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Top 10 Plays in Ravens Regular Season History?


diamondbull424

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https://pressboxonline.com/2020/12/16/glenn-clarks-10-greatest-regular-season-plays-in-ravens-history/

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10. Ed Reed’s 107-yard pick-six vs. the Eagles in 2008 and Ed Reed’s 106-yard pick-six vs. the Browns in 2004

Am I cheating by having No. 10 be a tie? Sure. But when the same guy had two thrilling, record-setting, game-sealing interception returns in his career, how exactly do we separate them?

9. Haloti Ngata breaks Ben Roethlisberger’s nose in 2010

8. Frank Sanders tip drill converts fourth-and-28 to keep comeback hopes vs. Seattle alive in 2003

7. “Hell yeah, Coach, let’s go for it” at Seattle in 2019

It was Lamar Jackson’s signature moment in his signature victory during his unanimous MVP season, and it just so happened to come along with an iconic quote. I found an excuse to use the same phrase no fewer than 20 times in conversation during the rest of calendar 2019.

6. Shannon Sharpe rewrites history vs. Jacksonville in 2000

As we prepare for Ravens-Jaguars in Week 15, we’re reminded that Baltimore lost their first EIGHT meetings with Jacksonville in franchise history. That all ended when Tony Banks found Shannon Sharpe for a 29-yard touchdown strike with 41 seconds left. The Ravens announced their arrival as a contender … even if they would have to change quarterbacks and styles before they would ultimately win their first Super Bowl.

5. Torrey Smith’s redemption at Pittsburgh in 2011

4. Ray Lewis emphatically finishes thingsin San Diego in 2009

3. “The Immaculate Evacuation” at Cleveland in 2020

I’m not married to “The Immaculate Evacuation,” I just wanted to give it a shot. I realize there’s recency bias involved in this, but we are hard-pressed to soon forget just how dramatic this was. With two minutes left in the game and with the season potentially at stake, we genuinely believed the game was about to come down to Willie Snead going under center to attempt to convert a fourth-and-5. Just moments later, Lamar Jackson saved the season.

If this somehow leads to a deep Ravens run, this might end up moving up the list.

2. Willis McGahee and Le’Ron McClainshut down Cowboys Stadium in Dallas in 2008

1. Hey diddle diddle, Ray Rice up the middle in San Diego in 2012

It’s so absurd. This was a mediocre Ravens team, honestly. The results would prove that during the next couple of weeks. But this ended up being a critical win. It’s borderline shameful that Joe Flacco ever checked the ball down. We’ll never REALLY know if Rice made it to the line to gain. And we don’t give nearly enough credit to Anquan Boldin for his block on future Raven Eric Weddle to get Rice there.

So I was reading this recent article, I posted his top 10 and some of his breakdowns of the plays.

Do you agree with this breakdown? What are your top 10 plays in franchise, regular season, history?

Personally I find it incredibly disrespectful to NOT have the ‘He is Houdini’ in the top 10, if not top 5. It’s one of the most iconic plays and playcalls in NFL history IMO. No way some of these plays deserve to be over it, even if the play didn’t have any deep seated stakes, it was overwhelmingly amazing.

Its also cringe to have closing out Dallas as greater than the play last week. You don’t need hindsight bias and a playoff run to tell you that play was vital and absolutely special. Just like you didn’t need a playoff run to know how special diddle diddle was in real time.

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4 hours ago, diamondbull424 said:

https://pressboxonline.com/2020/12/16/glenn-clarks-10-greatest-regular-season-plays-in-ravens-history/

So I was reading this recent article, I posted his top 10 and some of his breakdowns of the plays.

Do you agree with this breakdown? What are your top 10 plays in franchise, regular season, history?

Personally I find it incredibly disrespectful to NOT have the ‘He is Houdini’ in the top 10, if not top 5. It’s one of the most iconic plays and playcalls in NFL history IMO. No way some of these plays deserve to be over it, even if the play didn’t have any deep seated stakes, it was overwhelmingly amazing.

Its also cringe to have closing out Dallas as greater than the play last week. You don’t need hindsight bias and a playoff run to tell you that play was vital and absolutely special. Just like you didn’t need a playoff run to know how special diddle diddle was in real time.

Dude that Dallas close out closed out their entire stadium after Jerry was allowed to influence the schedule, and specifically chose to play against us because they wanted a win in their final game in that building. Huge disrespect and we punched them in the mouth and shut down the dome TWICE with unbelievable runs. We even got the famous Ray Lewis “turn the lights off this b****” quote out of this one.

Honestly what’s really cringe is including Haloti Ngata breaking Ben’s nose. That’s not really a “play” and it just makes us look butt hurt and kind of trashy to say that’s one of our greatest plays ever...

