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Ray Lewis Plays Like A Raven

Patrick Delaney Written by Patrick Delaney, Monday September 21 2009
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With time winding down on a blistering day in San Diego, where a non-capacity crowd of 66,000 suffered through 100 degree heat and other fans who didn't go to the game were probably out jogging...or is it "yogging," - it might be a soft "j," the Chargers -- who had torched the Ravens secondary for 436 yards -- had one final opportunity to get a first down and eke out a win.  Up until that point in the game, San Diego wide receivers had used the smaller Baltimore cornerbacks like Shaq would would use Brendan Haywood...that is to say...they had been making them look silly all day.  Vincent Jackson, ye of 6'5" stature, had smoked the Ravens for 141 yards and a score.  It was fourth down and two yards to go, surely, the Chargers were going to pass. 

 

And then something happened that made Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis' eyes explode like the lights at the end of The Natural.  He saw Darren Sproles, ye of only 5'6" stature, in an eerily familiar offensive set.  He could barely contain his excitement as he crept and lurched toward the line of scrimmage.  Ray summarized the outcome brilliantly: "When the game was on the line, as soon as Philip dropped down, I shot and he was there. He was there, man."

 

For thirteen-plus years he's been making plays of that caliber...day in and day out.  In a highly anticipated matchup on Sunday, he just happened to make the play when it mattered the most.  His desire, his intensity, and his preparation (see: film study) might be unparalleled in NFL history.  He's not the best linebacker of our generation by happenstance.  The man is a preacher and football is his religion. 

 

The game, apart from that last play, was otherwise so entertaining and so telling on several different levels.  Some bad, more good, and it is OH SO NICE to be sitting at 2-0 after a cross-country road game that, when you consider the remaining schedule, we had to win.

 

-- We know, as I've said before, that we have depth at cornerback, but we don't have two bon a fide starters.  Or, as has been argued recently, we don't possess a shut down corner.  I think we can all agree that the Ravens don't have very tall corners. 

 

-- Philip Rivers passes for over 400 yards.  Yawn.  He had to heave the ball all over the place: the Chargers offensive line was being held together by duct tape; they were gashed by injuries (although popular opinion in and around Charm City indicates that LaDanian Tomlinson playing would have actually benefited the Ravens...I tend to agree); they couldn't run the ball (Sproles rushed 10 times for 26 yards); and they would have had to fire Norv Tuner in mid-game if their game plan didn't include the phrase "Exploit the height advantage!"  Not to mention the fact that they have a pretty darn good quarterback at the helm to begin with.   Rifling the ball all over the field was THE only way they were going to win.

 

-- "Bend don't break" actually worked!!!  A buddy of mine recently quipped "The only thing the prevent defense does is prevent the [defensive] team from winning the game!"  And in reality, it's a reasonable argument - what good is protecting against the big play when you just let the offensive team march down the field in several smaller plays and eventually score anyway?  But not on Sunday, baby.  Time and time again the Chargers entered the red zone against the Baltimore defense -- and three of those times in the first half they were within the five yard line -- and they came away with field goals at best.  San Diego ran 13 plays within the Baltimore 20 yard line, and the combined outcome of those plays netted the Rivers Aerial Show minus-2 yards. 

 

-- So far, Baltimore's offense looks Bo Jackson-in-Techmo Bowl unstoppable.  I know, I know, I have already upon wood knocked, and there is still room for improvement (you've got to catch that ball, Mark Clayton!), but our running game is operating full steam ahead and our passing game is not far behind.  Flacco wasn't off the charts like he was in week one, but he was an efficient 17-26 for 190 and two touchdowns.  He's spreading the ball around, and he's taking what the defense is giving.  Our running backs are catching the ball well out of the back field, Todd Heap is relevant again...and let's not forget that Flacco isn't throwing to Wes Welker and Randy Moss.  Temper the expectations here. 

 

But I can't NOT be excited, dammit!  This is the first true offense we've had since I started liking football (granted that's been all of 10 years, so I'm a relative novice), and it's unbelievably refreshing to see the defense suffer a quick strike score against them in the opening minutes (the 81 yard catch and scamper by Sproles), and then come right back down the field and retaliate.  I used to think, "Okay, we've got to find some way of scoring again.  Maybe special teams...maybe an Ed Reed pick six...something!"  Now I'm starting to think, "We have a competent offense.  Unless we screw up...we're going to put up some points eventually."  Yes, the offense has arrived. 

 

-- There's no real reason to worry about the defense.  It's funny to even type that..."...no real reason to worry about the defense."  For 10 years we've been associating "worry" with "offense,"  and Baltimore fans have met the unfortunate circumstance (sarcasm!!) of actually complaining about the defense!  Shame on you, talk radio callers!  SPOILED we are! 

 

The fact of the matter is - we do go up against numerous good to great quarterbacks this year: the Steelers (twice), Pats, Packers, Vikings, Bears, Colts, Bengals (twice) all have above average quarterbacks.  Do we need to get more pressure up front?  Yes...absolutely.  Everything starts with that; because once we get pressure, the secondary is going to look that much better.  Ed Reed will be able to start hawking around for the tipped passes, the floaters, the ducks.  Against San Diego he was trying to pick up the slack for everyone else.  As Ellis Boyd "Red" Redding once explained the geological reasoning behind Andy Dufrain's ability to escape from Shawshank Prison: "That's all it takes really...pressure, and time."  Give Greg Mattison and our defensive line some time....they'll eventually bring the pressure. 

 

And I really don't make a habit of betting against anyone playing on Ray Lewis' side of the ball.  They guy is a football hero...

 

"The hero always makes a play in the end," linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo said. "Who did you expect it would be?"

 

More of the LOVELY quotes from today's Sun article:
"That is a team that knows how to win football games at the end. I guess Ray Lewis knows a little more," coach John Harbaugh said. "He made the greatest play I've ever seen."



Defensive end Trevor Pryce couldn't think of a bigger play that he has witnessed in his 13-year career.



"I played with John Elway and Terrell Davis, and that's up there with anything I've seen them do," Pryce said. "Just the magnitude of the play. It's fourth down-and-game to go. It's the kind of stuff that you write in 'Remember the Titans.' It doesn't happen in real life. But today it did. It couldn't have happened to anybody else but him."


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DeeboDeebo, over 2 years ago said:

Great post, I believe the secondary should work with our WR's Washington, Williams and Heap (all over 6-2)to simulate taller players in downfield scenarios. Also, take note I didn't include L.J Smith in that group...has he ever played a down in the NFL?