The Dog Pound’s Nevermore: Now It’s Ravens’ Nest

Forget the Dawg Pound. The place to be Saturday night was in the Ravens’ Nest.

The seats in Memorial Stadium behind the north end zone begin just six feet beyond the end line. There, many of the rowdiest fans in Baltimore began gathering two hours before game time to greet their new football team.

And the Ravens responded with a 17-9 victory over the Eagles. Baltimore quarterback Vinny Testaverde was 11 for 14 for 152 yards and a touchdown.

The score might not be remembered by too many of the record crowd of 63,804, but it was the first NFL game involving a Baltimore team since December 1983, when the Baltimore Colts beat Houston, 20-10.

When the Ravens played last season as the Cleveland Browns, they were greeted in the end zone by enthusiastic members of the Dawg Pound. Baltimore fans, perhaps worried that the ex-Browns might become homesick, formed a welcoming committee of their own beyond the end zone.

Instead of dog masks, they had kazoo-like instruments that supposedly made the sound of a Raven.

Parking was $15, and the spaces were severely limited. Tailgating was supposed to be barred because of space limitations, but people used their hoods as tables.

For Albert Tiedeman the biggest thrill was just being in Memorial Stadium. Tiedeman played for the International League Orioles in the 1940s and participated in the first game ever held in Memorial Stadium, more than 40 years ago.

“I still get goose bumps when I come down here,” he said. “It never leaves you because it’s something the average person never got to do.”

Many Baltimore youths never got to see an NFL game in Baltimore--until Saturday.

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Jeff Lewis picked up John Elway’s flair for the dramatic in his first NFL game.

Lewis, Elway’s rookie understudy, hit Rod Smith with an 11-yard scoring pass with 1:21 remaining, leading the Broncos past the San Francisco 49ers, 20-17, in a manner reminiscent of his mentor.

Elway, who had a touchdown pass in a quarter of play, has had 37 game-winning drives in the fourth quarter.

San Francisco linebacker Gary Plummer suffered a broken left wrist and will be sidelined four to eight weeks.

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Jerome Bettis gained 49 yards in seven carries in less than a quarter against his former team as the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the St. Louis Rams, 16-10, at Pittsburgh. The Steelers obtained Bettis for two draft picks after a disappointing 1995 season. Pittsburgh hopes he can replace Bam Morris, who was waived after pleading guilty to drug charges in Texas.

Lawrence Phillips, the Rams’ first-round pick from Nebraska who is trying to rebound from personal problems including a recent drunken-driving charge, carried six times for 17 yards.

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Bernie Kosar led Miami to a 13-10 victory over Tampa Bay in Jimmy Johnson’s debut as coach of the Dolphins. Kosar completed 10 of 14 passes for 82 yards in the second half. Starting quarterback Dan Marino played just over a quarter and was 4 of 9 for 55 yards. The game was the first in 25 years that didn’t feature Don Shula on the Dolphins’ sideline. . . . In the first game played in the Carolina Panthers’ new Ericsson Stadium, Eric Davis returned an interception 36 yards for a touchdown and Winslow Oliver and Dino Philyaw had second-half scoring runs to lead the Panthers to a 30-12 victory over Chicago. The Bears played without Erik Kramer, who has a strained hamstring. . . . Cincinnati defeated Indianapolis, 28-25, in a game dominated by reserves. Ki-Jana Carter played only the first series for Cincinnati. Earlier in the day, the Bengals reached an agreement on a five-year contract with first-round draft choice (10th overall) Willie Anderson, an offensive lineman from Auburn. Terms were not disclosed. . . .Steve McNair led Houston to a 31-13 victory over the New York Jets at Jackson, Miss. McNair finished the game 8 of 13 for 103 yards, with one touchdown and one interception.

New Jet quarterback Neil O’Donnell played only one series. . . . Scott Sisson’s 18-yard field goal gave Minnesota a 23-20 overtime victory over San Diego. . . . The smallest Kingdome crowd in Seattle’s 21-year history saw the Seahawks defeat Atlanta, 19-17.