BALTIMORE — On a Purple Friday, Ravens Flock returned home to M&T Bank Stadium for the first football since wintertime: a preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Fans poured into the gates, and one thing was abundantly clear: poor weather to end the work week was not going to stop the flock. The sun returned just before the game.
As the remnants of Debby flew out, the Ravens flew in.
"It feels great," said Tanya Smith, a Ravens fan, just outside the Ray Lewis statue.
"We were gonna be here rain, sleet, hail we're going to be here!" Smith added.
Thousands of Ravens fans are like-minded; this season, they return the league MVP (number 2 for number 8) and a revamped ground game spearheaded by former Offensive Player of the Year Derrick Henry.
The squad is out for vengeance after a disappointing finish half a year ago at the same building, a loss to the eventual Super Bowl-winning Kansas City Chiefs.
"We gotta get Lamar and Zay Flowers their first ring," said Dezmond Washington, a young Ravens fan.
Speaking of M&T Bank - there's lots more to see after a summer's worth of renovations.
READ MORE: Phase one of renovations at M&T Bank Stadium complete in time for Ravens season
"Very excited. We're checking out the new Blackwing," said Beth Henderson, a Ravens fan.
"I think they have some good young guys coming up, it's going to be a fun season," Kim Ford, a Ravens fan, told WMAR.
The Ravens are back at the Bank next Saturday against the Atlanta Falcons for more preseason football.
