I wrote a column after Tony Siragusa’s death explaining how, given the impact he made on the relationship between the Ravens and the city of Baltimore, I thought it would be appropriate for the team to induct him into its Ring of Honor.
In the days that followed, I received a message from someone I will loosely describe as a person who “works in football.” It said (paraphrasing), “I like your idea but like you said, it probably won’t happen. I feel like you should try to come up with a unique idea for honoring him that fans could embrace and even pressure the team to participate.”
The challenge was appreciated but admittedly dismissed. I made the point I wanted to make. I “stood by” my column, if you will.
But I was reminded of the topic after seeing the Ravens had held a moment of silence for Siragusa (and Jaylon Ferguson) before the Aug. 11 preseason opener against the Titans. They did something similar at July’s “Charm City Match” between Arsenal and Everton and it is reasonable to assume they will have bigger plans for the Week 2 regular-season home opener against the Dolphins, if not for the entire season.
As one of the more consistent organizations in American pro sports, the Ravens have typically gotten these types of things right. They largely celebrate and honor their own, so much so that often players who are more closely associated with other organizations end up being more connected with the Ravens in retirement.
Still, I did come up with an idea. It’s not earth-shattering, but it could be impactful. It’s time to bring back the “GOOOOOSE” chant.
“Sure Glenn, sounds good. But how and when and why and where and also all of the other questions?”
OK. I specifically feel as though it would be a fitting tribute to the former defensive tackle if any time a Ravens defensive lineman registered a sack or a big third-down tackle for loss at M&T Bank Stadium this season, the crowd celebrated the moment with an emphatic “GOOOOOOOSE!”
A big-man sack has always been one of the most electric plays in all of football. It’s the type of play that makes a crowd want to explode in a different way than other defensive plays. And no big fan provided the electricity quite like Tony Siragusa, right? Doesn’t that kind of make it perfect?
Ideally the team would participate by putting up some sort of prompt in these moments. Be it the word “Goose” or a video of the man’s own sack dance, any sort of prompt would work. And the dance … could you imagine if Michael Pierce or Justin Madubuike or Travis Jones punctuated a massive defensive stop by basking in a chant by re-creating those flapping wings? The entire city would go nuts, right?
A couple of things are worth keeping in mind. First, these current players may have been familiar with Siragusa, but they almost certainly did not “know” the man. Someone else around the team would need to encourage something like this and explain to the players why Siragusa’s legacy in this town is worth such unique celebration.
And second, this type of celebration would accomplish something similar to what I wanted from the Ring of Honor idea. The point is to have young people hear the chant and ask their parents what it is and why it’s happening and allow those parents to explain to their kids who Tony Siragusa was and what he meant to this community.
“Why couldn’t we do it for every Ravens sack?” you ask. Well, let’s not pretend like Siragusa was some sort of historic sack artist. As a few former teammates reminded me after his passing, he might have been the only player in the league to have a sack dance despite averaging one sack per season. The plays should stand out. That’s why it should be reserved for the plays the big men make.
It’s that simple. We chant “GOOOOOSE” to celebrate any sack or big TFL from a defensive lineman this season. I’d settle for it happening only on the first one of the season, but it really does feel like it could potentially be a very fun yearlong thing.
If you’ve got better ideas, I’m happy to amplify them instead. If you like this one, perhaps it’s worth mentioning to the folks in your life who are headed to games this season.
Photo Credit: Kenya Allen/PressBox