Beaten By the Bungles

The Ravens were terrible this weekend. Just awful to watch. They lost 17-7 to the rejuvenated Bengals, but the game wasn't even that close. Cincinnati dominated every aspect of the game. They stalled every aspect of our offense, the picked off Flacco, they sacked Flacco, they stopped the run and the Ravens seemed powerless to stop them. And with the Ravens' defense not playing up to it's reputation, the game was just painful.

The Ravens managed to mount some offense in the 4th quarter. But at that point it was too late. And any hope of a comeback was killed when Hauschka missed that 38 yard field goal. It would have put the Ravens within one touchdown with a little over 6 minutes left. But no, wide left, and the life that was starting to come back into the team was extinguished just like that. This is the second critical 4th quarter field goal that he has missed for the Ravens. I know Raven's fans have been spoiled by Matt Stover and his great accuracy. But still, I'm starting to worry about Hauschka's mental toughness.

Next week, hopefully the Ravens' can bounce back against the Browns and regain some of their swagger. The rest of the season is going to be hard. The schedule is unforgiving and the Ravens need to take next week and make a statement. They are going to struggle to catch even be a wild card team right now. They can't afford to give up the easier games. Here's hoping they can bounce back.

Photo: ESPN/AP/David Kohl

Ravens Domination

Last week had some of the most dominating play ever by the Ravens. They totally destroyed the Cleveland Browns. They outplayed the Browns in every aspect of the game. The 34-3 win was so overwhelmingly one sided it almost didn't seem worth writing about. But then I thought about how depressing the Terps season is and how depressing the O's season is and I thought wow, not only do I need to write about this, I need to boast about this. The state of Baltimore area sports is a little sad right now. So back to the Ravens.

What can I say except wow. That is one balanced game. Yes, it was against the Browns who I believe have a good chance of matching Detroit's amazingly sad feat of last year. There is no way this team wins more than 2 games unless something drastic happens. And I only give them two because they do actually play the Lions.

The Ravens look really good this year. And for the first time in a long time, maybe ever, other people are going to know this because they are watching the games. Yes, other years people have known they were good. But now that the Ravens have an offense, other people are interested in watching their games. They are exciting. People are picking up Ravens players for their fantasy teams. People are paying attention in a way they normally don't. People respect a good defense, but they want to watch offense. And now the Ravens have that appeal. I believe this is why the Ravens have topped the power rankings for two straight weeks.

Yes, they have a tough schedule coming up. But I don't care, I still see them doing well. It's a little early to declare them a playoff team, but I think they've gotten off to a solid start. And at this point will own a tiebreaker over San Diego for a wild card spot or seed. I also have to give some love to the Bears. I believe the Steelers are going to rebound and that while the Bengals may be good or at least better this year, the Steelers are still going to be the biggest source of competition in the AFC North. As a result, I have to thank the Bears for their win over the Steelers. And as anyone who has read this blog regularly over the last year knows, I kind of love Jay Cutler. Not because he's hot, though some recent modeling pictures surfaced and he is kind of hot when put in the right clothing, but because he is a constant source of entertainment. So I'm glad to see him do well which means he'll be in the league for a while to entertain me. So thank you Chicago.

This week the Ravens take on the Pats who have struggled but seem to be finding their stride. I'm hoping we catch them before they have found it completely. It's going to be a good game and I'm excited to watch them. And for the first time, I think a lot of people outside of Baltimore are too.

GO RAVENS!!

Photo: ESPN/AP/Gail Burton

Ravens Win, Top Power Rankings

So normally I scoff at power rankings. At the end of the regular season it's about who wins the most games, not what some experts think. And at the end of the playoffs it's still about who won. Screw the odds makers and expert picks. Power rankings are basically something for people to talk about during the week between football games. Oh, ESPN says they're the best, whatever. In college football the rankings only matter because the BCS is worthless and ridiculous. But in the NFL they are completely and totally pointless. Except for this week.

This week I'm taking the chance to tell everyone that the Ravens are ranked No. 1 by ESPN and Yahoo! I don't care that it's two weeks into the season. I don't care that the Ravens can't seem to stop the pass. Right now there are impartial experts out there saying the Ravens are the best in league. And I like that. So whatever, I'll shelf my basic belief that the rankings are worthless for a week. (They are worthless.) But they do serve as a reason to bring up the Ravens and gloat about them.

The Ravens beat the Chargers, another AFC perennial powerhouse, 31-26 on Sunday. The game was exhilarating to watch with one of the best hits I've seen Ray Ray make in a long time. It was timely, hard and a game winner. Say what you will about Ray Lewis loosing a step or piling on but this hit was nasty.

This year's team is determined to win. Whether through the air or with a stifling defense. Yes, they have to improve against the pass. But the gains they've made on their own offense are startling. Watch out this week when the Browns come to town for a divisional match-up. The Browns look to under preform against everyone this season. Even the Bengals have already beaten what was supposed to be a good team, the Packers. Next week the Ravens will look to improve their play and wash away any doubt that they are a team to be reckoned with.

