As we await the Ravens next move, let’s dive into the Ravens Legends Bracket. There are seven more battles in the second round. Today’s contest features two defensive linemen from the Ravens first Super Bowl victory.
It’s Sam Adams, the immovable defensive tackle vs. Michael McCrary, the ferocious defensive end. The defensive line is one of the main reasons the 2000 Ravens defense was historically good. All four defensive linemen from that Super Bowl squad are a part of this bracket. Tony Siragusa advanced to the second round and he will face Joe Flacco. Rob Burnett lost to C.J. Mosley in round one.
The winner of this contest will be the only 2000 defensive lineman in the third round. The winner of this match-up will face Derrick Mason, who beat Kelly Gregg earlier in round 2. It will be a tall order to advance out of this region. Terrell Suggs and Jarrett Johnson are set to square off in the Newsome region, in the round of 16. Suggs is the number one seed.
Why Sam Adams made it to round 2:
Adams only played two years with the Baltimore Ravens, but he made them count. In his first year with the Ravens, dominant defense won it all. In his second year, defense got the Ravens back to the playoffs. Adams was a huge defensive tackle who made it impossible to run the football up the gut. He was far from a QB take down machine but he recorded four sacks as a Raven. He had 44 sacks in his 14 year career.
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The peak of his career was a seven sack 1997 season, with the Seattle Seahawks. Adams was good for a few sacks a year. He is remembered as a space eater though. Adams beat Rod Woodson by a razor-thin margin in the first round. Woodson also had a short but meaningful tenure in Baltimore.
Why Michael McCrary is the winner:
Michael McCrary is one of my all-time favorite players. When I had surgery on my legs in the sixth grade, my Dad told me to be tough like Michael McCrary. McCrary didn’t win because of sentimental reasons though. He was voted into round three unanimously by our writers. McCrary played the last six years of his career in Baltimore. This match-up is quite fitting because McCrary and Adams were teammates in Seattle before they dominated for the Ravens.
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McCrary had 14.5 sacks in the 1998 season. This was a Ravens record before Elvis Dumervil had 17 in 2014. McCrary was one of the best players in Ravens history, and he was one of the easiest men to root for. He had 51 of his 71 sacks with the purple and black. Adams and McCrary had an equally important impact on the Ravens first Lombardi Trophy quest, but McCrary did more for the team overall.