LOMBARDI'S WAY: It was more than just one win!

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Lombardi's Way - LOMBARDI'S WAY: It was more than just one win!

Sunday's victory over Tampa could have a lasting affect (Originally posted on Sept. 14, 2006)

Posted On: 12/20/06

Written By:

Tony Lombardi

LOMBARDI'S WAY: It was more than just one win!

Exactly one year ago today, prior to the Ravens second regular season game against the Tennessee Titans, I wrote a column entitled, "The Perfect Storm Looms." The article described several things that could go wrong for the then 0-1 Ravens and if they did, the season could tumble into a nasty tailspin.

Unfortunately, the column was a bit prophetic and as we all know the closest the Ravens got to .500 was that 0-1 record the Colts left them with after Opening Night.

So here I sit 365 days later only this time my outlook is exactly the opposite.

Some might say that too much emphasis is placed on the first game of the season. They will argue that it's only one game and that if the game were stuck somewhere in the middle of the season, it might not have as much meaning. 1-0 teams wouldn't be so optimistic and that losing feeling wouldn?t grip 0-1 teams so firmly.

But the first game of the season can often set the stage and establish early momentum for a team. Lose early and the season can slip away quickly. Over the past four seasons only three teams that started the season 0-2 made it to the playoffs and of all 40 Super Bowl Champions, only two have survived a 0-2 start.

The statistics aside, the first win of the season to get them to 1-0 meant so much more to the Ravens than your average 1-0 team. First there was that big ugly road monkey all over Brian Billick's back like white on rice. That's now gone courtesy of the Ravens first road win against a playoff team since they beat the Miami Dolphins on January 13, 2002. The win also marked the first time since 2001 that the team won its opening game. That certainly curbs the Camp Creampuff discussions that would certainly be pegged as a culprit had the Ravens lost.

The win also gives Billick a reprieve. Suppose the Ravens had lost in a convincing way in Tampa. Sure they might still come home and beat the Raiders but then they'd be back out on the road to face the Browns in Cleveland where the Ravens have lost two of their last three. 1-2?

Maybe.

After a loss to the Browns the Ravens would come home to a tentative and less than enthusiastic crowd hoping that their hometown boys can pull even before heading out to Denver for a Monday Night clash with the Broncos -- always a tough task.

After the Broncos the Ravens would return home to face the Carolina Panthers, a team that many have picked to go to and win Super Bowl XLI.

Can you say 2-4? Would Brian Billick then lose the team completely? Would he even return to man the sidelines after the bye during Week 7?

How quickly could the 2006 season look like the 2005 season?

Fortunately that won't happen.

One of the things I've noticed about Brian Billick and Ray Lewis, perhaps the two most outspoken members of the Ravens, is their quiet confidence and businesslike approach to the season. Billick won't get too far ahead of himself. He said on Monday that "If you birdie the first hole, you pretty much have 17 more to go."

As Billick approaches the next "tee" to what looks like a relatively easy "hole", his star linebacker employed a similar analogy borrowing from another sport. Ray Lewis wants to be sure the Ravens don't underestimate the Raiders.

"That's like a boxer watching a previous fight, somebody getting knocked out in the first round, and then they come in and take their opponent lightly and they get knocked out. We're not going to do that. We know the capability of the Oakland Raiders."

The message -- take it one game at a time.

That is exactly what the Ravens need to do but let's face it, if the present day Oakland Raiders represented a golf hole they'd be an easy par 3 and if the Raiders were a boxer, they'd be a stiff -- nothing more than a human punching bag not unlike most fighters in the heavyweight division today.

Folks, it's time for a hometown knockout!

The Ravens will return Sunday to M&T Bank Stadium where a hometown crowd will be nothing short of raucous. The Ravens' fans have pent up frustrations that have been building for nearly a decade courtesy of the Orioles and for no less than two years thanks to the underachieving Ravens' teams of 2004 and 2005.

The lid is going to blow on this one.

Sunday has the makings of being something very special and the game that comes to mind is Jacksonville, game 2, home opener 2000. It won't be a dramatic comeback or a tight game like that one was but the excitement in The Vault will be on par with that memorable game. It has to be. It's been a very long time since the Ravens have played a meaningful game in Baltimore. On Sunday that will change.

So after the Ravens go 2-0 it's on to Cleveland and with that road monkey gone 3-0 is a real possibility against an inferior Browns team. Could 4-0 then be a possibility after another home game against the Chargers?

Of course it's possible. I'll even go out on a limb and say it's probable.

One year ago we stared into the face of a Perfect Storm. Over the next few weeks, we'll witness a perfect start to a promising season.