Local News
(2006-09-29)
M & T Bank Stadium, home of the Baltimore Ravens.
Photo courtesy BACVA>
Just from taking in the chatter throughout the locker room, the Ravens could be said to be chirping. This isn't the "swagger" for which they were noted during their Super Bowl run six years ago. Instead, it is the hum of a cohesive group, delighted by how things have started.
Last Sunday's virtual escape at Cleveland helped the Ravens ensure a 3-and-0 start. It might have seemed like the team's shakiest performance so far. But it was the kind of win that girds a team for grittier times. Especially when a struggling offense overcomes an 11-point deficit that it helped create, as offensive lineman Edwin Mulitalo notes.
Mulitalo: "It would have been nice to help out in the first half, because we struggled a little bit. As a team, as a whole organization, we want to play together as a team. And that means us stepping up when the defense needs us. So anytime we can do that, to let the defense know we've got their backs, it's huge. It'll go a long way."
Never underestimate the power of a pro sports team that senses desperation. That's what Baltimore encountered in Cleveland. A loss threatened to drop the Browns to 0-3 and effectively end much of the hope for their season.
After Baltimore's defense adjusted to problems posed by quarterback Charlie Frye, receiver Braylon Edwards and the controversial tight end, Kellen Winslow Jr., the comeback culminated with the onus on veteran kicker Matt Stover. A strong wind might have been at his back, but it was swirling. Stover needed to nail a 52-yard attempt with seconds remaining for the Ravens to emerge with a 1-point win, a distance Stover said he'd never attempted with the game on the line.
Stover: "Whatever yard line he could get to. I had hit that 44-yarder right, in the 4th quarter, with 10 minutes left in the fourth. I just hit that one so well, that I knew that if we got into decent field-goal range I would have an opportunity to kick it."
Ahead for the Ravens this Sunday is a different challenge. San Diego will come to M&T Bank Stadium with a 2-0 record. And the Chargers are rested. They drew a bye last week, which ought to help negate the effects of traveling across the country to play here.
Those who are dubious of the Ravens' strong start note that they've won games over opponents with a combined record of 0-8. But the Chargers have beaten only Oakland and Tennessee themselves, two winless teams who could, possibly, finish at the very bottom of the American Football Conference.
Having said that, all-purpose linebacker Adalius Thomas knows all too well that the defense has a difficult task ahead. It will face running back LaDanian Tomlinson, whom many consider to be the game's most talented and multi-faceted offensive player.
Thomas: "He's a triple-threat. He can run the ball, screen plays, all the things. He can take it the distance. You just have to really be aware of where he is at all times."
With a defense ranked No. 2 overall, newcomer Gary Stills --- a veteran who spent his first seven seasons with Kansas City - is solidly impressed. It was Stills' whose jarring hit produced a fumble at the very end of the Cleveland game, completely shutting the door on the Browns as they hoped to mount a desperation field-goal drive of their own.
Stills: "What really sets this group apart is how this defense that Rex Ryan and his staff have put together to complement the players, you know, and put them in great position to make great plays. I wish I was part of this defense a long time ago."
Barring an unlikely overtime tie this Sunday, something will have to give. Either the Ravens or Chargers will leave the stadium with a blemish. The team that remains perfect will know it has earned every bit of that record.
I'm Mike Lurie, reporting from the Ravens' training facility in Owings Mills, for 88.1, WYPR.
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