INSIDE THE NFL
Housewarming
The Ravens opened a new stadium but seemed stuck in the same old
rut
by Peter King
Posted: Wed September 9, 1998
"Welcome to the future of the NFL," a beaming David Modell said
on Sunday, minutes before the Ravens kicked off their first
regular-season game in their new, $223 million stadium. Even if
you had to climb 217 steps, as 40-year-old Baltimore corrections
officer Bob Weisengoff did around noon to get to his seat seven
rows from the top of the stadium, you wouldn't complain. "It's
magnificent," said Weisengoff, who paid a onetime $750
seat-license fee and doled out $350 for his 10-game season
ticket this year. "Finally we got our football team back, and we
can stop living in the past."
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Duane Starks had an interception, but the Ravens made
their share of mistakes too.
(Bob Rosato)
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The players seemed in awe of the place too. "It's so beautiful
you don't know whether to have a picnic or play a football
game," said Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis. Added Steelers
offensive lineman Jim Sweeney, "I wish the people of Pittsburgh
could see this. They'd never vote down a stadium again."
Of course, there's still this little matter of playing football.
And in three hours and one minute, the Bob Weisengoffs of the
world found out that the more things change, the more they stay
the same. Baltimore had streaked through the '98 preseason
undefeated, outscoring opponents 89-26 in its four victories.
There the Ravens were on Sunday, outgaining the four-time
defending AFC Central champion Steelers 376-271, holding Pro
Bowl running back Jerome Bettis to 41 yards on 23 carries and
limiting quarterback Kordell Stewart to 173 yards passing. Yet
long snapper Harper LeBel misfired on a punt (which led to a
Steelers touchdown) and a pair of field goal attempts (both of
which were missed by the usually reliable Matt Stover, who blew
a third one, to boot). Cornerback Rod Woodson and wideout
Jermaine Lewis dropped an interception and a touchdown pass,
respectively. And Pittsburgh walked away with a 20-13 victory.
In a fitting end to the day, the Ravens had planned to put the
late-afternoon NFL games on the giant video screens so fans
could watch the games in the world's biggest sports bar. It
never happened. Something about a problem with the satellite
hookup.
Issue date: September 14, 1998
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