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| Ray Lewis and Ed Reed have been the foundation for the great Ravens defenses over the years. |
I want you to try a mental exercise with me right now. Attempt to remember a time when the Baltimore Ravens defense wasn't a menacing, intimidating, dominating defense? You're searching and searching and searching your memory bank and it's probably coming up blank That's because the Ravens have been at the forefront of defensive ingenuity since '99, right about the time the franchise became re-acclimated to the NFL.
Since '99 the Ravens defense has averaged a fifth place finish (in yards against) and has only finished outside the top-10 once. Remove that 22nd finish in 2002 and they average a 3rd place finish in that same category. Included in that time-frame is arguably one of the greatest defenses of all-time: the 2000 version. That defense allowed an NFL-record 165 points against which equates to an absurdly low 10.3 points per game. What might make that season's defense even more impressive is that they led the team to a Super Bowl victory despite having the less-than-equipped Trent Dilfer at the helm on offense. Numbers can paint one hell of a picture for the Ravens, but it can't complete it fully. That'll require some qualitative observation.
The first thing anyone has to look at when peering into the extensive database that is the Ravens defense is longevity. This team has underwent numerous makeovers, changed rosters several times and have seen a few different coordinators over the years, but one thing remains the same: they're just always so damn good. There were the Tony Siragusa, Rod Woodson, Peter Boulware years. Out of their ashes rose the Adalius Thomas, Chris McAlister, Bart Scott years which finally gave way to Terrell Suggs, Haloti Ngata, Lardarius Webb squad of today. Over that same period they watched defensive coordinators Marvin Lewis (fled to Cincinnati, somehow still there), Mike Nolan (failed in San Francisco), Rex Ryan (we all know about this clown) and Greg Mattison (Don't know why he's now coaching Michigan's defense) move on to greener pastures. Include the changing of head coaches from Brian Billick to John Harbaugh and you've got quite the movement and shifting at the top. But how does a team, organization, business, etc. prosper for such a long period of time? They need a foundation that puts forth stability and balance. Enter Ray Lewis and Ed Reed.
Reed and Lewis represent plenty of both. Lewis was Baltimore's second ever draft pick (behind the great Jonathon Ogden), while Reed came in the 2002 draft. These two have been the anchors of the defense since they arrived. Both are equipped with the speed, leadership, hard-hitting nature and a menacing on-field attitude that makes opposing team's shutter in fear while inspiring teammates to match their intensity. Baltimore has seen its fair share of playmaking defensive players (Chris McAlister, Terrell Suggs and Peter Boulware) and hit-stick crazed ones too (Adalius Thomas, Bart Scott and Bernard Pollard), but Lewis and Reed have brought a balance of the two that perfectly sums up their meaning to this team and this franchise. Both are undoubtedly hall-of-famers not only for what they have done on the field for the organization, but for the attitude, swagger and intensity they've been able to spread to their teammates, fan base and city as a whole. I honestly could sit here and write a full post about the two of them, but I'd rather give the credit to the organization for drafting them, molding them and keeping them satisfied by bringing in talent that fit perfectly with their near-perfect defensive system.
Baltimore is a dangerous city, everyone knows that, but the Ravens represent a hardworking, hard nosed, at times, downright nasty team that could be seen as a little bit of a metaphor for the city. Whether or not you look at that as a positive thing is your own opinion, but walking into M&T Bank Stadium is intimidating no matter who you are. It's especially more terrorizing when you're a quarterback, running back or wide receiver standing across the line staring into Ray Lewis and Ed Reed's eyes before they most likely pummel you into the ground, lights out style.
There's a motto in fantasy football and it goes like this: when in doubt, pick the Ravens defense.
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