Sunday, January 13, 2013

A Hush Fell Over my Living Room

The story line was classic. The 9 point underdog and the giant facing off on the field of battle. The visiting underdog was supposed to lose easily and quietly depart from the stadium hoping for better fortunes next year.

But the hush that fell over Sports Authority Field at Mile High as the Ravens rookie kicker, number 9, Justin Tucker trotted out into the frozen atmosphere was palpable. The contest was into the second overtime period, on its way to becoming the fourth longest game in NFL history. The night was cold--the wind chill as reported on the television to the fans watching from the warmth of our living rooms was -3 F. The game was a classic struggle, knotted at 35 and which has seen the teams trade score for score for 60 minutes and then play a scoreless, 15 minute sudden life overtime period.

A hush fell over my living room. The expected "ice the kicker" time out never came, perhaps the kicker was iced enough from being on the frozen sidelines for over four hours. The snap, the kick, and the trajectory was not straight as we have come to expect--but it was true and found its way between the uprights to snatch victory from the middle of the heavily favored home team. My living room erupted--I had just barely recovered from the miracle catch with about 41 seconds left in regulation to tie the game for the Ravens.

The game was a classic football game. It was the kind of game which reminded me of why I like football. As I watched about two hours of post-game coverage and interviews I was impressed with the professionalism and demeanor of the men speaking for each of the teams.

The reporting of the game contains additional ideas. This article's title says it all: Baltimore Ravens' NFL Playoffs Win Over Denver Broncos Is One For The Ages.

Ray Lewis, Ravens number 52 retiring middle linebacker, described the game as follows:

"We never wavered, we never wavered," Lewis said. "This will probably go down as one of the greatest wins in Ravens history."

And next week, we get to do it all over again!  Like someone said during the post-game interviews, the only way to top a game like this is to win next week.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD




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