After going undefeated during 2019’s preseason, The Baltimore Ravens have hit the field running and are in a prime spot to record wins and put up points. Many critics and commentators say that the Baltimore Ravens have everything they need to make a playoffs run this year, and so far their predictions are turning out correct, as the team has won 3 key games to make up the first five weeks of the current season and are not giving up on making the most of the momentum they’ve built up. But can an all-star roster and the commanding leadership that the team has to offer to give them the edge they need to excel in 2019? It’s anyone’s guess and if you want to avoid missing any second of the intense gridiron action, then you need to make sure you’re there to see every home game this season.
From the moment you arrive on game day at M&T Bank Stadium, you know you’re in for a treat. Over 70,000 other fans will be eager to get to their seats so they can cheer on their favorite players, howling at every touchdown and cheering on every tackle. If you love the Ravens, then they want you to come and root for them as they make this year’s playoff bid. So what are you waiting for?
The Controversial History Behind The Baltimore Ravens
The bid for a team in Baltimore was a response to the 1983 move of the Baltimore Colts to Indianapolis, as city officials wanted to bring an NFL team back to Baltimore. The city struggled to draw the NFL back to the city until 1993 when the city was considered a favorite for a 1995 league expansion as NFL officials feared litigation if other favorite St. Louis was chosen. Eventually, the two expansion slots were awarded to Charlotte, North Carolina and Jacksonville, Florida, possibly due to Jack Kent Cooke lobbying against Baltimore due to its proximity to Washington, D.C. home of the Washington Redskins. The controversy led to public outrage with The Baltimore Sun claiming that Taglibue, who was friends with Cooke, had an “Anybody But Baltimore” policy that would block all efforts to bring football to Baltimore.
This led to Baltimore Orioles owner Peter Angelos gathering a group of investors, including famed author Tom Clancy, to bid on teams whose owners expressed interest in relocating. Angelos’ efforts led to a potential partnership with the Georgia Frontiere, who was open to moving the Los Angeles Rams to Baltimore. But Cooke opposed the move citing intent on building a stadium in Laurel, Maryland, which was close enough to Baltimore to potentially cool interest in bringing in a new franchise. This led to an intense rivalry between Cooke and Angelos, with Angelos calling Cooke a carpetbagger. When the league persuaded the Rams to relocate to St. Louise instead, fans were furious, believing that Tagliabue interfered. This rumor was only exacerbated when Tagliabue famously remarked that “Maybe (Baltimore) can open another museum with (their investor) money.” This almost ended their bids for expansion, until city officials turned to the Cleveland Browns, whose owner Art Modell was struggling and was at odds with Cleveland over the state of their stadium.
Baltimore offered Modell the out he needed, as he was enticed by the available funds for a first-class stadium as well as a promised operating subsidy of $25 million annually. Modell announced his intent to relocate on November 6, 1995. The announcement met with controversy on all sides until a settlement was reached on February 8, 1996, where Tagliabue promised Cleveland that a team would be located in Cleveland no later than 1999 and that the Browns’ name, colors, uniform, and franchise records would not leave their city.
Since
Modell’s team needed a new name, it was decided that a fan contest
would be held to help generate ideas for the brand new franchise. It
comes as no surprise that the name “Ravens” was inspired by Edgar
Allen Poe’s poem The
Raven.
But the name wasn’t chosen just because the famous author is buried
in the great East Coast city. The name was chosen in a fan contest
that drew in over 33,000 voters who liked the tie-in with the other
birds in town, The Baltimore Orioles baseball team, and the image of
a menacing tough blackbird.
Who To Watch on 2020’s Baltimore Ravens
If you have only recently been following the Ravens or want to know who sports commentators are looking to as the potential stars of the season, then check out our list below. These are our picks of the players to watch this year and potential selections on the NFL’s best 100 players in 2019.
First up, we have to give a nod to Marlon Humphrey. He is one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL at this point, with his intimidating record. Wide receivers that have to go against him are already at an uphill battle since he is the team’s best lockdown corner. Any receive that has to deal with him has a high likelihood of seeing the defensive player close at their heels and most games make his impression interceptions statistics grow.
Next up, we have to look at Ronnie Stanley who is one of the best tacklers in the league. Not only does he compare favorably to more frequently listed names like Larmey Tunsil, but Stanley remains one of the most consistent tacklers in the league today. He plays well on offense and shows no signs of slowing down even entering his fourth year in the league. Simply put, Stanley is an excellent performer that can be relied upon to do his job.
Finally, we consider Justin Tucker to be a player to watch. Not only is Tucker reliable enough that he can decide games on his own, but he shows consistency and accuracy that puts many of the leagues best to shame. Tucker continues the tradition of strong kickers coming to Baltimore with the added benefit of being a clutch player who can secure games the team is winning or help turn things around when the team falls behind.
You can see these players and more by coming out to M&T Bank Stadium to catch their upcoming home games.