http://www.yardbarker.com/content/player/2988 Recent articles about Jonathan Ogden en-us It's hard to believe that this is the thirteenth summer for the Ravens as they gear up for the 2008 season. It seems like only yesterday when I bought my first ticket to see the team play Da Raydahs at Memorial stadium. But,the team is so entrenched in the community and football so much a part of the city that it moves like clockwork. It's July. Baltimore fans are done with the O's as they sink to the bottom of the standings and all attention turns towards Westminster. Hope springs. Everyone can make the playoffs. Everyone has a chance. Can we release the magic of the 2000 campaign just one more time? Training camp means so many things; old vets get run through the paces, new players get initiated into the fold, and change is natural part of the process. With all of that come questions. Questions that won't have answers for maybe months. Here are some of the biggest that concern the Ravens: Who's the Quarterback : Steve McNair has retired to the Quarterback Rest Home. The team spends a first round selection on Joe Flacco. They still have former first rounder, Kyle Boller as well as, former Heisman winner, Troy Smith. So, who gets the shot? Early word was Flacco was quite impressive in mini-camp. I think he would have to blow away the competition in pre-season to be under center against Cincy Week One. I have a strong feeling that Smith will win out. He gained the respect of the vets and has shown the poise and leadership that Boller never has. But, if the season goes south early expect "Bazooka" Joe to take the snaps. New Offensive Line : Hall of Fame monster and greatest Gebco dancer ever, Jonathan Ogden has retired and long time staple, Mike Flynn has left as well. That means a younger and hopefully more athletic line. Lots of shifting around. Jason Brown steadies this group and he has played well. Ben Grubbs should be able to live up to billing this season. But the biggest concerns are the tackles. Adam Terry has been spotty and Jared Gaither may look like Ogden but he's still a baby in this league. Lines need time to gel and they should have growing pains. Camp Harbaugh : First year coach, John Harbaugh leads his first training camp. One of the biggest complaints about Brian Billick was that his camps were more like summer retreats and that should change this season. Harbaugh has been saying all the right things and fans are anxious to see the hard work pay off in a more disciplined team than we have seen in the past. When you take over a 5-11 team, your hope is to simply get better. If they stay healthy they should top that, weather they are playoff ready remains to be seen. Ray Lewis : This is the closest that the face of the franchise has ever gotten to free agency. He is in the final year of his contract and over the past several years hasn't been able to put together a full season. His claim of wanting "Peyton Manning" money had most people confused. He is on the downside of his career but, when healthy no one plays harder and he is the unquestioned leader of the team. His play this season will determine if he can finish his career in the purple and black. Mon, 21 Jul 2008 17:52:04 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/293461 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/293461 Okay, no need to panic about the Baltimore Ravens missing the Tuesday deadline to ink franchise tagged Terrell Suggs to a deal. No need to worry, right? Or is there? Ravens' GM Ozzie Newsome says they'll have a deal in place, and Suggs has said he wants to be in Baltimore, but what about when other big time players come up for renegotiation? It's a question Newsome himself subconsciously entertained: "We view him like Ed Reed, Todd Heap, Ray Lewis and Jonathan Ogden," Newsome said. "He is one of those guys that we want to keep a Raven." Exactly. And that's the exact reason why more than a 'serious' offer should have been floated his way. And then Suggs himself is questioning how serious he is about a deal. "At this point, I don't know," Suggs said five months ago. "I love my teammates, and I want to be there for them. Before I make a decision, I'll talk to a lot of people. I'll confide in Ray Lewis and Ed Reed, see what they think I should do and what is best for everybody." He didn't sign the offer, so apparently there's a lot of thinking going on. It's clear that money is on players' minds more than ever, with revelations about pending strikes and money woes from the mouths of owners, they have to look out for their long term interests. Perhaps if Newsome wasn't so good at spying defensive talent, there wouldn't be a question of balancing the books between several sure-fire Hall-of-Fame players on the current payroll. Wed, 16 Jul 2008 12:44:45 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/291173 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/291173 When you think about the short history of the Baltimore Ravens, and weigh that against the long-standing relationship the City of Baltimore has with professional