Inspired by what's been one of the more exciting FIFA Men's World Cups in the tournament's near-century-long history, ESPN's Bill Barnwell wrote about a hypothetical “Domestic Cup of American Football” last week.
Using a set of guidelines to determine rosters, Barnwell split the United States into eight regions to see which one had the best collection of active NFL talent.
Feeling dually inspired by the World Cup and Barnwell's article, we made the "Domestic Cup of Ravens Football" to see which region of the U.S. has produced the best Ravens. Unfortunately, not every region of the U.S. is represented (such as the Pacific Northwest) because there aren't enough Ravens from there.
Eligibility is determined by where each Raven played high school football. Newcomers are eligible, and this is based on players' peak time with the Ravens (not the rest of their career).
California
Quarterback: Trent Dilfer, Tony Banks
Dilfer only played eight of his 130 career games with Baltimore, but that's enough to dub him the Golden State's QB1. Besides, he went 7-1 with the Ravens, including a Super Bowl XXXV title. Tony Banks was also considered as the backup quarterback.
Running Back: Ricky Williams
California, which is paper-thin at running backs who've played for the Ravens, would've loved to have the version of Williams who was a star with the New Orleans Saints and Miami Dolphins. Instead, 2011 Ricky Williams tallied 444 rushing yards on 108 carries as Ray Rice's backup.
Wide Receivers: Steve Smith Sr., Demetrius Williams, Patrick Johnson
Tight Ends: Dennis Pitta, Ed Dickson
Smith Sr. and Pitta are a stellar wide receiver-tight end duo, and California takes advantage of the extra slot for a skill position player by adding Dickson, who played high school football in Bellflower, California.
Offensive Tackles: Oniel Cousins, Spencer Folau
Offensive Guards: Patrick Mekari, Edwin Mulitalo, Chris Chester
Center: Hroniss Grasu
While Mekari and Mulitalo make for a strong guard tandem, California will have trouble blocking premier edge rushers.
Edge Rushers: Chris Smith
Defensive Tackles: Justin Bannan
Rushing the passer is going to a struggle for California, especially considering the offensive lines they might face in this tournament.
Linebackers: Patrick Onwuasor, Teddye Buchanan
Cornerbacks: Chris McAlister, Jimmy Smith, Marcus Peters
Safeties: Eric Weddle, Jaylinn Hawkins, Will Demps
While getting after the quarterback would be an issue for California, its secondary is elite. California has two Pro Bowlers at outside cornerback in McAlister and Peters along with Smith, a starting cornerback for much of the 2010s who helped them win Super Bowl XLVII with a goal-line stand. Backing them up at safety are a multi-time Pro Bowler (Weddle), a key cog in what was a stellar New England Patriots defense last season (Hawkins), and a positive contributor to Baltimore's secondary in the 2000s (Demps).
Kicker and punter: Kyle Boller
California is the only team in this exercise who never produced a Ravens kicker or punter. Boller, the former Ravens quarterback who had one career punt in Baltimore, has to fill in.
Northeast
Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont
Quarterback: Joe Flacco, Vinny Testaverde
Only four quarterbacks have thrown at least 1,000 passes for the Ravens, and the Northeast lucks out by getting two of them in Flacco and Testaverde, who'll step in should something happen to Flacco. Plus, the Northeast won't have to rely heavily on the aerial attack for offensive production.
Running Back: Ray Rice, Gus Edwards
Only five players have run for at least 3,000 yards with the Ravens, and the Northeast got two of them in Rice and Gus Edwards. This is one of the best running back rooms in the tournament.
Fullback: Patrick Ricard
The six-time Pro Bowler is an easy add to an already-loaded Northeast backfield.
Wide Receivers: Qadry Ismael, Keith Kirkwood
Tight End: Isaiah Likely
While Ismael and Likely are nice additions, the Northeast doesn't have much depth at pass catcher, which is a shame considering that they have both Flacco and Testaverde available at quarterback.
