Kevin Byrne shares the story of Jonathan Ogden announcing his retirement to Ravens Head Coach John Harbaugh, and also offers some thoughts on Harbaugh's first training camp, the starting quarterback postion and backup cornerbacks.
It was an emotional Thursday in Owings Mills, Md., where several past and present Ravens came to team headquarters to witness the official retirement of one of the most dominant players in NFL history. Jonathan Ogden sat on stage next to general manager Ozzie Newsome and spoke to a room packed with media and a large contingent of players.
We asked many Ravens including owner Steve Bisciotti, president Dick Cass and a cast of current players and coaches about their thoughts of retired offensive tackle Jonathan Ogden.
Look back at a few of our favorite archived Jonathan Ogden features from various news outlets:
Washington Post 1996: Ravens Take a Pass on Phillips for Ogden
Mid-Atlantic Sports 1996: A Nice Guy Finishes First
Baltimore Sun 1996: Holding the Line
Washington Post 2000: Baltimore's Big Bird
Baltimore Sun 2002: Among Linemen, Ravens' Ogden In League of his Own
Jonathan Ogden was an anchor of the franchise for 12 seasons. A master technician, Ogden combined superior athletic ability, tremendous footwork, outstanding knowledge of the game and a fierce competitive zeal to become the most dominant offensive tackle of his era. Ogden is the standard to which all left tackles today are held.
Ogden, the Ravens’ 1st draft choice ever (4th overall in 1996), ends his career with more regular season starts (176) than any other player in franchise history, and he is 2nd in games played with 177 to K Matt Stover’s 191. He is also tied (Ray Lewis and Stover) in Ravens’ history with 8 postseason games played. The 11-time Pro Bowler ties for the 4th-most Pro Bowl appearances in NFL history. Only 3 offensive lineman (Bruce Matthews - 14, Randall McDaniel -12 and Will Shields -12) have been to Hawaii more.
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Was Baltimore’s 1st-ever draft pick (4th overall) in the 1996 NFL Draft | |
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11-time Pro Bowler (1997-2007, 11 consecutive seasons) | |
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10-time All-Pro (1996-2004, 2006) | |
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Super Bowl XXXV Champion in 2000 | |
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Helped pave the way for Jamal Lewis, who set a franchise-record with 2,066 rushing yards in 2003, the 2nd-most rushing yards in NFL history (Eric Dickerson - 2,105 in 1984). It included the 2nd-highest rushing total in NFL history (295 yards) against Cleveland (9/14) | |
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Ravens all-time leader in games started (176) and is 2nd in games played (177) | |
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Anchored a line that protected Ravens QBs, allowing a franchise-low 17 sacks in 2006, the 2nd-fewest (Ind. -15) in the NFL, and posted the highest completion percentage (62.6%) in team history | |
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Led the line that protected Ravens QBs, allowing them to complete a franchise-record 341 passes (61.2%) in 2007 |
Ravens ILB Ray Lewis
“I’ve always felt special and privileged to come to the team the same time Jon came. And, when people ask me about my career, I’ll tell them about how I played with the Hall of Fame left tackle. We all touched glory with him as a teammate, and he helped us touch glory with the Super Bowl and the other great victories we achieved with him. Oh my, those skills he has, those long arms on that huge frame, the fastest feet. A lot of times he was faster than our running backs. He is a once in a lifetime player, but he’s a humble man willing to help others. If they made a movie about him, there would be no one to play him. There’s only one J.O.”
More quotes from teamates and coaches...
Former Ravens owner Art Modell
“Ozzie (Newsome) sure made the right pick as the first drafted player in Ravens history. We could not have made a better choice. Jon is impressive when you first meet him because of his size. Once you know him, you are impressed with the man, his intelligence, his passion for the game and willingness to help. Could the Ravens have a better person to represent the franchise? I don’t think so.”
More quotes from around the league...
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