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This is When the Real Fans Come Out
I love the Baltimore Ravens. I love them! Purple is my favorite color, except when they wear black. In a perfect world I would think, talk, listen, and read about the Ravens. Well, now I have a column so at least I can write about them. This may be a national website and most people could care less about a mid-market team with a very short history, thugged-out reputation, pompous head coach, and anemic offense. But their latest game against the New England Patriots on Monday was the highest-rated telecast in U.S. cable history, edging out Disney Channel’s High School Musical 2. So if you were hoping to read about Troy and Gabriella, too bad, the people have spoken. What‘s that? They tuned in to watched the undefeated Pat’s pursuit of perfection? No way. It’s time for Ravens’ talk!
This year’s been awful. They’ve achieved far below even the haters’ preseason predictions. Somewhere along their franchise record six-game losing streak it became apparent that they would not heading to the postseason. They didn’t just lose, they were embarrassed. At 1-4 Buffalo, “2nd and 1, 3rd and 1, 4th and 1, game over.” They allowed five first half touchdown passes allowed in Pittsburgh on Monday night, six turnovers against Cincinnati, the longest kick in NFL history (over five minutes to declare it good,) against Cleveland, and lost 260 lb. Antonio Gates in San Diego. “This is when the real fans come out,” I told myself. I was prepared to stand strong against the arrows like King Leonidas until the last snap of the season. That’s how I was going deal with being a tortured fan. It was a Red Sox-esque approach; take pride in the suffering, let it push you to your limits until all you have is the honor of your fanhood. Ironically, it was this Monday when their NFL counterparts came to town that I discovered the real reason stick with your team; pro football is awesome and if you let up for just one moment you might miss one of the greatest games ever.
The Ravens lost. Monday’s game was far away, the longest yard away, from the greatest ever. It was just a foot-note in the Patriots so-far perfect season when it could have been the period. The Ravens out-gained, out-muscled, and out-played “one of the greatest teams in the history of the league.” Unfortunately, they did not out-think or out-focus them. If any one play goes the other way at the end of the game, I’d be writing about one of the best upsets in NFL history. But they didn’t, and I’m not. Instead, I am writing about a very, very good game. Brady and the boys remain undefeated, but perfection never looked so ugly. Tom looked confused, his protection looked slow, and his defense looked old. It was fun rubbing just a little dirt on their unblemished record.
Had I not stuck to my guns, I could have found several reasons to skip that game. Experts were predicting 50 mph winds and a 10 degree wind chill. Other ‘experts’ predicted a 19 point Ravens loss, making them biggest home underdog in league history. As the swirling wind and snow blasted us in the face, I thought about football analysts—the only people allowed to be wrong more often than meteorologists. These mooks have made football their life as players, coaches and then as commentators or analysts. But when will they learn enough to know that they know nothing at all? In football, things are never as good or as bad as they seem. The Patriots are not infallible. Don’t let Chris Berman or Sean Salisbury tell you otherwise. Since week six we’ve seen graphics of the Patriots’ remaining schedule and discussions of whether a team will beat them five, eight, ten weeks in advance. They sit at their desks in $2,000 suits and praise the parity that makes the league so exciting and allows for their cushy jobs. Then in the next segment they argue with near certainty that a team will win their next ten games. How does that add up? This mistake repeats and repeats like New England does every year in the sorry AFC East. The 2005 Colts, 2003 Chiefs, and ‘98 Broncos were all predicted to go undefeated. C’mon guys. The league is in it’s 88th season and only one year, one year, has a team finished undefeated or untied. This was the 1972 Dolphins, thirty-five years ago. The only other undefeated team was the 1920 Akron Pros who went 8-0-3 in the first year of the league. The NFL was called the American Professional Football Association and only four of the teams finished out their schedule.
The Patriots have an uphill battle. Yes, they have won their first twelve games, but they have seven more to go. It is hard to win just one game in National Football League, never mind seven straight. Even if you give them a 90% chance to win any one game, they still have a less than 50% chance of winning them all. There are four more teams to face the Patriots in the regular season. The Steelers and Giants have legitimate chances to win, but I went to talk to the Jets, Dolphins and all of their fans. You only have three wins between the two of you, but don’t listen to Ron Jaworski when he tells you your only chance to win is if ‘Tom Brady twists his ankle before the game.’ You always have a chance. Every man on your roster is one of the best at what he does. That’s why he’s in the league. Go out and support your team. Who knows? You could get to watch them pull the God-like Patriots out of the sky and into the trenches. You might see pretty-boy Brady get pushed to the ground, Moss give up on plays like previous teams gave up on him, and Bellichik scowl his way back to the film room .
Anything can happen. Just ask the 2001 Rams, who -- despite being fourteen point favorites -- squandered Super Bowl 36 and gave birth to this ridiculous New England dynasty. Or ask the 1934 Giants, who lost five games, two to the undefeated Chicago Bears who they faced in the National Championship. It was snowing and the field was a sheet of ice. After halftime they came out of the locker room wearing sneakers. Chicago slipped all over the field in their cleats as the G-men ran up and down the field and outscored them 27-3 in the second half. Football’s a crazy sport. Anything can happen. Don’t give up on your Green Gang or your Fish. They just may stop this juggernaut dead in its tracks on 4th and inches and stonewall perfection. Just hope they don’t call a timeout first.
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