SB Nation User Blog: Rexx

Open Thread - Quarter-by-quarter

Rexx — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 17:48:25 -0000

I will be blogging at the end of each quarter, venting my frustrations only four times during the game, instead of after every play!

The Ravens already look terrible, totally outclassed by Peyton Manning and company on their way to a 17-0 deficit by the end of the first quarter. The play calling is atrocious and makes no sense. Why not try runs off tackle at the heart of the Colts defense. Indy is a much faster team and we need to abandon the end runs and fancy stuff. Just stuff it down their mouths. Our plays are very slow developing and we are making the Colts' defense look great! Flacco looks every bit like a rookie who has no idea of the speed of the pro game. He is holding the ball too long and now is so afraid of throwing an interception, he now actually throws the ball away too quickly.

How many times do we have to let this reserve special teams guy, Bullitt, into Yamon Figurs' path!? Do you think perhaps Chris McAlister ought to forego trying to jump the routes and not go for Manning's fake pumps? Do ya thunk that the Colts are going after Frank Walker and Corey Ivy, who may be the worst two CB's in the ENTIRE league!? Do you think we should have drafted more CB's? What have we got to lose by putting either or both Tom Zbikowski and/or Haruki Nkamura out there as nickel or dimebacks even though they're both safeties? Could they do any worse!?

More to come at halftime. This is looking like it will continue to get uglier. Feel free to post your comments throughout the game.

Ravens Look To Rebound Against Colts

Rexx — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 13:42:51 -0000

The Baltimore Ravens have posted an o-for the last five times they've taken on the Indianapolis Colts, including the 44-20 smackdown they absorbed last year in front of their home fans. The team was decimated with injuries and had just come off an emotional and upsetting loss to the undefeated New England Patriots only six days earlier. This time, they're coming off two emotional and upsetting losses, including one in front of their home town fans. Huh, sounds similar? I think not.

There is a huge difference between the current status of the two teams from last season to now. Both teams are playing .500 ball at 2-2, and while the Ravens are just 6 points away from being 4-0, the Colts were just four minutes away from being 1-3. However, that is the difference between good teams and not-so-good ones. The good teams find a way to pull games out at the end, while the not-so-good ones find ways to lose them. The Ravens seem to find a new and exciting way to "snatch defeat from the jaws of victory" almost every week lately, and until they find a way to win those close games against good teams, they will remain in the not-so-good category. In order to be mentioned among the league's elite, you have to win the close games and beat teams that supposedly are thought to be better than you. The Ravens have done neither while the Colts have floundered, but still showed signs of resurging to the upper echelon of the AFC.

In order for Baltimore to gain a foothold in the division, they will need to win these games and it all starts today in Indianapolis. Remember that the second half of the Ravens schedule includes all four NFC East teams, which is easily the toughest division in football. If we can't take care of business and sweep the next three games (Indy, Miami, Oakland), we could be in danger of being swept by that tough division and once again face the prospects of a losing season and high draft pick. After the encouraging beginning of the season, that would be a major disappointment to the team and its fans. Combined with the tougher schedule the Steelers have remaining, the possibilities of the Ravens making the postseason existed, but are much more cloudy after the previous two demoralizing last minute defeats in games the Ravens had the upper hand.

In order for the Ravens to win at Indy today, the obvious jumps out at everyone. They must pound the ball up the middle in the running game behind their two backs, Willis McGahee and Le'Ron McClain. Combined with the lead blocking of Lorenzo Neal, the Ravens must wear down the Colts front four and slow down their pass rush whenever Joe Flacco is required to drop back to pass. If he has time to find the open receivers, then the combination of the running game and efficient passing can put the Ravens in position to win. The Colts are missing their best defensive player, Bob Sanders and they have proven to be a much different team without him in the lineup. They are also missing other starters in their secondary and have not been good at stopping the run. The Ravens' past two opponents have been in the top of the league in defense while the Colts are ranked at the bottom. If they can move the ball, they will certainly be in this game until the end.

However and this is a huge "however." If the Ravens defense that gave up two long scoring drives to the Titans in the fourth quarter is the one that shows up in Indy today, there's no way we can win a shootout with Manning and his cohorts. With exactly zero sacks in the past six quarters, the pass rush will have to get more creative and find a way to hurry Manning, who will torture us if he gets any time to find his second and third reads. If he has watched any tape of the Ravens (gee, you thunk!?), he sees our weakness of covering the underneath slants of the tight ends and running backs. This could lead to huge days for Dallas Clark and Joseph Addai (at least Addai's on my fantasy team!). Rex Ryan has to come up with a scheme to take that away and put the pressure on Manning to throw the ball before he wants to and lead to turnovers we will need to slow the Colts down and own the time of possession competition.

