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| | Sunday, January 28
One rookie is living in the moment
By Kevin Ball
ESPN.com
TAMPA, Fla. -- Call Jamal Lewis naïve or call him spoiled, but after winning the
Super Bowl in his first season in the NFL, the Baltimore Ravens running back got caught up in the euphoria of the moment.
A 34-7 victory over the New York Giants was much more lopsided than most observers expected. And with what is arguably the single most
dominating defensive unit in the history of the league, indeed, there is
much for the Ravens to get excited about when contemplating their future.
So Lewis couldn't contain himself. He didn't stop to think. "Coming into my
first year, I'm pretty much spoiled now," Lewis blurted with excitement.
"I'm going to be expecting this every year."
If only Lewis had been listening to Marvin Lewis, the Ravens' defensive
coordinator who across the room was answering questions about his future. Or
quarterback Trent Dilfer, seen enjoying the limelight and redemption over
in another corner.
In only five seasons in Baltimore, the Ravens have solidified
themselves quite a foundation, yet their future remains somewhat tenuous. It is
the price teams pay in this vagabond era of unrestricted free agency, as
evidenced by the fact six different teams have reached the Super Bowl over
the past three years.
Marvin Lewis, for one, probably will not be back next year. After taking time to enjoy Sunday's victory, the leading light of the
Ravens' defensive unit said he will interview for the head coaching
positions with both the Buffalo Bills and Cleveland Browns sometime in the
coming days.
Not far behind Marvin Lewis might be Dilfer, the once-spurned Buccaneers
quarterback who made good Sunday on what was once his home field. In fact, 14
Ravens are unrestricted free agents and might be wearing new jerseys next season.
"I'm just going to enjoy these guys and my family," Marvin Lewis said,
"enjoy what's going on here and then go from there. It's going to be a hard
decision, because it's hard to separate myself from these guys. I have a
commitment to them; obviously we've seen how they've committed to me."
Dilfer made $500,000 on his one-year contract with the Ravens. After
playing yet another consistent though unspectacular game on Sunday,
completing 12-of-25 passes for 153 yards and a touchdown against the Giants,
Dilfer seems in line for a sizable raise.
And there are rumors that talkative tight end Shannon Sharpe, now the proud owner
of three Super Bowl rings, might call it a career.
"I just want to enjoy this," he said in what seemed more and more like a
recitation of the company line.
But perhaps Lewis should learn from his opponent's coach, the Giants' Jim
Fassel. He went out on a limb during the regular season, guaranteeing only
that his team would reach the playoffs and nothing more. Continually
anticipating good fortune in the future simply became too risky a
proposition.
"This team came a lot further than anybody expected and we fought all the
way down to the Super Bowl," Fassel said. "That won't go away."
Like the Ravens, the Giants have a long list of players -- 11 to be exact --
who will become unrestricted free agents. And like the Ravens, the Giants
could find themselves without their defensive coordinator.
John Fox, Marvin Lewis' counterpart with the Giants, also is believed to be
on the short list of coaching candidates of both the Bills and Browns.
"There is no question that this (game) was the main focus of our entire
organization, including myself," Fox said. "Who knows what the future will
bring for any of us, both players and coaches. We will just have to wait and
see what happens over the next few weeks."
But even if economics cloud the future of both the teams, Jamal
Lewis still should feel good about what lies ahead of himself, said coach
Brian Billick. The Ravens rookie rushed for 102 yards and a touchdown,
solidifying the ground game that kept the ball in Baltimore's possession for
more than 34 minutes.
"Boy, I tell you what," Billick said, "for a young kid like that, to just
keep pounding away, this has been a long year for him, and just
how young he is ... It bodes well for the future for him."
Kevin Ball is a senior editor at ESPN.com
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