Ravens Beat Jags, Year in Review & Playoff Outlook

The Ravens secured a playoff berth yesterday by beating the Jacksonville Jaguars 27-7 to finish the 2008 season with a surprisingly solid 11-5 record.

The Ravens gave us fans a small scare after allowing the Jaguars to score an early touchdown, which put the Ravens down 7-3, but the defense re-grouped and didn’t allow the Jags to score again, and the offense dropped 24 unanswered points to close out the celebratory win.

Joe Flacco passed for 295 yards (a career high) and recorded no touchdowns or interceptions. His deep ball was a thing of beauty, but even more beautiful was the sight of Mark Clayton running down those passes to the tune of 128 yards and making some great catches to bail out his QB. Flacco, meanwhile, seems back on track just in time for the playoffs.

On the ground, Le’Ron McClain scampered for 70 yards and 2 TD while Willis McGahee got the rock just 4 times, but ran impressively on his 13-yard TD run. He finished with just 24 rushing yards, but caught 2 passes for 25 yards.

Defensively, the unit was excellent save for the early touchdown they allowed. Jags’ RB Maurice Jones-Drew ran well for 78 yards, and they allowed a total of 245, but they came up big with 4 turnovers, including 2 more interceptions by Ed Reed.

After the Ravens marched down the field following the Jacksonville touchdown to retake the lead 10-7, the game became more of a celebration of the Ravens’ season than anything else.

With a win in the bag, the attention turned to the Dolphins/Jets game which decided the outcome of the Ravens opponent in the first round next week. Had the Dolphins won, the Ravens would be travelling to Miami. Had the Dolphins lost, the Ravens would be going north to New England to take on the Patriots.

The Dolphins won, which means the Ravens take on the Dolphins in Miami this Sunday for the second time this season. It’s a good thing too, because while I do believe the Ravens could beat the Patriots in New England, I feel much more comfortable facing the Dolphins again.

After all, the Ravens trounced the Dolphins earlier in the season, 27-13, and the Ravens are likely to be the favorites again. Granted, the Dolphins are a sound football team and committed the fewest turnovers in the NFL this season, but the Ravens match-up extremely well with Miami. Chad Pennington is not the kind of QB that gives the Ravens secondary problems and while Miami’s running game is strong, it is also likely to be contained by the Ravens tough run-stopping defense.

For the Ravens to lose, they’ll have to play a sloppy game, full of turnovers and mental mistakes.

Yes, Miami is much better than they were when they played the Ravens earlier in the season, but so are the Ravens. Prediction: Pain. Actually, I see a repeat of the first game in my crystal ball. 28-17.

Looking back, this has to be one of the most satisfying seasons in Ravens history. I predicted them to win 3 games at the beginning of the season and even the most optimistic fan couldn’t see them winning more than 6, maybe 8 games.

We are happy to be proven wrong.

The Ravens’ unpredictable success was due in large part to the play of rookie QB Joe Flacco. Flacco was named the starting QB during the pre-season when Troy Smith went down with tonsillitis and Kyle Boller suffered a season-ending elbow injury. From the start, Flacco looked the part, standing tall in the pocket and having great accuracy. It took him some time to gain confidence and see the field clearly, but watching him yesterday he looked like he’d been in the league 5 seasons. He finishes the season with an 80.3 passer rating, 2,971 passing yards, 14 TD, 12 INT and 2 rush TD’s. However, after the infamous Colts game where he threw 3 INT, Flacco went on to have a magnificent 11-game stretch where he tossed 13 TD and 5 INT.

On defense, the usual suspects of Ray Lewis and Ed Reed had what could be called career seasons. Lewis will never top his prime from 1997-2001 seasons, but that is like climbing Mount Everest and then looking for a taller mountain to climb. Lewis responded to the critics who said his age was catching up to him (I myself was even believing it) and totaled 84 solo tackles, 3 sacks and 3 interceptions. More importantly, he still played the game with his patented intensity and leadership that fueled the rest of the defensive unit.

Ed Reed, who played most of 2008 with a severe neck injury that many said could end his career, equaled his career high in interceptions (9), and scored a career-best 3 defensive touchdowns as a game-changer in the secondary.

And they were all lead by rookie head coach John Harbaugh. Many critics said that Harbaugh was the only choice the Ravens had after Cowboys offensive coordinator Jason Garrett turned them down, and other potential candidates were hired elsewhere, but Harbaugh has made drastic changes in the Ravens organization in just one season. The Ravens are now a more disciplined unit than they were under Brian Billick, and perhaps the most important characteristic Harbaugh has going for him is his ability to let his staff do their job.

And that has allowed offensive coordinator Cam Cameron work his magic. No longer do the Ravens struggle to score more than 14 points a game. Cameron, in just his first season as Ravens OC, and working with a rookie QB mind you, has catapulted the Ravens offense from the depths of the NFL to 11th of 32 teams in points scored. He’s also demolished the “don’t lose” mentality that Billick lived and died by, by taking the training wheels off Flacco around the half-season mark.

The Ravens, or more specifically, Ozzie Newsome, also made a ton of smaller, but very important roster moves that contributed to their 11-5 season. They traded for CB Fabian Washington on draft day, who has filled in nicely for a deactivated Chris McAllister. They picked up OL Willie Anderson to shore up an inexperienced offensive line after the Bengals cut him. And they signed a veteran-savy Lorenzo Neal to block for Le’Ron McClain and Willis McGahee. They've also smartly worked Troy Smith into the offense, bringing with him an unpredictible and explosive potential.

So looking back, I really couldn’t have been more wrong about the Ravens and the prediction of 3 wins. The Ravens proved that they could rebuild on offense faster than expected while the defense still played dominant championship-caliber football. And it has all culminated at the right time, with the team playing their best football as they head into the playoffs.

What does that mean? I don’t exactly know. I think they can beat anyone, anywhere with the way they are playing now, but I still do worry about facing the likes of the Titans, Steelers and Colts on the road. And while I am completely confident that the Ravens can handle their business in Miami this Sunday, a costly mistake in a close game can make all the difference.

So I think the Ravens will go as far as they allow themselves to go. If they play mistake-free football, they can beat any team the NFL can throw at them. But, the game film to beat the Ravens is there. Maurice Jones-Drew ran for 78 yards yesterday. The Giants trounced the Ravens by rushing for over 200 yards in a loss earlier this season. And the Colts put on their yearly clinic on how to make the Ravens defense look like a bad high school team.

But the most important thing to remember is that the Ravens were never expected to do anything. They had a rookie head coach, a rookie QB and a defense that people called over-the-hill. It was supposed to be the end of an era. And now they’re playing their best football as they head into the playoffs and they can hang with anyone.

Not bad for a team that essentially never had a bye week, huh?

Big Win in Big D

The Ravens did the seemingly impossible last Saturday night, spoiling the Cowboy’s final game in Dallas Stadium, winning 33-24 and helping their playoff prospects immensely.

Dallas jumped out to a quick 7-0 lead after a Joe Flacco fumble gave the Cowboys the ball on their own 9-yard line. But then the defense stepped up, shutting out Dallas for the next two quarters.

During that span, the offense chipped their way back into the game with 3 consecutive Matt Stover field goals. Then with 2:51 left in the 3 quarter, Flacco found Derrick Mason, his favorite target, in the corner of the endzone for the Ravens first touchdown of the game, putting them ahead, 16-7.

Dallas and the Ravens traded field goals over the course of the next few drives, and after a Tony Romo to Terrell Owens touchdown brought them within two, at 19-17, it appeared the Ravens would be headed for another late loss.

With 3:32 left in the game, and on the first play of the drive, Willis McGahee busted off a 77-yard run to put the Ravens up 26-17 and driving what appeared to be the final nail in Dallas’ coffin.

But Dallas wasn’t quite dead just yet. They drove down the field at will on Rex Ryan’s soft prevent defense and scored a Jason Witten touchdown to pull within 2 points again at 26-24.

With 1:18 left, the Ravens just needed a first down to kill the clock and win the game. But just like the drive before, on the very first play, Le’Ron McClain huffed and puffed his way to an 82-yard TD, and this time, ending the game at 33-24. It was also the longest TD run by a visiting running-back in Dallas Stadium. Way to send it off, right?

The most comforting thing about this win, besides the huge help it gave the Ravens' playoff chances, was the return of a smart and effective Joe Flacco. After 2 disappointing games, Flacco finished with 149 yards and a TD and most importantly, 0 INT. His fumble was costly, but you can't blame him when the pocket collapses like the dam in Superman: The Movie. Flacco made the passes he needed to make against a pretty tough defense and was instrumental in winning the game.

And Derrick Mason was a warrior. Mason played through a separated shoulder, finishing with 66 yards and a TD. You really can't say enough about Derrick Mason, a veteran who plays with heart and has become a leader on offense. And when you look back and remember that Mason chose Baltimore over New England, you almost want to cry with happiness.

So here the Ravens are, at 10-5, headed into their final game against the 5-10 Jacksonville Jaguars. If the Ravens win, they’re in the playoffs and will travel to Miami, New York or new England in the first round. If they lose and New England loses to Buffalo, they are still in. Otherwise, if they lose, they’re out.