Can we do all of this and come out with a road win? Just like the Monday Night Football game in Pittsburgh, while I thought we could win the game, I said there were just too many things that had to go our way for us to come away with a road victory. Unfortunately, I feel the same way today, as we have to bank on our rushing attack being huge, Flacco having time to throw and not make mistakes, our pass rush harries Manning and we get turnovers. On top of all of this is two other very important things, both of which have not happened when the chances came this season. One is that Matt Stover has to get on track in accuracy and distance, as he hasn't hit a field goal over 40 yards all season, and secondly, head coach John Harbaugh has to make all the right moves, rookie label or not.

I just don't see it, although I'd love to be wrong and have all you who pick the Ravens today to spring the upset post just that and come back to rub it in. It'll feel great!

Colts: 23-13

Week 6: NFL Picks & Pans

Rexx — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 14:01:57 -0000

Tough time for me picking the games last weekend, as I finished 5-8 (ouch). I went for a couple of upsets that didn't happen, but still have a solid record for the season. There are a slew of possible upsets just itching to be picked and you'll see a couple listed below. I'll pick & pan my Ravens at Colts game in tomorrow's post, but unfortunately, you won't see an upset pick from me on that one. Oh well, here goes for the other Sunday and MNF games:

Atlanta over Chicago: Here's my first upset pick. SportsBook.com has the Bears as a 3 point favorite on the road, but I like the Falcons defending their home turf. Michael Turner has ran great at home and I think he'll have success against an overrated defense, while John Abraham has played out of his head for Atlanta.

Minnesota over Detroit: Gus Frerotte has made everyone in Minnesota say, "Tavares who?" and combined with AP, will smother a Lions team that might begin to improve under a new GM and QB, as Drew Stanton should take over for the embattled and injured Jon Kitna.

New Orleans over Oakland: No way the Saints lose twice in a row at home against teams they should have beaten. Drew Brees is supposed to get Marques Colston back at wideout, and Reggie had a career and recordsetting game last week and is aiming for more.

NY Jets over Cincinnati: The Jets have had a week off to prepare for one of the worst teams and biggest disappointments in the league this year. While it appears the Bengals are beginning to click on offense through the air, the Jets' passing game was lights out last time they played and look to feast on the horrible Cincy secondary at home.

Tampa Bay over Carolina: The Panthers are on a roll and one of the better teams in the NFC. However, I like the Bucs to defend their home turf and slow down Carolina's offense in a close one that could go either way.

Washington over St. Louis: Against my better wishes, the Redskins have emerged as one of the top teams in the NFC and a contender for the NFC East crown, with road victories against all their division opponents. Now they're hosting a team in complete disarray. The only question is can they get psyched enough to beat a team that is not supposed to beat them?

Houston over Miami: While the Dolphins have won two in a row for the first time since at least the 2006 season (duh, they only won once in 2007, and yes, it was against my Ravens, thank you very much for reminding me!), the Texans took a play out of the Ravens gameplan and snatched defeat from the jaws of victory last week by giving up 21 points and the game to the Colts in the last four minutes. However, I still like the Texans offense and Mario Williams to disrupt the 'fins from the defensive side of the ball.

Denver over Jacksonville: The Broncos defense finally played decent last week after looking horrible the first part of the season. I expect them to repeat that performance to allow their passing attack to put enough points on the board to stay ahead of the Jags stellar running game.

Arizona over Dallas: This is obviously the upset special pick of the week. However, I do not advocate betting the mortgage on it (sick joke in these times, eh?). The Cardinals have played great at home, as evidenced by their two huge double digit victories there over Miami and a previously undefeated Bills team. Kurt Warner has been insane at home versus average at best on the road. The Cowboys secondary is very suspect and the Cards will look to exploit it, even without top WR Anquan Boldin. The Cowboys and especially QB Tony Romo has been prone to mistakes and the Cardinals defense is underrated and hard hitting, as evidenced by their being repeatedly hit with fines from the league for head hunting. Watch out TO!

Philadelphia over San Francisco: I was tempted to add this game to the upset list, but can't seem to get my fingers to go along with it. Even without Brian Westbrook, the Eagles should have too much firepower and anger over losing to the Redskins at home last week to allow the 49ers to defend their home field advantage.

