Super Bowl Champions

WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS! GO Ravens!!!!!!!!

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TAMPA, Florida (Ticker) -- The Baltimore Ravens captured the only nickname they wanted, that of Super Bowl champions.

Cementing their place in immortality as perhaps the greatest defense in NFL history, the Ravens terrorized Kerry Collins into four interceptions and posted a punishing 34-7 rout of the New York Giants in Super Bowl XXXV.

The performance provided validation for Baltimore's pugnacious defense, which set an NFL record for fewest points allowed in a 16-game season.

It also registered redemption for Ravens middle linebacker Ray Lewis, who added Super Bowl MVP to his NFL Defensive Player of the Year award, and criticized quarterback Trent Dilfer.

"The defense has been doing it all year, and never, never got the credit," Lewis said. "But there's one thing that can never be taken away from us: We're the best ever, the best ever right now."

Lewis' amazing story has indeed come full circle. On the night of last January's Super Bowl at the Georgia Dome, two men were stabbed outside a nightclub in an Atlanta suburb and Lewis was jailed on double murder charges. After he pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice for impeding a police investigation, the charges were dropped.

Lewis' problems took center stage during the past week and caused Ravens coach Brian Billick and tight end Shannon Sharpe to berate the media for its negative coverage of Lewis. But the distractions did not affect the zealous linebacker, who enjoyed the best season of his career and capped it with a Super Bowl victory.

Lewis was all over the field in the first half, recording five tackles and deflecting three passes by Collins, one of which led to an interception by linebacker Jamie Sharper.

Having set the tone, Lewis added one tackle in the second half.

"If you put this in a storybook, nobody would believe it," Lewis said. "The Man Upstairs tells you, `I never would take you through hell without bringing you to triumph,' and that's why I'm sitting here now."

The Ravens held the Giants to 11 first downs and 152 yards. The Giants were 2-of-14 on third-down conversions. Of their 18 drives, nine resulted in three-and-outs and five ended in turnovers.

"I was hoping we wouldn't give up the turnovers," Giants coach Jim Fassel said. "They're a physical team. The front four is a lot quicker and more agile than anybody has probably given them credit for. They react extremely well."

Dilfer made a triumphant return to Tampa, making enough big and committing no turnovers. He completed 12-of-25 passes for 153 yards, including a 38-yard touchdown to Brandon Stokley in the first quarter.

The win had to be especially sweet for Dilfer, who played the first six years of his career here with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but essentially was booed out of town and lost his starting job to Shaun King in 1999. Afterward, Dilfer handled himself with class.

"Faith and perseverance made this dream come true," Dilfer said.

It was the first Super Bowl appearance for the transplanted Ravens, who were the old Cleveland Browns before Art Modell moved them to Baltimore in 1996. Modell, an owner of the franchise for 40 years, had never been to a Super Bowl, losing three times in the AFC championship game in the 1980s.

"This is a dream come true, in 40 years and a lot of playoff games," Modell said. "I can't say enough. This has been a long time coming."

Modell's Ravens would not be denied, thanks to a defense which has not yet been bestowed with a famous nickname such as "Steel Curtain" or "Doomsday Defense."

With Lewis leading the way, the Ravens eclipsed the record of the 1986 Chicago Bears for fewest points allowed in a 16-game season with 165. They were a brash and defiant bunch during Super Bowl week and backed up their bravado, rattling Collins from the start and suffocating the Giants' offense throughout.

Collins completed just 15-of-39 passes for 112 yards. His four interceptions tied a Super Bowl record shared by Craig Morton, Jim Kelly and Drew Bledsoe and came two weeks after he set NFC championship game records with 381 yards and five touchdowns in a 41-0 rout of Minnesota.

"This is the most diappointing loss I've ever been involved with," Collins said. "I'm disappointed in the way I played. It wasn't a lack of effort or a lack of preparation. I didn't play the way I wanted to."

Baltimore's defense, which yielded a total of 16 points in three playoff wins en route to the Super Bowl, put points on the board when cornerback Duane Starks returned an interception 49 yards for a touchdown, increasing the lead to 17-0 with 3:49 left in the third quarter.