However, this game against Jacksonville is no gimmie. The Jags gave their all against Indianapolis and really should have won that game if not for a late David Garrard interception returned for a touchdown. Maurice Jones-Drew is a weapon, and while the Ravens are proficient at stopping the run, he presents a host of challenges since he can catch the ball out of the backfield.

But, all that said, the Ravens should beat the Jaguars. It’s all on the line and the Ravens are too well coached under John Harbaugh to look past the Jaguars to the playoffs.

And after coming off a disappointing loss to the Steelers and heading into Dallas, the writing was on the wall. It didn’t look good for the Ravens. But they saved their season. So failure against Jacksonville is not an option.

In closing, I am very worried about the Ravens guarding a small lead. Defensive coordinator Rex Ryan plays too soft, and the results are disastrous. Up 9-6 in the 4th quarter against the Steelers, Ryan played the prevent defense and the result was a Steelers 92-yard drive for the win. And up 9 against Dallas, the Ravens played off the line of scrimmage and Dallas marched down the field, 70 yards, for the score. Thankfully for the Ravens sake, Dallas was down by 2 scores.

So, if the Ravens find themselves in that position again, protecting a small lead, I sincerely hope that Ryan doesn’t call off the dogs. He should have learned his lesson by now.

Steel a Victory

It was a rough night to say the least. I had too much to drink before the game and can’t remember much of the first half.

However, I wish it was the second half I couldn’t remember, especially the Steelers’ 90-yard, game-winning drive with just seconds left on the clock.

When the Ravens were leading 9-3 and 9-6, I didn’t have faith that the Ravens would be able to hold the Steelers to just a few field goals the entire game. These are, after all, the same Steelers that found a way to score 17 points in seven minutes to beat the Cowboys last week after trailing 13-3. But the Ravens, especially their defense, laid down when it mattered most and essentially let the Steelers offense walk down the field to win the game.

Yes, the referees were horrible. They blew a first down spot and called a Santonio Holmes catch in the endzone a touchdown even though the ball never crossed the plane. They did this even after reviewing the play, too! But one bad call by the referees should not erase the Steelers’ drive of 90 yards, and the defense’s inability to stop them.

On the offensive side of the ball, the Ravens dropped several passes and Cam Cameron went conservative when he should have been aggressive. The Ravens love to chuck the rock around the field, and use their nifty trick plays when they are playing the Browns, Bengals and other assorted bad teams, but clinging to a narrow lead against the Steelers, they became the same old “don’t lose the game” Ravens from the Billick-era again.

That said, when Joe Flacco was throwing the ball, he was inaccurate. He completed a pathetic 39 percent of his passes. He had a chance to win the game late, with just seconds on the clock, but forced a pass into triple coverage, which was picked off for a second time.

Is Joe hitting that fabled rookie wall? I don’t think so. I think he is hitting the “I’m starting to play better defenses” wall.

On the positive side of things, Le’Ron McClain managed to gain a respectable 86 yards against the #1 defense in the league, but that is about the only positive thing you can say about the offense today. The receivers dropped too many passes and the Ravens gained only 202 yards of offense the entire game.

In short, it was a typical Steelers win. They kept the game close and gave themselves a chance to win at the end of the game and were helped out by the referees. Oh and remember that tough four-game stretch that the Steelers had? You know the one Ravens fans were pointing to and saying the division was as good as theirs?

@ NE – W
DAL – W
@ BAL – W

Yes, they still have Tennessee in Tennessee, but the Titans were just beaten by the Texans and don’t look anything close to the 10-0 team they were just a few weeks ago. I think the Steelers will end that tough four-game stretch undefeated. Much respect. They won the AFC North for a reason.

Today’s Ravens loss also significantly hurt their chances to make the playoffs too. With the Ravens travelling to Dallas to take on the Cowboys next Saturday at 9-5, the Ravens are giving themselves a small margin of error to make the post-season. However, they still control their own destiny. If they win out, they’re in. If they lose to Dallas, they need help assuming they can beat the Jaguars at home in the last game of the season to end the year at 10-6.

So, can the Ravens regroup in Dallas after a tough loss at home to the Steelers? Can the Ravens win the last game in Dallas Stadium against a Cowboys team as hungry as them to make the playoffs?

It’ll be a tough order. Stay tuned.

Black Beltway

It is often said that the best pitchers in baseball will find a way to beat you even when they don’t have their A-game. Well, if ever that could be said about a football team, it could be said about the Ravens last night as they beat the Washington Redskins, 24-10.

It’s true, the Ravens didn’t play all that great. Joe Flacco only threw for 134 yards, including a TD and an INT. Excluding the 8-minute drive in the 4th quarter when Le’Ron McClain pounded the ball down the Redskins throat, the Ravens had trouble running the ball. The wide-receivers dropped too many passes. And special teams kept committing penalties to back up the offense.

But, the defense played extremely well, holding the Redskins to only 254 yards of offense and forced the Skins into four turnovers. More importantly, they created 2 turnovers within the first five minutes of the game to give the Ravens an almost instant 14-0 lead.

And that made the game somewhat anticlimactic. The Redskins were visiting Baltimore for the first time in Ravens history, and Baltimore fans still hold a massive grudge toward the Redskins for former-owner Jack Kent Cooke trying to force his team on Baltimore. So fans were amped up to get their revenge. And there were a lot of Redskins fans in the crowd, but the fast 14-0 lead kept them silent.

But M&T was rocking last night despite the freezing cold temperature and wind. Take a look at this Redskins forum thread about how Skins fans are jealous of the Ravens home field advantage and calling for a new stadium even though FedEx Field is barely 10 years old. It’s good for a laugh.

Hopefully M&T will remain rocking when the Pittsburgh Steelers come to town next week. The Ravens will need the 12th man more than ever to beat the Steelers who despite not playing extremely well, keeps finding ways to win. They came back from a 13-3 deficit with seven minutes left to defeat the Cowboys last night, 20-13. They are still a game up on the Ravens for first place and have won the first two games of their difficult 4-game stretch. The last two: @ BAL, @ TEN.

But last night the Ravens dominated the Redskins in a game where they didn’t play that well. So imagine what it’ll be like when they are running on all cylinders. Hopefully they will be next week.

Why I don't really hate the Deadskins anymore...

With the Washignton Redskins coming to Baltimore this Sunday for the first time in Ravens history, I figured I’d share my thoughts on the Redskins, and quite to my surprise, why I don’t really hate them as much as I’m supposed to.

I’m the typical near-30 Baltimore guy. I love my city, rep its teams via clothes and license plate frames, and drink lots of Natty Boh.

I came of age in that 13-year gap between the Colts and the Ravens. I had friends in elementary and middle school who bled burgundy and gold. I had to sit through their trash talk during their two Super Bowl victories in 1987 and 1991.

I rooted for the Cincinnati Bengals, Detroit Lions and Pittsburgh Steelers as a kid. Not exactly the class of the NFL.

It would have been easy for me to root for the Redskins and I don’t think anyone would have really chided me for that. After all, Baltimore didn’t have a team, the Redskins were only 45 minutes away, and most importantly, they were good.

But I couldn’t do it.

In my house growing up, we weren’t D.C. patsies. We rooted for the Orioles and whoever played the Colts and Redskins. I didn’t really know the Bullets or Capitals existed until I was a teenager. We hated Jack Kent Cooke for trying his damndest to keep football out of Baltimore. And when the 1993 expansion failed to net Baltimore a team, and Paul Tagliabue told Baltimore to build a museum, we hated him too.

And if ever there was a time to break down and join the Redskins bandwagon, after the expansion meltdown would have been it.

But no. I stayed strong. I went to Baltimore Stallions games. I watched the then Baltimore CFL’s lose in the Grey Cup their inaugural year. In the NFL, I kept rooting for the Steelers. Anything to break down and become a Redskins fan.

Plus I thought, and still think, that the Redskins uniforms are some of the ugliest in the league. No way could I root for a team with ugly uniforms.

But then it happened. Art Modell announced he’d be moving his Browns to Baltimore. Finally, I was saved from ever having to become a Redskins fan. Thankfully, Modell left the Browns’ ugly uniforms in Cleveland.

During the Ravens’ first few years, when they had some pretty heinous uniforms themselves, my hatred of the Redskins remained. And as time passed, and as the Ravens got good, the Redskins got bad.

It’s hard to hate a team that stinks. Although I still do hate the Raiders and their fan base. But since 1992, the Redskins have pretty much stunk. And so does their stadium.

Meanwhile, Baltimore was growing as a city. No longer were we the bastard stepchild of D.C.

We got Oriole Park at Camden Yards, which to this day, is the nicest stadium I’ve ever been too. The Inner Harbor and surrounding neighborhoods underwent unprecedented renewal, and the Ravens Stadium is one of the best in the NFL. Then came the best piece of art ever to be created. The Wire. Made and shot in Baltimore by two Baltimore guys.