The thing I believe most contributed to the Ravens topping the rankings this week is the emergence of Joe Flacco as a legitimate passing threat. Two games into the season and I heard him being called the best deep passer in the NFL on ESPN a few days ago. Ok, so I guess that was one week into the season. Regardless, not since the one great season with McNair have the Ravens had a legitimate threat at quarterback. That year they won 13 games. Last year, with a rookie, they went to the AFC Championship game. This year it looks like the pieces are coming together and great things should be expected of this team.

On that note, GO RAVENS, and here's Lewis's hit on Sproles:



Photo: ESPN/AP/Denis Poroy

Football Season Is Here!

The Ravens won! The Terps won! Even the Orioles won 2 out of 3 against the Yankees! It was a great weekend to be a Baltimore/MD sports fan. So what if the MD win was ugly. And who cares if the Ravens special teams leaves a little to be desired. It's still early in the season and there were a lot of good things that happened.

First of all, MD is going to struggle for any wins they can get this season. And for that reason, I don't care if it's ugly. This is not a national championship team. This is a young team trying to figure out what it's doing on the football field. I have faith that this team will continue to get better over the season. And since MD is always tumultuous to watch, I think they will still be able to finish with a decent, but not great record.

As for the Ravens, they won the opening game. That's whats important. At the end of the season, it's really all about wins and loses. Flacco looked good under center and the Ravens are undefeated right now. All of the sudden the Ravens have a passing game. So while the defense and special teams might not have shined yesterday, the Ravens have a new element to their game. And the special teams might be a bit rusty. But I'm happy with the play. If we can consistently pull out wins, I'm not that worried about how we get them.

Overall, it was a good weekend. And it's now football season. I can hardly contain my glee. I love everything about it. So exciting. Cheering on my team, tailgating with friends, talking trash about fantasy teams. Yeah, this is a great time of year.

Photo: David Bergman/SI

Let the Trash Talking Begin

On of the best things about sports is being able to taunt your friends about the superiority of your team. While the teams might not be rivals, it's always nice to see your team win and get to rub it in your friends faces. Do I actually have any strong feelings about JMU? No. Not at all. But I know a couple of people who went there and as a result, will be giving them a hard time as the Terps pound them in their home opener. I don't get to have a lot of fun doing this during baseball season. Because even when the O's have a win over a friend's team, they can usually counter with something pathetic about my long suffering O's. But during football season, NFL and college, offer a new opportunity to compete with friends.

The season is so short that one game really does make a difference. And even if your team goes 1-16, if you beat your friends team, you can still make fun of them ruthlessly. You just have to take it for the rest of the season. Most of this is all in good fun and is a way to get more excited about the game and make it more interesting. I'm going to be looking for random sports bets this season with other bloggers. Though I personally think this will be more fun during college basketball season. Any bloggers interested in this. Or just some general fun back and forth banter let me know.

The trash talk has already started at College Game Balls, a Virginia Tech site I really enjoy. But to be honest, I'm not ready to fight back yet because this Maryland team is so young and so full of unknowns. Also VT was ranked 7th in the AP preseason poll despite some supposedly crippling injuries. I'll wait until a game or two into the season to start boasting about how our young offensive line is improving and shaping up to be awesome. Also, we are not playing at night this season and at College Park. Which drastically improve our chances.

Right now I'm going to focus on the beating we are going to give Cal. Basically we seem to beat them every chance we get. Whether it be in football or the NCAA tournament, we always seem to have their number. And by doing no research into their team this year. I will continue to believe this until I am proven wrong. Sure Cal is ranked 12th and Maryland didn't even warrant a vote in the "Others Receiving Votes" category, but what does that have to do with the actual game. Maryland will come through. I have a feeling. And I have history on my side. How could this possibly go wrong?

Pre Season Fun

Yes, in general preseason games are meaningless and just excuses to get excited about football while nothing is really on the line. They give us something to talk about and analyze when it comes to rookies and free agents and the final roster. Remember that catch he had in that preseason game? He's got so much potential. That type of thing. But last nights preseason game was extra fun. The Ravens got to beat up on the Redskins.

Generally watching your team's second or third string beat up on another team's second or third string is not all that satisfying. Sure, it's fun, but not as good as watching your first string team pummel another team during the regular season. But in Baltimore there is not really a rivalry between the Ravens and Redskins fans, but at least a mostly friendly competition between fans of two team that almost never play each other during the regular season. And it is really satisfying to watch the Redskins get beat up. Even if it is their third string, because honestly, their first and second strings didn't look so hot either.

I'm not going to read too much into the 23-0 victory for the Ravens, but it was nice to watch. It made me feel a little better about our possible receiving options. I already felt good about our quarterback situation and our defense. Ray Rice and Willis McGahee both looked good. It's too early to form too many expectations. But overall it was a good showing for the Ravens. It's always fun to watch you team win. And also to watch them beat the Redskins.

Photo: AP/Nick Wass

Top Ten Reasons I'm Ready For Football Season

10. More than one sport I care about is going on. Time to get excited about something other than a losing baseball team and hope the Terps can play well enough to avoid giving me an anxiety attack.

