LOMBARDI'S WAY: LET'S GET READY TO RUMBLE

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Lombardi's Way - LOMBARDI'S WAY: LET'S GET READY TO RUMBLE

Photo by Sabina Moran

Posted On: 1/13/07

Written By:

Tony Lombardi

LOMBARDI'S WAY: LET'S GET READY TO RUMBLE

All of the hype is now over. All of the pre-game accolades extended by each opponent -- done! Whether they believed what they said or not, the players played nice so as not to give the other more fuel for their respective motivational fires.

It’s time to shut up and put up.

LET’S GET READY TO RUMBLE!

This is a sanctioned NFL fight between two top contenders, the winner advancing to the AFC Championship of the world!

Introducing in the blue corner, a svelte opponent known to attack with lightning fast jabs and body blows and well capable of delivering knock out punches to the head, welcome in the No. 3 ranked heavyweight contender, Indianapolis “The Backstabbing” Colts.

And in the purple corner, with a rare combination of size and speed, possessing the chameleon-like ability to confuse the opponent by morphing into many shapes and sizes, heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere’s Baltimore “The X-Men” Ravens!

This is the moment we’ve waited for. This is the Christmas morning after a week of pre-Christmas anticipation. And this is personal.

We’ve discussed and debated the Baltimore Colts move and its affect on generations of fans, the heritage and dignity of a city and of course the Baltimore Colts themselves -- the players who feel abandoned, raped of their legacy, adrift on a raft in a sea to nowhere, clinging to memories and hopes that one day their accomplishments will be returned to the city in which they were born.

The players in today's contest aren’t caught up in The City of Baltimore’s emotion invested in the game. And that’s a good thing for the Ravens. If they were, the emotion could lead to a costly false step and cloud their collective focus. It’s best that the fans only use that edge for inspiration in order to reach never before experience heights as the Ravens 12th man.

The object of the fans disdain will be the Colts and it will affect the game. The Ravens won’t admit it publicly, but they were pretty sure that their opponent today would be the Colts. And don’t think for a second that the coaches haven’t invested their energy in preparation for Manning & Co. That’s an advantage as well. We all watched the Colts and Kansas City last week and we observed how a more prepared team can take away another’s strength. I expect that today from the Ravens when these teams start knocking heads between the lines.

The Colts in some ways are like the modern day version of the K-Gun Buffalo Bills. They find themselves in the post season annually only to come up short. Each year around this time, top end defenses seem to be more ready for Manning. The speed of the game heightens. The timing that is such an integral part of Manning’s ability to connect with his lethal weapons called Harrison and Wayne is slightly off. As a result turnovers increase and the Colts high octane engine stalls. The winter isn’t kind to the Indy race car.

Conversely the Ravens are built for endurance. From day one of camp, they prepare themselves for the long haul. They conserve energy with an eye on the uncovered miles ahead, knowing that their ready, steady, go approach will pay off later when teams tire. There’s more fuel in their tank. The freshness and the added fuel make for a dangerous foe for the more weary engine that prefers perfect conditions.

Fast and flashy might get one’s attention -- just ask ESPN. Yet slow and steady plays out better over the marathon of an NFL season.

The Ravens are led by Steve McNair, the epitome of poise and steadiness. He is built perfectly to face a defense that will almost surely attack the line of scrimmage this week as they did last week against the Chiefs. Nearly as certain is the way Tony Dungy will defend the pass. He’ll force an opponent into long and sustained drives by protecting against the home run. If he was a pitcher, Dungy would hit the corners and rarely give his opponent a pitch that they can drive. It will take working the count, going with the pitch, taking the singles and advancing the runners to beat the Colts. And that is exactly the style of play the Ravens and Steve McNair are built for.

Earlier this week, Colts center Jeff Saturday commented on the Ravens defense: "[The Ravens] really do challenge you as an offensive unit. It puts everybody on high alert. It's tiring playing those guys." And that statement doesn’t even take into consideration the 12th man that awaits Saturday and his mates on Saturday afternoon.

The Ravens offense may prove to be equally as tiring to the Colts defense. McNair’s patience, the decided weight advantage of the offensive line, the rest, the preparation and their ability to control the clock will factor into this game and eventually wear down the Colts defense.

This will be a long grind for the Colts and my bet is they don’t have the stamina. They will need a few big head shots, they’ll need the knockout blows, the home runs, the long ball. They aren’t prepared to stand toe to toe against the Ravens and wear them down. They aren’t built that way.

Without the long ball, the Colts are done. They know it, you know it and Rex Ryan knows it. The Colts aren’t going to sustain drives against a defense that at home only allows 20.6% of third downs to be converted. They wear you out and force you into mistakes. The hunter becomes the hunted. The knockout artist gets knocked out.

And that’s what will happen today.

Bring it loud, bring it proud and make it last all night Baltimore.

LET’S GET READY TO RUMBLE!