And while I still enjoy a daytrip to D.C., it’s a soulless city filled with transients. Its suburbs are crowded concrete dominated mini-cities unto themselves, and the 496 Beltway is a nightmare 23.5 hours of the day.

Years later, when Peter Angelos tried to keep D.C. from getting baseball, I couldn’t really be mad at ‘ol JKC anymore. They were both greedy businessmen looking out for themselves. I can’t defend Angelos’ actions any more than I can blast Cooke for his.

Then I moved out toward Frederick, which is pretty evenly split between Ravens and Redskins fans. When driving home from work in Columbia, MD, I was forced to listen to D.C. sports talk since WJFK AM became static after Mariottsville Road. And what I found on D.C. sports radio was some of the best entertainment I’ve ever experienced.

Have you ever listened to Redskins fans? You really should. It’s priceless. They anoint themselves Super Bowl Champions after winning a pre-season game and then say the Redskins are the worst team in the NFL after losing one regular season game.

If ever there was a knee-jerk reaction fan base, the Redskins fan base is it. They’re annoying like that house-fly that won’t go away. You know it’s harmless, but crushing it under a rolled up piece of newspaper feels euphoric.

Plus they dress up as fat women and wear pig snouts.

How can you hate them for that? We should be feeling sorry for them.

And you know how annoying the Baltimore Ravens marching band is? (Although I must admit, they have gotten better, and less annoying, over the years)

Well the Redskins are the only other NFL team to have a marching band. So we’re pretty much brothers. Heck, we’re practically Siamese twins.

So there you have it. Hating the Redskins is much like hating that homeless guy on the corner. But I guess the real reason I don’t hate the Redskins as much as I used to is because now I have something to occupy my time. And that is rooting hard for the Ravens.

That said, I hope the Ravens kick the Redskins’ fucking asses on national TV this Sunday night.

Invading Cincinnati

A few weeks ago, I checked StubHub.com for Ravens-at-Bengals ticket prices and was surprised to see $65 tickets on sale for $20. So I snatched up five tickets and this past weekend, Impressions from 540 and Friends invaded Cincinnati.

We came… we saw… we conquered.

Ravens 34, Bengals 3.

It almost wasn’t even fair.

Remember the days when a little rain would turn the Ravens’ offense into a high school team?

Not anymore.

Remember when the Ravens offense would struggle to score points against even the worst defenses?

Not anymore.

Remember when the Ravens were almost guaranteed to turn in a dud on the road, against a division rival?

You get the point.

540’s man-crush, Joe Flacco, tossed his now-to-be-expected 2 TD’s (another long one, this time for 70 yards), Mark Clayton (yes, you read that right) threw a 32-yard TD pass to Derrick Mason and Le’Ron McClain bashed his way to 86 yards in the lopsided victory.

The defense shut down the hapless Bengals offense, resulting in a long day for QB Ryan Fitzpatrick (12-31, 120 yards). The Bengals managed only 155 yards of offense in the game.

Truth be told, I actually felt sorry for Bengals fans. Coming into the game, the Bengals were 1-9-1 and missing Carson Palmer like the deserts miss the rain. The stadium was only 3/5 full at kickoff, granted there was some rain, but by the end of the third quarter, the Bengals fans staged a mass exodus to find a drier, and happier place.

The ones who stuck around cheered loudly as the third-string QB, Jordan Palmer, entered the game. To add insult to injury, the first pass he threw was intercepted and returned for a TD.

It was the same old Bungles so I couldn’t exactly gloat too much in my first Ravens road trip. But, the Ravens hadn’t won in Cincinnati since 2004, so I’ll take it.

That said, it was an awesome experience. Once the game was over, I mean officially over since it was very much over before it began, my friends and I headed toward the Ravens tunnel to cheer them on as they left the field with the rest of the Ravens faithful who made the trip. To my surprise, Daniel Wilcox threw me his glove, which I caught and will lovingly wear to bed each night.

As a city, Cincinnati left a lot to be desired. I’m not sure if I missed some hotspots or not, but the downtown area seemed empty and generic. My friends and I did manage to find a nice sports bar (Sully's) and bar/nightclub (The Lodge) close to our hotel, but trips around the city and across the river for action turned up empty.

And the Skyline Chili was almost room temperature.

Paul Brown stadium is in one word – funky. I still haven’t figured out if that’s a good thing or not. It’s angles and lines are too modern and the stadium is too wide-open to hold noise. Also, you can’t walk around the entire stadium from the upper deck. Yes, my friends and I did walk all the way up to the wrong side of the upper deck. So that sucked. But it was pretty much the worst thing about the entire trip.

Moving forward, the Ravens take on the Washington Redskins (7-5) next Sunday night. The Redskins are fighting for a playoff spot that is starting to slip through their fingers and it doesn’t help that Clinton Portis left the game with an injury in their loss to the Giants and is questionable for this Sunday.

Despite their recent struggles, the Redskins are an overall solid team, but against the Ravens, they look to be practically dominated in every facet of the game, especially if Portis is forced to miss any time.

QB Jason Campbell is at his best when the Redskins running game is clicking, and hasn’t demonstrated the ability to take over games and win them by himself. When he is forced to win the game on his own, he becomes prone to turnovers. He looks to be in for a very long day against the Ravens’ second-ranked defense.

The Ravens still control their own destiny in the playoff hunt, but will have to walk a tight-rope to win a Wild Card spot with the Colts finding ways to win (even when they don’t score offensive touchdowns) and the Patriots and Dolphins breathing down their necks. The Ravens’ best bet is to steal the division from the Steelers, but that might be easier said than done after the Steelers crushed the Patriots in New England last weekend.

However, the Steelers next three games are still tough: Dallas, at Baltimore and then at Tennessee.

But let’s not look ahead too much. The Redskins come to Baltimore for the first time and it’s a prime-time game.

Remember when the Ravens laid an egg in prime-time games?

Let’s hope we can add that one to the list.

How do you like your Eagle cooked? Well done!

The Ravens helped their playoff chances yesterday, overcoming a slow first half, eventually dominating the Eagles in route to a 36-7 drubbing of the Philadelphia Eagles.

In the first half, the Ravens and Eagles traded punts before a second-quarter Ed Reed interception gave the Ravens the ball at the Eagles 6-yard line. Two runs later, QB Joe Flacco hit TE Daniel Wilcox for his 9th TD pass of the season, putting the Ravens ahead 10-0.

On the following kickoff, the Eagles’ kick-returner Quentin Demps ran 100 yards through the Ravens kick-coverage like a hot knife through butter for the touchdown. 10-7 Ravens.

But, that was where the Philadelphia scoring ended.

In the 3rd quarter, Eagles head coach Andy Reid benched Donovan McNabb, who had thrown 3 INT in the first half, and handed the ball to Kevin Kolb. Kolb had just as much trouble moving the ball as McNabb, and a stalled drive resulted in a blocked Sav Rocca punt a safety. 12-7 Ravens.

After Kolb threw an interception to Samari Rolle, a Matt Stover field goal put the Ravens up 15-7 Ravens.

And that’s where the fun began.

After another stalled Eagles drive, Flacco hit Mark Clayton for a 53-yard touchdown, his 10th TD pass of the season. 22-7.

And get a load of this: In the last 5 games, Flacco has had 4 touchdown passes of 43 yards or more. When was the last time that happened to a Ravens QB?

Shortly after that, Ed Reed caught his second INT of the day, this one in the Ravens endzone, and returned it for an NFL record 108 yards for a TD. 29-7 Ravens.

And finally, to add insult to injury, the Ravens tacked on yet another score, this time it was Le’Ron McClain for a 1 yard TD. 36-7 Ravens. Final.

After a rocky game in New York, Joe Flacco returned to his usual cool, calm and collective self, passing for a now standard 183 yards and 2 TD’s. Despite a slow first half, and an impressive pass rush by the Eagles, Flacco never panicked. He moved around the pocket well, and threw the ball away instead of forcing passes.

It’s really nice to have a QB you don’t have to worry about.

However, the Ravens had trouble getting the running game going for the second game in a row. Willis McGahee and Ray Rice combined for 15 yards. But big Le’Ron McClain did the rushing dirty work, ripping and romping for 88 yards on 18 carries and the late TD. At one point early in the game, I think McClain rushed 6 straight times on the same play.

On the receiving front, Mark Clayton had the best day, hauling in two passes for 76 yards and the big TD. It’s nice to see someone other than Derrick Mason catching passes for once, and after a miserable 2007 season, Mark Clayton is back on the map.

So in review, the game was closer than the lopsided score might indicate, but the Ravens turned it on when it mattered most. Not only did they improve their playoff chances with a win at home, they also pretty much hammered the final nail into the Eagles coffin of a season.

And I couldn’t be happier about that.

There were a lot of Eagles fans down at M&T Bank Stadium yesterday, and despite coming off an embarrassing tie with the lowly Cincinnati Bengals, one where your star-QB had no idea that a game could end in a tie, Iggles’ fans were quite vocal in the very limited opportunities they could be vocal. And as a result, there were quite a few shoving matches up in 540.

