Wed., Dec. 3: DC-Baltimore Rivalry? For Fans, Not Players
By Joe Platania
PressBox Staff
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
OWINGS MILLS -- While covering a high school game between Perry Hall and Parkville many years ago, this reporter heard that a player on one team was at a party and had made disparaging remarks about the opposing squad.
With a neighborhood rivalry like that one, it was inevitable that what was said would get back to the other team. It did, and the aggrieved party won in a rout.
That sort of scenario doesn't figure to happen this week as the Ravens prepare to host the Washington Redskins for the first time in a regular-season game.
Sure, there will be Redskins fans populating M&T Bank Stadium because they either live in Baltimore or are willing to make the short drive north.
There will be Redskins "Rally Rags" in evidence, as well as all manner of purple-themed attire among the 71,000 fans in attendance, doing their best to cheer on their team and play to the NBC-TV Sunday-night cameras.
But even though the two cities are a mere 40 miles apart -- and the teams' home stadia are even closer together -- it's not a true neighborhood rivalry or "backyard brawl," as some college rivalries are termed.
Not only that, but due to the NFL's schedule rotation and the fact that the teams are in difference conferences, the teams can only play regular-season games against each other once every four years.
"This is the kind of game that could push us towards the playoffs," safety Ed Reed said. "But we're not really caught up in the rivalry part of it.
"It's more for the fans."
Wideout Derrick Mason hosts a Monday-night radio show at Damon's/Hunt Valley, so he is aware of the fans' passion.
"I can understand, from the fans' perspective, what it means to them," Mason said. "I can understand the situation that happened long ago, when the Colts left and the Redskins' fans wanted the Colts fans to go down there.
"But for us, it's another game and another opportunity."
The sentiment is not as fevered among the players because there are very few of them that grew up in the area and know what it means to the respective fan bases.
For example, the Ravens' 53-man active roster contains just one player from the Route 295 (Baltimore-Washington Parkway) corridor, tackle Jared Gaither.
Gaither was born in White Plains and played one season at Eleanor Roosevelt High in Prince George's County, the same alma mater as legendary ex-Maryland star and Ravens return specialist Jermaine Lewis.
The Redskins also have a solitary player on their team from what could be considered the rivalry's epicenter, cornerback Shawn Springs.
Springs, son of former Dallas Cowboys running back Ron Springs, attended perennial Montgomery County football power Springbrook High, winning all-state honors as both a running back and defensive back.
As is usually the case each week, the real rivalry comes between players who have battled each other while wearing different uniforms.
For instance, Ravens special teamer/linebacker was a teammate of Washington defensive end/linebacker Jason Taylor in Miami in 2003 and 2004. He was also on the same Chicago Bears roster with safety Mike Green the following two seasons.
Not only that, but Redskins linebacker and leading tackler London Fletcher was a Buffalo Bills' teammate of Ravens defensive lineman Justin Bannan and safety Jim Leonhard.
There are many more similar instances of path-crossing, but that's the only thing that anyone could point to regarding any sort of rivalry.
"Our guys know their players," head coach John Harbaugh said. "I’m sure they’ve been around their players at different times, and we’ve got a lot of respect for them.
"So, it’s kind of a natural backyard rivalry. We’re looking forward to playing in it.”
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JOEY P'S TRIVIA TIME: While there may be no prizes in it for you, Trivia Time is just another way we at PressBox are whetting your appetite (and ours) for the game to come.
The answer will come towards the end of the column.
Today's question:
This one comes from the "It's A Small World" department.
What future Baltimore Colts head coach was a 21st-round draft choice of the Washington Redskins in 1956 as a tight end at the University of Kentucky?
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INJURY REPORT: Due to lingering after-effects of a concussion suffered in the Philadelphia game, tackle Adam Terry was held out of action in Cincinnati.