9. It means I can stop paying attention to the terrible end of the Orioles season and actually start cheering for a team with a possibility of finishing with a winning record be it the Terps or the Ravens.

8. Hope. There is nothing better than the beginning of the season before any games are played when you can believe anything is possible and your team has a real chance of winning it all.

7. Fantasy Football. Any friendly competition is a good thing in my mind. Drafting a great team, making good trades, deciding to play and sit the right players all so you can rag on your friends makes football season even more enjoyable. Plus, you can get interested in games you otherwise wouldn't care about at all.

6. Trash talk. All of a sudden everyone's teams are going to have great years, of course, yours will do the best. Oh no, that guy from VT is out for the season, now Maryland will dominate them for sure.

5. Great rookies and big busts? Will Flacco shine again this year? Will Cutler help the Bears become a competitive team? Who will be a surprise super star and who will be an over hyped bust? The suspense is killing me.

4. Tailgating. Drinking outside and playing games like corn hole, beer pong and ladders while eating delicious, unhealthy food. Does life get any better?

3. Rivalries. In football so many of the games are in your own division in the NFL and in your conference in college. So even if the other team is not a true rival, it's always fun to beat up on someone else in the division. And hoping the Ravens will take some revenge and pound the Steelers this year is going to be fun.

2. There are entertaining college and/or NFL games to watch up to four days/nights a week.

1. The Ravens and the Terps are going to be awesome. Watch out.

Photo

More Bad News

The Ravens got smashed by the Steelers last night. All my screaming at the screen couldn't help the Ravens pull it out. The Ravens are going to need the entire off season to recover and get over all their injuries. And now Rex Ryan is leaving to be the new coach of the Jets.

It was bound to happen eventually. Rex Ryan has been in charge of one of the best defenses in league for the last ten years. Some team was eventually going to hire him even though his dad burned a lot of bridges in the league. He is just that good. I'm hoping things go well for him and that the Ravens can find another great defensive coordinator to replace him and keep the tradition of great defenses going.

This off season is going to be one full of changes. Ray Lewis might have played his last season as a Raven. Bart Scott and Terrell Suggs are also free agents. I think the Ravens might need to use the franchise tag on Ray Ray. He is a great emotional leader and a big part of the team. If they can't work out a contract extension it makes sense to give him the franchise tag and keep him around. Otherwise there could be more bad news for the organization.

I'm excited for next season. I think Flacco is only going to get better. The offensive line is young and getting better. And if we can get some more receivers and a kickoff returner this team could go all the way. Yes, we need some new coaches and new players. But Ozzie Newsome has done a good job with the franchise thus far and I think he'll continue to make good drafts and bring lots of talent to the organization.

Maybe next year will be the year. I guess we'll see. I'm hopeful.

Did That Really Happen?

Yesterday was a great day for sports for me. Before the Ravens-Titans game I really believed the Ravens could win. My brother and I discussed how it was pretty much 50-50 and neither outcome would really surprise us. Then we actually watched the game.

I was still in Baltimore and after watching the first round of the playoffs in a tiny bar in Locust Point superstition brought us back to the same bar again. It was ridiculously crowded and hard to move. And by the end of the game everyone was screaming and pushing and drunkenly hoping against hope that we wouldn't find a way to blow it in the last minute. And then there was the eruption of cheers as Stover hit the final field goal and the Ravens stopped Tennessee.

I'm still not really sure how they won that game. Tennessee managed to outplay the Ravens for most of the game. The Titans ran and passed all over the Ravens and totally controlled the clock. They had more first downs and the Ravens defense looked totally incompetent on third down again and again. But Baltimore made the big plays when they needed to. And Tennesse fell short of the Ravens in the most important category, points scored. And in the end that's what matters.

It was ugly and not the best game the Ravens have played all year but I don't care. It's a W and I'll take it. This team that hasn't had a week off since the second week of the season somehow has worked their way into the AFC Championship game. Yes, they got some iffy calls go there way and got some lucky breaks. But this team has been making its own luck all season. They managed to get three turnovers from the Titans and didn't give up any of their own. Flacco played virtually mistake free ball. And everything managed to turn out all right.

I woke up this morning still a little in shock. Every once in a while last night I turned to my brother, my friends, or a random person at the bar and just said, "The Ravens won, they did it." Honestly, it's still sinking in. Ravens 13, Titans 10. I really believed they could win, I just wasn't sure it was actually going to happen. Wow, I feel great right now.

I think a text message I got from my friend after the game summed up perfectly how every Ravens fan was feeling. omfg omfg omfg omfg omfg omfg omfg omfg

Photo: Found at www.japantimes.co.jp

Ravenous Defense

The Ravens were in top form today when they routed Miami 27-9. It seemed like every time Miami started to get something going the Ravens defense put a stop to it. Chad Pennington had a league low 7 interceptions during the regular season. He had 4 in this game. This was a game where everything went right for the Ravens and everything went wrong for the Dolphins. I mean, they're kicker even missed the extra point after their only touchdown of the day.