Thankfully, the Ravens shut the Iggles’ fans up and sent them home early in the second half. Sorry Iggles fans. That Phillies World Series win will have to keep you warm during your long and cold playoff-less winter.

Back to the Ravens. At 7-4 they head to Cincinnati to take on the 1-9-1 Bengals. And while you never want to say a road game in the NFL is an easy win, if there ever was an easy road win, this is it.

With Carson Palmer still on the sideline with a shoulder injury, QB Ryan Fitzpatrick looks to be in for a long day against the Ravens defense. The Bengals will get Chad Johnson back for the game after a deactivation, but he’s been a non-entity this season without Carson Palmer, and it appears Ocho Stinko’s conspiracy theories about not being thrown to are proving true. Johnson has only caught 41 passes so far this season.

So, the Ravens have to take advantage of the struggling Bengals this week before their schedule gets difficult again, with Washington and Pittsburgh at home, and then Dallas on the road.

And with so many teams fighting for the Wild Card in the AFC, the Ravens’ easiest path to the playoffs could be by winning the AFC North. The Ravens currently trail the Steelers by 1 game, and on top of facing the Steelers once more this season, Pittsburgh has a pretty tough schedule in front of them: @ NE, DAL, @ BAL, @ TEN.

So, will the Ravens make the playoffs? Can they win the division? Stay tuned.

Giant Loss

Going into yesterday's game against the New York Giants, the question on everyone’s mind was if the Ravens run-stuffing defense could stop the Giants’ “Earth, Wind and Fire” rushing attack of Brandon Jacobs, Derrick Ward and Ahmad Bradshaw.

That question was answered right away with a resounding “NO!”

Brandon Jacobs scampered for 52 yards and the TD on the Giants' first offensive drive and it set the tone early as the Giants went on to beat the Ravens 30-10.

As a team, the Giants rushed for 207 yards (but no one had over 100 yards individually! YAY!)

Meanwhile, Joe Flacco led the Ravens in rushing yards with 57, which should tell you all you need to know about how well the Ravens were able to run the ball.

They couldn’t.

As a passer, Flacco was mediocre. He threw a bad interception in the second quarter and then made a great pass to Le’Ron McClain for a TD in the third quarter before his bobbled pass to Derrick Mason was intercepted and returned for a TD by Aaron Ross at the end of the third.

But without a running game to set up the passing game, Flacco struggled to gain any semblance of rhythm. And asking a rookie QB to win the game with his arm is a tall order and one he’s not ready to fulfill. Yet. Flacco finished with a less than stellar line: 20-33, 164 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT.

Some might say that the game was closer than the 30-10 score, but I’d have to disagree. The Ravens were pretty much dominated in every facet of the game. They couldn’t run and they couldn’t stop the run. And without the run, the Ravens couldn't get the passing game going either.

The closest the Ravens ever came to making it a game was late in the third quarter. While trailing 20-10, the Ravens were driving down the field, and had they scored, (either a field goal or a touchdown), they would have been down by only one score. But Flacco’s pass was bobbled by Mason and returned for the TD that put the game out of reach at 27-10.

Ballgame.

In my opinion, yesterday’s loss was a reality-check. The Ravens looked good for the last month, beating up on the NFL’s bottom feeders (excluding the Dolphins, who are now 6-4), but as they’ve faced the better teams in the league, they’ve found ways to lose.

And the schedule doesn’t let up any time soon. The Eagles come into town next week. Philly is licking their wounds after playing to a tie with the Cincinnati Bengals, and they’ll be playing hard to save their season, which is on the ropes in the tough NFC East.

Then the Ravens get a break of sorts as they travel to Cincinnati to face the somewhat improved Bengals. But the Ravens haven’t won in Cincy since 2004. Then it’s Washington and Pittsburgh at home, at Dallas and then home against Jacksonville to close out the season.

Wow.

At 6-4, the Ravens are still very much in the mix for the playoffs. But if they want to make it to the postseason, they’ll have to actually beat some good teams for once.

Wins are bigger in Texas

Can you believe that people were once talking about the Ravens 2008 season with low expectations? I myself even pontificated whether or not the Ravens could get to 4 wins this year.

Shame on me for not believing. Talk about a pleasant surprise.

Even if it was only the 3-5 Texans they beat yesterday, the Ravens sent a message. They finally have a QB in Joe Flacco and they finally have an offense to go along with their still-dominating defense.

The Ravens scored a season high 41 points en route to a dominating win over the Houston Texans, 41-13, and were once again running on all cylinders.

Joe Flacco turned in another solid game, going 15-23 for 185 yards and 2 TD’s. In the four games since the Indianapolis meltdown where Flacco threw 3 picks, he’s thrown 6 TD’s and 0 INT’s. He also completed another long TD pass, this time connecting with Yamon Figurs for 43 yards.

Tight End Todd Heap came back from the dead, hauling in 2 TD’s for 58 yards. If Heap can start contributing like this week to week, the Ravens passing offense is going to start to scare opposing defenses if they haven’t already. No longer can opposing defenses stack the box to stop the run. They have to worry about Flacco’s ability to throw the deep ball, which the Ravens have done successfully for 2 TD’s in two straight weeks as well as the now successful “Suggs Package” with Troy Smith lining up under center (Smith tossed a late-game TD to Todd Heap).

I wonder if Terrell Suggs is happy yet?

For the second straight week, the Ravens got a huge performance from their running back. This time it was Willis McGahee, rushing 25 times for 115 yards and 2 TD’s.

And even though the defense allowed 355 yards of total offense, they stepped up when it mattered most, picking off Texans’ QB Sage Rosenfels 4 times including a Haloti Ngata tipped pass and catch for an INT in the endzone, preventing a Houston TD. Ray Lewis also had 2 INT's, and Samari Rolle, fresh off of the injury report, caught one too.

The win in Houston has given the Ravens a four game winning streak, and they have rattled off the first two wins on a three game road swing. They are tied with the Steelers for first place, although the Steelers currently hold a tie-breaker over the Ravens.

The 3-game a road trip comes to an end next Sunday, as the Ravens travel to the Meadowlands to take on the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants who won last night to improve to 8-1.

And even though the Ravens sent a message with their win yesterday, to go into New York and beat the Giants, would strike fear into the hearts of the NFL.

Viva La Ravenlution!

Wow.

If ever there was a game to represent a revolution in the Baltimore Ravens organization, yesterday’s 37-27 win over the Cleveland Browns was it.

The Ravens overcame a 14-point deficit after trailing 27-13 with 6 minutes in the 3rd quarter to score 24 unanswered points.

The Ravens of old would have switched to auto-pilot, especially on offense, where the three-and-outs would have abundant.

Not yesterday.

Down 14 points in the 3rd quarter, the Ravens offense turned it on when it mattered most. And then the defense matched the offense blow-for-blow, shutting down the Browns offense for the rest of the game.

After the Browns scored their last touchdown making the score 27-13, the Ravens drove right down the field for a Le’Ron McClain touchdown. After the Browns were forced to punt, Joe Flacco hit Derrick Mason for his second TD of the day, tying the game at the start of the 4th quarter. And after Ray Rice scampered for a 60-yard run which put the ball at the Browns three yard line, the Ravens couldn’t get in the endzone, so Matt Stover kicked the go-ahead field goal with a little over five minutes left.

That gave the Browns offense some life, but Terrell Suggs quickly snuffed it out, returning a Derek Anderson interception for a touchdown.

Game. Set. Match.

I am still in awe. Did the Ravens really score 24 unanswered points in a little over 20 minutes?

Yeah. They did.

And it couldn’t have happened without Joe Flacco. Unibrow has played 3 flawless games since his 3-INT debacle in Indianapolis, throwing 4 TD and 0 INT in that span, while rushing for a TD as well. He hit Mark Clayton (he lives!) for a 47-yard TD bomb that reminded Ravens fans that deep passes can result in something other than incompletions or interceptions. But what was really impressive about Flacco yesterday was how he performed in the clutch.

Flacco and Mason are starting to go together like Hall and Oates. Flacco hit Mason 9 times for 136 yards and a TD. Flacco was also able to work Mark Clayton back into the offense, hitting him 4 times for 87 yards and the 47 yard TD bomb.

No Willis McGahee? No problem. Rookie Ray Rice filled in admirably, rushing for 154 yards and caught 3 passes for 22 yards. Le’Ron McClain chipped in, rushing 13 times for 34 yards and a score.

Despite the 27 points allowed, the defense played well, especially in the 4th quarter when it mattered most. Even though they only sacked Derek Anderson once, they were able to disrupt his momentum, and he underthrew and overthrew several receivers. If there was one unit that underperformed, it was the Special Teams, who allowed Browns kick-returner Josh Cribbs to score a TD and give the Browns the ball deep in Ravens territory on another occasion.

All in all it was a wonderful win, and a reminder that the changeover in coaching staff personnel is starting to take hold on the Ravens sidelines.

