SUPER BOWL XXXV CHAMPION BALTIMORE RAVENS
The Baltimore Ravens defeated the New York Giants by the score of 34–7 to win Super Bowl XXXV and bring the NFL championship back to Charm City. The game was played on January 28, 2001 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.
The Ravens, who posted a 12–4 regular season record, became the third wild card team to win the Super Bowl and the second in four years. Also, the city of Baltimore had its first Super Bowl title since the Baltimore Colts' triumph thirty years prior and became the first city to win major professional football championships with four different franchises, the others being the Colts, the 1985 Baltimore Stars of the United States Football League and the 1995 Baltimore Stallions of the Canadian Football League. The Giants entered the game seeking to go 3–0 in Super Bowls after also finishing the regular season with a 12–4 record.
Baltimore allowed only 152 yards of offense by New York (the third-lowest total ever in a Super Bowl), recorded 4 sacks, and forced 5 turnovers. All 16 of the Giants' possessions ended with punts or interceptions, with the exception of the last one, which ended when time expired in the game. New York's lone touchdown, a 97-yard kickoff return, was quickly answered by Baltimore on an 84-yard touchdown return on the ensuing kickoff. The Giants became the first team since the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl XXIII to not score an offensive touchdown and the fifth overall (joining the Bengals as well as the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl IX, the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl VII, and the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl VI.)
Baltimore's Ray Lewis, a native of Lakeland, Florida, less than an hour from Super Bowl host city Tampa, who made 3 solo tackles, 2 assists, and blocked 4 passes, became the second linebacker to be named Super Bowl MVP after Chuck Howley in Super Bowl V. Lewis also became the first defensive player to be honored since Larry Brown in Super Bowl XXX, and at the time the seventh defensive player to be Super Bowl MVP, joining Howley, Jake Scott, Harvey Martin, Randy White, Richard Dent, and Brown (since Lewis, only three additional defensive players have been named Super Bowl MVP: Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Dexter Jackson in Super Bowl XXXVII, Seattle Seahawks linebacker Malcolm Smith in Super Bowl XLVIII, and Denver Broncos linebacker Von Miller in Super Bowl 50).
The Ravens entered the game with the second-best defense in allowing yards in the league, with the fewest points allowed (165) and the fewest rushing yards allowed (970) during the regular season. At the time, they were the only team to hold the opposition to under 1,000 yards rushing in a season since the NFL adopted a 16-game schedule in 1978. Baltimore's 165 points allowed broke the record set by the1986 Chicago Bears, who had given up 187 points. The Ravens' defense had held their opponents to 10 or fewer points in 11 games, including four shutouts.
The defense was led by a trio of outstanding linebackers: Peter Boulware, Jamie Sharper, and Ray Lewis. During the regular season, Boulware recorded 7 sacks, while Sharper forced 5 fumbles and made one interception. Lewis was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year by recording 3 sacks, making 138 tackles, and intercepting 2 passes. Pro Bowl defensive tackle Sam Adams and veteran Tony Siragusa anchored the defensive line, along with defensive ends Rob Burnett (10.5 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, and 5 fumble recoveries) and Pro Bowler Michael McCrary (6.5 sacks, 3 fumble recoveries). Baltimore also had an outstanding corps of defensive backs led by Pro Bowl veteran safety Rod Woodson, who along with Kim Herring, Duane Starks, and Chris McAlister combined for 17 interceptions.
On offense, the Ravens' main strength was rushing, led by rookie Jamal Lewis (1,364 yards, 6 rushing touchdowns, 27 receptions, 298 yards) and Priest Holmes (588 yards, 32 receptions, 221 yards). Also, tight end Shannon Sharpe recorded 67 receptions for 810 yards and 5 touchdowns. Receiver Qadry Ismail added 49 receptions for 655 yards and four touchdowns. The offensive line was anchored by tackle Jonathan Ogden, who was named to the Pro Bowl for the 4th consecutive season. On special teams, Jermaine Lewis ranked second in the NFL with 36 punt returns for 578 yards and two touchdowns, while also catching 19 passes for 161 yards and another score. Kicker Matt Stover led the NFL in field goals made (35) and attempted (39), while ranking 7th in field goal percentage (89.7) and second in scoring (135 points).