football, it's reasonable to say that this season means everything to the direction and future of this franchise. That's not to say that the Ravens should or could go to the Super Bowl, but they shouldn't be far from it. This is a team in flux at its most important position. It is a team that has seen its first Hall of Famer in Jonathan Ogden retire, with Ray Lewis' big goodbye soon to come. The Ravens are a team with a new direction in coaching, which owner Steve Bisciotti has promised is a direction to be taken on a long, steady path. This is a team with defensive identity, mirroring the blue collar essence of its fans, but not quite out of the shadow of its AFC North rival in Pennsylvania and Ohio. And its a fan base that thirsts for more. It's do or die time for the Ravens. Either the franchise determines its quarterback of the present and future, or it will face wavering support from the city. Either they get an offense good enough to keep close, or face blowout defeats courtesy of injured and aging superstars. Its easy to remember 2000, that magical year of the Ravens Super Bowl run. But since then, the squad has won one playoff game in three appearances. It's easy to remember Steve McNair's first season and the 13-3 record, but it's often forgotten that the 2006 season was only the Ravens second winning season in the last four years, and only the fifth winning season in the team's 12-years history. The Ravens are unique, in that they are straddling a fence between league obscurity and national prominence. A generation of fans have grown up knowing names like Ogden, Lewis and Todd Heap. The Pro Bowls speak for the individual accolades, but they haven't translated into annual contention for the Super Bowl. Perhaps you can thank Peyton Manning and Tom Brady for that, or you can blame the Ravens' lackluster effort to take their place among the elite. Everything depends on this season for the Ravens. And for a team to have everything depending on one season, you have to wonder about the body of work created by the other 11. Mon, 07 Jul 2008 11:49:37 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/286569 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/286569 this iz an allstar team dat can win Mon, 07 Jul 2008 10:13:20 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/286504 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/286504 Look at the 2013 HoF class. Brett Favre, Jonathan Ogden, Michael Strahan, Warren Sapp, Bryant Young. Larry Allen and Junior Seau are also possibilities. Only five of those can enter on first ballot. Who is going to make it? Is Bryant Young a longshot at the Hall in 2013? What does it take for him to make it? Tue, 01 Jul 2008 15:36:59 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/284712 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/284712 What's what in Charm City. Quick snapshot of Baltimore's offensive line, linebackers, quarterbacks, cornerbacks, and also the coaching situation. Nothing groundbreaking here. Just my two cents. Mon, 16 Jun 2008 12:58:08 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/278507 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/278507 The 11-time Pro Bowler and one of the best left tackle of all-time, Jonathan Ogden, announced his retirement last week. There is no doubt that Ogden is an excellent player but he missed six games last season and played the other ten with an injury. Find out how this will impact the Ravens offensive line this season and most importantly the performance of starting running back Willis McGahee. Mon, 16 Jun 2008 07:56:02 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/278375 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/278375 Jackson is rediculously fast and was a big time playmaker at University of Cal. I would be surprised if he did not play on special teams as the kick returner and punt returner. But there is still a question that lingers in my head. Will he be placed in the slot at wide receiver from day one? I would love to see him get on the field and make plays from the slot. This is given we do not aquire another receiver, which I still think we pull some type of deal a lot like the Donte Stallworth deal back in 2006. If we were to aquire another receiver the lineup would most likley be that receiver, Reggie Brown, and Kevin Curtis in the slot. But even if we do pick up another receiver does DeSean Jackson see offensive playing time? Sat, 14 Jun 2008 21:37:53 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/278054 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/278054 I wanted to be a scientist when I grew up. Don't ask me to specify which science. I just knew "scientist" sounded like a pretty cool job. Plus, there was always the hope I would some day get accidentally bombarded by gamma radiation. Then came calculus and I quickly realized "scientist" might not be my intended career path after all. I still admire what they do. When I was at Carnegie Mellon, I was always eager to hear about their advancements in robotics and artificial intelligence. When our evil