I feel a little bad for the Dolphins, but not too bad. While it was good to see Pennington show the Jets that they shouldn't have given up on him for another old gunslinger this season, it was even better to see the Ravens control this game and move onto the next round against Tennessee. I'm still a little in shock. I knew this game was winnable. That's not it. It's that the Ravens are in the playoffs at all. I spent the whole season trying not to get my hopes up. Just waiting for the inexperience to rear its ugly head. Waiting for the magic to end.

And now here we are. The Ravens are headed to the second round of the playoffs. They are playing some of their best football of the year. Ed Reed who started out the season with serious nerve damage to his neck had two interceptions today. One of several two interception games this season. And our inexperience rookie quarterback who didn't even get one vote for rookie of the year is doing the most important thing, he's not making mistakes. Sure his numbers weren't great today, but that's not what matters. Joe Flacco did give Miami a chance to come back in the game. And he topped that off with a rushing touchdown to seal the Dolphins' fate. He just played solid mistake free football.

I think the game next week will be much harder than today. But Tennessee is beatable. One big play or a different call and Baltimore could have won when they faced the Titans in the regular season. But this isn't the same Ravens team. This a team with a much more mature quarterback and a defense that is looking unstoppable. It's going to be a tough game. But not impossible.

I congratulated one of my friends on the Eagles win after the game today. His response...see you on Super Sunday. It's a little too early to start hoping for that. But man did the Ravens play great football today.

Going to Miami

The Ravens did it. They beat Jacksonville and are now on their way to the playoffs as the last wild card team. WOO HOO! Baltimore will now be playing the Miami Dolphins next weekend in Miami. This to me is just great. I had no thoughts at the beginning of the season of being in the playoffs. And now I think we have a winnable first round game.

I'm glad that Miami won out today. Otherwise, the Ravens would have had to play the Patriots in Foxborough. I think the Ravens got the better game. The Patriots won 11 games this season without their star quarterback and probably feel pretty ripped off right now to be ending their season without a playoff game. But my team gets to go so I don't feel that bad. And Baltimore has beaten Miami once this year so I think they are better prepared to beat them again.

Also, the Ravens have improved and grown as a team since they played at Miami. Joe Flacco is much more comfortable playing and has been given much more free rein. Also, the team is surprisingly healthy right now. With only a few big injuries and backup players ready to step up. This Ravens team is going to be hard for Miami to beat.

Today the Ravens looked like a team that was really having fun. Flacco was launching the ball down field. Mason and Clayton kept coming up big. Reed had two interceptions and there were a bunch of trick plays that kept the Jacksonville defense one step behind the Baltimore offense. Baltimore just dominated this game. It was fun to watch. I'm already excited for next weeks game.

GO RAVENS!!

Incontrovertable Evidence?

So I know everyone has been complaining about the call at the end of the Ravens-Steelers game since the end of the Ravens-Steelers game. So I'm a little late in adding onto the complaining. However, I've been busy with exams so my complaining has mostly been directed elsewhere. But now I'm back to procrastinating, so here's the complaining. How could that call have been made?

That call was so close and it was originally ruled not a touchdown. If it had been ruled a touchdown on the field then there was not enough evidence to overturn that call either. It was just way to close. And the rules state that if there is not incontrovertable evidence then the ruling on the field stands, or something like that. And the ruling on the field should have stood.

The Ravens still control their own destiny. So if they win out their last two games then they will still make the playoffs as a wild card. If not then they will need some help. But if they miss the playoffs because of this I'm going to be really pissed. I know I've been talking all season about how the Ravens have done so much better than I expected and I'll be happy with whatever happens. But this is just so wrong. A season shouldn't be decided by one bad call.

If the Ravens win the next two games it won't really matter. But right now that's a big IF. This week the Ravens go to Dallas to play a resurgent Cowboys team. I'm not really sure how one moment the Cowboys seem ready to implode and the next moment they're destroying the Giants. The Ravens seem to be playing this team at the wrong time. And I'm a little worried.

I've tried to keep my playoff hopes under control. But Baltimore has been playing so well they started to creep into my mind. And no rookie quarterback, rookie coach, rookie runningback talk could douse them. I'm not ready to have those hopes dashed by a pretty boy, a drama queen and a bad call.

So Ravens, please win. Please. I'm a strong believer in maybe next year, but right now, I'm still not ready to give up on this year.

Photo: AP/Rob Carr found at http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Football/NFL/2008/12/14/7749046-ap.html

Higher Expectations Lower Spirits

Yesterday the Ravens destroyed the Bengals 34-3. And honestly, the score probably could have been a lot worse for the Bungles. The Ravens now have an 8-4 record. They can't have a losing season. And somehow, they are still in the playoff race and could still win the division. Yet watching them demolish the Bengals was not that exciting. It was merely expected, the Bengals are so bad, it almost takes the sport out of the game. As I watched the game, I realized there was nothing the Ravens could do that would surprise me. Mark Clayton throws a touchdown, Clayton's one handed TD grab, Flacco throwing for 280 yards, none of it was that surprising, though that one handed grab was pretty sweet. But if it was going to happen, it would happen against the Bengals, they really are just that bad.

