Anybody who has the slightest clue about the National Football League or the Baltimore Ravens knows that the Ravens are a team built on winning games in the trenches. They have always had a smash mouth, physical, hard hitting defense, and a good offensive line. To further demonstrate, the first two draft picks in Ravens history were offensive tackle Jonathan Ogden, taken 4th overall, and linebacker Ray Lewis, picked 26th. They have never - ever - been a team of offensive firepower. Sure, in 1996, they ranked 6th in total offense, but that was definitely not an indication of the future.

In 2000, they won a Super Bowl. How? Defense. In 20 games (including playoffs), they allowed 9.5 points per contest, 240.2 yards, and allowed under 200 total yards in nine different games. But because of the lack of balance, the Ravens were never able to showcase some consistency in Brian Billick's tenure as head coach. A pure example of this is how the Ravens fared from 2005 to 2007. In 2005, they finished with six wins, despite being a very appealing Super Bowl pick. And then, the next year, because of defense, they went 13-3. But of course, in 2007, they went 5-11, and things didn't look up in 2008.

But two selections - the hiring of head coach John Harbaugh (pictured, right) and selection of Joe Flacco in the first round (pictured, left) have changed all of that. The numbers don't lie. In their careers, they are 14-5 in the regular season and 2-1 in the playoffs, and the Ravens have developed a consistent contender. But it's not just that. Nobody doubted that the Ravens could contend with Brian Billick, but it was the consistency that was always a question. There is one statistic that clearly represents that. Under Billick, the Ravens had six winning seasons and three losing seasons. So yes, they were a winner more often than not, but not consistently.

It's also evident that Baltimore is consistent under Harbaugh when you see that the Ravens have done two things: beat who they've been expected to beat, and fight hard with great teams. They've beaten the inferior teams, like the Browns, Raiders, Chiefs, Bengals, Jaguars, have also beaten good teams like the Cowboys, Chargers, Titans, Dolphins, and fought hard against elite teams like the Giants, Steelers, and Titans, who have split a series with the Ravens in 2008. What more can you ask from a team?

Also, the Ravens are road warriors. Under Harbaugh, the Ravens are 8-4 on the road, and look like the same team on the road as they do at home, which isn't the case for most NFL teams. Most teams are rattled on the road, and don't perform as well. It has a lot to do with coaching. The great coaches get their players to win games - even if it's on the road. Sure, it's only 12 games, but the Billick-coached Ravens were 30-42 on the road, including 0-8 in 2005 and 1-7 in 2007. But with Harbaugh, they're a better team. In fact, you could argue they're even better on the road than at home.

Harbaugh has said numerous times he wants to build a dynasty. And it's very early to tell, but not even the biggest Ravens hater can deny they're going in the right direction. Through the first five games of the Harbaugh/Flacco era, the Ravens were 2-3. They started with two wins to open the season, but three consecutive heartbreaking losses (two by a field goal, one by four touchdowns) had them on the outside looking in. But they didn't give in. In fact, they won 9 of 11 from that point, both losses to teams that went to the playoffs (Steelers and Giants). 

In fact, since a 31-3 loss to the Colts in Week 6 of 2008, the Ravens are great, with 14 wins and a mere three losses. In those 17 games, they average to outscore teams, 27-14. It's a different team. A completely different atmosphere in Baltimore. The team is more loose, but loose in a sense that the team has a very good locker room bond, probably the best the team has ever had. But not loose to the point where they get complacent or cocky, to the point where they underestimate a team. So they walk a very fine line, and it's a very good one to.

Under Harbaugh and Flacco, many things have changed for the Ravens. Four things, in specific: road play, consistency, perseverance, and offense. That brings me to my third point, perseverance. If there's one thing we hear a lot, it's this: "the NFL season isn't a sprint, it's a marathon." And it's exactly that. It's great to start off on the right foot, but it's even better to finish well. Also, the NFL season is a grind. With the physicality of football, key players down the road will get hurt, or go through slumps. They have to deal with adversity. This is the one thing I love most about the Harbaugh-led Ravens.

After losses, they picked themselves back up. Let me give you some examples. After three consecutive heartbreaking losses in Weeks 4, 5, and 6, the Ravens rebounded, winning four straight contests by a combined score of 134-63. Then, in Week 10, they were humbled by the New York Giants, who ran all over Baltimore, winning 30-10. It was a defeat where the Ravens really had high hopes for a win, only to come far short. But again, they came back, winning their next three games, moving to 9-4. And then, easily the most heartbreaking loss of the regular season came, as they lost 13-9 at home to the Steelers in the final seconds. So what do they do?

Win two in a row, advance to the playoffs as the No. 6 seed, and go all the way to the AFC Championship game. And in the AFC Championship, they lost to the Steelers again, 23-14. And since, are 7-0, if you count the preseason and three regular season wins to start the year. So, there you have it. Under Harbaugh, there is lots of change brought to the table - and make no mistake about it, it's good change. There's much more of a locker room camaraderie, incredible perseverance, and the road play is exponentially better, which is key for any playoff team.

Harbaugh and tight end Todd Heap say that the players don't want to let each other down.  "It's an interesting phenomenon when a team has a certain maturity level and a confidence in one another," Harbaugh said. "We're not going to let each other down. You find a way to win. How do you put a finger on it? I don't know. You just know when you see it." Heap thinks it's a matter of attention to detail. "We've got a bunch of guys that know what it takes and play together as a team and don't let little things get them out of focus," said Heap. 

And that brings us to the last improvement: offense. As I said, the offense was an ugly nightmare from 1997-2007, and the only way the team won games was with defense. But it's different now. In 2008 and 2009, they are dangerous offensively. In 2009, so far, they are great on offense. When was the last time you could say that? So far this year, the Ravens average 34.3 points per game, second in the NFL just behind the Saints (40.0). Will this keep up? Who knows. It's unlikely the Ravens will finish with 34 points per game by the time it's all said and done, and it's even more unlikely the Saints will be at 40. But I don't doubt the Ravens will be amongst the league leaders in most offensive categories by season's end.

Football calls for many things. It calls for nice guys to do dirty things. For almost all teams, it calls for a little bad blood between teammates. So, great teams have to have great coaching, discipline, character, perseverance, and ability to stick together. The Ravens have all that, and I for one can't wait to see how the next five to ten years unfold.

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