Playing his college ball at Missouri Southern, Brandon Williams and his wide base was named the Defensive Player of the Year of the MIAA.  Williams was a 3^rd Round Pick in 2013 by the Ravens and by 2014 he would become the starting Nose Tackle.  Still with Baltimore as of this writing, Williams was chosen to his first Pro Bowl in 2018, but there does not look to be a second Pro Bowl in his future.

Saying that, Williams, has proven himself as one of the better players in franchise history.

Still with the Baltimore Ravens as of this writing, Jimmy Smith arrived to Baltimore as a late 1^st Round Pick from the University of Colorado and would officially become the starting Right Cornerback in 2013 after having a good Super Bowl XLVII performance in Baltimore’s win over the San Francisco 49ers.  Smith has done a solid job for Baltimore and to date has recorded 14 Interceptions for the team, though lately has been coming off in reserve.

Eric Weddle had already gone to three Pro Bowls as a San Diego Charger and he would match that in Baltimore, but this time he would do it in three years.  That was also the amount of time that he patrolled the Ravens’ secondary, the first year being at Strong Safety and the second and third season seeing him switch back to Free Safety, his more natural position.  During his three years with Baltimore (2016-18) Weddle was arguably one of the most consistent Safeties during that timeframe.

Matt Judon played the first five seasons of his career with the Baltimore Ravens with the last two years being his best with the team.

Is it too soon to rank Lamar Jackson this high?

It might be too low!

There was a time that Justin Tucker was considered the best Place Kicker in the National Football League, and some went as far as labeling him as the best of all time.

A Raven from 2012 to 2024, Tucker won the kicker's job as an undrafted rookie from Texas, helping them win a Super Bowl, and securing a First Team All-Pro in his second season.  Tucker was known for his incredible accuracy, missing only eight Extra Points over his career. At the time of his release in 2024, he was the most accurate Field Goal kicker in history, boasting a scintillating 89.1 success rate.  In between, Tucker went to seven Pro Bowls, earned five First Team All-Pros, was named to the 2010s All-Decade Team, and set a record with a 66-Yard Field Goal.  His final season in Baltimore was his weakest, and he was also dealing with a scandal involving masseuses.   

Regardless of how his run in Baltimore ended, nobody was more automatic than Tucker was at his peak.

2024 Pre-Season Rank #23, 2023 Pre-Season Rank #39, 2022 Pre-Season Rank #47, 2021 Pre-Season Rank #70, 2020 Pre-Season Rank #108.  Peak Period: 2019-20/2022-24

The Running Back is dead.  Long live the Running Back.

When many football fans and journalists called the death of rushing, Derrick Henry (and Saquon Barkley) had other ideas, but we have been surpised by Henry before

In 2019, it felt like Derrick Henry won the Rushing Title out of nowhere, as he was in his fourth year, and he only had 1,059 Yards the year before.  In 2020, Henry won his second Rushing Title, shattering his previous mark, and joined the 2,000 Yard Rushing club, won the Offensive Player of the Year.  Had he not gotten injured during the 2021 season, Henry was on his way to his second straight OPOY.  After a bounce back in 2022 that saw him net his third 1,500-yard campaign.  

After one more year in Tennessee, it was clear that the Titans were looking to move on, and the Baltimore Ravens signed Henry to join their potent offense.  Henry was phenomenal last season, rushing for 1,921 Yards and leading the league in Rushing Touchdowns (16).  He broke 100 TDs and 11,000 Yards, and enters this season as the active leader in Rushing Yards (11,423) and Rushing Touchdowns (106), the latter number placing him in a sixth-place tie with Jim Brown. 

If Derrick Brown makes the Hall of Fame, 2024 will be the year that cements his bust.

2024 Pre-Season Rank #14, 2023 Pre-Season Rank #30, 2022 Pre-Season Rank #38, 2021 Pre-Season Rank #46, 2020 Pre-Season Rank #76. Peak Period: 2019-20/22-24

Everything but the Super Bowl.

Lamar Jackson has been money since he arrived in the National Football League, winning the MVP in 2019, his second in 2023, and last year, he almost won it, finishing second to Buffalo’s Josh Allen (even though Jackson was the AP First Team All-Pro).

