Top 10 Baltimore Ravens

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Yes, I know the Baltimore Ravens history starts in 1996.  I put 1965 in the title of this piece because that’s the starting point for this project as a whole.  I won’t go into the history of Art Modell pulling out of Cleveland.  I’m just going to pick things up in 1996.  From 2000 on the Ravens have been successful, going to playoffs 11 times and winning two Super Bowls.  This list includes only three players from the skill positions and no wide receivers or tight ends.  That gives you a feel for the personality of this franchise.

10. Rod Woodson:  Rod had a 17 year career in the NFL, and only four of them were spent in Baltimore.  Still, those four tears were enough to get him on this list.  Woodson went to the Pro Bowl three of those years.  In 1999 he led the NFL in interceptions with seven.  He took two of them to the house.  In all, Rod picked off 20 passes and returned five for TDs.  He also forced three fumbles and recovered six.  Woodson was an important member of the Ravens 2000 Super Bowl winner.

9. Jamal Lewis:  Lewis also had a relatively short tenure in Baltimore, spending six seasons with the Ravens.  Jamal rushed for over 1000 yards in five of those seasons.  He maxed out at 2066 yards in 2003.  That figure led the NFL, as did the 14 TDs he ran for that season.  That led to his being named to the Pro Bowl and All Pro team that season.  In his six seasons in Baltimore he ran for 7801 yards.  Lewis was a member of the Ravens 2000 championship team and ran for four TDs in the playoffs.  Jamal was one of a number of hardnosed running backs the Lewis have employed in their history. 

8. Justin Tucker:  As I’ve been making these lists, Justin Tucker is the only kicker to have made one of these lists thus far.  Tucker is a great kicker, and the Ravens don’t have the history of some franchises, so here he is.  Tucker has made 241/242 extra points.  Admittedly the one he missed was big, but he’s pretty much money on a big kick.  From 50+ yards Tucker has hit 38 out of 54 attempts.  Overall he’s hit 90.1% of his field goals.  Justin has been named to three Pro Bowls and three All Pro teams.

7. Marshal Yanda:  Yanda has been named to the Pro Bowl every year from 2011-18 with the exception of 2017. He missed the Pro Bowl in 2017 due to injury.  The Ravens have had a bruising running game over the years and Yanda is one of the reasons why.  He has been a fixture at right guard for the last few years and been named All Pro twice.  Yanda helps form the Ravens team personality.

6.  Joe Flacco:  I admit I’m not a huge fan of Flacco, but he has been the best QB in Ravens history thus far, though the bar isn’t particularly high.  In addition, he led to a Super Bowl win in 2012 and did have a great playoff run that season.  During that four game playoff run, Flacco had a passer rating of 117.2.  Joe’s made quite a bit of coin off that run.  In 11 seasons with the Ravens Flacco hasn’t been named to a Pro Bowl, let alone an All Pro team.  In his defense, he hasn’t had great receivers and the Ravens haven’t been built to be a wide open offense.  Plus, his record as the Ravens starting QB is 96-67, so there’s that.

5. Ray Rice:  Set aside the off field issues for a moment and look at Rice’s career.  He was very good as a runner and pass catcher.  Rice spent six seasons with the Ravens and rushed for over 1000 yards four times.  Rice caught 369 passes as a Raven, good for 3034 yards.  In 2011 Rice ran for 1364 yards and caught passes for another 704 yards.  The total of 2068 yards combined rushing and receiving led the NFL that season.  Rice was named to the Pro Bowl three times.  Ray’s demise is well documented, but his lack of another chance was more the result of demising production rather than off field transgressions.

4. Terrell Suggs:  Terrell spent 16 seasons with the Ravens and rang up 132.5 sacks during that term.  Suggs also played in 18 playoff games for the Ravens an added another 12.5 sacks.  During the regular season, Suggs added 33 forced fumbled and recovered 14. He also intercepted seven passes during his career.   Suggs also scored three defensive TDs with the Ravens.  Terrell was named to seven Pro Bowls and was named All Pro in 2011.  He was also the NFL Defensive Player of the Year that season.  Suggs scores high points for longevity and production.

3. Jonathan Ogden:  From 1996-2007 Ogden was a fixture in the Ravens offensive line, mostly at left tackle. Ogden was named to the Pro Bowl every season except his rookie year.  Even in his rookie season he was named to the NFL’s All Rookie Team. He was also named All Pro four times.  In addition he was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s All 2000s team.  He was one of the best offensive linemen in the NFL throughout his 12 year career with the Ravens and that rates him third on this list.

2. Ed Reed:  Reed was a seriously big play guy from his safety spot with the Ravens.  In 11 seasons in Baltimore, Reed led the NFL in interception three times.  In all, he picked off 81 passes.  He had interception returns of 106 yards and 107 yards.  He returned seven passes for TDs.  Twice Ed led the league in interception return yards.  In 2004 he had a massive total of 358 yards on interception returns.  He also forced 11 fumbles and recovered 13.  He scored two TDs on fumble recoveries. Reed was named to nine Pro Bowls and five All Pro teams.  He was also the NFL 2004 Defensive Player of the Year.  Included in his awards is being named to the Pro Football Reference first team All 2000s team.  And finally, in 15 playoff games, Reed intercepted another nine passes, returning one for a touchdown.  Ed Reed, with the hugely impressive resume.

1. Ray Lewis:  Ray Lewis is one of the one of the greatest linebackers in the history of the NFL and I find his personality terribly repugnant.  That’s beyond off field issues.  Now that that’s out of the way, I’ll concentrate on Ray Lewis, the player.  For good or bad, Lewis id the face of the Ravens franchise. Lewis spent all 17 seasons of his NFL career with the Ravens.  He was named 13 Pro Bowls and named to the All Pro team seven times.  Lewis intercepted 31 passes, forced 19 fumbles, recovered 20 and picked up 41.5 sacks.  What Lewis excelled at was racking up tackles.  He led the NFL in tackles three times.  He was the NFL’s d Defensive Player of the Year in 2000 and 2003.  He was also named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame and Pro Football Reference’s All 2000s team.  As icing on the cake, he was the MVP of the 2000 Super Bowl.  While I don’t care for Lewis’ personality, it’s hard to argue with his on field performance.