Baltimore Ravens Catharsis: The Worst Frustration Ever
Being in this conversation is not a compliment for these former Ravens. This is a list of the most frustrating players ever to wear a Ravens uniform. These are not the fan favorites, these are the fans least favorites. Just hearing these names will make the die-hard Ravens fan’s blood boil.
Now to be on this list there are requirements. The player must have either made a mistake that cost the Ravens dearly, or continuously disappoint. Injuries do not count as a factor here. It is not a players fault for getting hurt. Dropping a touchdown pass in the 2011 AFC Championship, can be controlled; injuries are unavoidable situations.
So brace yourself. You know exactly what we are leading up to. Here are 5 players that may not have a ton of fan affection in Baltimore.
Next: Gino Gradkowski
5. Gino Gradkowski
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The 2013 season was derailed mostly because of the Ravens permeable offensive line. Gradkowski was the biggest reason for the pass protection failures. Gradkowski was supposed to be the young and athletic replacement for Matt Birk. It did not go so well.
Gradkowski was drafted in the fourth round out of Delaware. He was a bit undersized, and he seemed over matched by NFL talent. Gradkowski was like a matador. The charging bull always got by him and hit Joe Flacco.
In 2013 the Ravens learned the importance of the center position. Kelechi Osemele and Marshall Yanda helped Gradkowski as much as they could, but it affected their play. When Osemele got hurt and the Ravens had to start the stumpy A.Q. Shipley next to Gradkowski, the 2013 Ravens were doomed.
Next: Travis Taylor
4. Travis Taylor
The Ravens drafted Travis Taylor with the 10th pick in the 2000 NFL Draft. He was supposed to be a speedy superstar. Taylor struggled with the Ravens. He never put up the kind of numbers a top-tier receiver makes. He never had 1,000 yards in a season. He only had over 60 receptions in one season.
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For those who say he never had a quarterback; I am not disputing that. I just don’t see that as an excuse for playing poorly. Derrick Mason played for some Ravens teams without a good quarterback. Mason was productive.
Taylor never lived up to his potential. His talent would flicker on and off. He’d make a sensational grab, then he’d drop one that was right to him. The Ravens thought they were getting a superstar. Instead they got a role player capable of the rare moment of brilliance.
Next: Kyle Boller
3. Kyle Boller
Yes, the ending of the 2011 AFC Championship is so bad, that Kyle Boller does not lead this list. Before I berate him with my literary touch, let me just say that Boller always seemed like a good man. He handled his disappointing career like a professional and I bet he’s a nice person. That being said he was an enormous failure on the football field.
In nine NFL seasons he threw for 8,931 yards, 48 touchdowns and 54 interceptions. Boller’s quarterback rating was 69.5 for his career. Boller was a waste of time for the Ravens. He really set the franchise back.
He looked like a poor dear in the headlights of your car. He was easily rattled, easily confused by blitz packages and easily the most disappointing quarterback the Ravens ever had. Watching Boller play the quarterback position was like watching a blind dog with three legs try to catch a frisbee. It was like watching a doctor perform open heart surgery with a chainsaw. The Ravens kept forcing us to watch Boller be awful.
Next: 2. Billy Cundiff
2. Billy Cundiff
A picture of Cundiff with the Browns is much better for my blood pressure. He had one job to do and he did it as poorly as possible. The 2011 Ravens were great but their greatness was wasted in one swing of Cundiff’s unreliable foot. It was January 22, 2012. It was the AFC Championship Game against the New England Patriots. A 32 yard field goal was all that separated the Ravens from continuing their season in overtime. He hooked it wide left.
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The kick didn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of going through the uprights. There is a reason that Cundiff has been on 14 different teams. Eventually he gets asked to make the big kick and he inevitably misses it. If you say this kicker’s name in Baltimore, you will still get glares of anger. I’m practically punching my keyboard with each letter I type.
You’re allowed to miss. Mistakes happen. You know what you’re not allowed to do? End the season with a kick so laughably bad that it now defines what an epic fail is. I will never get over that kick. When I am ninety years old it will still haunt me.
Next: 1. Lee Evans
1. Lee Evans
What Evans did is even worse than Cundiff’s gaffe. If Evans catches the football in the end zone, the game is over. If he catches that football the Ravens go to the Super Bowl. Instead the Ravens had to settle for Billy Cundiff kicking a joke of a field goal. That horrible kick would have never happened if Evans would have just caught the football.
Flacco threw an unbelievable pass to the corner of the end zone. Evans hauled it in and Baltimore began to prematurely celebrate. Then a Patriots defensive back knocked the ball out of his hands. All he had to do was pull the football into his body and the Ravens would have crushed the New York Giants in the Super Bowl. Evans did practically nothing all season. He was called on in the biggest possible moment.
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Lee Evans later said in an interview for ESPN that he would not have changed a thing. So he essentially said that for his life lesson, he would put an entire fan base and his teammates in complete agony again. So I will never forgive Evans for even muttering that idea. I mean, you have to be kidding me, that is ridiculous.