SB Nation - Jameel McClain

Perhaps Ravens Played Flat Last Night For A Reason

Bruce Raffel — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:23:15 -0000

More photos » by Scott Heckel - AP

29 days ago: FIreworks shoot from top of Cleveland Browns Stadium prior to the NFL game between the Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns Monday, November 16, 2009 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Ravens won 16-0. (AP Photo/The Repository, Scott Heckel)

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Everyone from the announcers to the media to the fans were ragging on our Ravens about the boring, unoriginal and "flat" play last night in their 16-0 shutout victory over the woeful Cleveland Browns. The offense could only muster a little under 300 yards of total offense that was giving up an average of over 400 yards per game. They joined the Browns in combining to have the only non-scoring first half in the 2009 NFL season thus far. The Ravens could only muster 9 points of scoring offense all game, and scored 13 of their 16 points in a 17 second span of the third quarter.

But as the title suggests, perhaps the Ravens played "flat" on purpose for a reason that borders on strategy with a side helping of over confidence?

Everyone knew the Ravens were clearly the better team going into the game and it wouldn't be surprising to know that the team was likely already looking ahead to their next two opponents, much less the remainder of the season. While the team knew it desperately needed a win to remain in the hunt for a post season berth, they probably figured that just short of showing up was going to be good enough to pull out a win, as ugly as it may look to the rest of the football world watching last night.

I'm sure the team knew what it had to do to win the game, and only opened the playbook far enough to get the job done. Without revealing anything in that binder of formations that the Indianapolis Colts and the Pittsburgh Steelers could practice to prevent, the Ravens just concentrated in bullying the Browns enough to score more points while playing solid defense. Hence the game totals in plays ran from scrimmage, 36 rushing versus only 19 passes. The 19 passing attempts include an ill-timed 3rd down trick play with Ray Rice trying to get the ball downfield to a wide open Todd Heap, underthrowing him for an incompletion. Why they even brought out that play, much less on a third and two where they could have probably just ran the ball for the first down with the game in hand at that point confounded me as well as the announcers.

So before you decide to go off on the team for its bland game plan, try to see that the coaching staff couldn't care less what everyone thinks about their strategy as long as it ends with a victory, which it did. They may be a lot smarter than they are given credit for, as they got the win without revealing anything unusual about the game plan that the Colts and Steelers can take away from the game. However, the defense did shut out an NFL team, which has only happened a handful of times this season and is still a sense of pride regardless of the team they beat. This defense needed this shutout and can use the solid play from many of the guys who have not gotten a lot of reps this year, such as Dwan Edwards, Lardarius Webb, Jameel McClain and even Paul Kruger. Both corners played well, especially Fabian Washington against the run. Terrell Suggs has every reason to be angry at Brady Quinn, who had no reason whatsoever to be blocking Suggs after throwing an interception, much less below the knees and his post game excuse was obviously lame. Losing Suggs for the next stretch of games will hurt this team, as well as the loss of safety Haruki Nakamura, who broke his right ankle on the opening kickoff and should miss the rest of the season. Get well props to both of them, along with Tavares Gooden who suffered another concussion and Todd Heap, who bruised his chest late in the game.

On the Browns side, here's hoping return man Josh Cribbs is okay after taking a hard shot on the game's final play, although Dwan Edwards hit was legal and besides, the play was a stupid one for a team trailing by 16 points.

Finally, we can't end this post without mentioning the pathetic job our placekicker has done all season. Sorry to call you out Steven Hauschka, but when you put on the team's colors, you are in the spotlight and are only as good as your kicks, which have been hooking left since the first game of the season. Missing those easy ones will keep the talk about letting Matt Stover go fresh on the tongues on your detractors. While I was in favor of replacing Stover, he was money inside the 40 but was shaky beyond that. You are missing wide left regardless of the distance and have pretty much proven that the pressure of kicking in the NFL is well beyond your capabilities. Now the team should be signing someone else as they have tried out other kickers but for some reason decideed to give you another chance, which you blew big time last night. While the readers of The Beatdown know whom I'd like to see here, at this point I'm sure everyone agrees that anyone other than you will be an upgrade, as there can't be a single person over at One Winning Drive that secretly or openly has any confidence when you trot onto the field.

Other than that, I'm not discouraged, I'm satisfied that we are where we needed to be before last night to set us up for the next two games which will absolutely define our season and with that, our post season.

Ravens 53 Man Roster: My Picks

Bruce Raffel — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 11:00:24 -0000

Here are my picks for what the Ravens will end up doing later today when they announce the 53 man roster that they will be trimming down to when they release 22 guys to get down to the NFL max.

