As Ravens players packed their bags in Cincinnati after the final game of the season, Head Coach John Harbaugh slowly made his way around the entire locker room.
Instead of going directly to his post-game press conference like most weeks, Harbaugh stayed in the locker room to spend more time with his team. He went from player to player, shaking hands, patting their backs and having extended conversations with some.
He made a point of talking with every player on the roster, from the veteran leaders to the practice squad, and he repeatedly expressed how proud he was of the team despite their 5-11 record.
Why Can’t That Be Us?
John Harbaugh sat across the table from Ravens’ team executives and laid out a vision for the organization.
Harbaugh, then a little-known position coach and former special teams coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles, talked about culture, and respect, and family and tradition. He discussed the values he wanted in his team, and shared the process it would take to get there.
In the meeting, he delivered a message that resonated with those in charge of the franchise. He talked directly and openly about winning championships. Multiple championships. Then he leaned forward and smiled.
“Why can’t we be a championship team?” Harbaugh asked during his interview in 2008.
The last six weeks have been a bit of a blur.
I’ve had plenty of late nights and early mornings, working at an exhausting pace to cover the Baltimore Ravens run to Super Bowl XLVII. It’s been the most exciting and rewarding time of my professional career, and the experience was something that I hope to never forget.
I’ve now had a little time to decompress – to wean my system off of a constant stream of caffeine and drain all the New Orleans fried food out of my veins – and to appreciate the unique perspective I had throughout the ride to the most watched Super Bowl ever.
I truly had a front row seat for sports history.
DeAngelo Tyson will never forget his seventh-grade Christmas.
He wanted a CD player and a pair of black Air Force One tennis shoes.
Tyson put those two items on his Christmas list and handed it to Kim Lamb, his school teacher who gave him support while he was living in a boys group home.
“She got me what I wanted,” he said.
The shoes and CD player weren’t all he got. Kim and her husband Chris eventually welcomed Tyson into their home.
What started as a Christmas gift has turned into a new family.
A few weeks ago I was able to get my first taste of the NFL Draft as a member of the Ravens.
It was one of the most memorable and enjoyable weekends I’ve had since joining the team about six months ago. We worked long hours in a fast-paced and sometimes stressful environment, but that’s part of the fun for anyone who wants to enter the sports media business.
It’s been a while since my last post, and a lot’s happened since then.
I moved to a different city and started a new job. I got thrust into the middle of an NFL playoff race. I covered some of the most intriguing games of the NFL season. I got “dunked on” in the locker room.
And in process of all of that, I’ve had to pick up on a pretty steep learning curve in a fast-paced environment.
I have a background in sports media and marketing and I work on the digital team of the Baltimore Ravens. I’ve spent nearly a decade in the NFL, focused on building and expanding the team brand through digital and social media.
