CHAPTER 20: Team RSR

Over the years, our team, like those in the NFL, has gone through many changes. Some at RSR are long-time teammates; others have been around a few years; some are still on their rookie contracts, while others round out the practice squad. Joe Wedra was a PS member who eventually became a Pro Bowler.

I’ve enjoyed watching them grow as writers and I’ve appreciated them as friends as we travel the journey together, as a team. Some have left too for a variety of reasons, but not before leaving their respective marks upon RSR. I appreciate them all!

For most, they’ve all contributed for the love of the game. They didn’t land at RSR hoping to put their kids through college on the income they’ve earned here. Instead, most are gainfully employed but possess a passion for football, for the Baltimore Ravens and they seek to express their thoughts, opinions, knowledge, and analysis with like-minded fans as part of team. That’s what we’ve always sought to be – an online publication worthy of your time delivered by fans who share the same passion as you.

When I started down this path of The History of RSR, I did so to celebrate our 20 years serving the Baltimore community – serving #RavensFlock. But I didn’t want the scenery along the way, to solely be my brushstrokes upon the canvas of RSR. I wanted my teammates to share their stories for two reasons: 1) Maybe their plight to RSR will inspire you in some way; and 2), I wanted to revisit their respective arrivals at RSR to be presented through their eyes.

You’ve heard the stories of Derek Arnold, Steve Gardner, and Joe Wedra. You’ve discovered why Kris Jones and Ken McKusick moved on from the team. Today, I present a few of the other events in our history that delivered writers to the doorstep of RSR. I’ll happily add more stories from other writers as they are submitted. You see at RSR we’ve never given our guys (and sometimes gals) any hard deadlines. We totally get what John Lennon once wrote and sang:

“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.”

Now without further ado, I present thoughts about RSR from some team members.

~ Tony Lombardi

Dev Panchwagh

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, there was this landscape of independent media outlets that covered the Baltimore Ravens. I wrote for this website called Ravens Insider, which was part of the Scouts network. Aside from Ravens Insider, the landscape was quite bare. Pre social media, the content was not exactly flowing like it does today, when we have the pleasure of many, many sources for Ravens coverage.

Along came a dude – almost like Han Solo if we were using the Star Wars analogy. Even kind of had the same hair as a young Harrison Ford. He was and ultimately became my friend Tony Lombardi. Tony, as I remember it, was like Han, in that he was a bit of a gunslinger. He had this upstart company, Ravens 24×7, that just emerged onto the scene. Unlike Han, he wasn’t only about himself. I would find that out later.

I turned one day to Steve Gardner, who ran Ravens Insider and gave me my big shot to write articles, and talked about perhaps meeting Tony and figuring out how we can collaborate. After all, to me, they had a great website so there was a possible opportunity. He agreed it made sense to get to know each other and see how we could possibly join forces.

Next thing you know, I was off to Ravens training camp — this was back in the old Westminster days when camp was open to everyone — to meet Tony. What I noticed immediately was how detailed Tony was with his camp notes. He was charting every play as if he were a scout. I was also there to take camp notes for Ravens Insider, something I prided myself on.

After camp was over, from my memory (which has since been eroded significantly by my toddler son), we went to grab coffee or lunch and talked some shop.

One thing led to another, and Tony proposed me writing some articles for his upstart website.

What I always admired about Tony was that he gave me free reign as a writer. There was never a hesitation on his part. He believed in me and supported the craft from day one.

What that level of support did for me was only open my creative flow, like a river with a rapid current. Battle Plans, feature pieces, different series. And camp notes!

Whatever came to my mind, I had his backing and it enabled me to only grow as an analyst.

I’m grateful for that chance. However, perhaps more than any of the Ravens’ related opportunities – and there have been many, like interviewing Eric DeCosta, joining Bart Scott live on air, and the yearly visits to The Castle to cover camp – I appreciated the friendship we forged.

Years later, we’ve shared a lot of personal and professional experiences. I’ve been lucky enough to see Russell Street grow. And I am thrilled that our paths crossed, and I get to do something I love, with a platform that seems to always be on, even when I famously walk away.

Darin McCann

You can’t be a Ravens fan in this day and age without being aware of Russell Street Report.

