The city's almost NFL team in 1995. Abandoned by the Colts in the middle of the night in 1984, Baltimore tried for years to either lure an existing team to town or get an expansion team. In 1993, the city came close to the latter losing out to Jacksonville for a team to begin play in 1995. The city had the CFL for two years before the Ravens (the former Cleveland Browns) arrived in 1996.