NFL: Bitter Baltimore braces for Colts’ return
Tom Matte won a Super Bowl wearing the blue and white uniform of the Baltimore Colts. The gritty running back loved strapping on that distinctive white helmet with the horseshoe on each side, and long after he retired he spoke proudly about the rich tradition of the franchise.
All that changed in March 1984, when owner Robert Irsay packed the team’s equipment into a convoy of Mayflower vans and whisked ‘dem Colts out of town to Indianapolis – stealing the hearts of the city’s football fans and erasing a major part of its sports history.
“They took away our name, our colors, the horseshoe,” said Matte, who played for the Colts from 1961-72 and still lives in Baltimore.
Baltimore went 12 years without an NFL team until the Ravens were born from the transplanted Cleveland Browns. Even though the city has its own team now, the sense of betrayal felt by the departure of the Colts has not waned.
“It still stings when I see the blue and white uniforms. It always will, just a little,” said Bob Stine, a former Baltimore Colts season-ticket holder. “I’ve gotten over the whole name thing, but it still stings when I see the horseshoe on the helmet.”
The Colts have since played the Ravens three times in Baltimore (losing twice), but never have the stakes been as high as they will be Saturday, when Indianapolis returns for a second-round playoff game. For Matte and thousands of football fans in Baltimore, this matchup isn’t just about getting into the AFC championship game.
It’s about revenge.
“There’s a lot of mixed emotions, but I would love to see the Ravens kick their butts,” Matte said.
Giants fire Lewis
Tim Lewis was fired as New York Giants defensive coordinator, a move that will give embattled coach Tom Coughlin two new top assistants in a likely make-or-break season.
The move came just a day after management gave the 60-year-old Coughlin a lukewarm one-year contract extension through 2008. His charge: Make the Giants more than simply a playoff team.
Neither Lewis, who interviewed for the vacant head coaching job in Miami on Wednesday, nor Coughlin was immediately available for comment.
Raiders talk to Fassel
Former New York Giants coach Jim Fassel interviewed for the Oakland Raiders’ head coaching vacancy.
Fassel, the Raiders’ quarterbacks coach in 1995, met with officials at the team’s headquarters to talk about replacing the fired Art Shell.
Fassel was fired in October as offensive coordinator in Baltimore after the Ravens scored just 10 offensive touchdowns in their first six games.
Gailey on Steelers’ list
Georgia Tech coach Chan Gailey will be interviewed for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ coaching job, the fifth coach to meet with the team since Bill Cowher resigned last week.
Team owner Dan Rooney and president Art Rooney II plan to meet Saturday with Gailey, and may hold a second round of interviews with the finalists next week. The Steelers also followed that procedure before hiring Cowher from among four finalists in 1992.
Bengals extend Geathers
Defensive end Robert Geathers’ breakout season earned him one of the biggest contract extensions in Cincinnati Bengals history.
Geathers signed a six-year extension that will pay him $14 million next season in various bonuses and salary, making him one of the team’s top-paid players. He can earn $32.5 million in salary and bonuses over the six-year deal.
Incentives linked to sacks and Pro Bowl selections could raised the total to $33.75 million. Geathers had a $425,000 salary last season, his third in the NFL.
Gonzalez will enter draft
Speedy wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez, the second-leading receiver for Ohio State, said he will not return for his senior season and will enter the NFL draft.
“Notre Dame tailback Darius Walker, on pace to become Notre Dame’s career rushing leader, will enter the NFL draft and skip his senior season, fulfilling a lifelong dream.