Ravens fans reminded of what could’ve been in NFC Divisional Round
By Cory Hughes
The Saints vs The Vikings was a reminder of what could have been for the Baltimore Ravens.
The Saints-Vikings NFC Divisional Round playoff game was surely one to remember. The 46 million people that tuned in to watch “The Minneapolis Miracle” can attest to that. The walk-off touchdown thrown by Case Keenum to wide receiver Stefon Diggs as time expired to advance the Vikings to the NFC Championship Game had people in awe. Asking themselves: “Did that really just happen? Did the safety really miss that tackle?” The Vikings are just one game away from being the first team to ever have home field advantage in the Super Bowl. You can certainly say what happened Sunday night was destiny.
There is one fan base however that was watching the ending to that game not as enthused as the others. Collectively thinking: “Oh, look, another receiver Ozzie Newsome passed on.” It’s a phrase the Ravens fan base has been saying for the last five years. It feels like every time a wide receiver makes a big play its something we say as a fan base recite: “He should be a Raven”. Its something all of us are sick of saying and more importantly, sick of seeing.
If you recall, Stefon Diggs was a Maryland Terrapin. He played right down the road from M&T Bank Stadium at Capital One Field, just over a half hour away. Not only did he attend school in Maryland, he’s Maryland born and bred. Sounds like destiny, doesn’t it? The kid from Maryland goes on to be a star for the Terrapins, then goes on to be a star in the NFL for The Baltimore Ravens.
General Manager Ozzie Newsome had other plans for the 2015 draft. He passed on Diggs four times, drafting wide receiver Breshad Perriman and tight end Maxx Williams in the process. Diggs has double the receptions, yards and touchdowns then both of them combined. Sunday night’s walk-off just pushed the knife deeper into the wounds of Raven fans everywhere.
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The painful reminder didn’t just come from one star studded wide receiver.
It wasn’t just Stefon Diggs that was a painful reminder of what could’ve been for the Ravens. Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas had seven catches for 85 yards and two touchdowns on Sunday.
Yup, another wide receiver Ozzie passed on. Not once, not twice, but three times. Ozzie Newsome passed on Michael Thomas three times, in the same round in the 2016 NFL draft. Selecting Kamalei Correa instead. Thomas has gone on to accumulate 197 receptions, 2,382 yards and 14 touchdowns. Correa has accumulated 17 tackles, two pass deflections and one forced fumble. The Ravens front office had three opportunities to take Thomas, trading down twice in the second round and still didn’t take him.
Watching this game, every Ravens fans have to ask: How many times do we have to wonder what could’ve been? How many times do we have to see these receivers go on to be stars elsewhere? How many times before one of those star receivers are playing at M&T Bank Stadium, wearing a Ravens jersey?
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We’ll see if the drought ends, come April’s draft.