All-time NFL teams: Baltimore vs. Washington
The Redskins have two NFL titles and three Super Bowl wins, and Baltimore’s teams have won three NFL titles and two Super Bowl championships. But which city has been home to the better players? We asked Ron Snyder of The Baltimore Examiner and Kevin Dunleavy of The Washington Examiner to go one-on-one in the greatest debate of all: Which city would win a game of fantasy football? There was just one rule: A player had to spend three seasons with the Redskins, Colts or Ravens to be eligible. Sorry, Deion Sanders.
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If Baltimore Colts defensive linemen Art Donovan and Gino Marchetti ever had to face the Redskins offensive line — known as “The Hogs” — the Hall of Famers would have turned them into their personal ham sandwich. If a team of the greatest Baltimore players took on an squad of the greatest Redskins, quarterback Johnny Unitas would prove why he’s “the Golden Arm.” He’d connect routinely with Raymond Berry — and there would be nothing cornerback Darrell Green could do to stop it. It’s not like the Redskins would have a pass rush: Unitas would have plenty of time to throw with arguably the two greatest offensive tackles ever — Jim Parker and Jonathan Ogden — shielding him. If Unitas would have had Ogden protecting him, he might have thrown a touchdown pass in even more than just his record 47 straight games. And if he ever did feel pressure, Unitas would have plenty of safety nets, including Lenny Moore, Todd Heap and John Mackey to drop the ball off for a short pass, which could quickly turn into a big gain. Cornerback Rod Woodson and safety Ed Reed would round up “The Posse” and eliminate any semblance of a Washington passing game. Woodson hit harder than any cornerback of his era and Reed has the two longest interception returns for a touchdown in NFL history. And how would the Redskins run the ball? With Donovan, Marchetti and “Big Daddy” Lipscomb up front and all-time great Ray Lewis behind them, it would be like trying to run through a brick wall. The Ravens haven’t allowed a 100-yard rusher in 31 straight games, largely because of Lewis’ dogged pursuit. Then there’s coaching. Yes, Joe Gibbs led the Redskins to three Super Bowl wins with three different quarterbacks, but he sure didn’t look like a Hall of Famer in his second stint in Washington, did he? But he’s no Weeb Ewbank, whose superiority over Gibbs is worth at least a touchdown. Ewbank guided the Colts past the Giants in the 1958 NFL championship game. Eleven years later, Ewbank led the New York Jets to an improbable win over the Colts in Super Bowl III in one of the most significant games in NFL history. So, bring on the burgundy and gold. Baltimore is just better. Prediction » Baltimore 30, Washington 17 |
Hey, Charm City, we love you. We love your crab cakes. We love “The Wire.” And, even though we finally got a baseball team, we still love your O’s. You’re cute. You’re cuddly. You’re fun. And it’s fine if you hate us. We understand. We’re big. We’re important. And we know it. Just a quick review. Here’s what Baltimore does best — duckpins, lava lamps, and lawn ornaments. Here’s what Washington does best — international relations, federal government and politics. Oh, and there’s one other thing we do better. Football. Sure, the teams each have five world championships, but the Redskins have more Hall of Famers, 17-10. A matchup of your best against our best wouldn’t be close. Yeah, we know you got Johnny Unitas. But we have two Hall of Fame quarterbacks — Sammy Baugh and Sonny Jurgensen. In his day, Sonny was called “the best pure passer in football,” and that era included Ol’ Johnny U. And imagine this, Sammy Baugh as a backup QB? Who do you have on the bench, Baltimore? Elvis Grbac? Look at our receivers, Art Monk and Charley Taylor. These guys are so good, we can’t get another Hall of Famer, Bobby Mitchell, on the field. Both 6-foot-3. Both 210 pounds. Both chiseled from stone. You guys are so lacking at receiver, that you’re splitting a tight end out wide. No offense to the immortal Todd Heap, but that is a joke. We also have two Hall of Fame running backs, a line full of “Hogs.” How are you gonna stop this irrepressible offensive machine? On defense, we have storm troopers coming off the edges — Dexter Manley, Wilber Marshall, and Charles Mann — and run stuffers up the middle, Sam Huff and Dave Butz. In the secondary, we have three physical marvels — Ken Houston, Sean Taylor and Darrell Green — and a pit bull, Pat Fisher. And if it happens to be close, and we need a clutch field goal, who better than Mark Moseley, the only MVP kicker in NFL history? But, hey Baltimore, it’s not going to come down to that. Prediction » Washington 27, Baltimore 14 |
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| Baltimore roster | Washington roster | |
| Pos. Player Seasons Pro Bowl MVP/POY HOF year » Comment Offense QB Johnny Unitas 1956-72 10 3 1979 » 40,239 passing yards, 290 TDs RB Lenny Moore 1956-67 7 1 1975 » 12,451 all-purpose yards, 113 TDs TE John Mackey 1963-71 5 0 1992 » 331 catches, 5,236 yards, 38 TDs WR Raymond Berry 1955-67 6 0 1973 » 631 catches, 9,275 yards WR Todd Heap 2001-present 2 0 N/A » 366 catches, 4,173 yards FB Alan Ameche 1955-60 4 0 N/A » 4,778 all-purpose yards, 44 TDs OT Jonathan Ogden 1996-2007 11 0 N/A » Ravens leader in games played (177) OT Bob Vogel 1963-72 5 0 N/A » Anchored a line for two Super Bowl teams (III & V) G Alex Sandusky 1954-66 0 0 N/A » 166 career games with Colts G Jim Parker 1957-67 8 0 1973 » 4 Pro Bowls each at LT & LG C Mike Flynn 1997-2007 0 0 N/A » Helped block for Jamal Lewis’ 2,000-yard season in ‘03 Defense DL Art Donovan 1950, 1953-61 5 0 Coach » Weeb Ewbank |
Pos. Player Seasons Pro Bowl MVP/POY Coach » Joe Gibbs |
Bimbo’s prediction
The Examiner’s pigskin-picking princess doesn’t know Sonny Jurgensen from Sonny Bono or Johnny Unitas from Johnny Carson, but we still asked her who would win the game. Bimbo was presented a picture of a Redskins helmet and a Colts helmet and she picked … Washington.