New York scored its only points when rookie Ron Dixon returned the ensuing kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown with 3:31 left in the third quarter.

But it was a short celebration because Jermaine Lewis followed Dixon's feat with an 84-yard TD return of his own, deflating the Giants for good.

It marked the first time in Super Bowl history two touchdowns were scored on kickoff returns. The three touchdowns in a span of 36 seconds also set a Super Bowl record.

Ravens rookie Jamal Lewis rushed for 102 yards on 27 carries, including a three-yard touchdown, against a Giants' defense which was second in the league against the run.

Matt Stover kicked field goals of 47 and 34 yards for Baltimore.

The Ravens became the third wild card team to win a Super Bowl, joining the 1980 Oakland Raiders and 1997 Denver Broncos.

"We answered every challenge," Ravens coach Brian Billick said. "And it's not like, OK, now what? It's the fewest points in the history of the game and the Super Bowl."

The loss was the first for the Giants in three Super Bowls. They previously won Super Bowl XXV in Tampa 10 years ago.

In the first half, the Giants had five three-and-outs and two other drives ended in interceptions.

Forced to hurry his passes and confused by coordinator Marvin Lewis' defensive scheme, Collins misfired on 14 of his first 17 passes. The three completions netted only 17 yards.

Baltimore squandered an early opportunity when Patrick Johnson raced past cornerback Jason Sehorn down the right sideline, but Dilfer's pass went off his fingertips.

The Ravens struck first when Stokley split Sehorn and safety Shaun Williams and caught a 38-yard scoring pass over the middle with 6:50 left in the first quarter. Sehorn grabbed Stokley by the waist at the 5 but was unable to bring him down.

With 1:25 left in the first quarter, Sehorn slipped as Johnson ran a pattern down the right sideline, but Dilfer's throw went out of bounds.

Baltimore forced its first turnover when Lewis deflected a pass by Collins into the arms of Sharper, who returned it four yards to the Ravens 47 with 10:36 left in the half.

On the ensuing play, Giants outside linebacker Jessie Armstead intercepted a short pass by Dilfer and returned it 43 yards for an apparent touchdown. But a holding penalty on defensive tackle Keith Hamilton negated the play.

"That was a big play," Armstead said. "It was a play that probably changed the game. It got called back and you have to live with it."

The Giants finally crossed midfield on a 10-yard pass from Collins to Ike Hilliard to the Baltimore 45 with 5:02 remaining in the half. Two plays later, Collins was sacked for a nine-yard loss by Keith Washington.

After working on Sehorn, the Ravens went to cornerback Dave Thomas' side and Qadry Ismail caught a 44-yard bomb to the 36. Only a diving tackle by Thomas prevented a touchdown and the Ravens settled for a 47-yard field goal by Stover with 1:41 left in the half.

Uaing a no-huddle offense after taking over on their 28, the Giants threatened with a 16-yard pass from Collins to Dixon followed by a 27-yard run by Tiki Barber to the Baltimore 29.

However, Collins attempted to fire a pass to tight end Pete Mitchell, who was in double coverage. Cornerback Chris McAlister made a leaping interception to preserve the Ravens' lead.

On Baltimore's first possession of the second half, Dilfer suffered an apparent left hand injury when he was sacked by defensive end Michael Strahan.

Tony Banks replaced him for one series and Dilfer returned later in the third quarter.

The halftime break did not help Collins. On New York's first possession of the second half, Collins was picked off by safety Kim Herring, who cut in front of intended receiver Ike Hilliard and returned it two yards to the New York 41.

But after three runs by Jamal Lewis netted 11 yards and Priest Holmes rushed for six, the usually reliable Stover missed a 41-yard field goal with 6:03 left.

Collins' fourth interception resulted in a touchdown. Attempting to hit Amani Toomer on a short pass, Collins threw right at Starks, who raced 49 yards for a touchdown with 3:49 remaining.

"I gave him a few passes early to bait him into throwing again," Starks said. "I played soft and I played soft, and I took my chance when I knew I had a great shot to do it. And hey, it's going to cost them."

