Nothing Like The First One
The Boys are back in town. The Super Bowl XXXV Champion Ravens will be honored at Sunday's Ravens-Bills game nearly 10 years after their amazing 2000 season.
Tony Siragusa begged out of his Fox NFL game this week to come back to Baltimore for a week-end full of memories with his ring-bearing teammates. Goose was one of the characters that defined a team that we may never see the likes of again.
Tell me the last time a team won a Super Bowl and went 5 consecutive games without scoring a touchdown? Forget about it! We could live to be 300 years old and never, ever see that again.
And when was the last time a team hoisted the Lombardi trophy without ever having a prior winning season? Before they went 12-4 in their 2000 Super Bowl season the Ravens all-time record was an ugly 24-39-1.
The Ravens defense set the tone in the final opener in Three Rivers Stadium history. The Ravens defense threw a 16-nothing shutout, closing it by stopping the Steelers on 7 straight downs inside the 5-yard line.
The next week the offense exploded with a home opening 39-36 classic win over Jacksonville. Tony Banks threw 5 TD passes, the last a 29-yard game winner to Shannan Sharpe with 41 seconds left. Sharpe's first game in Baltimore was a winner as the Ravens ended a 10-game losing streak to the Jaguars.
The Jacksonville game was an anomaly, the Ravens would go weeks without scoring 39 points and a month without giving up 36. With Ray Lewis, Hall of Famer Rod Woodson and a beefy center cut of "Goose" and Sam Adams the defense set the tone with an early season shutout against Cincinnati. In that game the Ravens held the Bengals to 4-yards rushing and 94 total yards.
It was the first of 4 regular-season shutouts, in 7 other games the Ravens held their opponents to 10 points or less. The 1986 Bears had a great defense but these Ravens smashed their record by 22 points giving up only 165 in the 16-game regular season.
It was a veteran group that physically dominated and broke the will of offenses. The coaching was pretty good too, 4 defensive assistants on that Brian Billick staff are now NFL head coaches. Marvin Lewis (Bengals), Jack Del Rio (Jaguars), Mike Smith (Falcons) and Rex Ryan (Jets).
The defense was great in the regular season and even better in the play-offs. In postseason wins against the Broncos, Titans, Raiders and Giants the Baltimore defense gave up a grand total of ONE TOUCHDOWN in 4 games!!!!
So many Kodak moments that will last a lifetime. Matt Stover scoring every single Ravens point from the 4th quarter of a September 24th game to the 2nd quarter of the November 5th game. Stover scored 49 consecutive points, it was almost month and half of nothing but Stover. Wow!
Anthony Mitchell racing 90 yards after Keith Washington blocked Al Del Greco's field goal attempt in Nashville.
Ray Lewis stealing Eddie George's football and the hearts and hopes of Tennessee.
Rookie Jamal Lewis running with such fury in a home playoff win against Denver and the class of Priest Holmes who went from starter to mentor.
The grit and leadership of Trent Dilfer, the right guy at the right time.
That Sunday in Oakland when Goose pancaked Rich Gannon and Dilfer hit Sharpe for 96 yards.
The look in rookie quarterback Chris Redman's eyes as we were boarding the team bus after the AFC championship win in Oakland. It was just setting in he was part of a Super Bowl team!
Prankster and center Jeff Mitchell telling guard Edwin Mulitalo "we're going to the Rose Bowl Edwin" and Mulitalo who was in a fog after he left the AFC title game with a concussion believing him.
The swagger Brian Billick and Shannan Sharpe brought to a team that so needed it.
The class, professionalism and quiet confidence of Rod Woodson and Rob Burnett.
Jermaine Lewis's magic in the return game and his game, set, match 84 yard run to glory to close out the Giants in the Super Bowl. Thanks for thrills J Lew!
Dilfer to Stokley to end the 5-game TD drought and to start Super Sunday at Raymond James.
The selflessness of Sam Gash. Sitting in an empty locker room after the Super Bowl, Trent Dilfer told me he sought out Gash as the final seconds ticked off the clock in Tampa Bay. Dilfer wanted to be with Gash for the football moment of his life because, as he put it, nobody signified TEAM more than Sam Gash.
Welcome home champs!
