Baltimore Ravens: What Does Play Like A Raven Mean?
The Ravens slogan “Play like a Raven” is put on a lot of merchandise and it is repeated all the time by players and coaches. The question is what does it mean to play like a Raven?
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For me the embodiment of this mantra is Ray Lewis. Lewis was the face of the franchise from 1996 to 2012 when he retired a champion. There was a reason he was called the general in Baltimore. He was all heart and gave every play everything he had. There wasn’t a Ravens player (or coach for that matter) that wouldn’t run through a wall for him.
It may be cheesy but playing like a Raven means asking yourself this question: “What would Ray Lewis do?” This doesn’t mean that as a Ravens player you have to master the squirrel dance or be an emotional leader. This means you have to play with the heart of good old 52. This means you have to be prepared mentally and physically to lay everything you can muster on the field of play.
Feb 3, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA; Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Dean Pees hugs linebacker Ray Lewis after defeating the San Francisco 49ers 34-31 in Super Bowl XLVII at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
“Play Like a Raven” does mean something, even if it has lost its effectiveness in Baltimore’s 5 win season. It’s an attitude that I’ve known since I was a 10 year old. It’s a smash mouth, us against the world mentality. It is a chip on your shoulder to prove that you’re can do anything you set your mind on.
Opponents used to tip toe into M&T Bank Stadium whether they admitted it or not. They knew that the Ravens were coming for them and this would be the most physical battle of their entire season. Playing like a Raven is coming back against the Seahawks in 2003. Playing like a Raven is redeeming yourself in New England to get to the Super Bowl in 2012. And it is winning your first playoff game in Hienz field this past season after getting shell-shocked there in the regular season.
It isn’t just something the players say. It isn’t just something that you wear on a T-shirt. “Play Like A Raven” means something. The Raven way meant something to me since I was a little kid and it will mean something to me until the day I die. I’m a tenacious person who never gives up for a reason, because this team has molded my personality. It means something we just have to remember it.