The Baltimore Ravens and the New England Patriots have had plenty of great matchups, with many of the games being extremely close and hard fought. Many legendary players have participated in the contests, including Ray Lewis, Tom Brady and others.
On a recent episode of the “I Am Athlete” podcast, former New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman was asked which player he hated playing against during his time in the NFL. Out of every player he faced, he pointed to Ravens cornerback Jimmy Smith as his answer.
“I would play a lot of outside with Jimmy. I was [the outside receiver] at that time. I was F. Me and Jimmy, I remember him—like I trained over at Exos in LA and I remember him coming out and he was really quick in and out of breaks and I’m like, ‘Who’s this dude?’ And then we started playing against each other and that’s when we were playing Baltimore like twice a year. So like, we know each other. You know when you play teams a lot, I know your tendency, you know my tendency, so like, this is what we’re going to see who can win. So like there would be times he would win. He was a long guy. He was also kind of quick. He was patient at the line of scrimmage. He kind of knew how to.. he kind of knew how to f—- me. I won my battles but he won his. We always played in important games against each other.”
Who was the player that Pats WR Julian Edelman hated playing against?
Ravens CB Jimmy Smithpic.twitter.com/DQGhky6rg3
— Sarah Ellison (@sgellison) June 27, 2022
This isn’t the first time a current or former Patriot has given praise to a Ravens player. Coach Bill Belichick described how former Baltimore safety Ed Reed would leave him in awe.
“One of the greatest plays I’ve seen in the NFL” – Bill Belichick@TwentyER recalls the time he outsmarted Peyton Manning.
📺: #NFL100 All-Time Team on @NFLNetwork pic.twitter.com/cb5e1xBV2d
— NFL (@NFL) December 7, 2019
While on the field the two teams have had a rivalry, off of it they have respect for each other, and it shows. Smith was one of the better cornerbacks in the league when he was healthy, and the praise that he received from Edelman shows just that.