But when it appeared the Giants were devastated, Dixon scored on a kickoff return for the second time in the postseason. It was the sixth kick return for a touchdown in Super Bowl history and ruined Baltimore's shutout bid.

"When he returned that, without a doubt I thought we were back in the game and we could do it," Fassel said.

But it was Jermaine Lewis' turn to hurt the Giants. An explosive punt returner, Lewis has only been handling kickoffs since the postseason. He picked the perfect time for his first touchdown.

"After Dixon scored I said, `I got to come back and get me one,'" Lewis said. "It's something to get a good return, but it's another thing to finish it and that's what I wanted to do."

After Jamal Lewis scored on a two-yard run to increase the lead to 31-7 with 8:45 left, New York committed its fifth turnover when Dixon fumbled the kickoff after he was hit by James Trapp.

Robert Bailey recovered at the New York 34 and five plays later, Stover kicked a 34-yard field goal.

Updated Mon Jan 29 1:48 AM ET

Notes: Giants agree Ravens defensive line is real deal

TAMPA, Fla. -- The most valuable player award for Super Bowl XXXV went to middle linebacker Ray Lewis, but New York Giants players agreed Monday that the Baltimore Ravens victory in the title game began with the dominance of their opponent's defensive line.

Giants offensive line coach Jim "Mouse" McNally, a master at taking a group of retreads and turning it into a respectable unit, figured to give New York an edge in the trenches with "zone" and "area" blocking schemes, but the strategy proved no match for the ravenous Baltimore front four. In short, the Ravens quartet of ends Rob Burnett and Michael McCrary and tackles Sam Adams and Tony Siragusa manhandled the unit across from them.

"They don't give you any room at all to breathe," said Giants center Dusty Zeigler as he readied to depart the team hotel on Monday morning. "It's like they come out in attack mode and never let up. You feel like you've been thrown into a phone booth with an animal or something."

The tone was set early by McCrary and Burnett, who spent much of the first quarter whipping the New York tackle tandem of Lomas Brown and Luke Petitgout. It didn't help that Petitgout had to play with a heavily wrapped sprained ankle sustained in a Wednesday practice, but the two-year pro didn't use the injury as an excuse.

Burnett was effective using a counter move to get inside of Petitgout. And while McCrary is known more for his upfield quickness, he knocked Brown back on his heels at least twice with bull-rush moves that helped compress the pocket on harried quarterback Kerry Collins. Baltimore had success running some loops at the left side of the New York offensive line. The maneuver forced Giants left guard Glenn Parker to play more in space and exposed his shortcomings in that area on at least two occasions.

"It's a very active front (four)," McNally said. "But the bottom line is, they maul you. They get a lot of credit for keeping blockers off Lewis, allowing him to go sideline to sideline making plays. But they make a lot of plays themselves, too, while still protecting the linebackers."

Brown, 37, and Parker, 34, both acknowledged they plan to return in 2001. The two have 27 seasons and 395 games between them but performed well most of the year and, general manager Ernie Accorsi noted, "very quickly turned around the attitude of our team." It will not be surprising in 2001, however, if Parker becomes a swing-man reserve, a key backup at both the guard and tackle spots. Some Giants coaches feel second-year veteran Mike Rosenthal is ready now to assume a starter's role.

Secondary matters

The Ravens secondary is often overlooked because of their dominating front seven. But the unit had three of Baltimore's four interceptions (weakside linebacker Jamie Sharper had the other) and cornerback Duane Starks returned a pickoff 49 yards for a touchdown. The Ravens changed up some of their coverages, playing more cover two, cover three and quarter zones on early downs and more man-to-man on third down.

Free safety and future Hall of Famer Rod Woodson said defensive coordinator Marvin Lewis and secondary coach Steve Shafer provided the unit "a tremendous game plan," but he also noted that the individual members all played well.

"You hate to get into the whole 'lack of respect' thing, because I'm sure people are getting tired of hearing about it," Woodson said. "But I do think people feel they can attack our corners, and those guys made the Giants pay for it."

