Admit it. When Kyle Boller foolishly threw the ball up for grabs as he was getting drilled by Cleveland safety Sean Jones, resulting in an interception and a 100-yard return for a touchdown that gave the Browns a 27-14 leadlate in the third quarter, you sighed, cursed and shook your head at a sight you?ve seen all too often.
Admit it. You chalked it up to Boller being Boller, the guy who long ago played his way out of the starting quarterback position for Ravens with boneheaded decisions and bad passes.
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Admit it. You were just as stunned as I, as the most unlikely fourth quarter imaginable unfolded in Sunday?s 33-30 overtime loss, with Boller of all people at the controls.
Who was that guy wearing No. 7 for the Ravens in the final 15 minutes of regulation? It certainly wasn?t the quarterback who has authored countless three-and-outs and missed so many open receivers during his pedestrian five seasons in Baltimore.
It sure wasn?t the passer who spent most of the first three quarters sticking out for all the wrong reasons ? although not quite as much as the Ravens? terrible special teams coverage units.
Believe it. That was Boller, engineering a shocking comeback to the tune of 16, fourth-quarter points. That was Boller, leading an offense that woke up by scoring on all four of its fourth-quarter possessions. That was Boller, making play after play after play, albeit against a horrid Cleveland defense that somehow allowed receivers to run free throughout the second half.
Who would have believed that Boller, of all people, could have proved that fourth-year receiver Devard Darling is not really a dead man wearing shoulder pads? Yes, that was Darling, who entered Sunday?s game with four receptions for 31 yards in his illustrious career, running by the Cleveland secondary at will in the fourth quarter. That was Darling, averaging 26.8 yards on four catches for 107 yards, including the 27-yard touchdown reception that tied the game at 27-27 with 3:31 remaining.
Yes, Boller had plenty of help. The Browns entered the game ranked dead last in total defense in the NFL, and it took them a while to prove it. Part of the reason was Boller, who after winning back the position by default from the creaky, ineffective Steve McNair, played like the quarterback who sacked himself after three seasons and forced the Ravens to bring in McNair before last season.
In the first half, the Ravens were the joke they?ve been on offense all year. Your home team trashed M&T Bank Stadium with two first downs, 38 total yards and three turnovers, two by Boller. Only an interception and runback for a score by linebacker Ray Lewis kept the Ravens from dragging their tails into halftime scoreless.
It got worse. Boller, after leading a 75-yard touchdown drive to start the second half, had The Boller Moment. Bringing back memories of a debacle in Denver in 2005, when he threw a pass aimlessly while getting slammed on his back that resulted in a killing interception, Boller launched the same kind of lob that had the same kind of effect. Safety Brodney Pool caught the floater on the goal line with a full head of steam, and ran untouched down the sideline to give the Browns a 27-14 lead with 3:42 left in the third quarter.
And little did we know that Boller was just getting warmed up. By the time he was through, Boller had completed 17 of 30 passes for 265 yards in the second half. The Ravens had 330 total yards after halftime.
I know. It?s unbelievable.
Is Boller suddenly the answer to the Ravens? chronic problems at quarterback? Of course not. But you have to give him credit. He has taken criticism like a man since he?s been here, and he has taken a slew of vicious shots behind a shaky offensive line this year without a peep of complaint.
And Sunday, No. 7 finally gave his career and this offense a shot of life.
Gary Lambrecht writes about the NFL, Major League Baseball and college sports. He can be reached at glambrecht@baltimoreexaminer.com.
