A Well Deserved Victory

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.