Welcome to Extra Points, a weekly collection of random thoughts around the NFL. If you have any “extra points” of your own, give me a follow on X at JLSports24 and let’s talk football.
Baltimore Sports Mount Rushmore
Last week, a photo surfaced of three Baltimore sports legends together at Ravens’ practice. MVP Quarterback Lamar Jackson, Hall of Fame linebacker and two-time Super Bowl Champion, Ray Lewis, and 23-time Olympic Gold Medalist and Baltimore native, Michael Phelps.
The photo went viral on social media, to the point where it was picked up by NFL on Prime Video on X. This collection of three of Baltimore’s most accomplished athletes begged the question: Who else belongs on the Baltimore sports Mt. Rushmore?
As a lifelong Maryland native, I feel uniquely qualified to answer this very “question”. But first, I’ll answer it with a question of my own. Are we sure Lamar Jackson belongs on the Baltimore Sports Mt. Rushmore?
Lamar Jackson is a two-time MVP and the best player in the NFL, but in seven NFL seasons, he’s yet to even reach a Super Bowl. At only 28 years old, there is still plenty of time to carve his name onto Baltimore’s Mt. Rushmore, and I believe he will, but there’s another legendary QB in town.
Johnny Unitas
There are two statues outside of M&T Bank Stadium, the Hall of Famer, Ray Lewis, who you could make a case for being on the Mt. Rushmore of all-time linebackers, defensive players, football players, or even athletes, in ANY city, and then there’s a legend known locally as “Johnny U“.
Johnny U sports an entirely different uniform from his bronze brother because he came from an entirely different era. Unitas played in Baltimore from 1956 to 1972 for the Colts, then based in Baltimore. During his time, he amassed over 40,000 passing yards, 290 touchdown passes, and pioneered what we know now as “the two-minute drill”. He also collected three NFL MVPs, three NFL Championships (pre-merger), one Super Bowl win, and a Pro Football Hall of Fame gold jacket.
Lamar Jackson is certainly Johnny U-esque to the current generation, but he has more to prove to be recognized among the all-time greats in the history of Baltimore sports.
Completing the Mount Rushmore
Now that I’ve interjected into this viral debate, it’s time to finally complete it. The original question of who is the 4th face on the Baltimore sports Mt. Rushmore?
Well, to any Maryland native, or reputable sports fan from any land or generation, the answer is unquestionably Cal Ripken Jr.
Baseball’s “Iron Man” was a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame in 2007, earning 98.53% of votes, the 6th highest of all-time. Those votes were earned on an accolades list that is that rivals almost any professional athlete for any city, from any time period.
3,184 hits
431 home runs
1,695 RBIs
2 gold gloves
19 time all star
2-time American League MVP
2,632 straight games played
Part-owner of the Baltimore Orioles
Cal Ripken Jr.’s Baltimore stardom has crossed generations of Marylanders and sports fans. Everyone has a vivid image of the night he broke the “unbreakable” most consecutive games played record, and the banners hanging across the warehouse. His place in Baltimore sports history is etched in stone harder than the 120-year-old bricks that stand in that very warehouse, or harder even than the stone in which Mt. Rushmore is carved into.
Hats Off
Nobody deserves a tip of the cap quite like Cleveland Browns Head Coach Kevin Stefanski. He started in the NFL as an offensive assistant for the Vikings in 2006, and eventually worked his way up through the organization to serve as offensive coordinator in 2019. After one season, he was then hired by the Browns to be the Head Coach.
Since 2020, Stefanski is 40-44 overall, which is unusually impressive. Normally, in the results-oriented win-now league that is the NFL, you don’t get to coach that many games with a mediocre record. In fact, Stefanski enters 2025 as the longest tenured Head Coach of the team since Sam Rutigliano coached the Browns from 1978 to 1984.
So why is Stefanski to be celebrated? The two playoff appearances in 2023 and 2020 (first since 2002) are certainly worth mentioning, but his greatest accomplishment has been simply staying the course.
Stefanski inherited Baker Mayfield and immediately turned him into a playoff-winning QB, defeating the rival Pittsburgh Steelers. The following season, Mayfield battled through injuries, playing with an injured shoulder, but was head-scratchingly asked to throw an absurd number of times, considering the injury. It was no recipe for success, and I had an inkling that that order didn’t come from Stefanski, but from above.
The Browns shipped Stefanski’s playoff-winning QB away and inserted themselves in the Deshaun Watson sweepstakes, which they won with little competition due to his sexual assault allegations. They won a part-time QB, with the largest fully guaranteed contract in NFL history. They won everything besides the games.
Still Stefanski stays steadfast, head looking forward, always to the next play, next game, or next season. In 2025, they awarded their honorable Head Coach by loading the QB room. Not with talent, but with bodies. Veteran Joe Flacco was named the starter for the regular season, essentially by default. Rookies Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel are not nearly ready, and trade acquisition Kenny Pickett has had an injury-plagued training camp, which destines him for injured reserve or the bread line.
I would wager at least four quarterbacks start a game for the Browns this season, yet Stefanski trucks along. Of course, coaches all believe in themselves and their players; it’s the only mindset to have. But Stefanski is a hostage of his good nature. If given a real opportunity to succeed, I have no doubt he could be a top-five coach in the NFL. He has the system, he has the relationships, and players believe in him.
The Browns have a chance to make it right, and truly build something. Holding two first round picks in the 2026, QB heavy draft, they can maneuver anywhere on the board they please (they likely won’t need to) to get the QB they desire. Let Stefanski select that QB. Give him someone to work with and build around. Build a Browns team with a future.
As former Steelers’ rival JuJu Smith-Schuster once famously said, “The Browns is the Browns“, and they just cannot get out of their own way. After yet another disappointing season for the Dawg Pound, the Browns will relieve Stefanski of his duties, restart their never-ending cycle of losing, and the Browns will continue to be the Browns, but Stefanski will be free.
The right owner or General Manager would hire him in a heartbeat, or he’ll have to spend a year as a consultant or Offensive Coordinator, but Kevin Stefanski will land on his feet, and he’ll get another opportunity, and he’ll finally succeed. But, only if the Browns free Kevin Stefanski.
