After Wednesday’s practice concluded, Brian Billick visited the team to encourage them and to cast a vision as to what he believes they’re capable of. He talked about his history with the club, but more so about what his 40 years of experience in the NFL told him about this Ravens team.
“I learned from Bill Walsh a long time ago. He told me that at the end of the day, when you start the season, there are really only about a half a dozen teams that really have a chance of winning the Super Bowl. … You know you’re one of those teams.”
Obviously only two teams reach the Super Bowl every year. But if you think about the playoffs, teams that lose in the divisional or conference championship rounds are often every bit as good as their opponent. For example, the 2009 Vikings, the 2011 Ravens, the 2012 Broncos, and the 2014 Ravens could’ve easily advanced to the next round, but a crucial turnover or a seemingly simple missed opportunity prevented them from doing so.
The way I look at it, there are six teams that I can call Super Bowl contenders without even thinking about it. That’s important–if you have to rationalize or qualify your choice of a particular team as a Super Bowl contender, they probably aren’t a legitimate one.
What makes a team a true contender? Billick offered his thoughts:
“Your business, my business has been, is now, and always will be about the same three things: personnel, structure, and chemistry.”
He talked about how every team has talented players (personnel) and similar coaching philosophies (structure). The key, or X-factor, is chemistry. How do players relate to each other? How do they treat each other when one player wrongs another? Do they go the extra mile on a short week in the middle of the season? Will they put in extra work after practice to benefit a rookie, even if they don’t need the extra work themselves?
Possessing strong intangibles is key, but possessing strong tangibles is important, too. In today’s NFL, all successful teams have prominent, experienced men in the following roles: quarterback, head coach, pass rusher, offensive line. Look around the league, and when you come across a team that you feel is a big-time contender, evaluate those four roles and you’ll see most, if not all, of the men in those roles are among the best at what they do.
Based on the above criteria and their recent playoff performances, I believe the Ravens to be the favorite to represent the AFC in Super Bowl 50 six months from today. I think Green Bay will represent the NFC, seeing as how they have the league’s best player (Aaron Rodgers), an absolute star (and truck load) of a running back in Eddie Lacy, and a relentless pass rush led by physical freaks Clay Matthews and Julius Peppers.
My “Super Bowl six” are as follows (as well as their Vegas odds to win it all):
1) Green Bay Packers (11/2)
2) Baltimore Ravens (17/1)
3) Seattle Seahawks (11/2)
4) New England Patriots (9/1)
5) Pittsburgh Steelers (25/1)
6) New York Giants (30/1)
All of those teams are led by a quarterback that has been to a Pro Bowl and/or been named Super Bowl MVP. All of those teams have won at least one Super Bowl since 2008.
In fact, since 2000, those six franchises have combined to win 12 of the last 15 Super Bowls.
We know every team on that list is a threat to hoist the Lombardi trophy on February 7, 2016, because every team on that list knows what it takes to get the job done in any circumstance. They could incur injuries, an untimely losing streak, bad press, and still find a way to win.
Baltimore strikes me as a team primed for a deep playoff run. Their core veterans have been to the playoffs many times, and those veterans are spread throughout the team at every position. Baltimore’s key young players, like Kelechi Osemele, Brandon Williams, Timmy Jernigan, and C.J. Mosley have quickly caught up to the veterans in terms of ability and hunger to win.
The Ravens have playmakers and leaders at every level–not just on the field, but on the coaching staff and in the front office.
Their main contenders are likely to be the Patriots, Steelers, and Colts. How many of those potential opponents pose an insurmountable threat to the Ravens?
None.
The only scenarios I would like to see the Ravens avoid are going to Pittsburgh and/or to New England in the playoffs. However, the last three times that has happened, despite all three games being played on the road, Baltimore has gone 2-1 and won by a combined score of 89-65.
According to VegasInsider, Baltimore is the 7th-best bet to win Super Bowl 50.
No matter the odds, the Ravens always seem to defy them. The hope here is that Coach Billick’s words will inject a little added boost of confidence that can help lift them to the greatest of heights.