However, the Baltimore offense was mediocre, ranking only 13th in the league in scoring (333 points), 16th in total yards (5,301), and 23rd in passing yards (3,102). The team had a lot of trouble scoring, and at one point they went through five games without scoring an offensive touchdown (although they managed to win two of those games). But they managed to regroup, as head coach Brian Billick forbade anyone to use the "P-word" (presumably "postseason" or "playoffs") until the team actually played in it. The Ravens' outspoken defensive lineman, Tony Siragusa, did utter the word "playoffs" on two separate occasions and was fined, albeit a measly sum of $500. Since the fine (and Billick's ban) were clearly symbolic and playful, Billick explained himself by saying, "He got a $400 fine for doing it on national television and $100 for doing it on his radio show. The reason being because no one listens to his show anyway." In place of the "P-word," the word "Festivus" was used, the December 23 secular holiday featured in an episode of the popular American television sitcom Seinfeld (the Ravens organization played along with this theme for that year's playoffs by showing a clip of Cosmo Kramer saying "A Festivus miracle!" on the stadium screen during the team's only home playoff game that year). The Super Bowl was thereafter referred to as "Festivus Maximus."
Midway through the season, with the team at 5–3, Billick benched starting quarterback Tony Banks and replaced him with Trent Dilfer. Although his statistics were hardly distinguished (12 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, 76.6 passer rating), and the team lost in his first game as a starter, Dilfer led them to victory in their last seven regular season games to finish in second place in the AFC Central with a 12–4 record and entered the playoffs as a wild-card team.
With an explosive defense and a "play-it-safe" offense, the Ravens became the seventh wild-card team to reach the Super Bowl, and third in four seasons, after allowing only a combined one touchdown and three field goals in their playoff wins over the Denver Broncos, the Tennessee Titans, and the Oakland Raiders. Meanwhile, the Giants defeated the Philadelphia Eagles, 20–10, and shut out the Minnesota Vikings, 41–0, the most lopsided game in NFC Championship game history.
Both defenses dominated early in the first quarter as the first five possessions of the game ended in punts. On the fifth punt, Ravens kickoff/punt returner Jermaine Lewis returned the ball 33 yards to the New York 31-yard line. Although a holding penalty on the return moved the ball back to the 41-yard line, Baltimore took only two plays to score on quarterback Trent Dilfer's 38-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Brandon Stokley.
Early in the second quarter, a holding penalty against the Giants nullified linebacker Jessie Armstead's 43-yard interception return for a touchdown that would have tied the game. Later in the period, Dilfer completed a 44-yard pass to receiver Qadry Ismail to set up a 47-yard field goal by Ravens kicker Matt Stover to extend Baltimore's lead, 10–0. With the aid of a 27-yard run from running back Tiki Barber, the Giants advanced all the way to the Ravens' 29-yard line on their ensuing drive, but Baltimore defensive back Chris McAlister intercepted a pass from Kerry Collinsto keep New York scoreless at halftime.
The Giants forced the Ravens to punt on the opening drive of the second half. Five plays later, Baltimore safety Kim Herring intercepted Collins at the New York 41-yard line. The Ravens then advanced to the 24-yard line, but the drive stalled and Stover missed a 41-yard field goal attempt.
After an exchange of punts, Baltimore defensive back Duane Starks intercepted a pass from Collins and returned it 49 yards for a touchdown, setting off a chain of events unseen before in Super Bowl history: three touchdowns on three consecutive plays in 36 seconds. On the ensuing kickoff, Ron Dixon returned the ball 97 yards for the Giants' first and only score of the game. But Jermaine Lewis returned the next kickoff 84 yards for a touchdown, making the score 24–7 for the Ravens. It was the first time in history two kickoffs were returned for touchdowns in the same Super Bowl game, and on back-to-back kickoffs.
The Giants gained only one first down on their final four possessions, and were never able to move the ball into Baltimore territory. Meanwhile, the Ravens added 10 more points to their lead, making the final score 34–7. A few possessions after Jermaine Lewis' touchdown, New York punter Brad Maynard's 34-yard punt from his own 4 to the 38-yard line and tight end Ben Coates' 17-yard reception set up a 3-yard touchdown run by running back Jamal Lewis early in the fourth quarter. Dixon fumbled the ensuing kickoff to Baltimore defender Robert Bailey, setting up Stover's 34-yard field goal with 5:27 left in the game.