Offensive Tackles: Jermaine Eluemunor, Bryant McKinnie, Vlad Ducasse
Offensive Guards: Gino Gradkowski, John Urschel
Center: Mike Flynn
The Northeast is thankful that Eluemenor moved from England to New Jersey with his father when he was 14. Otherwise, this region wouldn't look as good at offensive tackle. Urschel, Gradkowski and Flynn are also underrated and versatile additions on the interior.
Edge Rushers: Rob Burnett, Anthony Weaver, Jihad Ward
Defensive Tackles: Tony Siragusa, Travis Jones, Arthur Jones
With Siragusa, a franchise legend, and Travis Jones, a rising star, being flanked by Burnett and Weaver on the outside, the Northeast has a rock-solid defensive line. This group could have some fun sack celebrations.
Linebackers: Jameel McClain, Odafe Oweh
This is one of the more underrated tandems of any position group. McClain was a starter on the 2012 Super Bowl team. Adding Oweh to the aforementioned defensive line creates one of the better pass rush groups in the tournament.
Cornerbacks: Corey Graham, Anthony Averett, Donny Brady
Safeties: Geno Stone, James Ihedigbo, Will Hill
The Northeast's secondary doesn't jump off the screen like some other units in the tournament, but the unit is far from the weakest. Graham starred in the "Mile High Miracle" with two interceptions, including one in overtime that set up Justin Tucker's game-winning kick. He was an unheralded key piece of that Super Bowl team. Stone had his best seasons yet in Baltimore.
Punter: Greg Montgomery
Kicker: Stephen Hauschka
South Atlantic
Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington, D.C.
Quarterbacks: Anthony Wright, Tyrod Taylor
Running Backs: Terrance West
Neither Wright nor West played in Baltimore for very long, as they combined for about four-and-a-half seasons with the Ravens. But the South Atlantic lacked high-end options at both of these positions, especially at quarterback, where the only other option was Trace McSorley. Taylor has had an impressive 15-year career thus far, but he didn't start a game in his four seasons as Flacco's backup in Baltimore.
Fullback: Sam Gash
Gash will aid the South Atlantic's rushing attack.
Wide Receivers: Torrey Smith, Jermaine Lewis, DeAndre Hopkins
Tight End: Benjamin Watson
Maryland and Virginia do a lot of the heavy lifting in the pass catcher room, as Hopkins, a South Carolina native, is the only one not from one of those two states. Smith has the fourth-most receiving yards in franchise history and scores double points for playing high school ball in Virginia and college ball at the University of Maryland. Elijah Sarratt and Michael Campanaro were also considered here.
Offensive Tackles: Jonathan Ogden, Morgan Moses, Orlando Brown Sr.
Offensive Guards: John Simpson, Brian Rimpf
Center: Jason Brown
The offensive line might be the South Atlantic's biggest strength with Ogden and Moses at the tackle spots. The quarterbacks and skill position players aren't as formidable as most other regions, but at the very least, quarterbacks will have time to throw, and running backs will have open running lanes to hit.
Edge Rushers: Michael McCrary, Marques Douglas, Mike Green
Defensive Tackles: Chris Canty, Larry Webster, Jadeveon Clowney
While Canty, Webster and Clowney must kick inside due to the lack of depth at defensive tackle, the South Atlantic has a solid threesome of edge rushers that includes a multi-time Pro Bowler in McCrary.
Linebackers: Peter Boulware, Jamie Sharper
This is a phenomenal tandem. Boulware also provides positional flexibility, as he can rush at the line of scrimmage as well.
Cornerbacks: Tavon Young, Domonique Foxworth, Josh Wilson
Safeties: Chuck Clark, Anthony Levine, Kyle Arrington
The secondary is led by Clark, a four-year starter at safety.
Punter: Jordan Stout
Kicker: Shayne Graham
Florida
Quarterback: Lamar Jackson
Running Backs: Derrick Henry, Justin Forsett, Willis McGahee
Wide Receivers: Zay Flowers, Anquan Boldin, Marquise Brown
Tight End: Hayden Hurst
Good luck trying to stop this unit. There is a stunning amount of star power on Florida's offense, and the gap between them and everyone else might be wider than the Sunshine State itself.
With Jackson, Henry and Flowers, Florida has what could be the Ravens' best quarterback, running back and wide receiver in franchise history when each of their careers are over.