I just can't get that worked up about this win. The Ravens should beat the Bengals. If you had told me at the beginning of the season the Ravens would be 8-4, with a rookie coach, quarterback, running back, and no real bye week I would have been ecstatic. But now my expectations have been raised. I know they will win games against the bad teams, it's just a matter of by how much.

I like watching Flacco progress, I like seeing my team do well. But it's hard for me to get excited about a win like this. Next week, we'll play the Redskins, then the Steelers, then the Cowboys and the Jaguars. All of those teams are legitimate competitive teams. It's possible the Ravens could lose the last four games. I doubt this will happen, but I could believe it. And yet, I can't enjoy that win yesterday. I now expect the Ravens to compete on a high level and watching them play the Bengals was like watching them play my high school team. If the Ravens didn't win, something would be seriously wrong.

This was a rebuilding year, and while I'm glad the rebuilding is going faster than expected, I don't know why I'm not more excited. Maybe I'm just being pessimistic, it's almost exam time and my stress level is pretty high, but I wasn't really wowed by this last game. I don't think I'll have to worry about this anymore, since the rest of the season should be good games or at least competitive ones. As a fan, I like to see a little competition. Is that too much to ask?

Photo: http://www.ravensgab.com/2008/07/28/paging-mark-clayton/

Fun Times at Ravens Stadium

Yesterday the Ravens pounded the Eagles 36-7 for a thrilling 60 minutes of game time. Luckily, it wasn't a close game so we, the fans, were not subjected to talk of possible ties and players who may or may not know the rules of overtime. This was, on a personal note, the game I was looking forward to the most all season. In Baltimore, there are several teams we love to beat, including the Steelers, the Colts(though that never seems to happen) and the Redskins, among others. But Philadelphia was really the team I was most hoping to win against. I even took the energy to bundle up in 400 layers and spent the money to go to the game.

I live in Philadelphia for school, so I have to put up with Eagles fans pretty much all year round. And while I was happy for the citizens of Philadelphia to win the World Series, and happier to join in their revelry, I have no love lost for the Eagles. Mostly, I just hate that stupid chant that seems to emerge any time there are more than two Eagles fans in the room, no matter what the event. It just annoys the hell out of me. Also, I now have a lot of friends who are Eagles fans, and there is always competition and friendly rivalries between fans. I knew that no matter what happened the rest of the season, if the Ravens lost to the Eagles, I would be hearing about it for years. And I just wasn't ready to deal with that.

So thank you, the Baltimore Ravens, for allowing me to hold my head up high upon my return to the City of Brotherly Love. Those four interceptions, the safety, the high score, and pretty much the complete dominance of the Eagles allowed me to go basically the whole game without hearing that stupid fight song. The only slip up was the runback for a touchdown. But that was over so fast and was the only pause in the thrashing you gave Philadelphia, that no time need be spent dwelling on it. The Ravens even succeeded in getting McNabb benched, a rare feat.

I actually like McNabb, despite his inability to manage the clock, his lack of knowledge about the rules of overtime, and his puking on the sidelines, he has always been a very likeable guy. He's always smiling and composed. He appears to be trying hard despite the situation, and he never seems to be on the wrong side of his teammates or coach. (With the exception of T.O., who seems to put himself on everyone's wrong side.) So while I'm a little sad it looks like McNabb's legacy is going to be mired in his overtime incident instead of all the games he won for the Eagles and his years of consistent play, I can't help but rejoice in my team's overpowering performance.

The Ravens were able to rebound from last weeks abyssmal performance and show their resilience. This team is now still in contention to win the AFC North, at 7-4, only one game behind the Steelers. And if the season ended today, they would claim a wildcard spot and make the playoffs. But right now that doesn't matter to me. This team has won the game I really wanted them to win, and has done much better than I expected this season. So right now I'm just going to bask in the glow of this win for a little longer.

Photo from the Baltimore Ravens

Ravens Get Giant Beating

The Ravens lost yesterday at the Meadowlands to the Giants 30-10. They were outplayed in pretty much every aspect of the game. The Giants ran all over the Ravens' top ranked rush defense. They threw the ball well, and they shut down the Ravens' running game, putting more pressure on rookie Joe Flacco. But honestly, I'm not that upset.

Usually, I'm painfully pissed off after a loss, but yesterday, I just didn't have my usual ire. Maybe it's because Maryland has actually been winning recently and still controls its destiny in the ACC Atlantic Division. But maybe, it's because this Ravens team has already way exceeded my expectations. I picked them to go 5-11, they've already done better than that. This team has come a long way since the first preseason game where Flacco didn't have a clue.

Right now the Ravens are one game behind in the AFC North and well situated to get a wild card spot even if they don't win the division. Really, at the beginning of the season were we even talking about the playoffs? No. This was a rebuilding year, new coach, new quarterback, young offensive line and lot of injuries in the secondary. This team isn't giving up, they are going to continue to play solid the rest of the season, and next season is going to look even better.

