The best documentary yet on the Ravens' Super Bowl XLVII season airs tonight on the NFL Network at 9 p.m. ET.
NFL Films' latest "America's Game" feature debuted at The Patricia and Arthur Model Performing Arts Center at The Lyric Tuesday night. But tonight is the first opportunity for everyone to see it.
The story of the 2012 Ravens is narrated by Baltimore-area native, actor Edward Norton, and told from the perspective of Head Coach John Harbaugh, quarterback Joe Flacco and linebacker Ray Lewis. The three did in-depth, informative and entertaining interviews for the documentary.
They were excellent, and as always, so was NFL Films.
Here are some highlights to whet your palate:
- NFL Films got footage of Flacco in his living room when he was drafted in 2008. Surrounded by family, Flacco says, "I want to be a Raven."
- It dives head-first into Flacco's willingness to speak up and challenge his coaches, including Head Coach John Harbaugh. There's video of a sideline spat with Harbaugh in 2010, in which Flacco tells his head coach, "Get off my back."
- One of the more interesting parts is an exchange between Flacco and former Offensive Coordinator Cam Cameron in 2011. It was in the final regular-season game in Cincinnati. Flacco tells Cameron they're playing too conservative if they want to win a Super Bowl. "I'm not trying to argue with you. I'm just telling you what we're going to need to do," Flacco says.
- The film goes into what the media dubbed a "mutiny" last season. "That was challenging. That was tough. A bunch of strong-minded men," Harbaugh said. "But the good news was they had a strong-minded head coach standing in front of them. So if there was going to be a fight, then hey, let's have a fight."
- Harbaugh explains his decision to fire Cameron, and Flacco and Lewis go into how it affected the team.
- The work done on the AFC divisional game in Denver is incredible. Lewis' take on the Mile High Miracle: "When you see that ball drop into Jacoby's hands … that's the first time in an 80,000-plus stadium that you can hear a rat [urinate] on cotton."
- During the AFC championship, the Ravens made the change Flacco had long pushed for. Just before halftime, Harbaugh is talking to his coaches on the headset and says, "We can't play this kind of game. We've got no chance to win this thing. We've got to start moving the ball. Maybe open it up on first down. Put it in Joe's hands."
- Anquan Boldin's first touchdown reception in the Super Bowl was actually on a play stolen from the Green Bay Packers, who ran it for a touchdown a couple weeks earlier.
