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There were a few suitors for T.J. Houshmandzadeh’s services, but how did the Ravens end up with the Pro Bowl receiver?
After eight years facing the Ravens’ perennially-dominant defense as a member of the Cincinnati Bengals, Houshmandzadeh was happy to join his former tormentors.
“It’s hard to be optimistic when you know what you’re going against,” said Houshmandzadeh in Tuesday’s press conference. ”I’ve sat in rooms when coaches had to game plan against these guys, and I know… how much stress that defense puts on people.
“To be on that side and not have to deal with it and worry about what protection is going to pick this up and what protection is going to pick that up, it’s great.”
If anything, Houshmandzadeh just wants to be a part of a winning culture.
During his tenure in Cincinnati, the Bengals posted only one winning record, taking the AFC North crown at 11-5 in 2005. In a brief stint with the Seattle Seahawks last year, Houshmandzadeh saw his squad post a disappointing 5-11 mark.
Once he was released as part of the Seahawks’ final cut, reports surfaced of Houshmandzadeh looking at the Oakland Raiders and Washington Redskins.
In the end, it was the Ravens who placed the championship bid.
“I’ve been on a lot of losing teams in my career,” Houshmandzadeh explained. ”It’s only five or six teams every year that have a legitimate shot to win a Super Bowl. That’s just what people think, but you’ve still got to go do it. This is one of the teams, even if I wasn’t here, [that] had a shot.”
Houshmandzadeh fielded a call from Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis, who told him about a winning culture in Baltimore.
But Houshmandzadeh stopped short of calling the conversation “recruiting.” In his eyes, Lewis was relaying what Houshmandzadeh already knew.
He learned about the Ravens’ tradition after facing them twice a year since he was a seventh-round draft pick of the Bengals in 2001.
Houshmandzadeh recalled telling Bengals coach Marvin Lewis to ask his assistants to calm down when preparing for the purple and black.
“They would be nervous like they were playing,” said Houshmandzadeh, causing a few laughs from reporters. ”I would tell Marvin that all the time, like, ‘Marvin, please tell the coaches, ‘Don’t come in this meeting room acting like they’re nervous because they don’t have to play.’
“That’s just the type of pressure when you play good teams that the coaches get nervous.”
Now, the key for Houshmandzadeh is to ingratiate himself with the offense. The Ravens expect him to play Week 1, and “Housh” knows he must earn the trust of his new teammates and coaches.
From what Houshmandzadeh understands about the Ravens, it won’t be difficult.
“I feel like I’m coming to play with guys that are similar to me emotionally, the way they play the game and how they love the game, and that’s where I need to be,” he said.
