It was an odd, yet almost heartwarming, scene.
Kyle Boller ran onto the field late in the first quarter Sunday to replace injured quarterback Steve McNair against the Carolina Panthers at M&T Bank Stadium. As he did, many of the 70,000-plus fans rose to their feet to cheer the 2003 first-round draft pick.
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Just over a year ago, many of the same people cheered when Boller was injured on a play against the Colts. The turnover-prone quarterback has been the punching bag for sports writers, talk radio hosts and fans for the first three years of his inconsistent career. Fences appeared to be mended Sunday during Boller?s first action of the season.
“It was awesome,” Boller said. “The fans in Baltimore are great. At times, they?re frustrated, but they deserve to be frustrated. And all I can do is go out there and give my best and try to move the ball and give guys like Mark [Clayton] and Todd [Heap] and Derrick [Mason] the ball, and hopefully we can put some points on the board.”
He did Sunday, throwing for 226 yards and three touchdowns. Two of the touchdowns came in bizarre fashion, as he connected with Clayton on a pair of dramatic, batted-pass scores. The third came near the end of the fourth quarter, with his team trailing, 23-14, when he found Heap in the corner of the end zone. Boller threaded the pass between two defenders to reach Heap?s outstretched arms.
“He came in and knew what was going on and was very sharp, and we were able to put a few points on the board, but it was just too late,” Heap said.
Boller was replaced as the team?s starting quarterback during the offseason when the Ravens acquired McNair from the Tennessee Titans. Many inside and outside the organization believed that if the Ravens were going to make a run for the Super Bowl, they needed to acquire a top-shelf quarterback. McNair is a former NFL co-MVP who had taken his team to Super Bowl XXXIV.
Boller was viewed as a disappointment after three years, throwing 32 interceptions and 31 touchdowns. While head coach Brian Billick asked fans and the organization to be patient with Boller, AFC North Division rival Pittsburgh was winning a Super Bowl with young star Ben Roethlisberger.
During the very public courtship of McNair, Boller handled things in stride, often saying that he welcomed a veteran to learn from on a day-to-day basis.
“This whole time, sitting behind Steve, [Boller] has been a professional,” Heap said Sunday. “And he?s prepared every week like he was playing, and nothing was different today.”
Boller?s most ardent supporter, Billick, said this week that McNair, who suffered a concussion Sunday, will remain the starting quarterback. He also seemed to take some satisfaction in seeing Boller succeed.
“We didn?t win the game, certainly, but our confidence was well borne out in having Kyle,” Billick said.