Offense

QB: Joe Flacco, Troy Smith, John Beck

WR: Derrick Mason, Mark Clayton, Demetrius Williams, Kelley Washington, Justin Harper

RB: Ray Rice, Willis McGahee, LeRon McClain, Jalen Parmele

TE: Todd Heap, L.J. Smith, Davon Drew, Edgar Jones

OL: Matt Birk, Ben Grubbs, Jared Gaither, Chris Chester, Marshal Yanda, Michael Oher, David Hale, Oniel Cousins

Defense

DB: Ed Reed, Dawan Landry, Fabian Washington, Domonique Foxworth, Haruki Nakamura, Tom Zbikowski, Chris Carr, Lardarius Webb, Frank Walker, Derrick Martin

LB: Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs, Jarret Johnson, Tavares Gooden, Jameel McClain, Brendon Ayanbadejo, Paul Kruger, Prescott Burgess, Antwan Barnes

DL: Haloti Ngata, Trevor Pryce, Justin Bannan, Kelly Gregg, Dwan Edwards, Brandon McKinney

Specialists

P: Sam Koch

PK: Steven Hauschka

LS: Matt Katula

That’s only 52 guys and my final spot is a tough one to decide upon. I am looking at one of the following guys:

Yamon Figurs, Jason Cook, Jason Phillips, Joe Reitz, Kelly Talavou

Figurs still has the speed and with Webb looking a bit shaky on returns, Yamon gives us another option behind Chris Carr. Jason Cook gives us another fullback along with LeRon McClain. Jason Phillips was a 4^th round draft pick in 2009 and Ozzie doesn’t like to release draft picks. Perhaps Phillips will be IR’d to keep our hands on him (I expect the Ravens to IR undrafted rookie LB Dannell Ellerbe as well). Joe Reitz gives us more depth on the offensive line as well as Kelly Tavalou does the same for the defensive line.

I don’t want to take the easy way out by only selecting 52 players, so I will have to go out on a limb and make my selection and therefore the 53^rd spot on the Baltimore Ravens roster goes to Yamon Figurs.

The other players I was undecided about go onto our Practice Squad, where we can have up to eight players. Of course, I would expect the team to peruse other teams’ cuts to add a player or two to either our roster or Practice Squad, and vice versa for the rest of the league. However, in advance of that info, my Practice Squad would look like this:

Cook, Reitz, Talavou, Foster, Riley, Peerman, Smolko, Stallings

Additionally, as I stated earlier, the team would place both Dannell Ellerbe and Jason Phillips on Injured Reserve (IR), which would end their 2009 seasons, but ensure the team retains their rights while giving the players their full 2009 salaries, which do count against the team’s salary cap. However, being rookies, that should not be much of an issue.

Your thoughts and comments on those last few slots?

Ravens Dominate Again: Finish Pre-Season 4-0

Bruce Raffel — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 14:14:41 -0000

More photos » by John Amis - AP

3 months ago: Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh greets quarterback John Beck (12) as he comes back to the sideline after a first half touchdown against the Atlanta Falcons during their exhibition NFL football game Thursday, Sept. 3, 2009, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Amis)

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The Baltimore Ravens completed their 2009 exhibition season 4-0, by dominating the Atlanta Falcons with their reserves most of the game 20-3. Last time the Ravens went undefeated in pre-season was before the 2000 Super Bowl season.

To many of the fans, this was an incredibly meaningless and boring game. However, to the knowledgable fan, this was as important a game as there was for the team as a whole. While most of the starters were on the sidelines, the reserves were fighting for their NFL careers, hoping to make that one last impression that would convince the team's Front Office that they deserve a spot on the Ravens roster.

The Ravens must cut 22 of their 75 players to get down to the NFL maximum of 53 players by tomorrow afternoon. Almost one-third of this roster will be looking for either new teams or new jobs by late Saturday. Can you imagine the stress and fear going through some of the players on the so-called "bubble?" One moment, they are on the world's stage, being treated like royalty with a big salary, great benefits and teammates and the next moment they are returning to the factories and local supermarkets in their hometowns looking for a full time job that many of them are not even qualified to do.

This is the toughest time of the year for the Front Office personnel. Telling a player that his dream job is being ripped from his heart has to be one depressing deed to complete, much less 22 times in one afternoon. I feel for Head Coach John Harbugh and his staff on the tough decisions, much less the notification of the unlucky players. On the other hand, there will be a few surprises so the fear and disappointment of one player could be muted by the joy and aspirations of another who gets told he did indeed make the squad.

However, that's all happening tomorrow. Today is a time to exalt the efforts that the team made in their victory over the Atlanta Falcons. Our second team offense moved down the field and scored on its first possession against the Falcons' first team defense. Our deeper reserves bullied and pushed the Falcons' reserves all over the field and while it was not exactly pretty nor efficient at times, the final score showed the complete domination on both sides of the ball.

