Jonathan Ogden Retires

Jonathan Ogden has officially retired from the NFL. He played 12 arduous season with the Baltimore Ravens, in which he was nominated to 11 Pro Bowls and won a Super Bowl. Ogden was the Ravens first draft pick in franchise history, picked fourth out of UCLA. After his rookie season, Ogden was moved from left guard to left tackle where he served as the anchor of the Raven’s offensive line for 11 years to follow. Ogden became labored because of injuries, the most debilitating of which was his big toe on his left foot.

Ravens fans are going to have to suffer through the fact that Jonathan Ogden will no longer be lining up to protect the backfield. It is impossible to replace a player of his caliber, but it is even harder to replace his character. He served as a symbol of stability as the franchise evolved. He portrayed himself as a versatile public figure that could be stoic, hard-nosed and whimsical when the situation called for it.

He will unquestionably be inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame. The mountain of a man from St. Albans High School in Washington, DC gave his career to the Ravens and will be remembered as such.

Baltimore Raven OT Jonathan Ogden expected to retire

Veteran OT Jonathan Ogden is expected to officially announce that he will be retiring from professional football later this week. Most everybody was already acting under the assumption that Ogden would say goodbye to the game, but it doesn't change the fact that he leaves a void in the offensive line. There is no replacing a sure hall of famer and one of the greatest offensive linemen in history.

It is a particularly tough situation with inexperience players in the backfield. The likes of Joe Flacco, Troy Smith and Ray Rice will have to perform without what would've been their greatest ally.

Baltimore Ravens draft class of 1996

The NFL Network recently ranked the top 10 draft classes in the history of the NFL. The 1996 draft class for the Ravens was ranked 5th with the likes of Jonathan Ogden, Ray Lewis, DeRon Jenkins, Jermaine Lewis, Dexter Daniels, James Roe and Jon Stark.

It is primarily because of Ogden and Lewis that this class is ranked as high as it is and because of the other draftees that it is ranked as low as it is. In other words, 5th is a fair and correct ranking for this class.

Here is the complete list:

10. Pittsburgh Steelers Class of '74
9. Dallas Cowboys Classes of '91 and '92
8. Chicago Bears Class of '83
7. Green Bay Packers Class of '58
6. San Fran 49ers Class of '86
5. Baltimore Ravens class of '96
4. Washington Redskins Class of '81
3. Chicago Bears Class of '65
2. Buffalo Bills Class of '85
1. Tampa Bay Bucs Class of '95

Ryan Clady getting some ink

These guys think the Ravens may pick up Ryan Clady with their first round pick. He's a big and talented o-lineman that could be the potential replacement for Jonathan Ogden. Here is a quick look at the kid for those of you that don't get to watch Boise St. local television on a daily basis.

John Harbaugh has taken speech classes

John Harbaugh sat down and spoke to The Sun yesterday. He didn’t unveil any significant information about the team or next season, but he did reveal that he is an intelligent human being. He seems to be answering question the right way, and handling personal decisions quite well.

One of the major questions is whether all-world Jonathan Ogden will be returning as the anchor for the offensive line next season. Harbaugh responded to a question about the situation with Ogden’s interests first and the teams second. Ogden has earned such respect, and though it would be difficult to replace him it can be done. Terry can move over or a draft pick will have to learn quickly.

I was most impressed with Harbaugh’s response to the always slippery quarterback situation:

“To me, personnel situations are like playing a round of golf. Sometimes you've got a 60-foot putt, and sometimes you've got a tap-in. That position right now is probably not a tap-in. ... It's going to be competitive, and that [competition] will determine which guy plays. Maybe it's someone in the draft or maybe someone on another team. That has yet to be determined. I think all three of those guys want to compete for that job.”

He left the door open. He said that every QB currently on the roster has a chance, but it could also be a strong arm coming out of college or a veteran currently playing on another team. If his eloquence in a private interview in which he had time to prepare is any indication of how he coaches, Baltimore is looking exponentially better than they were last year under the rule of Czar Billick.

You better stick around Rex

Offering Rex Ryan a raise and promotion seems to have subdued his desires to be a head coach in the NFL for the time being. I will be the first to say that I thought Ryan should assume the role of head coach of the Ravens, but the powers that be didn't listen to my constant calling and begging. I'm sure it didn't help that I only spoke in an Arnold Schwarzenegger voice.

Ryan will be sticking around under the new title of assistant head coach, and will be receiving a paycheck totaling $1.5 million. Not too shabby, not Jason Garrett numbers, but I'll take it.

This is a huge move for the Ravens. Keeping Ryan around should make the dynamic in the locker room full of lollipops and rainbows. With players coach John Harbaugh, players coach Rex Ryan, and enigma Cam Cameron the purple birds are looking ripe for a turnaround next season.

On a sadder note, I think all-universe Jonathan Ogden's career might come to an end. The St. Albans high school home town boy is currently leaning toward calling it quits and who can blame him. My brilliant idea is to make Kelly Gregg play superman style and clog the holes on both the offensive and defensive lines. Any takers??