The 2019 Baltimore Ravens squad, befitting a team that boasted the NFL’s best record of 14-2, saw 12 players originally named to the Pro Bowl at the end of the season. This tied an NFL record for the most players from a single team, matching the 1973 Miami Dolphins – not the unbeaten team, but a squad regarded as superior in almost every way to their 1972 team.
In 2019, quarterback Lamar Jackson, tight end Mark Andrews, cornerback Marlon Humphrey, pass rusher Matthew Judon, full back Patrick Ricard and offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley all made their first appearances on a Pro Bowl roster. Marshal Yanda had been named to eight Pro Bowls, while safety Earl Thomas made his seventh appearance. Mark Ingram, Marcus Peters, Morgan Cox, and Justin Tucker have three Pro Bowl nods each.
Despite this plethora of players representing the Ravens in the league’s all-star game, it did bring to mind that there are a host of Baltimore legends that never graced the Pro Bowl. Here are the seven most notable snubs.
QB Joe Flacco
Best known for his propelling the Ravens to their Super Bowl triumph following the 2012 season, Flacco was never deemed worthy of a trip to Hawaii (or Orlando). Though he was an alternate in 2015, Flacco declined the invite, keeping his total Pro Bowl visits blank. This may surprise some, given how long Flacco was with the Ravens, how many franchise records he holds, and how many distinctly ordinary players made it to the Pro Bowl.
But while Flacco comfortably laps all other Baltimore passers, his numbers have never seriously warranted contention to be named among a seasons best. His career-high of 4,317 passing yards came in an 8-8 season for the team. There have been 92 instances of quarterbacks passing for more than 27 touchdowns in a single season since 2008, the year Flacco entered the league. He managed his 27 back in 2014.
Still, while he never made the Pro Bowl, Baltimore and Flacco will always have the Super Bowl. That should be enough to cushion the blow.
CB Jimmy Smith
Being a member of Baltimore’s defensive backfield — a high profile spot on a team known throughout its history for its defensive strength — it’s something of a mystery why Smith has never been named to a Pro Bowl. Whenever Smith has played in all 16 games of a season, he has registered double-digit passes defended and registered at least 50 tackles.
However, Smith has only played all 16 games twice in his nine-year NFL career. Generally, players who miss large chunks of a season have to have been incredible in the games that they play to earn a spot in the all-star game. While Smith has been solid, and he has never let the Ravens down, to call him dominant in the seasons in which he has missed time would be inaccurate.
WR Torrey Smith
Smith spent the first four seasons of his career with the Ravens, registering 213 receptions for 3,591 yards and 30 touchdowns. Only Derrick Mason and Todd Heap are ahead of Smith in the all-time list in terms of receptions, while Heap is the only player with more touchdowns.
Like Flacco, while Smith’s numbers stand favorably in the Baltimore all-time annals, they are not much to scream about when compared across the league. Smith went over 1,000 yards in a season once. While he scored 11 touchdowns in 2014, his 49 total receptions that year only brought him 767 yards.
Still, like Flacco, Smith has a Super Bowl ring from his time with the Ravens to look back on (as well as another he earned as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles). So the lack of a Pro Bowl probably isn’t a snub he takes too personally.
WR Derrick Mason
OK, Derrick Mason was named to the Pro Bowl. He was named to two actually, following the 2000 and 2003 seasons. But these were as a member of the Tennesse Titans. During his time with the Ravens between 2005-2010, Mason did not earn a return to the all-star game.
This is slightly noteworthy, as while Mason was never the best wide receiver in the game during this span, he was still pretty consistent. He had four seasons with more than 1,000 receiving yards, and only six wide receivers had more receptions than his 471 in this span. Mason had the 11th-most receiving yards among all wide receivers between 2005-2010. But he only scored 29 touchdowns, tied for 25th most.
Mason was a solid player for the Ravens, but just clearing 1,000 receiving yards in the increasingly pass-happy league he was playing in just wasn’t enough to attract the attention of the Pro Bowl voters.
C/G Mike Flynn
Flynn is a highly thought-of member of the early Ravens teams and was a vital cog in the team that won the Super Bowl following the 2000 season. He started all 16 games for Baltimore five times as well as 15 in another two seasons.
He wasn’t flashy, nor was he ever among the biggest names at his position. This could explain why his name was never the first on the lips of Pro Bowl voters. But he was the starting center for the Ravens in 2003 when Jamal Lewis rushed for more than 2,000 yards, and you would have thought the linemen who helped pave the way for Lewis would generate some buzz. Alas, it was not to be.
NT Kelly Gregg
Like Flynn, Gregg is a player that will always elicit positive vibes from the fans in Baltimore. But ask the random fan what they know about him, and you’re likely to be met with blank expressions.
During a nine-year stint with the Ravens between 2001 and 2010, Gregg started 124 of his 134 games. He played all sixteen games five times, and never played fewer than 14. Manning the nose tackle spot on the Ravens defensive line, he was never likely to deliver eye-popping defensive stats. But he certainly chipped in. Gregg had at least 60 combined tackles in seven consecutive seasons from 2002-2009. He never had more than 3.5 sacks in a season. But he managed six or more tackles for loss in five campaigns.
Gregg was a classic Ravens player. A hard-working team player who did what was asked of him. But a Pro Bowler this does not make.
OLB Jarret Johnson
While Gregg was proving his worth to the team on the defensive line, and not winning any praise from the Pro Bowl voters, Johnson was doing something similar at outside linebacker. Johnson played nine seasons for the Ravens between 2003-2011, playing in 143 games. He started all 16 games in a season in five consecutive seasons between 2007-2011, and this was when he enjoyed his most productive times.
Johnson had 50 or more combined tackles every year, while he had five sacks in 2008 and another six in 2009. Again, as solid as these numbers were, and a huge benefit to the team, they were not impressive enough numbers that people outside of the Baltimore area would sit up and take notice of when it came time to fill in their Pro Bowl ballot.
