Forget the Despair, Let's Appreciate The Unexpected Ride

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: A surprising season ends for the Baltimore Ravens. Looking back, many Raven's fans didn't expect this ride to the AFC Championship at the beginning of the season. So instead of wallowing in the disappointing loss, instead let's look back at the unexpected rise of "the team nobody wants to play.'

Coming off a disappointing 4-12 season, they turned it around and sparked some life back into Baltimore's treasured franchise. Flacco jerseys have been hard to come by, especially the authentic jerseys.

By some weird sort of fated circumstances, Joe Flacco, an underrated NCAA Division 1 AA standout who was taken by Baltimore in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft, became the starter. The quarterback for tomorrow, became the quarter for today. He became the new face, an offensive face for a team known for defense. Calm, cool and collective, Flacco made a serious case for Rookie of the Year and deservedly so.

Ray Lewis continued to lead a fearsome defense that literally punished offenses all year. Ed Reed had an outstanding year leading the NFL in interceptions and setting an NFL record for career interception return yardage, breaking the 1000 yard mark. Both are solid Hall of Fame candidates. Jim Leonhard came on board and immediately fit in with the Raven's defense becoming an important part of that unit.

The loss of Rex Ryan as defensive coordinator is big to the Ravens. Hopefully, they can find the right person to fill that position that can compliment Cam Cameron. This is a very important decision and Raven fans will definitely be watching.

The other important issue is keeping the defense in tact. Bart Scott, Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs are all free agents. Keeping this unit together until the Ravens can find Ray Lewis' replacement. This is the most pressing issue for the Raven's front office and I am sure proper overtime has been allotted.