Voir ESPN Films: 30 for 30, Vol. 5 - Episode 11

They were arguably the most dominating defensive team in the history of the NFL – and perhaps the most entertaining club that pro football has ever seen as well. A behemoth on the field that turned into, literally, one of the classic shows of the reality television era. Now, a little more than two decades after one extraordinary season etched their legacy for all time, the new ESPN 30 for 30 film Bullies of Baltimore tells the story of the 2000 Baltimore Ravens, a Super Bowl champion for the ages. Directed by Ken Rodgers of NFL Films, the documentary is a lively and colorful look back at the team’s magical season framed by a reunion of its key figures filmed in front of a live audience in Baltimore in May 2022. Those characters affectionately recall all varieties of vivid details about the season, starting with the background: the severed history of pro football in Baltimore, and the instant popularity that the Ravens attained when they arrived as a relocated franchise from Cleveland in the mid-90s. That popularity only grew when the team took on the personality of their confident, if not arrogant, head coach, Brian Billick, an offensive mastermind who became the unlikely steward of a defensive powerhouse, embracing the success of a unit led by Hall of Famers Ray Lewis and Rod Woodson, as well as the irrepressible lineman Tony Siragusa. And though the team’s offense, with quarterback Trent Dilfer, running back Jamal Lewis, and Hall of Fame tight end Shannon Sharpe, at one point failed to score a touchdown for five straight weeks, their defense was so overpowering it didn’t matter, as the Ravens didn’t lose a game after the calendar turned to November. The film looks back on all of it, culminating on a Sunday evening in Tampa when Baltimore blew out the New York Giants, 34-7, in Super Bowl XXXV. And the chronicle is augmented by footage from another slice of football history, the debut season of the NFL reality show Hard Knocks, which premiered on HBO the subsequent summer, going behind the scenes in training camp in a way never before seen in football or anywhere in sports. The players and their coaches fondly and at times hilariously recall the experience, rekindling the sense of “behind the scenes” access that the team became known for. That the reunion was held just a month before the untimely passing of the team’s most colorful character, Siragusa, only adds to the poignancy of the tale. In the end, while Bullies of Baltimore is about a dominant football team, it’s also about the idea of cherishing a moment when everything comes together perfectly – because you can never be sure how long that moment will last.