Baltimore Ravens vs. Houston Texans: last chance for veterans to own Super Bowl ring – NFL News
The Baltimore Ravens is one of the few teams in the National Football League (NFL) to have a number of veterans in its line-up and all of them are certainly going to be in the spotlight in its playoff game against the Houston Texans at the M&T Bank Stadium
in Baltimore, on Sunday, January 15, 2012.
Some of them had been a part of other teams in their playoff season games and are logging to earn that honour again, this time with the Ravens.
The Ravens had been through to the postseason of the American professional football league three times before this year, and many of its players have played all those games.
One of the aspirants is Matt Birk, who has played two seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, and both times Vikings reached the playoff round.
Now, the 35-year-old veteran is a part of the Ravens' side as a starting centre and states he cannot wait to be on the side with greater ambitions for a Super Bowl championship this year. It is a matter of time that he will fit the Super Bowl ring, he added.
"Two out of my first three years in the league I went to the NFC championship game", Birk said.
"At that time, I probably didn't know what it meant or just how precious it was. And I haven't been back since."
The only player on the current 53-man squad of the Ravens who owns a Super Bowl ring is their linebacker, Ray Lewis, a boyhood idol of the Texans’ linebacker, Brian Cushing.
Both linebackers will be face-to-face in the Ravens-Texans game on the weekend.
Sadly, the Ravens’ current playoff run could be a final and last chance for many of the players, including Ray Lewis, as they are reported to be fully aware of the fact and aiming for a must win this time.
Their team has lost all three previous attempts to reach the Super Bowl.
With a possible win over the Texans this Sunday, it will leave them only a game away from Indianapolis – the host city of the Super Bowl mega event.
"This is probably my best shot at it", Birk said.
"My first year we were 15-1. That team and this team are the two best I've ever been on. The last three years we've been kind of building to this point. I think we've gotten better each year. Somebody my age, I realize this is probably my last and best shot
at it".
One of their unluckiest players is safety, Ed Reed.
The player joined the Ravens back in 2002 and has received eight pro-bowl nominations. Reed is still waiting to play the prestigious Super Bowl competition and this year seems to be the last chance for him.
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