Lights Out! Ravens, Flacco Sends Ray Lewis Out On Top

It’s no better way, as a champ, to go out on top and ride off into the sunset. It’s a refreshing story for the greatest middle linebacker of all time, Ray Lewis, who will leave the game in style. He finally gets to the Super Bowl after winning a championship ring 13 years ago as a Raven. He finally rejoices in a gratifying moment, only to be part of a team that has a gifted quarterback.

The folks in Baltimore won’t ever forget Joe Flacco’s fantastic postseason run. From zero to hero, he’s on the rise and stole the show on Super Bowl Sunday, completing a postseason of perfection and competence. He won the game, as well as the MVP award, which was well deserving considering that he was flawless and at ease on a night that much was on the line, on a night that meant so much to Lewis.

“It’s simple: When God is for you, who can be against you?” Lewis said, grappling the Lombardi Trophy. “It’s no greater way, as a champ, to go out on your last ride with the men that I went out with, with my teammates. And you looked around this stadium and … Baltimore! Baltimore! We coming home, baby! We did it!”

The story of Ray Lewis and a clash between John and Jim Harbaugh have been remarkable tales all week at Super Bowl XLVII, a couple of feel-good narratives of a vocal leader and the first ever brother vs. brother coaching duel in Super Bowl history. There is a lot more to John Harbaugh, the strategist who coaches the Baltimore Ravens, and to Lewis, the authentic, enthusiastic, intense demigod who pumps up his teammates. That much came to light when he energized and encouraged his team during his pregame speech before the game. And the fact John built a perennial winner in Baltimore and beat his little brother to capture his first Super Bowl title is a great feeling to him, and even though Jim couldn’t beat his big brother, he’s a winner, too, as he can celebrate and enjoy the night with his family.

For the last time, Lewis gathered his teammates around in a huddle and gave his usual inspirational speech. For the last time, before he walked off the field permanently, he stood on an elevated stage at midfield and lifted the Lombardi Trophy with grace and satisfaction, as the confetti poured onto the artificial turf from the roof of the Superdome in the Big Easy. The last we’ve seen an overjoyed Lewis, a 25-year-old at the peak of his game, was when he led Baltimore to Super Bowl triumph, bringing home the stainless steel to a population of Baltimore faithful.

It was fitting — amid the dominant storylines told all week — witnessing O.J. Brigance being escorted onto the field and celebrating from the confines of his wheelchair. The former Ravens linebacker, who is now the Ravens’ senior advisor on player development, is suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and has been a source of inspiration throughout the team’s improbable run to the Super Bowl.

The Ravens clobbering and beating down the 49ers early had reached insanity with Flacco’s Ravens vehemently controlling the momentum, a look at Baltimore’s offensive juggernauts, a look at the far more superior team. The score was 28-6, all Ravens, followed by a blackout and the 49ers’ 17-point rally to show resilience, and they nearly pulled off the sweetest comeback in Super Bowl history. For a surging run that appeared to be impossible to stop, the Ravens ended the 49ers’ night at their own goal line. In the end, although the power outage might have disrupted and shifted the game’s momentum, the Ravens, as a whole collectively, survived a rally and preserved a lead to hold on and secure a flourishing win. Over on the sideline, John, the older brother, yelled at an official during his outburst and was irate over the fact a long delay could have killed momentum. Across the way, Jim, the younger brother, screamed at the officials and argued a pass interference no-call. Maybe receiver Michael Crabtree was bumped in the end zone on the 49ers’ last offensive play.

Where there’s agony, there’s also happiness. The Ravens, with a number of players who’ve been yearning for Super Bowl titles over the years, are still smiling about the ride to a tremendous sense of greatness. So it seems natural that, in perspective of this game, Lewis would break down into tears emotionally and shout, “We did it!” in response to his teammates, and that veteran safety Ed Reed would watch the confetti fall from the ceiling with his arms extended.

“How could it be any other way? It’s never pretty. It’s never perfect. But it’s us,” John Harbaugh said after winning the brother vs. brother clash with younger brother Jim. “It was us today.”