Joining Starks with interceptions in the secondary were fellow corner Chris McAlister and strong safety Kim Herring. Starks' return for a touchdown was the fifth in Super Bowl history. Others were by Herb Adderley of Green Bay (1968), Willie Brown of Oakland (1977), Jack Squirek of Oakland (1984) and Darrien Gordon of Denver (1999).

Run, Jamal, run

Ravens rookie tailback Jamal Lewis is a man of few words and, in fact, is downright surly most of the time in dealing with the media. But the first-round draft choice, the fifth overall prospect taken in the 2000 draft, was a bit more talkative after rushing for 102 yards -- remarkably, 51 in each half -- in Sunday's game.

"Everyone wants to talk about how tough our defense is, but our offense likes to think that we can pound on people, too," Lewis said. "You saw that tonight. We were very physical up front and I don't think most teams realize the power with which we play. The Giants have a really good defense and they hit you, man, believe me. But we made the most of what we got and, I think, by the fourth quarter, we wore them down."

Of his 27 carries, Lewis gained 2 yards or less on 16 of them. He did, though have rushes for 11, 13 and 19 yards.

Collins won't hide

He tied a Super Bowl record for quarterback ineptitude by throwing four interceptions and, for much of Sunday's game, looked like the deer in the headlights. But credit Giants starter Kerry Collins for sticking around the New York locker room for a long time Sunday evening and for patiently answering all the tough questions.

"There wasn't a whole lot good with what I did," said Collins, who provided one of the week's true highlights with his soul-baring act of contrition addressing past off-field problems. "This is the most disappointing loss I've ever been involved with."

Collins was pressured often, but frequently threw into double coverage. When he scrambled, it appeared he was afraid of getting hit at all, and twice did a hook-slide at least 5-6 yards shy of the first-down marker. And there were some atrocious reads of the Baltimore secondary.

"I was very calm before the game," Collins said. "Everything was in check. I felt very good about the game plan. I felt very good about everything. But then I started bad and it didn't get better."

The veteran passer revealed Monday morning that he sustained a separated right shoulder in the third quarter, but did not use that as an excuse. "Let's face it," he said, "I pretty much sucked."

Statistically speaking

During the Ravens' four-game postseason run, the offense had 57 possessions and netted more than two first downs on just two of the series. There was a series of six first downs in the wildcard victory over Denver and a possession of three first downs on Sunday night. The Ravens gained no first downs on 27 of the 57 possessions in the playoffs.

On the plus side, Baltimore turned the ball over just twice -- one interception and one fumble -- in four playoff games. The Ravens defense forced 12 turnovers.

The last word

Siragusa, on how he planned to celebrate: "Well, I've thought about having someone unzip my stomach, take out my liver, and fill it up."

Ravens' defense lives up to billing in SB XXXV

Updated 12:58 AM ET January 29, 2001

TAMPA, Florida (Ticker) -- The defense rests.

The defense of the Baltimore Ravens can finally rest, having made its case as the greatest in NFL history by smothering the New York Giants, 34-7, in Super Bowl XXXV on Sunday night.

"This is the greatest defense in the history of the universe," said Ravens quarterback Trent Dilfer, who rode the defense to his own personal redemption. "They can't argue anymore."

The defense was led by middle linebacker Ray Lewis, who was named Most Valuable Player. He was the biggest name in a unit that has many great players but still does not have a name of its own.

"The defense has been doing it all year, and never, never got the credit," Lewis said. "But there's one thing that can never be taken away from us: We're the best ever, the best ever right now."

Lewis had four tackles, deflected three passes and made an interception in the first half, when he set the tone with his reactive skills. One of his deflections became an interception by linebacker Jamie Sharper.

"He played a good game today," safety Rod Woodson said. "He was flying around to the football. It's a dream season for the guy."

It was a stunning reversal of fortune for Lewis. After last year's Super Bowl, he was involved in a fight that led to him being charged with double murder.

Lewis pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice for impeding a police investigation and the charges were dropped. He was fined $250,000 by the NFL but was feeling fine Sunday night.