The Giants beat the Ravens. The Giants looked like a better team. Really, the Giants looked like the best team I've seen all year. They are the defending Superbowl Champs. And they only have one loss and are leading what is considered the toughest division in the NFL, the NFC East. There's no shame in losing to the Giants, it's not like we tied the Bengals. That would just be shameful.

So instead of being angry about this loss, lets focus on the next game. The Ravens need to win against the bumbling Eagles team. I mean they tied the Bengals. And their quarterback was not aware that an NFL game could end in a tie. I mean it hasn't happened in six seasons, but that doesn't seem like much of an excuse.

So Ravens, please, try to learn from last week, and then go out there and pummel the Eagles in Baltimore. Otherwise, fans will have a real reason to be angry.

END NOTE: My ticket to the Ravens-Eagles games seems to have fallen through. So I am now in the market again for a ticket. Shoot me an email at meghanlg@gmail.com if you have an extra you are looking to get rid of. Thanks.

Photo: AP courtesy of the Charlotte Observer

Ravens Are Bowl Eligible

Well, I was wrong. Before the season began, I predicted the Ravens final record to be 5-11. As of right now the Ravens are 6-3 are tied with Pittsburgh for first place in the AFC North after a 41-13 win over the Texans. And the Ravens are looking better than anyone I know expected and have compiled four straight wins. The Ravens are taking advantage of the weaker teams they have to play and getting the wins they need to get. They have only beaten one team with a winning record, but two of the three games they have lost were very close. And as the Ravens seemingly get better each week, they will probably have a good chance to make the playoffs.

A lot of this renewed hope in Baltimore is due to the 'three headed monster" running back approach. Call me an elitist if you will, I am going to rename this the Ravens' Hydra. I think it sounds better, and makes sense. Running backs Ray Rice, Willis McGahee, and Le'Ron McClain combine to tear apart defenses week after week. It seems as if a team tries to shut one down just has to worry about another. In a way, if you cut off one head, another grows back in its place.

One reason that the Hydra is so effective is the offensive line good play. This line was suspect coming into this season. Plagued with injury and inexperienced players, the O-line has overcome these obstacles and come together quite nicely. They open running lanes and help to make the big plays. They will however face a big challenge next week against the Giants' defense. And we'll get to see if the Ravens' offense is really coming together or has just capitalized against weak defenses.

The Hydra and the offensive line also allows Joe Flacco to excel. The Ravens are able to run the ball so there is less pressure on Flacco. And the offensive line relieves pressure by giving him plenty of time in the pocket. He's been able to mature from game to game and can lead the team down the field. He can spread the defense by throwing the long ball, man, he has a rocket for an arm. And it turn, this helps the Hydra to succeed. If a defense stuffs the box to block the run, he can throw a long pass and open up the field.

Every part of this team seems to be working together to make the other parts better. The second string quarterback, Troy Smith comes in and runs the option, he creates another threat and adds another highly skilled player to the offense. He enables Flacco to become a receiver, which helps to confuse defenses. And receiver Derek Mason has been running great routes making Flacco's passes look even better because Mason keeps coming down with the ball. Even Todd Heap was getting in on the action last week, reminding everyone why we used to love this tight end.

Cam Cameron has done a great job this year making this offense work. He deserves some type of award for finally giving Baltimore an offense. I'm happy Miami was so bad last year so the Ravens were able to pick him up. I guess something good came out of the 1-15 season.

But this is still a very good defense. Ray Lewis, who people were saying was past his prime, came down with two interceptions yesterday. He continues to be a dynamic force on the field and great leader on the sidelines. Even in his 13th season he continues to be effective in leading the defense which has not allowed a 100 yard rusher in recent memory. Only three teams this season have scored over 20 points on the season and only one team, the Colts, have scored over 30 points. Those are impressive numbers. This is a defense that cannot be overlooked, even though the offense has been shining this year as well.

Expect the defense to play a big part next week against the Giants, the defending Super Bowl Champions are 8-1 this season and are pulling away from the NFC East, considered the best conference in football right now. They are looking to be serious contenders again this year, and a win by the Ravens would be a big statement about how far this young Baltimore team has come.
It should be an exciting game next week. We'll see if the Ravens' Hydra combined with new dynamic offense and brutal defense can shut down the Giants' own three headed monster. It'll be a good test for the Ravens who have so far this season exceeded expectations. While playoffs this year would be great, knowing that we are able to compete with the best teams in the league will be a good enough result for me.

Not So Fantasy Thursday

Now I like football as much as the next girl, well, maybe more, but I don't really like NFL games on Thursday nights. Besides the fact that the games are on a channel that no one gets, I almost feel like it's too much football. I know, this sounds like crazy talk. How can one have too much football? I'm not exactly sure, but I think the answer is by having Thursday night NFL games.

Now, I'm perfectly happy with Thursday night college football games. In fact, I love those. (This might have something to do with Maryland playing Virginia Tech tonight.) But Thursday seems to early in the week to have NFL games. It gives team an extremely short week unless they are playing after a bye. And as a result I think the football viewers suffer.