When it was over, Jim walked to the middle of the field to meet his brother, briefly shook hands and kindly exchanged words. The inaugural Harbowl — in a delayed game — was suspended more than half an hour because of a power outage following Beyoncé’s halftime show that consumed more and more electricity, using thousands of blue lights that some think turned off the lights and left thousands in the dark. The Ravens, the unified, cohesive darlings when it comes to America embracing a team since Lewis announced he will be calling it quits at the end of the season, simply are treating this victory like it was the last football game ever played.

“It’s no greater way, as a champ, to go out on your last ride with the men that I went out with, with my teammates,” Lewis said emotionally. “And you looked around this stadium and Baltimore! Baltimore! We coming home, baby! We did it!”

Every so often, in America’s most popular sport, we are coerced into worshipping Peyton and Eli Manning, the sons of Saints legend Archie — applauding two iconic quarterbacks who won Super Bowls and became the ultimate megastars as advertised. All week, though, the Manning family wasn’t a bittersweet tale of Super Bowl XLVII. The central theme of this particular game was the Harbaughs, and after the Ravens beat San Francisco in a 34-31 thriller, Flacco was an unsung hero throwing a record-tying 11 touchdowns in the playoffs, with no interceptions. That’s what wins championships. That’s what solidifies legacies and allows a player to earn a raise or a megabuck deal with a team, desperately undaunted enough to spend millions as a way to lure pro athletes.

On greater imports, Flacco stepped into his role on offense and carried a team that had a veteran, aging defense. For perspective’s sake, he’s won Baltimore a Super Bowl — and because of his accuracy, arm strength, guts and self-assurance — the Ravens can touch the glittery trophy and Lewis seizes the moment. With Lewis’ NFL career proudly drawing to a close, Flacco, who quarterbacked the Ravens to sheer greatness and delivered when it mattered the most, is gradually becoming a dictator of a well-executed passing game and is becoming a franchise quarterback. It ended, at last, in New Orleans, with a fledged, poised individual, the 28-year-old who was — including this season — viewed as a polarizing figure as many believed Flacco was unfit for greatness. The run is not over, and as it turns out, he’s quickly emerging into a superstar in pro football.

“I’m a Joe Flacco fan. I’ve been a Joe Flacco fan,” Lewis said. “For him to come in and do what he did today, and made some of the throws he made, that is what we’ve always seen. We’ve always said that when you win a championship, one man won’t win the ring. It will be a complete team. We won as a complete team.”

The debates and doubts ended when he connected with Anquan Boldin 13 yards for a touchdown and when he flipped a 1-yard touchdown pass to tight end Dennis Pitta. Nobody has had a more humiliating week than 49ers cornerback Chris Culliver, from his anti-gay comments to getting beat twice, particularly on an electrifying 56-yard touchdown catch by Jacoby Jones in the first half. He also missed a tackle on Jones’ record-setting 108-yard kickoff return that gave the Ravens a 28-6 lead. Having a breakout performance in the most meaningful game, Flacco has certainly wedged himself in elite company and contract talks are now heavy, and he’s likely about to get paid.

How good was he? He was super.

And having said that, Flacco was 22 for 33 for 287 yards and finished with three touchdowns. It was one shinning moment, and it was a moment that he went from low-level to top-notch by standards, impressively dominating and outdoing 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. It was an eyebrow-raising moment, a game where he was unruffled and didn’t throw a pick, moving the ball and delivering scoring passes. It’s about Lewis, but this particular night was more about Flacco.

In Flacco, we trust.

Ray Lewis: Dark Past Still Haunts All-Time Great

It’s Tuesday afternoon in New Orleans, and Ray Lewis walks onto the podium. The swarms of reporters and cameramen crowded in front of Lewis’ table, leaving him with no space or breathing room, as the 13-time Pro Bowler was the man of the hour. The man’s word of wisdom and courage is what defines Lewis at best — a 17-year run with the Ravens is the kind of longevity that is not commonplace in the NFL today. In a forgiving country, he’s a leader by example, on and off the field — a consultant to his teammates who comes to him for words of advice. His past is forgotten by many, particularly those who portray him as a role model, and maybe even a Super Bowl hero come Sunday.

