Ten years ago this September, the Ravens started over. Owner Steve Bisciotti had fired Brian Billick, an emotionally rending decision that led to him hiring a largely unproven coach named John Harbaugh. Meanwhile, the team prepared to test its latest solution at quarterback, an unassuming, lightly...
The rookie cannot stop to talk on the practice field. Too loud. “Lamar! Lamar! Sign this, Lamar! Please!” This is the soundtrack of his nascent NFL existence, sung by a chorus of children who see in him their own wildest fantasies of athletic improvisation. And Lamar Jackson loves it. Seems that...
Ozzie Newsome was director of pro personnel for the Cleveland Browns before the team moved to Baltimore for the 1996 season. Then-owner Art Modell named him vice president of player personnel once the team became the Ravens and six years later, Newsome became the NFL’s first African-American general...
In 2004, the Washington Redskins gave a seven-year, $43 million contract to a quarterback described by one unnamed AFC general manager as “on his last legs.” The next year, late in the first round of the NFL draft, Washington took his heir apparent. It was business as usual in the league. For as...
The nickname was bestowed on Don Martindale the first day he arrived at little Defiance College. A roommate and teammate named Donald Brown saw Martindale’s athletic bag and made reference to a popular TV game-show host. “I walked in and I had ‘Martindale’ on my bag and he said, ‘Hey ‘Wink,’ ”...
If expectations around the Ravens’ three new wide receivers are dangerously high, they seem to match what Michael Crabtree has been telling John Brown and Willie Snead IV. “Crab tells me every day, ‘We’re going to be doing something serious this year,’ ” Snead said. “And I believe it, too.” While...
On fourth-and-long, the rookie sensed the kill. At the snap, Ed Reed bolted through the Denver line, hurtled toward the punter and blocked the kick with a thud heard nationwide on “Monday Night Football.” Four plays later, the Ravens scored a touchdown en route to a 34-23 upset of the Broncos. ...
The gradual improvements made by Lamar Jackson were noticeable during his second year of organized team activities and minicamp practices, but there is still much to do before he will be considered a top quarterback in the NFL. He’s still inconsistent, but has made strides since his rookie season,...
It took a hug and an affirmation of love, but Tony Jefferson joked last week that the Ravens now get “the lighter side” of Earl Thomas. It’s still unclear what that side looks like. In practices and in news conferences, the safety has been no-nonsense, by the book, almost as restrained as he was...
Unless the Ravens sign other veteran receivers, they will need rookies Marquise Brown and Miles Boykin to exceed expectations in 2019. It’s unwise to put a lot of stock into offseason training activities and mandatory minicamp practices, but after watching the team work out for three days last...
The Ravens will hold 14 free and open practices at the team’s Under Armour Performance Center this training camp, the team announced Monday. The Owings Mills facility can host nearly 2,000 fans per day, and starting at 11 a.m. Thursday, parking passes can be claimed on a first-come, first-served...
After being pulled from practice at mandatory minicamp last week over health concerns, Ravens defensive nose tackle Michael Pierce said Friday that he blames himself. In an interview with Alabama’s WNSP (105.5 FM), Pierce said he “mismanaged” his offseason workouts. “Throughout the offseason, I...