The True King of the North

What burns me up is the commentary/ criticism that we've only beaten winless teams. Excuse me but 16 teams beat winless teams in week 1, right?  Come week 2 16 other teams were undefeated as well and some lost and some won. But the Ravens didn't get to pick this schedule and funny thing, 2 of the winless teams they faced were supposed to beat them. Interesting how that worked out, huh?  I even remember some "experts" predicting that come week 3 we'd be still winless because the Bills had the great Rex, (already fired his OC after 2 games); the Jags had a great young Defense with a QB who threw for 4K last year (3 INTs against us) and the Brown could possibly upset us because Hugh has those guys believing in themselves and his GM drafted and picked the team based on baseball type analytics. And what about the draft they had???

Well we beat them all, we haven't changed OC or DC, have the best Special Teams in the league so far and most of OUR draft picks are making contributions; most notably our 1st round LT, our 2nd round rush LB and our 4th rounders who no one ever hears of before the Draft - Tavon, Lewis, Judon. Oh and Momma there's that man who didn't even GET drafted playing NT!

Screw the critics, screw the experts, screw the media haters and screw the rest of the league. We're #1 in the division as of today and 1 of only 5 teams still undefeated. Had the Packers or Steelers played this schedule at this point and still been undefeated everyone would be jocking their success and hailing them as the Super Bowl 51 favorites!

All Hail The Ravens; the TRUE King of the North!

BSH Report: Week 1, Game 1; Game WON!

BSH Report: Week 1, Game 1; Game WON!: Well, that was easy..., Said NO ONE at the game this past Sunday.  But what it was, was, fun.  Watching the Ravens that we fans have all c...

Week 1, Game 1; Game WON!

Well, that was easy...,

Said NO ONE at the game this past Sunday.  But what it was, was, fun.  Watching the Ravens that we fans have all come to expect and love was a welcomed sight.  After the year that we fans and the players and coaches, experienced last season, the game against the Rex Ryan coached Buffalo Bills was a great cure all.  If you have been a long termed fan of the Ravens you had to appreciate the close, hard fought, Defensive struggle that actually formed the identity of the team.  Smash mouth is what it used to be called.  Holding the other team's Running Back to less than 100 yards, heck, the entire running game to less than 100 yards; getting after the Quarterback; off the edge blitzes that disrupted that Quarterback; that is Ravens football people, and if the win against the Buffalo Bills yesterday is any indicator, it is BACK Baby!

Knocking Down the Hard Knocks

I will address some of these later but I wanted to address some "knocks" on some of the guys on this team for this season.  Several "experts", pundits, even some fans had some negatives or "critiques" that they were SURE of for the 2016 Baltimore Ravens. That all seemed to be forgotten after this game...,

• Mike Wallace - "lost a step, not the same deep threat he was with Pittsburgh"
• Steve Smith Sr - "too old to come back after that kind of injury, should retire" 
• Justin Forsett - "clearly is not the leader of the RBs anymore, should be replaced"
• Ronnie Stanley - "not the sexy pick, Leremy Tunsill would be a better fit"
• Alex Lewis - "stupid move, starting a rookie Guard and Tackle against Rex's Defense"
• Breshad Perriman - "fragile; wasted draft pick, a bust with no hands"
• Terrell Suggs - "washed up and unmotivated, he doesn't take the game seriously anymore"
• Shareece Wright - "how did he make this team? What a waste of good cap space"
• Lardarius Webb - "he's about to get cut, they put him at Safety so they can cut him"
• Dennis Pitta - "2 hip injuries in 3 years? He should retire"

Well I guess that just proves that the nattering naysayers of negativity are once again, wrong.  In Ozzie Newsome We Trust.  #IOWT

 