The NFL already has all day Sunday and Monday night. Do they really need Thursdays as well. I like to spend my Thursdays either watching college football or Grey's Anatomy. Whatever, you know you've watched it too. Now I'm expected to go to a bar and try to watch some NFL game just so I have an idea whats going on because it's a nationally televised game and therefore a big deal? Boo to that.

The other problem is that Thursday night games are terrible for fantasy football. I now have to remember to make my picks before Sunday morning. I guess I can deal with that, but I also like to play around with my fantasy roster all week. What can I say, I have a few mediocre wide receivers, and I usually decide to go with my gut at the last minute. Now I'm being forced to commit to a few players by Thursday. What if I want to pick up someone off waivers only to find out they've already played? I don't like this at all.

This week its not a big deal. Jay Cutler is my starting quarterback and that's not likely to change. But what happens when I have someone who I decided not to play or totally forgot about and has a huge week. I have to stare at that stat for a few days and have it eat away at my confidence.

One plus, is this week I have my quarterback starting on Thursday and my opponent has no one. So I get to be in the lead for at least two and a half days. Which will be nice, but could easily come back and bite me in the ass. Also, I get annoyed having to wait until Monday night for a winner to be decided. This is just going to be worse.

Fantasy participation is up over the last few years. Again I have no stats for this but I feel like everyone I know now has a fantasy team. This was not the case a few years ago. So I'm going with my observations. And I have to believe that as a corollary, people are paying more attention to football. Now I'm not saying the NFL should base its schedule on fantasy owners. But a lot of these owners are fans. And the NFL should schedule games around the fans preferences. And I'm not sure most fans want Thursday football. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe it's just me.

I know that no one wants to hear about anyone else's fantasy team. But this complaint is a fantasy team owner complaint, not so much about my actual team. So thank you for listening to my little rant. Let's leave Thursday football to the NCAA.

GO TERPS

Flacco for President

For years, Ravens' fans have watched our beloved defense win games and haven't complained too much. But this weekend we saw something different. The offense actually came from behind and won the game. When the Ravens were down 27-13 in the third quarter I thought it was over. Yeah, I was ready to call it quits and go take a nap. But I hung on and something wonderful happened. We cam from behind and won. The Ravens scored 24 unanswered points in the second half.

There have been many games over the years where the Ravens have scored 24 points over the course of several games. So this is a big change for us loyal fans. All of a sudden, we're not out of the game when down. All of a sudden, we can come from behind. This is a huge change. And its something to get excited about. Games will be more fun to watch because everyone loves offense. People will have more reasons to cheer. And Baltimore will have a much better chance to not only have a winning record but make the playoffs.

Ladies and gentlemen, it looks like we have found a franchise quarterback. He has a cannon for an arm, can run if need by, and even has pretty good hands for any of those crazy trick plays. I doubted him in the beginning. I didn't think he was ready. But it goes to show that a level head, poise and steep learning curve can count for more than experience. Experience doesn't hurt. With every game he gets better and better. And that has to have something to do with experience, but I guess it could also be comfort within the system.

Flacco now has my full vote of confidence as a starter. And if there are any fans still not behind him, I think you should take another look at his accomplishments. He has no interceptions in the last three games while having four passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown. He's not afraid to take risks and throw the long ball to spread the field. He stays calm in a crisis and can orchestrate a come from behind win on the road. He even runs a no huddle offense with only minor snafus.

So as a Ravens fans, I think I've found change I can believe in.

Ravens Offense Runs Wild

This weekend was a little bit of sports overload for me. Homecoming, World Series, Ravens game, as well as an exam on Monday and a paper due Thursday left me a somewhat overwhelmed. So while I was super excited about the Ravens' win over Oakland, it was hard for me to find time to write about it. Please excuse this late editorial about last weekends game. It was one of the most fun games to watch in a while. It was almost as if Oakland was so bad the Ravens felt they could just run any offensive scheme. And well, they were kind of right.

The Ravens are a team that relies on its defense. Defense wins championships. This is something we have been taught again and again and again. But as many times as I hear this adage, it doesn't matter, offense is fun to watch. And as a Ravens fan, offense has been sorely missing. When there is something exciting happening in a Ravens game, it's usually bad, or a brief moment of defensive brilliance. But offense is what crowds want to see. And the Ravens came through winning 29-10.

Last weekend the Ravens went wild. Defensive players playing offense. Quarterbacks playing receivers. Trick plays, running plays, passing plays, overwhelming amounts of offense. Forget Miami's Wildcat, Baltimore has their two quarterback offense. And I'll take any offense that scores points for the Ravens. Especially when there is an extra skilled player, Troy Smith, on the field.

I think Flacco is great. Or at least is going to be great. He has shown poise and the ability to bounce back after losing. But I feel a little twinge for Troy Smith. He won a Heisman and would have been starting this season if not for a virulent strain of tonsillitis. He lost over 20 lbs. in two weeks. Man I want that diet, except if I lost 20 lbs I might shrivel up and die. Anyway, he is a great player, even if he's not our starting quarterback, it helps to have him on the field.

