On Monday, for instance, No. 1 running back Derrick Henry surged toward a crevice in the middle of the defense only to be pulled abruptly to the ground by second-year linebacker Trenton Simpson. Henry popped right up without seeming aggrieved, but such flashes of aggression have caught Jackson’s eye, and he likes what they portend for the season.
“I believe iron sharpens iron,” he said, borrowing one of coach John Harbaugh’s go-to phrases. “We’ve got one of the best defenses in this league. We’re talking trash to those guys, [and] those guys are talking trash to us.