Buffalo Bills Game, some observations

Let's do a breakdown okay?
There were some really good take-aways to celebrate. Let's start with the Offense.
Quarterback - Old steady Joe was back.  Even though the Offensive Line gave up 4 sacks; at least 2 can be attributed to Joe holding the ball just a little too long.  Flacco will tell you himself that he held onto the ball just a tad too long, but some blame has to be shared by the O Line.  I will get to them in a second.  For hitting receivers in stride, for bringing back that long accurate deep ball, for distributing the ball to 10 different receivers, for managing the game well and for calling an audible OUT of a called running play; and all while throwing ZERO INTs; I am giving Joe Flacco an A-.  Yeah I said minus, he did have those 4 sacks that I mentioned and 2 were totally his fault.
O-Line - Those 4 sacks are disturbing; especially when you remember that the QB was starting in his first game after suffering a mid-season major knee injury.  Those sacks were not devastating, but they could have been.  But they were starting 2 rookies on the left side (QB's blind side) and against a Rex Ryan/ Rob Ryan Defense, the rookies graded out really well.  #1 pick Ronnie Stanley; a player I was initially upset we drafted with that 6th pick, had 1 false start but after that, I never heard his name called.  I would like him to get stronger and he will grow bigger, but with his inside help also being a rookie, and some help from RBs and TEs, the kid was outstanding.  None of the 4 sacks that were given up were attributed to Stanley, and again he and fellow rookie LG Alex Lewis held up against Rex Ryan's blitzes.  Moving further inside I am really disappointed in Center Jeremy Zuttah.  All preseason the shotgun snaps between the Center and the QB have been suspect; high and sometimes wide snaps were bothersome.  The thought was that once the season started and regular practices with starters were the rule, that foolishness would stop.  It resurfaced with disastrous results.  On a drive that was looking pretty good, while Joe was making calls at the line, up came the ball from Zuttah and being unprepared Flacco scrambled to catch the ball but it was fumbled and lost to the Bills.  Pressure up the middle and from the Right was far too frequent.  Marshall Yanda had his name called 3 times for penalties, again, disturbing.  That all has to be fixed immediately.  Overall grade for the O Line? B-
Running Backs - Only 2 were dressed as last year's 4th round pick Buck Allen was a healthy scratch, (that to me is kind of troubling).  But Forsett and West came to play yesterday.  They each had clutch carries and neither of them fumbled.  They both blocked effectively though West missed a free runner that contributed to a sack.  The running game did not produce 100 yards, but against Rex Ryan that was a tall order anyway.  But again, they had clutch and effective runs.  I would have expected in a game where a productive running game would have been the best thing to help the starting left side rookie O Line, I guess it wasn't critical or to the team's success.  Running backs grade?  C+
Receiving game - Breshad Perriman had a clutch catch that was pretty spectacular and for 35 yards!  So much for his "bad hands" knock.  Dennis Pitta had three catches, 1 that was pretty sly as he so clearly pushed off at the last minute to gain separation everyone in opposite end zone could see it.  Thank goodness the officiating crew was in "game 1 mode" and missed it clean.  But that catch had the crowd juiced and up out of our seats.  Steve Sr had 5 nice catches in his return after his torn Achilles injury; not a lot of yards, but he no longer has to be "THE" man on the team.  Not that Mike Wallace has supplanted him, but he is now a compliment and option that will give Defenses fits.  Oh and about Mr Wallace?  1 great bomb play that had everyone in the stands wearing purple, and I suspect all Ravens fans watching on TV, dancing in their seats.  66 yard TD?  Are you kidding me?  All of that and rookie Chris Moore also had a 13 yard reception though he dropped an initial target.  But that kid's potential is clearly evident.  Last year's season hero; Kamar Aiken? 2 catches for 14 yards; again serviceable.  But the beauty of it all is that no one had more than 5 catches and all contributed to the win.  Grade for the group?  B+ with an uptrending arrow.
Offensive Coordinator - Marc Trestman called an effective if not exciting game.  The potential to do more is there and it was clear.  But this was game one, and after watching games literally fly away from us because we threw the ball too much.  The running game was designed to keep the Bills D honest and keep the ball away from their Offense.  Without going into deeper detail, I will give him a B-.  I am hoping for and expecting more in week 2 against the Browns.
I will detail the grades for the Defense in tomorrow's blog but I am relinquishing the following space for a guest blogger.

