Escape the clutches of Denver's defense? You would have better luck dodging raindrops on a bone-chilling autumn night.

It's not gonna happen.

The Baltimore Ravens came to town undefeated.

They left all wet.

All the ga-ga and yada-yada about Baltimore's ballyhooed defense? The Broncos have heard enough. And they're sick of it.

"That's all you hear about: the hype of their defense. And a little bit about our defense, but not a whole lot," Denver cornerback Champ Bailey said. "But, you know, people are going to start giving us that respect."

On a Monday not fit for man or beast, in a driving rain that beat down like a classic, old song from NFL Films, on a field where there was no traction but a whole lot of friction, the Broncos sloshed and slugged their way past Baltimore 13-3.

This was a night for real men, guttural sounds and nowhere to hide.

Nasty Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis snorted with contempt at any fool crazy enough to come his way. Grouchy Broncos center Tom Nalen grunted, his No. 66 jersey bleeding orange. Battered quarterbacks Steve McNair and Jake Plummer got squished, looking as uncomfortable as the poor slob who stumbles off a curb and into a puddle while wearing a pair of $20 loafers.

But the man who stood tallest among these brutes was a player who does not weigh 200 pounds soaking wet.

Bailey might not be huge, but he begs a giant question: Can a cornerback be named MVP of this league?

You can have Peyton Manning of Indianapolis or Shaun Alexander of Seattle.


That's fantasy stuff.

If I've got the No. 1 draft pick among NFL stars, I'm taking Bailey.

In front of a national television audience, Bailey made the game-defining statement and clinched his seventh trip to the Pro Bowl with one brilliant move.

As the second quarter dwindled to its final minute with the score tied 3-3, the Ravens faced third down within 10 yards of the Denver goal line. McNair stood in the shotgun formation to pass, while 6-foot-6 Clarence Moore, a backup receiver, streaked toward the corner of the end zone.

Seeing all this unfold, Bailey could not suppress a smile so huge it should've been declared illegal.

Bailey intercepted the pass. It was a clean pick on a down-and-dirty night. He could have done it in his sleep.

"A little film study got me that pick. Every time they put that guy (Moore) in the game, they throw him a fade route," said Bailey, chuckling.

No wonder it sometimes appears Bailey has ESP. He really does know what's coming. It's almost like stealing the answers to a test.

"It's not cheating if you're doing your homework," Bailey insisted.

The Ravens waded through the muck to the locker room at halftime without adding three easy points with a short field goal in a game where every point was precious.

So I asked Broncos linebacker Al Wilson, an obviously intelligent man: If he had unlimited choices in a Baltimore playbook thicker than a Russian novel, would Wilson throw at Bailey?

Wilson laughed out loud.

Then Wilson tried to hide his glee at the stupidity of Ravens coach Brian Billick's brash challenge to Bailey, by saying, "I'm glad they did it. I never question coaches, man. But I'm glad they did."

Of course, in the NFL, there are a lot of things that do not compute.

In eight quarters plus an overtime period on their home field this season, the Broncos have scored exactly one touchdown, yet somehow have managed to win two games.

Go figure.

For the better part of a decade, the Ravens have been the gold standard of defense in the NFL.

That shine is off Baltimore.

The Broncos stole it.

With all due respect, Mr. Lewis, it is time you and the Ravens get out of the way.

Nobody does defense better than Bailey and the Broncos.

When Denver coach Mike Shanahan traded Clinton Portis for Bailey, I scratched my head in disbelief. Bad move, I thought back then, when the deal was cut in 2004. Bailey's greatness, however, is so powerful it can get through even my thick skull.

A reporter stuck a microphone in the happy mug of Bailey and asked him if he was always in the right place at the right time. 

"Always!" shouted teammate Domonique Foxworth from the next locker-room stall, before Bailey could say a word to the camera.

Who is the one player who strikes the most fear in the hearts of Denver foes?

Bailey. He's the Champ.

