The Baltimore Ravens squared off against the Tennessee Titans on Oct. 8 as part of the NFL’s London games, with the Ravens coming away with a 24-16 victory. The two AFC teams have butted heads plenty the last few years, meaning both sides are more than familiar with the competition.
Front and center on the Titans’ special teams units sits Morgan Cox. The 6-foot-4, 233-pound long snapper is a Tennessee constant coming off the fifth Pro Bowl selection of his illustrious career but a familiar face to Baltimoreans as well.
Cox is well regarded in Baltimore for the 11 years he spent in the black and purple. He made plenty of connections with Ravens greats along the way as well. As the veteran trudges through his third year with the Titans and 14th year in the league, he is still much more willing to reflect on his time with record-setters like Ravens kicker Justin Tucker than his future.
Cox snapped for Tucker from 2012-2020.
“He’s done some amazing things that even I look back and I’m just like, ‘I can’t believe we did that,” Cox said on Glenn Clark Radio Oct. 11. “I’m so proud of him and he deserves every bit of recognition he gets, and the respect he gets from around the league is second to none. There’s nobody that doesn’t look at him as being the best in the game.”
Cox, who played in 165 games for the Ravens between 2010 and 2020 and filled a notable role on the Super Bowl XLVII team, was also drawn to team-first contributors like Anthony Levine Sr., who is now a special teams assistant coach for the Titans after playing for the Ravens from 2012-2021.
Like Cox, Levine was a special teams stalwart in Baltimore.
“He’s such a presence around this locker room,” Cox said. “He’s been here for a short time, and you can just tell the respect that he has garnered from young players that just want to learn from him, so I’m excited to see where his career is going to go in terms of coaching. He was so great at his craft when he was in the league, and I think that translates into the coaching career as well.”
As comfortable as reminiscing makes Cox, the present remains his focus. Tucker and his threat to flip games no longer benefits Cox, as evidenced in the future Hall of Fame kicker spoiling the Titans’ day with six field goals.
Cox recently had his number retired at Evangelical Christian (Tenn.) and played his college ball at the University of Tennessee, and he relishes playing close to home with the Titans. But the 37-year-old is sure to hang on to his memories with the Ravens, regardless of what happened in London.
“I’m very appreciative of my career, but the thing that means the most to me is the relationships I’ve gotten to cultivate over the years,” Cox said.
For more from Cox, listen to the full interview here:
Photo Credit: Kenya Allen/PressBox