As more time has passed, it becomes more appropriate to judge the 2000 Ravens' place in history. And as more time has passed, I am more amazed by how talented that team was.
That team started 4 sure-fire Hall-of-Famers - Jonathan Ogden, Shannon Sharpe, Ray Lewis, and Rod Woodson. Adalius Thomas and Priest Holmes (multiple Pro Bowls each) were back-ups. Kelly Gregg, who is now considered one of the best nose tackles in football, was on the practice squad. Their rookie tailback - Jamal Lewis - owns the NFL record for most rushing yards in a game and has the second-highest single-season rushing total in history.
Despite all that talent, they don't get mentioned with the great Super Bowl champions. The reason - quarterback play. As much as I love what Trent Dilfer did for that team, he was a mediocre QB at best. And he was a big improvement over Tony Banks, who was downright terrible. Dilfer, though, understood how good the team around him was and played his role perfectly. My favorite stat about that team - they were 14-0 when they scored a touchdown. And they won two games in which they didn't score a single touchdown.
I understand that the NFL is a quarterback's league. And because of that the 2000 Ravens will never be mentioned as one of the great teams of all time. Maybe that's fair. But it is a shame.
Other overlooked 2000 Ravens' stats:
- Closest margin of victory in playoffs: 13 (16-3 over Raiders, AFC Championship Game)
- Cumulative Playoffs Score: Ravens 95 Opponents 23 (4 games)
- TD's allowed by defense in playoffs: 1
- TD's scored by defense in playoffs: 2
- TD's scored by special teams in playoffs: 2
- Shutouts (Reg Season): 4
- Games holding opposition to 10 or less points: 15 (incl all 4 playoff games)
3 comments:
No, the Ravens dont get mention as one of the best not because of Trent but because of the biased media. They dont play in a large market like another dominant defense with a shitty QB; the 84 Bears!
Another reason they dont get the credit they deserve is because the Media hates Billick telling them how dumb they are...kinda like an old red sweater IU coach
Give me a break you crybaby Raven Fan. When will you ever get over your "Steeler Envy" and realize your about 4-5 hours away from being in the city of Champions.
Bottom line, without an ex-steeler Rod Woodson, the Ravens don't make it past the divisional playoff round that year. Nice offense also, Trent Dilfer was probably the best player on that side of the ball.
You will never see the days of Jones/Mitchell/Carr again, so put on some black and gold and meet me in Harrisburg for the next road trip to Pittsburgh.
kerry.enders@ocas.com
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