Mythbuster

There's a very common misconception that I read on football-related websites which annoys me to no end.  Bloggers and commenters alike tend to frequently mention how old the Ravens are as a team, especially when the subjects of Ray Lewis and/or Ed Reed come up.  They both tend to talk about how both players have lost a step or two in how they play on the field compared to how they were in their respective primes.  To that I say, "Yes, and in a related story, the sun is expected to rise in the east tomorrow."

How is saying such a thing about either player insightful?  Lewis is 37 and Reed is 34.  Of course they're not going to be as fast as they were in the past!  Why does this subject keep coming up?  Is it meant to be a compliment of sorts to these guys, given how long they've been playing in the game and how successful they each have been? 

Lewis in particular has been a popular subject since he suffered a season-ending injury during the game against the Cowboys on Sunday.  There's debate over whether that was going to end up being his last game ever to be played in the NFL.  If so, the question became how does that affect the Ravens' chances at winning the Super Bowl this season, and what will happen to the team long term.

As usual with the subject of the age of Lewis and Reed, people like to say how old the Ravens are as a team, and their chances of winning another championship are coming to a close.  This is where I stand up and remind commentors this idea is a complete MYTH.  The Ravens are not old as a team at all. 

First, let's examine the defensive side of the ball, since Lewis and Reed are both on the defense.  Would you care to know how many players on the defense are over 30 years old as of right now?  Four.  Lewis, Reed, Brendan Ayanbadejo, and Maake Kemoeatu are all well into their thirties.  Terrell Suggs is 29 and Haloti Ngata is 28, so they are still very much in their primes.  Suggs is in his 10th season and Ngata is in his 7th, so they feel a whole lot older than they actually are since they both have been with the team their entire careers.

Over on the offensive side of the ball, the Ravens have a grand total of five players who are at least 30 years old.  Vonta Leach, Anquan Boldin, Matt Birk, Bobbie Williams, and Bryant McKinnie are all at least 30.  That's it.  The Ravens have a grand total of nine players on their roster who are at least 30 years old, despite what other people on the internet tend to say.  When you consider that Joe Flacco and Ray Rice have emerged as leaders on offense, the team has a solid foundation on both sides on the ball for years to come.

Now for a point of reference, let's take a look at the Ravens' major rival, the Pittsburgh Steelers.  The Steelers have eight players who are at least 30 years old on the defensive side of the ball: Brett Keisel, Casey Hampton, Larry Foote, James Harrison, Ike Taylor, Ryan Clark, Will Allen, and Troy Polamalu.  The offense has another five players who are at least 30 years old, though only two of them are starters (Ben Roethlisberger and Max Starks). 

Do you catch my drift?  I'm sure that this myth started because Lewis has been the face of the Ravens for over 15 years now, and their other stars for a long time have all been on the defense.  Their defensive nucleus has been together for at least 7 years now since Ngata was drafted.  The rest of the defense has to sit in the shadow of the four leaders, so the likes of Paul Kruger, Terrence Cody, Bernard Pollard, and Jameel McClain don't get much press collectively. 

Whenever Ray Lewis finally does hang up his cleats for good, the team dynamic will certainly take a major shift.  However, Suggs and Ngata have been playing together under Lewis for long enough that they can carry the torch on well after he retires.  And the team as a whole is anything but old.