like how much your family and yourself can love humans so much.
I think that's been the coolest thing.
And just to kind of see her grow and every day, you know, just she look like more.
Like me kind of or like my wife, you know. So it depends to she's thrown a block or not. It's been really cool.
If she turns one in like ten days, is so she's gonna have a Miss Rachel party.
I'm very familiar with mister. We can spend a lot of time.
We know Pat and I'm sure can sing all the songs.
My kids are too old, I don't know, Miss Rachel. I gotta I gotta catch up.
She's now on Netflix. Okay, yeah, she was just on YouTube.
I know what, I'll watch it tonight.
Yeah, Miss Rachel for Halloween, so we can we can identify with that one heard.
Miss Rachel come up? Yes, I know that. I know that.
Look well awesome, Pat Man. We're excited to have you back. It's big for the team and it's excited to keep this thing going. Welcome back to the Launch podcast when you're here in the seat Geek Studio. We also want to mention our partners of the Draft King sports Book. They are an official sports betting partner, oh the Baltimore Ravens Draft King sports Book. The Crown is yours. So it's always good to sit down with Pat. He's one of our favorite guys and it's excited to have him here in Baltimore for another year. So congrats to him and his family and get the deal done. And and as we've talked about many times, I think he's going to continue to just be a really important piece of this offense.
Yeah, absolutely, And you know, Pat wanted to be back, The Ravens wanted him back. Glad that it worked out that way, and and yeah, he's part of the identity of this offense, so very good things to come. I'm sure Derek Henry is a happy man as well.
Yeah, no doubt about it. So congratulations to Pat. Thank you so much for watching and listening. As always, you can email us at the lounge at Ravens dot NFL dot net. Let us know what thoughts you have about bringing Pancake Pat back, which I'm sure you were very excited about. Also any other thoughts about free agency. So thank you for watching and listening. We'll talk with you again so
