Baltimore Ravens: Never Doubt Ozzie Newsome's Intelligence

Feb 24, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Baltimore Ravens general manager and executive vice president Ozzie Newsome speaks to the media during the 2016 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

Ozzie Newsome has built some great Ravens teams over the years. He has made mistakes, but questioning his intelligence is a reflection of your own.

Every time I started to doubt Ozzie Newsome, he made me look like a fool. Every time that I thought the Ravens best days were behind them, he picked up the puzzle pieces and made something wonderful happen. The resume of Newsome is impressive, but we live in a what have you done for me lately kind of world. The Ravens have won 13 games in the past two seasons and the fan base is angry, agitated and impatient.

When the 2016 NFL Draft was over, it was hard to be overly enthused. The draft haul contained an offensive tackle with the sixth overall pick, a couple of linebackers and some guys you hoped were diamonds in the rough. It wasn’t the kind of stuff that gets a ton of fan fare. Well Ronnie Stanley has given every indication he is going to be the left tackle of the future. Matt Judon has a ton of potential. As for the diamonds in the rough, Tavon Young and Alex Lewis both look like studs. The Ravens don’t even sniff a winning record without those players. 8-8 was uninspiring but the latest draft wasn’t the problem.

If you think of Newsome as a rock band, his career has a familiar arc. It started with 1996, with two hits, that everyone loved Jonathan Ogden and Ray Lewis. The hits kept coming and Newsome was a living legend. Then in 2004-2005, the Ravens went through a lull. In 2006 he came back with a vengeance. In 2008-2012 he cemented his legacy as one of the all-time greats. Now everybody says they like his older stuff, but they aren’t into his new songs.

Feb 24, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Baltimore Ravens general manager and executive vice president Ozzie Newsome speaks to the media during the 2016 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

There is a difference between criticism and being venomous

The same people who hailed Newsome as a genius are the people who want to see him go away. The problem is that the Ravens had things so good, that fans can give the credit to several legends. For example, the one constant from 1996-2012 was Ray Lewis. It’s all too easy for fans to say that the Ravens won because of Lewis, and remove Newsome’s mastery from their memory. It’s the same trick some fans use to discredit Joe Flacco or John Harbaugh.

When Newsome sent Anquan Boldin to the San Francisco 49ers it was a punch to the stomach of the Ravens fan base. It is probably the one move, that nobody in Baltimore will ever get over. The Ravens have had a couple of hideous drafts. Matt Elam as a first round bust for the ages doesn’t go over well. Newsome was a part of the Ravens recent missteps. Ravens fan have high standards, but Newsome built those standards.

Newsome is coming off an offseason in which he grabbed three key pieces of the future in the draft, signed Eric Weddle and Mike Wallace and he had to clear a mile of cap space to do it. The Ravens had have declining draft results. I’m not about to excuse the GM for the 2013 or 2015 draft class. However, Newsome is showing that he isn’t clueless, and he isn’t done serving the franchise. If Antonio Brown can’t reach across the goal line on Christmas, the same people out for his job would be singing a different tune. The Ravens screwed up what could have been a good thing in the midst of a challenging season. That’s not all on the general manager.

Oct 18, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; A Baltimore Ravens fan with a bird on his helmet during the fourth quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi

In Ozzie We Trust Has Become An Unpopular Opinion:

The past two seasons have been tough. There has been a ton of finger pointing and no member of the Ravens brass is without some of the blame. I can criticize Newsome without thinking he has lost the magic touch. I refuse to stop thinking of Newsome as a role model; he is a personal hero of mine. I think he is a great leader of the organization, an intelligent man who could forget more about football than most people will ever know. Clamoring for a receiver, and complaining that we never had a superstar at that position is completely fair. Thinking that he doesn’t know what he’s doing isn’t.

This reminds me of another stretch in the history of the Ravens. In 2004-2005 the Ravens missed the playoffs for two consecutive years. The same chorus of anger was directed at Newsome at that time. 2006 was the Ravens best season, after Newsome traded for Steve McNair and made some great moves. 2007 was lost to bad quarterback play and too many injuries. However 2008-2012 was a historic run for the Ravens. After the 2005 season there were many Ravens fans who wanted to see Newsome fired. How did that work out?

Newsome is a legend of the game both as a player and an executive. Every time factions of Ravens fans have counted him out, he has got back in the winning column. He has seen every up and down that the NFL has to offer. I am not saying that you can’t disagree with him from time to time. I would just warn you that Newsome has a habit of making his detractors look silly. He might not be able to turn this around. I won’t be shocked if he does.

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