One of the reasons the Ravens have emerged as one of the, if not the league’s most stable franchise, is that the owner has learned when to take a step back.
For Steve Bisciotti, that lesson came early in his tenure.
Bisciotti said he learned to trust general manager Ozzie Newsome after they initially disagreed about a 2002 first round draft pick.
“The top two guys left on the board were Lito Sheppard and Ed Reed,” Bisciotti said, via Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun. “We had Ed Reed above Lito and I said to Ozzie, ‘I don’t understand this. If they both have the same grade, why would you not take a corner over a safety? It seems like that’s a more important position.’
“Ozzie said, ‘Because I am true to my board.’”
Sheppard, of course, is out of the league, while Reed might be one of the best safeties to ever play the game.
“I kind of learned from that point on that I better not engage too much and try and alter their decision-making, or else we would have had Lito,” Bisciotti said.
That dedication to the process is part of the reason Newsome is so good at his job, and Bisciotti’s willingness to yield to his personnel man speaks to the enviornment he has created.
