Nfl History

MIAMI -- Let's say the Denver Broncos beat the Atlanta Falcons tonight in the Super Bowl at Pro Player Stadium. It's hardly a given, but let's just say they do. What do we make of the Broncos then?They'd want you to believe they're one of the best teams in NFL history, one of only six to win back-to-back Super Bowl titles. And they could be working on their third in a row, a feat no team has accomplished, if they hadn't blown an easy trip to the Super Bowl two years ago with a home playoff loss to Jacksonville.

In the end, John Elway opted for the storybook ending over a shot at history, for an early tee time over an impending pass rush.There will be no attempt at a three-peat, no more playing through debilitating injuries, no more fourth-quarter comebacks.His place in Canton, Ohio, secure, Elway reportedly will turn the page on a 16-year, Hall of Fame career with a formal announcement tomorrow of his retirement as quarterback of the Denver Broncos.Elway, 38, playing in a golf tournament in Pebble Beach, Calif.

Quotable"We have shown we can play with some of the so-called powerhouses of the AFC. Now we have to show that we can beat them."-- Receiver Yancey Thigpen of the Oilers, who lost to the unbeaten Jaguars to fall to 1-3."I'll probably have this one done up and put it in a place of importance."-- Owner Bill Bidwill, receiving the game ball for the Cardinals' victory in their first regular-season game in St. Louis since he moved the team after the 1987 season."You just wonder, 'Are you good enough to do this?

Watching Barry Sanders run with the football is like finding a Picasso at a flea market.Sanders, only the second back in NFL history to pass the 15,000-yard rushing mark, is on the short list of the best backs in NFL history and is likely to smash Walter Payton's rushing record before he retires.Yet Sanders, who'll probably make the only appearance of his career in Baltimore on Sunday when the Detroit Lions face the Ravens, has yet to get to the Super Bowl stage and has been obscured much of his career.

It was a passive morning at Passing Fancy, the flat expanse of farmland where John Unitas, wife Sandra and their three children live in comfort and a laid-back, kick-off-your-shoes kind of rural leisure.Their impeccable white-fenced sanctuary is located in the Long Green Valley, affording a grand vista of the Maryland countryside, away from the public glare but, at the same time, not so private that it's a self-imposed isolation.Sons Joey and Chad are away at college; daughter Paige is a student at St. Paul's School For Girls.

Top performances300-yard passersPlayer, Team .... C-A ..... Yds. ... TDPlummer, Ari. ... 19-38 ... 337 .... 4Marino, Mia. .... 24-39 ... 310 .... 2Stewart, Pit. ... 18-29 ... 303 ... 3Zeier, Ravens ... 17-28 ... 302 ... 1#100-yard rushersPlayer, Team .... No. ..... Yds. ... TDSanders, Det. ... 30 ...... 137 .... 1Bettis, Pit. .... 24 ...... 125 .... 0Barber, NYG ..... 21 ...... 114 .... 0Faulk, Ind. ..... 23 ...... 133 .... 1%100-yard receiversPlayer, Team ......... No. ..... Yds. ... TDThigpen, Pit. .....

Top performances300-yard passersPlayer, Team .......... C-A ..... Yds. ... TDZeier, Ravens ......... 28-41 ... 349 .... 2100-yard rushersPlayer, Team .......... No. ..... Yds. ... TDSanders, Det. ......... 23 ...... 184 .... 1R. Smith, Min. ........ 27 ...... 160 .... 0J. Anderson, Atl. ..... 33 ...... 152 .... 0Dunn, T.B. ............ 16 ...... 119 .... 0Garner, Phi. .......... 18 ...... 115 .... 2Faulk, Ind. ........... 23 ...... 102 .... 2100-yard receiversPlayer, Team .......... No. .....

PITTSBURGH -- Rohn Stark was tired of all the losing. He wanted to play for an NFL team that could make the playoffs and compete for championships. Thirteen years of losing were enough for any player.So Stark signed as a free agent with the Pittsburgh Steelers and now finds himself one game away from the Super Bowl -- but the team standing in his way is the team he fled in the off-season, the Indianapolis Colts.The Colts visit Pittsburgh on Sunday to play the Steelers in the AFC championship game.

They will remember Marcus Allen in years to come for a lot of reasons.For being one of the finest all-purpose running backs in NFL history.For his goal-line gift of getting into the end zone on something more than brute strength.For his spectacular 74-yard touchdown run in Super Bowl XVIII that helped the Los Angeles Raiders bury the Washington Redskins, 38-9.But one thing future historians will not find when they access highlight tape is Allen mugging for the cameras or showboating in the end zone after a touchdown.