And this weekend the Ravens coaching staff came to the same conclusion. So Cam Cameron, Rex Ryan and John Harbaugh decided to utilize this valuable asset. And it worked out well. It was really fun to watch Troy Smith throw a 43 yard pass to Joe Flacco. Flacco could have had a passing, rushing and receiving touchdown if he had not tripped near the goal line. But still, an unusually fun game by the Ravens.

Yes, it was against the Oakland Raiders. And without their star running back Darren McFadden. But still, it was good to see the Ravens offense put the points on the board. This was a showdown of defensive coordinators. With the Ravens Rex Ryan going up against his brother, the Raiders, Rob Ryan. It was clear the Rex was the winner on Sunday.

I hope the offense continues to produce. I also hope they keep utilizing all the possible strengths and assets that are available. If they do, it'll be a fun season for Ravens fans. Because while our defense will continue to be stellar, our offense will finally start to match up.

Good Day for Ray Ray and the Rays

This was a great sports weekend for me. But since I already addressed the total madness that is the Maryland football team, I'll limit this post to the events of Sunday Funday. It was a really good day for the Ravens. In a game that they needed to win to keep the faith for this season, the whole team stepped up and played solid football. Also, the Tampa Bay Rays restored hope to all the perennial cellar dwellers by holding off another Boston comeback to go from last in the division to ALCS winners in one season. Thank you for that.

The Ravens had to win this game. They had lost three in a row and were beginning to look like the team everyone thought they were going to be this season. Hell, I couldn't even bring myself to write about last weeks game. It was just too painful. But after throwing just one touchdown and seven interceptions this season, Flacco came back with a solid performance with a TD and no interceptions. He seemed to still be confident even after a being picked apart last week. I met another Ravens fan at the bar yesterday while watching the game who said he lived in the same building as Flacco. He told me that after last weeks game, him and his wife wanted to get a cardboard cutout of Troy Smith and put it in from of Flacco's door as if he were knocking. I think this is hysterical. But after Sunday's game, Flacco really doesn't deserve it. Oh well, I'll take a win and a solid showing over a good prank almost any day.

What was really great about the Miami game though was the Ravens' defense. They managed to contain Miami's wildcat offense that had wreaked havoc on other teams. They were also responsible for a TD that helped the Ravens put Miami away for good. The Ravens scored 27 points and could not have done it without the brilliant play of the defense. The Ravens are known for having their defense carry them. And this game was a good sign that defense will continue to shoulder some of the weight as Joe Flacco continues to improve into the future of this football team. With every game he should be able to rely less and less on the defense, but as long as they are contributing, it takes some of the pressure off of him and lets him play and mature without the whole weight of the team on his shoulders.

With the Ravens playing the lackluster Raiders next week at home, they should be able to garner an above .500 record. The Raiders star rookie, Darren McFadden will have to contend against a defense that has not allowed a 100 yd rusher in 25 straight games. The best in the league. And while the team managed to earn its second win against the Jets on Sunday. They'll have a very different team to contend with this coming Sunday. Let's hope the Ravens step up to the task and continue to shut teams down and win.

The other great story on Sunday was the Tampa Bay Rays managing to keep Boston at bay and win the ALCS. Matt Garza got the MVP for pitching two solid games. Last night he continued to throw strikes and get players out even after pitching the magic number of 100 pitches. This makes me question the seemingly widely held belief that pitchers should be taken out after 100 pitches. Every pitcher has his own limit and if he's in a groove or 'settled in' and doing well, why bring in someone new. Will pitching an extra 15-20 pitches make it that much harder to recover and be able to pitch again four days later? I am asking this sincerely as I really don't know anything about pitching and how much it tires you out.

I was worried after the Rays blew game 5 in the last few innings and then couldn't seem to get their act together for game 6. But those scrappy Rays came out ready to play yesterday and even after going down by one run in the first inning never gave up hope. They fought back, held on, and managed to strand Red Sox base runner after base runner. Every time a Red Sox player came up to bat, I thought this was it, this was the batter that was going to swing the momentum back to Boston, this is the one thats going to end it. But that never happened. Even after errors and a bunch of pitchers. Tampa hung on for all 27 outs.

After the last batter grounded out, the team rushed the pitcher. There was giant mound of celebrating Rays. I was actually worried that the pitcher, Price, would get hurt. Afterwards he said he couldn't breathe at the bottom of the pile, but wouldn't change it for the world. I love the way the team celebrates. The players were soaked before they even got the ALCS Champ trophy. Their Rayhawks were dripping. This is a team that really treasures the victory and appreciates how far its come. They are a team that gives hope to all the other losing disheartened teams out there.

It'll be great to see two new teams in the World Series. I know the Phillies are not a new team but they haven't been in a World Series in 15 years. So they're not the teams we've seen in the playoffs year in and year out for the last few years. And the Rays have never been in a playoffs before, let alone a World Series. I'm still deciding who I really want to root for. But I think I'll be happy either way. Wednesday should be fun.