Visanthe Shiancoe: '[Ravens] are Champions, You Can't Beat That'

When the Ravens hosted Visanthe Shiancoe this past Friday, little did they know the meeting would be as important as it became.

A day later, Dennis Pitta dislocated and fractured his hip, which placed him on season-ending injured reserve. The Ravens then signed Shiancoe to a one-year deal to help add depth to the tight end position. Shiancoe will compete for the backup tight end spot with Billy Bajema and Matt Furstenburg.

Shiancoe joined practice in the middle of Sunday's practice after signing. Afterward, he spoke to the Baltimore media for the first time as a member of the Ravens.

Here's the transcript of Shiancoe's first media session:

On how he is doing: "[I am] all good - glad to be here as a Raven. I'm really excited for the opportunity, and I'm just ready to work. Welcome back to Baltimore."

On if he approached the team or if the Ravens reached out to him: "We talked a couple of days ago. I watched practice with Ozzie [Newsome]. I spent the whole day here. I think that was Friday. We have a mutual respect for each other, and I think we are ready to work. I know we are ready to work, I do think so."

On what attracted him to the Ravens: "No. 1, they are champions. You can't beat that. You can't beat that type of energy here. They have a great team. A lot of people are coming back. They lost a couple of guys, but with Ozzie's [Newsome] personnel [staff], he knows how to bring in some good guys. They are pretty stacked on defense. They have a good offense. I just see a good opportunity here. That's what I see."

On his opportunity after TE Dennis Pitta got hurt: "That's unfortunate. That's unfortunate, but it's almost just like the next guy has to step up, and the team has to go on and still prepare. They owe it to the fans; they owe it to themselves."

On if he thought he would be signed by the Ravens before TE Dennis Pitta got hurt: "I still thought it was a good opportunity. I talked to Ozzie [Newsome] for a long time. I talked to John [Harbaugh]. Everything just panned out pretty well here."

On having good chemistry with Brett Favre in the red zone a couple of seasons ago and how he goes about building chemistry with QB Joe Flacco: "With a veteran quarterback and a veteran player that has been in the league for as long as we have, we definitely have to build some rapport and camaraderie. I think that starts today. I'm excited for all the experience and for the opportunity - should I say. I have good experience, and I'm going to bring it here. I'm going to bring everything I've got. I'm going to work as hard as I can. Nothing is given. You have to earn everything, and I understand that. That's what I've come in here to do. I have come in here nice and humble."

On how frustrating the 2012 season was for him with the New England Patriots after being injured: "It started off with an injury. I had a good injury up there with New England; I ripped my hamstring off the bone. I just want to leave that all in the past. You have eyes in the front of your head for a reason. You don't have eyes in the back of your head, so [I'm] just ready to focus on the feature, not at the past."

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