Left tackle Jared Gaither left the field for a single play before returning and playing with his bothersome shoulder injury and Willie Anderson went the whole way at right tackle with his heavily-taped sprained ankle.
"He's okay, it's nothing serious," head coach John Harbaugh said of Gaither, who didn't practice Wednesday. "... He has the shoulder soreness coming out of the game, and he's going to be dealing with that for a while."
Once again, the tackle situation will come under great scrutiny this week because the Washington defensive ends, Demetric Evans and Andre Carter, lead the team in sacks with 3.5 and three sacks, respectively.
However, the 'Skins' haven't been very good at rushing the passer in recent years, accumulating as many as 40 sacks in a season just twice since 2000. They have just 19 through a dozen games this year, Evans and Carter notwithstanding.
The Ravens' defensive looks have definitely caused havoc this year, but they haven't fared much better, notching just 26 sacks.
Linebacker Jarret Johnson is second on the team with five sacks (Terrell Suggs, 5.5), and he was seen limping on the field at Cincinnati.
"I saw Jarret (Monday morning)," Harbaugh said. "He's fine."
This time of year, many aggravating bumps, bruises and strains will dot the week's injury reports. But, based on track records, most, if not all, of the following players should be able to work through their maladies and play Sunday against Washington:
Wideouts Mark Clayton (lower back strain) and Derrick Mason (shoulder), fullback Le'Ron McClain (thigh), tight end Todd Heap (illness), fullback Lorenzo Neal (thigh), defensive end Trevor Pryce (concussion).
However, the secondary could be hampered again; starters Ed Reed (hamstring), Samari Rolle (thigh) and Fabian Washington (shoulder) did not practice Wednesday.
Mason, linebacker Bart Scott (shoulder) and guard David Hale (ankle) had limited repetitions.
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ROSTER MOVES: The Ravens did some practice-squad shuffling Wednesday.
The last member of the original eight-man developmental squad, defensive end Bryan Mattison -- the son of linebacker coach Greg Mattison -- became the 17th Raven to be placed on season-ending injured reserve; he has a bad foot.
Also, guard Nathan Bennett was waived.
To fill those vacancies, two players were added, tackle Tre Stallings and defensive end Sean Conover.
Stallings is a 6-foot-3, 315-pounder in his second season from Mississippi and Conover -- the son of former Detroit Lions tackle Scott Conover -- is a 6-foot-5, 275-pounder in his third year from Bucknell.
Bennett's former number 63 was assigned to Stallings and Conover will wear the previously-vacant number 67.
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REMEMBERING SEAN: Sunday's game will be the first Redskins road contest since the one-year anniversary of the shooting death of Washington safety Sean Taylor.
Like Taylor, Ravens safety Ed Reed is a University of Miami alumnus and knew Taylor well, coming into the NFL just two years before him.
"Just thinking about it, at times, it's a hurtful thought," Reed reflected. "You don't want to see any of your brothers pass at an early age, especially (through) those circumstances.
"You know, at the same time, you learn from things, and that's what it's for. Sean would want us to learn from it. You move on, within your own privacy.
"It's between you and God."
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FOE FRONT: A few notes, stats and facts surrounding the Ravens' next opponent, the Washington Redskins (Sunday, 8:15 p.m., WBAL-TV, WIYY-FM):
- The Redskins have lost in their last three nationally-televised games against Baltimore-based NFL teams. In 1977 and 1978, the Baltimore Colts won Monday-night home games against Washington by scores of 10-3 and 21-17, respectively. The Ravens won at FedEx Field in 2004, 17-10, in a Sunday-night contest.
- Overall, the Redskins are 7-17 against the Colts and Ravens in regular-season play. The Ravens have won two of three regular-season games against Washington, and the teams have split four preseason meetings.
- This year, Washington became the first team in NFL history to play the first five games of a season without turning the ball over. Even with seven lost fumbles and four interceptions in the past seven games, the 'Skins' 12 total giveaways are third-fewest in the league. The team's turnover ratio is plus-2.
