The Baltimore Ravens are Super Bowl Champions!

Reality is a slow emotion, so I’m still coming to grips with what actually happened tonight, but Ravens fans around the planet should stand proud!

Even tough the electricity gods attempted to change the momentum, the Ravens decided that tonight was their night.  They decided that tonight was Ray’s night; it was Joe’s night, and John Harbaugh’s night.  And they were victorious. Joe Flacco was named the MVP, and his huge supporting cast of Boldin, Rice, Pitta, Jones, Smith, and Leach were impeccable.

In the next few days we’ll need to debate how many of these superstars the Ravens can afford next year, but for tonight, let’s simply bask in the glow that is called “World Champions!”

Congratulations Ravens!

Super Bowl XLVII = Har-Bowl I

Hollywood couldn’t come up with a better storyline.  Two brothers, John and Jim Harbaugh, will match wits in New Orleans for Super Bowl XLVII.

Of course, the back story of how the Ravens earned a Super Bowl berth is even better.

The emotional jolt provided by Ray Lewis’ return to the gridiron lifted the Ravens past a resurgent Colts squad.  Then, against all odds (and sportswriter’s predictions) the Ravens dispatched Peyton Manning and the Broncos on their home turf in Denver.  Indeed, most NFL talking heads predicted that Ray’s emotional surge had run its course during his offensive debut and final squirrel dance at M&T Bank Stadium; there was no way, they reasoned, that emotion could beat Manning and the Broncos  They were right and wrong because it wasn’t pure emotion that beat the Broncos.  It was emotion plus Flacco’s success with the deep ball that shot the Ravens past the Broncos in a 38-35 double overtime thriller.

Last night, the Ravens, a team many counted out of post season play a mere month ago, once again found themselves on the backside of the point spread against the perennial Super Bowl contenders – the New England Patriots.  Thickening the plot significantly, the teams had met in the exact same location for the exact same stakes almost exactly one year ago.  After an exciting game that saw the Ravens come within a last minute drop and missed field goal of victory, the Ravens spent Super Bowl Sunday on the couch watching the Patriots lose to the Giants.  The men in purple and black overcame huge pre-season expectations, significant injuries, a major losing streak, and a change at the offensive coordinator position to make it back to Foxborough and another chance at the AFC crown.

The pre-game hype was drama of the highest order.  The game was pitched as a traditional David vs. Goliath contest.  This was North vs. South.  Good vs. Evil.  Middle Earth vs. Sauron.  And despite all the naysayers, we all know what happened.

The Baltimore Ravens beat the Patriots and earned their first Super Bowl berth since the 2000 season.

Theories abound on how the Ravens accomplished this feat.  For some, the answer is spelled Ray Lewis.  In this line of reasoning Ray’s return to the field has provided an emotional burst to a traditionally dominant defense that in 2012 seemed to be losing its luster.  For others, the Ravens’ post season success is explained by the arm and superior decision making of Joe Flacco.  These adherents point to a crazy-impressive group of statistics that are sure to have Flacco’s agent salivating and financial personnel in Owings Mills reaching for some Tylenol.

Both of these theories are partially correct.  After watching Ray make his last entry into M&T Bank Stadium it is impossible to conclude that his return has had no impact on the post-season Ravens.  Additionally, Joe’s play has been superb, and he is finally starting to get some well-deserved recognition from the sportswriter’s politburo.

I think, however, that there is something even more basic behind the Ravens’ recent success.  It’s called the offensive line, and more specifically the recent reshuffling of personnel and the addition of Bryant McKinney.  The revamped front five for the Ravens have kept Joe upright and relatively unhurried.  They have also opened holes for Ray Rice and Bernard Pierce, and perhaps most importantly, they have allowed the Ravens to sustain drives and keep opposing offenses off the field.  The Ravens have still come up short in most time of possession battles, but the defense has had significantly more rest than in early season contests.

Regardless of which theory best explains how the Ravens walked away with the AFC Championship and a trip to New Orleans, the fact remains that the team is peaking at the right time.  The Ravens now have a bit less than two weeks to get healthy and prepare for Har-Bowl I.  We know they can do it.  Now it’s time to watch a story so good that even Hollywood is jealous.

Dec 16, 2012; Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco fumbles the ball and it is recovered by the Denver Broncos

Ben,

Tough break with that interception in OT.  I know how it feels…at least yours wasn’t returned 98-yards for a touchdown. 

BTW, thanks for the playoff bid.  See you next year.

Joe

I was one of those who expected to see the Ravens’ offense make a few sparks in their first Caldwell-led outing against the Broncos.  I was obviously wrong.  Any hope of the theorized spark was seriously diminished when Flacco coughed up the rock on the 3^rd-and-1 sneak during the first offensive series.  And, while I desperately clung to hope, the fire department showed up to completely douse the embers at the end of the 1^st half when Joe served one up to the Bronco’s Chris Harris for a 98-yard pick-6.