A word from Marcus Wyche

Game 1 Thoughts 

Watching the Ravens play the Bills brought me great joy and great frustration as well. The defense gave me much joy and the offense, well not so much. The defense was getting after Tyrod Taylor and the Bills offense all game and if it wasn't for one missed tackle, the Bills may have only scored 3 points. Who would have thought that a corner back, Shareece Wright, would lead the team in tackles, with 11? Wright was all over the place making tackles. This was not the same guy I saw in the preseason giving up play after play with his soft coverage. The next closest defender in tackles was Zach Orr, who played a pretty good game himself. I was really impressed with Timmy Jernigan. He got a sack, but he didn't get flagged for any of those stupid penalties he has been known to get in the past. I haven't seen this defense fly around like this; not since the Ray Lewis, Ed Reed show. We actually did a Rex Ryan on the Bills. We showed who’s defense was the best; yesterday. I will say this much about the Bills; Tyrod Taylor is hard to bring down. We should have had about 50 sacks (just kidding), but should have had at least 4 to 5 sacks on him yesterday, but his elusiveness really showed.
The Offense gave (me) much frustration, but I have to remember, these guys have not played together much this year, so this was like a preseason game for them. At times, they looked lost and confused, with some early penalties causing early drives to stall. I will not go on a rant, but Jeremy Zuttah needs to play better and not get his QB killed or hike the ball when he feels it’s the right time. The Ravens looked out of sync at times and I am not sure if it was the Bills’ defense that caused it or the lack of continuity that the offense showed due to lack of playing together. For the Ravens to get to where they want to be, they will have to run the ball better. They did run the effectively when it was needed, but I feel as though we left too many plays and too many yards on the field. Flacco, looked tentative when in the pocket, like he didn’t trust his knee. I am not used to seeing Flacco just stand there in the pocket and not move around to avoid the rush. I do understand that the offense is normally a step behind in the beginning of the season, but I am hoping the Ravens show more consistency against the Browns.
Next up, we have the Cleveland Browns. I do expect to see more continuity from the offense and more points. I would expect the run game to be better as well as the passing game. I also do not expect to see Marshall Yanda with the penalties he had. The defense should be on point like it was against the Bills and we should come away with the win. 

BSH Report: The 2016 Season is Upon Us - Some Observations

BSH Report: The 2016 Season is Upon Us - Some Observations: Cuts are in, Your Team is Set; Now What? Ok everyone, do as I say..., BREATHE!  The cuts have been made, players have been released, other...

The 2016 Season is Upon Us - Some Observations

Cuts are in, Your Team is Set; Now What?

Ok everyone, do as I say..., BREATHE!  The cuts have been made, players have been released, other new players have been signed, dreams were realized and other dreams have been crushed.  So goes life in the NFL, for EVERY team.
Fans across the league love their team for all kinds of serious and not so serious reasons.  But along with that love comes some pretty intense loyalty to players who haven't really impacted the team or it's successes.  Chief among those players are rookies.  Rookies come to a team with all kinds of expectations.  Expectations go and come from all different directions; teams expect the players to compete and give all they have to make the team.  The rookies want to make an impression, make the team, make lots of money, and in some cases, make a name for themselves.  And what of the fans?  What do we want?  We want each kid that is drafted, especially those drafted higher, to come in and immediately win a starting job, set the league on fire and take the team to the Super Bowl and win it!  To that end we go to the team's website, the NFL's website, ESPN's website, a plethora of blogs, writer and newspaper sites and all kinds of other sources just to catch some smidgen of information on the players and how they are progressing.  If they have a chance to go to training camp, fans will be treated to all kinds of fan friendly experiences even if they don't want that.  But when you get a chance to see in person, what you have been excited about, you jump at that I guess. 

