Baltimore Ravens decide to continue to bet on old horses – NFL Feature
The Baltimore Ravens hold the unique record of playing the second round of the American professional football league, National Football League (NFL), four times, consecutively, over span of the last four years.
They are also the only team to have failed themselves on the course to the league’s supreme event of Super Bowl, all those times, successively.
The consecutive losses have become very frustrating for the team management. They are even harder to swallow for many of their players, who have been a part of the side during all those occasions.
A number of their players, who are nearing end of their career, are really disappointed to see all the failures through their career.
A number of them considered the recent attempt as the last of their career. They were in a do or die situation, with very less hope of surviving the rash punishment of their team management following their consecutive failures.
They saw their sacking inevitable. Even if that was not the case, they weighed other options such as retirement for their face saving from humiliation of being labelled as the consistent losers.
Their consideration of moving elsewhere was not conducive to their age. The age factor with an added tag of being losers was thought to become a major hindrance in the possibility of their move somewhere else on the league.
The question was who would sign them? A majority of the players have the defensive background, given the predomination of defence in Ravens game strategy, was another negative in their chances.
So, more or less, they were left with the option of either themselves call it quits, or hope that their team pose confidence into them despite being part of their loss on more than one occasion.
They were lucky to have survived the scare, as the Baltimore Ravens have decided to continue to bet on their old horses and hope for the best with some changes on other sides.
The owner of the team announced a day earlier to have retained their running back, Ray Rice, and quarterback, Joe Flacco. Their linebacker, Ray Lewis, is hoping for a similar fate.
So, the fear and uncertainty around the future of their career following their consecutive losses is over, for a year atleast.
Their team has given another chance to them despite that they have been tested time and gain.
It is probably the stature of team’s defence, which is the second best on the league, that made the team management to give a second thought to their overhauling plan, which was seen a very much a possibility in the aftermath of their AFC championship loss.
It could also be the sudden shift in the team’s strategy to make their offence line as strong as their defence to have come as a help to the players at the time of their need.
The team has recently already hired a fulltime trainer and mentor for their quarterback, Joe Flacco.
The offensive co-ordinator is none other than Jim Caldwell, who was unfortunate to have been let go by his employer, the Indianapolis Colts.
He can be proud to have trained and groom the players like Peyton Manning, Colts’ quarterback. He is the only player to have earned the honour of Most Valuable Player (MVP) for four times. None other have achieved this exclusive distinction for more than
once, or four times to be exactly.
So, adding Jim Caldwell to their coaching staff strength will help their cause, and cause of their players.
Most importantly, the veterans from their defence line-up, who saw the sword of firing hanging over their heads until recently, will be pleased to know that some responsibility will be taken away from them and team’s offence line will be equally made countable
in their performance.
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