Some credit it to the firing of Cam Cameron, others say it was the shifting of Bryant McKinnie & Michael Oher on the O-line, but I think we all know that the heart & soul of Ray Lewis is carrying the Baltimore Ravens through this improbable* playoff run.
I give the word “improbable” an asterisk, because for a team that has made five straight playoffs & had 3 straight seasons of 10+ wins, it seems odd that the Ray-vens entered this postseason off almost everyone’s radar. I think people forget we were a missed field goal, & a botched punt return, from experiencing the Har-Bowl last year. Regardless, Baltimore picked the right time to get hot, as they’ve knocked off three of the NFL’s best quarterbacks (Luck, Manning, & Brady), & held on to win the 2OT thriller in Denver, in which the oft criticized Ravens offense scorched the Broncos rugged defense for 38 points & nearly 500 yards.
After looking very average in the first 30 minutes of the Patriots game, Baltimore finally came to life after halftime as Anquan Bolden showed glimpses of his former Cardinal, & caught two red zone TDs to put the game out of reach. & to me, this is another reason why the Ravens will be hoisting the Lombardi trophy after SB47: Baltimore has that experience. They have that drive that you only gain from getting so close to something over & over, without actually getting to experience it. They have that gristle & that heart that it takes to win the big game. I have never been more sure of this than I am right now.
Ray Lewis embodies the attitude of the average Baltimorean. He’s a blue collar over achiever, he’s scary as hell, & he believes in his city regardless of what any outsider thinks about it. After coming back from an injury that would’ve ended a lot of his peers season, Ray Ray has sparked this streak of almost supernatural proportions. The defense is forcing turnovers & protecting against the deep ball, while the offense has countered with more efficient & balanced play calling. After reaffirming their dominance in their victory over the Colts, I was worried that the extra push that Ray’s last appearance playing at M&T Stadium provided. Then after barely squeaking out a hard fought victory at everybody’s Super Bowl favorite, Denver, I was sure that they were gonna run out of steam in Foxboro. However, they then sent Tom Brady & company to an early offseason, I’m an now proud to say that I’m a 100 percent, unequivocal believer in the tears of Ray Lewis…
BAL 31 SF 21
PS – My girlfriend made me write this post. Hahaha
