Baltimore Ravens Backup QB Tyrod Taylor

Baltimore Ravens backup quarterback, Tyrod Taylor, is playing a key role in this week’s game preparation.

The Ravens head to Philadelphia this Sunday to play the Eagles. They are the underdog and pulling out all stops to improve their chances of winning.

Eagles’ quarterback Michael Vick and Taylor know each other from growing up in neighboring towns in Virginia. Vick grew up in Newport News; Taylor in Hampton. Both attended and played football at Virginia Tech. Taylor broke some of Vick’s football records at Tech.

Taylor has a similar skill set to Vick, the only difference is while Vick is left handed, Taylor is right handed.  Both have even speed.

Taylor said it is easy to “be” Vick:

“The things that we bring, what I bring to the table and what he brings, kind of overlap,” Taylor said. “It’s kind of easy for me to go out and reenact those things.”

Vick prepped Taylor for playing in the NFL and helped him adapt to the professional game. They remain close to this day; have been ever since the Ravens drafted Taylor in 2011.

Vick likes what he sees in Taylor:

“That’s my guy,” Vick said. “He’s a great kid. He’s trying to learn as much as he can, and he’s getting better as a quarterback as I watch him.”

Taylor has watched Vick play for the last ten years, he knows his game very well which is beneficial to the Ravens.  He is excited to play the role of his former mentor this week.

“I’ve watched him enough through his time in high school, college and a lot of the things he’s done in the NFL,” Taylor said. “He’s one of my favorite guys who plays quarterback. We have a lot of similar things that we bring to the table. Going out there and trying to do some of the things that he does, it’s not that hard for me.”

I think it’s great that the Ravens are using Taylor to prep for Sunday’s game. Hopefully this will give them the extra edge they need to pull off a win. Being the underdog will make they fight that much harder in the City of Brotherly Love.