"If you put this in a storybook, nobody would believe it," Lewis said.

During the season, the Ravens allowed just 165 points as they eclipsed the record of the 1986 Chicago Bears. In their three playoff wins, they were even better, allowing just 16 points and one touchdown.

On Sunday, they presented their closing argument, holding the Giants to 11 first downs, 152 yards and no points while forcing five turnovers. In the third quarter, cornerback Duane Starks returned an interception 49 yards for a score.

"I didn't expect to turn the ball over five times," Giants coach Jim Fassel said.

The Giants, who scored 41 points in the NFC championship game, averted the first Super Bowl shutout only when Ron Dixon brought back a kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown.

The Ravens became the fifth team in Super Bowl history and the first in 12 years not allow an offensive touchdown.

"You can't appreciate the physical nature, the speed, the athleticism of the defense until you've played it," Ravens coach Brian Billick said. "You can't simulate it in practice, so I think it has a tendency to catch people off guard. They look at it in film, they think it's a certain thing and they have respect for it, clearly. But until you actually play it, you don't know how good it is."

Dilfer did exactly what the Ravens have asked him to since he replaced Tony Banks in late October -- don't lose the game and let the defense win it.

"People were saying, `They won despite Trent Dilfer,'" Dilfer said. "I got no problem with that. ... This game's about winning."

Dilfer missed a handful of open receivers but completed 12-of-25 passes for 153 yards, including a 38-yard TD strike to Brandon Stokley in the first quarter.

That was more than the Giants got from Collins, who was 15-of-39 for 112 yards. He was harassed all game and telegraphed his passes as his four interceptions tied a Super Bowl record.

Rookie Jamal Lewis rushed for 102 yards and a touchdown and Jermaine Lewis answered Dixon's kickoff return with one of his own for an 84-yard score, ending New York's hopes for any sort of comeback.

The Ravens became the third wild card team to win the Super Bowl, joining the 1980 Oakland Raiders 15 and the 1997 Denver Broncos. They gave the AFC three of the last four Super Bowls after the NFC had won 13 in a row.

"This is a really special football team," Dilfer said.

The sports world's ultimate spectacle was a matchup of long-time owners and friends Wellington Mara of the Giants and Art Modell of the Ravens.

Mara saw his Giants win Super Bowls in 1987 and 1991. This was the first for Modell, who in 1996 moved the Cleveland Browns to Baltimore.

This was the third title game pitting Baltimore and New York. The first was the 1958 NFL championship between the Baltimore Colts and the Giants and the second was Super Bowl III between the Colts and Jets in January 1969.

Ravens enjoy a parade
By JEANNE NAUJECK, Associated Press Writer

BALTIMORE (January 30, 2001 12:23 p.m. EST http://www.sportserver.com) - Ray Lewis danced on stage with the Super Bowl trophy on a cold and rainy day that was simply beautiful for Baltimore Ravens fans.

Lewis and the rest of team were feted in a victory parade Tuesday that ended in front of City Hall. Mayor Martin O'Malley then called the players onto the stage one by one.

Ray Lewis, the heart of the team's record-setting defense and MVP in the 34-7 Super Bowl victory over the New York Giants, was the first to come on the stage.

The linebacker then broke into his sliding, side-to-side dance that he does before each game.

Just a year ago, Lewis was implicated in a double murder after the Super Bowl in Atlanta. Murder charges against him were dropped and he pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice.

By the time the parade reached War Memorial Plaza in front of City Hall, thousands had packed the square, craning for a view of the stage.

Crowds began gathering as early as 8:30 a.m. An hour later more than 1,000 had gathered in front of City Hall.

Police had estimated more than 100,000 would line downtown streets for the Super Bowl champs, but that estimate was made before the morning rain.

"We're going to see a lot of umbrellas, but we're not going to let that dampen our enthusiasm for our Super Bowl Ravens," O'Malley said.

The Marching Ravens band started the parade, along with the team's three mascots, Edgar, Allan and Poe - named for the 19th century writer of the macabre poem from which the team derived its name.