Seattle over Green Bay: This game is not actually an upset pick, as it is still off the betting boards as of this posting. Due to Seattle's QB Matt Hasselbeck's uncertainty, as well as Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers lingering injury, the line is still undecided. However, the Seahawks has been pretty dismal wherever they've played, so a change in QB to the elusive Seneca Wallace might not be a bad idea. Rodgers will play for the Packers, but they have not looked good the past couple of weeks, especially losing at home to the Falcons last weekend.

San Diego over New England: The Chargers are off to their typical poor start, but it has to get better soon, or their playoff chances diminish each week they lose again. The Pats have began to get comfortable under Matt Cassel, but this will be a tough rematch of last year's AFC Championship game and Phil River and LT have something to prove. If the Pats gave up 21 to the 49ers last week and reportedly stayed on the West Coast all week to practice, then the Chargers should light up their secondary (I'd love that, as Rivers is my fantasy QB!).

NY Giants over Cleveland (Monday Night Football): I can't wait to see the Giants put a beat down on the Browns in front of their Dawg Pound and national TV audience, which should pretty much seal the deal for both a Brady Quinn appearance and the notion that 2007 was a fluke of a season for them. The Giants are the best team in football and Eli is also the best Manning so far in 2008. Despite the losses the Giants suffered on the d-line, they have risen like the Champs they are and not only never missed a beat, but actually look better and more dominant on both sides of the ball.

Last Week: 5-8

Season Record: 44-28

It's just my opinion, but...

Rexx — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 13:21:14 -0000

...what do I know about picking the Ravens' games, as I would have them 4-0 if they did as I predicted.

...that said, they certainly had every chance to be 4-0 at this point, but snatched defeat from the jaws of victory - twice!

...if they gave up points to offensively-challenged teams the last two weeks in the second half, how can we expect to hold off the Colts?

...I just don't expect us to hold off the Colts.

...the Titans and the Giants are the only undefeated teams and should remain so after this week.

...I know the Titans can't lose as they have a Bye, and the Giants should take care of business in Cleveland, even if it is on MNF and the Dawg Pound will be loud.

...after the Browns lose, their blindly loyal and disillusioned fans will be angry, bitter and rude once again, and take it out on anyone near them.

...the Cowboys' Adam Jones will always be "Pacman" and will never be able to stay out of trouble, as he just doesn't get it.

...if I was NFL Commissioner, Jones never would have been reinstated, at least not until the bouncer, someone in his posse shot and paralyzed, gets out of his wheelchair and walks again.

...playing in the NFL is a privelidge, not a right, and the players should stay clean and be upstanding citizens, although I'd never look at the overwhelming majority of them as role models.

...there are a slew of tough games this weekend, mainly due to the favorite playing on the road and we all know how hard it is to win on the road in the NFL.

...the road favorites this weekend are the Bears, Eagles, Cowboys and Giants, with the Panthers at Buccaneers and Packers at Seahawks both pretty much tossups as well.

...of those road favorites, I see at least one, with as many as three possibilities of upsets, not including the two tossups (I like both home teams there).

...we may also see a slew of new QB's make their appearances, headlined by Brady Quinn (Cleveland), Seneca Wallace (Seattle), Dan Orlovsky (Detroit) to go along with this year's unexpected new starters, Joe Flacco (Baltimore), Matt Cassel (NE), Gus Frerotte (Minnesota), Kyle Orton (Chicago), Matt Ryan (Atlanta), Sage Rosenfels (Houston) and JT O'Sullivan (SF). Whew!!!

...if you play Fantasy Football, the list of first round picks who are currently busts is long and includes: LT, SJ, TB, PM, RM (you should absolutely know these guys by their initials, or probably don't play).

...I'm sure there are a bunch more that a lot of you would love to throw under the bus as well.

...while I may not pick the Ravens games to well (2-2 in my picks with them), I've done pretty good with the other teams' games (44-28), even after a dismal showing last week (5-8).

...you'll see my Picks & Pans in tomorrow's posting.

...doesn't SNL's Tina Fey do a better Sarah Palin imitation than Sarah Palin?

