The ‘Wizard of Oz’, Ozzie Newsome will step down as General Manager of the Baltimore Ravens at the end of the 2018 season.
Perhaps the most accomplished Alabama football player ever is winding down his long NFL career after the 2018 season. Ozzie Newsome will step aside as general manager of the Baltimore Ravens. Longtime assistant GM, Eric DeCosta will replace Newsome. Newsome is expected to remain with the organization as a consultant.
Newsome became the Ravens GM in 2002 after working with first the Browns and the Ravens in other capacities going back to 1991. The Ravens have won two Super Bowls while Newsome has been GM.
The tweet below is an accurate summation of Newsome’s reputation in the NFL.
I’ve been covering the NFL Draft for two decades and Ozzie Newsome has been the gold-standard for general manages. Nobody has consistently gotten the job done on Draft Day better than Ozzie and the Ravens.
— Draft Countdown (@DraftCountdown) February 2, 2018
Ozzie Newsome is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Though he was a tight end in the NFL, Newsome was a wide receiver for Bear Bryant. Once asked to assess Ozzie as a college player, Bryant called him Alabama football’s best receiver, surpassing the great Don Hutson who starred in the NFL. Bryant and Hutson played together at Alabama.
Newsome was a Consensus All-American at Alabama. He played 12 seasons for the Cleveland Browns. Ozzie was named to the NFL 1980’s All-Decade team.
There is no indication Newsome is being nudged out the door by Ravens owner, Steve Bisciotti. DeCosta appears to have patiently waited his turn in Baltimore after turning down other GM opportunities. Ravens’ fans are frustrated the Super Bowl success in 2013 has not been repeated under coach John Harbaugh. Harbaugh will not have Ozzie as a buffer after 2018.
Pro Football Weekly described that situation as,
"Harbaugh, who was hired by Newsome in 2008 and has compiled a 94-66 regular-season mark, will enter the 2018 season on shaky ground."
Ozzie may not continue as a consultant very long in Baltimore. A few years back, when asked if he would ever consider the Alabama Athletic Director position, Newsome said he would not. He said his plan after the NFL was to spend most days on a golf course.
Next: 50 Greatest Alabama Football Players of All-Time
Authors Note: The link above is a well conceived list of Alabama greats written by another Bama Hammer writer. All of us have our personal favorites. Ozzie is listed at No. 26. I watched Newsome play in Tuscaloosa and Birmingham. I rate the ‘Wizard of Oz’ even higher.