SUPER BOWL XXXV--FESTIVUS MAXIMUS
From Baltimoreravens.com
The young and brash Baltimore Ravens began the 2000 NFL season talking playoffs and ending the year as World Champions, thanks to one of the most dominant defenses in pro football history.
The Ravens' Super Journey began with an ominous regular season schedule that included 5 road games in 7 weeks. In the middle of it all was a 5-game streak without a touchdown. Thankfully, the TD drought never divided the team.
The race toward the Lombardi Trophy was not without its hurdles: Ray Lewis rebounded from a trying offseason; Trent Dilfer, now a Raven, returned to Tampa Bay for the Super Bowl; an emotional Jermaine Lewis dedicated a superb performance to the memory of his stillborn son. Still, the team rallied the season, and it made the hard-fought victory that much sweeter.
The journey was about the coming of age for talented young players like Jamal Lewis, Chris McAlister and Duane Starks.
It also belonged to tough veterans like Rod Woodson, Ray Lewis, Rob Burnett, Shannon Sharpe, Matt Stover, Michael McCrary and Jonathan Ogden.
And the journey also belonged to the fans of Baltimore. The fans numbered in the thousands at the downtown sendoff at Harbor Place. Banners and promises hung in the air and none would be broken.
While the hometown fans would celebrate with 7-straight days of purple pride, the team took off for Tampa for a week of preparation before the ultimate contest. On Sunday, Jan. 28, 2001, the Ravens kept their promise and defeated the N.Y. Giants, 34-7.
Ray Lewis earned Super Bowl XXXV MVP honors, as well as Defensive Player of the Year. The Ravens tied a Super Bowl record with 4 INTs, and they were only the 3rd team in NFL history to not commit a turnover in a Super Bowl. The most exciting new record may have been 3 successive scores on 3 see-saw plays. The back-to-back KORs for TDs were yet another new record.
Following the game, Art Modell lifted the Lombardi Trophy in the air and said :"To the people of Baltimore City, Baltimore County and the State of Maryland, this belongs to you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.”
When the Ravens flew home on that beautiful, blue-sky Monday after the Super Bowl, they heard about the parade scheduled in their honor on the next day. The icy downpour that Tuesday presented to the city phased no one. Hundreds of thousands of fans ignored the rain and cold and waited for their heroes to ride by on Baltimore’s crowded city streets.
Later, the entire organization was invited to the White House in June to meet with then-president George W. Bush.
Dilfer threw for 153 yards and a touchdown, with no interceptions. Jamal Lewis rushed for 102 yards and a touchdown (only the second rookie to rush for 100 yards in the Super Bowl, joining Timmy Smith in Super Bowl XXII, while also being the first rookie to score a rushing TD in a Super Bowl since Smith in 1988), and caught a pass for 4 yards. Stokley was the top receiver of the game with 3 receptions for 52 yards and a touchdown. Jermaine Lewis recorded 152 total all-purpose yards (111 kickoff return yards, 34 punt return yards, 7 receiving yards, 1 rushing yard) and a touchdown.
Collins had a passer rating for the game of only 7.1, the second worst in Super Bowl history, threw four interceptions (tying a Super Bowl record that has since been surpassed by Oakland quarterback Rich Gannon's five INTs in Super Bowl XXXVII) and completed only 15 of 39 passes for 112 yards. Barber was the Giants' leading rusher with 49 yards, also catching 6 passes for 26 yards and returning 2 punts for 13 yards, while Dixon tallied 6 kickoffs for 154 yards and a touchdown with a 16-yard pass catch. While Giants punter Brad Maynard set an undesirable Super Bowl record with 11 punts, Baltimore punter Kyle Richardson had 10 punts, which would have set the record.
Overall, both teams combined for only 396 total yards, the lowest in Super Bowl history. The Ravens joined Super Bowl XVIII's Los Angeles Raiders in the record books as the only teams to score offensive, defensive and special teams touchdowns in the same Super Bowl. This was the second Super Bowl since 1975 in which the losing team failed to score at least 10 points, after Super Bowl XVIII.
