Jonathan Ogden

In NFL circles, Marvin Demoff is the power broker you never see and only occasionally hear about, often after the fact, like some sort of twister that levels the local trailer park.Oh, you mean he was the attorney who backed Bob Irsay into a dark corner in 1983 and forced the Baltimore Colts' infamous trade of No. 1 draft pick John Elway to the Denver Broncos?Yes, he is that attorney -- a man so esteemed in those NFL circles he sometimes is referred to as the "Monsignor"; a man so trustworthy it is said he is a confidant of Al Davis, the inscrutable owner of the Oakland Raiders; a man so powerful he is the contractual voice for Dan Marino and Jeff Hostetler, Rick Mirer and Jim Everett, Rod Woodson and Leslie O'Neal, to name a few of the league's elite.

NEW ORLEANS -  Jonathan Ogden, the first draft pick in Ravens history and the quintessential left tackle of his generation, was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday in his first year of eligibility. Late Ravens owner Art Modell, who brought pro football back to Baltimore and was also one of 15 modern-era finalists, fell short of election. Modell has been a divisive candidate in part because he moved the Cleveland Browns to Baltimore after the 1995 season. Ogden's selection came the day before his former team will play for its second Super Bowl title against the San Francisco 49ers here in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

In case you missed the blog post I published 15 minutes ago , former Ravens offensive tackle Jonathan Ogden is auctioning himself off for charity. The highest bidder gets to host Ogden at their house for Sunday's game. Ogden regretfully informed me that he will not be bringing George Clooney or Stacy Keibler as his plus-one. “I wish I had George and Stacy to come with us. That would be huge,” said Ogden, who met the Hollywood star and his Baltimore-bred belle at the Ravens-Bengals game . “The bids would really be getting high then.” A photo Ogden took with Clooney -- and Clooney's bionic arm -- became an Internet sensation after the Ravens great was introduced to the Hollywood power couple in a luxury suite at M&T Bank Stadium two weeks ago. “He's kind of a big deal,” said the 6-foot-9 Ogden.

Ozzie Newsome circled the weekend more than a year ago. He knew that Jonathan Ogden, the first player he picked for the Ravens, would have a strong chance to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Feb. 2, 2013. Wouldn't it be something, Newsome thought, if the Ravens played in Super Bowl XLVII the next day? It was quite the fantasy, and it grew wilder still when Ray Lewis, the other potential Hall of Fame player Newsome selected in the first round in 1996, announced he would retire at the end of this year's playoffs.

On Monday, Ravens coach John Harbaugh said that linebacker Ray Lewis, who has missed two straight games with a toe injury, was “probably the guy that's furthest away” from playing on Sunday among injured Ravens. “Ray has a sprained toe, turf toe kind of thing, so those are a little more unpredictable,” Harbaugh said. “I'm hopeful. I've used that word before. I think he's got a real good chance but we'll just have to see how it goes.” Ravens legend Jonathan Ogden, whose career was shortened by a toe injury, said Lewis shouldn't rush back.

Former Ravens offensive lineman Jonathan Ogden is considered a strong candidate to be part of the 2013 Pro Football Hall of Fame class. But before that, Ogden learned that he'll be enshrined into another Hall of Fame. The former UCLA star was one of 14 players to be selected for the College Hall of Fame. He'll be inducted in September. Ogden was a four-year starter at left tackle for the Bruins. In his final season at UCLA, Ogden was awarded the Outland Trophy, given to college football's top lineman, and named a unanimous first-team All-American.  He was then drafted by the Ravens with the fourth overall pick in the 1996 draft.

Saturday, six men were elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame: defensive linemen Chris Doleman and Cortez Kennedy, offensive tackle Willie Roaf, center Dermontti Dawson, running back Curtis Martin, and cornerback Jack Butler. Meanwhile, former coach Bill Parcells, running back Jerome Bettis, wide receiver Cris Carter, and defensive end Charles Haley were among the finalists who learned that their busts won't be bronzed this year. For those who were left out in 2012, the road to Canton won't get any smoother in 2013 . A bunch of strong Hall of Fame candidates will be eligible next year, including former Ravens left tackle and franchise cornerstone Jonathan Ogden.

NEW ORLEANS -  Jonathan Ogden, the first draft pick in Ravens history and the quintessential left tackle of his generation, was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday in his first year of eligibility. Late Ravens owner Art Modell, who brought pro football back to Baltimore and was also one of 15 modern-era finalists, fell short of election. Modell has been a divisive candidate in part because he moved the Cleveland Browns to Baltimore after the 1995 season. Ogden's selection came the day before his former team will play for its second Super Bowl title against the San Francisco 49ers here in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

Even in his first practice as a rookie, Jonathan Ogden stood out. He was tall, lanky and shuffled his feet as he walked. He looked more like an NBA power forward than an offensive tackle. In fact, Ogden played guard his first season as a Raven. He ruined the crescendo of the offensive line, where it grows taller and bigger starting from the center and moving out to the tackles. There aren't too many 6-foot-9 guards. And there might never be another Jonathan Ogden. Often in sports, we compare players, but it's hard with Ogden and any other great offensive tackle.

