NFL superstar Lamar Jackson heaps praise on Aussie man mountain Daniel Faalele as he played crucial role in win despite rookie status: ‘He just started dominating’
- Daniel Faalele made his NFL debut in Week 2 loss against Miami
- Aussie rookie was thrust in the spotlight again on Sunday against New England
- He replaced the injured Patrick Mekari and helped Baltimore to a 37-26 win
- Faalele was impressive at left tackle, a position he’d never played in before
Daniel Faalele is the latest Aussie to make a splash in the NFL, delivering a dominant performance that had Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson gushing with praise on Sunday.
The giant rookie made his NFL debut in the Ravens’ 42-38 loss against Miami in Week 2, but was thrown in at the deep end against New England on Sunday in Foxborough.
After starting left tackle Patrick Mekari went down injured early in the game, Faalele joined fellow rookie Tyler Linderbaum up front for Baltimore.
Daniel Faalele delivered a dominant performance as the Ravens beat New England 37-26
The Patriots immediately targeted the Aussie, with defensive end Deatrich Wise sacking Jackson twice as the reshuffled Ravens offensive line struggled to find its feet.
Gradually, however, the rookie grew into the game and the Ravens clinched a 37-26 win which put them joint-top of the AFC North with the 2-1 Cleveland Browns.
Well protected by Faalele Jackson completed 18 of his 29 passes for 218 yards and four touchdowns, adding 107 rushing yards and one score on the ground.
And the 2019 NFL MVP was full of praise for the Aussie rookie.
Lamar Jackson was full of praise for the Aussie rookie after an impressive performance
Well protected by Faalele, Jackson completed 18 of his 29 passes for 218 yards and four touchdowns, adding 107 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown.
“He just started dominating like he did in college,” Jackson told ESPN.
‘I didn’t doubt him at all. None of us did. It [the win] was for Pat [Mekari]. […] Shout out to Faalele because he stepped up major.’
Faalele’s performance was all the more impressive because it came in a different position from the one he played in throughout his college career at the University of Minnesota.
The Australian, who at 174kg is officially listed as the NFL’s biggest player, played 1,500 snaps at right tackle for the Golden Gophers but was asked to fill in at left tackle on Sunday.
Faalele played 90 percent of the Ravens offensive snaps in a position he’d never played before
Faalele played 54 snaps – 90 percent of the Ravens’ offensive snaps – in Foxborough.
He [Faalele] was just getting used to the game,’ Jackson added.
He wasn’t expecting to just have to get in there and play left tackle for someone else.
‘He got in and started executing, he got his feet wet, got out there and started doing what he was doing.’
Ravens coach John Harbaugh was full of praise for the Aussie rookie on Sunday
Ravens coach John Harbaugh echoed his quarterback’s praise for the Australian, noting Faalele quickly got up to speed with the demands of playing in a different position.
‘Early on we needed to help the left tackle, and we did a couple of times but then we didn’t need to,’ he said.
‘Then he [Faalele] kind of got his footing there, and then the run game started perking up.
‘I thought the offensive line played just a tremendous football game. They played really well last week, too, so they’re whipping into shape there.’
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