As Ed Reed has already stated, it was truly an embarrassing outing for the men in purple and black.

That said, the Ravens (with a lot of help from the Steelers) managed to turn the loss into an NFL-leading 5^th straight playoff berth.  While a playoff bye is out of the question, the Ravens can secure the AFC North title and a home field playoff game with a single win out of the remaining two contests.

So, what must the Ravens do to have any chance of mounting a successful bid for the Lombardi Trophy?  To be honest, the prognosis is not good, but that does not mean that all hope is lost.  Here are a few broad (and obvious) areas for improvement.

Get healthy (on defense and offense)

It’s no surprise that injuries have severely impacted the Ravens this year.  As they come down the stretch, however, getting healthy bodies on both sides of the ball is a priority.  On defense it was nice to see T-Sizzle and Jimmy Smith back on the field again, but the Ravens should put a priority on getting them back to 100% for the playoffs.  Also, it was probably wise to keep Ray Lewis off the field and preserve his health for the post-season.   Hopefully a week off has helped Pollard and Ellerbe, but again the team should rank the longer term playoff benefits of additional recuperation over the possible short term benefits of rushing them back into action.

Offensively, the list of walking wounded is shorter but no less impactful.  Marshal Yanda, a critical cog in the offensive line, is still nursing an ankle injury and remains questionable for this week’s game.  Additionally, Torrey Smith and Bernard Pierce suffered concussions against the Broncos.  According to the latest reports it appears that Smith will return for the Giants game, but Pierce’s status is still unknown.

Score more points than the other teams

I realize this is an overly simplistic statement, but when faced with complicated problems it is often important to return to first principles.  And no first principle is more important in competitive sports than scoring more than the opponent.  To achieve this goal the Ravens must start with the offensive line.  The loss of Yanda has been significant, but the team absolutely must adjust to provide better run blocking and pass protection.  I am not privy to internal coaching debates, but I sincerely hope that someone is making a case for giving Bryant McKinnie a shot of drilling holes for Ray Rice and protecting Flacco’s blind side – he can scarcely do worse.

The offensive line is a serious problem, but Flacco bears much of the blame.  I’m not quite ready to put my #5 jersey on Craig’s List, but it is time for Joe to wake up and lead this offense.  I know he possesses the physical skills to put points on the board, but the mental skills have been lacking of late.  Of particular concern are his pocket awareness and recent penchant for turnovers.

Finally, the Ravens need to find a way – even when run blocking breaks down – to get the ball to Ray Rice.  I’m not advocating for 3 rushes up the gut every series followed by a punt, but establishing the run and giving little Ray an opportunity to break one is the key to unlocking all the other weapons this offense possesses.  Not only can an effective running game mitigate a harassing pass rush, but keeping the linebackers up opens up the middle for Boldin and Pitta, which opens up the outs, etc…

Prevent the other teams from scoring more points than us

More simplicity here, but unquestionably the Ravens defense must get better in stopping the run.  Regardless of the pre- and post-game Peyton-mania, Denver beat the Ravens last week with the running game.  Moreno’s 118-yards were big, but the real ice-pick to the Ravens’ heart was the time of possession battle.  Indeed, when the Ravens’ offense finally started showing some signs of life, the Broncos’ mounted a 9-minute drive almost solely conducted on the ground.  Even the best offense in the league can’t score if it’s sitting on the sidelines.

It’s been stated numerous times, but the Ravens also need to generate a more effective pass rush.  There have been moments of brilliance for this squad, but far too often, opposing quarterbacks have been able to remain relatively unhurried as they wait for their receivers to gain separation.  Williams (other than giving up on that one long pass to Decker) and Graham have been improving, but even the best defensive backs can’t cover NFL receivers for too long – especially against Super-Bowl caliber quarterbacks.

Channel the negative energy into better performance

I argue that this area is the most important of the four.  All of the players and coaches have been justifiably frustrated (and vocal) about their disappointment over the last few games.  So much so, in fact, that Cam Cameron was sent packing last week.  Now, however, is not the time to point fingers, hang heads low, or throw in the towel.  This has not emerged as a chronic problem yet, but the seeds are there.  Coach Harbaugh and the team’s leaders need to ensure that it doesn’t spread.  As stated in numerous press statements, all of the team’s stated goals are still achievable.  To have any chance of effecting positive change in the areas listed above, the team needs to reassert their professionalism by seriously critiquing their performances, learning from their mistakes, and avoiding those mistakes in the remaining games.

All of this starts next week.  Regardless of their lackluster performance against the Falcons, the Giants are an excellent football team.  This contest will provide the Ravens an opportunity to prove to the fans, the rest of the league, and most importantly themselves, that they are contenders.  Yes, there will be a final regular season opportunity on the road in Cincinnati, but what happens in M&T next week will set the tone for (and determine the length of) the remainder of the Ravens’ 2012 season.  Let’s hope that is a positive tone.

I still believe.

Happy Holidays and Go Ravens.

Happy Holidays from the Ebony Bird Staff