metallic overlords rise up to enslave us all, you can safely direct a large amount of the blame toward that fine institution. I also enjoyed hearing about how their robotic creations were used to find and explore strange new worlds, seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before… Of course, some scientists do their exploring the old fashioned way. They use a big ass telescope. Recently, a Dr. Eric Mamajek , clearly a man of high moral character and good taste in that oasis of Massholes, peeked through his big ass telescope and saw something between Mars and Jupiter. They call it a "minor planet" although that sounds like calling something a "minor groin pull." Ain't nothing minor about either one. The International Astronomical Union, an organization which no doubt purchases pocket protectors in bulk, has officially named it 7835 Myroncope. Yes, Myron Cope has a planet named after him. A minor planet, but a planet nonetheless. No word yet on whether they plan to send a space probe over to plant a Terrible Towel in the soil. But they should. Other football related news: –Taking a cue from Carlton Haselrig, several Steelers decided to turn mini-camp practices into an MMA event last week. "I don't know, maybe they've been watching Georges Laraque," said OL Max Starks. No Max, if they'd been watching Laraque, they would've stood around watching other people start shit while waiting for the coach to tap them on the shoulder and remind them they're supposed to be an enforcer. –The Post-Gazette thinks Marvel Smith is in the same boat as Alan Faneca. I guess they're doing P.R. work for agents now. Sure, they're in the same boat. Unless you count the fact Faneca is a five-time Pro Bowler while Smith made it once and Faneca is relatively healthy while Smith is coming off major back surgery which caused him to pretty much miss the entire season last year. –Franco Harris spoke at Brashear High School. Meanwhile over in Hampton, Ben Roethlisberger visited Wyland Elementary. Luckily for Wyland, their second choice, Roger Clemens, declined their invitation. He already had a date for the weekend. —Ex-Steeler/Super Bowl Champion Plaxico Burress is holding out for more money. Who didn't see this one coming? He's an elite player when he's not missing every other game over some injury or totally disappearing in the playoffs. Burress did come up man-sized in bringing down the hated Patriots, though, so he'll always get my respect for that. –"Raven For Life," Jonathan Ogden retires. Know what that means? Whichever talentless scrub Baltimore decides to trot out there this season just got a little easier for us to sack. –The Bengals released both WR Chris Henry and LB Odell Thurman. If Cincinnati continues to remove all the criminals from their roster, they might not have enough players to field a team. –Bills RB Marshawn Lynch is in trouble over an alleged hit-and-run incident. The Curse of O.J. Simpson, perhaps? Sat, 14 Jun 2008 13:50:55 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/277989 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/277989 It has been the source of a major debate for years. Who is the best Raven - Jonathan Ogden or Ray Lewis? It's really no contest. The most physical, technically sound and dominating player is Ogden. The player with the most impact on franchise history is Lewis. It's an interesting debate because you're dealing with two of the best players at their positions in modern times, if not in the history of the NFL. And they also happen to be the team's first two draft picks. Lewis is often the popular choice because of his charisma and leadership. He has overwhelming statistics backing him up, and he was the driving force behind the league's best defense when the Ravens won the Super Bowl after the 2000 season. He became the face of the franchise. But let's dig beneath the surface. Unlike Lewis, Ogden didn't have any assistance from his teammates. Each week, his job was to take out the best defensive pass rusher, if not the best player, on each team. For 12 seasons, no one did it better regardless of whether Ogden lined up against Greg Lloyd, Joey Porter or Dwight Freeney. And it was man on man. For the nine seasons he was here, Ravens coach Brian Billick went into every game knowing he didn't have to worry about his quarterback being blindsided. He didn't have to take away from his passing game and use a tight end or running back to double with Ogden to block an opponent. That's a huge luxury when you don't have to game plan for the other team's best player. Weaknesses? Ogden had none. His pass-protection sets were perfect. His feet were amazingly quick, not just for a man his size but also for a man of any proportion. Ogden could take out one, two or three players on any running play. There has never been an offensive tackle with his combination of speed, power, size and athleticism. Lewis was as dominant in his peak years. Like Ogden, he could take away an opponent's desire to play against him. Like Ogden, he became the prototype because former great ones such as Dick Butkus and