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'It was a perfect fit' Ravens, Sharpe a match made in heaven
OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) -- Shannon Sharpe must have known something. When he signed with the Baltimore Ravens before this season, they had never had a winning record. Sure, Sharpe wanted to play for a contender after his 10-year run with the Denver Broncos, who won the Super Bowl in 1998 and '99. But when he came to Baltimore in February as a free agent, Sharpe had no idea he and the Ravens would get this far in the playoffs. "It's nice to be playing in the AFC Championship Game with a chance to go to the Super Bowl, but all I ever wanted was to be wanted," Sharpe said. "They made me feel like they wanted me." The Ravens finished 8-8 last year, Brian Billick's first season as Baltimore's head coach. One problem was the tight end position: Five players combined for 34 catches and one touchdown. Sharpe was looking for a job, and the Ravens were delighted to land a seven-time Pro Bowl player and one of the best tight ends ever. He signed a four-year, $13.2 million deal. "It was the right place for me," Sharpe said. "I needed Baltimore, and Baltimore needed me. It was a perfect fit." Sharpe felt as if he'd worn out his welcome in Denver, and Billick didn't have to do much to get him to Baltimore. "Brian said, 'You know what? We've got a great defense. All we need is a couple pieces on offense and the sky's the limit.' It was a no-brainer, it really was," Sharpe said. "I'd have been foolish not to come here." And the Ravens would have been crazy to pass on Sharpe, who ended up leading them with 67 catches for 810 yards. He added a couple of huge catches in the playoffs, hauling in a key touchdown pass in the opener against Denver and grabbing a 56-yarder last week against Tennessee. "I didn't come here to lead the team in receptions," Sharpe said. "I knew they wanted me for my playoff experience, what I can do in the locker room, and the work ethic I display day in and day out. Everything else I gave them was basically icing." Sharpe, who can fill up a notebook with a single interview, is the voice of experience in the locker room. As the Ravens prepared for their first foray into the playoffs, he was a valuable guide for many of the younger players. "He's really been the spark of this team," quarterback Trent Dilfer said. "He's also a dynamic football player. I haven't been around many great offensive players in my career; he's probably the best." Billick said that Sharpe has been everything the team had hoped for. "The leadership on and off the field, the veteran experience, the temperament, the way he conducts himself," Billick said. "He's lived up to every expectation I've had for him." Sharpe also provided the Ravens with instant credibility at a time when they had not yet established themselves as a force in the AFC. But it took him a while to get going. Working with a new quarterback and learning a different system came as a shock for a player who had been doing the same thing for the same team for a decade. Sharpe said it took him about seven weeks to find his way and figure out what the Ravens wanted from him. Once that happened, he took off. "I really appreciate Brian being patient with me," Sharpe said. "It's so easy, you get a big-name guy from another team who's not living up to expectations, you're like, 'Did we make the right decision?" "But Brian never wavered. He knew the main reason they brought me here was for my leadership. But once I got on track, I'd like to think I gave them everything they wanted and more."
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