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'Awesome' beginning

New-look Ravens open season by topping Bengals, 17-10, at M &T Stadium

By Ken Murray

September 8, 2008

Ravens rookie quarterback Joe Flacco (right) and fullback Lorenzo Neal walk off the field after beating the Cincinnati Bengals, 17-10, in the season opener at M&T Bank Stadium. Flacco had a 38-yard touchdown run and no interceptions. (Baltimore Sun photo by Gene Sweeney Jr. / September 7, 2008)

Starting over never felt so good.

With a first-time head coach on the sideline and a rookie quarterback under center, the Ravens swept aside the apprehension of change yesterday to launch a new era.

Behind a power running game and a defense even more stingy than its reputation, the Ravens punished the Cincinnati Bengals for a 17-10 opening-day victory at M&T Stadium, delighting a crowd of 70,978 on a glorious day of football.

Talk about fresh starts. Cincinnati quarterback Carson Palmer, one of the best in the NFL, looked more like the rookie than did Joe Flacco, the Ravens' starter making the jump from NCAA Division I-AA Delaware, a step below the bigger Division I-A schools where NFL players usually come from, to professional football.

"This was a beginning for Joe," said Ravens' coach John Harbaugh. "We talked about it before the game. … This is going to be a jumping-off point.

"Now we've got an idea of where he's at and what he needs to do to get better."

Just for an afternoon, the Ravens faithful forgot last season's 5-11 record that resulted in the dismissal of head coach Brian Billick, who led the young franchise to its only Super Bowl victory in the 2000 season.

The vexing issues of a tumultuous offseason and preseason were answered, at least for one day, when the Ravens started 10 of their regulars on a star-studded defense and offered a new identity on offense.

It ended, appropriately enough, with a Gatorade shower for Harbaugh and Flacco's first NFL win. It ended with a thorough domination of the Bengals, whose only touchdown came off a gift fumble by Ravens rookie running back Ray Rice.

And it ended with the Ravens' offense running out the clock behind the power bursts of fullback-turned-tailback Le'Ron McClain, who had a game-high 86 rushing yards.

"He was running north and south, and the ball was high and tight," Harbaugh said of his newest offensive star. "He did a great job with it. He's a load; he's tough to tackle."

The Ravens' defense was so dominant, it stuffed the Bengals twice on fourth-and-one plays in the second half. Jarret Johnson made the first big stop in the third quarter at the Ravens' 36-yard line. Haloti Ngata made the second stop at the Baltimore 26, after the Ravens scrambled to get their goal-line defense on the field and were aided by an official's decision to reset the play clock.

Offense digs in

Ngata's play left the Ravens in possession with 7:15 left and 74 yards from the end zone. Without verbalizing it, the Ravens' new-look offense dug down to put the game away. They were able to run out the clock.

"We just didn't want to send the defense back on the field after they stopped [the Bengals] on fourth down," right tackle Adam Terry said. "We didn't say that in the huddle, but we all knew it. Maybe it was mental telepathy."

The defense noticed.

"Awesome," Ngata said when asked about the game-ending drive. "It hasn't been like that for a while here."

All summer, Harbaugh preached team and togetherness, and yesterday the Ravens put it all together.

"I don't think you all understand how much hard work and effort we put into this in the offseason," said center Jason Brown, whose biggest block of the day sprung Flacco on a 38-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. "All of this coming together in the first game is a beautiful thing. And it's just the beginning."

As well as the day had gone, Harbaugh conceded "it could have gone better," but he also recognized the importance of getting an opening-day win.

"I'm appreciative of [team owner] Steve Bisciotti and [general manager] Ozzie Newsome and the rest of the Ravens organization for giving a no-name a chance to be a head coach in this league," Harbaugh said. "We've got a long way to go as a football team … but this is a good start."

Happy fans

The Ravens' fans got what they came for, too. Russ Hewitt, 53 and a retired policeman from Pasadena, wore a cape of crushed purple velvet and a makeshift crown of purple in support of the new regime.

"I think coach Harbaugh will be a breath of fresh air," Hewitt said. "He's going to put some energy back in the team that is needed. I love coach [Brian] Billick, and I'm not disparaging him. But any organization occasionally needs someone to shake things up."

Cedric Crawley, a program analyst from Catonsville, said he was "hopeful" about the new course the Ravens were taking. He also thinks it was necessary.

"I thought our training camps were too easy, too soft," Crawley said. "I think you play the way you practice and it showed up."

It showed up big yesterday, when the Ravens made a new start.

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'Awesome' beginning

New-look Ravens open season by topping Bengals, 17-10, at M &T Stadium

Ravens questions? Just ask.

Offense digs in

Happy fans

Going deep

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'Awesome' beginning

New-look Ravens open season by topping Bengals, 17-10, at M &T Stadium

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Ravens questions? Just ask. Each week, Baltimore Sun reporter Jamison Hensley will answer fans' questions about the Ravens. To submit a question, e-mail sports@baltsun.com. Please provide your name and phone number so we can verify the e-mail.

Ravens questions? Just ask.

Offense digs in

Happy fans

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Going deep

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Ravens questions? Just ask.
Each week, Baltimore Sun reporter Jamison Hensley will answer fans' questions about the Ravens. To submit a question, e-mail sports@baltsun.com. Please provide your name and phone number so we can verify the e-mail.