Five Ravens were voted to the Pro Bowl 2011 to be held January 30, 2011. Similar to last year’s format, the Pro Bowl will be played the week before the Super Bowl 2011 thus ruling out any player on both of the two Super Bowl teams. After a year in Miami, Florida, the Pro Bowl is returning to Honolulu, Hawaii. The Ravens selected to the Pro Bowl are ILB Ray Lewis, S Ed Reed, DT Haloti Ngata, K Billy Cundiff and LB Terrell Suggs (T-Sizzle). Of the five, all but one (Billy Cundiff) have played in the Pro Bowl in previous seasons. In addition, four of the five will be starters with the only non starter beingTerrell Suggs.
LB Ray Lewis (12th Pro Bowl: Starter)
Although the age climbs, Ray Lewis’s quality of play has not missed a beat. Just a couple years ago, the Ravens fan base was dreading Ray Lewis’ impeding free agency. Many feared he would become the one to leave in a year that saw Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs, and Bart Scott all become free agents. Many of the so called “analysts” claimed Ray Lewis to be too old or unable to keep up with the new generation of talent. Whether it was the best he could find or if his heart was with the Ravens Organization; in the end, Ray Lewis returned to Baltimore for his 14th season. Of Baltimore’s rich football history, only Johnny Unitas holds a statue out front of M&T Bank Stadium. You will get yours Ray.
Ray Lewis recorded a team-high 134 tackles through 15 games this season. In addition to his illustrious tackle total, Ray notched 2 sacks, 2 interceptions (One Returned for TD), 4 passes defended, 2 forced fumbles, and 1 fumble recovery. Lewis is considered by many to be the leader of the NFL’s third ranked defense in points allowed per game (17.5).
Quotes on Pro Bowl Selection
“Wow, No. 12 feels like No. 1.”
“This never gets old.”
“I feel this is a team award."
Courtesy of The Baltimore Sun.
S Ed Reed (7th Pro Bowl: Starter)
What can you not say about Ed Reed? The man is an animal and while missing the first six games on the Physically Unable to Perform list, Reed has still managed to record 37 tackles, 6 interceptions in just nine games. Reed leads the Ravens in interceptions and since his return on October 24, he is tied for the NFL lead in interceptions with Patriot’s CB Devin McCourty.
Courtesy of The Baltimore Sun.
DT Haloti Ngata (2nd Pro Bowl: Starter)
Ngata was selected to his second Pro Bowl in his five year career. Although impressive, his stats do not tell the entire story about Ngata’s impact each Sunday. Ray Lewis’s longevity can be attributed to Ngata’s dominance in the trenches as he commands numerous blockers each down thus freeing up Ray Lewis to freely roam the field. As well as crashing the pocket he has been known to drop back into coverage and move with linebacker speed. The man’s athleticism is freakish and it’s about time the league began to take note. Although a contract year, I would expect Ozzie Newsome and the Ravens to pay up and keep Ngata a Raven. Ngata totaled 64 tackles and a career high 5.5 sacks. Ngata leads a defensive line that ranks fourth in the NFL in rush defense (94.2 ypg). In addition to his statistics, Ngata was responsible for shattering of Roethlisber’s nose on Monday Night Football this season. Fortunately for everyone, Big Ben was A Okay and just required a minor nose job.
Courtesy of The Baltimore Sun.
K Billy Cundiff (1st Pro Bowl: Starter)
Billy Cundiff has been one of the most underrated Ravens in the 2010 campaign. Just over a year ago, the Ravens were losing close games due to poor kicking from the leg of newly signed Steve Hauschka. This did not bode well with the Ravens fan base that had grown accustom to the reliability of Matt Stover. In an uncharacteristic move from the Raven’s organization, the Ravens cut Hauschka and called Cundiff for a tryout. Cundiff secured the position and became the kicker for the rest of the season. He finished the 2009 season with a solid showing but had not fully convinced the Ravens that he was the guy for the job. Over the offseason, the Ravens brought in Shayne Graham to compete with Cundiff for the kicking job. Cundiff beat out Graham and never looked back. Cundiff recorded a league lead 38 touchbacks (4th all-time). Cundiff made 88.9% of his field goals (24-27) and all of his 38 PATs to produce a career-high 110 points.
Quotes
“I worked my butt off to prove to our coaches that they made the right choice, and hopefully, this gives them a little gratification.”
Courtesy of The Baltimore Sun.
OLB Terrell Suggs (4th Pro Bowl)
Suggs recorded a team-high 11 sacks through 15 games, 15 tackles, and 2 forced fumbles. Suggs has caught fire the second half of the season and has totaled 7.5 sacks in the last 8 games.
Quotes
“This is awesome.”
“I have to thank my teammates, especially the defense—and particularly Haloti Ngata for pushing me to do the little extra things when I didn’t want to."
Courtesy of The Baltimore Sun.
Although an honor to have been named to the Pro Bowl, Ravens fans can all hope that these players will not be playing due to their impeding date with the Super Bowl. I am new to the site and this is my first article but I hope you enjoyed the read. I will be publishing a few articles a week so be ready for the next few. I welcome critique and other opinions so feel free to comment or ask questions.
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