Most of you probably don’t know who Carmello Anthony Serio is. He is my late grandfather, my mother’s father. I never had the chance to meet him because he passed away as a result of a tragic car accident a few years before I was even born.
Most of my generation probably doesn’t remember the Baltimore Colts packing up the Mayflower trucks and bolting town under the cover of darkness.
What do Mel Serio and the Baltimore Colts have in common? He loved football and was passionate about the Colts. He was part of Colts Corral #1. In fact, he was even the back side of the Colts Corral mascot [insert joke here] seen trotting along the sidelines of the games.
-
- Colts Corral #1 Mascot
People outside Baltimore wonder why we can’t get over the Colts leaving town because they were just a football team. But they were more than just a football franchise, they were OUR football team and everyone of prior generations loved that team.
Things were different back then. Players were seen socializing at restaurants and bars with the fans. There was a true camaraderie between the fans and athletes. My grandparents used to ride on the plane with the team to away games. In my house there is a picture of my grandmother signed by the superstar Johnny Unitas. That required 2 interactions with him – one to take the picture and another to get the picture signed. Nowadays, you’d be lucky to get 2 glimpses of a superstar in public let alone an intimate interaction.
When Bob “the a-hole” Irsay abruptly relocated the Colts it left an awful taste in our mouths. Since this happened during my toddler years I did not have a full understanding of the transgressions of that move. Barry Levinson did an outstanding documentary as part of the ESPN 30 for 30 series about the tradition of the Baltimore Colts, the untimely departure from Baltimore, and an integral reason why Baltimore was awarded a new NFL franchise in the piece called The Band That Wouldn’t Die.
I am sure of the fact that the blood of my grandfather is running through my veins, probably the reason I love football and the Ravens so much. Apologetically I can’t say that I’ll be able to carry on the tradition of being Poe’s rear end.
In 2007, it was Baltimore’s chance to forget about that team from Indianapolis by knocking them out of the playoffs. I was at that game thanks in large part to my mom’s cousin, Dave, who couldn’t attend the game. Months before that game, they had planned a ski trip to Wisp (Irony #1). I don’t exactly recall the scenario leading up to the end of the regular season but it was something along the lines of he was probably the only person in Baltimore upset that the team in Indianapolis lost allowing the Ravens to host that team from Indianapolis in the 2nd round of the Playoffs because he would be away (Irony #2).
I thought for sure we would win that playoff game. The Friday before the game I was still working at Northrop and I couldn’t get anything done that day because I was so amped about the playoff game that I couldn’t concentrate. Emails were flying back and forth with family members about the memories of the good ole Baltimore Colts and how much this game means to Baltimore. I even predicted that the winner of that game would win the Super Bowl. I had already booked my ticket to Miami. Unfortunately, we came up short losing that game 15-6, a game filled with field goals (Irony #3) and that team from Indianapolis went on to win the Super Bowl over the Bears.
Fast forward to 2010. A new decade and a new game!
Now, it is our turn to visit Indianapolis and knock them out of the Playoffs…
Earlier in the season when we hosted that team from Indy, I thought there was no way we could compete with them. Peyton was hot and our defense was in shambles. But lo and behold we held tough with them throughout the entire game. We had a chance to take the lead late on a potential field goal attempt but Joey threw a costly interception in the red zone. The Ravens came up just short, losing 17-15.
But this is a different team than the one that played that team from Indy. Our offensive line and running game imposed its will on the Patriots. Our defense stood up to Tom Brady and company by getting to the quarterback and limiting penalties and we were victorious! They finally got over the hump of not being able to beat an upper echelon team.
That same hot, confident Ravens team that marched into Foxboro needs to march into Indy and impose its will again.
There has been some dissension in Indy’s locker room about pulling starters and giving up the chance to cement themselves in NFL immortality by going 19-0. Indy will be a little rusty with a long layoff. It will be important to come out firing on all cylinders early and often.
Outside of Reggie Wayne, likely to be covered by Foxworth with help, and Dallas Clark they don’t have superstar receivers. They are a disciplined team that relies on timing and efficiency. Defensively, we need to get after Peyton to disrupt his timing and limit the looks to Wayne and Clark.
Indy’s run defense is not that good so it will be important to shove the ball down their throats and keep Peyton on the sidelines. Offensively, run, run, run, and run some more. Joey needs to play better than he did in Foxboro (4-10 for 34 yards, QB rating of 10.0). Granted he played well enough for us to win, but it was advantageous for him to play with a quick 17-0 lead. It is unlikely that we’ll have that same start (83 yard TD run and two turnovers leading to 10 points). It will be critical to convert first downs and march down the field.
The potential nightmare of this game would be to lose on a field goal off the foot of Matt Stover.
I will be watching the game from Wisp with some of my closest friends.
I’m banking on the three ironies above – seeding/game location, Wisp, and field goal kickers – to avenge all those horrid memories and keep the Ravens marching through the Playoffs.
The Baltimore Ravens conquer another obstacle and allow fans to forget about the Indianapolis Colts, 27-17 en route to Miami!!
Posted by baltimoresportsblog 