Next week, the Ravens fly to Houston to play the Texans in a game that was originally supposed to be played week 2, but was postponed because of Hurricane Ike. The Texans have a high-flying offense, regardless of who is under center (Matt Shaub or Sage Rosenfels) and a pair of wide-receivers who are among the best in the league in Andre Johnson and Kevin Walter. The Ravens, however, should be able to stop the Texans mediocre running game and the Texans’ defense is their weakness. They rank 17th overall in yards allowed, and 27th in points allowed.

Playing the Texans should remind fans of playing the Browns, but with a better offense. If Chris McAllister is in deed out for the season, the Ravens weak secondary could be exposed by the Texans WR’s. But, if Flacco and the rest of the offense are on their game like they were yesterday against the Browns, there is no reason to think that the result can’t be similar.

And it would be nice to steal another game on the road before the Ravens travel to New York to take on the defending Super Bowl Giants in two weeks.

At 5-3, the Ravens are a half game behind the Steelers, who play the Redskins in Washington tonight.

Things are getting interesting. Especially now that the “new Ravens” have arrived.

Williams on IR, McAllister headed there too

The Ravens placed WR Demetrius Williams on the IR today, ending his season.

Remember that 70 yard catch for a touchdown last week against the Raiders? The one where he was wide open? It could be your last memory of Williams in a Ravens uniform. Throughout his career, Williams has battled injuries, and there’s a good chance the Ravens will part ways with Williams in the offseason and try to find a healthier alternative.

They may have found a candidate in Terrance Copper, whom the Ravens sighed to replace Williams on the roster. Copper played two seasons with the Dallas Cowboys and three seasons with the New Orleans Saints and did well for a few weeks filling in for an injured Marques Colston in 2006.

While Copper isn’t exactly going to open up our passing game, it’s nice to replace a Williams with a WR who has a similar skill set. In other words, we shouldn’t expect much of a drop off from Williams to Copper.

In other Ravens news, it appears that cornerback Chris McAllister is headed for the IR as well. He’s been bothered by a knee since training camp.

C-Mac’s squabbles with head coach John Harbaugh are well known by now, and if McAllister is in deed placed on the IR, the Colts game could be your last memories of Chris, as well.

Don’t expect me to shed any tears. For years McAllister has been a solid, if not slightly overhyped (by himself) CB on the field and a nightmare off of it, mouthing off and causing trouble in the locker room. He may not be Pacman Jones, but McAllister has clearly worn out his welcome in Baltimore. His latest brush with the Ravens rules of conduct involved marching through a hotel lobby in shorts, violating the Ravens team dress code. He also had three women with him. When Harbaugh benched McAllister in the Miami game, Chris apparently butted heads with Harbaugh over the decision. So his knee may not be the only reason McAllister is heading to the IR.

I’ll always remember McAllister for being a part of the Ravens 2000 Championship team, but it’s time to move on. The Ravens need to clean up their image on defense and perhaps McAllister just needs a chance of scenery.

Although something tells me he needs more than just that.

Purple and Black Hole

The Ravens turned in another dominating performance yesterday, beating the Oakland Raiders 29-10 to improve to 4-3, only 1 game back of the Pittsburgh Steelers, who lost at home to the Giants last night.

For the Ravens, it was all about keeping the momentum they established last week in the win at Miami, and boy did they ever.

Terrell Suggs has to be pleased now that Head Coach John Harbaugh listened to Suggs’ remarks about Troy Smith getting playing time, working Smith into the offense with much success. Smith lined up at QB with Flacco lined up as wide-receiver several times yesterday, and Smith did it all. He ran, he optioned and he completed a 43-yard pass to Joe Flacco, who would have had a touchdown if not for stumbling after the catch.

After the game, Harbaugh playfully dubbed it the “Suggs Package”. I find that funny and a relief, since Suggs was about to derail the season with his controversial remarks, compounded with the on-going McAllister-Harbaugh feud. But Harbaugh kept it light in the post-game interview and Suggs can’t do anything but smile after seeing his boy Troy worked into the offense.

In the standard offense, Joe Flacco turned in another solid game, and has put together two great weeks of QB play after turning in the dud at Indianapolis. Despite his slow start, he went 12-24 for 140 yards and a TD. The TD pass accounted for half of his yards when Flacco found Demetrius Williams wide open for 70 yards and the score. It was the first time I’ve seen a Ravens WR that open since Shannon Sharpe was waving his hand above his head downfield in Tennessee in 2000. More importantly, however, Flacco didn’t turn the ball over all day.

The running attack was on point as well, and everyone got involved. Rookie Ray Rice was the most impressive, gaining 64 yards on 8 carries while McGahee had trouble finding holes. He gathered just 58 yards on 23 carries, but found the endzone once. McClain got the ball 7 times and rushed for 32 while Flacco pounded out 23 yards, including a TD to close out the game late. Rounding out the rushing attack was Troy Smith in the “Suggs Package” with 3 rushes for 13 yards.

The defense came to play, and put a lot of pressure on JaMarcus Russell, sacking him 4 times, including once for a safety. Russell was very erratic, completing only 45% of his passes, but did complete a 60-yard bomb, and racked up a somewhat impressive 228 yards against the stout Ravens D. The defense bottled up the running game, holding the Ravens to just 47 yards.

Special Teams also contributed nicely, with Ray Rice gaining 54 yards on 2 kick returns and Jim Leonard getting 1 return for 16 yards. The Special Teams also pinned Oakland deep in their own territory on several occasions, but it didn’t help that an Oakland KR ran a kickoff out of bounds at the 4-yard line, a reminder that the Oakland Raiders are a team mired in turmoil.

The bottom line yesterday was that the Ravens dominated a team they should have dominated, and made the day very enjoyable for the fans in the stands. But the next few weeks shouldn’t be as easy. They start a 3-game road trip next week in Cleveland, who after a bad 0-3 start have gone 3-1. The Browns offense has woken up, but Derek Anderson and Braylon Edwards have yet to re-establish their rapport from a year ago when Anderson passed for 29 TD’s, 16 of which went to Edwards. The Ravens have also lost 3 of their last 4 games in Cleveland.

For the Ravens to win, they need to establish the run early and wear down the defense like they did in Baltimore in week 3. I would also like to see the Ravens continue to work the “Suggs Package” into the mix a little more, keeping the Cleveland defense guessing. It would also help if the defense pressured Derek Anderson early and often, forcing him to throw some of his patented interceptions. The Cleveland running game looks to be a non-factor with the way the Ravens shut down the run, but never overlook a passionate Jamal Lewis when he plays his former team.

It’s going to be a hard-fought game, much like the game in Pittsburgh earlier this season, against a division rival on the road. But I do expect the Ravens to come out a winner. And it would be nice to steal this game before traveling on to Houston and then New York (Giants) in the following weeks.

But for now, the Ravens sit at 4-3, a game back of the Steelers, confident in knowing that they could easily be 6-1, but smart enough to know they can’t overlook anyone.

Shut the Suggs Up

One has to wonder what Ravens LB Terrell Suggs is thinking sometimes. Especially after making the following comment which was reported on Pro-Football-Talk.com:

“I think [Flacco] should get some playing time, but I think Troy should be the starter,” Suggs said. “[Flacco] started out hot, [but] I mean we played two teams [Cincinnati and Cleveland] at the bottom of the league in defense, so everybody was going all crazy about him.”

Terrell, for one, needs to keep his mouth shut when it comes to this kind of stuff. What he thinks about who should be starting over who means about as much as what he thinks about the sagging economy, the war in Iraq and whether or not Britney Spears looks hot in her new music video.

Nothing.

Secondly, Suggs should use some common sense and take a look at both QB’s. Both are inexperienced players, but now that Flacco has started in 6 NFL games, he has 3 times as much experience as Troy Smith, who only started 2 games at the end of 2007.

Thirdly, Flacco has been entrenched as the starting QB since the third week of pre-season and has practiced with the first team offense since that time. Smith, meanwhile, was busy losing 30 pounds while suffering through a nasty bout with tonsillitis.

Yeah, it’s unfortunate that Terrell’s boy Troy lost his job to a freak virus, but it is what it is. Flacco gives the Ravens the best chance to win based on experience and overall talent.

And it doesn’t end there.

Suggs had Joe Flacco on his weekly radio show and what did he break out with? You guessed it, the Shane Falco references from The Replacements. Remember that movie? The one where Keanu Reeves plays a washed-up college QB who crosses the picket lines to play football during a strike and Baltimore stands in for Washington, DC?

The Falco reference may not be a direct insult to Flacco. After all, Shane Falco eventually does become the QB he knew he could be. We only hope that Flacco can turn out the same way. But come on Terrell, show some respect for your QB. Call him by his real name. Especially on the radio, and especially after the defense has suffered through the likes of Kyle Boller, Anthony Wright and a decimated Steve McNair who couldn’t throw the ball longer than 10 yards. Joe Flacco has kept the defense rested by maintaining drives and has showed promise on several occasions by standing tall in the pocket and completing 64.1% of his passes thus far.

Meanwhile, Smith has completed 52% of his passes.

My question to Terrell Suggs: What game are you watching?