He was all laughs and giggles Tuesday at Media Day, but he couldn’t breathe and heard endless questions. While he candidly spoke for an hour at the interview table at the center of the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, he declined to answer questions about his shameful past. He is, without argument, a preacher in shoulder pads and will go down as the greatest middle linebacker of all time, the ultimate maestro and teacher — or a hard-hitting, ball-ripping tackler. There’s not a moment that he’s not hungry — craving Super Bowl triumph — and as an aging star player, he knows Baltimore is one win away from immortality and can ride off into the sunset a winner forever. With that said, he will be trying to depart the game on top.

As a 37-year-old Lewis sat behind a microphone to address the media for his Media Day appearance of Super Week, it wasn’t long before he backtracked to his troubles of double homicides. The national storyline here, no doubt, is Lewis, a centerpiece of the Ravens defense, but also a man who is portrayed as a showman for all the wrong reasons. Inside the locker room, as you probably know, he’s a wise man who has inspired and fueled his teammates over the years by firing up his guys and even opposing players. Behind close doors, where he gives his pregame speeches, his energy and drive is contiguous. The stools in the locker room are his pulpits and the messages that he preaches makes an individual become a firm believer of a team that has spiritually changed the mood and elevated the heart and soul of a bona fide Ravens team.

There are multiple issues here — from his murder case to his connection to PED use reportedly — but Lewis is bigger than the game. At a time when he’s a fascinating story of Super Bowl XLVII, an athlete we can truly embrace no matter what happened in his wretched past when few still accuses him of double-murder after he was acquitted of the charges, Lewis is the symbol of the Ravens. For a man whose life was once in ruins, a troubled man once tied to the killings of two men outside of an Atlanta nightclub, the soon-to-be retired football star is lustily appreciated by the hometown crowd where he’s brought life back into the sports scene in Baltimore. The Super Bowl is Feb. 3, the day he will perform his signature pre-game dance, a day when he can celebrate on an elevated stage in the middle of the field and watch the confetti fall from the concrete roof.

It should come as no surprise that Lewis was bombarded with questions regarding the banned substances, his 13-year-old murder case and his forthcoming retirement. It’s all about his faith now. The point is that he’s not blasphemous but spiritual and spoke about his faith and about his relationship with God. It’s too bad for Lewis that he’s not answering supplement questions and hardly touched on the night that an incident occurred outside of an Atlanta nightclub. Thirteen years ago, a street brawl left two men fatally stabbed but Lewis eventually turned state’s witness against two of his friends, Reginald Oakley and Joseph Sweeting — who were eventually indicted on murder and aggravated assault charges.

He avoided murder to plead guilty to obstruction of justice, and testified at the trial of two of his friends but neither were convicted. It’s not fair to Lewis, and his image in many people’s minds is marked because of these murder charges, including whether or not he’s truly a changed man. He is — at the point — ignoring it and brushing it aside as if he was never there that night and as if none of it happened.

“Nobody here is really qualified to ask those questions,” Lewis said, dodging discussions about the murders. “I just truly feel that this is God’s time, and whatever his time is, you know, let it be his will. Don’t try to please everybody with your words, try to make everybody’s story sound right.

At this time, I would rather direct my questions in other places. Because I live with that every day. You maybe can take a break from it. I don’t. I live with it every day of my life and I would rather not talk about it today.”

When the gossip spread through New Orleans, and the world entirely, he was embraced openly or either criticized as he’s been lately. He’s become the staple of Super Week, if not the game on Sunday, and could turn his life story into reality TV. While he’s turning to faith and publicity as a way to move on from a tragedy that has affected the nature of the game, thousands aren’t forgiving of his alleged sins and will forever bitterly scorn the Ravens star player. Now, however, no matter what he’s done as a person over the years to pay his debt to society, he’s described as a criminal who is getting away with murder. But the vast majority, however, celebrates a man for his charitable work, for his dominant performances as a stalwart and hard-nosed defender.

The notion that he talked much about God and little about what happened reveals his character and the way he values life while everybody else tries to grasp an understanding as to what really went down that night of the killings. By now it’s obvious that God is what he values, and by believing and turning things around for the better, he can touch everybody’s heart with his influence and sense of encouragement that has impacted all people, from football to non-football viewers.

