The Boldin Catch

[WNCRavensFan]

The first TD throw in that game, Flacco to Smith was a thing of beauty.

[Rygar64]

The first TD throw in that game, Flacco to Smith was a thing of beauty.

This was the game that told Champ he was done. He held on a bit longer, but everyone knew that was it for him.

[organizedchaos21]

Sooooo many things went down in that game. It truly was and is one of the greatest NFL games ever played IMO. Hall of Famers all over the field. Coldest playoff game ever. At altitude. Double overtime. TWO ST TOUCHDOWNS by the home team countered by 2 superb ST plays by rookies(Jimmy Smith and JT) when the Ravens really needed it to win the game. Torrey torching Champ not once but twice. Yanda ice block pads. Clutch Pitta. Prime Ray Rice and last legs Ray Lewis and Ed Reed. Just an insane game. As many times as I've seen it, it's still a great watch.

Was it the coldest playoff game ever? I thought that was the Ice Bowl. I guess that was pre-merger, but it looks like there are a few others on this list: http://www.nfl.com/photoessays/09000...in-nfl-history . Wiki tells me it's the coldest playoff game ever played in Denver (link, original source).

(Also, Jimmy was a rookie in 2011 when he picked off Brady.)

[⋔ 4 ℞ ℞ $]

Sooooo many things went down in that game. It truly was and is one of the greatest NFL games ever played IMO. Hall of Famers all over the field. Coldest playoff game ever. At altitude. Double overtime. TWO ST TOUCHDOWNS by the home team countered by 2 superb ST plays by rookies(Jimmy Smith and JT) when the Ravens really needed it to win the game. Torrey torching Champ not once but twice. Yanda ice block pads. Clutch Pitta. Prime Ray Rice and last legs Ray Lewis and Ed Reed. Just an insane game. As many times as I've seen it, it's still a great watch.

Actually, Jimmy was in his second season, and fellow back-to-back-rounds draftee from 2011 with a surname of Smith, Torrey, had actually torched Champ Bailey several more times during that game's entirety, particularly early and often amid the first half. However, unfortunately, he and Flacco just couldn't quite connect on a few of those instances.

In fact, a mic'd up '5UGG5' could be heard — at one point upon the sidelines — telling Torrey [paraphrasing] that not every ball is going to be perfect, and sometimes ya just gotta go up and get it. That remark was made sometime in between Torrey's two total TDs, which both occurred during the first half.

Subsequently, after the second score, 'Sizzle' congratulated him and essentially said something like, [Again this is not verbatim] "See what I mean?!!? Sometimes you just have to be GREAT!!!!" Albeit granted, that specific laser/rocket-launched spiral was thrown with pinpoint accuracy, as both #5 & #82 made an All-Pro HOF CB look absolutely silly!



P.S. Tremendous post on your part overall! I just felt compelled to add some of my own commentary as an extension to it!

[Rygar64]

Yeah I always have Jimmy as a rookie that SB season in my mind for some reason. Probably because I have a mental block from that AFCC game we lost to the Patriots. Still, he was instrumental on a couple of plays for us during that playoff run *cough crabtree cough*

[arnie_uk]

I miss that Flacco and that boldin.

Still can't believe we got rid of boldin after that playoff run to be replaced by doss

[RevBarnes]

so maybe if we ever build a time machine we go back and convince Ozzie to keep Boldin

[JimZipCode]

Then you have John Fox going conservative to end the second half. Who knows what happens if they put the ball in Peyton Manning's hands and tell him to win the game.

That drew attention from the commentators at the time; and on the internet community after the game. Commentators on FO etc. I remember relaxing considerably when Fox called the kneeldown; so it must have been the wrong move for them.

Looking at the box score on PFR, the Broncos hadn't called any timeouts in the 2nd half, so they must have had their full complement. Usually you want to give Peyton Manning a chance to work in that situation, until Mr Manning tells you otherwise. Maybe they were facing into the wrong direction for wind?

[Rygar64]

so maybe if we ever build a time machine we go back and convince Ozzie to keep Boldin

I say go back and have him keep Priest Holmes...that's another repeat title if you ask me.

[JimZipCode]

so maybe if we ever build a time machine we go back and convince Ozzie to keep Boldin

I don't think it would have helped all that much. Lots of things went wrong that seaosn – OL got rocked with injuries.

[JimZipCode]

I say go back and have him keep Priest Holmes...that's another repeat title if you ask me.

[Rygar64]

That drew attention from the commentators at the time; and on the internet community after the game. Commentators on FO etc. I remember relaxing considerably when Fox called the kneeldown; so it must have been the wrong move for them.

Looking at the box score on PFR, the Broncos hadn't called any timeouts in the 2nd half, so they must have had their full complement. Usually you want to give Peyton Manning a chance to work in that situation, until Mr Manning tells you otherwise. Maybe they were facing into the wrong direction for wind?

I always say, how do folks know Peyton didn't tell John to shut it down? Maybe Peyton's body was really struggling heading in to the half and he knew he didn't have anything.