Ravens and Redskins – Change We Can Believe In
New head coaches, old and new quarterbacks in new offensive systems, and the only constant was our discerning taste as fans. Yet the Baltimore Ravens and Washington Redskins did more with the 2008 NFL season than we could have imagined possible in Week 1.
Both teams made credible challenges for the playoffs. Both teams played passionate defense and far more capable offense than we like to give them credit for. And both teams kept us interested all the way through. That’s saying a lot for football fans in Baltimore and Washington, where mediocrity and pity go together like Ed Hochuli and PowerBars.
John Harbaugh and Jim Zorn were two unknowns who came out of the shadow of position coaching to score head coaching gigs with two proud franchises. The Redskins were searching for the one who would replace Joe Gibbs as a long term fix. Someone who would take the front office chaos and create a masterpiece. They found him in Zorn, and while the latter part of the season has been more rocky than folks would like, the possibility of 8-8 or better is not a bad proposition in Year One.
The Ravens on the other hand had a much simpler task. Find a coach who won’t mess with the defense, and can at least make the offense look respectable for the first time in franchise history. The found the answer in Harbaugh, who turned to Cam Cameron for offensive definition and Joe Flacco much earlier than expected. Fortunately for Harbaugh, they have both turned out to be golden. The season has had its share of ups and downs, but for all of the drama behind the scenes, it hasn’t boiled over in the face of the team’s third season with at least 10 wins in the last six years.
And it will only get better next year for both clubs. Barring injury, retirement, or unexpected arrest, both teams will have rookies ready to emerge at key skill positions, both coaches will be one year wiser, and both owners will be one year more comfortable. The Redskins biggest off-season topic will be whether Vinny Cerrato stays or goes. For the Ravens, it will be about personnel. Ray Lewis, Bart Scott and Terrell Suggs can all be outta here, not to mention possible splits with Chris McAlister and Willis McGahee.
There’s much to be excited about in the Baltimore-Washington area when it comes to football, and no matter which end of I-95 you live on.
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