“God has always been a part of my life,” said Lewis, who will lead his Ravens into the Super Bowl Sunday. “We’ve always believed in what faith is. And faith is a belief in things unseen. It’s hard to believe or listen to what man says because man can be tricked by words. We all can. Oh, you are too small, you can’t do this, you can’t do that. And then you don’t have too many people to believe in.

“So my relationship with God is the ultimate. I don’t claim no religion, I claim that there is a higher power. I’m non-denominational. There is a higher power that I’m drawn to. I’m emotional when I go to him, because when I go to Him it is the ultimate conversation.

“And I know there is no bad conversation with him. The only bad conversation is the conversation you don’t have with him. So it’s awesome to have that in my life and I’ve been having that my whole life.”

On the day he wasn’t too open about the homicide charges and shied away from the topic, like he’s hiding a shred of evidence, his name was tied to a Sports Illustrated report. He’s also, as reports state, linked to banned substances and was allegedly given a product to help heal his torn triceps. Among the most surreal revelations, he has not tested positive and denies using it. As with anything, he dismissed the report when asked about it at Super Bowl media day.

“Two years ago, it was the same report. I wouldn’t give that report or him any of my press. He’s not worthy of that. Next question,” Lewis said.

The person who ratted out Lewis was Mitch Ross, a co-owner of Sports with Alternatives to Steroids (SWATS), telling Sports Illustrated that he spoke to Lewis shortly after the linebacker tore his triceps Oct. 14 and he requested products that could help speed up his recovery. It’s hard to believe that he used deer-antler spray, which contains a substance, IGF-1, on the NFL’s banned list.

Aside from that, the murder case still echoes for Lewis, and he’s living with it everyday of his life. This is a time when he will think about those families of the two victims. The one thing about living in a forgiving country is that Lewis will be revered no matter what, particularly when he’s a sports figure who people tend to worship whether they are guilty or innocent — and because of it — he’s repaired his brand, he’s a first-ballot Hall of Famer and he’s an undisputed leader for his inspiration and devotion to a game that he’s incredibly passionate about.

It’s simple to forgive but hard to forget.

The dramatic finale, of course, might just end nicely against San Francisco on Sunday.

Ray Rice On Verge of Becoming Football’s Brightest Star?

For all the chatter about Ray Lewis and the Harbaugh brothers, as the Harbowl campaign is sweeping the nation this week, Ray Rice, for the first time in his noteworthy NFL career, is emerging into a star running back after the Baltimore Ravens stopped abandoning the running game. The most he can do, if he’s handed the ball and knifes through San Francisco defenders, is validate his name as one of the most dynamic speedsters in the game.

With all his might, he’s quickly becoming a component on the Ravens offense, changing the team’s psyche that relentlessly results in fame and fortune. He’s done a good job for the Ravens. He is the ideal all-purpose running back for any offense, particularly under Jim Caldwell who is the Ravens offensive play-caller and knows how to utilize Rice, even though he’s conservative and has been criticized for not knowing the playbook. Early in the season, when Cam Cameron was calling the plays and couldn’t direct a stagnant and impotent offense, Rice wasn’t used to his fullest. But now, he’s clearly the centerpiece of the offensive attack, a dangerous player in open field, bursting through the holes with nifty moves.

It’s painful enough watching Baltimore not exploit its offense based on the speed and playmaking skills of the three-time Pro Bowler sometimes. The nausea, as Rice was forgotten and as the Ravens neglected his open-field brilliance, is finally gone and he is easily vital in the backfield for Baltimore to have success in the most important game of a long marathon. What has been lost in an incalculable, nauseating discussion is where Rice ranks in the National Football League, which is a bit absurd and shouldn’t be debatable when he’s indeed an elite runner in the game today. The man eludes multiple tacklers, he’s crafty and shows acceleration, but what overshadows Rice’s rush attack is QB Joe Flacco’s vertical passing.

The assumption has been that he will have the game of his life, will have monster yards on a night that he’s embraced by an audience tuning in to the most popular sports event. If he dares, he’d duplicate a 131-yard rushing performance that he had on a night spent in the frigid Mile High City, where he gave fans a Mile High Salute, which was a traditional touchdown celebration of Broncos all-time running back Terrell Davis. In his fifth NFL season, Rice has not lost his touch, running faster than ever, scampering into the end zone. So here he is this week, finally after five years, making his first trip to the Super Bowl.