Third string QB John Beck played his most minutes and best of the pre-season, with the time to get into a rhythm, hitting on 16 of 28 passes for 232 yards, two TD's and no interceptions, with a 108.0 QB rating. The running backs did their part and there is going to be a tough decision as it appears that only one out of Jalen Parmale, Cedric Peerman and FB Jason Cook is going to make the squad.

At wide receiver, Justin Harper continues to frustrate both the team and himself, dropping two long balls after getting open on deep routes. At the same time, Eron Riley caught the passes thrown in his direction, a long ball plus a TD reception, but even that might not be enough to secure a spot for him. Little guys Jayson Foster and Yamon Figurs didn't do anything to help their causes either.

At linebacker, there are so many decisions to make and to me theyare all easy as the entire group deserves to stay on the team. That won't happen and while Jameel McClain and Tavares Gooden are locks, Antwan Barnes, Prescott Burgess, Danell Ellerbe, Jason Phillips and William VanDeSteeg are probably fighting for just two remaining spots between them. Since we didn't see the rookie Ellerbe in the game, I am hoping the team retains their rights to him by placing him on Injured Reserve to secure him for next year.

The defensive backs did relatively nothing to change the coaches opinions about their roles on the team. Evan Oglesby had a nice hit but still figures to be a long shot, and Frank Walker was,..well Frank Walker. Two penalties on one play epitomizes his style of play, which is grab and hold and hope the refs don't flag him, which they usually do. For wahtever reason, the team seems to like him but he has done nothing to prove his value to the fans this pre-season.

Once again, another great win despite the meaningless part of pre-season being wins and losses. The coaches now have to seclude themselves in the headquarters to make their final decisions by tomorrow afternoon. Post your thoughts here on what you saw and what you think will happen tomorrow when roster cuts are announced.

Until then, bring on the Kansas City Chiefs!

Ravens Hold Off Jets, 24-23

Bruce Raffel — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 14:03:33 -0000

The Baltimore Ravens defeated the New York Jets, 24-23, when the Jets were unable to convert what would have been the game winning two point conversion at the end of the game. While the score was close at final whistle, the Ravens jumped out to 14-0 and 21-7 leads in the first half. Both Ray Lewis and Ed Reed left early in the first half, when the Ravens scored on the Jets first pass attempt which was intercepted by DT Haloti Ngata and returned 25 yards for the score. Baltimore could have easily scored again the same way when Jets rookie QB Mark Sanchez hit Ray Lewis in the stomach for what would have been a 50 yard TD return on the next series, but Ray could not hold onto it after reading Sanchez' eyes and running to the spot.

Later in the first quarter, the Ravens scored again for a 14-0 lead after a long pass to Derrick Mason set up a three yard run by Ray Rice off of a great fake by Joe Flacco. Flacco only finished 8-18 for 120 yards, but had two nice longer throws, 43 yards to Derrick Mason and 22 to Kelley Washington. The team was much more balanced between rushing and passing attempts this week, with the team running the ball 25 times and throwing it 27 times. Last game against he Redskins, the Ravens threw it 54 times while only running it 25 times.

The Jets' Sanchez looked totally confused the first few series as he made it a requirement to try to keep his eyes on both Ed Reed and Ray Lewis, leaving the rest of the defense to rush, harrass and frustrate him into ineffectiveness. He did, however, throw his first NFL TD pass with five minutes left in the second quarter and both Reed and Lewis on the sidelines, watching.

Ravens standouts for the game included reserve linebacker Jameel McClain, who led the team with ten tackles plus an interception return for a TD in the second quarter, covering 16 yards. Second year linebacker, Tavares Gooden, who started alongside Ray, had a solid game with five tackles and a sack and rookie LB Paul Kruger had five tackles starting in place of the still-injured Terrell Suggs.

Mostly because of the Ravens disruptive pass rush, the starting secondary looked solid in the first half, but the reserves did not fare as well. Both Frank Walker and Evan Olglesby were picked on repeatedly by the Jets reserve quarterbacks, Kellen Clemens and Erik Ainge. Walker continue to grab and hold and while he might be the team's most physical corner, he needs to, as Derrick Mason yelled at him in training camp, "practice good habits, Frank!"

Flacco might have only been sacked once in his stint, but he was pressured and hit hard too many times. Rookie Michael Oher seemed to do his job great, but the left side of the offensive line looked like it was collapsing or getting overstacked by the Jets' pass rush way too often. Troy Smith, who looked great in the first exhibition game, looked abysmal last night other than the 51 yard bomb he completed to WR Justin Harper and should have had two interceptions. The first was overturned by a defensive penalty but he came right back and threw another three plays later.

