Comparing Ravens & Seahawks Super Bowl Rings
It feels like yesterday when Owner Steve Bisciotti was on stage in front of the entire Ravens organization and told everyone – players, coaches, staff, alumni – to look inside the sparkling box in front of them and pull out their 3.75-carat Super Bowl XLVII ring.
You could hear a collective "oooohhhhh" across the room.
Well, the new reigning world champion Seattle Seahawks earned that honor this year, and unveiled their rings last night.
Each year, the Super Bowl rings evolve into something bigger, flashier and further removed from the one awarded to the Green Bay Packers after Super Bowl I.
However, taking a look at the Raven's ring from last year and the Seahawks' this year, there seems to be a lot of the same themes and looks. Both rings are made of white gold with hundreds of round cut diamonds, featuring a Lombardi Trophy on the face (two in the Ravens' case) along with the team logos and a border reading "WORLD CHAMPIONS."
Both are amazingly and ridiculously flashy, but using the eye test, the Ravens' ring appears to be a bit bigger in size. It's hard to know for sure without the exact specs, though.
Each side of each ring tells its own unique story, as told by each team's releases. Check it out.
**Ravens face:** "The Baltimore Ravens logo is outlined with 40 round brilliant cut diamonds sitting atop a custom-cut purple amethyst stone. The 'B' is in yellow gold, the beak of Raven is in white gold and the eye of the bird is highlighted with red enamel. Behind the logo are two Vince Lombardi Trophies set with 32 round brilliant cut diamonds and two marquise diamonds weighing approximately .75 carats, representing the franchise's two titles. The trophies are elevated on the top of the ring, which has a stadium-style top. It looks like the bowl of a stadium, outlined in diamonds, with the Ravens logo and trophies in the middle."
**Seahawks face:** "The white gold Seahawks Super Bowl XLVIII championship ring features a three-dimensional Seahawks logo of 64 round diamonds with a vibrant emerald hue tsavorite eye. The iconic logo is outlined in blue and is framed by 12 diamonds. The Vince Lombardi Trophy, comprised of one marquis diamond, stands in the background amongst a sea of 107 round diamonds with a border reading 'WORLD CHAMPIONS.' Forty blue sapphires surround the ring top flanked by two '12' flags."
Ravens sides: "The left side of the ring features the player, coach or staff member's name. Below is the Ravens shield, with the Maryland state flag. It is flanked on each side by a team slogan popularized by Head Coach John Harbaugh, 'Play Like A Raven,' which signifies toughness, hard work and humility. The player's number or coach's title is below the shield. The right side features the year 2012 in 10-karat yellow gold, set with 39 round brilliant cut diamonds. The yellow gold is reflective of the Ravens gold within the team logo. Below the year, the official Super Bowl XLVII logo is enhanced with three round diamonds in the top of the Lombardi Trophy."
Seahawks sides: "The shank, or sides of the ring, tells the story of the championship season. One shank includes the team's final record of 16-3, a southward view of CenturyLink Field with the '12' flag and Mt. Rainier, highlighted with the individual player's name and number. The other side features the Seattle skyline, Vince Lombardi Trophy with a marquis diamond, Super Bowl XLVIII logo and NFL shield."
Ravens inside: "Engraved on the inside of the ring is the Ravens team logo and Harbaugh's team mantra, 'THE TEAM. THE TEAM. THE TEAM,' meaning to do whatever is best for the collective team. To the side are the scores of the four games the Ravens won on their epic postseason run, featuring the logos of the corresponding teams."
Seahawks inside:"The ring band features 12 feathers, similar to the markings on the team uniforms. The phrases 'LEAVE NO DOUBT,' '24/7,' 'SEA 43- DEN 8' and 'WHAT'S NEXT?' are engraved inside each ring."
Franks, Ross Celebrate Signings On Twitter
Reports indicated the Ravens signed two of the six corners they tried out this week, and while the team has yet to confirm the news, Aaron Ross and Dominique Franks announced on Twitter that they are officially Ravens.
Ross, 32, even posted the Instagram picture below of himself signing his contract and posing with Secondary Coach and Assistant Head Coach Steve Spagnuolo. Spags was Ross' defensive coordinator with the Giants in 2007 and 2008 during Ross's first two years in the NFL.