But back to my point; after a few weeks of reading every piece of information and watching every video and interview, we are treated to what some of us THINK is the definitive measure of how the new kids are doing; preseason games.  Most coaches only trot out their 1st round picks with the starters but the majority of the new guys play with the 2nd and 3rd string guys against other 2nd and 3rd stringers.  It is easy to excited when that guy makes that catch or this guy snaps off that 40 yard run.  How many tackles did that 2nd round Draft day "steal" get?  Wow, look at that perennial back up QB throw the ball!  All of it is exciting, yet also deceiving because we are not privy to all camp practices and no meetings after practices.  We only get to see the guys for a portion of 3 hours of a game 1 day a week.  And though this guy might look great for 10-12 plays, or in some cases, look bad, we don't sit in the coaches meetings and go over film study or even participate in those practices to get a full measure of these players.  Yet we all do it, we grow attached to a few guys, even when they have been on the team for a season or 2 and have yet to reach that potential we all want them to achieve once we see them don our team's colors. 
When cut down day comes and guys are let go our hearts are broken, we scratch our heads in disbelief and we cry out "Nooooo" because we really liked that sack he got against a undrafted Left Tackle who is trying out with his 4th team and is in during the 4th quarter of the 2nd preseason game and is protecting the blind side of that quarterback who is on the opposing team and was signed to be another arm so the starter isn't worn out by the time camp is over.
In other words, hold down your emotions folks, nothing you saw or read in preseason is real, reality will be here soon enough and right or wrong, the coaches and front offices of teams across the NFL will have to deal with the consequences of their choices.  Only a quarter of the 32 teams will be very successful in their team building but most will be back to the drawing board come January.  Here's to hoping your team is in that minority.

In Support of John Harbaugh's Call

In case you missed it, Baltimore Ravens Head Coach John Harbaugh once again stirred some controversy.  This time he poked the bear and decried the Emperor butt naked when he said it is time to revisit the standard roster size limits for teams in the NFL.  Back in the 60's and 70's teams could only
carry 40 - 45 players on their rosters and that was probably enough.  The season lasted 14 games, players were not as big as they are now and the game, though violent and ferocious, was no where near as hard on players as it is now.  When the Washington Redskins were in their heyday and had the Hogs and Riggo crunching away rushing yards, the biggest member of that Offensive Line weighed in at a whopping 270lbs and was considered "huge".  Today, 270lbs won't get you on any Offensive line in the NFL and if you don't tip the scales at at least 300, you probably won't make it in a major college program either.  Guys like Tennessee Titans rookie Running Back Derrick Henry weighs in at 245-250 and guys who figure to stop him this year playing Middle Linebacker are in the 250-265 range and run just as fast as he does. 
Players are just getting bigger, faster, stronger, and are crashing into each other with greater force.  Injuries are more severe and in the case of the Ravens last season, the year can be lost when you lose 20+ players to season ending injuries.  The commissioner keeps talking about a longer season and many of us fans want that; but let's be real, 16 games plus 4 or 5 preseason games is just too much on a roster that is now just 53 guys and for some inexplicable reason, allows for just 46 of that number to be active on game day.  Teams bring 90 young men to camp each Summer and though the Players Union has won concessions to make camp practices less intense and save guys' bodies for the regular season, the fact is the body can only take so much damage before it can no longer play the game anymore.

There is really no reason each team can't carry 60 men each year, with 10 guys on the practice squad.  Preseason games should be done away with in favor of 3 structured scrimmages against other teams that are shown on television and locally attended.  There is not a single season ticket holder and PSL owner that enjoys having to pay full price for 2 preseason games that will only allow for "good" football for a fraction of a game.  Those games are always low attended and the games mean nothing to the reality of the regular season.
The bottom line is this; MONEY.  The NFL, which already earns more money every year than the Catholic Church, is always finding new ways to part us fans from our money.  You and I want to see quality football in the NFL and we want our team to be successful; the best way for that to happen across the board and for safety for all players is to increase the sizes of the team rosters, and stop the silliness of having a reduced roster.  It is 2016 NFL, wake up to that reality and keep giving us quality for our money.