The placekicker competition continues to lean towards second year pro Steven Hauschka over the rookie Graham Gano, as Hauschka hit his only field goal attempt of the game while Gano missed his attempt and second of the pre-season.

All in all, it was a win, although certainly not the dominating victory that they had against Washington. At the same time, Jets' Head Coach Rex Ryan could have easily gone for the game tying extra point and sent the game into an unnecessary overtime. Instead, he went for the win against his former team which resulted in the incompletion and the victory for the Ravens.

The Baltimore Ravens next travel to Carolina to play the Panthers in their third pre-season game Saturday evening.

NOTE: In my haste to get to the stadium, I neglected to post an "Open Thread" on the game and plan to do so for the remainder of the pre-season as well as the entire regular (and hopefully post-) season.

Ravens Training Camp: Sunday AM Edition

Bruce Raffel — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 17:19:37 -0000

The Baltimore Ravens held their Sunday morning practice on the lower McDaniel College Bair Stadium field, due to the constant drizzle and the better field turf of the stadium. From yesterday's PM practice that I skipped, I heard that safety Dawan Landry had another interception, bringing his camp total to four picks, including three all of yesterday. He is looking lean and fast, with no effects from his season ending injury suffered last year in the Cleveland game.

However, today is all about the return of seemingly retired veteran wide receiver Derrick Mason. Mason was all smiles and hugs as he took the practice field for the first time this Training Camp after announcing yesterday afternoon that he had reconsidered his retirement and still had a lot of football left in his 35 year old body. He spoke at the podium after practice and one of the things that he said was that Jared Gaither called him and that meant the world to him when one of your offensive linemen call to say they want you back. I asked Derrick if he heard the fans calling him. He said, "Yeah, that more than anything is what I missed. They come out every Sunday, come out here to Westminster, bring the kids, I don't know how they do it. It's hot! That applause coming down the walkway, it felt good, really good. I was looking for a marching band, though."

Head Coach John Harbaugh has designated today as "Plus-30 Day," which means any player over the age of 30 has the option of skipping practice to keep them fresh, of which all the guys who were eligible took the opportunity to rest.

The overcast, drizzle didn't stop the team from having the hardest hitting in camp so far, in my opinion. In one-on-one blocking drills, DE/LB Prescott Burgess just absolutely flattened rookie TE Davon Drew, who was trying to block him. Drew was put flat on his back and appeared to hurt his ankle in the process. The coaches put both back on the line for a second time, with the exact same result as Burgess bowled him over again. TE Edgar Jones blocked well, knocking down rushing LB Tavares Gooden. Ray Rice held his own against a couple of rushers.

I notice that WR Mark Clayton is getting his hamstring worked on and Harbaugh confirmed after practice that he had a twinge in it, although it did not prevent him from finishing practice.

In 11-on-11 drills, Burgess again made an impact with perhaps the hardest hit in camp so far this year, slamming TE Edgar Jones to the ground after Jones caught a swing pass and tried to elude another defender by spinning around him just as Burgess smacked him to the ground with a resounding thud that brought cheers from the fans as well as the other defensive players.

The defense seemed to have their way today with the offense, as evidenced by nice tackles after short completions by both CB Frank Walker on WR Justin Harper and safety Haruki Nakamura on FB Jason Cook.

The field goal kickers took over for a few minutes, with Steven Hauschka hitting consecutive attempts from 32, 41, 45 and 51 yards. Graham Gano also was on target from 32, 41 and 45 yards, but missed his first attempt at 51 yards, and then came back to nail his second shot at it. Still, the kicking competition to replace the legendary Matt Stover is way too close to call and will more than likely go down to the final pre season game.

In Red Zone drills from the five yard line, Troy Smith's pass to Justin Harper was bobbled which allowed CB Lardarius Webb to grab his first pick as a Raven in the end zone and race out. Flacco hit Derrick Mason with a TD pass from the five yard line on a crossing pattern and then rolled out but threw an interception to Nakamura who leaped to snag it in the end zone before falling to the ground.

LeRon McClain was seen limping down the field favoring his right leg but later was fully involved in drills without any noticeable effects. Flacco put a nice touch on the ball down the sideline over a leaping defender softly into the arms of Demetrius Williams. K.J. Gerard got his first career interception and almost didn't know what to do with the ball, but then raced down the sidelines to the end zone.

Rookie RT Michael Oher was "called" for a false start by the referees on site, prompting Terrell Suggs, standing on the sidelines, to call him out, yelling, "we see you, rook!"

Derrick Mason made a nice sliding catch of a Flacco 16 yard pass for a first down on what was a third and ten.

Terrell Suggs and Haruki Nakamura playfully pushing each other between plays, then Suggs respectfully "bows" to Haruki, apparently to acknowledge his Japanese heritage.

