Baltimore Ravens - Takin' Care of Business

Super Bowl Sunday is a day of mixed emotions for me. On one hand, it's a chance to watch the biggest game of the year with all of my football friends. The Super Bowl parties are always a blast. But on the the other hand, I know that I'll be going through football withdrawal by next Sunday. Seven months is a long time to wait for the next NFL kick-off.

Of course, this off-season will be a lot less depressing thanks to the Ravens taking care of business in last night's big game. Baltimore fans can walk proudly as their team made an amazing run through the play-offs and into the Super Bowl. We heard that the Ravens would get picked apart by Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos. They didn't. Then we heard that Baltimore didn't have a snowball's chance in hell of beating Tom Brady in his house in Foxboro. Umm, sorry experts, wrong again. And then, going for the hat trick...... after beating two Hall of Fame quarterbacks in their home stadiums, the "experts" once again favored the 49er's and their rookie quarterback to beat the Ravens on a neutral field! 

Fellas, please see me after class. You obviously haven't learned anything about this team.....

Now, I figured that the Ravens would beat the 49er's last night. But I didn't see things unfolding quite the way they did. Early on, Joe Flacco seemed to be clicking on all cylinders. His passing was on target, he was scrambling well to avoid sacks and he was making smart decisions to throw the ball away when there was nothing there. In a nut shell, Joe was playing like a Super Bowl quarterback.

I felt pretty good when the Ravens went into halftime with a 21-6 lead. The defense was playing really well and I figured a 14-point would be tough for the 49er's to overcome. Then, when Jacoby Jones ran back the second-half kickoff for 108 yards, there was no doubt in my mind that Ravens would win.

Then the lights went out........

When a team is on a roll, the last thing it wants is any type of distraction or disruption. The Ravens momentum was in high gear and they were sensing victory. So, the 49er's must have been ecstatic when the lights went out in the Superdome. The timing couldn't have been more perfect for them. (By the way, I've read that Beyonce blew out the electric twice during her rehearsals for the halftime show. Since the power outage occurred shortly after halftime, could she have had something to do with it? Can someone find out if she's a 49er's fan?)

When the lights were finally turned back on, the 49ers took full advantage and scored 17 straight points. They were back in the game and the Ravens looked shell-shocked. I couldn't believe what I was witnessing. And to make matters worse, CBS kept flashing the graphic reminding us that this would be the largest comeback in Super Bowl history (if the 49ers went on to win). It would certainly be a tough one to stomach for Ravens fans. Baltimore pretty much had this one locked up until those damned lights went out!

But in the end, Baltimore pulled themselves together. An impressive, late 4th quarter goal-line stand by the Raven's defense all but guaranteed a Baltimore victory. Not surprising, on the change of possession at their own 5-yard line, the Ravens kept the ball on the ground, milking the clock down to 12 seconds. As Baltimore prepared to punt the ball away, I was still a little worried. I figured that, even with a decent punt by Raven's punter Sam Koch, the 49er's would still have great field position. This could set up the option for one last Hail Mary pass from Colin Kaepernick. But the Ravens milked eight more seconds off of the clock when Koch shuffled around in the end zone and eventually gave up the 2-point safety. A great strategic move by Baltimore. The 49'ers hopes were now down to a punt return touchdown. In the end, the Raven's took care of business and secured the Lombardi Trophy for the second time in their relatively short history.

This wraps up one of the most exciting seasons that I can ever remember as Ravens fan.Who can ever forget the epic back-and-forth battle in the Denver playoff game? And what about Ray Rice's unbelievable 1st-down conversion on 4th-and-29 against San Diego? And how about Torrey Smith's inspirational performance against the Patriots shortly after his younger brother was killed. And one of my favorite memories of this season was when Dennis Pitta nearly got decapitated by the New England defense in the AFC Championship game. And then, on the very next play, Flacco throws a bullet to Pitta in the end zone for a touchdown! That, to me, defined the heart and determination of this team.

For a Baltimore Ravens fan, it doesn't get any better than this. Many people doubted the Ravens this year. And many said that Joe Flacco was no "elite" quarterback. Well, the Ravens are now World Champs and Flacco is the Super Bowl MVP. If that doesn't make Joe and the entire Ravens team elite, then I'm more confused than all of the "experts" who doubted them.

To the entire staff of the Baltimore Raven's, congratulations on an extraordinary season. You've made your city and countless fans very proud!

kw