For me, it was the dedication of the staff that always pulled me in as a reader. Brian McFarland was as good a “capologist” as there was around the NFL. Ken McKusick was the best personnel-charter around, and Dev Panchwagh gave me both analytic and film knowledge. They also had Cole Jackson and Adam Bonaccorsi and Chibs and Derek Arnold and Tony Lombardi and…

See what I mean?

They had a stacked lineup, and I got a ton of Ravens information out of them.

When I began writing for Ebony Bird, I started encountering a bunch of these RSR guys and developed some online friendships. We talked about ideas and opinions and shared our love for the Ravens, and I basically formed bonds with some of these talented folks. Oh, we were at competitive sites, but we were also adults — it was easy to share a mutual respect with them.

At one point, Ebony Bird shifted what they were attempting to do and went in a different direction. Hey, their playground, their rules. But I didn’t want to be part of it, and I left. My first point of order was to reach out to Tony to see if he needed a moderate-to-poor writer to join the staff. He gave me a shot.

I’m glad he did.

I’m now in my third year at RSR, scribbling my heart out about all things Ravens, and enjoying every minute of it. Tony got me access for training camp each of the last three years, allowing me to watch the team up close in practice and understand the players and coaches better. I’ve been afforded the opportunity to do Report Cards every week, which also allows me the opportunity to be bashed by more people than ever over being too harsh or too easy on the grades.

And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Tony has become more than a publisher to me — he is a friend and a mentor. He doesn’t care if we are positive or negative about the team from one article to the next, just so we write thoughtful pieces that explain why we think the way we do. He wants the copy on his site to be reflective of fans, for fans. It is as pure a mission as there is in the publishing world.

I congratulate Tony and every RSR contributor who has chipped in for these first 20 years, and can’t wait to see how this site evolves over the next 20 years.

Well done, TL. You’ve built something special.

Kevin McNelis

Our skipper has done a great job of documenting The History of RSR, and I only hope my small portion of that rich tapestry does justice to the rest. I’ll give it the ol’ college try.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t start out of the gate with this: I consider myself incredibly lucky to be a part of RSR. I’m not just lucky in that I’m part of such a knowledgeable group of writers, or because it’s given me the chance to interact with a huge network of other Ravens fans. I’m also lucky because, in a lot of ways, this almost didn’t happen. My path to sports writing, while it was certainly a journey fueled by passion and lifelong fandom, was definitely not a linear path.

A lot of writers’ stories begin with a background in journalism or media, which, in hindsight, is the path I wish I’d taken from the jump. If you’d believe it, my professional career started in corrections and law enforcement, which isn’t exactly in the neighborhood of sports writing.

Working as an LEO demands a lot from you, and while I did some good work, the nature of the job really drained the love from it for me. On those days that I needed an escape (which were many), I leaned into something I’ve always loved: sports.

Sports are a great equalizer. No matter where you come from or who you are, you can learn to enjoy some aspect of sports. You can lean in as much or as little as you want. There’s always more to learn or to analyze. No matter the outcome at the end of the day, it doesn’t have to have any bearing on your actual day-to-day life, so wins are nice. But losses are just isolated to the gridiron/ballfield/court/ice surface- you get the gist. I already had a solid foundation for loving sports to begin with, since a lot of my fond childhood memories with my parents included days at a ballpark. However, sports became a pleasant distraction when I desperately needed one, and what was once a hobby became a passion.

It started with just consuming more of the game. Eventually, it progressed to memorabilia collecting and meet-and-greets, making it a point to attend as many team events as my schedule would allow. But there was still a desire to get closer. I wanted to get into the fabric of the game, and since my 5’8” frame and notable lack of cartilage in my knees wasn’t going to have me playing pro ball anytime soon, the next best logical option was to write. The hang-up there, of course, was that a jump to a sports media gig from law enforcement just wasn’t realistic. I was going to need someone willing to give me a chance to prove that I could produce a good product based on work ethic and a love of sports.

Enter RSR. More specifically, Tony.

I’d been consuming RSR as a reader for a long time. It scratched the itch as a Ravens fan for local coverage from writers that followed the team. So many times, with national coverage, the Ravens got shafted into being a footnote, small-market team, even when they were legitimate contenders, and RSR’s focus on the Ravens gave me the access to my team that I was looking for. Even better, it was written by other Ravens fans- writers who combined the nuanced approach of journalistic coverage and fandom.

