That Ol' Sinkin' feeling

By Neill Thupari

Can Ray Lewis and the Baltimore Ravens overcome their past playoff failures and avoid another congratulatory handshake with their hated rivals in 2012?

With the NFL lockout officially over, front offices throughout the league are hastily preparing for the new season. They’re cutting veterans and accomplished players to get under the new salary cap while simultaneously scrambling to sign and deal others to fill those just-vacated spots on the depth chart. It has already been one of the most frenzied offseasons in the history of the NFL, and we’re not even a week in.

Sports news outlets have dedicated near round-the-clock coverage to the new NFL season, and everyone from fans to local radio talk show hosts to nationally syndicated newspaper columnists have erupted with joy and relief at the prospect of the upcoming season. The world is obviously a better place when the NFL is up and running¹, so why is it that I, as a Baltimore Ravens fan, find myself nowhere near as enthusiastic about this season as I should be?

Don’t get me wrong, all the right signs are there. Three consecutive playoff years under the same head coach. A quarterback that has improved in each of his three years, back with a vengeance in response to the increased scrutiny from opposing players and media. A veteran-rich, yet vaunted defense that remains the backbone of a team looking to make one last Super Bowl run.

When you take a step back and look, it seems as if it’s all there, right? Wrong. Cue the incurable angst that envelops a city like Baltimore which remains constantly vigilant, waiting for its dreams to be shattered by an unfortunate series of events. The people in this town bleed purple and black², and they’ll believe in their team until the very end. But something’s different this year.

I know something’s different because I was there when the landscape of the Baltimore Ravens' near future shifted. I was there when, in the divisional playoff game versus the Pittsburgh Steelers, the collective hope of the Ravens’ fanbase turned to despair as they endured one of, if not the, worst loss in franchise history.

I’m not doing a play-by-play breakdown of what happened in the playoffs last year at Heinz Field, but a quick re-hash couldn’t hurt³. It was 21-0 Baltimore at halftime, and I swear you could see the demons shaking loose off of the players’ backs, ready to finally beat their most hated rival in the playoffs.

The second half is a blur to me now. One of those blurs like when you drink nothing but tequila shots all night only to wake up with multiple wounds the next morning, wondering what possibly could have gone wrong.

My next memory is wide receiver Anquan Boldin dropping a sure touchdown in the fourth quarter, then T.J. Houshmanzadeh dropping a pass on 4th down that would have kept Baltimore’s chances alive.

Then that smile from Hines Ward. That goddamn smile. It makes me sick to my stomach just thinking about it. That smile is what I remember most.

I’ve had my fair share of heartbreaking losses in life, and just like everyone else, I’ve dealt with them and moved on. But like I said before, this time something was different. My friends and family wondered why I was so affected by last season’s loss. I just shrugged it off and said, “Ah it’s nothing, we’ll be back next year and we’ll have another chance.” But they didn’t buy it, and frankly, neither did I. Last year was a chance at something special. It was a chance to be great. Things lined up for the Ravens, and that one last magical run for the Lombardi Trophy seemed within reach. They just had to step up and take it.

I’m not saying they would have beaten the Green Bay Packers in the Super Bowl⁴, but I am saying that with the group of players they put together last year, the persona of the team embodied the city of Baltimore.

Last year was it. I knew it. The fans knew it. And deep down, I think the players did too.

Following the lockout, the Ravens' first moves have been to shed the weight of more than a few players, guys who were tremendous locker room presences, guys who each knew their role and bought into what John Harbaugh and Ray Lewis preached day in and day out. Derrick Mason, Todd Heap, Kelly Gregg, Willis McGahee, Josh Wilson and Donte Stallworth led the list of those released by the Ravens, some of who have already signed with other teams. Jared Gaither and Chris Carr are among other unrestricted free agents being eyed by other organizations as well.

Admittedly, the Ravens have made the high-priority moves, like resigning guard Marshall Yanda. But some of the other personnel moves have Ravens fans gritting their teeth.

These moves are strictly for business purposes, and the Ravens are not the only team forced to reconfigure its roster in such a dramatic fashion. However, since 2000, the Ravens have become one of the league's elite organizations, consistently fielding competitive squads capable of deep playoff runs.⁵

Now, here we are in July 2011. The Ravens are at a pivotal fork in the road to their future. They can either spend some money and revamp the team for one final push toward the Super Bowl, or they can be content as a better-than-average NFL team, maybe making the playoffs but falling short yet again, knowing that the upcoming years are looking increasingly bleak. It’s clear to players and fans alike that there are some major changes on the horizon for the Ravens, and knowing that the team may have squandered its last true chance at greatness is too big of a pill to swallow for many, myself included.

I hate to say this because of how spoiled it may sound, but making the playoffs isn’t good enough anymore for Baltimore. No one is content with another playoff run ending in a loss to Pittsburgh, Indianapolis or New England. The fans want more, they feel as if they’re owed more and simply put, they deserve more too.

Unfortunately, I’m scared that the Ravens are simply treading water. When I was younger and a competitive swimmer⁶, I hated treading water. The worst part about treading water is that you never go anywhere. There you are in the deep end of the pool, kicking, kicking, kicking, never changing strokes, never distancing yourself from anyone, just biding your time until eventually you tire yourself out and start to sink.

If the Ravens come up short this year, I’ll forever look back at the 2008-2012 seasons as the treading water era. The years where they could have, and should have, been something great, but instead, wound up a team that couldn’t quite get to the top, never made an lasting mark on the NFL and habitually fell short of what we all knew they were capable of achieving.

Boy, I hope they don’t start to sink.

         

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[1] Given the media jubilation surrounding the lockout, you would think that the NFL’s next act would be helping our government fix the debt ceiling crisis.

[2] Because after years of bleeding orange and black, everyone’s blood has completely run dry. Go Orioles.

[3] Or give me a stroke.

[4] Because you bet your ass they would have beaten the Jets at home in the AFC Championship game.

[5] The Ravens are one of two teams (the Philadelphia Eagles being the other) that have made the playoffs in each of the past three seasons. Since 2000, the Ravens have made the playoffs seven times.

[6] Imagine a chubby Indian hybrid of Mark Spitz and Michael Phelps.