Former Maine lineman 1 win from Super Bowl Hard work gives Flynn starting job with Ravens

Take a trip on the Internet and read about Mike Flynn. Go to the Baltimore Ravens Web site. There you will find him. The picture is that of an intense young man. The words inform you that he played his college football at the University of Maine.

Yeah, Mike Flynn played football at the University of Maine like Charlie Watts played drums for the Stones. He wasn’t the lead singer but the four-year starter in Orono was the man who kept the beat in the weight room, on the practice fields, and during games.

Sunday, Flynn will play in the biggest game of his life when the Ravens meet the Oakland Raiders in the American Football Conference championship game. The winner will go on to play in the Super Bowl.

“This is great,” Flynn said. “We’re winning and I’m playing. It doesn’t get any better than this.”

Flynn has started every game this year. Though primarily a right guard, the 6-foot-3, 300-pounder has shown his versatility by also being able to step in at center and left guard when injuries forced the team to scramble to fill positions.

How does someone get from Orono to the AFC championship game? Maine is not exactly known as a football factory and Flynn says his current teammates have a good time at his expense when he points out to them that the Atlantic 10 plays a tough brand of football.

And Flynn didn’t exactly begin his career at Maine like someone destined to play pro football. He had to contend with a redshirt year and a knee injury. Plus he says he had to develop a mental attitude and approach to the game that would set him apart.

“In high school you play to have fun and that’s what I did. But I got up there and realized that wasn’t enough. About my third year, strength coach [Jim] St. Pierre came in and he helped a lot. I got a little work ethic up there and an attitude. I was lucky I had coaches to help me in the right way,” Flynn said.

Maine head football coach Jack Cosgrove says Flynn’s work ethic in the weight room helped to sell the importance of weight training to his teammates.

“[Flynn] was a hard worker and had success in the weight room. Saint’s a big fan of his. He did a wonderful thing for us by being so good in the weight room. It lends credibility to what you’re doing,” Cosgrove said.

Flynn’s contributions didn’t stop there. In 1995 he anchored an offensive line that opened up holes for running backs Bob Jameson and Andre Pam, who combined to rush for more than 1,900 yards.

After leaving Maine in 1997, Flynn spent time on practice squads in Jacksonville, Tampa Bay, and Baltimore before seeing action late in the 1998 season for the Ravens. In 1999, the Agawam, Mass., native was a member of the Ravens’ special teams and had spot duty on the offensive line.

After some early-season problems scoring points, the Ravens have put together a nine-game winning streak that has landed them in Sunday’s game.

“We weren’t being manhandled or beat up,” Flynn recalls. “We were turning the ball over, making mistakes to beat ourselves.”

Though the Ravens’ defense gets much of the credit, Baltimore’s offensive line has had success in opening holes for rookie running back Jamal Lewis. It’s a fact that hasn’t gone unnoticed by Oakland defensive coordinator Chuck Bresnahan.

Bresnahan spent the 1992 and 1993 football seasons at the University of Maine as the Black Bears’ defensive coordinator before being informed his contract would not be renewed for the 1994 season.

“Yeah, I’m the guy who fired him,” Cosgrove says with a laugh.

Bresnahan remembers his years at Maine fondly.

“We had a great two years up there in Maine. Our family absolutely loved it there. It actually brought our family together,” Bresnahan said. “Jack did what he had to do. I would have been looking at moving up the coaching ladder.”

Bresnahan says he knew of Flynn, who was being recruited by Maine during the coach’s final season in Orono.

“What he has done is a real credit to himself. He’s played three positions for [the Ravens] and never misses a beat. He’s probably not going to get the attention that the all-stars get, but his contributions are just as important,” Bresnahan said.

Flynn may not be an NFL all-star, but Cosgrove says he is living proof that hard work and determination can take a person from Orono to anywhere they want to go.

“If we put up our top five guys in the weight room, you’re going to see Mike, Drew O’Connor, Brent Naccara. It proves that with hard work you might have a chance to play on Sunday.”