When Brett Favre officially retired that day in March in Green Bay, he drew a big crowd, much as Jonathan Ogden did yesterday in Owings Mills. Just like Favre's announcement, and like Michael Strahan's earlier this week, Ogden's farewell was carried live on national TV (in homes that get the NFL Network, at least). The same kinds of adjectives were showered on all of them - greatest, champion, never another like him. Vivid memories were recalled by those who played with him and who had the pleasure of watching him. The same deep sense of loss was expressed.

By most accounts, the odds are long. Late Ravens owner Art Modell will be among the 17 finalists (15 modern era candidates and two from the seniors committee) on Saturday when voters determine which NFL greats will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. It is the second time he has gotten this far in the three-tiered selection process, but the roster is heavy with terrific candidates - including all-everything Ravens offensive tackle Jonathan Ogden - and the selection committee can only send five of them to Canton.

- There are times where it seems like it was only a couple of years ago and he remembers everything, the way Baltimore fans rallied around his team, the Ravens' march to Super Bowl XXXV, even his pointed criticism of the national media about its treatment of his star linebacker, Ray Lewis. Then, Brian Billick is reminded that it was a dozen years since his Ravens stormed into Tampa, took apart the New York Giants and captured the Ravens' first Lombardi Trophy. "When you hear that it's a decade, you kind of go, 'Whoa, has it been that long?

When Justin Tucker's game-winning 47-yard field goal slipped inside the right goal post at Sports Authority Field and dismissed Peyton Manning and the heavily favored Denver Broncos from the playoffs, there was nothing to do but watch in wonder and then wonder about what we all just watched. Apparently, revenge really is a dish served cold - very cold, in this case - but that was last week's storyline. The word everybody likes to use when something so strange and wonderful happens in the world of sports is "destiny," and it was thrown around a lot Saturday night in the aftermath of a game that featured so many entertaining twists and turns that the Ravens may get a new dance named after them.

I've been bombarded with political ads showing Baltimore's mayor threatening to send former Ravens left tackle Jonathan Ogden to West Virginia to "straighten" out the folks there who are arguing against Question 7 ("Bullying, gambling and that Ogden ad," Nov. 1). The referendum on expanded gambling aside, doesn't the mayor's office or anyone else realize that such ads promote bullying? What does that ad say to kids who are victims of bullying - or to their tormentors? I think it's disgraceful for the mayor to be in such a commercial.

Somebody asked me, so … John Miller of Abingdon, Harford County, wants to know if I share his impression of that pro-casino commercial featuring the mayor of Baltimore and Jonathan Ogden, once the left tackle of the Ravens. The mayor and Ogden support state authorization of a sixth casino and the legalization of table games at all casinos, including the Harrah's slated to be built near M&T Bank Stadium in the city. Maryland voters get their say on the question at the polls.

Amid a $50 million media blitz to convince Marylanders to vote for or against a proposed gambling expansion, something unprecedented happened this week: One of the Question 7 TV ads was actually amusing. Gone were the stock scary music and grainy images. There were no teachers averring that they would either be helped or hurt by a sixth casino and table games. No images of articles ripped out of newspapers to back up one side or the other. The ad was nothing more than Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake standing in front of man so comically large that she doesn't come up farther than his elbow.

For 12 seasons, offensive tackle Jonathan Ogden was a cornerstone of the Ravens franchise. As the first player drafted by the team in 1996, he dominated the best defensive linemen of his generation, protecting the blind side of countless quarterbacks with his massive wingspan and opening holes for running backs with bulldozing power. Now, the end has come for the man who was just as likely to have a novel in his hand as his playbook. Knowing a toe injury would hinder his All-Pro playing ability, Ogden told The Sun yesterday that he will officially announce his retirement at a news conference today, a long-awaited decision that ends the career of one of the NFL's greatest offensive linemen.

Ravens Pro Bowl left offensive tackle Jonathan Ogden should retire. It's not that Ogden can't play at a high level anymore. In fact, he could play three or four more seasons and still be one of the best in the NFL. The problem is that Ogden is a perfectionist and is used to being the best. And when he isn't playing up to his expectations, it eats at him. At age 33, and after playing 12 pro seasons, Ogden can never meet his expectations again. What else is left for him to accomplish? He has made 11 Pro Bowls, won a Super Bowl and is possibly the best offensive lineman to ever play the game.

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake brings on the muscle in a just-released ad warning voters that casino owners in West Virginia are behind the opposition to the proposed gambling expansion plan on the Nov. 6 ballot. In the ad, the former Ravens star Jonathan Ogden looms over the mayor like a mammoth bodyguard as Rawlings-Blake delivers her pitch in favor of Question 7, which among other things would allow table games at the planned Harrah's casino in Baltimore. Rawlings-Blake becomes the latest elected official to join in the ad campaign for gambling expansion.

What appeared to be a harmless tackle of Dallas Cowboys' running back Phillip Tanner in the fourth quarter Sunday became the last play Ravens inside linebacker Ray Lewis will make this season. Lewis, 37 years old and a veteran of 17 NFL seasons, now has to decide whether the Ravens' victory Sunday will also be the final game of his Hall of Fame career. A magnetic resonance imaging test taken Monday on Lewis' right arm revealed the Ravens' worst fear: a torn triceps, which is a rare but significant injury that will likely require surgery and an arduous six-month recovery period.