I agree about the Lamar Jackson run against the Bengals - that should be in there.

Edited by ThatJaxxenGuy
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12 minutes ago, ThatJaxxenGuy said:

I agree about the Lamar Jackson run against the Bengals - that should be in there.

That was the spin right? Thats gotta be up there.

A couple Chris McAllister plays that were pretty epic. I think it was 06 and Cleveland was about to go ahead and he went end zone to end zone. And I think he returned a FG 109 yards once.

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The Ray Lewis hit should be higher. That is by far one of the toughest stops I've seen in my life. It was as if he was in the huddle with them. I like the Ray diddle, but that isn't the #1 play for me. Hindsight makes this play bigger than I think it was. People act like the Ravens were fighting for their playoff lives with this win. We was like 9-2 or 9-3, lol

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2 hours ago, ThatJaxxenGuy said:

Dude that Dallas close out closed out their entire stadium after Jerry was allowed to influence the schedule, and specifically chose to play against us because they wanted a win in their final game in that building. Huge disrespect and we punched them in the mouth and shut down the dome TWICE with unbelievable runs. We even got the famous Ray Lewis “turn the lights off this b****” quote out of this one.

Honestly what’s really cringe is including Haloti Ngata breaking Ben’s nose. That’s not really a “play” and it just makes us look butt hurt and kind of trashy to say that’s one of our greatest plays ever...

I agree about the Lamar Jackson run against the Bengals - that should be in there.

I understand that. Top 10 play, absolutely. Better than last week? I don’t think so.

Last week was absolute movie script and spectacle. Our playoff hopes without that are probably decreased by 30-40%...

Dallas, while disrespectful, wasn’t a rivalry game. It was indeed required to ultimately make the playoffs over the Patriots. But those plays happened while we were up by 2 points. We poured salt on the wound. If we had closed out the Steelers stadium, then absolutely; but Dallas? Meh. The LeRon McClain run was indeed more vicious than I remembered though. There was shades of Skittles Earthquake run in Seattle... I mean, not nearly as unforgettable (that might be the greatest play I’ve ever seen, not Ravens related, but still), but that LeRon stiff arm was serious... but again we were up by two scores. 

The Lamar play, we were down by a point with the 2 minute warning already having gone by and only two TOs to stop the clock. If we don’t convert on that 4th down, let’s analyze some scenarios:

1) What are the chances that our defense holds that run game for no 1st down? Game probably ends on a 1st down TD run (actually Chubb probably kneels down at the 1 to prevent us from going the TD/2pt route for overtime).

2) If we somehow hold them, they’re probably just outside of FG range so they punt it. You’re giving us the ball back with probably 1 minute left and with one of the best punters in the game, probably pin us within our own 15 yard line, with absolutely no TOs, needing the FG to win it. Similar circumstance to how it ended, only without the TO and needing an additional 10-15 yards. We barely had enough time with that TO, without it, we perhaps fall short of the comeback.

Ravens close out Texas stadium, Full Game Highlights

Lamar’s Willis Reed Moment, Full Game Highlights

Also as good of a game the Dallas game was with those two Reed picks, this was one of the best Ravens games I’ve seen. Only playoff games would I have above it; the Mile High Miracle game, the Harbowl game, the 2000s Titans playoff victory, and... probably something else that I’m blanking on ATM. So the best play in the best regular season Ravens game. Only two plays are “acceptable” above this IMO, “diddle diddle” and “Ray on Sproles”... and because Rice looked short on the diddle diddle and it was a terrible decision by Flacco, made right by Rice, I’d certainly lean this play over that one... if not for the obvious hindsight bias.

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2 minutes ago, diamondbull424 said:

I understand that. Top 10 play, absolutely. Better than last week? I don’t think so.

Last week was absolute movie script and spectacle. Our playoff hopes without that are probably decreased by 30-40%...

Dallas, while disrespectful, wasn’t a rivalry game. It was indeed required to ultimately make the playoffs over the Patriots. But those plays happened while we were up by 2 points. We poured salt on the wound. If we had closed out the Steelers stadium, then absolutely; but Dallas? Meh. The LeRon McClain run was indeed more vicious than I remembered though. There was shades of Skittles Earthquake run in Seattle... I mean, not nearly as unforgettable (that might be the greatest play I’ve ever seen, not Ravens related, but still), but that LeRon stiff arm was serious... but again we were up by two scores. 

The Lamar play, we were down by a point with the 2 minute warning already having gone by and only two TOs to stop the clock. If we don’t convert on that 4th down, let’s analyze some scenarios:

1) What are the chances that our defense holds that run game for no 1st down? Game probably ends on a 1st down TD run (actually Chubb probably kneels down at the 1 to prevent us from going the TD/2pt route for overtime).

