OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Ray Lewis’ retirement is going to create a gaping hole in the middle of the Ravens’ defense next season, but coach John Harbaugh is aware there may be an All-Pro missing in the middle of his offense as well.
Center Matt Birk, a 15-year veteran who has been with the Ravens since 2009, said he does not know what he will do after the season regarding retirement, but Harbaugh knows the six-time Pro Bowler could be playing his last game on Sunday.
“I’m not sure about Matt’s plans, but if he decides to come back next year that’d be awesome,” Harbaugh said yesterday after the team’s final practice in Maryland this season. “He is smart, he is tough and to my eye, he’s playing the best football he’s played since he’s been here. To have that be true at the end of a 24-game season is very impressive. He’s just done a great job and we would not be where we are without Matt Birk.”
Birk, a 36-year-old Harvard graduate who spent his first 11 seasons with the Vikings, hasn’t missed a game in seven seasons, despite dealing with neck, elbow and knee injuries over the past three campaigns. This season, he said he couldn’t feel any better, and not just because he’s going to his first Super Bowl.
“I guarantee I’ve spent the least time in the training room of anybody on this team,” Birk said. “I don’t tape my ankles or wrist or anything, I just walk in there, grab some Q-tips, clean my ears and leave. It’s a big part, being healthy and feeling good.”
Though he does not know what he will do in the future, Birk plans on walking away from the game quietly.
“The people that want to send me off, they’ve got my number,” Birk said.
Harbaugh knows the team’s arrival in New Orleans tomorrow will kick off a week unlike any most of his players have ever experienced. To make the game feel more normal, Harbaugh may take a hint from Hollywood — even though the Ravens are just 3 1/2-point underdogs.
“I think I might show them that scene from ‘Hoosiers,’ ” Harbaugh said with a smile. “It’s 53 1/3 [yards wide], it’s 120 [yards long]. There’s going to be those big thick lines right there and we’re going to be in between those lines. I think you take that into perspective. The stage is big, but the field is small.”
* Linebacker Dannell Ellerbe did not practice for the third straight day due to a sprained right ankle and back injury, while tight end Dennis Pitta returned to practice after sitting out on Friday with a thigh injury. Ellerbe has said he will not miss next Sunday’s game. Wide receiver David Reed (hamstring) also did not practice.