The Ravens won the Superbowl for a lot of reasons. First and foremost, they won because their offense was better than the 49ers offense, no matter what anybody in the national press says to the contrary. Joe Flacco was unflappable throughout the playoffs, and especially in New Orleans. His deft touch on passes deep into the 49er secondary kept the NFC winner from ever being able to consistently stop the Ravens. He benefitted greatly from the superb offensive line play. Michael Oher, the superb 315-pound tackle to Flacco's right, Marshall Yanda, the all-pro 315-pound guard next to Oher, Matt Birk, the 310-pound center with over a decade of experience (and a degree from Harvard), Kelechi Osemele, the 345-pound rookie left guard still listed as a tackle on the Ravens' official roster, and Bryant McKinnie, the 354-pound left tackle who came to training camp last summer way over weight and out of shape, then worked like there was no tomorrow to regain his starting job, were configured in their playoff positions at the start of the playoffs. They protected Flacco so well that he was only sacked once and was rarely hurried or harassed. They also blocked so well on the running plays that offensive coordinator Jim Caldwell called that the 49ers were forced to abandon their game plan of concentrating solely on the Ravens' passing game.
Then there are the Ravens' receivers. As a group they are the best in the game. Start with former University of Maryland star Torey Smith, whose speed and great hands force opponents to stretch their defense so far apart that Flacco seems always able to find somebody open. He was a huge factor in every one of the Ravens' four postseason wins. In the win at Denver in conditions reminiscent of the Arctic, the Broncos tried to cover him one-on-one with all-pro corner Champ Bailey. But Smith torched him twice in the first half on long touchdown throws, Anquan Boldin, the other wide-out, is the toughest receiver in the game. As Phil Simms joked during the CBS telecast, even when Boldin was covered, he was open. He and Flacco brazenly challenged even the best defensive backs throughout the playoffs, hooking up for completions countless times even when the DB was virtually standing in the same exact spot on the field that Boldin occupied. He has the strongest hands of any wide receiver, and more courage than any receiver, linebacker or any other player you can name. When Flacco threw the ball to Boldin, Boldin caught it. Then there is the Ravens' third wide out, a lad by the name of Jacoby Jones. During the regular season, Jones caught enough passes to remind people he was there, but not enough to get the kind of attention he deserved from defenses. Talk about a result no one could have imagined. All Jones did in the playoffs is win games. He was the receiver who raced past Denver's deep safeties to catch Flacco's hail Mary pass in the final minute of regulation, enabling Baltimore to come from behind to tie the game. They won in overtime. Against San Francisco, Jones pulled the same stunt, racing past the stunned deep backs in the final minutes of the first half to catch another Flacco bomb. He made that catch falling down. As he lay on the ground near the 49er 10-yard-line, two defensive players jumped over him. One just missed him. But Jones was alert enough to realize he had not been touched. So he sprang to his feet and then cut and zigged and zagged around three 49ers before diving into the endzone for a huge TD. Thanks to that play, the Ravens led 21-6 at the half. To start the second half, the 49ers kicked off. The line drive kick forced Jones to the back of the endzone. But he got back quickly and caught the kick moving forward. Up ahead, Raven fullback Vonta Leach was leading the first wave of blockers, and they bashed a narrow lane right up the middle of the on-rushing 49ers. Jones ran up that lane in a flash and then glanced up at the scoreboard screen to see that he was now in the clear. He turned on the overdrive and ran away from his pursuers. Now the score was 28-6, Baltimore. Many argue that Jones was the real MVP. They have a point, but Flacco was pretty damn valuable, too. If you pick co-winners you leave out Boldin. Three co-winners? No argument here. If we stopped here, you would miss the reason that the Ravens offense is so tough to control. They have two tight ends that terrorize defensive coordinators. Ed Dickson is actually the nominal starter. In the Superbowl he had two huge reception for big yardage. He is a deep threat and possesses very good hands. At he end of last season he went through a stretch of the drops, as in dropped passes. He denied losing confidence but if he didn't he wouldn't be human. It is only in the last games of the regular season and the playoffs that he has regained Flacco's confidence. His two monster catches on the second TD drive were instrumental in the score. And, as you know, every single score was instrumental in the win. The other tight end is Dennis Pita. He and Dickson were drafted at the same time only one round apart. He went to Brigham Young where he caught so many passes he lost count. He has become Flacco's personal friend and seemingly his favorite receiver. But the truth is, the offensive scheme is what makes Pita the target so often. He shares one important trait with Boldin: they both catch passes over the middle and in traffic, and they both hold onto passes after being crushed by linebackers and defensive backs.
And no roll call of receivers would be complete without mentioning Ray Rice. His ability to catch and run out of the backfield is astounding. No one will forget his stunning play against the Chargers that led to a Raven win They were behind the Chargers by three points and it was 4th down and 28 yards to go. Flacco waited long enough with the ball to allow the Ravens' wide outs to get far downfield. Once they were, he threw a short pass over the rushing linemen to Rice, who managed against all of the odds to cut and weave his way to a first down. He made it by inches. On 4th and 28, he made a first down by inches. It was at that point that the Ravens - and their fans - started to believe they were a team of destiny. Rice is one of the best receivers in the game. There are more than a few times that the Ravens split him out as a wide receiver. Some of his touchdowns are on catches.
The press has created the myth that the 34-minute power outage that followed changed the momenturm. It just isn't true as a look at the many game replays that the NFL network is providing will show. After the Jones heroics, the Ravens forced the 49ers into yet another three and out. Flacco then led the Ravens on a short drive that started deep in Baltimore territory. Torey Smith made a fine catch on a deep down and in to gain some 20 yards. When that drive did stall, Sam Koch backed the 49ers up with a fine punt. To make a long story shorter, the truth is that the Ravens still led, 28-6, with 7:30 left in the third quarter. That's four full minutes after the power outage. Once Kapernick got started, however, there was no lead that looked safe. If the 49ers scored a touchdown after Ray Rice's fumble, the outcome might have been different. But that's why the Ravens won. They didn't cave in. Throughout the playoffs, including road wins in Denver and Foxboro, the Ravens played red zone defense like there was no tomorrow. Jimmy Smith resurrected his whole career during some of these stands and Cary Williams played so well that the Ravens almost have to sign him to keep from losing him to free agency. And then there is Ed Reed. Not many realized this certain Hall of Famer has never earned a ring or even played in a Super Bowl. Of all the Ravens, he seemed about the happiest, which is saying something. He hurt his knee making a bone crunching tackle on former Terrapin star Vernon Davis in the first quarter, but only missed one series. When he realized the fourth down pass to Crabtree was incomplete - he was right with Crabtree after Jimmy Smith fell off him - he began to jump and clap, a rare sight if ever there was one. A lot of people talk about Ray Lewis as well they should, but it is Reed that opponents fear the most when they play the Ravens. His mere presence changes game plans.
It was almost ridiculous going into this season that so few people took the Ravens seriously. Anyone who watched the game that ended the previous season - the agonizing loss in New England when their clutch drive in the waning seconds imploded on a dropped touchdown pass and a missed chip shot FG - had to know that pros like Lewis, Reed and Flacco were determined to have another shot at the title. Their three-game slide in the second half of this season made their playoff road extremely difficult. They had to defeat the surging Colts while Denver waited for them at Mile High. They had to rally in the waning seconds to tie Denver and Peyton Manning, then intercept the legendary QB in overtime to win a second round game, just to get back to New England. But once they did, the story started to come together beautifully. Flacco and company destroyed Brady and the Patriots in the rematch, which earned them a two-week rest to get ready for the big show. They didn't disappoint.
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