Offensive Tackles: Keydrick Vincent, Daniel Faalele
Offensive Guards: Jeff Blackshear, Wally Williams, Damion Cook
Center: Jeff Mitchell
This is where Florida's offense could run into some trouble. Luckily, any struggles on offense could be eased by Florida's exceptional defense.
Edge Rushers: Elvis Dumervil, Calais Campbell, Trey Hendrickson
Defensive Tackles: Trevor Pryce, Jarret Johnson, Timmy Jernigan
Florida is the biggest beneficiary of newcomers being eligible. As if the tandem of Dumervil and Campbell weren't dangerous enough, the Sunshine State also gets Hendrickson, who had 17.5 sacks apiece in his last two fully healthy seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals. Johnson started his long career with the Ravens as a defensive tackle, so we'll bump the physical edge setter back inside for this exercise. Pernell McPhee is another strong consideration.
Linebackers: Ray Lewis, Tavares Gooden
Lewis commands Florida's defense and lines up next to another Miami alum. Should Florida's defensive line make a rare slip-up, it can count on Lewis for elite cleanup duty behind them.
Cornerbacks: Duane Starks, Samari Rolle, Cary Williams, Fabian Washington
Safeties: Deion Sanders, Matt Elam
To complement a devastating pass rush, Florida also has two cornerbacks from Super Bowl-winning teams (Starks and Williams) along with a strong starter in Rolle. While Sanders wasn't at the peak of his powers in Baltimore, this is still a sensational secondary.
Kicker: Aaron Elling
Punter: Ryan Eckley
Florida has the best roster of any region in this tournament. They do have two major weaknesses, however, in a shaky offensive line and inexperience at kicker, as Elling attempted just 29 career field goals, making 18 of them. He only had one attempt with the Ravens, which was a missed 55-yard field goal against the Cincinnati Bengals in Nov. 2005.
Southeast
Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi and Tennessee
Quarterbacks: Steve McNair, Eric Zeier
While McNair was solid in his two seasons with the Ravens, the Southeast would've loved to have the MVP version of McNair. Unfortunately, that happened when he was with the rival Tennessee Titans.
Running Back: Jamal Lewis
The Ravens have had plenty of elite workhorse running backs in their 30-year history. Right now, Lewis is the best of them, and the Southeast's offense will center around him.
Wide Receivers: Rashod Bateman, Marlon Brown, Breshad Perriman
Tight End: Shannon Sharpe, Brian Kinchen
Sharpe's peak came when he was with the Denver Broncos, but he still made a Pro Bowl with the Ravens in 2001. A Georgia native, Bateman will be relied upon as the top receiver.
Offensive Tackles: Orlando Brown Jr., Michael Oher
Offensive Guards: Ben Grubbs, Tyre Phillips, Ben Cleveland
Center: Bradley Bozeman
There are some absolute behemoths along this offensive line, including its pair of offensive tackles in Brown Jr. and Oher. With Lewis at running back, the Southeast could dominate on the ground.
Edge Rushers: Adalius Thomas, Za'Darius Smith, Justin Houston
Defensive Tackles: Michael Pierce, Leland Taylor, Chris Ward
The Southeast is so stacked with edge rushers, second-round rookie Zion Young didn't even make the cut. This is a good defensive line with Thomas, Smith, and Pierce leading the way. Plus, every other unit on defense has an argument to be the best in the tournament.
Linebackers: C.J. Mosley, Roquan Smith
The biggest loser of the two-linebacker limit is the Southeast, who also had Daryl Smith to choose from. Nevertheless, offenses will have a tough time getting past Mosley and Smith, and they'll have an even tougher time getting past the players behind them.
Cornerbacks: Marlon Humphrey, Lardarius Webb, Nate Wiggins
Safeties: Kyle Hamilton, Malaki Starks, Stevon Moore
This is a star-studded unit. Nobody should get open against this group.
Kicker and Punter: J.R. Jenkins
Having a guy who only attempted one career field goal and has zero career punts be your punter and kicker isn't ideal, but that's the Southeast's only major hole. This is a championship-caliber roster.
