I bleed purple

For those of you that don't know, Jeff and I bleed purple. Jeff has been a Raven's fan forever, but I was much slower to accept football into my life. At first, I saw football as an annoyance that occupied his time and distracted him from the more important things in life... like me. I can't put my finger on the exact moment I began watching football, but I can, with a conclusive certainty, tell you which player caught my eye first and made me love the game. If you have ever heard of the Raven's you know that the heart and soul of the team begins with Ray Lewis. He's a hard hitting linebacker with words of inspiration so fierce in the huddle that he makes me feel like even I could kill someone on a football field.


The Raven's have always had a strong defense and although the big offensive plays from Manning or Favre are exciting to watch, I've come to appreciate the low scoring games offered by the Raven's D. That is until this year, when a miraculous draft pick became our saving grace. Joe Flacco is the first Raven's quarterback with a solid arm, strong pocket presence, and the potential to be one of the games greatest. At the beginning of the season the outlook was not so good. With one of the newest offensive lines in the NFL, a rookie head coach, a rookie quarterback, 19 players on injured reserve, and an aging defense, Raven's fans were hoping for an 8-8 year at best. At 75 to 1 to win the super bowl, I have to admit, the expectations were set pretty low.

But then...out of nowhere...the stars aligned...the rookie stepped up...the coaches turned out to be football geniuses and there we were...PLAYOFFS! Jeff and I couldn't pass up the opportunity and this past weekend we decided to brave the cold, the expense, and the company of some 60,000 hateful black and gold jerks to go to the AFC Championship game in Pittsburg. If I didn't hate the Steelers before, I certainly hate them now. The Raven's were hurt and playing with 3rd string, haven't had a bye week since week two of the regular season, were on the road (and had been for the whole playoffs), and at a moment when all Steelers fans world wide were biting their nails and scared for their lives, Flacco finally made the big mistake he hadn't made the whole playoffs and the game was over...Raven's lost.


I'm spending this week in mourning over the Raven's season. I'm trying to keep in mind that they far exceeded any expectations from the beginning of the season, but when you get this close...it's hard to remember that. It's just so unfortunate how tired they were. I think a healthy, well rested Raven's team would have pulled it off, but under the circumstances they faced...it was next to impossible. I'm trying to stay positive and one way I'm doing that is placing all positive energy on the slim chance that the Cardinals pull off a win and the Steelers go home crying. Jeff and I had a few Cardinals players on our fantasy football teams this year, so our alliance lies with them. Actually, every single week, Jeff and I are fans of two teams. The Ravens first and whoever is playing the Steelers second.

Raven's you made me proud!