Reading Time: Two Minutes.Cold in Pittsburgh, wet in San Francisco. Hey, it will be mid-January when the NFL conference championships are staged Sunday in these cities and that's what the weather's supposed to be. You can bet the media won't let it go at that, however.* One of the great recruiting stories is how Providence College landed Hall of Fame player and now winningest NBA coach Lenny Wilkens. Friars coach Joe Mullaney was checking out Brooklyn in the mid-'50s and was turned down by a kid when a playground game caught his eye as he was getting into his car. He checked it out, was captivated by Wilkens' defensive brilliance, a rarity in pickup games, and the rest, as they say, is history.

In the afterglow of Sunday's 31-26 win at San Diego, it's still difficult to label the Ravens. Is the once-feared defense showing some cracks after allowing so many big plays? Who should be the lead running back, Ray Rice or Willis McGahee? Has the Ravens' offense taken over the personality of this team? As the Ravens (2-0) sit atop the AFC North, there's only one identity that can't be disputed: They're establishing themselves as one of the best road teams in the NFL. Since Week 7 of last season, the Ravens have won eight of 10 games on the road (including playoffs)

When Joe Flacco lines up under center this week at training camp, the Ravens quarterback will be staring at something bigger than a blitzing Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker. It'll be the mounting expectations from fans, news media, coaches and teammates. He is no longer the small-school rookie who continually surprised everyone on the big stage. He is perhaps the most critical piece on a team that sees itself as a Super Bowl contender. But the increased heat doesn't seem to faze Joe Cool.

THREE THINGS THAT NEED TO GO RIGHT ... 1 Pressure Kerry Collins. Leroy Harris, a second-year lineman from North Carolina State, will be making his second career start, replacing injured center Kevin Mawae. The Titans gave up the fewest sacks in the NFL (12), but they allowed three in Harris' previous start. 2 Force turnovers again. Just like Miami, Tennessee didn't turn the ball over in the regular season (tied for third fewest). But the Ravens have forced multiple turnovers in nine of their 12 wins this season.

In a historical sense, this really isn't an argument. The Ravens' 2000 defense was far better. They were mentally tougher, and perhaps more than any other defense in modern NFL history, they carried their team to a Super Bowl victory. But physically? In terms of sheer talent and potential? I think the Ravens' 2008 team can be better. It's like arguing that Paul Thomas Anderson is a better director than Martin Scorsese. No, Anderson doesn't have Scorsese's overall body of work. But there is definitely potential there.

One of the bigger surprises of the season is that Matt Stover has missed more field goals than he has made. Should the Ravens be concerned about their 40-year-old kicker? Stover's track record suggests there's no need to panic. Not only is Stover the third-most accurate in NFL history, but he has also been the only constant in Ravens history. When the defense struggled in the early years of the franchise, Stover was kicking game-winners. When the offense struggled to score touchdowns under coach Brian Billick, Stover was carrying the scoring load.

The discussion is unavoidable. If the New England Patriots do what most expect and finish their perfect season with a win over the New York Giants on Sunday, some will anoint them the greatest team in NFL history. The case would be compelling. No team has gone 19-0 in an NFL season. The Patriots set a record for scoring and hammered opponents by almost 20 points a game. They have one of the greatest quarterbacks ever in Tom Brady, one of the greatest deep threats ever in Randy Moss and one of the greatest coaches ever in Bill Belichick.

He was one cog in the Ravens' wheel of fortune, a role player who fit nicely on the most grudging defense in NFL history. Robert Bailey played one season in Baltimore and helped the Ravens win a championship. The team's nickel back - the fifth defensive back inserted on obvious passing downs - Bailey recovered a fumble in a 34-7 victory over the New York Giants in the Super Bowl in January 2001. Earlier, in the Ravens' AFC title game victory over the Oakland Raiders, he intercepted a pass.

In this space, I've been given permission to vent a bit. You know, pick a topic or two and proffer a considered opinion - or let loose with an irrational rant. But I'm grateful for the opportunity, and in the spirit of our patron saint, H.L. Mencken, who exhorted those in the Fourth Estate to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable, I'm going to rail against two heavyweights - the NFL and the cable industry. The 11-0 New England Patriots are in town tonight, Baltimore being their latest whistlestop en route to potential NFL immortality.

The Ravens' motivation for tomorrow night comes from the chance to end the New England Patriots' perfect season, stop a franchise-worst five-game losing streak and make NFL history of their own. If the 20-point-underdog Ravens beat the undefeated Patriots, it would mark the biggest upset in 33 years, at least by Las Vegas standards. In recorded oddsmaker history, only one team has won an NFL game after being an underdog of at least 20 points. It occurred in 1974, when the San Diego Chargers upended the heavily favored Cincinnati Bengals, 20-17.

Five years after setting his first NFL record, Ravens kicker Matt Stover is closing in on another one. With four field goals Sunday, Stover increased his consecutive field-goals mark to 34, moving him into third on the NFL's all-time list. He needs to convert his next nine tries to surpass Mike Vanderjagt (who hit 42 straight field goals from 2002 to 2004) for a league record. "All it takes is one miss and it's over," Stover said. "My key is just to make the next kick. I've been around long enough, they forget about records so fast.