Could be a Loss Coming

Y'all need to prepare yourselves, this might be THE year that we lose in the Dome. I don't see our starters playing a lot, if at all, and Sean Payton has said Drew Brees and all his starters will go at least the 1st quarter. 

We own an amazingly one sided won - loss advantage over the Saints and are undefeated in the Superdome. The Ravens were the last team to play in the Dome before Katrina hit (preseason game) and we beat the Saints and when they came back home and the Dome was repaired, the Saints went on this incredible undefeated at home winning streak. The team that broke that streak? Our Ravens!  And of course, despite that mysterious power outage, the Flock still won Super Bowl 47, IN the Dome. 

But tonight, with little on the line other than winning a roster spot for SOME players, there's no reason for John Harbaugh and the coaches to go out and try to win this game. Buffalo is coming up, cuts have to be made, and the real deal is ABOUT to be, REAL!

Ravens 2016 - A View from Afar

3rd Preseason Game - A Review

After watching the much anticipated "3rd preseason game" of the 2016 year there are a few observations that have to discussed.  While the win was impressive, ultimately the outcome meant nothing and indicated nothing about the season to come.  As fans, we tend to get excited about every "W" that is put on the books, but preseason "W's", (though head coaches will tell you different), are not a serious measurement of how a team will do once the stats and games start to matter.  Now, that being said?  It was good to see the starters as well as the guys vying to win a spot (starting, depth or team) go out, execute and make plays.  As always, there are positives and negatives to come out of this game and despite the win; the major negatives make this game a push.  Losing 2 guys who were being counted on this year to make our Offense dangerous and effective, just plain hurts.  The sad thing about these injuries is you cannot see these guys in action unless they play but playing them now is exposing them to these injuries.  It is the ultimate catch 22 of the NFL.
Ben Watson - His injury gave us all that same sickening feeling that we experienced twice last year with Suggs then Steve Sr..  But this is personal for me because I had the pleasure of meeting and speaking with Ben this Summer and I have to tell you, a nicer, more down to Earth MAN, you will never meet in the NFL.  He and his family were nice and tolerant of me and my fanboy admiration, but once I was over that phase, he was easy to talk to about the game and his career.  But from a team perspective, he was brought in to bring reliability to the position.  Big, still fast and sure-handed, Ben Watson was my favorite of the big 3 W's Ozzie signed in Free Agency. 
After the suspensions of Darren Waller and Nick Boyle were announced for this season we fans were still good because we thought we had Watson, Williams, Pitta and Gilmore as 4 options to start the season.  Now with Pitta still unavailable because of a stupid practice session fight, the position suddenly becomes an enigma with the loss of Watson.  Does the team now elevate Daniel Brown to possibly make this team; something that was doubtful before last night?  Or does the loss of Watson now mean that another guy at another position now have a shot?
Kenneth Dixon - One of the "454 boys" (each of the 4 players drafted in the 4th round of this year's Draft have 5 letters in their last names), Dixon was arguably the most exciting and definitely the most accomplished from college (2nd most TDs in CFB history).  Dixon was hitting the hole better than any of the other RBs on the team this preseason.  He was always good for at least one exciting run from scrimmage each game or scrimmage.  Quiet as it was being kept, he looked like not only a lock to make the team, but possibly even knock last year's drafted RB, Buck Allen, off the team.  Dixon has speed, shiftiness, power and decent hands to catch the ball.  Actually, the thing that was keeping him lower on the depth chart is his need to get better in pass protection, but you expect that will come over time.  It is not known at this time, how long his injury will keep him out, but if he can come back this season, the kid will be electric.  (it was announced today that Dixon's knee injury is an MCL tear that won't require surgery, expected to only miss 4 weeks)

He's coming....,

Every year this part of the season HE visits each and every team.  HE is scary, HE is unrelenting, and he is inevitable.  "HE" is the Turk.  The Turk is the name for the person or persons who issues the famous line "Coach needs to see you and bring your playbook".  Every team gets to keep 53 of the 90 players they bring to Training Camp every year and every year there are players that are brought in just to be camp bodies; guys who come in with absolutely no shot to make the team but are needed to practice against and fill out the 90 man limit.  Each team has their designated starters that are all but assured of being on the team and are untouchable by the Turk and the Ravens are no exception.  Flacco, Tucker, Yanda, Suggs, Dumervil, Mosley and others have no fear of the Turk while players like Terrance West and Jeremy Butler have pretty much earned their pass to keep the Turk away from their lockers.  However, unless there is some hidden mystery the coaching staff has up their sleeves this season (for years the Jah Reid survival game was stupefying)
the following guys are all gonna have to surrender their playbooks either Tuesday or next week.