See my FanPost for a short interview with LB Jameel McClain, who is vying with fellow second year LB Tavares Gooden, to replace the departed Bart Scott and line up next ot Ray Lewis at one of the two inside LB slots.

Ravens Passing Camp Update

Rexx — Tue, 19 May 2009 14:41:36 -0000

Above is a photo taken at the Baltimore Ravens passing camp that began yesterday at their Owings Mills Training Facility, which you can see in the background. Looking closely at the players, I see recently signed QB John Beck (#7), but not too sure who most of the others are, although I believe that #39 is undrafted free agent FB, Jason Cook.

The Ravens passing camp this week is without a bunch of veteran starters, so some of the reserves got their chances to step up and get noticed. Ray Rice is healthy again and with the injuries to Willis McGahee and LeRon McClain adjusting to a "new" position at fulback, Rice took all the reps with both the first and second teams yesterday and looked real good.

With wide receivers Derrick Mason, Mark Clayton and Demetrius Williams taking it easy, second year pro Marcus Smith ran with the first team and Kelley Washington, who signed his official contract yesterday, caught a 40 yard bomb from Troy Smith for a TD while running with the second team.

In related news, wide receiver Marcus Maxwell was released by the team. Now I guess we won't be getting confused about which "Marcus" we're talking about.

Defensively, with Ed Reed taking a breather, Haruki Nakamura took first team reps at safety and Jameel McClain filled in for Ray Lewis next to Tavares Gooden at linebacker.

Second year QB Joe Flacco loked crisp and accurate, even on the tough over the middle medium range passes that were his hardest to complete last season. Most of all, he reported feeling a sense of a better comfort level that he obviously never had before in spring or even summer camps. He's loose, talking with his receivers after the plays to make sure they are on the same page as him, and is obviously in charge of the huddle now.

All in all, looking good at this point and it will only get better as the injuries heal and the veterans become more involved in the practices.

Tavares Gooden: The Next Great Ravens Linebacker

Rexx — Mon, 11 May 2009 14:45:54 -0000

Ravens linebacker Tavares Gooden works against Jared Gaither during a drill at minicamp in Owings Mills on Friday.
(photo from Kyle Nosa/Staff Photo - Carroll County Times)

The Baltimore Ravens lost one of their outstanding linebackers, Bart Scott, to free agency and the New York Jets this off season. In previous seasons, they also lost important cogs of their defense at the same position. Players such as Jamie Sharper, Edgerton Hartwell, Adalius Thomas and now Bart Scott all came into the league as relative unknowns, but left the Ravens as wealthy free agent signings. None have lived up to the hype and success they enjoyed in Baltimore and many Ravens fans think they know the answer.

Playing next to the legendary Ray Lewis makes your job a lot easier. Teams gameplan away from the fierce middle linebacker and are always looking to see where he is on the field. Despite that, Ray is always around the ball, and that opens holes and lanes for the other linebackers to fly through and put up great stats. However, once they all seem to go for the big bucks and land on other teams as the defensive leader, they alweays seem to fade into mediocrity or obscurity.

So who's next on the list to become the best linebacker most people outside of Baltimore have never heard of? Why, it's second year pro and former 3rd round draft pick in the 2008 NFL Draft, out of the University of Miami, Tavares Gooden. Gooden was hurt most of last year and rarely got on the field, but was originally drafted as a possible future replacement for the surefire Hall of Famer, Ray Lewis. Both are from the "U" and Gooden has worked out with Ray for years, as he has been taken under the wing of the NFL great. A member of the infamous "7th Floor Crew," Gooden has even taken part in a rude, crude and lewd rap video, that perhaps one of the other readers might post, but I won't even go there.

Gooden is built to be an outside linebacker but could easily add the pounds to move inside if needed in the future. Right now, he is on the fast track to take over for Bart Scott on Ray's left side, and is making huge strides since his injuries of last year. He hasn't lost a step in speed, despite putting on extra weight for the upcoming season. He ran a 4.49 40-yard dash, faster than many receivers, so he should be able to cover the tight ends and running backs in pass assignments. Even though he's raised his weight from 235 pounds to 247 on his 6'1" frame, he hasn't lost a step.

Gooden isn't being given the starting gig by any reason, and other LB's such as Jameel McClain are not ready to step aside for him. McClain played a lot in specialty situations and actually recorded two safeties in the short but impressive opportunities he received. In addition, there is Antwan Barnes, Prescott Burgess, Brendon Ayanbadejo and rookies Jason Phillips, Paul Kruger and Dannell Ellerbe that will figure into the competition until the starter is finally named prior to the first regular season game.

Expect Gooden to be at or near the top of that list. Think about it, will Ray Lewis let a kid from his alma mater fail? Somethin in me says that just won't be permitted to happen.

