BaltimoreRavens.com has invested some time compiling the best Ravens of all-time along with an all-time 53-man squad. Interesting conversation during a slow period of the offseason for sure.
Among the Top 7 are:
- Jonathan Ogden
- Ray Lewis
- Ed Reed
- Terrell Suggs
- Haloti Ngata
- Joe Flacco
- Jamal Lewis
The first six listed are a given. But No. 7? Not so much…
There’s no question that Jamal Lewis was a workhorse and he was essentially the only difference maker on an otherwise inept offense for years. And his 2003 season was unforgettable when he flirted with Eric Dickerson’s single season rushing record of 2,105 yards with 2,066 of his own.
But other than that, Jamal had only 2 good seasons with the Ravens and left on not very good terms following the 2006 season. And it’s hard not to forget the off-the-field issues.
For my money, No. 7 should be Marshal Yanda who without question is the franchise’s 2nd best offensive lineman in the team’s history. And it’s not even close.
Yanda is a four-time All-Pro and is a quiet yet very respected leader in the locker room.
I will always remember after a very hot day of practice during training camp back on August 4, 2012. At the end of each practice John Harbaugh gathered his team together as he always does, to deliver a message or two on a variety of team related topics. On this day the players seemed unusually spirited.
Marshal Yanda asked Harbaugh if he could address the team.
The boisterous enthusiasm seemed to vanish as Yanda spoke, his teammates hanging on every word.
When Yanda finished several of the players shouted, “YANDA!”
After practice I asked John Harbaugh what Yanda shared with the team.
“He said, his words were, ‘Embrace the grind.’ Perfect for training camp, right? Embrace the grind. He talked about ‘physical’ that being the foundation of being a football player and what this football team is all about, and he talked about having fun. It’s a game that we should love. It’s a great game, and we all love it, so even though it’s 105 degrees, or whatever it is, make the most of it and enjoy yourself.”
Yanda has been the quintessential leader of the offensive front for years. He even made the line calls during the 2013 season when the inexperienced Gino Gradkowski was the team’s starting center.
At 30, the former Iowa Hawkeye and pig farmer shows no signs of slowing down and hopefully the Ravens can allow this often under appreciated Ravens-great to retire in Baltimore and then someday find his way into the team’s Ring of Honor and possibly Pro Football’s Hall of Fame.
FYI, the Redskins Russ Grimm made it into Canton as a 4-time All Pro.
TALKING DOLLARS
According to Aaron Wilson (@RavensInsider), Ravens recently acquired safety Kendrick Lewis’ 3-year, $4.5M contract includes a $1.4M signing bonus. RSR’s Brian McFarland breaks it down as follows:
STEELERS SUPPORT RAVENS
I’m sure many of you were quite ticked off by the Patriots’ gamesmanship during the Ravens 2015 Divisional Playoff Game when New England assigned players with eligible numbers to ineligible receiving positions in order to create confusion among Baltimore defenders. You may recall how visibly upset John Harbaugh was.
Apparently Steelers President Art Rooney, II understands Harbaugh’s angst.
“I didn’t think it was handled the right way when they ran the play,” said Rooney. “We have these rules where a player has to report (to the referee). The referee is supposed to make sure the defense is notified on who reports. I thought Baltimore had a legitimate gripe about how that was handled. Maybe this isn’t the way to address it. The other way would be just to take more time to make sure that the defense understands what is going on. It’s probably just as easy to eliminate it.”
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