Jackson has a winning record every season (he is 70-24 overall) and is coming off his first 4,000-yard year while still piling up the mileage on the ground (915).   He can beat you with his legs, his accuracy, and his arm, and could make history as the first QB to exceed 10,000 Rushing Yards.

A Quarterback with two MVPs (and remember, almost three) is a slam dunk to make it to Canton, but he does not want to challenge Dan Marino as the finest pivot never to win it all.  Baltimore is again loaded, but it needs to get to the big dance and win it for Jackson’s legacy to be complete.

The Hall of Fame Show: The Chairman (Kirk Buchner) and Evan Nolan look at the impact of Coronavirus, Tiger Woods and the Golf Hall, The College Football HOF Class and Vince Carter's potential last game.

We have a very significant retirement to discuss in the world of Pro Football as Marshal Yanda will be announcing his retirement on Wednesday.

A third round pick from Iowa, Yanda would start 12 of his 16 Games as a rookie and he would be a permanent fixture on the right side of the line from 2010 until his retirement in 2019. Yanda went to his first Pro Bowl in 2011, and he would go to eight in total. A two-time First Team All-Pro, Yanda was also a Second Team Selection five times.  His presence on the O-Line helped the Ravens win the 2012’s season Super Bowl.

Yanda’s lunch pail work ethic made him a star in the eyes of his peers, his coaches and the fans.  He was considered to be one of the most regimented players in the game.

In our pre-season ranking of active players for Hall of Fame consideration, Yanda was ranked #27 overall and #3 among Offensive Linemen.

Yanda will be eligible for the Hall in 2025, and he will receive (and should) serious consideration.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to wish Marshal Yanda the best in his post-playing career.

Drafted 5^th overall out of the University of Tennessee, Jamal Lewis was an immediate offensive force for the Baltimore Ravens rushing for 1,364 Yards in his rookie season.  More importantly, the Ravens went to the Super Bowl, and Lewis rushed for over 100 Yards and a TD in their Super Bowl XXXV win.  A knee injury took him out of his sophomore season, but he came back in 2002 with another 1,300 Yard Season though it was his 2003 year that places him on this list.  He rushed for 2,066 Yards, which as of this writing, is the third-best in history.  That year, Lewis was named the AP Offensive Player of the Year.

2024 Pre-Season Rank #26, 2023 Pre-Season Rank #22, 2022 Pre-Season Rank #28, 2021 Pre-Season Rank #42, 2020 Pre-Season Rank Rank #50.

From 2016 to 2023, Justin Tucker was a perennial All-Pro, who earned seven Pro Bowls, tying Morten Andersen for the record for a Place Kicker.  Named to the 2010s All-Decade player, Tucker can stake a claim as the best Kicker that ever lived, and as we are writing this, he holds the record for the most Field Goal accuracy (89.1), and the longest Field Goal (66 Yards).

While the above is fantastic, Tucker was abysmal in 2024, and during the season, he was accused multiple times of inappropriate behavior in massage parlors.  The Ravens released him after the season, and the belief is that he will never play again. 

It is hard enough for Kickers to get into the Hall as is, but when you leave a “stain” on your legacy?   It is even more difficult.

2024 Pre-Season Rank #24, 2023 Pre-Season Rank #20, 2022 Pre-Season Rank #28, 2021 Pre-Season Rank #30, 2020 Pre-Season Rank #44.  Peak Period: 2015-19

DeAndre Hopkins joins the Baltimore Ravens this year in his quest for his first Super Bowl.  He was as close as he ever was last year, having been traded to Kansas City during the season, but his overall output was 610 Yards, a far cry from the dynamo he was with Houston from 2017 to 2019, and was considered one of the best Wide receivers of the game. 

He is currently the active leader in Receiving Yards (12,965), but we have him ranked below Mike Evans (the most consistent WR of this era), Davante Adams (who has over 100 Touchdowns and is within 1,100 Yards of him), and Tyreek Hill (whose best years were better than Hopkins' best).

Hopkins still has a lot in the tank, and if used and healthy, he can pad those stats, and let’s be honest:  The Wide Receiver logjam is the tightest one in Canton.