• Will Lutz - Kicker - brought in to give Tucker some breaks and spare that golden leg; Lutz was never a threat to make this team.
• Kyle Arrington - Corner - signed last year in the off season to be the slot corner, Arrington was nothing short of totally disappointing.  This summer we have not even seen him on the practice field or during games and guys like Will Davis and Tavon Young (454 boy) are playing hard for that slot corner position
• Cavellis Luckett - ILB - yeah, who?!?! Camp body, never a threat to win that coveted role starting next to CJ Mosley
• Jarrell Broxton - Guard - again, a camp body who was spelling guys like Yanda and Urschel
• Lorenzo Taliferro - RB - drafted a couple of years ago to be that sledgehammer runner to get the tough yards, the kid has just not been able to stay healthy.  Even if he hadn't spent all camp injured this year, was he on the same level as West, Forsett, Dixon or Buck Allen?  I don't see them keeping 5 RBs as 4 was a doable stretch and quite frankly? Kyle Juszczyk is more than capable of being that tough short yardage runner as a fullback
• Trevon Coley - DT - With Brandon Williams, Timmy Jernigan, and Carl Davis on the team, Coley would have had to be the next coming of Warren Sapp to crack that position here for the Ravens

Now, with those guys pretty much a foregone conclusion to visited by the Turk, there are some guys who have made Harbaugh and Ozzie's jobs unenviable.  Did these guys avoid the Turk?  Or at the least, keep him at bay for a week?

• Chris Matthews - WR - big guy with good hands but that WR corps is full of NFL caliber guys who could start on most teams.
• Sheldon Price - CB - up and down preseason; he's looked great on some plays and totally lost on others.  Is he worth a spot on this stacked team?
• Terrence Brooks - Safety - supposedly locked in a tight battle for a spot with Matt Elam, this former 3rd round pick and National Champion with the FSU Seminoles seems to have finally seen the light on how to play at this level.  Elam's injury may have made it easier to keep him on the team but dropping a gift INT against the Lions will certainly make the coaches discuss him at length
• Patrick Onwuasor - ILB - undrafted guy from Portland State, if he can survive and play on special teams, he could be a very good player in this league some day.  Always around the ball, the game is not too big for him and he has that edge, that attitude that makes you cheer for him
• Julian Wilson - CB - hurt all of last season from an injury he sustained in rookie camp, he has shown potential when on the field.  Is there room is the question, Harbs has made it clear, this season, potential alone might not be enough to make the 2016 Baltimore Ravens
• Maurice Canady - CB - late round draft pick out of Virginia the kid has the length and size to be good in this league.  When on the field (injured for the early part of camp), Canady is very good but needs the reps to grow.  Again, will Special Teams be the way onto the team because of the over abundance of talent at Corner?
• Willie Henry - DT - undrafted from Jim Harbaugh's Michigan Wolverine team, he is a comer for sure.  Can he beat out Kapron Lewis-Moore to make this team?

