OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Baltimore Ravens knew they had something special brewing during their first training camp under John Harbaugh.
Coming off a 5-11 season under Brian Billick, the Ravens’ new coach convinced them that nothing in the past would have a bearing on what happened in 2008.
Eventually, they believed him.
“We couldn’t see it at first,” wide receiver Derrick Mason said. “We kept fighting as a team, learned to trust in one another and learned to have one another’s back.”
The concept worked marvelously at the outset. Baltimore opened with a win over Cincinnati, then had a game in Houston postponed by Hurricane Ike — a decision that robbed the team of its scheduled bye week. Undaunted, the Ravens improved to 2-0 by beating Cleveland.
Three straight defeats followed, culminating with a 31-3 disaster in Indianapolis. Rookie quarterback Joe Flacco threw three interceptions in that game, the running attack mustered only 51 yards and the defense yielded 17 first-quarter points.
That left the Ravens with a 2-3 record, but they bounced back with a 27-13 win over the Miami Dolphins on Oct. 19.
And now Baltimore (11-5) is in the playoffs, facing those same Dolphins in the opening round Sunday.
“The Miami game was a turning point. We all bought into that brotherhood of fighting,” offensive tackle Willie Anderson said. “Everything was against us. No bye week, and the world was saying we were done after that three-game losing streak when we got smashed in Indy.”
The Ravens enter the postseason on a 9-2 roll, and it all started with that uplifting rout of the Dolphins. But Harbaugh prefers to look ahead rather than analyze a game the Ravens played over two months ago.
“Turning points and all that stuff, I haven’t even thought about it,” he said Monday. “I’m thinking about this Miami game, the one coming up, and that’s where our focus is.”
That’s Harbaugh, always looking at the next challenge rather than poring over the past. That was his mantra during training camp, when he told players the team was poised for a new beginning.
He sold them on the concept, even if few people outside the organization believed Baltimore could improve dramatically after finishing in the AFC North cellar just one season earlier.
“We didn’t worry about the expectations outside of our locker room,” linebacker Ray Lewis said. “The bottom line is we knew what we had inside of our locker room. For us to be right where we are, we expected to be here.”
Where they are is in the playoffs. Baltimore qualified Sunday by beating the Jacksonville Jaguars 27-7, and in the process became the first team since the 1962 Green Bay Packers to go an entire season without allowing more than 13 points in a home game.
“It’s amazing. I mean, the ‘62 Packers. What a credit to our defense,” Harbaugh said. “To be in a category like that, that’s historic.”
As the sixth seed, the Ravens must play all their games on the road — just another hurdle for a team that has cleared several of them already.
“Our team’s prepared for anything right now. Our team feels very confident in any kind of circumstance or situation they would face,” Harbaugh said. “We faced three road games in a row this year, so our guys will be ready for it.”
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