While the Baltimore Ravens have had their fair share of success over the last 20 years, they were close to potentially a lot more. According to NBC Sports’ Albert Breer, Baltimore nearly drafted former New England Patriots and now Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady back in 2000. Breer followed up on former Ravens scout and current NFL analyst Daniel Jeremiah’s assertion that Brady could have won 10 Super Bowls with Baltimore, adding Brady had then-Ravens quarterbacks coach Matt Cavanaugh pounding the table for him in the 2000 NFL Draft.
Baltimore ultimately passed on him and selected Chris Redman in the third round of that draft while Brady went in the sixth round to the Patriots. Redman fizzled out with the Ravens, starting just six games over four seasons before becoming a backup quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons. Brady obviously had the better career, winning six Super Bowls, going to 14 Pro Bowls and being named the NFL’s MVP three times with New England.
The reveal all stemmed from an Jeremiah’s interview on the Dan Patrick Show. When asked what he’d like to get an honest answer from Brady on, Jeremiah said he’d love to know how many Super Bowls Brady feels like he’d have if he was drafted by Baltimore.
It’s an interesting idea considering the stellar defenses the Ravens put on the field in the 2000s. Though Baltimore didn’t have a ton of offensive firepower over that time, they had quite a few productive players in tight ends Todd Heap and Shannon Sharpe, wide receiver Derrick Mason and 2,000-yard rusher Jamal Lewis along with Hall of Fame left tackle Jonathan Ogden. Considering Brady found great success with a mish-mash of offensive talent with the Patriots, it’s easy to think he could have had that much or more with the Ravens.
While Baltimore did win Super Bowl XXXV following the 2000 season, the Ravens’ success was ultimately limited by struggles at quarterback. Trent Dilfer was allowed to leave right after winning the Super Bowl, making way for Elvis Grbac for a single season before his abrupt retirement. Baltimore would have a string of quarterbacks that included Redman, Jeff Blake, Kyle Boller, Steve McNair, Anthony Wright and Troy Smith all start games before eventually taking Joe Flacco in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft. Flacco certainly had his success as well, going on a historic tear through the playoffs and winning the team’s second Super Bowl, but is far removed from the career Brady has had.
Many have wondered over the years if Brady would have had the same level of success in New England without coach Bill Belichick, as well as vice versa. With Brady now on the Buccaneers, it seems as though we’ll finally get an answer to that question. But it’s also fun to think about what might have been had Brady missed the Patriots all together and joined the Ravens from the start.
[vertical-gallery id=44950]