The reigning Super Bowl champions credit Edgar Allan Poe, who lived in Baltimore, with inspiring the team鈥檚 nickname. In fact, it can be traced to Poe鈥檚 most famous poem, 鈥淭he Raven,鈥 published in 1845, which begins, 鈥淥nce upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary.鈥︹ Ravens are a type of large crow with a sharp beak, just the kind of menacing appearance well suited to a football team.

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Baltimore Ravens first round draft pick Matt Elam, a safety from the University of Florida, speaks at an NFL news conference at the team's practice facility in Owings Mills, Md., Friday, April 26, 2013. Elam was selected 32nd overall in the NFL draft.