Ravens Leave 8 Fingerprints On Super Bowl 50
The Ravens had their fingerprints all over Super Bowl 50 this weekend. Here were eight connections you should know about:
1) Joe Flacco and Ray Lewis celebrated in MVP ceremony.
Before Super Bowl 50 began, MVPs from previous years were honored during a ceremony at Levi's Stadium. Former greats including Joe Montana, Joe Namath, Jerry Rice, Steve Young were cheered. The Ravens' Ray Lewis and Joe Flacco were also celebrated as the MVPs of Super Bowls XXXV and XLVII, respectively.
The Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos fans in attendance mostly cheered for Lewis and Flacco – Lewis may have gotten some faint boos – but they didn't hold back on booing Tom Brady. Brady and Lewis can be seen chatting it up in the video below before they were introduced.
You can also see Flacco's introduction and walk out onto the field. He had some swagger after undergoing ACL and MCL surgery two and a half months ago, which local media sarcastically joked about when some seemed to think it was a good indicator of his health.
2) John Harbaugh gets credit for helping Gary Kubiak on his road to Super Bowl glory.
Broncos Head Coach Gary Kubiak is a class act.
He told the CBS broadcast that he learned a great deal during his one-year stint as the Ravens offensive coordinator in 2014. Head Coach John Harbaugh taught him that it's not always about X's and O's, but also about the morale of the team.
It was a nice little shout-out as Kubiak and the Broncos had just secured the Super Bowl 50 victory.
Gary Kubiak a class act, giving credit to John Harbaugh on his way to Super Bowl. Said he learned a lot in Baltimore pic.twitter.com/XQiEqxYiu8 — Sarah Ellison (@sgellison) February 8, 2016
3) Ravens PR VP Chad Steele finds his way in front of camera … again.
I don't know how Ravens Public Relations Vice President Chad Steele does it, but he found his way in front of the camera again. This time, it was at a Super Bowl the Ravens didn't even play in, as he was escorting Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning to all his interviews after the game. A hashtag was even created for Steele: #GuyBehindPeyton.
Steele may have been the most-tweeted about person among Ravens fans and media last night. There were questions flying around about whether he has left the team. To quell any concerns … the NFL always needs extra PR personnel with the crazy number of media covering the event, and teams from around the league help out. The Ravens PR department frequently pitches in.
4) Von Miller joins Lewis in elite company.
When Broncos linebacker Von Miller rightfully earned the Super Bowl 50 MVP honor by completely dismantling Panthers quarterback Cam Newton and the league's top offense with a ferocious pass rush, he joined Lewis in elite company.
5) Former Ravens safety Darian Stewart had himself a game.
Stewart was one of the former Ravens that followed Kubiak to Denver, and he had an outstanding game. Stewart finished with three tackles, a sack, two passes defensed and a key forced fumble in the second quarter.
Mike Tolbert fumble. Darian Stewart on the hit. pic.twitter.com/NQNsM7UL68 — ⓂarcusD (@MarcusD) February 8, 2016
6) Ravens fans see a familiar Michael Oher.
While Stewart had a standout game, another former Raven had a rough go at it.
The Ravens' 2009 top overall draft pick, Michael Oher, now plays left tackle for the Panthers, and has had a solid year, but looked overwhelmed with Denver's pass rush. To be fair, the rest of the league has also looked overwhelmed by Miller and Demarcus Ware.
Oher was flagged twice for false starts, and gave up a sack and two quarterback hits, according to Pro Football Focus.
7) Lewis was seen … everywhere.
The future Hall of Fame linebacker was everywhere Super Bowl weekend, seen chatting it up with everyone from NFL legends to former coaches and even rappers.
8) Steve Smith, the future TV analyst.
Ravens wide receiver Steve Smith was a guest analyst for CBS Sports during its Super Bowl coverage. Smith has done lots of TV work since he injured his Achilles tendon, which is a perfect audition for a post-football career.
Did Somebody Just Criticize Forsett For Charity Work?
Ravens running back Justin Forsett was in San Francisco for a chunk of last week getting ready for the Super Bowl, but he was also concerned about the water crisis in Flint, Michigan. and wanted to help.
So he started calling around to several of his NFL buddies, and they raised $100,000 to cover the cost of body wipes and water. Pretty admirable, right?
Amazingly, not to everyone. Forsett was actually criticized on Twitter for taking time out of his training schedule to help.
Congrats To Anquan!
While Smith wanted to win the Walter Payton Man of the Year award, it was another former Ravens receiver who won it. Anquan Boldin earned the honor, and his former teammates couldn't be happier for him.
The award recognizes players for their excellence on and off the field. Boldin's foundation aims to expand the educational and life opportunities of underprivileged youth. He announced a $1 million pledge to the foundation last year.
Did Marshawn Lynch Just Announce Retirement? Forsett Seems To Think So.
If this was Seattle running back Marshawn Lynch's retirement announcement, it surely fits his style. Lynch has never been a man of many words, especially in front of the media.
Lynch simply posted a "peace" emoticon with a picture of his cleats suspended from a telephone wire. Many thought it was his way of saying goodbye to the game of football, including Forsett.
Quick Hits
Happy for my bro @VernonDavis85 ....someone write that story — Torrey Smith (@TorreySmithWR) February 8, 2016
The MVP was NOT in the mood to talk to reporters after #SB50https://t.co/SKuJ1dUWBC — AtTheBuzzer (@TheBuzzerOnFOX) February 8, 2016