- Like the Ravens, the Redskins like to play run-oriented, ball-control football. Washington has had an average of 31:44 of possession time per game. That ranks the Redskins fifth in the NFL behind the league-leading Ravens (33:55).
- Running back Clinton Portis' 1228 yards have him ranked second in the NFL behind Minnesota's Adrian Peterson. However, a sprained neck suffered when a New York Giants tackler ran into him from the side in last week's game could slow Portis, who surprisingly has never made the Pro Bowl as a Redskin.
- Quarterback Jason Campbell has thrown just four interceptions this year and had a streak of 271 passes without a pickoff stopped earlier this season. That streak is just 37 short of the all-time record of 308 set by Cleveland's Bernie Kosar.
Campbell has completed 63.8% of his passes and boasts a passer rating of 87.8. However, he has just two touchdown passes and four pickoffs (passer rating: 68.1) in his last four games. He has been sacked 32 times, third-most in the NFL.
- Tight end Chris Cooley -- whose play elicits chants of his surname, as Todd Heap's does -- has caught a pass in 68 consecutive games. His 66 receptions this year are second among NFL tight ends. Kansas City's Tony Gonzalez leads that category with 73.
- Defensive end Jason Taylor is the NFL's active sack leader at 118. He has six sacks in five career games against the Ravens. Taylor has also been lining up as a linebacker and dropping back in coverage more often in the past few weeks.
- Cornerback DeAngelo Hall's five interceptions are tied for first in the NFC and tied for second in the league.
- The Giants gained 404 yards on Washington last week after the Redskins had averaged 249 yards against them the previous seven games. Giants' quarterback Eli Manning is the only signal-caller to have a 300-yard game against the Redskins.
- Washington has lost three of its last four games due to an underperforming offense. The 'Skins' 208 points are the second-lowest total in the NFC; only Detroit's 203 trails them.
- Kicker Shaun Suisham has kicked 21 field goals in 29 attempts. The eight misses are the league's most. Also on special teams, the Redskins' unit has committed ten penalties, three of them last week alone.
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WHERE'S BRIAN?: Once again, Fox is turning Brian Billick loose on Bourbon Street.
However, if we know Billick, the former Ravens coach and present-day Fox game analyst won't spend much time there. Instead, he'll be busy preparing for Sunday's Atlanta-New Orleans game at the Louisiana Superdome.
Billick won't be reliving his Ravens' big post-bye win in New Orleans in 2006, either, which saw him take over play-calling duties from the fired Jim Fassel.
Instead, Billick, play-by-play man Dick Stockton and partners Brian Baldinger and Laura Okmin will be understandably focusing on Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, who has flourished in his first season in the league.
The Falcons, a team many media members (this one included) expected to be fighting Detroit for the NFL cellar, have gotten from Ryan eight games with a passer rating of 90 or better. Atlanta has won all eight of those games.
The Saints, a team Billick has been assigned to for the sixth time, have the league's best overall offense, but injuries and poor defensive play will probably leave them home for the playoffs.
- It appears that the Fox team that includes former Ravens defensive tackle Tony Siragusa as sideline reporter and ex-Ravens preseason television analyst Daryl Johnston in the booth was going to be the one to call this Sunday's home game with the Redskins before it was flexed to NBC's Sunday-night team.
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BELTWAY CONFUSION: For those people who hear the word 'Beltway' or the phrase "Battle of the Beltway" and think only of the Capital Beltway or the "inside the Beltway" political references, here's some food for thought as the Redskins-Ravens game approaches.
The federal government passed legislation in 1956 to create a national interstate highway system. The very first Beltway in the country completed under that bill was the Baltimore Beltway in 1962.
Also, according to Scott Kozel's book "Roads To The Future," the Capital Beltway wasn't finished until two years later. To us, that's yet another example of Washington following a trend instead of setting one.
