Ravens Legends: Chris McAlister
The end of his career with the Baltimore Ravens wasn’t pretty; but you can’t forget how great Chris McAlister was for the Ravens. McAlister was a shut down cornerback, who was a key part of great Ravens defenses.
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The Ravens drafted McAlister with the 10th overall pick in 1999. In his rookie season, McAlister shined with five interceptions. He had four interceptions in the 2000 season. The 2000 Ravens defense is arguably the greatest defense of all time. McAlister was a special part of that amazing Super Bowl run.
McAlister ended up with 89 passes defended, 26 interceptions and 5 defensive touchdowns. The 2006 campaign was his best statistical performance. That season he had six interceptions, scored two touchdowns and had two 60 yard interception returns. After that things went downhill fast.
McAlister was a great tackling defensive back. He was one of the most physical defensive backs the NFL has ever seen. His 6’1″ 210 pound muscular frame and his great speed made him tough to get open against. There are a lot of cornerbacks who can’t tackle well at all. McAlister would help in run defense, and he did it fearlessly.
In the early days, when the Ravens had McAlister and Duane Starks…wow. It was perhaps the greatest cornerback pairing the Ravens ever had. Quarterbacks wanted to avoid both of them. The Ravens could use a pairing like that now as cornerback is their biggest position of need.
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McAlister was one of my favorite players. He was exciting to watch. He was a Ravens kind of football player. He was tough, physical and he played with a chip on his shoulder. He was a driven player who did incredible things wearing the Purple and Black. That’s how I’ll always remember his career.