Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker had just nailed a game-winning, 49-yard field goal to defeat the San Francisco 49ers, 20-17, Dec. 1.
Tucker, the man of the hour, was the person to talk to after the game, and as he stepped to the podium to begin his post-game news conference, he had some fun with the media.
“I feel like in the spirit of my teammates who have been up here to talk to you guys the last few weeks, I should say something like real inspiring like BIG TRUSS … and I’ll open it up for questions,” Tucker said.
The saying has become synonymous with the team and a rallying cry on social media. It’s gone viral, especially after Tucker’s opening remarks.
“It’s been outrageous,” defensive tackle Michael Pierce said on Glenn Clark Radio Dec. 4. “I got people back home in Mobile, Ala., saying, ‘Next time you get on an interview, you have to say it.’ That’s gone viral man. It’s dope.”
However, the origins of it are fuzzy, though most people point to quarterback Lamar Jackson.
After the Ravens’ 41-7 blowout win against the Houston Texans Nov. 17, running back Mark Ingram introduced Jackson to the media with the phrase. For the team, however, it’s less about who said it and more about what it means.
“Big Truss is something we throw around in the locker room,” running back Gus Edwards said on Glenn Clark Radio Dec. 3. “This like Year Two of it, honestly. To me, it’s a testament to how close we are, how we trust each other, how everybody’s ready when they’re called upon.”
Truss goes back to trust, working toward the same goals as the people around you and having faith in your supporting cast.
The Ravens have been a team on a mission this season, now sitting atop the AFC at 10-2. But there’s a real sense of togetherness throughout the team. When everyone is on the same page, it creates that trust.
“It just means, literally, like a brother, a familyhood-type thing,” Pierce said. “Once things catch fire in the locker room, it just rolls out.”
It did take a while for some, like Pierce, to grab hold of it since originally, he was confused as to why trust was being spelled truss.
“I didn’t know what it meant at first,” Pierce said. “I knew, but I didn’t really identify with it, but it stuck on and it’s going global now.”
Ravens fans alike will continue to echo “Big Truss” around the region for the rest of the season as the team gears up for what promises to be a deep playoff run.
The fan base can feel the excitement of this season, and the players are doing what they can, week in and week out, to keep the positive vibes going around Baltimore.
“Guys just work hard. Guys wanna win on the team and it’s amazing to see everything come together on Sundays,” Edwards said. “I just hope and I know that we’ll keep it going.”
To hear more from Pierce, listen to the full interview here:
And to hear more from Edwards, listen to the full interview here:
Photo Credit: Kenya Allen/PressBox