Weekend Recap: VIP Style

This weekend, as some of you know, I was fortunate enough to be able to attend the Ravens-Miami game in Miami as a "Ravens VIP." It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I tried posting pictures with this, but I guess it would be too long, so I'm just going to asterisk things that have a picture to go with them and do a post immediately after this with the pictures I wanted. 

First, there was the so-called "VIP" treatment, which usually involves getting like a bagel and cream cheese on the flight (we did get that, by the way). The Ravens don't mess around with VIP, though. VIP means walking down stairs from the plane on to one of three coach buses. 

VIP also means police escorts. Meaning six police cars in a constant rotation around the three buses, blocking intersections*. 

And, of course, happenstance, not the Ravens, guaranteed this one, but being in Miami in January was nice, too. 

VIP also meant - and we didn't know this at the time - that we were staying in the same hotel as the Ravens. They checked in through the basement, so we didn't see them then. However, my sister and I stalked the hotel lobby from 4 to 6 and saw practically every player on his way out with other guys or a date out to dinner. 

A couple notes about the players, now. The nicest were Suggs (who actually stopped while he was in a hurry somewhere to take a picture*), Mason (who thanked us for coming down to support the team), and McGahee (the only Raven besides Flacco to smile). The rudest? Corey Ivy. As if he wasn't terrible enough on the field - and he's too small, slow, and weak to play in the NFL - the guy cussed out a little kid asking for his autograph. 

Side note here: Also in the group were some of the players' wives and, presumably because of his good friendship with Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti, Maryland basketball Coach Gary Williams. Williams couldn't have been ruder. We were in line at the Ft. Lauderdale airport waiting to go through security, and somehow Williams ended up in line between me and my father. The line wasn't moving anywhere, Gary didn't have anything to do or anyone to talk to, and we weren't rude. We tried talking to him like he was anyone else that was in line with us. We just introduced ourselves, and I told him I was a Maryland student and a big fan. No "How's school? How's classes? You like it? Go Terps?" anything. Just an "Okay." I congratulated him on the Charlotte victory. Got a noncommittal head nod. Told him I was excited to attend the GT game this Saturday afternoon, and how it was fortunate the Ravens game wasn't until 4:30 so I could do both. Got a grunt about how GT plays them tough. What? I'm a student at your school and wasn't bothering you. But anyway.

Another note about the players, and this is the biggest cliche I'll give you tonight. They're huge. You knew that, I know. You don't know how big, though, until you get next to them in street clothes. Terrell Suggs could very well be the most jacked human being on this planet. And I kid you not when I tell you that one of Haloti Ngata's legs is about the width of both of mine put together. 

The rest of the weekend went as I expected it would. We went to the game. Miami, for their credit, was rocking that stadium at the beginning of the game. It was louder than it is in M&T Bank Stadium most Sundays, although a few extra thousand people couldn't have hurt that. They also did a nice pre-game ceremony, with Darius Rucker singing the national anthem and a field-sized flag stretched out*. 

I will say, though, Dolphin fans - probably because they don't go to their regular season games - are some of the least intelligent in the NFL. I had one guy to my left trying to convince me the Ravens got lucky when they beat the Dolphins by two touchdowns earlier in the year. After Derrick Mason's catch with about a minute left in the first half, a guy diagonal from me was screaming his head off about "throwing the flag" and couldn't comprehend when I told him that they couldn't do that. After Chad Pennington threw the incompletion on 3rd and 26 towards the end of the game, nobody around me knew that the force-out rule wasn't even in the NFL anymore, so it was a rightful incompletion. Also, Miami fans can secure season tickets next year by only paying a $100 dollar deposit. In Baltimore, you have to wait on a list for about 15 years, and that's not even near the longest in the NFL. One final note about their fans: they don't know when to cheer. They were louder while the team was on offense than on defense, and after the team got down, they stopped cheering for pretty much the rest of the game, save the Ronnie Brown touchdown grab. That being said, it didn't matter, because, by the end of the game, it was all Ravens fans anyway*. 

My actual game analysis will be in my next post, either today or tomorrow. Hope you enjoy the pictures. 