2024 Pre-Season Rank #64, 2023 Pre-Season Rank #84, 2022 Pre-Season Rank #84, 2021 Pre-Season Rank #92, 2020 Pre-Season Rank #124.  Peak Period: 2008-12

For the record, we know that the odds of Joe Flacco making it to the Pro Football Hall of Fame are minimal at best, but what he has accomplished in the last few years has been inspirational.

A Super Bowl Champion with the Baltimore Ravens, Flacco was supplanted by Lamar Jackson and continued to work in the NFL as a solid backup.  In 2023, he had to take over for Cleveland in their stretch drive and led them to the playoffs with a 4-1 record.  He also won the AP Comeback Player of the Year.   Last year, he was a Colt, but he begins this campaign as a starter once again, for Cleveland. 

Regardless of how far he gets in the Hall of Fame process, his longevity and dedication to the game are impressive, and he is a player with over 45,000 Yards. 

In the 2006 NFL Draft, the Baltimore Ravens made an excellent selection by grabbing Haloti Ngata with the 12th pick. Ngata was a former All-American defensive tackle from the University of Oregon, and the Ravens were looking for someone to stuff up the middle of their defence. Ngata proved to be the answer to their prayers.

As soon as he joined the team, Ngata became a starter, and he quickly made a name for himself as one of the best defensive tackles in the league. He played multiple positions on the line, including defensive end and nose tackle, and he excelled at all of them.

From 2009 to 2013, Ngata was a fixture in the Pro Bowl, and he was also named a First Team All-Pro in 2010 and 2011. His immense size and power made him a dominant force on the field, and he could clog multiple lanes at the same time, making it incredibly difficult for opposing teams to move the ball.

Ngata played a crucial role in the Ravens' Super Bowl XLVII win, using his strength and tenacity to disrupt the opposing offence and help secure the victory. After his time with the Ravens, Ngata went on to play for the Detroit Lions and the Philadelphia Eagles, but he will always be remembered as a dominant defensive force in the NFL.

Over the course of his career, Ngata recorded 32.5 sacks and 517 combined tackles. His legacy as one of the best defensive players in the league is secure, and he will always be remembered as one of the most dominant forces on the field.

We told you that this would be a task that we would eventually get to.

Regular visitors to Notinhalloffame.com might know that we have told you in past updates that we will be looking at the top fifty players in each major North American Franchise (NHL, NFL, MLB and NBA) and last month we debuted just that with the Charlotte Hornets’ Top fifty players of all-time.

Selected second, we go to the National Football League and two time Super Bowl Champion, the Baltimore Ravens, which like Charlotte and all other future selections was done randomly.  Although we are in the playoffs and Baltimore is not a participant, this is up to the end of the 2014 season as we are waiting for the end of the post season before we include 2015 accomplishments.

If the Football Hall of Fame was based solely on excitement there should be no doubt that Randall Cunningham would have been inducted on the first ballot.  His nickname of the “Human Highlight Reel” was well deserved and he was hands down the most entertaining Quarterback of his era.

Randall Cunningham could beat you with his throwing arms or with his legs.  He excelled at scrambling and is the current all-time leader for rushing yards (4,928) for a Quarterback.  This made him exciting to watch but also overshadowed his ability to throw.  Cunningham was an efficient thrower and as his speed began to wane, he was able to prove to a lot of people in the league that he could throw with the best of them.

While Matt Birk make his six Pro Bowls as a member of the Minnesota Vikings, he was still one of the better Centers in the National Football League during his four seasons in Baltimore.  Birk centered the Ravens Offensive Line that would win Super Bowl XLVII and was also known throughout the NFL for his philanthropic and selfless nature.  This was evident by his 2011 Walter Payton Man of the Year win.

Orlando Brown was already with the organization when they relocated to Baltimore and he was a steady presence on the Offensive Line.  The Right Tackle, who was nicknamed "Zeus", for his huge size (six foot seven), was out of the league for three years due to eye issues, but he would return and finish off his career with the Ravens where he played for three seasons before retiring permanently in 2005.

Jameel McClain was part of the Super Bowl XLVII Champions and would become a dependable Linebacker for the team.  McClain was told in late 2012 that due to an injury to his spinal cord that he would be unable to play football again, but he would prove them wrong and return in the Ravens’ seventh game of the following season.  He finished his career with a year (2014) for the Giants, and would amass 331 Tackles as a Raven.