To celebrate the return of the NFL, let's profile the reigning champions: the Baltimore Ravens.
Starting Up: The Ravens used to be the Browns. As in the Cleveland Browns. Okay, TIME 4 BACKSTORY! The Browns started up in 1946, they went to ten straight championship games, won seven, then didn't again until 1964. After the 60s, things went downhill until the mid-80s when they became good enough to go to the AFC Championship Game three times in four seasons, only to lose to the Denver Broncos each time. After the 80s, things went downhill again, until Bill Belichick got hired as head coach, which paid dividends in 1994 when the Browns won 11 games and returned to the playoffs for the first time in five seasons. The team did so well, that Art Modell, the owner of the team, decided to announce that the team would be moving to Baltimore after the 1995 season, while the 1995 season was still going on, which resulted in the city of Cleveland imploding along with the team. They moved to Baltimore as promised, left their uniforms and win/loss and championship records in Cleveland, and effectively started from scratch as the Ravens in 1996. Okay... breathe.
They called themselves the Ravens in reference to Baltimore's most famous writer Edgar Allen Poe and arguably his most famous work, The Raven. They also decided that their new colors would be purple and black because... um...
Their original logo was this:
This logo caused a ton of controversy that lingers to this day. Uh... TIME 4 MORE BACKSTORY!! Baltimore used to be where the Colts played, but the Colts moved to Indianapolis after the 1983 season (literally in the middle of the night in moving trucks, we'll get to that eventually). Baltimore, obviously, was left without an NFL team, so they were always in the conversation when the NFL was talking about cities that could host teams for expansion or relocation. A man by the name of Frederick E. Bouchat proposed a logo for Mystery Baltimore Team in 1995 when it became clear that the Browns were moving there. It looked like this:
Look familiar? The good news for Bouchat was that the new Ravens liked the logo enough to adopt a similar design for the team. The bad news is, they didn't give Bouchat any credit or compensation for the design, despite the fact that Art Modell had seen the concept art for himself, and thus, knew who designed it. This resulted in a lawsuit where the courts ruled in favor of Bouchat, but rather than compensate him, Art Modell just had the logo changed to the current one at the top of the article in 1999, and Bouchat was given no monetary compensation for the original logo. He still hasn't over a decade later. In case you haven't gleamed this from the article so far, Art Modell was kind of a dick.
Greatest Runs
The 2000 Team: The first Super Bowl team. A mere five years after the team moved to Baltimore, the Ravens defense obliterated the record books. They allowed fewer points than the 1985 Bears (as I mentioned in an earlier article, one of the best defenses of all time) (165 to the Bears 198), allowed less than 3,000 passing yards, allowed for less than 1,000 rushing yards (!), and allowed only 16 total touchdowns all year (11 passing, 5 rushing). Christ! They were first or second in damn near every category pertaining to team defense and is probably the greatest defense in pro football history, certainly of the last fifteen years. The Ravens defense carried the team to a 12-4 record and a Super Bowl win, while famously boasting a mediocre at best passing offense led by Trent Dilfer.
The John Harbaugh/Joe Flacco Era (2008-Present): The last few years have been pretty good for the Ravens. Since John Harbaugh was hired as head coach and drafted Delaware quarterback Joe Flacco in the first round in 2008, the team has been a force in the NFL. They've made three of the last five AFC Championship Games, culminating in a Super Bowl win this past season. They've also been one of the most balanced teams in the league featuring the great passing game led by Joe Flacco, a great running game led by Ray Rice, and as always, the defense has been great, making the Ravens one of the powerhouse teams in the AFC.
Leanest Years
The Early Years (1996-1999): As I mentioned, the Ravens were the Cleveland Browns, so when the team became the Baltimore Ravens in 1996, it was mostly made up of players who were wearing orange logoless helmets a few months prior. Of course, seeing as how the Browns of that time had had one winning record in six seasons, they weren't exactly the most talented team. The first few years was a feeling out period for the team, drafting players that would contribute for years to come, and weeding out the more expendable players. They were extremely mediocre most of their first years, and as such, there's not a whole lot to delve in to.