Thoughts from the Ravens-Cowboys Game

It's been 24 hours, and I still can't get over that game last night. There was so much to say about it, and I wanted to write about it immediately, but I just couldn't stop relishing in the victory for the Ravens. Looking back on the day, here's what I have to say about it. 

1. Derrick Mason made me proud to be a fan of the Baltimore Ravens. He is, inarguably in my mind (Rod Woodson and Shannon Sharpe supporters may disagree), the greatest free agent pickup in Baltimore Ravens history. We all saw what he did, between the adjustment he made to the ball going across the middle, getting the fumble recovery, and how he completely lost Terrence Newman while running with one arm to get open for the touchdown reception. 

He did all that after needing to helped off the field three times for re-aggravating a dislocated left shoulder, and not being able to lift his left arm up in the air at all. You could see the pain in his face with every step he took, but he persevered like none other. 

As Mason (pictured) went into the locker room with about four minutes left in the second half, the announcers said that his return was doubtful. To who? Every Ravens' fan I know knew exactly what was going to happen. He was going to go in, get a couple shots of cortisone right in the left shoulder, and be back for the second half. 

One last note on Mason. He does not have near the physical tools that Terrell Owens has. Owens is bigger, faster and stronger. Owens also cries after games, whines when the ball doesn't come to him enough, and quits on routes. Mason has had to put up with Kyle Boller, Steve McNair, and the rookie season of Joe Flacco during his four seasons in Baltimore. He hasn't complained once. He is the soul of this offense, and I can't wait to be there next week when the offense comes out of the tunnel and he is last. 

2. We knew this one was going to happen: the Cowboys lost the game, the Ravens didn't win it. At least watching NFL Network's post-game coverage would tell you that. I recognize that the Cowboys have a larger fan base than the Ravens, but come on. At least pretend that the Ravens should get equal media coverage. Instead, we got to watch Tony Romo and Owens talk for about ten minutes apiece, then watch Roger Staubach talk about a play that happened over 30 years ago. 

3. Think before you start criticizing Madden and Michaels again. Papa was decent as the play-by-play guy, but did Deion Sanders say anything productive during that entire game? Don't get me wrong, either. I love Prime Time. I have a number 37 Deion Sanders Baltimore Ravens jersey, in fact. He needs to stick to highlight shows, though, and not serve as the color guy. Marshall Faulk started off terrible and got better. He at least knew what he was talking about. Neither Faulk nor Sanders, though, can stay in one octave for an entire sentence. 

4. I thought the Ravens were going to win last night for the same reason they did win. That reason is that Tony Romo is one of the worst big-game quarterbacks in NFL history. Let's not be too quick to glorify the Ravens' defense last night. Tashard Choice has 90 yards and would have had a lot more if the Cowboys stuck the run. Owens, Witten and Austin were all open several times throughout the night; Tony Romo just couldn't hit them. 

Just to clarify, this would normally make my second point null and void, were it not for Baltimore's offense. They stepped it up in a huge way and are the reason the Ravens won this game.

 

5. If you tell me that Sam Koch is the team's MVP, I won't argue with you. How many weeks in a row is it now that Koch has been absurdly good punting the ball? He is better at putting the ball inside of the 10-yard line than anyone I've ever seen. The fake field goal sprint was amazing, too. He has played a huge role on this team, and fans should never overlook just how crucial he has been in helping the Ravens win the all-important battle of field position. 

Quick hits now ...

6. Perhaps the best part of the entire game was McGahee looking like he finally got back on track. Without Ray Rice, that could be huge. 

7. In the past 5 games, Ed Reed has six interceptions. And two fumble recoveries. And one fumble forced. And a sack. And touchdowns.

8. As bad as Matt Stover is outside of 4o yards, is there anyone better than him within 40? No.

9. I liked the volume of the "O" during the national anthem and the "HEEEEAP" during the game. I've always thought that Ravens' fans were underrated travelers. 

10. Flacco played a man's game last night. His first fumble was inexcusable. You have to know that guy's there. Nonetheless, he took a beating the entire night, and kept getting up and making clutch throws. He did hit the rookie wall a few weeks ago against Washington, ran back into it last week, and finally crashed through it this week.  

(Photo Credits: AP)