Ray Nitschke couldn't run sideline to sideline like Lewis. Each week, Lewis is largely responsible for taking out the team's top running back. And he has beaten down some of the best, including Eddie George, Corey Dillon, Jerome Bettis, Edgerrin James and Curtis Martin. At the same time, Lewis brought an energy and a personality to a franchise that was as bland as the black-and-white practice uniforms the Ravens wore when they first moved to Baltimore for the 1996 season. When opposing offenses play against the Ravens, the first player they game plan against is No. 52. And Lewis never comes off the field, even in passing situations. The Ravens were, and still are, Lewis' team. His energy and passion force his teammates to play at higher levels. His pre-game dance gets an entire city excited before home games, and he motivates the team with fiery pre-game and halftime speeches. But unlike Ogden, Lewis had help in front of him. In 2000, he had two big defensive tackles named Tony Siragusa and Sam Adams in front of him. Now, he has tackles Haloti Ngata and Kelly Gregg taking on blocks in front of him, allowing him to roam untouched. Am I saying Lewis was a product of the system? No, he was already a great player, but the system made him better. Lewis was never the kind of linebacker, even in college, who could shock and shed offensive linemen. And if he had to do that as Butkus or Nitschke did, he wouldn't have been as effective because he has a history of shoulder problems. Ogden had no help from the system. In fact, he dominated with an offense that was predictable. The Ravens' running game was built around two players - running back Jamal Lewis and Ogden. The Ogden vs. Lewis debate will go on for years. Ogden had 11 Pro Bowl invitations in 12 seasons, and Lewis has had nine in the same time span. Each is highly competitive and extremely passionate about football. You couldn't go wrong by building your franchise around either, and fortunately the Ravens selected both. But if Lewis had to make his living going up against Ogden every Sunday, he would have been just like all the other defensive greats who lined up against Ogden. Lewis would have been nullified, because Ogden has been the best player to ever wear a Ravens uniform. Sat, 14 Jun 2008 10:43:12 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/277958 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/277958 For such a big man to play so well for so long, you have to give a lot of credit to Baltimore Ravens' offensive tackle Jonathan Ogden. Save for the Hogs of the Washington Redskins, no other player did more to popularize such an unglamorous position on the football field. And considering he didn't have a bunch of cross-dressing pigs to assist in the marketing, the fact that his talent made his name for him solidifies the claim that he is the best ever at the position. Forget all of the Pro Bowls, the all-pro selections and other accolades. All you need to know about Jonathan Ogden is that he was the very first pick in Ravens team history. He was the piece around which everything else got placed. The team could afford to build a quality defense because Ogden was the force behind a solid running game. Backs like Earnest Byner and Bam Morris did well early on because of Ogden's size and tremendous footwork. The Ravens could afford to have a garbage quarterback for so many years, because they could rely on the left side of the line being solid. Jonathan Ogden means a lot to this organization, and it's notable that he's willing to stay around and help the young crop of linemen that will attempt to replace him. And while its easy to say goodbye to such great guy and tremendous competitor, its hard realizing what's soon down the road for the Ravens. The retirement of Ray Lewis. Thu, 12 Jun 2008 14:51:25 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/277306 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/277306 If you still haven't gotten over Jonathan Ogden's retirement, live in these online memories. Some gems include Ogden on a mechanical bull with a lasso, and the Gebco commercials. Thu, 12 Jun 2008 14:51:23 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/277305 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/277305 If you still haven't gotten over Jonathan Ogden's retirement, live in these online memories. Some gems include Ogden on a mechanical bull with a lasso, and the Gebco commercials. Thu, 12 Jun 2008 14:51:23 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/277305 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/277305 After 12 years, the dominant Jonathan Ogden is calling it a career. Wed, 11 Jun 2008 20:59:48 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/277019 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/277019 According the Baltimore Sun, the Baltimore Ravens 11-time Pro Bowl offensive tackle will announce his retirement tomorrow. More details to come. Wed, 11 Jun 2008 14:13:29 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/276883 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/276883