Every Other Year After 2001 (2002-2007): After the first Super Bowl win, the Ravens would be good one year, then bad the next for the next seven or eight seasons, thanks in no part to the fact that the Ravens couldn't find consistently good quarterback play for the life of them (most infamously, with Kyle Boller above). They won their first division title in 2003, then missed the playoffs for the next two seasons. Then they won a franchise best 13 games in 2006, were quickly eliminated from the playoffs by the future Super Bowl champion Indianapolis Colts (in Baltimore against the team that left the city, which made it that much worse), and bottomed out at 5-11 the next year, losing a franchise worst seven games in a row at one point (including to the then 0-13 Miami Dolphins, who ended their season 1-15). Shockingly, head coach Brian Billick was fired after the season.
Names You Should Know
Art Modell: The original owner of the Ravens, and before that, the owner of the Cleveland Browns for over thirty years. Modell moved the team to Baltimore, making him the pariah of pariahs in Cleveland, but also the king of kings in Baltimore. He moved the team to Baltimore primarily to get a better stadium, but he was also a savy owner in the NFL, and felt bad at the way the Colts had left Baltimore years earlier (he also apparently had no understanding of the concepts of self-awareness or irony). The first few years, he transitioned Baltimore back into NFL relevance, hiring popular former Baltimore Colts coach Ted Marchibroda as Ravens coach and playing in Memorial Stadium until M&T Bank Stadium was built. Classy moves done in the worst way imaginable, but classy nonetheless. Modell finally won a Super Bowl in 2000, and sold the team to Ravens minority owner Steve Bisciotti in 2003. He died in 2012.
Ozzie Newsome: Formally a hall of fame tight end for the Browns, Newsome transitioned to the team's front office almost immediately after his playing career ended after 1990. He followed the team to Baltimore in 1996, and became the first (and to date, only) general manager in franchise history. Every great player the Ravens have drafted or picked up in some way since 1996 has been Newsome's doing. His career as a general manager has been so stellar that he should be given an opportunity to be put in the hall of fame again as a contributor.
Vinny Testaverde: The first Raven to be selected to a Pro Bowl (in 1996 along with safety Eric Turner, but no one gives a shit about him). Testaverde played a long, long time from 1987 to 2007. He was mostly an average quarterback in his career, but he had some pretty decent years for the Browns and Ravens. If nothing else, he was better than damn near every other quarterback the Ravens had until 2008.
Jonathan Ogden: The first draft pick in Ravens history, and what a pick it was! Ogden was one of the best offensive linemen in football of his era, right in line with Walter Jones, Will Shields and Larry Allen. He has the second most Pro Bowl selections (11) and the third most 1st Team All Pro nods (4) in Ravens history. He was also the first long time Raven to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame (Rod Woodson, Shannon Sharpe and Deion Sanders have been previously inducted, but none of them spent significant time with the Ravens), going in with the current class of 2013.
Ray Lewis: The second draft pick in Ravens history, and what a pick it was! Lewis is probably the best middle linebacker in pro football history, and if he's not the best, he's right near the top. He went to more Pro Bowls (13) and had more 1st Team All-Pro selections (7) than any other Raven, and most other linebackers in history. He was AP Defensive Player of the Year in 2000 and 2003, and was on the 1st Team on the 2000s All-Decade Team. He was also one of seven defensive players in NFL history to win a Super Bowl MVP. He went out this past year like John Elway before him, winning the Super Bowl and retiring almost immediately afterwards. Also, he was indited for murder in 2000 and plead guilty to obstruction of justice. Can't win them all.
Brian Billick: Second coach in Ravens history, and the first to win a Super Bowl. Billick gained a reputation as a brilliant offensive mind, and was particularly noteworthy as the offensive coordinator of the 1998 Minnesota Vikings who scored more points than any team in NFL history to that point. Ironically, most of the Ravens offenses he presided over were mediocre at best while the defenses played lights out. Billick was the coach that ultimately molded the Ravens into a great team, but after 2000 they never really did much of note, and the Billick led Ravens only won one playoff game after the Super Bowl season. Billick was fired after 2007 and he now works for the NFL Network as an analyst and FOX as color commentator. He has the most wins in franchise history.
