The New England Patriots dominated the AFC conference for nearly two decades with six Super Bowl wins. As a result, rival fan bases take any opportunity to relish in the few losses the dynasty endured throughout its heyday. For Stavros Halkias, a budding American comic who is a Baltimore Ravens fan, that opportunity came during his sit-down conversation with Julian Edelman during the latest taping of the Games with Names podcast.
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The keynote speaker highlighted the Ravens victory in the 2021 AFC Championship matchup before jokingly tearing into one of Edelman’s former teammates. Deeming Edelman to be “the most likeable” member of the Patriots’ dynasty, Halkias didn’t seem to care much for Rob Gronkowski.
“Gronk is likeable, but so is a golden retriever. You give Gronk a little treat and he’ll be good to go. You give him a little buzz ball in your hand and he’ll come up to you. He’s easy to win over,” Halkias said during the show.
Taking the jokes in stride, the former Patriot WR inquired as to why the comedian chose to highlight that game in particular. In response, Stavros explained that the conference championship was the perfect storm for him.
Being a part of Joe Flacco’s march towards a Super Bowl MVP, while also featuring one of the worst championship performances in the history of the Patriots’ franchise, the win clearly holds a special place in the comedian’s heart.
“It feels good to rub in a humiliating loss… It’s Flacco’s run, it’s right after the Mile High Miracle, it’s right before the Super Bowl. It’s just a beautiful, forgotten game in that run… Just cause **** the Patriots, man. We had to do a game where you guys ****ing sucked,” Halkias added.
Flacco compiled 240 passing yards and three touchdowns en route to a 28-12 Baltimore victory that day. The Ravens legendary defensive duo of Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs managed to combine for 21 total tackles, with Suggs finding a lone QB hit on Tom Brady.
Meanwhile, Cary Williams and Dannell Ellerbe proved to be the bane of Brady’s existence that day, as both men managed to intercept passes from the game’s greatest signal caller. Sidelined with an injury at the time, Edelman was forced to watch as the vaunted Baltimore defense picked his team apart.
Stavros Halkias reflects on Joe Flacco’s career
For all the success that Flacco enjoyed with the Ravens that season, Halkias maintained that it was the personality and relatability of the Delaware product that ultimately won him over. Highlighting both the magic of his playoff run, in addition to his underappreciated abilities, the newly famous comedian showed nothing but appreciation for the man that delivered the Ravens their first Lombardi trophy since the year 2001.
“He had a legendary run… To be able to do this, you have to be one of the best… People who have their best football during a Super Bowl run, it’s the best thing of all time… He feels relatable, he’s a mid Atlantic guy, he seems like a guy you might have grown up with… He feels like a guy from Baltimore. It was never complicated… he threw a beautiful deep ball.”
Having cracked his fair share of jokes, with the majority of them coming at the expense of Edelman’s Patriots, it’s safe to say that Halkias enjoyed his time on the podcast. Nevertheless, his Ravens now find themselves in the midst of a championship drought, having won just four playoff games throughout the last decade.
