Tag: 2000 Ravens

ESPN 30 for 30 co-directors for “Bullies of Baltimore” film on 2000 Ravens talk about timing of production

The co-directors of the ESPN 30 for 30 “Bullies of Baltimore” talked about the timing of the film in relation to the 2000 Ravens

The 2000 Baltimore Ravens had one of (if not the) best defenses of all time, and ESPN announced during the Summer of 2022 that a “30 for 30” documentary called “Bullies of Baltimore” would be in the works.  In November, the trailer for the doc was released to a lot of buzz.  Finally, on January 19th, ESPN announced the official release date of the documentary, which will be on Sunday February 5th at 8:30.

Ravens Wire Managing Editor and Host of the Locked on Ravens Podcast Kevin Oestreicher was able to interview the “Bullies of Baltimore” co-directors Ken Rodgers and Jason Weber.  When asked how the two figured out the storyline since that team doesn’t get too much recognition, Rodgers mentioned how the timing felt “ready” and “fully baked”.

“There comes a certain time when a film is ready, it’s fully baked. You know 10-years ago this team would have been kind of around the 2012 Ravens time and things were in rebuild after (Brian) Billick left and you got a new coach and the NFL was still kind of the same. Now, 22-years later it plays differently because this team is so different than what teams are today and what they’re allowed to be today on the field and off the field so we sort of got to the point where we said this is worth revisiting now because this team doesn’t exist anymore, this type of team, these types of personalities and that’s where it started and then it went to the fact of okay, how do we actually tell the story and how do we want to get them together and that’s where Jason (Weber) started putting together this incredible stage show in front of 200 people in Baltimore”

The documentary is going to bring back a lot of memories for players, coaches, fans and more. The NFL has changed drastically since 2000, but the film is sure to shed light on how dominant the team was. “Bullies of Baltimore” premieres on ESPN at 8:30 pm EST on Sunday February 5th, 2023.

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This statistic shows just how good the Ravens’ defense was in 2000

This statistic is one example of just how good the Ravens’ defense was in 2000

The Baltimore Ravens have been a franchise known for their defense. They’ve had multiple defensive stalwarts over the years that include Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Terrell Suggs and so many others. Their dominant defensive units have paved the way for the organization to win plenty of big games, including multiple Super Bowl Championships.

Many people remember the Baltimore defense back during the 2000 season. It is regarded as one of the best defensive units of all-time, and for good measure. This statistic from Paul Hembekides shows just how good that Ravens defensive unit was, comparative to the 2021 New York Jets defense.

While it’s fair to say no one was expecting the 2021 Jets defense to be anywhere close to the 2000 Ravens, it still shows just how dominant Baltimore’s defense was back in the early stages of the franchise. When averaging it out, allowing 165 points in 16 games comes out to 10.3 points per contest which is an incredible clip.

When looking at 2021 defenses, the Buffalo Bills currently lead the NFL in points per game allowed through 10 weeks with 15.0. That’s impressive, but still a far cry from what Baltimore’s defense led by so many talented playmakers was able to do during the 2000 season.