2) If we somehow hold them, they’re probably just outside of FG range so they punt it. You’re giving us the ball back with probably 1 minute left and with one of the best punters in the game, probably pin us within our own 15 yard line, with absolutely no TOs, needing the FG to win it. Similar circumstance to how it ended, only without the TO and needing an additional 10-15 yards. We barely had enough time with that TO, without it, we perhaps fall short of the comeback.

Ravens close out Texas stadium, Full Game Highlights

Lamar’s Willis Reed Moment, Full Game Highlights

Also as good of a game the Dallas game was with those two Reed picks, this was one of the best Ravens games I’ve seen. Only playoff games would I have above it; the Mile High Miracle game, the Harbowl game, the 2000s Titans playoff victory, and... probably something else that I’m blanking on ATM. So the best play in the best regular season Ravens game. Only two plays are “acceptable” above this IMO, “diddle diddle” and “Ray on Sproles”... and because Rice looked short on the diddle diddle and it was a terrible decision by Flacco, made right by Rice, I’d certainly lean this play over that one... if not for the obvious hindsight bias.

Yeah I think that 4th and 5 should be on there. Lamar’s poop game should be Jordan’s flu game.

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2 hours ago, DontTazeMeBro said:

That was the spin right? Thats gotta be up there.

A couple Chris McAllister plays that were pretty epic. I think it was 06 and Cleveland was about to go ahead and he went end zone to end zone. And I think he returned a FG 109 yards once.

Yeah absolutely true. Would’ve thought a McAlister play would’ve been in there as well. Though I also don’t recall some of the older regular season plays myself so they’re hard for me to judge or rule out.

2 hours ago, ThatJaxxenGuy said:

Honestly what’s really cringe is including Haloti Ngata breaking Ben’s nose. That’s not really a “play” and it just makes us look butt hurt and kind of trashy to say that’s one of our greatest plays ever...

Forgot to address this. Yeah, picking a play where we lost the game? Plus that wasn’t even the best Roethlisburger sack. How is this NOT better than the Ngata sack? Broke Ben’s nose or Ben rocked and sprawled out on the ground and having to leave the game (crazy that dude is still playing after all these types of hits and being behind such a trash OL for all those years).

 

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6 hours ago, AFlaccoSeagulls said:

Ray Lewis' close out against SD would be #2 in my mind. And what about CJ Mosley's INT against Cleveland to send us to the playoffs? What about Lamar's spin against CIN? I wouldn't even put the Cowboys thing in the top 10 tbh

I’d probably have it at the back half or on the fringe, if it makes it, it’d be incredibly close. It was vital in rookie Harbs and Flacco getting to the postseason, but I’ll be honest, it’s not a play that’s stuck with me after all these years. I think somewhere around 8-12 would be where I’d have it.

My top 10 would probably be (something like):
1. Lamar’s Willis Reed moment/Justin Tucker GWK
2a. Ray Lewis eats Darren Sproles to seal game
2b. Diddle Diddle, Ray Rice from Rutgers Runs up the middle
* All are top shelf, pulling hairs here to decide

4. He is Houdini
5. Ed Reed returns it 108 yds vs Eagles
6. Chris McAlister FG miss return for TD, Ray Lewis delivers destructive block

7. Torrey Smith delivers TDs vs Patriots after brother dies in motorcycle accident
8a. Joe Flacco GW to Torrey Smith vs Steelers (couldn’t decide)
8b. Joe Flacco GW to TJ Housh over Steelers

9. Ed Reed returns it 106 yds vs Browns
10a. LeRon McClain run closes out Texas stadium
10b. Bart Scott turns Big Ben into a Bobblehead Doll

Though I’m sure theres a few plays that I’m completely forgetting about. But FTMP, this is where I’d have it. Honorable mentions would include:
- Ray Lewis destroys Dustin Keller of the Jets over the middle.
- Justin Tucker nails 61 yarder to beat the Lions.
- Jamal Lewis long TD run vs Browns during 295 yd performance.
- CJ Mosley interception seals division vs Browns
- Tony Banks to Shannon Sharpe for GWD against Jags
- Will Hill beats Browns off a blocked FG return for TD

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4 hours ago, DontTazeMeBro said:

@diamondbull424

Oh ****! I completely forgot about the Ray Lewis block on that FG return. He freakin killed that dude. That moves it higher up the list for me.

Yup and you can see him signaling to McAlister to take it out and run it. I don’t know if McAlister takes it out if not for Lewis... then for him to steal dudes soul like that. Such a sexy play. Dude probably still hasn’t recovered from that hit. 😂 

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