Southwest
Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah
Quarterbacks: Scott Mitchell, Diego Pavia
With a heavy lack of Ravens quarterbacks hailing from this region, the Southwest must turn to Mitchell, who played two games for the Ravens, and Pavia, an undrafted rookie battling for a roster spot.
Running Back: Justice Hill
The Southwest was also thin at running back, although Hill has been a cornerstone reserve over the past few seasons.
Wide Receivers: Michael Jackson, Mike Wallace, Jacoby Jones
Tight Ends: Mark Andrews, Todd Heap
The Southwest lucks out by getting the two best tight ends in Ravens history, as both are from Arizona. On the outside are a pair of 1,000-yard receivers for the Ravens in Jackson and Wallace, with Jones in the slot as a field-stretcher. Odell Beckham Jr. and Ja'Kobi Lane were also considered.
Offensive Tackles: Ronnie Stanley, Roger Rosengarten
Offensive Guards: DJ Fluker, Ryan Jensen, Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu
Center: Joe Maese
The Southwest is the only region with two current starting offensive linemen in Stanley and Rosengarten. This is a strong offensive line.
Edge Rushers: Terrell Suggs, Matt Judon, Paul Kruger
Defensive Tackles: Haloti Ngata, Kelly Gregg, Dan Cody
Suggs moved from Minnesota to Arizona when he was 16. The Southwest team is incredibly thankful that he did. Suggs, Judon and Kruger are arguably the best trio of edge rushers. Ngata and Gregg form one of the best defensive tackle tandems in the tournament, too.
Linebackers: Patrick Queen, Ed Hartwell
Hartwell can gobble up tackles like he did in 2002 when he notched 142 (fourth-most in the NFL) while Queen makes plays running sideline to sideline. That's a good duo.
Cornerbacks: Chris Carr, Corey Ivy, James Trapp, Keyon Martin
Safeties: Ed Reed, Dawan Landry
Reed is obviously arguably the best safety ever and gets to team up with Landry again. But the safeties are going to have to cover a lot of ground in the secondary.
Punter: Nick Murphy
Kicker: Wade Richey
The Southwest's hopes of a deep run rest heavily on their superstars.
Texas
Quarterbacks: Stoney Case, Ryan Mallett
Running Backs: Priest Holmes, Bam Morris
Texas might struggle through the air, but it has a steady pair of running backs that includes Holmes, who had over 1,200 yards from scrimmage with the Ravens in 1998.
Wide Receivers: Mark Clayton, Devin Duvernay, Michael Crabtree
Tight End: Crockett Gilmore
Each of these players made positive contributions to the Ravens: Clayton led Baltimore in receiving in 2006, and Duvernay made the Pro Bowl twice as a returner. But this group falls short compared to other regions.
Offensive Tackles: Joseph Noteboom, Kelechi Osemele
Offensive Guards: Bobbie Williams, Ben Cavil
Center: Andre Gurode
The best player on this unit is Osemele, a four-year starter for the Ravens before earning two Pro Bowl nods with the Oakland Raiders.
Edge Rushers: Tyus Bowser, Cory Redding, Roderick Green
Defensive Tackles: Nnamdi Madubuike, Sam Adams, Broderick Washington Jr.
This is an elite defensive tackle duo, as Madubuike became one of the NFL's top interior rushers and Adams was a two-time Pro Bowler in Baltimore and block-eating monster on arguably the best defense in league history. The defensive line will have to carry the front seven.
Linebackers: Zach Orr, Jason Phillips
Orr was on his way to becoming one of the league's top linebackers after a breakout 2016 season, but his playing career was cut short by a neck condition, launching his coaching career. This linebacker unit was shaped by injuries, as Sergio Kindle may have made the team had the Ravens' top draft pick in 2010 not suffered a career-altering injury before he took the field.
Cornerbacks: Gary Baxter, Brandon Stephens, Tray Walker, Chandler Rivers
Safeties: DeShon Elliott, Earl Thomas
This is a solid secondary. Baxter and Stephens were three-year starters, and Thomas made the Pro Bowl in his only season with the Ravens after a storied career with the Seattle Seahawks.
