With four seconds left – and confetti cannons ready to explode in a majestic purple, black and gold indoor shower – Koch boomed a 61-yard free kick that Ted Ginn fielded and tried to turn into a 49ers miracle. Rookie linebacker Josh Bynes made the eventual last play of Super Bowl XLVII, tackling Ginn at midfield as the raucous Baltimore celebration had begun all around him.
Ray Lewis got his second title. Ed Reed, also headed to the Hall of Fame, finally got his first. And for Matt Birk, Bryant McKinnie, Anquan Boldin, Haloti Ngata, Sam Koch and the whole cast of wily veterans and youthful performers, the Baltimore Ravens were the Super Bowl champions of the 2012 season.
Confetti rained from the sky. The Lombardi Trophy was brought forth. And Baltimore went crazy.
The Harbaugh brothers met at midfield – one amidst jubilation and confetti, one amidst heartbreak. “It was a great joy, but it was also the most difficult thing in the world to understand that he is over there,” John said. “I just think that Jim is a great competitor. I just love him – obviously. I think anybody out there who has a brother can understand what that is all about. It is nothing that anybody cannot understand. I just believe in him, and I have so much respect for him. I admire him. I look up to him in so many ways, and I am hurting for him in that sense. The meeting with Jim in the middle was probably the most difficult thing I have ever been associated with in my life. I am proud of him.”
Chykie Brown was making snow angels on the field in the confetti on the floor of the Superdome. There were tears of joy, hugs, high fives and plenty of “I love you” embraces.
Players were adorned in “World Champions” T-shirts and hats. “It was just like Ray Lewis said it would be,” said Vonta Leach. “When the confetti fell I was like, ‘Oh my God.’ It was the happiest moment of my life. I finally can say I’m the world champion.”
Reed, the New Orleans kid, said: “I’m ready to second line all the way up Poydras, man!”
Lewis was emotional and reflective by the time the madness cleared, and he took the podium with a raspy voice that was quieter than usual. “In your journey, you go through peaks and valleys, and we went through a lot of peaks and valleys through this journey,” he said. “We started this year in a deep valley hearing that Terrell Suggs was probably going to be out for the year and hearing that Lardarius Webb got injured and said he was going to be out for the year. So, we heard it all. We heard that we couldn’t beat Denver. We heard that we couldn’t beat New England. We heard that we couldn’t beat San Fran. And, we overcame all odds. For us to be here as world champs right now, it shows you that if you believe in something, as men and as a team, what wins is chemistry. What wins is togetherness. That’s what we had through this journey, was togetherness. We never wavered one time, and it showed what our team is built on. Our team is built on true men, true leaders and true winners. And no matter what we’ve been through, we found a way to stick together as a team.”
Matt Birk was the other grizzled veteran who had just completed his final game as a 15-year professional, leaving as a Super Bowl champion. Not many men who play in the NFL get to walk off the field in this blessed fashion. “Everyone wasn’t meant to get here,” Birk said. “Football is a hard game. This was the dream, and football is a hard game and a hard journey. Four years ago I didn’t have a ton of options. I met with Coach [John] Harbaugh for a couple of hours, and he’s a special guy. He’s a leader, and I said I’m only going to play a couple more years, probably, and this is how I want to do it, playing for this guy and I think I was right. Playing for him is better than I imagined. To be with coaches that you know you’ve got a chance every game and a chance to be Super Bowl champions, all the way to the end, I think that’s all that you can ask for.”
