Whether or not you were a
fan of either team playing in the Super Bowl last night, the Baltimore Ravens
deserved to win the final game of the year.
In a season that began with
the passing of owner Art Modell, the man who brought the team to Baltimore in
1996, and ended with purple and gold confetti floating around the Superdome,
this team had all the right reasons to cheer for them.
While the death of Modell
brought a season “dedicated” to him, and a logo on the left chest of every
Raven jersey with the word Art on it, another death struck the organization.
Wide receiver Torrey Smith
found out a few weeks after the passing of Modell that his little brother had
been killed in a motorcycle accident. Smith continued to play through the
grief, and ended up producing career high numbers.
The season also brought
along the maturation of quarterback Joe Flacco, who until this season, just
seemed to never be able to convince anyone he was an elite quarterback.
Flacco has been in the
league now for five years, and each year has made a playoff appearance. Three out of the five years he led the Ravens
to the AFC Championship game, but never won it. He has eleven touchdowns and
zero interceptions in his playoff career already, without a Super Bowl
appearance.
Last night Flacco threw
three touchdown passes and scooped up the Super Bowl MVP honors as well. He
finally showed the league why he should be considered one of the elite
quarterbacks today.
Then there was Ray Lewis, the
ever-famous linebacker who had been the heart and soul of the team since his
first year in 2001, announcing before the playoffs that he would be retiring
after the season ended. Lewis was the engine of the team, and will go down in
history as one of the best defenders to ever play the game.
You can love or hate the man
after his controversial career, but one thing is certain. The man has done more
for the game then many people realize or give him credit for. He will be a
first ballot Hall of Famer with 12 career Pro Bowl appearances, seven first team
All-Pro selections, 227 starts in 228 career games, one Super Bowl Most
Valuable Player award, and two Defensive Player of the Year honors.
A
man that has done all that for the game that our country loves so much should
not be depraved another Super Bowl title. He has brought an athletic career to
the game that should be celebrated.
Yes,
the Ravens season started out as poor as one could start with the news of the
deaths around the team. But all year they rallied around this and found a way
to win ball games when it mattered.
Why
not give them the victory last night? In the sports news we have going around
today, sometimes its nice to hear that something positive has happened.