Franks, 26, also tweeted about his new opportunity in Baltimore, writing: "Glad to b a Raven w big bro @TheRealJacoby12!!!!! #wuuuuuurrrk. … God Always have a Plan 4 u!!! Put it in his Hands n u never have to second guess the outcome!!! BLESSED!!"
The cornerback position is now a lot more crowded and will feature stiff competition for the No. 3 spot vacated by Corey Graham. Prior to the additions, Chykie Brown and Asa Jackson were the main contenders for the nickel back role.
Per Brian McFarland of Russell Street Report, Ross will likely get $855,000 in salary while Franks will get $730,000.
The Ravens also have agreed to terms with linebackers Austin Spitler and Nick DiMarco, who tried out for the team this week, according to The Baltimore Sun's Aaron Wilson.
DiMarco also confirmed on Twitter that he signed with the Ravens ($730,000 per McFarland).
I've officially signed as a Baltimore Raven! Beyond blessed! Thanks to all for the support thus far! Long journey ahead — Nick DiMarco (@DiMarco_14) June 19, 2014
Rice Lighter On Feet, Mosley Moving up, Marlon's Tough Camp
The Ravens wrapped up their three-day mandatory minicamp yesterday afternoon, and the week was kinder to some than others.
From ESPN's Jamison Hensley's point of view, Ray Rice, C.J. Mosley and Justin Tucker all had a great week. Marlon Brown and James Hurst had tough outings, however.
Here are Hensley’s notes on the players:
LB C.J. Mosley: "How much progress is linebacker C.J. Mosley making? The Ravens' rookie first-round pick was running with the first team on Thursday. Mosley, the 17th overall pick, has been considered the favorite to start alongside Daryl Smith at inside linebacker. The Ravens have been praising Mosley's ability to pick up the system quickly."
RB Ray Rice: "Rice is much lighter on his feet, the result of not carrying as much weight. There were a couple of times when he showed off elusiveness in between the tackles."
K Justin Tucker: "Tucker is already in regular-season form. He hit a 64-yard field goal early in practice and then nailed a 57-yarder toward the end of it."
WR Marlon Brown: "It was a tough minicamp for wide receiver Marlon Brown, who was turning heads last year at this time as an undrafted rookie. He dropped too many passes throughout the week and some were uncontested."
OT James Hurst: "There was a lot of attention placed on offensive tackle James Hurst after he was signed as an undrafted rookie. But Hurst has struggled at times, especially against speed rushers. It was no match when Elvis Dumervil lined up against him."
Webb Accepts Peace Offering
Wide receiver Steve Smith Sr. made headlines (and laughs) with his clever #GlazeUpSon peace offering to cornerback Lardarius Webb after two got into a minor scuffle in Wednesday's practice.
Nothing like some Dunkin Donuts* *to say, "I'm sorry."
And not only did outsiders* *think the gesture was well done, Webb seemed to like it himself, Instagramming that he received the gift in his locker and it made him laugh his [booty] off.
Quick Hits
- @Ravens: John Harbaugh said that he has not been informed by the NFL for a timetable on a punishment decision regarding RB Ray Rice. [Twitter]
- @TreyDeuce32RTR [Mosley]: Thanks everyone for the bday wishes! #rtr #ravennation [Twitter]
- @TorreySmithWR: Had a great team talk about several issues in the NFL both on and off the field. Led by Steve Bisciotti and Harry Swayne #KeepItRaven [Twitter]
- @JuiceCheck44: Great mini camp! Got that much better #KeepItRaven [Twitter]
- @LWebb21: Sign up fast registration for my FREE football camp at Towson for ages 8-17 ends tonight at 7:00 or if it fills up. [Twitter]
- Will Jacoby Jones make an impact at receiver this year? "Getting more passes in the Ravens' offense will be a bigger challenge than ever for Jones," wrote Hensley. "The Ravens added wide receiver Steve Smith and tight end Owen Daniels to go along with Torrey Smith, Dennis Pitta and Marlon Brown. Jones may find himself No. 6 on Joe Flacco's pecking order." [ESPN]
- The NFL Network asked fans to vote on the greatest defense of all-time, and the results put the Ravens' 2000 world champion defense in third place (25 percent of votes) behind the 1976 Steelers (26 percent) and 1985 Bears (38 percent). Analysts disagreed with the results, but surprisingly not in favor of their own teams, including former Raven Rod Woodson. [NFL.com]
- Do the Ravens need more from Suggs and Elvis Dumervil in order for the defense to improve? [CSNBaltimorel.com]