A little further behind, team president David Modell held the Vince Lombardi trophy as he walked. His father, owner Art Modell, rode in a limousine; the players rode in 30 military vehicles.

"I told my husband this morning, it's raining too much, the weather's not good, stay home, but I'm going," said Mary Arthes, 57, of Ocean Pines on Maryland's Eastern Shore.

Six fans waiting for the team at War Memorial Plaza got onto the balcony of a nearby building and held signs spelling the team's name, prompting the crowd to chant "R-A-V-E-N-S."

The Ravens returned home Monday, 156 years to the day after Poe's poem "The Raven" was first published in the New York Evening Mirror. Poe lived briefly in Baltimore and is buried in the city.

Joan Duppins, 65, of Baltimore, was at City Hall with her grandson, Graham, carrying a homemade sign reading, "God bless you Ravens."

"The best thing about this is the love you feel all through the city. This has brought all of Baltimore together," Duppins said. "No matter who you are, when you see the Ravens flag flying, you honk your horn and wave, you just feel the love."

Long journey for Ravens' Lewis
By ANDY KENT

TAMPA, Fla. (January 30, 2001 5:12 a.m. EST http://www.sportserver.com) - On Monday morning, Ray Lewis stood in front of a room full of reporters and photographers inside the Grand Ballroom of the Tampa Marriot Waterside hotel - seemingly facing another inquest.

But this time the Baltimore Ravens middle linebacker was flanked by a 2001 F Series Super Duty truck from the Ford Motor Company, and a glimmering silver trophy with the words "Super Bowl XXV Most Valuable Player" inscribed on it. The scene was surreal, and one thought to be unfathomable one year earlier.

Instead of crystal chandeliers, plush carpet and the fresh memory of winning the biggest football game there is, Lewis was living a very real nightmare around this date in 2000. A nightmare involving violence and bloodshed on the streets of Atlanta, host city for Super Bowl XXXIV, that ended with the murder of two young men and the finger of the law pointing in Lewis' direction.

Of course, the rest of the story has been told again and again, through the dramatic trial and the dismissal of all charges except the one for obstructing justice, to the $250,000 fine levied by NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue, the same man who proudly introduced Lewis at the MVP press conference a year later. Everything else in between just adds interest to the journey Lewis made.

"First of all, I pray that nobody in this room ever has to go through what he went through," Ravens head coach Brian Billick said on Monday, hours after leading his team to a 34-7 victory over the New York Giants in Super Bowl XXXV. "But if you do anything that resembles that in any sense of the word, having to deal with that kind of crisis, pray that you handle it in the way that Ray did in terms of confidence, holding true to your convictions, and just staying true to the person that you are and having the strength to get through it. Pray that you have that kind of strength to get through it the way he did."

In light of the fact that nobody was ever found guilty of the Jan. 31 murders of Jacinth Baker and Richard Lollar (Lewis' co-defendants before his pleas bargain, Joseph Sweeting and Reginald Oakley, were acquitted), Lewis was hounded by the press at every stop the Ravens made during the 2000 season. He couldn't escape the questions, not even after being named NFL defensive player of the year and being the unquestioned leader of one of the best defenses in history.

"If I really could describe my emotions about what I went through this past off-season, it would be a true emotion, what I went through," Lewis said in a noticeable whisper left over from the celebrating that continued into the morning hours. "And for me to put that in words, I can't. So that's something when I sit on my couch and take that deep breath, I know everything is all right."

Chances are, everything will never be all right for Lewis, not as long as the stigma of that tragic night in Atlanta remains attached to his name.

Proof of that fact could be found on the front of the new Wheaties cereal box honoring the Super Bowl champions, with Ravens tight end Shannon Sharpe, wide receiver Quadry Ismail, offensive lineman Jonathan Ogden, defensive lineman Michael McCrary and safety Rod Woodson pictured - but no Lewis. And quarterback Trent Dilfer, not Lewis, made the trip to Disney World as part of Disney's 'What's Next?" promotion.

"Whatever He (God) does, He does," said Lewis. "But He - He's poured me out more blessings than I can receive this year. I can't ask for nothing else. I can't ask for a better season.

