Twelve Ravens thoughts moving closer to training camp
Veteran edge rusher Justin Houston made his return to the Ravens official on Tuesday.
Veteran edge rusher Justin Houston made his return to the Ravens official on Tuesday.
The news reports came fast and furious on the Monday before the Super Bowl. Just a day into the biggest week of my life, and the reporters couldn’t wait to track me down with the latest news. One of the Ravens’ team buses, leaving a downtown pep rally for BWI Airport and a charter flight to Tampa, had been involved in an accident, hitting a police cruiser.
“When you go into the lion’s den, you don’t tippy-toe in. You carry a spear! You go in screaming like a banshee and say, Where is the son of a bitch?” The legend and #PurpleReign lore of #RavensFlock win in Nashville and Ray Lewis > Eddie George. @NestorAparicio presents his 2001 SB35 epic tale.
The loss of John Steadman. The epic appearance at The Barn with Trent Dilfer. And the win over the Denver Broncos that took the upstart Baltimore Ravens to Nashville seeking revenge.
“Next time we play the Tennessee Titans, we’ll kick their ass.” Sam Adams at The Barn in Oct. 2000 to @NestorAparicio during Ravens Super Bowl XXXV run. And then January happened! Remember the Titans? We do… #RavensFlock
Two things were pretty obvious to everyone who watched the 2000 Baltimore Ravens during the first half of the season. When they passed the ball, they made mistakes and were ineffective. But each time they tried to run the football with any consistency, they succeeded.
It has been said that you need to crawl before you can walk. For the 2000 Baltimore Ravens, much of that crawling was done during the end of the 1999 season. Before Shannon Sharpe came to play. While Trent Dilfer was still sitting on the bench in Tampa Bay, waiting for redemption. While Jamal Lewis and Travis Taylor were still attending college classes and hoping to become first-round draft picks in the NFL.
While the 2000 Baltimore Ravens will always receive credit from fans and foes alike for being the team that allowed the fewest points in NFL history – and punctuated that task with a defensive unit shutout in Super Bowl XXXV – only four men can properly put into perspective the pain, the growth and the joy of a group that ultimately captured greatness.
From Ozzie Newsome and Phil Savage, the Ravens dominance began on their first draft day in 1996. Nestor takes you inside that inaugural War Room that netted Jonathan Ogden and Ray Lewis.
Purple Reign, Chapter 5: “Canton Comes to Baltimore” Nestor recounts what an outpost franchise the Ravens were when Rod Woodson and Shannon Sharpe showed up in Owings Mills
Purple Reign, Chapter 1: “The Boss Arrives” “Hi, Coach Billick? My name is Nestor Aparicio. I own the all-sports radio station in Baltimore and I’m about to become your new best friend.”
Purple Reign, Chapter 2: “A Silver Trophy But Not a Silver Spoon” The legacy of Art and David Modell and how they came to Baltimore from Cleveland and built a Super Bowl XXXV championship operation
Purple Reign, Chapter 4: “Slapdicks, Quarterbacks, and Pranks”. Nestor chronicles the room of Dilfer, Banks and Redman and the Super Bowl XXXV champs that went a month without a TD
Purple Reign, Chapter 3: “The Original Birds and the Mean Machine” Nestor chronicles the very beginning and April 1996 draft with a new name, no colors and no logo – but two future Hall of Famers coming to Baltimore.
To honor the Super Bowl XXXV champions and the upcoming ESPN 30-For-30 on the Baltimore Ravens title, Nestor Aparicio is re-releasing the original “Purple Reign: Diary of a Raven Maniac” here. This is the prologue.
Baltimore will play its first four games of the 2022 campaign against the AFC East, an unusual scheduling quirk.
Dennis Koulatsos and Nestor discuss how any legitimate NFL franchise takes on odor of Deshaun Watson
Dennis Koulatsos and Nestor discuss how any legitimate NFL franchise takes on odor of Deshaun Watson
Houston attorney Steph Stradley joins Nestor to discuss legacy of Deshaun Watson among Texans fans
Chris Pika tackles crisis management of Watson in Cleveland and NFL owners ready to welcome him
Houston attorney Steph Stradley joins Nestor to discuss legacy of Deshaun Watson among Texans fans
Chris Pika tackles crisis management of Watson in Cleveland and NFL owners ready to welcome him. And a few words of sincerity about the loss of legendary football writer John Clayton.
What was expected to be a robust market for Baltimore’s former starting center never materialized this week.
After three weeks of silence, the Baltimore coach had plenty on his mind looking back at 2021 and proceeding through the offseason.
Luke Jones and Nestor assess ankle of Lamar Jackson and soul of Ravens as Packers come to Baltimore
Luke Jones and Nestor assess the possibilities of Snoop Huntley running Ravens offense for a while
Luke Jones and Nestor ponders Ravens life without Lamar Jackson for a few weeks
Luke Jones and Nestor assess ankle of Lamar Jackson and soul of Ravens as Packers come to Baltimore.
Luke Jones and Nestor assess the possibilities of Tyler “Snoop” Huntley running Ravens offense for a while.
Luke Jones and Nestor ponder what Ravens life without Lamar Jackson will look like, and which seasoned players will step up into leadership roles for a few weeks.
“We’ll see where it goes this week. If he can go, he’ll go. If not, Tyler [Huntley] will be the quarterback.”
“They got three weeks basically to prepare for us. They’ve been practicing our defense for three weeks.”
The Baltimore defense blanked the Browns in the second half, which paved the way for a comeback.
Depending on its severity, the injury could transform excitement down the stretch into resignation about a lost season.
“We found a way to get back in that second half to make things happen, and we fell short.”
Mark Andrews caught an 8-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter to close the deficit to two points.
Two fourth-quarter touchdowns and an onside kick gave Baltimore a chance at the end of the game in Cleveland.
Will Baltimore be able to limit the Browns to just two sacks this time around?
NFL author Bob Glauber discusses players who broke color barrier in his new book The Forgotten Four
Right tackle Patrick Mekari could miss a few weeks with a hand injury suffered in the Week 13 loss at Pittsburgh.