Meet the Beast, new to the East

All preseason there has been a buzz about Kamalei Correa around camp and in the media.  When you see him practice and play, you can see why.  The kid is going to be that next "Raven" that you've heard old timers like Terrell Suggs wax nostalgic about.  "KC" could have played with that Defense that would scare other cities when they saw the Baltimore Ravens on the schedule.  Tough, hard nosed, not afraid to mix it up with even established vets on this team (e.g. the fight with Pitta that broke the TEs thumb), KC is going to be the guy who could remind us fans of Adalius Thomas.  He's big, he's fast and he's clearly versatile as he was drafted to be an Edge Rusher but has played inside next to Mosley as well dropped into coverage.  Growing up in Hawaii, he played high school ball with Marcus Mariota at St Louis HS.  That school has a reputation of producing some great players who have gone on to have at least division 1 college careers.  Correa played his college ball at Boise State so playing and living on the East Coast is all new to him.  But keep an eye on #51 this year and throughout his career.  In a draft class that was loaded with guys who could be great albeit unheralded by most of the media, Correa may very well be "That Beast" Raven who carries on the tradition of great Defense in Baltimore. 

NFC North Ravens?

Misprint? Nope.  Interesting concept?  Nope.  Projection?  Hardly.  Wild assed guess?
No, none of those.  I was just contemplating a little discussed factoid about the Baltimore, AFC North residing, Ravens.  Did you realize that the Ravens currently have 3 former Head Coaches from that NFC North division.  That's right, THREE!  If you start with Leslie Frazier, the current DB coach, who was last HC of the Minnesota Vikings, that is the most obvious.  But we also have the former Chicago Bears Head Coach, Marc Trestman as our Offensive Coordinator.  And finally, the one everyone seems to forget; former man in charge of the Detroit Lions, Marty Mornhinweg, the team and Joe's QB coach.
Now it is not unusual for teams to have former head coaches on staff; heck, most of the league is populated with retreaded coaches who had different levels of success.  The exception is when you have a Head Coach who comes straight from college with zero NFL experience.  Truth be told, coming from college football into a Head Coaching position in the NFL is a sure fire recipe for failure these days.  The last coach to do so with sustained success was Jimmy Johnson when he took over the Dallas Cowboys.  And lately, the most notable failure has been Chip Kelly and his stint in Philly trying to be the new Jimmy Johnson.
But back to my point; the Ravens have always had former and future Head Coaches on staff.  Some of them have gone on have resurgent careers leading teams and some have come here just to finish up their careers.  The names run the gamut that evoke different emotions amongst fans:

• Jim Fassell
• Gary Kubiak
• Ted Marchibroda
• Jim Zorn
• Jim Caldwell
• Cam Cameron

Most of those guys were short term "rentals" as they looked to move on quickly after padding that resume' some.  And of course, we have had a plethora of guys who parlayed their time here into first time head man jobs.
But in my memory, I don't think there has ever been a team to have so many key assistants who were HCs from one division on staff at one time.  The bona fidas of these three men read like a coaching clinic brochure, but we now need to see if their past successes translate into lifting the Ravens back and deep into the playoffs. 

Marc Trestman - former player and coach who's best years came coaching in the CFL.  Last year, was not as good as everyone hoped.  He tried to integrate the Kubiak playbook into his own style of coaching Offense.  The running game suffered, the passing game was too prominent and the blocking schemes just didn't gel like they had the year before.  Hopefully, with an entire year under his belt and more time to tailor the plays to his strengths, the Offense will once again shine.
Marty Mornhinweg - even before taking over the Detroit Lions, Marty was known as a "QB whisperer".  He has been in Joe's (and the backup guys') ear(s) and helping them see and understand what is working and not working in game prep and during games.  It is safe to say that he too, didn't do as good a job last season as expected.
Those two really have to put something together this season in order to keep their jobs here in Baltimore, or like Kubiak get back into the "big chair' somewhere else.
Leslie Frazier - former member of that Chicago Bears Defensive team that the 2000 Ravens are always compared to.  As a successful Defensive Coordinator in his own right after years as a DB coach, the hope is he can uplift the most maligned part of this team's Defense.  Already this off season, his teachings and techniques have raised the enthusiasm of the guys and it seems that 6 INT season record will be soon forgotten.  What is also a talked about possibility is, Frazier has been brought in as a contingency if the Dean Pees tenure has to come to an end.
Either way it works out for 2016, the Ravens have a linear link to their conference counterpart in the NFC that is impossible to ignore.