In my opinion, this kind of crap can’t go undisciplined. For too long the defense has been the aggressors in the locker room, bullying the offense left and right. Suggs is just another loud-talking ego, and that is something the Ravens need less of.

Take Chris McAllister for instance. Wondering why he sat out the Dolphins game last weekend? Turns out he violated the team’s dress code, wearing shorts through the hotel lobby while 3 women were hanging from his arms. There are also some rumors floating around that McAllister dared Harbaugh to sit him out of the Miami game. You can read McAllister's comments on the benching here. He doesn't sound too happy.

I’ll be amazed if Terrell Suggs and Chris McAllister are on the Ravens next year. Yes, both are amazing talents, but at some point, this thug-mentality that has plagued the Ravens defense for so long has to come to an end. And losing these two players after the season is over is a good place to start.

And if you can trade Terrell Suggs to the Arizona Cardinals for say, Anquan Boldin, I would make that deal in a heartbeat.

In the meantime, just shut up and play.

Fish in a Barrel

The Ravens broke out of their three game losing streak yesterday, in a game that purged most of the negatives from the Ravens massive 31-3 loss to the Colts a week ago, beating the Miami Dolphins 27-13 to improve to 3-3.

Rookie QB Joe Flacco played his best game as a pro yesterday, going 17-23 for 232 yards and a touchdown. He didn’t turn the ball over, stood tall and confident in the pocket and didn’t force passes into coverage like he had done in Indianapolis and two weeks ago in the loss to the Tennessee Titans.

If I was doubting head coach John Harbaugh’s decision to name Flacco the starter for the season, I was proven wrong by Flacco’s performance yesterday. For the first time this season, Flacco used several targets. Derrick Mason (6 rec, 87 yds, 1 TD) was again Flacco’s #1 target, but Flacco spread the ball around nicely, finding Todd Heap 3 times for 29 yards and even the ghost of Mark Clayton once for 13 yards. The screen pass also returned in a big way yesterday, and it helped the offense maintain drives and control the time of possession (31:43 to 28:17). Willis McGahee had 47 yards receiving and Ray Rice 46.

Another pleasant surprise was McGahee’s running game. McGahee had been chided for coming into the season out of shape, and it showed during the first few weeks of the season as McGahee appeared out of breath and nicked-up on several plays. However, against the Dolphins defense, McGahee hit holes hard and showed determination, breaking tackles and fighting for the extra yard instead of going down after the first hit. He finished the day with 105 rush yards and a TD. The only blemish on McGahee, and the Ravens day, was McGahee’s fumble deep in Miami territory. The fumbled was rendered moot, and McGahee’s improved play meant less time for Le’Ron McClain, who just rushed 6 times for 17 yards.

The defense was ready to get the sour taste out of their mouths from a week ago, and they did just that. They declawed Miami’s wildcat offense, stuffing the Dolphins run game (71 total rush yards) and keeping QB Chad Pennington off balance all day. Despite his 295 passing yards, the normally accurate Pennington had to hurry several passes, which meant a lot of them were way off target. It would have been nice to see the Ravens get after Pennington a little more, and the Ravens’ pass rush is something that needs to be improved going forward. In the last 3 games, the Ravens have recorded only 3 sacks.

The Ravens host the Oakland Raiders next week, and this game represents a great opportunity for the Ravens to get above .500 as they then hit the road for three consecutive weeks. Oakland is coming off a big team win against Brett Favre and the Jets, but have played poorly on the road, especially when coming to the East Coast, where they are 0-3 lifetime against the Ravens in Baltimore.

In today’s NFL, fans are usually of the mentality that a team is as good as their latest game. If that has any truth to it, the Ravens have proven that they are better than the team that was dominated a week ago. The Dolphins may not be a powerhouse in the AFC, but they are a team on the rise, but the Ravens bumped them back down, at least for one week.

Off to the races

While most of the 1 p.m. games around the NFL ended with some last minute fireworks, the Ravens/Colts game was over about 6 minutes into the first quarter when Peyton Manning connected with Marvin Harrison for the first of his 3 passing TD's in the Colts win over the Ravens, 31-3.

For the Ravens it was the same old story when playing the Colts. In the last 4 games versus the Colts, the Ravens have been outscored 114-36.

Today it was no different. The Ravens came out on offense looking like they'd spent all of last night getting drunk at Indy's finest strip club. Joe Flacco threw 3 INT's, Le'Ron McClain fumbled and the Ravens couldn't run the ball despite the Colts defense ranking last against the run.

It wouldn't have mattered if the Ravens had gone to bed early and were 100% healthy. The Colts are just a million times better than the Ravens, always have been, and as long as Manning is the QB, always will be.

I am really glad the Colts missed the playoffs in 2000 because I am starting to wonder what Manning could have done against the Ravens Super Bowl winning defense.

Probably shredded them like he has done to pretty much every other Ravens defensive unit.

Anyway, after playing both the Steelers and the Titans tough despite losing very winnable games, the Ravens were supposed to be able to maintain drives against the Colts banged-up defense, keeping Manning and company off the field.

That simply didn't happen.

And when the Colts had the ball, Manning picked apart the Ravens defense like he's done for years, passing for 271 yards and 3 TD's. Ravens players and fans alike should start a countdown to the day Manning retires. It's got to happen any year or seven.

Even worse, the Ravens gave the Colts their first home win at their new Lucas Oil Stadium.

As for the Ravens going forward, Coach Billick better rally his troops and... wait, did I say Billick? Oh yeah, I forgot he was fired last year. Silly me! The team looks and plays totally different than they did back when Billick was the coach.

In case you haven't noticed, I am using a little literally tactic called sarcasm.

Despite the change in coaching staff, the Ravens are still their same old boring ball control and dumb-headed selves. It's a wonder why they even bother drafting QB's if they are never going to let them do anything except hand the ball off and throw the ball yards short of the first down marker on 3rd down.

Why don't the Ravens try to stretch the field by throwing deep like they haven't done for two games straight? Flacco's got the arm. Sure, we don't have the receivers to really do it, but why not at least try? It might open up the running game a bit. And who knows, maybe once every season you might actually complete a pass for more than 50 yards!

More about Joe -- I am starting to get worried for the kid. We saw what happened with Boller when he was forced into the starter's position and we're starting to see the same things happen with Flacco. His poise in the pocket is getting worse. I believe I am starting to see some happy feet. And he's still forcing throws. I know this was only his fifth NFL game, but we should at least start to see some improvement by now.

Instead, Joe is getting worse.

This past week Coach Harbaugh came out and named Flacco the starter for the rest of the year, and I have to wonder if it was the right decision. Flacco now has 1 TD to 7 INT's and is starting to cost the team games.

So it basically comes down to this: What is worse? Throwing Flacco to the wolves by forcing him to start games? Or benching him in favor of a healthy Troy Smith so Flacco can stand on the sidelines and become more of a student of the game?

There is no easy answer. But as the season starts to slip away from the Ravens, it'll be hard to bench the future franchise QB.

So, next week the Ravens fly to Miami where they became victim to the Dolphins last year for the Phins only win of the 2007 season. The Dolphins are much better than they were last year, and the Ravens are probably the same.

Yeah... I don't like our chances there either.

Titan-ic Disaster

Just a week after losing a heartbreaker to the Steelers, the Ravens dropped another winnable game to the Tennessee Titans, 13-10.

If the Ravens are going to make this a habit, I may have to call the doctor and get a prescription for some anti-depressants.

Yes, the Ravens lost another game in which they dominated for the better part of 3.5 quarters, only to commit another game-changing penalty (this time it was controversial -- more on that later) which allowed the opposition to take advantage of the costly mistake.

It doesn't end there, either.

Matt Stover missed another field goal, which would have left the game tied after the Titans scored their late touchdown. I think it's safe to say the Stover era is coming to a close in Baltimore. Enjoy it while it lasts.

Add to that some questionable coaching at the end of the first half and you have a recipe for another heart-grueling Ravens loss.

Rookie Joe Flacco turned in his worst performance to date, going 18-27 for 153 yards and 2 interceptions. Both picks were of the rookie-QB-trying-too-hard-to-make-something-out-of-nothing variety, but the second interception came one play after the Titans scored the go-ahead touchdown and ended any hopes of a last-minute comeback.

And that brings me to this. Flacco is not the superhuman savior fans were making him out to be. He's not going to travel down the same career path as Ben Roethlisberger, who in his rookie season went 14-1 as a starter and limited turnovers. Flacco has a steep learning curve, and if the Ravens have any hopes of making the playoffs, they need Flacco to settle down and start throwing the ball away when there is nothing happening downfield.

And while I may be blasted for this, I would even start thinking about whether it is time to start working Troy Smith into the mix. Now, I know Smith would be hard-pressed to do any better than Flacco, but I still do believe that having rookie QB's standing on the sideline is a good thing. Flacco has gotten his taste of NFL action, and hasn't embarrassed himself, but maybe it's time to let him learn by watching, and not by doing.

That said, benching Flacco is still another bad game or two down the road.

