The Ravens defensive back felt the sting of Super Bowl defeat with the Patriots last year, but he feels the experience will help.
James Ihedigbo hopes to be leaving the Superdome field next Sunday the same way he left the Gillette Stadium turf last Sunday.
By DAVID DRIVER
OWINGS MILLS, Md. – The Baltimore Ravens’ postseason run has been impressive, leaving in its wake a trio of star quarterbacks: rookie Andrew Luck of Indianapolis, and All-Pro veterans Peyton Manning of Denver and Tom Brady of New England. The next challenge is Colin Kaepernick, the young signal-caller for the San Francisco 49ers, Baltimore’s opponent in Sunday’s Super Bowl.
“He is an explosive player ... in the running and passing game,” said Baltimore defensive back James Ihedigbo, 29, a graduate of Amherst Regional High School and a former standout at the University of Massachusetts. “He can get the ball down the field in a hurry.”
While Kaepernick has garnered much of the media attention in recent weeks, Ihedigbo, signed as a free agent prior to the season, said Baltimore cannot afford to overlook 49ers running back Frank Gore.
“He runs the ball extremely hard. He is a player you would want to have on your team,” Ihedigbo said. “They have a great offensive team.”
The Super Bowl hype is nothing new for Ihedigbo, who played for the Patriots last season when New England lost to the New York Giants. Ihedigbo has some advice for his teammates about dealing with all the fanfare in New Orleans, especially Tuesday’s media day.
“Certain guys say, ‘What is it like?’ It is not something you can put into words,” Ihedigbo said. “The energy is electric. It is surreal ...
“You have to enjoy it for what it is. You have a lot of guys on this team that have played in big-time games. Not that you can compare that to the (hype of) of the Super Bowl. I want the guys to experience it on their own, to try and enjoy the Super Bowl. Enjoy the experience and enjoy it for what it is worth.”
The Ravens lost four of their last five regular-season games, but have come on to beat the Colts, Broncos and Patriots. Ihedigbo played in all 16 regular-season games, with three starts.
“That is what it is all about, playing your best football at the end of the season. We have been saying that all year,” he said. “This is the last stretch, the last mile of the stretch.”
Ihedigbo said it is difficult to compare the leadership of last season’s Patriots to this crop of Ravens.
“Completely different. Ed Reed, Ray Lewis, all the way down the board. Matt Birk. Those are guys you can’t compare to anyone,” Ihedigbo said.
He does not expect the two-week break between the AFC Championship and the Super Bowl to be much of an obstacle. The Ravens arrive in New Orleans on Monday, a day after the 49ers.
“We are preparing for one game. We just have two weeks to do it,” Ihedigbo said.
The Ravens are making their first Super Bowl appearance since 2001, when they defeated the Giants.
As a running back, Ihedigbo was a two-time All-Western Massachusetts honoree at Amherst, with 1,012 yards and 18 touchdowns as a senior. A walk-on at UMass, he was a three-year starter in the secondary. He had 257 career tackles, including 72 as a senior.
Ihedigbo signed in 2007 with the New York Jets as a rookie free agent. He played in 16 games with the Patriots last season and had 72 tackles. He was waived by the Patriots Aug. 31 and picked up a few days later by Baltimore.