His smile radiates from the Columbia, Maryland Giant grocery store where he works all the way to M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.
If you have been to Ravens games, picked up your dinner ingredients or stepped foot in any community down I-95 you know die-hard Baltimore Ravens fan Jason Song.
The Atholton High School graduate is rarely seen these days wearing anything but his purple and black, but good luck catching him in a jersey or t-shirt more than once because he said he has too many to count.
Song Has Been “Bleeding Purple and Black” Since 2006
“I’ve been a fan for 15 years and I just hope the Ravens go back to the Championship for the first time since 2012,” Song said.
Song became a Ravens fan in 2006 he said after his hometown team recently won a Super Bowl and were trending upward, having just two seasons below .500 since his fandom began (2007, 2015).
Ray Lewis, Lamar Jackson Helped Song Pick Ravens as Favorite NFL Team
He also enjoyed the play of long-time Baltimore linebacker Ray Lewis, who he said helped him finalize his favorite NFL team.
Song also said current Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has made him love his team even more, although he didn’t know that was possible.
“My favorite Ravens players of all-time are Ray Lewis and Lamar Jackson,” Song said. “Jackson is my favorite because he can run as a quarterback really fast, he makes defenses miss and that’s why I was happy he got his first playoff win last week and I hope he can get his second tomorrow (Saturday, against the Buffalo Bills).
Song Enjoys Cheering For Jackson In Person, Going to Games with Family
Song has also had the opportunity to meet Jackson, get his autograph, watch him first-hand in training camp and seen him play in M&T Bank Stadium seven games across his three seasons. He has seen Jackson compete against division rivals the Cincinnati Bengals (twice) and Cleveland Browns, as well as the Los Angeles Chargers, the Arizona Cardinals, the Houston Texans and the Tennessee Titans.
Picture contributed by Jason Song.
However, even though he said he enjoyed being at all of those games with his parents and siblings, his favorite game to see Jackson play in was this season in Baltimore’s win against the Indianapolis Colts. He said it was meaningful because Baltimore has never beat the Colts in the Ravens’ history and he liked how well the defense played in the game.
He also added laughing that the only thing that would’ve made it better was seeing his cutout on TV that sits inside M&T Bank Stadium this season, but since the game was in Indiana, he didn’t have the opportunity. But, he wasn’t trying to get too picky.
“When I’m in M&T Bank Stadium I cheer loud for them,” Song said. “When we’re on offense, when we score a touchdown, I go crazy.”
Song: Three-Position Athlete for Howard County Hawks
Song is also a member of the Howard County Hawks, a branch of the Special Olympics affiliated with the Baltimore Ravens, who trains and plays at Ravens Stadium in the summer and fall months. He transitions between wide receiver, running back and center for the Hawks, but said playing WR is his favorite.
“We compete August through October and I have played the last two years with flag football,” Song said. “One of my favorite parts is getting autographs and playing football with them in the clinic and watching them practice for training camp.”
Collecting Autographs, Training Like Players Are in Song’s Wheelhouse
“I have autographs from Lamar Jackson, Joe Flacco, Nick Boyle, Justin Tucker, Brandon Williams and Hollywood Brown,” he said.
He added he likes watching the versatile players who play multiple positions so he can try and do what those players do when he plays in his games so he can mirror Jackson’s playing style.
Song especially got amped up on Jackson’s long touchdown run last week in Batimore’s opening round playoff win against the Titans. He also was quick to note that the Ravens’ win was Jackson’s first of his career, but also that he doesn’t think it will be his last in this postseason run.
Song: Baltimore Has Edge Over Buffalo in Many Facets
“I know the Ravens defense is way better than the Buffalo Bills’ defense,” Song said. “I think they can get more interceptions and turnovers.”
Song also highlighted back to some of his autographs from guys like wide receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown and tight end Nick Boyle when explaining how Baltimore can hand the Buffalo Bills an upset win this weekend on the offensive side of the ball.
If Jackson can use his legs and get his passing game going with finding more of some of the open receivers, he said, Baltimore will have an even bigger edge, especially since it already has the edge on defense.
“I don’t think the Bills have a good defense,” Song said. “I don’t think they can stop mobile quarterbacks at the moment and I know the Ravens offense is going to rush for a lot of yards.”
Bills Struggled in Wild Card Win
Buffalo allowed 163 rushing yards in the game last week on 30 attempts (6.2 yards per carry), as well as a whopping 472 total yards in the game against the Colts.
The Colts’ game plan was to control the clock and limit the amount of time the ball was in quarterback Josh Allen’s hands, and it almost worked. Indianapolis held the ball for a 34:17-25:43 time of possession advantage and had the game come down to the final play in its three-point loss. Song thinks Baltimore will approach Saturday’s game with a similar strategy that should bode more successful with a stronger run game.
Song Hopes for “A Lot of TDs” and a Baltimore Upset Win on the Road
“I hope Lamar throws a lot of touchdowns in the air so we can play keep away for a while,” Song said. “I think Lamar Jackson is the better mobile quarterback (and) I think he can out-play (Allen).”
This isn’t as far-fetched of a take as it may look, as Song’s prediction matches long-time NFL RB-turned analyst Maurice Jones-Drew’s call who predicted that Jackson will out-rush and out-pass Allen in the matchup this weekend on NFL.com’s weekly bold prediction’s article.
Song predicts the game to be close, but is giving Baltimore a 28-21 edge over Buffalo on the road thanks to the versatility he has seen first-hand from his favorite player and the weakness of the Bills’ defense.
“He (Jackson) can read defenses and I just hope he can escape the pressure,” Song said. “I hope he can see the receivers who are open and make sure his tight ends are open too.”
Regardless, he’ll be sure to be smiling and cheering from home in one of his many jerseys, even if he isn’t exactly sure which one he’s going to wear just yet.
– Kayla Morton is the Managing Editor for Full Press Coverage Miami Dolphins. She is also a co-host on the Full Press Fantasy Podcast and contributes various NFL content. Like and follow on Follow @northdakayla74 Follow @FPC_Dolphins and Facebook.