See Aaron Wilson's column on the Ravens Mini Camp and Tavares Gooden's progress by clicking here.

AFTER FURTHER REVIEW...: Instant Dismay

Josh from Hollywood — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 16:12:25 -0000

Welcome to ‘After Further Review...', where we think the Ravens got screwed, where we’re blaming everything from the economy to our chronic body odor on the 49ers red zone offense, and where we think the guys running the Big Three U.S. automakers are doing a better job recently than the guys running the ‘Skins, Packers, and Bills.

But before we get to the odds, ends, and trends around the league in Week 15, we’re happy to welcome back an old friend...

SAFETYWATCH ‘08: They’re baaa-ack. Yes, after a one week hiatus, the league got back to its safety bender in the Sunday night game when Tony Romo was sacked, and fumbled out the back of the end zone. After Romo's safety, as NBC went to commercial, they played "Safety Dance" by Men Without Hats.

Stay tuned, updates to follow as more information becomes available...

THE DEFINITION OF "INDISPUTABLE" IS INDISPUTABLE: Baltimore has a lot to complain about after their very tough 13-9 loss at to Pittsburgh on Sunday. They have reason to be angry with themselves -- they allowed the Steelers to drive 92 yards to score the game-winning TD, and also allowed a crucial sack on their second to last drive which cost them a shot at a FG (those points might have seriously changed the ending to their last drive, when they had to force the ball into the end zone). But they also have good reason to blame the referees.

Twice it appeared the Ravens caught the short end of an instant replay review, resulting in 10 of Pittsburgh’s 13 points. In the 1st quarter, it appeared clear that Steelers RB Gary Russell was short on a 3rd and 1, but the officials on the field ruled it a 1st down. The replay seemed to show Russell was nowhere near the line to gain, but referee Walt Coleman (he, of many controversial replay rulings, including The "Tuck Rule" Game) ruled the evidence was not indisputable. While I disagreed, no angle was straight down the line, and I understood the need for 100% certainty for overturning a call.

That’s why I was so dismayed at Coleman’s call on the game-winning TD pass from Roethlisberger to Santonio Holmes with :43 left. On the field, the call was that while Holmes’ body was in the end zone, the ball never was. The replays seemed to back up this call. The ball may (or may not) cross the goal line for an instant as it hits Holmes’ hands, but it’s unclear whether he has either two feet down, or complete control of the ball. To me, it was the dictionary definition of "disputable", so I was stunned when Coleman ruled it a TD.

The replay rule is there to overturn obviously blown calls -- ones with indisputable visual evidence -- so we don’t have a huge game determined by a call everyone knows is wrong. But this was a 50/50 call, and those are supposed to stand. It may not have mattered -- the Steelers might’ve gone for it on 4th down and scored anyway. Or tied the game on a FG and won it in OT. But if I’m a Raven fan, I’m on the internet right now trying to get Walt Coleman’s e-mail so I could send him the Webster’s definition of "indisputable". I hope he’d see the irony that just by my disputing his call, I’d be proving it was not indisputable.

I’m not a Ravens fan, but it’s a shame to see a game decided by a call on the field being reversed without overwhelming evidence. Especially a game with as much riding on it as this. Pittsburgh now clinches their division, a 1st round bye, and plays Tennessee for a shot at the #1 seed in the AFC next week. Baltimore, meanwhile, has no time to stop and lick their wounds -- they face Dallas next week in a game the Cowboys need desperately.

X-FACTOR: This week’s selection is another repeat winner, joining Leon Washington and Peyton Hillis: Tashard "4th Round Draft" Choice. The rookie again starred for the Cowboys, leading the team in both rushing and receiving despite not even starting. Regular RB Marion Barber was back in the lineup to begin the game, but Choice was the one who finished off the Giants with a game-icing 38 yard TD run in the Cowboys 20-8 win.

That run capped a night in which the rookie had four catches for 52 yards and nine carries for 91 yards. Those totals become all the more important when considering the Giants held Barber to just two yards rushing on eight carries, and he looked to be at less than 100%. Dallas needs every win they can get right now, and have a tough Baltimore team next week, so if Barber isn't all the way back, Choice could see significant action going forward.

'MIRACLE AT THE MEADOWLANDS 2: ELECTRIC BUGALOO': Trailing 27-24 with just 2:06 to play, it appeared the Jets were just about to lose their 3rd straight game, fall out of 1st place, and continue to choke away their playoff chances. But then, the suddenly woeful Bills found a way to choke it up. Buffalo chose the pass on a 2nd and 5 on their own 27 (Mistake #1). J.P. Losman failed to recognize backside pressure and was sacked by S Abram Elam (Mistake #2). Losman fumbled (Mistake #3), DE Shaun Ellis scooped it up and rumbled in for the game-winning score. The Jets escaped with a 31-27 win, running their record to 9-5, and maintaining their three-way tie with the Patriots and Dolphins atop the AFC East.

