https://www.dailypress.com/dailypress/bs-sp-ogden-lewis-20-anniversary-0420-20160420-story.htmlQuote
"At the time of the draft, the Ravens didn't have a team logo or colors. They had a roster that went 5-11 the previous season in Cleveland, and they had a city that wanted to be excited about its new football team.
A Hall-of-Fame player who worked under Belichick and Mike Lombardi in the Browns' personnel department, Newsome was promoted by owner Art Modell to lead the Ravens' front office less than two months before the draft. He needed a franchise cornerstone, but time wasn't on his side.
The Ravens didn't move into their facility, an old state police barracks in Owings Mills, until April 1 — less than three weeks before the draft. VHS tapes of draft prospects lined the perimeter of the building, and accumulated inside hallways. The team's draft board was so rusted it had to be painted black.
But the Ravens had something in their favor: two first-round picks, courtesy of a trade Belichick made the previous year in Cleveland. Belichick sent the Browns' 10th overall pick in 1995 to the San Francisco 49ers for three picks that year, and a first-round selection in 1996. The 26th overall pick was courtesy of that trade. The fourth overall pick was courtesy of the Browns struggling so much in their final season before becoming the Ravens.
In a Friday meeting the day before the 1996 draft that was attended by Modell, his son, David, team president Jim Bailey, Newsome, director of college scouting Phil Savage, and new coach Ted Marchibroda, team officials reviewed the draft board.
At the top of it was Ogden, and below him was Nebraska's Lawrence Phillips, the talented running back who found off-the-field trouble almost as often as the end zone.
"You could tell that Mr. Modell and Ted, they wanted Lawrence Phillips," Savage said. "We had this discussion and my contribution to it was, 'Well, if we take Phillips, we'll never be able to put our heads on the pillow at night in certainty with what we'll wake up to the next day. If we take Jonathan Ogden, I think he's going to be a pillar for us for the next 10-to-12 years and probably a Pro Bowl player.'"
Before the 45-minute meeting was over, Newsome said if it came down to Ogden and Phillips, Ogden was his guy. There was only one problem: Newsome thought there was no way Ogden would get to the Ravens.
Newsome was near certain the Cardinals would take Ogden at No. 3. But the first sign of Arizona's other plans came on draft day in New York City. A card with Phillips' name conveniently sat on Arizona's draft table, well within eyesight of the Ravens' representative there.
"They wanted us to think that they were taking him and get us to trade up," Newsome said. "They wanted to force our hand."
The Ravens were comfortable with Phillips. Team officials took him out to dinner and thought they could provide a nurturing environment for him. The Ravens needed a running back, too. When the Cardinals selected Illinois pass rusher Simeon Rice, though, Newsome didn't flinch. Modell asked Newsome to reconsider the choice, but Newsome told the owner that he was picking Ogden and sticking to his board.
Ogden was so sure he would be a Cardinal that he got up in the green room when the phone rang with Arizona on the clock. Several minutes later, he strode on the stage at Madison Square Garden and held up a black Starter jacket with "Baltimore Ravens" and an NFL logo on it.
"It was a shock," Ogden said. "I knew that Baltimore had a pretty good offensive line and left tackle Tony Jones. I didn't think I was their need. I thought Lawrence Phillips was their need."
Lewis was a tackling machine at Miami, but teams were concerned about a 6-foot, 220-pound linebacker's transition to the NFL. Some of the Ravens' angst was eased when linebackers coach Maxie Baughan worked out Lewis before the draft. Baughan told Newsome that Lewis "could go all day."
Months earlier, defensive assistant Jim Schwartz attended the annual Playboy College Football All-American event as a guest of Brandt, who helped select the team. The members of the team, which included Ogden, participated in various workouts and activities.
"It looked like it was Ray Lewis and 25 guys versus nobody," Brandt said. "These guys just clung to him. We had workouts and activities, like riding a mechanical bull and a quick draw contest. Riding a mechanical bull, it seems simple, but you get up there and that thing starts bucking. He stayed on for an eternity. I think he wore the bull out."
Newsome said tales of Lewis' leadership made it back to the Ravens. A year earlier, Lewis might not have been a consideration for the franchise, certainly not in the first round. Belichick's evaluation system would have downgraded Lewis for his height. Newsome, though, opened up the process to allow for more input from scouts.
Still, Lewis was the not inside linebacker the Ravens coveted. They wanted Texas A&M's Reggie Brown who went 17th to the Detroit Lions. Nine picks later, the Ravens settled for Lewis.
"There was a good feeling about Ray, but it wasn't as if we were dying to get him," Savage said. "We had no clue that he was going to be what he became and honestly, it was evident from the first day he arrived – his leadership, his passion, his energy."
Like Ogden, Lewis felt he was headed someplace else. The Green Bay Packers had the 27th pick and were planning to take him. Lewis told family and friends he was going to be a Packer.
"I see my name and I was like, 'What?'" Lewis said. "I remember the phone call when Ozzie called, just hearing me say, 'Baltimore who? You don't have a name, you don't have a logo. OK, I'm excited.'"