The Baltimore Ravens’ rookie safety Matt Elam was getting into a bit of hot water after running his mouth last week. He called Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson old, getting some back lash from fans and media. After the game he changed his tune.
“No disrespect to Megatron, (but) I didn’t mean it that way,” Elam said, via The Baltimore Sun. “I just feel like it’s Monday night, (and) everybody is watching. You’re going to give your best game anyway. It shouldn’t be somebody calling somebody out to play a good game.
“… He’s one of the greatest receivers in the game,” Elam added. “I have no disrespect for him. It was just my competitive spirit. I just want to win.”
After Justin Tucker hit a 61-yard field goal, the Lions had 38 seconds roughly to get down field and score. On the very first play from scrimmage, Matt Elam intercepted a Matthew Stafford pass to end the game.
“I’m very proud of Matt,” cornerback Lardarius Webb said. “After he made those comments, the guys were messing with him, teasing him a little bit. You could tell by how he was focused this week, he was into it, so I knew he was going to have a big game.”