Heading into the 2008 NFL Draft, the Ravens were focused on securing their quarterback of the future as they prepared to move away from Kyle Boller.
The Ravens initially had their sights set on Matt Ryan. Reports later revealed that Ozzie Newsome even offered the entire 2008 draft class to the St. Louis Rams to leapfrog the Atlanta Falcons and move up to the No. 2 overall pick. The deal nearly happened, but the Rams demanded even more, and it fell through. Ryan was a Falcon.
Undeterred, the Ravens maneuvered on draft day. They first traded down with the Jacksonville Jaguars (dropping from No. 8 to No. 26), then traded back up with the Houston Texans to land at No. 18 overall, where they selected Joe Flacco out of the University of Delaware.
This made Flacco the first FCS quarterback taken in the first round since the late Steve “Air” McNair was selected third overall by the Houston Oilers in 1995 out of Alcorn State.
The plan was for Flacco to sit and develop behind veterans Kyle Boller and Troy Smith in his rookie year. Fate had other ideas as Boller suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in the preseason and Smith came down with a severe tonsil infection that developed into the rare and serious Lemierre’s syndrome.
With both ahead of him sidelined, Joe Flacco was thrust into the starting role. He started Week 1 against the Cincinnati Bengals and never relinquished the job, leading the Ravens to an 11–5 record and the AFC North title in his rookie season.
Flacco quickly became known for his cannon arm, one of the prettiest deep balls and spirals in the league, and - most enduringly - for one of the most dominant postseason runs in NFL history.
In the 2012 playoffs, he orchestrated a magical run that culminated in the franchise’s second Super Bowl victory, where he earned Super Bowl MVP honors.
That ELITE postseason still stands strong: Flacco threw 11 touchdown passes with zero interceptions, tying Joe Montana for the most passing touchdowns in a single postseason without an interception. He also jointly holds the record for most road playoff wins by a quarterback with seven, tied with Tom Brady.
In only 30 years of existence the #Ravens have more championships than the…
Bills, Browns, Chargers, Jaguars, Lions, Panthers, Texans, Cardinals, Falcons, Bengals, Vikings, Bears & Saints.
They have the same amount of championships as the Eagles, Bucs, Rams, Dolphins & Colts who have all been in the league since before Jimmy Carter was president.
The Ravens have the 3rd highest regular season & playoff win% of all time.
Despite having a top 5 pick only 3x & never having the #1 overall pick, they’ve produced 7 (8 loading) Pro Football Hall of Famers.
They’ve represented the only rivalry in the league that still matters today & have never sucked bad enough to make their fans feel the need to wear bags over their heads to games.
Happy birthday the best ran franchise in the NFL.
Lions free agent DL DJ Reader took a physical with the Ravens on Thursday and is expected to sign with a team after the draft, per @AaronWilson_NFL
Wilson notes Reader could sign with the Ravens, but there are other teams in on him as well
These former pro athletes turned hot take artists on tv represent everything wrong with sports media today.
So the former STEELER is blasting the Ravens on his platform…shocker.
Meanwhile, actual journalists & quite frankly anyone with an ounce of common sense are literally laughing at this situation.
🚨JUST JN: The Baltimore #Ravens are one of the FAVORITES to trade for #Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter.
There is only a 4% chance that Carter is TRADED and it would be a historic haul, according to Polymarket.
Carter is 24 years old and a 2x Pro Bowler & All-Pro.
👀👀👀
I RECENTLY HEARD A STATEMENT THAT SAID…“IN THE MORNING WHEN I WAKE UP, I ASK GOD TO GET IN MY HEAD BEFORE I DO.” BEST ADVICE EVER!!!
Start the day with God!
Using Ryan Grant as proof that the Ravens will use a false failed physical as pretense to back out of a deal is hilarious considering we now know that the Ravens accurately assessed Ryan Grant’s injury, which caused his retirement
Talking about the Ravens “pulling the same shit” with Ryan Grant whom retired 2 years after the Ravens bailed in his 4 year contract due to injury….is a great example of exactly why they have backed out of the Crosby deal.
I have a hard time blaming the Ravens too much for the Crosby thing here when the Cowboys ALSO backed out after the physical.
It must be way worse than the Raiders let on.