How Bill Belichick Built The Ravens

Long before Bill Belichick was the ndur-time Super Bowl winning head coach of the New England Patriots, he was the head coach of the Cleveland Browns.

His stint in Cleveland (1991-1995), wasn’t a success and he was fired after the 1995 season and the team moved to Baltimore, becoming the Ravens.

While he never had a chance to coach the Ravens, he has had a major impact on the development of the team.

It all started during the 1995 NFL Draft. Cleveland had the 10th overall pick and Belichick decided to trade down with the San Francisco 49ers, in return for a first, third and fourth round pick in 1995 and a first round pick in 1996.

San Francisco moved up and selected wide receiver J.J. Stokes (342 career receptions) and the first round pick in 1996 ended up being the 26th overall.

With this pick––the second draft pick in Ravens’ history––the Ravens selected Ray Lewis, the face of the franchise for years and one of the best linebackers in history.

By the time the Ravens selected Lewis, Belichick was long gone, but without him, Baltimore never would have had their 10-time All-Pro linebacker. Without Lewis, the Ravens don’t have one of the best defenses in history for the 2000 season and don’t win Super Bowl XXXV or Super Bowl XLVII. It is hard to imagine the Ravens franchise without Lewis.

Belichick’s connection with the Ravens doesn’t end with Lewis though.

After the 2007 season, the Ravens fired head coach Brian Billick, and were in search of their third head coach in their short history.

Dallas Cowboys’ offensive coordinator Jason Garrett (now the Cowboys’ head coach) was the frontrunner for the job and ultimately turned Baltimore down.

During the search for a new head coach, Belichick reportedly called Ravens’ owner Steve Bisciotti to suggest the Ravens interview John Harbaugh. Belichick had never coached with Harbaugh, but they both started as special teams coaches and Belichick felt Harbaugh had paid his dues and was an excellent coach.

Belichick was on point with Harbaugh, as he has quickly become one of the best head coaches in the NFL, leading the Ravens to the playoffs in six of his seven seasons. Without Harbaugh, the Ravens don’t win their second Super Bowl and aren’t constantly one of the best teams in the AFC each season.

In addition to these two moves, Belichick was the person who first hired Ozzie Newsome (the Ravens’ current general manager) to a role in the Browns’ organization after his Hall-of-Fame playing career as a tight end with Cleveland.

Newsome is widely considered one of the best general managers in the NFL and is the architect of both the Ravens’ Super Bowl teams.

Currently, the Baltimore Ravens and New England Patriots are two of the best teams in the AFC and have developed a rivalry over the last few seasons, headlined by Terrell Suggs and Tom Brady.

Without these three moves by Belichick, the Baltimore Ravens aren’t the team they are today. The Ravens may not be very fond of New England right now due to their ongoing rivalry, but they really should thank Belichick for all he has done.

Belichick has led the Patriots to six Super Bowl appearances (and four victories), but he has also unintentionally helped build two Super Bowl teams further south, in Baltimore.