What really makes this loss so tough to swallow, was that despite the penalties, despite the poor play from Flacco, despite the questionable play-calling, the Ravens were in a position to beat the 4-0 Titans, and ended up beating themselves in the 4th quarter.

The refs also played a part. On the eventual game-winning drive, Terrell Suggs went after Titans QB Kerry Collins and while going for the ball, came down on Collins' helmet and shoulder, which the refs called roughing the passer, which was a stretch in and of itself.

However, there was a false start penalty called, meaning that the play was supposed to be whistled dead. The problem? The referee didn't do his part to whistle the play dead. Instead he just kinda waited for the play to keep going before he decided to step in. So how the f--- was Suggs supposed to know the play was over when he went after Collins?

The Ravens have a legit beef with the call, and it only gives the fans more salt to rub in their wounds.

But despite the botched call from the refs, and despite the million of other "what-ifs" fans are carrying on about, the bottom line is that the Ravens simply let this one get away.

The defense, which had been stopping the Titans all game, picked the wrong time to let up, and seemed deflated after the controversial penalty continued the game-winning drive. And where was the pass rush? The Ravens recorded zero sacks and I don't believe they laid a hand on Collins all day.

Hell, he probably didn't even need a shower after the game.

So there you have it. Two tough losses in a row and it still does not get any easier. The Ravens travel to Indianapolis to take on the struggling 2-2 Colts, who are still looking for their first win at their newly opened Lucas Oil Field.

Will the Ravens give it to them? I'm afraid the answer is yes. The Colts have owned the Ravens and after two tough losses, the Ravens look to come out flat against Peyton Manning and the Colts.

So I wouldn't be surprised if the Ravens are 2-3 after next week and the Ravens' once-quick start to the season slows down to a crawl.

A Tale of Two Halves

The Ravens lost 23-20 in overtime to the Pittsburgh Steelers last night.

At least it was a good game.

Going in, it was unsure whether rookie QB Joe Flacco would be able to handle the pressure of his first game on the road, during prime time, and against an always tough tough Steelers defense. Flacco performed about as good as you could expect in his third NFL game, going 16-31 for 192 yards, 1 TD and 0 INT. Despite his impressive passing stats, he constantly held onto the ball too long in the pocket, resulting in several unnessary sacks and a fumble that was returned for a momentum-changing touchdown.

However, Flacco showed the impressive poise he displayed in the first two games. He continued to side-step pressure in the pocket and completed a highlight-reel-worthy Donovan McNabb-esque pass after scampering to his left and then right for twelve seconds. The play was just another reminder that Flacco, three games into his career, is going to be something special.

But as impressive as Flacco was under pressure, the Ravens let the game slip away from them, mostly due to stupid unsportsmanlike conduct penalties.

The Ravens dominated the first half of the game, going into halftime leading 13-3. At the half the Steelers only had 41 net yards, to the Ravens' 136. But when the Steelers came out after halftime, they switched to the no-huddle offense that seemed to keep the Ravens defense, which had been completely dominant in the first half, off balance.

Jarett Johnson's unsportsmanlike conduct penalty was the game-changing play, tacking 15 yards onto a 8 yard Nate Washington reversal that gave the Steelers the ball well within Ravens territory. They scored their first TD in eight quarters three plays later. Then, on the first play of the Ravens' next drive, Flacco stepped back and tried to elude the pass rush when he should have just thrown the ball away. As he was getting sacked, the ball was knocked loose and picked up by the Steelers, who ran it in for their second TD in fifteen seconds to take the lead, 17-13.

The Ravens came back to tie the game late in the 4th quarter, with Flacco leading the offense on a brilliant 9 play, 76 yard drive which resulted in a Le'Ron McClain TD. He went 3-3 for 60 yards on the drive. Things were also looking good at the start of overtime, when the Ravens won the coin toss, but they went three-and-out and punted to the Steelers, who drove the ball down the field at will and kicked a field goal for the win.

Game over.

To their credit, the Ravens showed tons of heart, especially on the 4th quarter game-tying drive. If this game is a sign of things to come, Flacco is going to be the QB the Ravens have been waiting for since Vinny Testaverde was released in 1998. He is cool, calm and collected. The Ravens' long drives on offense gave the defense time to rest, and they were swarming the field all night.

But on the flip-side, the Ravens looked very undisciplined, racking up 8 penalties for a total of 76 yards. Most of them were as stupid as they were costly. Yes, it's a heated game against a division rival under the lights, but come on. Get your tempers under control. From a mental stand-point, they looked no different than the undisciplined Ravens teams of the past.

Another disappointing aspect of the game were the wide receivers. Only Derrick Mason was a factor, racking up 137 yards on 8 receptions. But where was Todd Heap? Where was Mark Clayton? Demetrius Williams was thrown to a few times, but had only 1 catch.

At 2-1, the Ravens are only a half game back of the Steelers, who are 3-1. But the schedule doesn't get any easier for the Ravens, as they host the 4-0 Tennessee Titans this Sunday. And that makes losing to the Steelers even more painful, since the schedule from here on out is brutally hard.

But, the Ravens are worlds ahead where we thought they'd be in the preseason, and look to be in pretty much every game they play if Flacco can maintain drives and avoid turnovers. He'll continue to get better, too.

Losing to the Steelers is hard, especially when the Ravens were dominating them for an entire half of the game, but if the Ravens can focus on the positives from this game and focus on improving discipline, this is the kind of game that can rally a team.

Brown Stain

After an impromptu bye week caused by Hurricane Ike, the Ravens bounced back in a big way yesterday, beating the Cleveland Browns (0-3) 28-10.

The Ravens are now 2-0 and have sole possession of first place as they prepare to travel to Pittsburgh to take on the Steelers next Monday night.

The Ravens used the same game plan that worked against the Bengals in week 1. Play strong defense and control the game clock. And it worked again. The Ravens rushed for 153 yards, intercepted Derek Anderson 3 times and collected 4 sacks.

Le'Ron McClain lead the way again, rushing for 66 yards and 2 TD's. McGahee, playing for the first time this season, rushed for 64 yards and 1 score. It appears that the Ravens will use McGahee early and then turn to McClain to wear down the defense when they need to run out the game clock.

That appears to be a smart strategy since Flacco had his ups and downs. On the positive side, he completed 68% of his passes, but only made 19 attempts for 129 yards and had 2 INT's. He threw a bad interception early on over the middle, and his second pick came on a flee-flicker that didn't have much hope from the start. Had the play developed a bit faster, Flacco could have recorded the first passing TD of his career, but by the time the ball reached the Ravens receiver, two Browns defenders had arrived, intercepting the ball in the endzone.

That said, Flacco still looks smooth and calm in the pocker, side-stepping rushes, making check-downs and throwing the ball away when there was nothing available. It will be fun to watch Flacco improve as Harbaugh and Cameron have more faith in him to win games. But right now the Ravens' bread and butter is no different than it was in 2000-2006. Play good defense and run the ball.

And boy did they play good defense. Ray Lewis delivered a highlight-reel-worthy hit on Kellen Winslow, Jr. which caused the game's first INT. Ed Reed ran his INT back for a touchdown. And Terrell Suggs recorded 2 sacks.

The Ravens pass-rush appears to have returned after a season off in 2007, as they pressured Derek Anderson all day, keeping him off balance like they did Carson Palmer in week 1. With the Browns slow start, it looks like Anderson's days are numbered as the starter in Cleveland with first round draft pick Brady Quinn sitting on the sidelines.

Next week's game against the Steelers is shaping up to be a big one, with Pittsburgh having lost to the Eagles to fall to 2-1. It will also be the Ravens first game on the road after their trip to Houston was cancelled, so it'll be interesting watch Flacco perform on the road.

But the 2008 season looks to be more interesting that originally thought. And if the Ravens can stay healthy, the sky is the limit.

Bengal Beatdown

After Joe Flacco's impressive 38-yard scamper for a touchdown, which put the Ravens up over the Bengals 17-3, I turned to Ben, my fellow 540 inmate, and said "Troy Smith got tonsillitis at the wrong time."

His response was classic. "He got it at the right time!"

The Ravens' dominating 17-10 win over the Cincinnati Bengals yesterday was all about timing too. The Ravens entered the season with more question marks than answers and they benefited from opening up the season at home against a Bengals team that is in some serious trouble.

And in a schedule that looks to be pretty brutal, the Ravens will benefit from the weak part of the schedule coming in the first two weeks, as they travel to Houston to take on a Texans team that was blown out by the Steelers. If the Ravens play Houston like they played Cincy, they could very well start the season with a surprising 2-0 record as they come back home against Cleveland.

As for those question marks, many of them got a little less bothersome yesterday.

Let's start with rookie QB Joe Flacco.

Flacco was the Ravens' default starter since Troy Smith was down with a severe case of tonsillitis and Kyle Boller's torn labrum likely puts him out for the season. The Ravens signed veteran back-up Todd Bouman a week before the Ravens opening game, which meant Flacco was the QB with the most reps and knowledge of the playbook, even though he is a rookie.