Kicker and Punter: Justin Tucker
Texas hogged the best kickers, as Tucker, Matt Stover, and Tyler Loop all hail from the Lone Star state. Tucker gets the nod, as he had the most punting experience in college out of the three. Kicker is the best unit on the Texas team, but teams can unfortunately only have one.
Midwest
Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio and Wisconsin
Quarterbacks: Elvis Grbac, Jim Harbaugh
Running Backs: Mark Ingram II
Fullback: Kyle Juszcyzk
Wide Receivers: Derrick Mason, Derrick Alexander, Willie Snead IV
Tight End: Owen Daniels
While Grbac had plenty of ups and downs as Baltimore's starting quarterback, he'll be surrounded by a stellar collection of skill positions players. Ingram only spent two seasons with the Ravens, but one of them was a 1,000-yard campaign in 2019. Alexander had three 1,000-yard seasons in his career, and two came in his only two seasons with Baltimore. Alexander, meanwhile, had four 1,000-yard seasons in six years with the Ravens. Juszcyk get the nod over Chester Taylor to round out the Midwest's backfied.
Offensive Tackles: Tony Pashos, James Hurst
Offensive Guards: Marshal Yanda, Kevin Zeitler, Bennie Anderson
Center: Tyler Linderbaum
Surprise! The Midwest has good offensive linemen. This is a quality unit, especially the guard-center-guard trio of Yanda, Linderbaum and Zeitler.
Edge Rushers: Chris Wormley, Zach Sieler, John Simon
Defensive Tackles: Brandon Williams, James Jones, Lional Dalton
This is one of the thinner defensive fronts in the tournament, although Williams should provide a consistent force on the interior. All three pass rushers had their best seasons playing for other NFL teams. They should get some help behind them, though.
Linebackers: Bart Scott, Malik Harrison
Scott leads the middle of the defense as a one-time Pro Bowler. His nod came in 2006 as part of the NFL's best scoring defense that season.
Cornerbacks: Brandon Carr, Corey Harris, DeRon Jenkins
Safeties: Rod Woodson, Kim Herring, Bernard Pollard
Woodson, Herring and Pollard make up a gnarly safety trio, while Carr and Harris were solid starters for the Ravens.
Kicker: Billy Cundiff
Punter: Sam Koch
Cundiff and Koch make up the best true kicker-punter combination in the tournament.
Who Would Win the Domestic Cup of Ravens Football?
In his exercise, Barnwell whittled the tournament down to four teams, then randomized matchups for a four-team bracket. Let's move ahead to the final in this bracket:
Florida vs. Southeast
There are superstars all over the field, and the matchups are incredible, some of which probably happened in real-life practice quite often. Imagine Jamal Lewis barreling toward Ray Lewis, or Mosley and Roquan Smith trying to tackle Henry and Forsett. On the outside, it's Flowers vs. Humphrey, Boldin vs. Webb, and Marquise Brown vs. Wiggins. Jackson and McNair will have to decipher elite defenses with high-level playmakers at all three levels.
For all the fun matchups involving skill positions players, this game is likely won and lost at the line of scrimmage. Specifically, how much more success can the Southeast's front seven have compared to Florida's? While Florida arguably has the better front seven, Florida's offensive line could falter against Adalius Thomas, Za'Darius Smith, Houston and Michael Pierce.
Dumervil, Campbell and Hendrickson are one heck of a trio off the edge. Orlando Brown Jr. and Michael Oher would have a tall task in front of them.
Florida has three notable advantages over the Southeast. One is the aforementioned front seven. Florida also has a better rushing attack with Lamar Jackson, Henry, Forsett and McGahee, which opens up the aerial attack. Jamal Lewis is fantastic, but he's the only running back on the team. Plus, McNair's lack of mobility makes him and the Southeast's offense easier to defend.
Finally, one team has Jackson, and the other team doesn't. He can mitigate the Southeast pass rush with his legs, and Florida's skill position players can win one-on-one matchups better than the Southeast's.
In the end, Florida's star power is simply too much for the Southeast to overcome. The latter puts up a valiant effort, but when the clock shows all zeros at the end of the fourth quarter, Florida is crowned as the 2026 Domestic Cup of Ravens Football champion.