All the main contributors for the Ravens on offense, defense, and special teams were named Lewis. Jamal Lewis was the top rusher of the game, Jermaine Lewis notched 145 yards and a touchdown on special teams, and linebacker Ray Lewis was named Super Bowl MVP. In addition, the Ravens defense was coached by Marvin Lewis. The Ravens defense has since been considered among the greatest of all time. The Ravens defense became the third to shut-out their opponent in Super Bowl history; the Giants' only points came on a kickoff return. (Wikipedia)
Trent Dilfer Did Not ‘Win’ Super Bowl XXXV
By Tony Lombardi, Russell Street Report, 5/30/14
The NFL Network’s recent presentation of America’s Game, the 2000 Baltimore Ravens, brings back fond memories. During that broadcast, Brian Billick, Ray Lewis and Trent Dilfer told the story of that season.
Dilfer is almost always a lightning rod triggering debate among Ravens fans. What may have happened if he stayed on as the Ravens quarterback in 2001 and the team didn’t sign Elvis Grbac? Would the team have successfully defended their crown?
We’ll never know for sure but here’s an opinion first served up back on October 14, 2005 that suggests it that Trent Dilfer didn’t win Super Bowl XXXV. He was simply in the right place at the right time. ~ Tony Lombardi
Ever get invited to a party or event that you felt obligated to attend yet you weren’t quite looking forward to it? Sure you have. We all have. Then you get there and much to your surprise, you are actually having a good time. Check that — make it a great time!
Then there are those events that you can’t wait to get to. The build up is tremendous and the anticipation is killing you. Yet when you arrive, it’s not what you thought and hoped it would be at all. In fact, it’s quite the disappointment.
Truth be told, the former event probably wasn’t as great as you thought and the later not as bad. The underlying influencer of your emotion was expectation. You weren’t expecting much but when you did get something in return your enjoyment was heightened. When you were expecting the world and everything in it, the expectations set you up for a fall.
The Ravens 2000 season was much like the former party. Last season and into this one, is reminiscent of the later.
As time goes on, we often look back to the 2000 season and use it as a measuring stick for all subsequent seasons. It is our barometer for competitive sanity and we wonder why it can’t be like that again.
Let’s face it, it will never be like that again. They say you never forget your first St. Pauli, amongst other things. Well you certainly don’t forget your team’s first Super Bowl victory, especially one that wasn’t really expected.
As a result, it’s only natural to embrace all things associated with the 2000 Season and the Super Bowl XXXV Champs. Why change a thing? Why didn’t they keep it the same? Maybe the Ravens could have repeated.
If only it was that easy.
The Ravens front office knew that it would be extremely difficult to repeat in 2001 yet they also realized that given their salary cap status, they needed to take advantage of the then current make up of the team. They knew that cap constraints would force them to dismantle the team after the 2001 season.
Carpe diem!
To repeat, the front office agreed that the Ravens would need to be more balanced. They thought that it would be shortsighted on their part to expect a repeat performance by the 2000 record setting defense and to expect the team to remain as healthy as it did in 2000. Therefore, they concluded that more would be required of the offense, particularly while facing the daunting task of a first place schedule. To get back to the Super Bowl, the front office agreed that an upgrade at quarterback was needed.
“The formula we used for success in 2000 worked magnificently,” Billick once said.
“However, to again ask our defense to break the all-time scoring record and rely that heavily on the run game and special teams the following season would have been too much to expect. We believed we needed more offensive balance if we were going to seriously compete for the title in 2001. The balance that we were striving for had to be addressed.”
And how could anyone argue really? Sure, Trent Dilfer is a great guy who commands respect. He’s a leader and an exemplary teammate. There’s really nothing to not like about the guy other than his productivity on the field. Many have complained about Kyle Boller’s inadequacies as his quarterback ranking hovers around the 70 mark. Trent Dilfer in 2000 had a rating of 76.6 despite being the beneficiary of a ball control offense that consistently dominated the battle for field position and time of possession.
The Ravens didn’t win games in 2000 because of Trent Dilfer.
