A light-hearted look at the Baltimore Ravens

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, dogs, cats, children and even our stray Raiders fans looking for something to watch this weekend, you all surely know by now that the Chiefs, AFC West Champions of the World of the Year, will face off against the bridesmaids of the AFC North, the Baltimore Ravens.

Now you may not know much about the Ravens.  You may know a lot (if so, why aren't you writing this post?).  I've decided to do the research for you, though and find out some important info about the team in purple.  We already know that apparently, their defensive players are so effective because they are able to pilot gargantuan birds that shoot planet-obliterating lasers, but let's dive into the other details.

Did you know?  Fun facts about the Ravens that you probably didn't know...

• When it came to naming the new Baltimore franchise, following the move from Cleveland, the finalists for the name were the Ravens, Americans and Marauders.
• The Ravens held Hall of Famer Barry Sanders to 41 yards in the final game of his career.
• After their third season, the Ravens had to change their logo after a lawsuit with a security guard, who faxed his design to the headquarters but was never paid or credited for his design.   
  
  
• Johnny Unitas, former Baltimore Colts QB, delivered the game ball to the officials before their first ever home game.
• The team name is in reference to the work of Edgar Allen Poe, who was from the area.  The team's mascot, in fact, is named Poe.

Lesser Known Ravens

Colin Brown, OL - Joining the practice squad this year, Colin Brown is a veteran of the UFL's Hartford Colonials.  Graduate of Missouri.  Brown allegedly was a Chief at one point, but research was unable to confirm any noteworthy contribution.

Jameel McClain, LB - Not to be confused with established FB Le'Ron McClain, Jameel has been a solid undrafted free agent pickup for the Ravens from 2008.  He set a rookie record for getting two safeties and has increased his production this year, totaling 91 tackles, 58 of which were solo.  Solid young player.

Greg Mattison, Defensive Coordinator - When you think of the defensive mind behind the Ravens for the last decade, you probably still have lingering memories of Rex Ryan.  However, Greg Mattison has done an admirable job of keeping the Ravens on pace with the top defenses in the league.  After winning a national championship with Florida and successful experience with ND/Michigan, he joined John Harbaugh's staff in 2008.

A few famous Ravens fans

These ladies and gents may not be as great as Chiefs faithfuls like Rasheed Wallace and Rob Riggle, but we won't gloat.  Let's take a look at who loves Baltimore:

Michael Phelps - Olympian, real American hero, Ravens fan.

Edward Norton - Actor most famous for his roles in Fight Club, Red Dragon, American History X and The Italian Job, is a Baltimore native and self-proclaimed Baltimore sports nut.  While not nearly as attractive as our next Ravens super fan, he is at least well known and fairly talented.

Stacy Keibler - Okay, let's face it.  This might be there reason I wrote this fan post.  Stacy has been there and done a lot of that.  Ravens fans first knew her as a cheerleader in the team's early years.  Teenage boys and young men stumbled upon this little gem during her WCW and WWE days.  The rest of the world got to know her through her appearance on ABC's Dancing With The Stars and through a recurring role on How I Met Your Mother.  Best legs in the NFL as far as fans are concerned.  Try not to stare too long.

Thanks for reading kids, hopefully I can keep doing some posts like this in the future. <3