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Defense shows its mettle is rust-proof

David Steele

September 8, 2008

How often does this defense, the near-legendary Ravens defense, find itself in the shadows of its offensive counterpart? Even on a day like yesterday, when that offense managed to be uncommonly clever and efficient yet still shoot itself in the foot time and time again?

The fans at M&T Bank Stadium were fully justified in chanting, "Let's go Flacco," yesterday, in light of what he did to the Cincinnati Bengals in his NFL debut. Had the fans squeezed in a few choruses of "Dee-fense" along the way, though, that wouldn't have gone unappreciated.

The Ravens' faithful are too knowledgeable to take this group for granted, but the defense might have gone above and beyond yesterday.

"When it's tough on everybody else, it's just right for us," Terrell Suggs exclaimed. "That's our motto."

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Tough? Never mind what they had to face on the field so often, when the offense would, as is customary even on days like yesterday, let them down. Consider who they had to face it all with: Chris McAlister, Ed Reed and Samari Rolle, who barely played in the preseason. Suggs, who missed half the preseason because of his holdout. Haloti Ngata, battling knee problems since the first week of camp.

And no Kelly Gregg. Nor, for that matter, the suspended Fabian Washington and Derrick Martin.

Backed up against a wall early and late, pulling out schemes they hadn't shown all preseason, leaning on the chemistry built over years of continuity, and facing a Bengals offense that gives them chronic headaches, they gave up one field goal. Kept Cincinnati out of the end zone. "I think we kept them out last year when they were here," defensive coordinator Rex Ryan cracked, recalling a disturbing 21-7 loss in November. "Of course, they had seven field goals."

Turning serious, he added, "It was definitely a chore."

For Ryan, his coaches and the players, it also was a display of genius.

The offense sure saw it that way. "My God, that was ridiculous," Joe Flacco said afterward, while listing the elements that ushered him into the NFL victorious. "They didn't let up all day."

Not when Todd Heap fumbled on the second play of the game, 47seconds in, right after Flacco's first pro completion, on his own 33-yard line. Not when the Bengals drove to the Ravens' 17 after a Ravens punt. Not when seemingly automatic points evaporated three times - a punt-return touchdown by Yamon Figurs called back on a suspect penalty, a missed field-goal try by Matt Stover, a pass ricocheting off Heap's hands in the end zone.

Not when Cincinnati had fourth-and-two at the Ravens' 36 late in the third quarter, down by a touchdown. Not after Johnathan Joseph took Ray Rice's fumble 65yards the other way and brought the Bengals to within a touchdown again in the fourth. Definitely not when, with 7:19 left, the Bengals had fourth down and a foot at the Ravens' 25.

Never let up. It was just stop after stop after stop, against Carson Palmer, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Chris Perry and the wide receiver still officially known by the NFL for now as Chad Johnson. That was Reed deflecting a pass to McAlister for an interception. Ngata stuffing Perry on that fourth-quarter fourth down. Rolle zigzagging all over the field with a fumble (before it was overturned by replay). Suggs everywhere at once, especially in the backfield.

All as if they had never been away and never been apart. And all in support of a rookie quarterback, a rookie running back (Rice), a second-year fullback (Le'Ron McClain, bruising his way to 110total yards), a new offensive coordinator ( Cam Cameron, doing things that are hardly recognizable from years past) - and an appreciative rookie head coach in John Harbaugh.

It shouldn't have worked that well, should it?

"When you start having injuries, you lose your chemistry," linebacker Ray Lewis acknowledged. "But when you have as many starters as we had coming back … when you have that many people sacrifice, it's just beautiful to see how our defense plays like that."

It's also a kind of curse. You never see quarterbacks around here run 38yards for a touchdown, or make key blocks on a 42-yard double reverse, or lead a seven-minute, clock-killing, game-clinching drive.

But when you've seen one lights-out defensive show, you've seen them all.

Listen to David Steele on Fridays at 9 a.m. on WNST (1570 AM).

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Total offensive yards for the Cincinnati Bengals yesterday: 65rushing and 89passing

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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.