Jamal Lewis: A great running back in early to mid 2000s. Lewis was the fifth running back in NFL history to rush for over 2,000 yards in 2003 and is one of 27 running backs to rush for over 10,000 yards in their career. Lewis, like his brother from another mother Ray, had a rough off field life. Unlike Ray Lewis, Jamal didn't really overcome them and continued doing dumb things afterwords. But he had a great career and is still the Ravens all time rushing leader.
Peter Boulware: A pretty underrated piece in Ravens history. His career was cut short due to injuries, but he was a key member of some damn awesome defenses and retired as the Ravens all time leader in sacks (70). He also won the AP Rookie of the Year in 1997, which is like the only award Ray Lewis didn't win in his career.
Trent Dilfer: The quarterback of the 2000 Ravens that won the first Super Bowl in franchise history. Dilfer was a smart player who clearly knew his shit, but didn't exactly have the athletic ability to capitalize on those smarts. As such, he wasn't a very effective quarterback in his career, having a couple of good years, but nothing great. He also has the ignominious distinction of being the only Super Bowl winning quarterback to be released after the winning season. He now works for ESPN where his smarts are on full display and any panel or show he's a part of is a must watch.
Ed Reed: Easily the best player drafted after the Super Bowl season. Ed Reed is simply an interception machine. He is one of only ten players in NFL history to intercept at least 60 passes (he has 61) and has led the league in the category three times. Notably in 2010, he didn't play until the seventh game of the season, and he still led the league with 8 interceptions. He also has more interception return yards than any player in NFL history, and his 7 interception return touchdowns is in the top ten all time. Simply put, he's one of the greatest safeties in NFL history. He left the Ravens this past offseason and now plays for the Houston Texans.
Five Current Guys You Should Know
Joe Flacco: The greatest quarterback in franchise history, and he's only played five seasons to this point. Flacco is one of the best young veteran quarterbacks in the NFL, and is already the Ravens' all time record holder in passing yards (he has almost a full 10,000 yards on the second place guy, with 17,663) and passing touchdowns (exactly twice as many as the second place guy, with 102). The Ravens have made the playoffs every year he's been on the team and have won at least one playoff game each year. He's been phenomenal in the postseason the last two years, particularly this past one, where he threw 11 touchdowns and no interceptions, equaling the same TD/INT ratio Joe Montana did in the 1989 postseason, and Flacco played in one more game than Montana did in 89. He also played lights out in the Super Bowl (to the point where the lights went out) and became the first offensive player in Ravens history to win the Super Bowl MVP. The future looks bright so long as Flacco is in the purple and black.
Ray Rice: A very good running back and a great compliment to the passing game. Ray Rice is what really makes the Ravens dangerous on offense, as his ability to gain yards gives defenses fits because they don't know whether they should focus on the running game or the passing game. Rice hasn't had a dominant year, but he's never been bad, and he led the league in yards gained from scrimmage in 2011 (2,068 yards).
Haloti Ngata: Defensive tackle supreme. Ngata is arguably the best player on the Ravens defense currently, and he's been to four straight Pro Bowls and has made two 1st Team All-Pro lists. He is easily one of the best interior defensive linemen in the NFL today.
John Harbaugh: Just the third head coach in team history, Harbaugh has asserted himself as one of the great coaches in the game today. His 54 wins in five seasons are more than Brian Billick had in his first five seasons with the team and he already has more playoff wins than Billick accumulated in his entire nine season run. The Ravens have won at least one playoff game since 2008 in part because of Harbaugh's fantastic game management skills and his report with players stemming from his past as a special teams coach with the Eagles. He became the second coach to win a Super Bowl with the Ravens, beating the 49ers who are coached by his brother John. So if nothing else, John has bragging rights every time there's a Harbaugh family gathering.
Matt Elam and Arthur Brown: Yeah it's two players, but they're rookies; all rookies are one collective person. Also these two players have very similar predicaments: Matt Elam (Florida) will replace Ed Reed, and Arthur Brown (Miami (FL), Kansas St.) will replace Ray Lewis. They have to replace two guys who are in the top percentile at their respective positions in history and they were on the same team. Have fun filling those shoes, guys! Matt Elam was the exact opposite of Ed Reed, being more of a tackler than an interceptor. Brown seems to be very similar to Lewis as far his game goes. We'll see how well they fair, but I think they'll be fine.
That does it for the defending champions. We'll see how well their title defense goes in about a month.
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