That's a list that includes building a sports facility downtown (Verizon Center, Nationals Park), and yelling "O" during the national anthem.
So, which city has the alleged inferiority complex?
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QUOTE OF THE DAY: Harbaugh reminisced about the days when he and Redskins coach Jim Zorn were simply low-level assistants trying to find their way in the league.
"We came in at the same time," Harbaugh recalled. "We were the guys at the NFL meetings trying to find our way around. We didn’t know where to go, didn’t know who to talk to, didn’t know where to sit. So we had that in common.
"We felt like the other guys were looking at us like, ‘Who are these guys?’"
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LET US KNOW: What do you think of the daily Ravens Report, or, for that matter, the Ravens material in the PressBox weekly print edition?
Is there stuff in there you like, don't like or would like to see more of?
Let us know what you think by e-mailing us at joeyp@pressboxonline.com, and we'll occasionally list and answer the best and most compelling questions right here.
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TRIVIA TIME ANSWER: Former Colts head coach Howard Schnellenberger held the job for only 17 games, that is, the entire 1973 season and the first three games of 1974 before getting fired after a 30-10 loss in Philadelphia.
That was the game when owner Robert Irsay allegedly tried to call a play from the Veterans Stadium owners box, only to have Schnellenberger ignore it.
However, Schnellenberger's big highlight during a 4-10 season in 1973 was engineering a 16-3 upset of a Miami Dolphins squad that was in the midst of winning back-to-back Super Bowls.
Schnellenberger had been the Dolphins' offensive coordinator for their perfect 1972 season, landing him the job with the Colts after John Sandusky was dismissed after a nine-game stint.
Schnellenberger coached at several major college programs after getting dumped in Baltimore, most famously getting the University of Miami its first-ever national championship in 1983 after edging Nebraska in a classic Orange Bowl thriller.
He is currently the head coach at Florida Atlantic University and has won all five bowl games in which his teams have appeared.
While at Kentucky, Schnellenberger was an All-America selection at tight end and was drafted by the Washington Redskins, but never played for them.
Schnellenberger ended up getting into coaching by assisting then-Kentucky head coach Blanton Collier, who would go on to coach the Cleveland Browns when Art Modell hired him to replace the fired Paul Brown.
Collier, who coached the Browns to a 1964 championship-game shutout win over the Colts, become a one-time finalist in the Hall of Fame ballotting.
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ABOUT JOE PLATANIA
Ravens beat writer Joe Platania, now a grizzled 45-year-old, is a Baltimore native and has been a multi-award-winning sports journalist for nearly 30 years, covering many different sports at all levels with insight, humor, a near-photographic memory and a keen, prescient eye.
Among other events, he accurately foresaw Villanova's upset over Georgetown in the 1985 Final Four, Sugar Ray Leonard's split-decision win over Marvin Hagler in 1987 and Greg Norman's collapse in the 1996 Masters. He also nailed the exact score of Super Bowl XXV (Giants 20, Bills 19).
A longtime member of the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association and the Pro Football Writers Association of America, Platania (pluh-TAN-ee-uh) is in his 15th season covering pro football, having manned the CFL Stallions beat for The Avenue Newspaper Group of Essex and the Ravens beat for The Avenue as well as several other publications and radio stations.
He is one of only three Baltimore-based print reporters to have covered the Ravens during their entire history.
Platania is a much-sought-after veteran contributor to many talk-radio and television shows, and has also been a contributor to Comcast SportsNet's "Washington Post Live". Previously, he appeared on WJZ-TV's "Football Talk" post-game show with Marty Bass from 2002-04.
He is a four-time Maryland-Delaware-District of Columbia Press Association award winner and was named Maryland Sportscaster of the Year in 1998 for his work on WCBM-AM (680).
Platania, a graduate of St. Joseph's, Cockeysville (1977), Calvert Hall College High School (1981) and Towson University (1985), is single and lives in Cockeysville.
