Why it’s time to jump on Baltimore Ravens bandwagon

With the season underway it is time for fans to start picking a side. As the season progresses many teams will flutter quickly causing many to switch who “their team” is. Here is why this year is a great year to be a Ravens fan.

Coming out of  the week one victory against the Browns the Baltimore Ravens look great. They are regarded as a top two-three universally and beat a team with a lot of hype coming into the season by 32. By the end of the game the Browns looked lifeless and the Ravens were celebrating with Robert Griffin III ending the game for them. They forced turnovers, made big plays, and most importantly they won. Looking ahead, past week one, reason for optimism are rampant and now is as good a time as ever to hop on the Ravens bandwagon.

The Ravens currently have a wide open window of three years to win a championship. With Lamar Jackson on his rookie deal for three more years, the team has cap maneuverability that many teams don’t. Not only that, but the core is young and growing with him. Aligning the real window to be the next three to five years. With an offensive core approaching extensions, and many top defensive players in need soon, the Ravens have big decisions to make, but it is imperative that as a team they are able to win before all of the extensions kick in.

On offense the Ravens play the most different style, of any in the league. Last offseason, the team brought in former Navy coach Paul Johnson and other coaches in to help offensive coordinator Greg Roman build the best offense possible around Jackson. For the team to do this they needed to spend countless hours reworking the playbook from a Joe Flacco, traditional, west coast offensive scheme, to what is now the new Ravens offense filled with pre-snap motions and options plays. The Ravens have constructed an offense that uses a lot of creativity and movement to get good angles and found success on the way to a record setting season last year.

If going 14-2 and breaking numerous offensive records isn’t enough, the team also built a defense that makes life very hard on quarterbacks throughout the league. With stars at every level of the defense and capable young contributors throughout the lineup the Ravens have an eye on the future, while also looking to win in the present. Defensive Coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale, a Rex and Rob Ryan disciple and longtime friend of the Harbaugh’s, signed a three year extension to stay in Baltimore at the end of last season. With another good season Martindale, as well as Roman could easily be a top head coaching candidates for your old favorite team.

The team also has a long track record of success on special teams. With a core of Justin Tucker, Sam Koch, and Morgan Cox, great coaches like Coordinator Chris Horton and Randy Brown, and a head coach who was previously a special teams coach himself; the team is set up well for the future. Also, many players have made names for themselves with the Ravens through special teams and that is something that will continue to be emphasized. You can always trust in the Ravens special teams units.

Although on the surface, the Earl Thomas incident seems like a weird situation, the outcome doesn’t surprise me. The Ravens organization always emphasizes fit over talent. They match the price with what they are willing to offer or they move forward. In every sense the organization has built a strong, winning foundation, starting with its culture. The Earl Thomas saga only proves that further. Ravens football is built through the draft, and time after time we have seen players like  Chuck Clark, Matthew Judon, and other late round draft picks step up and develop roles.

More from Ebony Bird

• Should Baltimore Ravens be interested in this recently released WR
• Do the Baltimore Ravens have serious interest in this free agent wide out?
• NFL Draft Profile: Anthony Richardson is the perfect pivot for Baltimore Ravens
• New Caesars Sportsbook Promo Code for Ravens Fans 
• Why Baltimore Ravens might use non-exclusive franchise tag on Lamar Jackson

The main beneficiaries for the Ravens is a highly talked about young player in Deshone Elliott, seventh round pick Geno Stone, and special teams ace “co-cap” Anthony Levine Sr. These guys are players the Ravens have invested a lot in and are confident that they can thrive in the defense.

Other spots to look at for confidence is the deep, multi talented running backs room. With four guys who all are a little different, the Ravens can mix it up on the field and also have a staple that can develop in a multitude of ways in the future. With second round pick J.K. Dobbins looking like the future, Mark Ingram II under two more years of his deal and Gus Edwards and Justice Hill being young exciting talents themselves, the Ravens have a lot of talent in one room.

The Ravens also have a lot of young talent at receiver and at cornerback. Between Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Peters, the Ravens have the best duo at cornerback. Add in Tavon Young in the slot and Jimmy Smith as a chess piece in the secondary and the Ravens have the talent and versatility to thrive. Peters and Young both recently signed extensions and Humphrey is closing in on one himself.

At receiver, last years first round pick Marquise “Hollywood” Brown leads the charge with veteran Willie Snead. Hollywood brings an element of speed that pairs well with Jackson and the running backs.  Miles Boykin is another young receiver with a lot of speed, but he is also 6’4. Finally, the Ravens brought in two rookies Devin Duvernay and James Proche who both have sticky hands and a lot of speed between the two. They both should make a large impact as part of this offense that looks like a track team.

Throughout the team there is plenty of talent. To win football you have to be more physical than your opponent. Between bookends Ronnie Stanley and Orlando Brown Jr. or big defensive guys like Brandon Williams and Calais Campbell, and young rookies with lots of potential like Patrick Queen, Malik Harrison, and others the Ravens are loaded. Between these guys and versatile players like D.J Fluker and Tyree Phillips on the offensive line or Jihad Ward, Pernell McPhee, and Derek Wolfe on the defensive line, the Ravens can beat you with the pass and the run, but also by stopping the pass and the run.

They play a style different then every other team and that will give them an advantage automatically in every game they play. Throughout the entire organization there is a sense of balance and unity. Raven football is played as a unit, and this unit plays well together; and they play together. Those two parts combined is a scary thought for opponents. The team will just be reliant on seeing the pieces fall together and winning in the playoffs.

The bottom line:

Coming off of a season where the Ravens lost in their first playoff game in back to back years the Ravens are focused. Jackson has stated ever since he got drafted that he was here to win a Super Bowl. And that is their focus, but for now they will go 1-0 each week.

Once the playoffs come into play, the team will have to face its demons. But in the meantime, this team should give any fan a lot of reasons to pick a new team, before it is to late.