They won games and a championship despite Trent Dilfer.
Do you recall the Ravens offensive struggles that season? We treasure the great memories of that 2000 season yet we forget the struggles because in the end they won. But fate had a helping hand.
Remember the playoff game against Denver? The records will indicate a Dilfer touchdown pass to Shannon Sharpe. What the records don’t show is that the pass was actually a poorly thrown swing pass to Jamal Lewis that was tipped — a pass that more times than not is intercepted. We tend to forget that the Titans were beating the Ravens everywhere but on the scoreboard in the 2000 Divisional Playoff Game. Missed field goals, a blocked field goal returned for a touchdown and a Ray Lewis interception return for a score add up to points that might indicate a convincing Ravens’ win. It was hardly that because of an inept offense led by Trent Dilfer.
The following week in Oakland, the offense once again struggled mightily. Dilfer opened the second half with an interception that momentarily gave the Raiders life. Once again, he was bailed out by the defense.
Two weeks later during Super Bowl XXXV in Tampa with the Ravens holding a 7-0 lead, Dilfer attempted a screen pass to Jamal Lewis that was intercepted by Jesse Armstead and returned for an apparent touchdown. The play was called back for defensive holding which when looked at closely, would not be called nine times out of ten.
The temporary major shift in momentum created by that wretched pass was wiped out and the Ravens held on to the lead. Despite a completely dominating defensive performance, the offense squandered opportunities as Dilfer missed several open receivers for big gains. The score should have been 51-7.
Not that it really matters what the score was but the point is, Trent Dilfer was simply on a Super Bowl winning team. Trent Dilfer did not win that Super Bowl or even the playoff games for that matter, for the 2000 Baltimore Ravens.
Yet we want to hold on to what is dear and the 2000 season certainly meets that requirement. And then when you mix in the failures of Dilfer’s successor, Elvis Grbac, no wonder the town cried for Trent. Dilfer, championship, exceeding expectations. Grbac, quitter, shedding tears on the sideline, failing to reach expectations.
What many seem to overlook is that Dilfer led a perfectly healthy team. Grbac inherited one that relied on the rickety knees of Terry Allen and the inexperience of the bloated Jason Brookins — not Jamal Lewis and Priest Holmes. Grbac didn’t have Jeff Mitchell and Spencer Folau on his offensive line or even Harry Swayne for that matter.
They obtained Leon Searcy yet he never saw the field due to injury. The result was a patchwork line they kept Grbac under constant pressure and with no running back that commanded respect, teams just teed off on the emotionally fragile Grbac.
To make matters worse, the defense was not as dominating while giving up 100 more points (165 v. 265).
With a healthy team, a better offense and a more productive defense, Dilfer managed only a QB rating of 76.6. What might he have done without all that? Grbac managed to eek out a 71.1 rating. Is it fair to say that Dilfer would have done the same or worse? In his last full four seasons since leaving the Ravens, Dilfer has a QB rating of 67.3.
This isn’t meant to be an endorsement of Elvis Grbac. Personally I think Randall Cunningham would have done a better job than both Dilfer and Grbac with the 2001 Ravens team but he never got the chance. Billick’s commitment to Grbac and foolish pride got in the way. Perhaps he even acknowledged such with this admission earlier in the week.
“I regret that the circumstance presented itself that Trent Dilfer was not with us going forward. He’s an outstanding young man. He’s dealt with incredible adversity in his life, which we all have him in our prayers and wish him the best. We are appreciative of what Trent did when he was here. But we did our analysis.”
Trent Dilfer is a stand up guy. He has battled personal tragedy and emerged a stronger man. He is in many ways the quintessential underdog that Baltimore loves to embrace. He was part of one of our city’s proudest moments — part of a team that added to the legacy of a community and strengthened civic pride.
Dilfer even said at the 2004 Ed Block Courage Awards that, “I will not consider my career complete until I once again become a Baltimore Raven.”
Wouldn’t that be nice?
But it would hardly make a difference on the field — not now and not in 2001. The Ravens tried to make the 2001 party as a big a smash as the 2000 party. It just didn’t work out.
Despite all efforts to the contrary, sometimes parties just don’t meet our expectations.