"All I can do now is maintain. I've been our team Player of the Year, I've been Defensive Player of the Year, I've been Super Bowl MVP. For me to question anything that He's done for me, I can't, at all."

* * * *

Fans await Ravens' return to the roost
By DAVID DISHNEAU

OWINGS MILLS, Md. (January 29, 2001 9:42 p.m. EST http://www.sportserver.com) - For the uninitiated, Baltimore Ravens fans don't "caw."

Spontaneous outbreaks of "Woooo, woooo, woooo!" and "Woof, woof, woof!" filled the air Monday as fans awaited the arrival of their Super Bowl champions outside the team's Owings Mills headquarters and training facility.

As the Ravens' convoy made its way home Monday afternoon, more than 1,000 fans lined the cordoned-off road to give the team a raucous welcome.

And a local radio station blared the ubiquitous sports anthem "Who Let The Dogs Out?" as David Taylor of Kensington rode a scooter carrying a toy dog in his backpack - so he could let it out when the team arrived.

Previously a "halfhearted Redskins fan," Taylor said he converted to the Ravens after the underdog team prevailed against the Tennessee Titans on Jan. 7.

"They won me over," Taylor said. "I had not seen that kind of hitting since the Steel Curtain," he said, referring to the Pittsburgh Steelers' 1970s glory days.

Both Jeff Wern, a truck driver from Westminster, and Earl Kelso, a tool and die maker from Hampstead, took the day off from work to support the team. Both were wearing Ravens AFC championship hats and said they planned to update with Super Bowl caps.

"It's just an unbelievable year for a football team," Kelso said. "Who would ever think after everything they went through that they would go all the way?"

Wern said he didn't even bother making up an excuse to miss work.

"I told them as soon as they got in the playoffs, 'I'm not coming in Monday' because I knew they were going all the way," Wern said.

Nor did Brian Donovan, who kept his young daughters, Nicole and Hannah, out of school to watch the Super Bowl champions arrive home.

"I believe that's an acceptable excuse," he said with a grin.

Robert and Theresa Shade of Pasadena arrived with their four boys, ages 10 to 15. Robert's brother, John, carried a 20-inch aluminum foil-covered replica of the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

Although Monday was a school day, "all the kids had fevers this morning when they woke up. It's a mysterious thing," Shade said.

"It was the Ravens bug," 10-year-old Frank said.

Steve Kallens, who runs a local Italian ice stand, said no one was immune.

"Who's not a Ravens fan now?" Kallens asked rhetorically.

The celebration came 156 years to the day after Edgar Allan Poe's poem "The Raven" was first published, in the New York Evening Mirror.

Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley arrived at BWI Airport to welcome the plane before team members loaded onto buses for the trip to headquarters.

"I'm so proud of this team," O'Malley said. "I'm so proud of how hard they fought all year and to go all the way."

Citing the city's declining crime rate, higher public school test scores and rising real estate values, O'Malley proclaimed the Super Bowl win a harbinger of more good things to come.

"It's a great way to show off to the whole country that we're a city that's coming back and it's on the rebound and destined for great things," he said.

Predictably, the crowd went wild as the team buses pulled up to the complex, but the undisputed highlight of the day was when team president David Modell and coach Brian Billick walked along the road with the Vince Lombardi Trophy, letting anybody within reaching distance touch it.

"This is the people's trophy," Modell said.

"You've got to let the fans have a chance to touch it," Billick added. "The fans are the reason I came to Baltimore."

The gesture also allowed players to exit the complex in their personal vehicles. Some waved to fans as they sped away.

Lou Frick of Reisterstown shook Billick's hand and touched the trophy.

"I never thought I would do it in my life, that's for sure," Frick said. "I know I sound like a little kid, but how often do you get this close in your lifetime? I'm making the most of every minute."

Frick, a Colts fan who watched the team's 1958 Super Bowl win, said Baltimore still loved and missed the Colts but "this is a new team and the Ravens brought everybody back together. This is the neatest thing that's happened in so long. You could not do more for the city."