Bronco Rob
10-08-2010, 03:33 AM
Baltimore a scary place for Broncos
The Denver Broncos have not enjoyed much success in their previous trips to Baltimore.
In fact the last time the Broncos won in Baltimore was in Week 2 of the 1983 season when Steve DeBerg relieved an ineffective rookie named John Elway at quarterback and engineered two fourth-quarter scoring drives to lead the Broncos from behind to a 17-14 victory over the Baltimore Colts at the old Memorial Stadium.
But since the Cleveland Browns moved to Baltimore before the 1996 season and became the Ravens, the Broncos have yet to even play competitive football in Baltimore.
They will look to reverse that trend of defeat this Sunday as the Broncos travel to Baltimore to face the Ravens in what has been a house of horror for them.
"Yeah, (Baltimore is a tough place to play), absolutely; they have been known for that defense for the past 10-15 years, so you go in there and you know you are going to be in for a dog fight," Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey said,
Most of the current players know the pain of facing the Ravens and that defense in Baltimore as the two teams met in the same location in what turned out to be a 30-7 drubbing of the Broncos in what was their first defeat of the season.
"Last year they played better than we did. We weren’t ready to handle their physicality and their energy. When you do that, especially there, they are a tough team to play and you don’t look good," quarterback Kyle Orton said.
But the Broncos dismal history in Baltimore goes beyond last season.
Back in 2002, the Broncos were undefeated at 3-0 and went to Baltimore for a Week 4 matchup with the Ravens on Monday Night Football. They left with their first loss of the season after a 34-23 loss after falling behind 31-3 in the first half.
They would return to Baltimore the following season with a new quarterback but left with same result as the Ravens handled the Broncos 26-6.
Those are the only three regular season meetings the Broncos have had with the Ravens in Baltimore, but they did meet once in the playoffs as in the Wild Card round in 2000 as the Ravens dominated Denver 20-3 in route to a Super Bowl Championship.
While many of the players on the Ravens' vaunted defense has changed, the one player that has remained the centerpiece and face of the franchise for the past 10-plus years is linebacker Ray Lewis and he hasn't really slowed down.
"I think he still has a good motor but I think right now, it’s more that he knows the game. He’s played (in the NFL for) so long, he’s seen every possible play, every possible thing you can do to him. The fact that he’s a savvy vet, he’s able to continue to make the type of plays that he made when he was just playing off raw skills," Broncos linebacker Mario Haggan said.
While the Broncos haven't enjoyed any success in Baltimore recently, neither have many other teams as the Ravens have won nearly 72 percent of their home games since 2000.
http://www.examiner.com/denver-broncos-in-denver/baltimore-a-scary-place-for-broncos
The Denver Broncos have not enjoyed much success in their previous trips to Baltimore.
In fact the last time the Broncos won in Baltimore was in Week 2 of the 1983 season when Steve DeBerg relieved an ineffective rookie named John Elway at quarterback and engineered two fourth-quarter scoring drives to lead the Broncos from behind to a 17-14 victory over the Baltimore Colts at the old Memorial Stadium.
But since the Cleveland Browns moved to Baltimore before the 1996 season and became the Ravens, the Broncos have yet to even play competitive football in Baltimore.
They will look to reverse that trend of defeat this Sunday as the Broncos travel to Baltimore to face the Ravens in what has been a house of horror for them.
"Yeah, (Baltimore is a tough place to play), absolutely; they have been known for that defense for the past 10-15 years, so you go in there and you know you are going to be in for a dog fight," Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey said,
Most of the current players know the pain of facing the Ravens and that defense in Baltimore as the two teams met in the same location in what turned out to be a 30-7 drubbing of the Broncos in what was their first defeat of the season.
"Last year they played better than we did. We weren’t ready to handle their physicality and their energy. When you do that, especially there, they are a tough team to play and you don’t look good," quarterback Kyle Orton said.
But the Broncos dismal history in Baltimore goes beyond last season.
Back in 2002, the Broncos were undefeated at 3-0 and went to Baltimore for a Week 4 matchup with the Ravens on Monday Night Football. They left with their first loss of the season after a 34-23 loss after falling behind 31-3 in the first half.
They would return to Baltimore the following season with a new quarterback but left with same result as the Ravens handled the Broncos 26-6.
Those are the only three regular season meetings the Broncos have had with the Ravens in Baltimore, but they did meet once in the playoffs as in the Wild Card round in 2000 as the Ravens dominated Denver 20-3 in route to a Super Bowl Championship.
While many of the players on the Ravens' vaunted defense has changed, the one player that has remained the centerpiece and face of the franchise for the past 10-plus years is linebacker Ray Lewis and he hasn't really slowed down.
"I think he still has a good motor but I think right now, it’s more that he knows the game. He’s played (in the NFL for) so long, he’s seen every possible play, every possible thing you can do to him. The fact that he’s a savvy vet, he’s able to continue to make the type of plays that he made when he was just playing off raw skills," Broncos linebacker Mario Haggan said.
While the Broncos haven't enjoyed any success in Baltimore recently, neither have many other teams as the Ravens have won nearly 72 percent of their home games since 2000.
http://www.examiner.com/denver-broncos-in-denver/baltimore-a-scary-place-for-broncos