Michael Crabtree will help Ravens re-establish their identity
Michael Crabtree will help the Baltimore Ravens re-establish their identity:
When the Baltimore Ravens were one of the best teams in the National Football League they always had tough pass catchers. They had guys like Derrick Mason, Todd Heap and Anquan Boldin. The Ravens have never had a Julio Jones or an Antonio Brown like mega-superstar at wide receiver, but they have had some incredible competitors at the position.
Ravens football is about swagger, it’s an attitude. Crabtree looks like a natural fit with the Ravens, because he offers the team what it has been lacking since Steve Smith Sr. retired.
On the latest episode of the Ebony Bird Podcast, I said “When you think about the Ravens, the first word that comes to your mind isn’t pretty.” The Ravens have traditionally been a gritty team, one that plays smash mouth football and rules the field with a dominant defense.
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When you think about the offensive stars that this team has had, they were all players that would do whatever it took to make the catch, to get the extra yard or to enter the end zone. Think, Jamal Lewis churning his way through the offensive line, when the entire stadium knew he was getting the ball all day long. Think about Mason landing on his hurt shoulder to score a touchdown against the Dallas Cowboys. Remember Heap sacrificing his body to make spectacular catch after spectacular catch.
Crabtree has that kind of intensity. Sometimes it takes a player who isn’t afraid to lose his mind out on the field (see the Aquib Talib fight). Sometimes it takes a player who agressively snatches the football out of the air and does something with it. Everything that Jeremy Maclin was not for the Ravens, Crabtree will be. John Harbaugh likes to say “Play like a Raven,” well that’s exactly what Crabtree does.
The Bottom Line:
In the Flacco era, the best leaders the Ravens have had offensively, are the wide receivers. First it was Mason. Then it was Boldin. Then it was Smith Sr. lighting the fire. Flacco isn’t a rah-rah guy. He isn’t going to be a vocal leader and the team needs somebody else to fill that role. Enter Crabtree. Crabtree is a fiery player who will lead the way for the purple and black.
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The Ravens were interested in Crabtree for many reasons. He certainly is a great player who can score touchdowns in the red zone. The biggest reason though is that Crabtree can give the Ravens back their edge. A dominant running game led by Alex Collins and a healthy dose of Crabtree will make the Ravens a fierce offense.