It’s safe to say Lawrence Guy is more than a little bit excited to join the New England Patriots.
Guy, who signed a four-year contract with New England last weekend after three seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, spent much of his introductory conference call Thursday raving about the Patriots organization.
“It’s a really good team,” the 26-year-old defensive lineman said. “They have a great owner, Mr. (Robert) Kraft, and a great coach in Bill Belichick. So it’s one of those opportunities that got put in front of me, and you can’t really pass up an opportunity to play for the Patriots. The Ravens organization was a great organization, and I’d just like to continue my career in New England.”
He added: “You look at certain teams, and you say, ‘Look, this organization prides itself on who they are, and they treat their players very well.’ And that’s how I’ve always looked at the Patriots — they treat their players well and they pride themselves in who they are. You can see it on the field and you can see it in the media, how they present themselves. I look at them as a great organization, and I’m glad I could be a part of it.”
The Patriots and Ravens have been rivals for years now. Guy played against New England twice during his three years in Baltimore, including once in the 2014 playoffs.
“I’ll be honest, I never thought it would be possible for me to join the Patriots,” said Guy, who spent time with the Indianapolis Colts and San Diego Chargers before joining the Ravens in 2014. “That’s why, when I heard about the opportunity, I was blessed. I was like, ‘I can’t believe I get to join this great organization.’
“But with the rivalry, when you play a team so much and there’s a contentious battle — in reality, what is a rivalry game? You’re going to give it your all. There’s going to be blood, sweat and tears. You’re going to fight, you’re going to cuss, and you’re going to play your hardest. And once you give it all out on those teams, you hope they have a fine respect for you like you have a fine respect for the players on that team.”
Guy clearly has that respect for the Patriots, whom he said he always enjoyed playing against.
“Every single year I got the opportunity to play (against New England), I just had a ball in the game,” Guy said. “And to get the chance to play with the team, that just brings out more emotions of, ‘Hey, I’m ready to go.’ You saw how I played against you guys — this time I’m going to play with you guys.”
Thumbnail photo via Mitch Stringer/USA TODAY Sports Images