WHAT A BUNCH OF FLAGS: It was just a random quirk of the game, but something happened in the 3rd quarter of the Tennessee/Houston game that I don’t know I’ve ever seen before. Cortland Finnegan mauled Kevin Walter so badly three flags came immediately out, all landing within a two or three yard radius of each other. You hardly ever see three officials looking at the same part of a play, but the ball was in the red zone, so the back judge was right there, and the pattern was a quick slant right at the umpire and directly in front of the side judge. But after seeing this I have to wonder, "Why the hell does it seem like that same play is missed half the time? Three-quarters if it’s a Niner receiver."

"THESE TEAMS JUST PLAIN DON’T LIKE EACH OTHER": The NFC South continues to be the most watchable division in the NFL. If the continuing source of amazement that is their collective 26-2 home record -- 11-0 in division games -- doesn’t get you, or the fact that every team in the division is .500 or better (with three at 9-5 or above), then the intensity should. The games are tight, tough affairs, and if the Falcons/Bucs game on Sunday is any indication, they aren’t particularly fond of one another. The hitting was fierce, and fights after the whistle were commonplace. In the 1st half alone, I counted at least three scuffles. The Falcons took care of business at home (of course), winning 13-10 in OT, and leap-frogged Tampa into the final wild card spot in the NFC.

5 BURNING QUESTIONS:

1. Is Andre Johnson (11 catches, 209 yards vs. the Titans Sunday) the best WR in the NFL? If not, who is? If so, how come nobody talks about him -- because he’s not busy shooting off his mouth -- or leg?

2. How bad was Sunday’s loss for the Titans? Kerry Collins was horrible (15-33, INT), Albert Haynesworth was injured (MRI pending), and now they likely need a win vs. Pittsburgh next week to keep the #1 seed in the AFC and avoid a division-deciding game at Indy in Week 17.

3. Did you know that an offensive team can advance a muffed kick? Jim Nantz and Phil Simms didn’t, repeating the "you can’t advance a muff" after the Steelers recovered their own muff and returned it 20 yards -- until the referee explained that rule only applies to the kicking team.

4. Is there a more frustrating play than the "Premature Spike"? More and more, teams are spiking the ball whenever they get a 1st down while running their two-minute offense, whether it's necessary or not. This week, both the Niners and Steelers spiked passes on 1st down when driving for a possible winning TD, even though both teams had more than a minute left and were deep in their opponent's territory. Each team gave away a play unnecessarily -- the Steelers recovered to win, the Niners didn't.

5. Are the Cardinals ready for primetime? It doesn't appear so after ugly losses to the Eagles and Vikings in the past few weeks. Some will write off this last loss to a post-clinching hangover, but anytime you allow 4 TD's to Tarvaris Jackson, it's cause for concern.

LINE OF THE WEEK: Cris Collinsworth talking about a plant on the set of 'Inside the NFL': "We are actually growing grass in our studio here. It’s sort of like Warren’s dorm room, isn’t it?"

THAT’S WHY THEY’RE THE LIONS: Another week, another heartbreaking loss for Detroit. The 31-21 final score may make it appear this one wasn’t all that tight, but it doesn’t tell the whole story. The Lions came out with some attitude on the road in Indy, and managed to knock around Peyton Manning pretty well early, before falling behind 21-10. But Marinelli’s Lions don’t give up, and they stormed back to tie the game 21-21 in the 4th quarter. The Colts eventually took the lead, 28-21, and were in chip shot FG range with less than 2:00 to play in the game, and it looked like the Lions were done. But Detroit does love to tease its fans.

With 1:16 left, the Colts ran one last play on 3rd down before the game-icing kick, but Indy RB Chad Simpson (I’ve never heard of him either) fumbled and the ball hopped to two Lion defenders, who covered it up. The Detroit defenders around the pile jumped up and down, their sideline went crazy, Rod Marinelli pumped his fist. Even the announcers said Detroit had the ball, a reprieve, and a chance to send the game to OT, where even a tie would be like a win to the Lions.

Only once the pile uncovered, it was the Colts who had the ball. Replays later showed Simpson strip the ball from the defenders to recover his own fumble as he lay on the ground. The Colts kicked the FG, and the Lions lost again, but not before twisting the knife in the fans guts just a little bit more.

