Super Bowl XLVII was one of the biggest nights in the Ravens’ brief history and the most memorable event I’ve ever covered. Full disclosure, I’m not sure how many of the game’s 133 plays I actually watched.

With the typically drawn-out Super Bowl halftime and a power outage that lasted more than 30 minutes, the deadline to file my newspaper game story had less wiggle room than the Ravens’ defense. As Ray Lewis and company had their backs to their end zone and needed a late stop to thwart the San Francisco 49ers, I frantically struck the keys of my laptop — alternating between writing a story on the Ravens winning their second Super Bowl and crafting a tale of one of the biggest big-game collapses in sports history.

Luckily for Ravens fans, the story of them blowing a 22-point second-half lead never saw the light of day. Yet, when I read my game story more than five years later, I lament not having the benefit of time and reflection to better depict a night that was the pinnacle of so many careers.

I’m not officially joining The Athletic today as a senior writer who will continue to cover the Ravens because of a fear of rigid deadlines. I dealt with them regularly in my 18 years at The Baltimore Sun, the last 13 on the Orioles and Ravens’ beats, and I greatly admire the reporters who put out stellar work daily while against the clock.

But when the opportunity to join The Athletic Baltimore presented itself, time suddenly became a refreshing concept.

I’m honored to join a talented cast of writers and editors, and a growing, ambitious company, and I’m pumped to remain in Baltimore — a city that is passionate about its sports teams and deserves quality, in-depth coverage. Above all, I was attracted by The Athletic’s edict to its writers: tell good stories, analyze, inform and entertain; actually watch the game and not a laptop screen.

That’s what drew me to this vocation nearly two decades ago and it’s why I’m excited to be part of an outlet that pushes journalism and storytelling, lets writers take the lead, and eschews hot takes or other empty-calorie clickbait.

I love — and you will too — that there are no advertisements on The Athletic and no annoying pop-up videos. What readers do get for a modest subscription fee is quality content and storytelling from some of the industry’s top writers and reporters. While many outlets are downsizing or disappearing, The Athletic continues on an aggressive path in providing readers with in-depth reporting and analysis.

The Athletic already has a presence in many professional sports markets, and now it’s Baltimore’s turn. I’ll be reunited in The Athletic Baltimore with veteran baseball scribe Dan Connolly, who will cover the Orioles. Dan and I are former Baltimore Sun colleagues. In our six years together on the O’s beat, we never covered a team that finished with a winning record. In a sick sort of way, I’d like to think that experience bonded us.

This is a vital time for the Orioles and Ravens. A significant Orioles’ roster teardown will mercifully begin any minute now. Drastic change is on the horizon for the Ravens with the only general manager in team history, Ozzie Newsome, stepping aside following the 2018 season for longtime lieutenant, Eric DeCosta. The upcoming season in Baltimore will begin with speculation about the futures of head coach John Harbaugh and quarterback Joe Flacco, who now has Lamar Jackson breathing down his neck.

I’ll be at the Under Armour Performance Center on Wednesday when veterans report to training camp. I’d be humbled if you came along for the ride and bought a subscription, which grants you access not only to Baltimore coverage but also to The Athletic’s global content.

Any beat reporter’s goal should start and end with being competitive on news. I’m no different. I’ll still be at games and practices, providing noteworthy observations and commentary. I’ll be active on Twitter and I’ll continue to answer as many questions from readers and followers as possible.

But unburdened from having to worry about minutiae, like back-end roster moves, practice squad turnover and incremental injury updates, I can focus on writing better stories. Some of my favorite stories at The Sun were in-depth profiles that showed a side of players that fans don’t traditionally see. There are currently 90 players on the Ravens roster and each one surely has an interesting story to tell.

I want to write more about the “why” and not the “what,” focus more on how certain developments impact the Ravens’ future. I plan to opine more and rely on news conference quotes less. Connecting with readers will always be my priority.

I loved my time at The Sun and am indebted to so many great colleagues. I’ll always consider myself a newspaper guy at my core. However, it was time — there’s that word again — to do something different and exciting.

It’s time to challenge myself to dig deeper and write better. It’s time to watch games again.

If you haven’t subscribed yet, join now for 30% off and a free T-shirt with this link: theathletic.com/baltimorelaunch

(Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)