It may seem strange that Tim Rich decorated his house and lawn four days after Christmas.
But the Ellicott City resident and die-hard Baltimore Ravens fan knew exactly what he was doing: continuing his Ravens playoff berth tradition.
“We didn’t start working on this until Sunday, after the Browns game, when it was clear the Ravens were going to be in the playoffs,” said Rich. That day, Dec. 28, Baltimore had to defeat Cleveland and the San Diego Chargers had to lose before it was a sure thing.
Rich’s front yard decorations include a miniature football field with blue light yard lines, a short goal post with a football suspended between the uprights, a large Ravens lighted shield and a pair of glowing red eyes above the front door.
“Pretty much everything was made by myself or someone in the family,” he said. “The typical plan is to put up the display when they make the playoffs and to add a feature each and every time they win a playoff game.”
After Saturday’s wild card victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers, Rich hung a Terrible Towel over a fake torch. He hopes to add a piece of Patriots memorabilia to the display next week, as the Ravens take on New England in the divisional playoff round Saturday.
“It’s sort of a half a plan that devilishly evolves over time.”