He could be one of the Ravens players to flip the coin on Sunday, call heads or tails, and depending on which side the coin lands, then he may be running the ball early to fuel a crowd during a three-hour event of thrills and titillation, especially when he’s the team’s leading rusher. He could reign supreme in an offense that has become revolutionary in its own way. If Rice goes racing down Bourbon Street, not just to smell and taste Cajun food or Chef Emeril’s savory meals, he can easily be the real MVP of the Super Bowl and burst into view. All of which would be enough to make him elite, famous or a main attraction. But there’s more. As disturbing as it’s been to watch the running back position devalue recently, with the NFL turning into a pass-happy league this era, Rice is, respectively, the loudest man, as well as Ray Lewis, in the locker room. Once Lewis retires, which he’s announced weeks ago, Rice will take over as team leader. If he’s given the chance in Super Bowl XLVII, he will make tacklers miss, explode through the hole and dash into open field.

Amazingly, he’s come a long ways, wearing a smile during news conferences and speaking kindly of Lewis, who has been a father-figure to him and someone he can obviously look up to for guidance and consultancy. It would be nice to see Rice have a breakout performance, and not suddenly sputter when he can win his first Super Bowl and leave New Orleans happy, realizing he will be entitled to wear bling bling on his ring finger.

If only we could revere what Rice accomplished this season and wish him the best moving forward, he makes his sojourn in Baltimore, where he’s adored and his jersey is glorified. And when he was bad — as in terrible — he bounced back from adversity and ended his on-field woes, becoming an important player offensively and had the second-best postseason game a couple of weeks ago in zero-degree weather in Denver.

This is so much more than just a game. This is one of the proudest moments of Rice’s life, finally playing for what he’s been chasing since stepping foot into the league, since developing into a stud, reminding everyone that running backs are still relevant in this era. In his continuing quest to prove he’s the soul of Baltimore, like it or not, the running game is still alive. Over the years, though, teams have relinquished the running game.

Take last year’s Super Bowl, for instance. My point being is, even if it seems unrealistic and inaccurate, that the New York Giants won the contest having the league’s lowest-ranked ground game. As it is, ultimately, the NFL is a quarterback-driven, pass-crazed sport and nothing else seems to matter when a number of teams are lucky enough to have promised a franchise quarterback residency and megabuck deals to serve as their leader rightfully so. It was unfortunate, with his gifted speed and moves, to see Rice plagued by turnovers, for which he couldn’t ever hold on to the ball without fumbling it, so emotionally hurt on the sideline after a costly error.

It’s fine to say he’s made up for his mistakes, and has learned from them, not overwhelmed by his abundant recklessness that overshadowed his miraculous performances. It simply isn’t hard for people of football knowledge to fathom that conversations won’t revolve around him, with the media and the masses in general focused on that inevitably feel-good story of a veteran linebacker who will play the final game of his career and ride off into the sunset.

Get with it, folks. Rice, 25, is a downhill runner and rushed for 1,143 yards and added 478 on receptions. Rather than leave this guy out and insult him, he should be mentioned heavily in conversations throughout the week. It’s only fitting for someone who has entered his prime of his respective career. These football advocates, sugarcoating and refusing to credit Rice for his accomplishments, aren’t sure exactly whether he’s worth all the hype, all of which he will have to emerge from the tunnel on Sunday and play impressively. If so, he will convince every football watcher at the right place, at the right time, the game of roman numerals, the game where legends are born.

There is no way that he’s not a star, rushing for 1,000 yards in four consecutive seasons, at the height of his compelling career, in a week of one of the most outstanding adventures. The irony in all of this is that Rice has compiled so many numbers on the field that he’s painted a lovely story of his own, a contiguous tale of deeds in effort of beating opponents to capitalize on victories, which is how the Ravens made it to this point. He is the guy with the best attributes as a running back, having agility and lateral quickness, having the ability to quickly stop and change direction in his route with balance and body control to make tacklers miss.

This would be the moment for the Ravens, if they don’t, to realize just maybe how fortunate they are to inherit one of the top running backs in the league, as they are not commonplace but are scarce.

With Rice around, the Ravens are an ultra threat.

Watch out, San Francisco.

Rice is coming to a Superdome near you.