Flacco responded well. While his numbers (15-29, 129 YDS, 0 TD, 0 INT) aren't likely to have you racing to pick him up in your fantasy league, Flacco demonstrated patience and polish well beyond anything that Kyle Boller displayed during his five years as a QB. Flacco stood tall in the pocket, side-stepped pressure, moved from the pocket well, and knew when to get rid of the ball. We was not sacked at all.

Known to be a pocket passer, Flacco ran well, especially on his 38-yard TD run, turning in toward the middle of the field when he could have easily stepped out of bounds after getting a first down. He showed determination and heart. And this was just his first NFL game.

His passes were usually very catchable, even though the WR's had the dropsies today, dropping at least 4 passes that could have easily been caught.

However, the running game was probably the most pleasant surprise of the day. With Willis McGahee still hampered by a knee injury and not playing, the Ravens used a 2-fullback set to wear down the Bengals defense. La'Ron McClain punished the Bengals defense, gaining 86 yards on 19 carries. Ray Rice added 64 yards on 22 carries, and looked very good, despite a fumble that the Bengals returned for their only touchdown. In total the Ravens rushed for 229 yards, which allowed them to control the clock (36:15) and keep the Bengals supposed strong offense off the field.

That leads me to the defense, which brought their A-game today. I, as well as others, were very worried about this defense, with early season injuries mounting up as well as the age of some key veterans. But the defense looked very much like the defense from 2006, shutting down the Bengals offense and allowing only 154 yards total.

Chad Ocho Cinco was "Ocho Stinko", getting only 22 yards on 1 catch. The defense sacked Carson Palmer twice, but had him under constant pressure which kept him off balance all day. His final numbers were awful 10-25, 99 YDS, 0 TD, 1 INT.

If there was one negative with today's game, it was the WR corps, which dropped several passes and failed to get decent separation yet again. Derrick Mason lead the WR corps with 44 yards on 4 catches.

Todd Heap, the great white hype, had 1 catch for 5 yards, on the Ravens' first drive, and that resulted in a fumble. Sadly, Heap is pretty much a non-factor in this offense and seems to have become a soft player, night-and-day different from his days as a hard-nosed tight end who would play hurt and take shots to make the catch. Where has that Todd Heap gone?

The Ogden-less offensive line was very impressive today, giving Flacco time to check down and pump fake. They didn't give up any sacks, which should be a testament to their success, as well as the intelligence of Flacco, who knew when to get rid of the ball. The OL also opened several holes for the Ravens running backs as well. I think it's safe to say the expectations for the future of this OL unit are high for a reason. And that doesn't even factor into the recently siging of Willie Anderson, who didn't play yesterday.

All in all, it was a wonderful day for the Ravens, as rookie head coach John Harbaugh recorded his first win. While the offense was not much different than the Brian Billick offenses of 2000-2006, it was assuring to see the Ravens pound the ball in the red zone instead of predictably switching it up with passes that were bound to fail. Also, the Ravens first touchdown came on a double reverse, something that Ravens' fans always thought was in Billick's playbook, but was never used.

Offensive Coordinator Cam Cameron's offense wasn't flashy but it got the job done and played to the strength of the Ravens and to the weakness of the Bengals. It's nice to feel confident in the offense again, even if it is for just one weak.

The same can be said of the Ravens. They are 1-0.

2008 Predictions and Projections

With the 2008 season about to get underway, let's take a look at how I think this season will play out for rookie coach John Harbaugh and the Baltimore Ravens.

Joe Flacco - with Flacco as the starter-by-default, he has a chance to prove himself early. If he plays well in the time before Troy Smith is able to come back, there may not be a need for Smith to play much in 2008. The odds for Flacco to succeed, however, are heavily stacked against him. He must contend with a patchwork OL (though it has been made stronger with the signing of Willie Anderson) as well as a bunch of unproven WR's. There have been comparisons of Flacco's situation around Baltimore to the situation Ben Roethlisberger came into in Pittsburgh, but let's be real. Flacco is more than likely going to struggle. Projection: 7 G, 55%, 1,200 YDS, 6 TD, 8 INT

Troy Smith - after coming down with a severe case of tonsillitis, the former Heismann Award winner has to be feeling a bit nervous about his situation. Once tabbed as the Ravens 2008 starting QB, he is now battling his way back to health while Flacco, the Ravens' future franchise QB, is starting sooner than expected. If Flacco plays well, Smith may never get his chance. I expect Flacco to be mediocre, like most rookie QB's, and I expect Smith to start half of the games this season and be mediocre at best too. By the mid-way mark, the Ravens will have fallen out of playoff contention and the starting gig will be handed back to Flacco permanently. Projection: 8 G, 50%, 1,700 YDS, 7 TD, 12 INT

Willis McGahee - battling a knee injury, McGahee is going to be worked slowly back into the starting role. However, that knee could be a huge cause for concern going forward, as McGahee has been bothered by knee injuries his entire career going back to his days at the University of Miami. It's a good thing that the Ravens drafted Ray Rice, and Rice appears to be ready for an expanded role. I wouldn't be surprised to see McGahee hampered with injuries for most of the season and find himself out of a job come spring. Projection: 10 G, 850 YDS, 6 TD

Ray Rice - the rookie from Rutgers will be given a chance to prove himself now and for the future with McGahee bothered by a knee injury. I think he's up for the task. Rice has good speed and can break tackles. My bet is that he will be the starting RB by the end of the season. Projection: 16 G, 825 YDS, 5 TD

Derrick Mason - the veteran WR had a solid season last year, and was the only Ravens WR who put up anything resembling impressive stats. It's unsure how Mason will fare with Flacco and Smith chucking the rock in '08, but Mason still looks to be the surest target in the passing game. Projection: 16 G, 1,000 YDS, 6 TD

Mark Clayton - he disappeared after an impressive rookie campaign in '06. Here's to hoping Clayton bounces back in '08. I think he just might. The Ravens will be trailing a lot this season, which means that Flacco and Smith will be forced to pass. That means good things for Clayton and the remaining Ravens WR's. Projection: 16 G, 850 YDS, 5 TD

Todd Heap - Heap's biggest obstacle is staying healthy. When healthy, Heap is a top 5 TE in the NFL and a huge boost to the passing attack. If Heap can stay healthy, Flacco might be so bad after all. While I do think Heap is going to miss some time this season, I still think he will be the next best thing to Derrick Mason in the passing game. Projection: 8 G, 500 YDS, 4 TD

The Defense - the Ravens have always prided themselves on being a strong defensive team, but this will be the last year that people put Baltimore and defense in the same sentence. The unit is aging and all signs point to the Ravens going in a new direction in 2009 and beyond. If the likes of Ed Reed, Ray Lewis, Chris McAllister and Samari Rolle can stay healthy, they could have a solid year, but chances are injuries are going to take their toll on the Ravens in 2008, causing the defense to crumble into a shadow of its former self. Enjoy #52 trolling the field while you can. Things could look much different next season. Projection: middle to lower end of the rankings for the Ravens defense.

Week-by-week Predictions

CIN - W - Flacco impresses in his debut and the Ravens are able to run on the Bengals weak defense. The game, however is close and won by a late Stover FG.
@ HOU - L - the Texans are on the rise and the Ravens on their way down.
CLE - L - the Browns offense is too much. Let's just hope the Ravens fans aren't teased into thinking the Ravens have won before the ref's make the team come back onto the field ten minutes after the game was over.
@ PIT - L - this game is ugly, just in time for the season to get ugly.
TEN - L - outside of Vince Young, there's a lot to like about the Titans. We'll see why.
@ IND - L - the Ravens will lose this game so bad they could get 2 losses added to their record.
@ MIA - W - Revenge!
OAK - W - unless the Raiders drastically improve earlier than people expect, the Ravens should win this game at home.
@ CLE - L - the Browns' fans will revel in beating the old Browns once more.
BYE - they might even lose this week too.
@ NYG - L - I don't think the Giants are that good, but they will look good against the Ravens at home.
PHI - L - Ravens lose a close one.
@ CIN - L - When is the last time the Ravens have won in Cincy?
WAS - L - from the looks of the Redskins last night, this game could be called the Toilet Bowl.
PIT - L - the Ravens have had success against the Steelers at home these last few years, but it ends here.
@ DAL - L - maybe we can get Jessica Simpson to suit up in purple.
JAX - L - most fans will be playing with their Christmas presents while this game is played.

Record 3-14. That Indy game is going to count as 2 losses.

In the end, 2008 is going to be about the development of Joe Flacco, Troy Smith, Ray Rice and Mark Clayton. If those guys can become solid contributors in 2008, then the Ravens know who they can build around in the future. I do expect 2008 to be somewhat of a farewell tour of sorts for like likes of Ray Lewis, Chris McAllister and maybe even Ed Reed. I think John Harbaugh was handcuffed with this roster and will lobby for changeover during the next offseason.

If the 2008 Ravens can stay healthy, and the Flacco/Smith combination isn't horrible, then I do think the Ravens could add 4-5 more wins to their expected record. I just don't see this team making a playoff run with their brutal schedule.

At any rate, I am expecited to watch some football. Here's to the 2008 season being better than expected.