So, one day when a post appeared calling for contributors to join the RSR crew, I jumped at the opportunity. After exchanging a few emails back and forth with Tony, we scheduled a phone call. I was sweating bullets beforehand, wanting to make a good impression and make good on an opportunity. After all, I was going into this conversation asking him to make an investment in me based on faith (and my obsession with Ravens football) alone. But the tone of our conversation gave me the impression that Tony was someone who respected when you speak your mind, so I told him point-blank exactly what I was thinking: “I’d kill to write for you guys.”

Fortunately, it never got so drastic.

Tony and Senior Editor Derek Arnold brought me aboard, helping gently guide what my contributions would look like and providing valuable feedback ever since. Their patient approach has really fostered creative freedom within our team, and I feel genuinely connected to our crew, even the members I haven’t met in person yet. When our team interacts, it feels like just chopping it up with the guys about the game, with the major difference being that this particular group of guys happens to really know the game of football.

In retrospect, maybe I shouldn’t have been so nervous about a passion for the game being the greatest thing I had to offer, because a love of Ravens football is what sets RSR apart. It’s not hard to find sports writers who know their stuff, but, with mass-produced sports content trying to drive engagement, it lacks the love and appreciation for the game that you get from true fans. That love can’t be taught; but it can be found and fostered in a place like RSR.

Dave Tieff

Sometimes in life you just click with certain people. For me it usually has something to do with music, and oftentimes it involves sports, but the biggest factor is always a positive mindset.

Tony Lombardi is a music-loving Beatles fanatic, a Maryland sports guru, and a driven dude with an entrepreneurial spirit who exudes positive energy. There was no way I wouldn’t hit it off with the guy–so I’m just grateful that we met. He’s my kind of people.

Before we ever met in person, we decided to grab lunch one day, and I already knew we would hit it off before he walked in. We spent the afternoon talking about music and the Beatles, the Ravens, and the Orioles–and of course the Baltimore Colts–as any good Maryland sports fan over the age of 40 (at the time) would do.

I was already a fan of Russell Street Report (I read it religiously) and it inspired me to do some of my own armchair sports analysis on Facebook–though I knew I didn’t have the encyclopedic knowledge or the writing skills that Tony had. Not many people do.

Tony’s a guy you could sit and talk Maryland sports with for hours, and he never seems to run out of insightful stories, stats, and little-known facts. Yes, I may be gushing a little here, but bear with me, my shameless pandering is not without merit. I owe Tony Lombardi a serious debt of gratitude.

A few years back I wrote a rambling rant on Facebook about either the Orioles or the Ravens–I honestly can’t remember–and Tony hit me up to see if it was okay to include it in Russell Street Report.

Okay? It was more than okay—it was like a dream come true. It wasn’t just that my “mini-Facebook-blog” would be included in a real publication, it was that Tony Lombardi thought my words were good enough for people to read. I’ve written plenty of songs in my life, but writing sports articles, or any articles for that matter, was somewhat of a pipe dream for me.

Sometimes all you need in life is one person to believe in you.

I’m grateful to have written more articles for RSR, and to be a part of something that means so much to me and my young sons–which is just talking Baltimore sports. So thank you Tony and RSR, and all of the great contributors you have, for giving me the opportunity and believing in me.

I hope that RSR is around for many decades to come.

I would be honored to be even the smallest small part of that.

Chad Racine

I discovered Russell Street Report about a decade ago when my brother Brett turned me onto it. I didn’t really get into football until the 2010 season. I remember living with my brother Brett during the 2000 Super Bowl and he threw a party and I didn’t really pay attention to the game. When I became a fan I jumped in head first and RSR became the best source for news and learning more about the game. It was where the majority of my internet time was spent.

Because of RSR I became friends with Tony Lombardi on Facebook and really respected his takes on the Ravens. We also shared a love of music and I’ve been a musician for the last 35 years frequently playing out locally. In 2017 when Tony had his radio show on 105.7 The Fan, he had guest musicians and he invited a couple of members of my band Howsmyhat to join him and play a couple of songs. That was our first meeting in person and it was like meeting an old friend that I hadn’t seen in a while.

Sometimes you can just relate to people and feel their positive energy. At that time, I was writing for another Ravens’ website and Tony asked if I was interested in joining the RSR team. I was thrilled to be contributing to the Ravens’ site which became my instant favorite when I first discovered it.

