Gruden Has a Reminder for the Ravens

Raider Coach Jon Gruden had just watched the Baltimore Ravens defeat Tennessee on Sunday when somebody told him what Baltimore Coach Brian Billick said last week.

In Billick’s mind, it was the Raven-Titan game that would decide which AFC team will play in the Super Bowl.

Gruden cocked an eyebrow, ever so slightly.

“I know Coach Billick is a good coach, a smart coach, but if I’m not mistaken, this next game decides it,” Gruden said.

And this next game is in Oakland, where the Raiders play host to the Ravens on Sunday after Tennessee’s loss gave Oakland home-field advantage in the AFC title game.

“I think that’s big,” said Gruden, whose team would have traveled to Nashville if Tennessee had won. “You know, you don’t have to worry about practicing in the crowd noise. You don’t have to worry about the mechanics of traveling.

“You do lose some time and focus I think when you’re on a long airplane flight and you’re to and from the hotel and what-not. It will be a slight advantage to us, but this game is going to be decided at 1 o’clock on Sunday between the lines.”

The crucial issue will be contending with Baltimore’s record-setting defense.

“Since I’ve been in football I’ve never seen a team be as dominant for as long a time as the Raven defense has been,” Gruden said.

“To yield just over 10 points a game for 18 games is eye-opening to me. To see what they did to the Denver Broncos in the first playoff game and to see what they did today against the balanced, physical offense of the Tennessee Titans, it opens your eyes.”

Gruden’s highest praise was for Ray Lewis, the NFL defensive player of the year and a player Gruden called the best middle linebacker he has seen.

“He’s everywhere. It’s like there’s three No. 52s out there,” he said.

Gruden has already studied the Raven defense, looking for any edge, and took note of how Baltimore’s defense contributed points.

“You have to be opportunistic especially, in big games like these,” he said. “Like Tory James initiating the scoring [Saturday] with the big play [a 90-yard interception return]. We feel we have some of those kind of people on defense, some opportunistic skill people on that side of the ball.”

And because the Titans lost, the Raiders also have the intimidating Oakland crowd.

“It’s going to be an emotional, highly volatile environment I’m sure,” Gruden said, nevertheless asking supporters to turn it up a notch.

“Raider fans know how to do that,” he said.