Ravens fans must have patience and let Ozzie do his work

The Baltimore Ravens have work to do this offseason, but fans should be patient and let general manager Ozzie Newsome go to work.

I think Phil Gentile put it best when he spoke on the Baltimore Ravens “The Lounge” podcast: Ravens fans are spoiled.

Ask any regular fan in Baltimore and they will tell you the sky is falling. If I didn’t know any better, they would make me think the Ravens are going to select 1st overall in the 2018 NFL draft. To everyone wanting John Harbaugh and Ozzie Newsome fired, I beg of you one thing: patience.

I was re-watching Super Bowl XLVII on YouTube and had to do some research. After the 2012 season, Baltimore lost almost their entire starting defense including the entire secondary, both starting inside linebackers, and important pieces like Paul Kruger. If you don’t believe me, look it up. It was something we all knew that was coming. Ray Lewis and Ed Reed were both aging and retiring, a lot of the core was headed to free agency and Harbaugh wanted to bring in a new era. Some people agreed, some people didn’t.

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However, one must admit that after all that roster turnover and lost leadership, it is pretty incredible the Ravens have maintained relevance. They have only finished under .500 just one time in the last five years and have had a chance to make the playoffs in at least week 16 or later in the other four.

Now trust me, that is no excuse. They have missed on a lot of first and second-round draft picks that could’ve been game-changers. But, they have also found a lot of cornerstone pieces like C.J. Mosley, Brandon Williams, and Marlon Humphrey. They have built an elite offensive line even after losing guys like Keleche Osemele and Rick Wagner. Ozzie knows what he’s doing, we have to sit back and trust him.

I am just as frustrated as every other Baltimore fan. The Ravens should have been in the playoffs at least once in the past two years. They have faltered late. Some of that was due to Harbaugh, Dean Pees, and Ozzie. Blame can go around on everyone and Ozzie along with Harbaugh deserve the scrutiny they are receiving.

However, one thing I have learned from watching pro sports, as long as you have good ownership, a good head coach, and a good front office, you are always going to be in it. The Ravens are fortunate to have all of those things. Steve Biscotti is one of the best owners in football without debate. John Harbaugh is a Super-Bowl winning head coach that is a great leader. There are plenty of teams around the league that would kill to have him as their coach. Also, Ozzie Newsome and Eric DeCosta have proven time and time again that they are elite in the front office. They have a few misses here and there but show me a general manager who doesn’t.

If you have read any of my former articles, you know I am a big Ozzie Newsome fan. I think he is a top 5 GM in the league and has proven it by keeping the Ravens relevant throughout his tenure. It helps when your first two draft picks for the Ravens are arguably the best offensive tackle of all time and the best linebacker of all time.

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I fully believe that Baltimore is just a few pieces away from being a Super Bowl contender. With a few more offensive weapons and plugging one or two holes on defense, this team could be on track to a third Super Bowl in under 20 years.