THAT’S WHY THEY’RE THE CHIEFS: The Chiefs have also had a season full of near-misses, and outdid themselves on Sunday, completing their season sweeping at the hands of the Chargers with their second 1-point loss to San Diego this year. To accomplish the feat, they had to choke away an 18-point lead and an 11-point with less than two minutes to play -- including allowing a TD, a successful onside kick, and a long bomb on three consecutive snaps (not counting the PAT) -- and recover, only to miss a potential game-winning FG

Following Philip Rivers’ TD pass to Malcolm Floyd with 1:19 left, K.C. looked to have the game wrapped up when San Diego’s onside kick bounced right into the arms of top WR Dwayne Bowe. But when Bowe was hit by San Diego special-teamer Antwan Applewhite, he coughed up the ball, which was recovered by Chargers special-teamer Kassim Osgood. On the next play, Rivers hit WR Vincent Jackson for a 42-yard gain down to the Chief 19. Three plays later Rivers found Jackson again, this time for a TD to take the lead.

The Chiefs looked dead, but after the Chargers missed their two-point conversion attempt and botched a squib kick, QB Tyler Thigpen was able to move the ball into the outer fringe of FG range (55 yards). Then they got as lucky a break as you’ll see. As time ran off the clock following a Tony Gonzalez grab, it appeared time would run out. But Chargers CB Antoine Cason made a huge mistake, kicking the ball away from the official unnecessarily, and getting flagged for delay of game.

This not only stopped the clock for time enough for one last play, but also advanced the ball into very makeable FG range. The crowd rose to its feet as Rookie K Connor Barth came on to attempt a 50 yard FG to save the day. He missed, wide left. So it goes.

DODGED BULLET OF THE WEEK: Anytime a kicker gets a penalty, it’s an embarrassment, but Jeff Reed made what could’ve been one of the all-time boneheaded penalties this week. Luckily for him, his team’s defense saved him from Death by Sportscenter.

After the Steelers’ aforementioned game-winning TD with :43 left to play, Reed came on to kick the extra point, after which, he managed to get into a shoving match with a Ravens lineman. Reed was called for unsportsmanlike conduct and was forced to kickoff from this own 20 yard line. The Ravens returned the kick to midfield, where they suddenly had a decent chance to score a TD to win the game. That would've made Reed's penalty headline material in Pittsburgh. I'm sure he let out a hug sigh of relief when Joe Flacco was picked off in the end zone to end the game.

IT’S A START: Jets rookie WR David Clowney hadn’t suited up for a game all year before Sunday. Getting his first playing time, he made just one catch, but it was memorable. With Jets behind in the 2nd half, Clowney ran a crossing pattern and depite being double-teamed, Favre tried to squeeze in to him. The pass was low and out in front of him, but Clowney made a circus one-handed catch, then turned upfield for a 26 yard gain. Clowney may never catch another pass in the NFL, but he’s got one highlight of himself making an unbeliveable grab from a Hall of Famer in a close win at home.

PERSONAL HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY: With all my channel surfing, I managed to avoid watching one second of the Rams/Seahawks game. Didn’t even click past it on my way to another game. Of course, to fulfill my obligations here, I did watch the highlights. Such is the level of my dedication.

GAME(S) TO WATCH IN WEEK 16: There are quite a few attractive matchups with playoff implications next week -- Baltimore at Dallas, Pittsburgh at Tennessee, and Atlanta at Minnesota -- the best might be Carolina at the Giants. With New York coming off two straight losses, their status as the top seed in the NFC is officially up for grabs when the 11-3 Panthers and 11-3 Giants go at it on Sunday night. The winner will take a one-game lead over the loser for the #1 seed, and will own the head-to-head tie-breaker, thus clinching home field throughout the playoffs. The loser will get the consolation prize of a first-round bye and a home playoff game.

THURSDAY NIGHT PREVIEW

Indianapolis (10-4) at Jacksonville (5-9)

Indy eeks out another shaky victory over a league doormat, continuing their improbable climb to within shouting distance of the AFC South division lead. Although they’re still two games out with only two games to play, both the schedule and the tie-breakers allow them a narrow but plausible opening.

Indy has division-leading Tennessee at home to end the season, and could gain a tie with a win if the Titans lose to Pittsburgh next Sunday and the Colts can get past Jacksonville on Thursday night. In that scenario, Indy would be tied with Tennessee in overall record at 12-4, tied in the first tie-breaker, head-to-head record, at 1-1, and tied in the second tie-breaker, division record, at 4-2. However, in the third tie-breaker, conference record, the Colts would nip the Titans, 10-2 to 9-3. (EDIT: This is incorrect -- see comments section for correction)

Just the fact that the division still remains a realistic goal for the Colts after their very iffy start, and the Titans early dominance is pretty unbelievable -- I’m sure for the Titans most of all. The Colts can apply just a bit more pressure on the Titans if thay can put up a win vs. the Jags on Thursday. I think they will.

The pick: COLTS