Newsome sat in the press box in disbelief watching Webb getting helped off the field. He was one of Ozzie’s favorite draft picks and a favorite of anyone who loves a comeback story about a hard-working kid. He was the embodiment of the Ravens’ “against all odds” spirit, an overlooked small school find in the 2009 draft that Newsome selected with the 88th pick of the third round from Nicholls State. Webb initially attended Southern Mississippi, but was thrown out for violating team rules and he took his second chance in tiny Thibadaux, Louisiana seriously and the Ravens loved everything about his game, makeup, and personality. After winning the job as a kick returner in 2009, Webb tore the ACL on his left leg in Week 15 and missed the postseason games. He came back in 2010 and won the starting cornerback job, impressing the staff so much that he was rewarded with a six-year, $50 million contract during the offseason. The Ravens viewed him as a No. 1 cornerback, able to match up against the best wide receivers in the game.
The game doesn’t allow time to be emotional, and it certainly isn’t fair. Webb would be lost for the season, and it would immediately put more pressure on young cornerbacks Jimmy Smith, who was hampered with injuries during his first 18 months in Baltimore, and Chykie Brown, a fifth round pick in 2011. Also in the mix was offseason addition Corey Graham, who mainly played special teams for five seasons on the Chicago Bears. But as the expression says: next man up!
In the second quarter, after a Dan Bailey field goal increased Dallas’ lead to 10-3, the Ravens answered when Flacco engineered an 80-yard drive with a steady dose of Ray Rice and Bernard Pierce, ending with a Rice 1-yard TD. Romo, under pressure by linebacker Dannell Ellerbe, was intercepted by Cary Williams on the next possession, and Flacco led another 80-yard TD drive capped off by a beautiful grab by Torrey Smith in the corner of the end zone to give the Ravens a 17-10 halftime lead.
Bailey hit a 43-yard field goal early in the second half, and the Ravens only ran three offensive plays in the 3rd quarter. Jacoby Jones continued to make an impact, taking a ball almost nine yards deep in the end zone out, flying past Cowboys gunners and hopelessly being chased by Bailey on a 108-yard kickoff return for a touchdown giving the Ravens a 24-13 lead. He ended the sprint with a tribute to Deion Sanders and the Primetime shuffle. “I was gassed,” Jones laughed afterward. “I think I threw up on the sideline, but after that, I was ready to go!”
The special teams coach in Harbaugh always loves seeing that hole break open on a kickoff return, and Jones had become an electrifying threat every time he touched the ball, even from the backline of the opposite end zone. “We’ve been really close on the returns, we feel like, all year,” Harbaugh said. “We’ve said that before, but it doesn’t mean much until you break one. He’s got a great knack for it. He’s got great acceleration, and he’s really strong, and he’s got a great knack for hitting the hole. The hole doesn’t stay open for long, and he’s got a feel for that. So, it says that we’re a threat in the return game. We felt like we needed to be, and it’s going to have to be something that’s going to be important this year as we go forward.” Those words would prove to be prophetic through the remainder of the season for the Ravens. The Ravens had found themselves a helluva player in Jacoby Jones.
