Ever get tired of all the Ring of Honor discussions and what former or retired Raven should be in that Ring? I know I do but yet here I am pecking away at the keyboard drudging up the topic again.

Yesterday I happened to be listening to The Bruce Cunningham Show (thank God for Mark Zinno) on 105.7 The Fan and the topic was brought up and this time the former Ravens in question were Chris McAlister and Brian Billick.

The aforementioned Cunningham initially suggested without hesitation that both should go in the Ring while Zinno leaned towards neither candidate being worthy. Cunningham later retreated on McAlister faster than you can say Ronnie Prude. As for me, I’m with Zinno – neither belongs in the Ring!

Before you get your panties all in bunch, let’s retreat for a moment and touch on what the Ring should signify…

It should be an award of distinction for unique and exemplary accomplishments.  It should represent greatness in achievement that approaches excellence. It should acknowledge uncommon feats.

Now the first thing you need to do while gauging future inductees is cast aside the notion that the measuring stick for the Ravens Ring of Honor is Earnest Byner.  That’s a joke – an egregious error on the part of Art Modell who immediately cheapened the distinction for all Ring inductees after Byner.  So let’s just kick his induction to the curb and call it a momentary lapse of reasoning.

The members of the Baltimore Colts in the Ravens Ring…they don’t belong there either.  Great guys, great accomplishments – not Ravens.  Maybe they should have designed wall plaques for the honored former Colts and hung them around Unitas Plaza.  They were Colts, not Ravens and they don’t belong in the Ravens’ Ring – period, end of story!

Michael McCrary…terrific work effort, an overachiever and a Baltimore blue-collar guy and I love him on my team but was he great? Do two Pro Bowl seasons qualify you as uncommon?

I get and support Art Modell’s inclusion in the Ring.  I believe he should be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame so of course he belongs in the Ring.

Four-time Pro Bowler Peter Boulware was a terrific player and an exemplary man off the field and in the community. But I don’t think he deserves to be in the Ring.

Jon Ogden – no brainer. He should have been the standard upon which all future nominees would be measured.

Chris McAlister…c’mon!  A great talent no doubt, but a classic underachiever and hardly a model citizen. How did McAlister distinguish himself? Will we think of him as being in the same neighborhood of excellence 20 years from now?

Brian Billick…interesting debate here but I say thumbs down as a Ring inductee.  Billick did an outstanding job in 2000 by keeping his team focused on short term goals the entire season.  Accomplishing those goals led to a World Championship.  But what did he do before or since that is so distinguished?  Does riding the coattails of an amazing defense qualify as excellence? What about wasting several years of standout defensive play with substandard offensive play?

Am I glad Billick came along?

Absolutely!

He brought attitude and resolve to a franchise that sorely needed it at the time but does that make him great?

No it doesn’t.  How does a coach who is fired with four years remaining on a five year contract deserve to be in the Ring of Honor? Are honorable coaches fired?

As for future candidates, there’s Jamal Lewis.  I say pass…too much drama, a relative train-wreck off the field and he’s done nothing but trash the organization since he’s been gone.

You know when you stop and think about it, there should be Arthur B. and J.O. for now and that’s it!  

Ray and Stover, when their numbers are called – automatic inductees. 

The same can be said for Ed Reed.

After that, time will tell.

Until then, let’s remember what the words “honor” and “distinction” really mean not just today but forever. 

Will the accomplishments of the inductees stand the test of time and resonate in Baltimore’s sports eternity?