Tony and his wife Ruthie will come out to some of my music gigs when I play near their house and it’s always such a privilege for me. He also often brings a large crew of friends who share the same passion for life that he and his wife Ruthie do. If you know Tony personally then you know exactly what I’m talking about. It’s been a great pleasure to be a part of RSR but even greater pleasure to call Tony Lombardi my friend.

Aidan Griesser

Growing up, I was always one of the more invested Ravens fans of my friends and family, regularly expressing opinions and throwing out stats that I’d come up with or find after hours of research each week. For me, following Baltimore sports news and forming my own thoughts was one of the best ways to spend free time.

Throughout my college years, while in enemy territory in Boston, I found myself using the Ravens as an escape from the daily grind of my schoolwork. Knowing I had a particularly strong interest and a knack for writing essays through my Journalism minor, I began exploring a career in sports journalism.

Despite that, I had very little experience in the space before an internship with the B-More Opinionated podcast the summer of 2018. The podcast, hosted by Jerry Coleman and Jason LaCanfora, was an outstanding opportunity for me to learn the ins-and-outs of sports media, while also contributing weekly articles and – after proving myself to their team that summer – a weekly “homework assignment” on the show.

I contributed to B-More Opinionated for just under a year, and still sincerely appreciate the opportunity to get my foot in the door and explore my interest in sports journalism. After moving on from the podcast and taking some time to focus on my school and future career, I eventually got in contact with Ken McKusick on Twitter.

This was the summer of 2019, and after just a few months away from sports writing, the itch was coming back. Talk about perfect timing!

I relayed to Ken that I’d been reading his Ravens content on Russell Street Report and on a whim asked if the site needed new writers. Over the last few years, I’d made my rounds reading all Ravens outlets, typically reading each site’s summary of the past game to get a feel for who the larger Ravens Flock thought had stood out.

To me, Russell Street Report opinions tended to align the most with my own, and I didn’t want to miss an opportunity to join the team. Luckily, Ken pointed me in the direction of Derek Arnold, and the rest was history.

It’s hard to believe I’ve contributed to RSR for over 4 years now, but I’ve loved every second of it. Through college, graduation, COVID and my post-collegiate career, Russell Street Report has helped me get my ideas and opinions out there, and it’s an honor to see the team grow.

Even years after joining, I’m still excited by the chance to get to know my fellow RSR writers. Whether it’s at team dinners, Ravens or Orioles games, on Twitter, or through happenstance interactions across Charm City, it’s been a pleasure getting to know the rest of the team. There’s no doubt, we’re a tight-knit group that Tony and Derek do a great job keeping close!

Tanner George

Anyone who knows me will tell you that I’m a huge Ravens guy. Five minutes don’t go by without me thinking about or talking about the team in some capacity. The problem is, as a high school student in Southern Maryland, I’ve really only been friends with one or two other Flockers, relegated to talking football with Eagles, Bengals, Titans, Packers, and Patriots fans.

Towards the end of last season, as we were subjected to the catastrophe that was the Tyler Huntley-Greg Roman offense, I began to look for a place to talk Ravens with people who’d really listen. At that point, I’d been reading Russell Street religiously for about a year, really impressed by the in-depth coverage and analysis the site offers. A small voice in my head suggested that I try to write for RSR, but I tried to shut it down, thinking that there was no way a high schooler could write for such a well-known publication.

But that little inkling refused to go away. So, I sat down and wrote a sample piece.

A couple weeks later, after the Wild Card loss to Cincy (which I can’t seem to burn from my memory), I sent my work to RSR’s general inquiry email and hoped for the best. To my surprise, I received a response from Tony in a few days. He was very complimentary of my work, and we quickly set up a meeting to discuss how I could contribute to the team. I haven’t looked back since.

A few months ago, I had the pleasure of running into Tony at Training Camp and picking his brain for a while. I learned a lot in that conversation, from football to writing and beyond. That interaction truly confirmed my love for RSR, and it’s a memory I look upon fondly.

Writing for Russell Street Report has been a blast and something I’m incredibly proud of. I love talking about what I do, and I’ve gained some respect amongst the non-Ravens fans of the world. I’ll always be extremely grateful to Tony and the team for giving me this opportunity—something I won’t waste!

(In Chapter 21, The Epilogue, we put a bow on The History of RSR.)

[Click HERE for previous chapters of The History of RSR]

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