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Ravens Should Follow The GOAT

Tom Brady Lamar Jackson
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Last night I watched Episode 9 of Man in The Arena featuring Tom Brady on ESPN+. Even if you aren’t a fan of the player (admittedly I wasn’t), it’s hard not to be drawn in to the behind-the-scenes people and stories that have shaped Brady’s career. And if you watch with an open mind, somehow, you emerge as a fan of the greatest quarterback ever to step onto an NFL field.

We all appreciate excellence. It isn’t a birthright. It isn’t a rite of passage. Instead, it’s a journey propelled by motivation, inspiration and perspiration. “A journey” is exactly what Man in The Arena is. And when the journey is complete, it is next to impossible not to respect Tom Brady, the man and his dedication to a craft that is unparalleled. Your takeaway will be a newly discovered appreciation for a visionary who delivers lessons that are applicable to all walks of life. People aren’t static if they choose not to be. They grow, evolve and embrace mistakes as opportunities to learn. Throughout his career, Brady has done exactly that. And in the end, you discover a man who is much different than the petulant adversary you may have loathed for so long.

Not to give away the storyline or to play the role of spoiler, Episode 9 spends time chronicling challenging experiences during Brady’s career that didn’t always have a happy outcome – both individually and as a member of the New England Patriots. In so many words, he explains how unfortunate trials and tribulations are teachers and, that the lessons along the way aren’t immediately revealing. You become more aware of their importance over time. When one looks back, the collateral damage of a negative occurrence can provide long-term positive effects if viewed in their totality. A bad end to one season can inspire positive change to prevent its reoccurrence. The bad had to happen to pave the way for the good. The resulting improvement is like the phoenix, rising from the ashes of despair to the pinnacle of a champion.

Tom Brady
Original Photo Credit: Todd Olszewski, Getty Images

The message resonates.

I allowed it soak in. And then I thought of the 2021 Baltimore Ravens.

The end to a season is swift, particularly for teams that run out of lifelines. One day after its conclusion, players empty their lockers, many never to be teammates again. Such is life in the NFL.

For the Ravens there were many lessons to be learned – several “business” challenges that require solutions if the team is going to get over this postseason hump that for the moment stands as a seemingly insurmountable obstacle. The Ravens have been to the playoffs four times since they won Super Bowl 47 and they’ve come away with just two wins. Since 2018, the postseason narrative has been the same – teams figure out the Lamar Jackson style of offense as authored by offensive coordinator Greg Roman, rendering the team’s modus operandi unsustainable during what was once a hopeful championship march.

In order to break down the deterrents to success, you first have to define the deterrents and then develop a plan to overcome them. And that requires brutally honest self-scouting. It requires stepping outside of one’s comfort zone because we know that the difference between living and dying in the NFL is to stay one step ahead. To exploit the weaknesses of opponents better than they exploit yours. That’s something Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and the Patriots were very good at. We may have viewed them from the outside looking in as a stodgy franchise with a corporate personality and a robotic-like operation that became a modern day dynasty. But the secret sauce to their success lies in their willingness to assess, adapt and change.

I question if the Ravens can do the same.

For years we’ve wondered why the team’s offense can’t execute a screen to their running backs. We’ve questioned their route combinations that too often leave receivers in the same general area diminishing the chance of success. We’re puzzled why they can’t master the little nuances of the game such as clock management, pre-snap adjustments, using cadence as a weapon – the list goes on. We wonder why the defense can’t consistently create pressure on opposing quarterbacks; why they struggle to tackle; why they insist on stopping the run first; and the worst of all – why they can’t hold a lead in the fourth quarter.

Each offseason, it seems as if the Ravens try to correct the same set of issues:

• Improve the offensive line
• Become a more accomplished passing team
• Create defensive pressure
• Start fast
• Manage the clock efficiently

Yet upon the conclusion of a season, any given season lately, we look back and assess why the team can’t get past the Divisional Round. And when the assessment is complete, we’re left with the realization that we are staring at the same problems.

insanity

From top to bottom the Ravens are better than that! Yet they continue to plateau at an undesirable level. The results fall short of the talent. That’s the quintessential definition of an underachiever. And in the NFL, and life, those are a dime a dozen.

Organizationally the Ravens are at a crossroad. They are about to embark on a record-setting contract offer for their franchise quarterback and if they make a mistake there, well, let’s just say that an appearance in the Divisional Round would become the team’s ceiling for the foreseeable future. So they need to get that contract right and it’s more than just about dollars, cents and the salary cap. They need to surround Lamar with complementary talent and coaching to enable Jackson’s massive skill set. Suffice it to say, 2022 is a very pivotal year.

Of course injuries played a huge role in the team’s demise this past season. And had those injuries not been part of the unfortunate landscape of 2021, maybe we’re talking about the Ravens next playoff game this coming weekend. We’ll never know.

What we do know is that the team can’t rest on the notion that the struggles of 2021 are mostly attributable to the number of missed games this season by dinged up players. It’s more than that. Much more. And until the organization is honest with itself on every level of the franchise, they’ll miss an opportunity to get better.

And that’s something that the Man in The Arena rarely did.

Individually and collectively, let’s see what the man in the mirror tells the Ravens.

[Related Article: A Season That Never Had a Chance]

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