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| | Wednesday, January 24
Up close and personal with the Ravens
By Joe Theismann
Special to ESPN.com
TAMPA, Fla. -- One of my biggest concerns about playing in the Super Bowl following a two-week break was peaking too soon. The worst thing coaches can
do is to have their players ready to go two or three days before the
game. But I have first-hand knowledge that Brian Billick won't allow that to
happen after I got a rare opportunity during Super Bowl week.
|  | | Rod Woodson, left, chats with Ray Lewis (52) during the Ravens' practice on Wednesday. |
Because I picked the Ravens to win the Super Bowl at the beginning of
the season, I was invited to practice with them Wednesday at the University
of South Florida. Billick, who is a good friend of mine, had allowed me to
throw passes during training camp. So he told me, "You were the only
person to believe in us. You started this thing; we'd like you to come finish
it."
Wednesday was the Ravens' first practice back in pads. Because they had
no
bye week and played three physical games to get to Tampa, Billick
decided he
wanted to keep the players out of pads until Wednesday so their legs
would
be fresh. But this is football, and players have to hit. It's important
for
quarterbacks, receivers and running backs to practice in pads. If
players go
two weeks without pads, they would feel awkward on Super Bowl Sunday.
The Ravens were very loose and just crisp enough to have an idea about
what
they were doing. The practice started about 1:30 p.m. and finished
around
3:15 p.m., with a half-hour of special teams mixed in.
Around 1:30, Billick told me to get ready. He said, "You're going to
throw
around 2:50. Take as long as you need to warm up." While I was waiting,
I
went out and caught punts for a while. To get my arm loose, I was
catching
field goals and throwing them back 30-40 yards.
When my turn came, I played quarterback for the scout team in a
seven-on-seven drill against the Ravens' first defense. Wearing shorts
and
spikes, I threw against both regular and nickel coverages and ended up
completing four of seven passes to practice-squad receivers and threw a
couple of deep balls.
I couldn't beat the defense up too bad. The highlight was something I
did to
cornerback Duane Starks. I can't say what it was, but it was a
highlight for
me -- and a lesson for him. Ray Lewis was lined up right across from me.
He
knocked down one of my passes and said, "You're not going to get one by
me."
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You're lucky I'm not corner-blitzing. It would be your last throw. ” |
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— James Trapp, Ravens defensive back |
The players were ribbing me about throwing the ball, and I was getting
high-fives if I completed one. It's almost like the defense was amazed
at
what was happening. Cornerback James Trapp kept giving me a hard time,
saying, "You're lucky I'm not corner-blitzing. It would be your last
throw."
I was amazed at the defense's coordination and speed as a unit and the
way
the players reacted to the ball and the receiver. The players know
where
they have to be. People say talking about the Ravens' defense and
competing
against it are two completely different things -- and they are right.
None of what Shannon Sharpe said at the press conference in his strong
defense of Lewis carried over to the practice field. In fact,
nobody
even discussed it. All Sharpe did was the same thing he has been doing
all
year. Sharpe was just being himself, talking about his friend, and
trying to tell the media that the issue is done. The Ravens all know
the
questions will not end; they will never end. The fact Lewis is able to
stand
at the podium and face the questions is amazing. He and Kerry Collins
deserve a lot of credit for standing in front of the media and fielding
tough questions.
I spoke to Trent Dilfer, Tony Banks, Sam Gash, Tony Siragusa and
Michael
McCrary. The Giants were never mentioned; all the conversations were
about
the Ravens, their season and their tasks. Goose distributed a bunch of
hats
from a company he endorses, but not the traditional way. He just sort
of
threw them up in the air. The players were all wearing them. Then he
and I
talked about the opportunities that Super Bowl week creates and the
amounts
of money corporations spend on a player wearing a hat or a T-shirt.
No matter how much fun I had throwing passes and hanging out with the
players at practice, what I did at practice was very serious to the
Ravens'
preparation. After practice, I addressed the team. But what I said is
between me and them. I thanked them for letting me join them for
practice -- and for making me look good.
I may have practiced with the Ravens, and a lot of the Giants' players
and
coaches are terrific friends of me. But this week isn't about me or
anything
I would say or do. It's about the Ravens and the Giants and what they
do on
Sunday.
Former NFL quarterback Joe Theismann works as a game analyst for ESPN's Sunday Night Football. He will give his thoughts each day from Tampa in the Super Bowl version of his "Cup o' Joe" feature.
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