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Wednesday, January 24
Up close and personal with the Ravens
By Joe Theismann
Special to ESPN.com

TAMPA, Fla. -- One of my biggest concerns about playing in the Super Bowl following a two-week break was peaking too soon. The worst thing coaches can do is to have their players ready to go two or three days before the game. But I have first-hand knowledge that Brian Billick won't allow that to happen after I got a rare opportunity during Super Bowl week.

Rod Woodson
Rod Woodson, left, chats with Ray Lewis (52) during the Ravens' practice on Wednesday.
Because I picked the Ravens to win the Super Bowl at the beginning of the season, I was invited to practice with them Wednesday at the University of South Florida. Billick, who is a good friend of mine, had allowed me to throw passes during training camp. So he told me, "You were the only person to believe in us. You started this thing; we'd like you to come finish it."

Wednesday was the Ravens' first practice back in pads. Because they had no bye week and played three physical games to get to Tampa, Billick decided he wanted to keep the players out of pads until Wednesday so their legs would be fresh. But this is football, and players have to hit. It's important for quarterbacks, receivers and running backs to practice in pads. If players go two weeks without pads, they would feel awkward on Super Bowl Sunday.

The Ravens were very loose and just crisp enough to have an idea about what they were doing. The practice started about 1:30 p.m. and finished around 3:15 p.m., with a half-hour of special teams mixed in.

Around 1:30, Billick told me to get ready. He said, "You're going to throw around 2:50. Take as long as you need to warm up." While I was waiting, I went out and caught punts for a while. To get my arm loose, I was catching field goals and throwing them back 30-40 yards.

When my turn came, I played quarterback for the scout team in a seven-on-seven drill against the Ravens' first defense. Wearing shorts and spikes, I threw against both regular and nickel coverages and ended up completing four of seven passes to practice-squad receivers and threw a couple of deep balls.

I couldn't beat the defense up too bad. The highlight was something I did to cornerback Duane Starks. I can't say what it was, but it was a highlight for me -- and a lesson for him. Ray Lewis was lined up right across from me. He knocked down one of my passes and said, "You're not going to get one by me."

“ You're lucky I'm not corner-blitzing. It would be your last throw. ”
— James Trapp, Ravens defensive back

The players were ribbing me about throwing the ball, and I was getting high-fives if I completed one. It's almost like the defense was amazed at what was happening. Cornerback James Trapp kept giving me a hard time, saying, "You're lucky I'm not corner-blitzing. It would be your last throw."

I was amazed at the defense's coordination and speed as a unit and the way the players reacted to the ball and the receiver. The players know where they have to be. People say talking about the Ravens' defense and competing against it are two completely different things -- and they are right.

None of what Shannon Sharpe said at the press conference in his strong defense of Lewis carried over to the practice field. In fact, nobody even discussed it. All Sharpe did was the same thing he has been doing all year. Sharpe was just being himself, talking about his friend, and trying to tell the media that the issue is done. The Ravens all know the questions will not end; they will never end. The fact Lewis is able to stand at the podium and face the questions is amazing. He and Kerry Collins deserve a lot of credit for standing in front of the media and fielding tough questions.

I spoke to Trent Dilfer, Tony Banks, Sam Gash, Tony Siragusa and Michael McCrary. The Giants were never mentioned; all the conversations were about the Ravens, their season and their tasks. Goose distributed a bunch of hats from a company he endorses, but not the traditional way. He just sort of threw them up in the air. The players were all wearing them. Then he and I talked about the opportunities that Super Bowl week creates and the amounts of money corporations spend on a player wearing a hat or a T-shirt.

No matter how much fun I had throwing passes and hanging out with the players at practice, what I did at practice was very serious to the Ravens' preparation. After practice, I addressed the team. But what I said is between me and them. I thanked them for letting me join them for practice -- and for making me look good.

I may have practiced with the Ravens, and a lot of the Giants' players and coaches are terrific friends of me. But this week isn't about me or anything I would say or do. It's about the Ravens and the Giants and what they do on Sunday.

Former NFL quarterback Joe Theismann works as a game analyst for ESPN's Sunday Night Football. He will give his thoughts each day from Tampa in the Super Bowl version of his "Cup o' Joe" feature.

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