Something Must Be Done About Officiating

Rexx — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 11:36:40 -0000

If you read some of my earlier postings, you'll know I said that no matter how bad the officating is, I adamantly refuse to ever blame the referees for a loss, nor give them credit for a win. However, while on the road yesterday, I was listening to the NFL Network on Sirius Radio. If you love football like I know you do and don't have Sirius, then you are missing great football talk by great hosts ALL DAY LONG! Great hosts, interviews with players, coaches and excellent fans' questions and comments. Get it- NOW! It's worth the monthly cost itself, not to mention you get tons of great music, Howard Stern (uncensored=great!), Playboy Radio (insert driving while listening rude comments here!) and EVERY NFL game, both the home and away feeds.

Anyway, back to my original point. Yesterday, the hosts were both Pat Kirwin and former Dallas Cowboy GM Gil Brandt. They were discussing the state of the officiating in the NFL and the recent rash of poor calls in close games. They focused on the opinions of many (including me) that you shouldn't blame a loss on the refs because of letting the game be so close in the first place for one play or call to make the difference. Brandt's comment, and you've got to have tons of respect for his insight into the game, was that the playing field is so incredibly level and the competition is so strong between even the strongest and weakest teams, that one play or call can absolutely make the difference in a game. He went on to say that when he was the GM, there was a huge difference between the best and worst teams and there rarely was the types of upsets we see with regularity week after week nowadays. The salary cap has brought the ability to compete and give hope to every NFL team, at least until the season starts. On the other hand, in MLB for example (where there is no salary cap), you know which teams are already out of it next season (such as my Baltimore Orioles), and even though the Tampa Rays have become a good team, you pretty much can list the also-rans every year. In the NFL however, any team can leap to the top of the league, and can drop to the bottom, thanks mostly to the salary cap.

But we digress. I am in the process of believing that I am having an epiphany over this situation and am beginning to see the value in what Brandt said. The games are so close, as there are so few that are blowouts each week. Even the games with double digit point spreads rarely cover (Giants, Cowboys over Bengals) and sometimes even result in upsets (Dolphins over Pats). The pro athletes are so good that one play can set the tone of the game and change it from a win to a loss, or vice versa. Thus, the same thing must then go for the officiating as well. One obvious bad call can take a well played close game and turn it in one team's favor. This might not actually win or lose the game for a team, but it certainly can set the wheels in motion, change momentum and turn the tide (like the cliche's?).

While I am not flat out changing my stance on the officials' definite effect on the outcome of games, it has seemed to be dramatically worse in critical times this season. The game has gotten so fast with the athletes bigger and stronger and too quick for even six officials (?) to monitor every bit of every play. The replay option has helped at times, but needs to be expanded to include so much more opportunities for the review of close plays or calls. I realize the league doesn't want to see the games going four or five hours, but I'm sure every team and fan would not have a problem of extending the time it took to complete a game if it meant getting the calls correct.

This is a great topic to debate and we could all list specific plays in games that were "affected." What say you?

Ask Baltimore Beatdown - Ravens Blogger

Rexx — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 11:26:58 -0000

Hey Colts fans!

This is your friendly blogger on the Baltimore Ravens over at Baltimore Beatdown. Drop your questions below and I'll be back the rest of the week to trade the banter w/ you. Feel free to stop over at my site and leave your comments as well. You guys have a much larger following than us, but my guys are loyal, committed and know their football.

However, perhaps this just once, we can stay away from all that old stuff about where your team came from, our inability to move on, etc. That gnaws at me like an old girlfriend who never stops calling you, wanting her clothes, underwear and jewelry back now that she's dumped you and you keep telling her you don't know what she's talking about (what underwear?). I hate when that happens, so please, no whining. Deal?

Colts Pose Big Problems For Ravens

Rexx — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 13:58:21 -0000

If the Baltimore Ravens couldn't hold leads late in the games against the past two teams, both who have had offensive issues, how in the world do they expect to hold one, much less even get one, when they visit the Indianapolis Colts this weekend? The Ravens had a ten point lead into the second half against the Steelers two weeks ago, and were all over the back of QB Ben Roethlisberger, who had a suspect offensive line and injured throwing shoulder and hand. Yet, they let them back into the game and couldn't get close to him late in the game and into the overtime period when he patiently drove them down the field for the game winning field goal. Last week, they had Tennessee on the ropes with a seven point lead and were driving for a field goal that might have put the game out of reach or at the very least sent it to OT, but couldn't get the last 5-10 yards to get into field goal range. The Ravens couldn't sack Titans QB Kerry Collins even once and gave him too much time to get his act together and improve on his horrible first half by carving up the Ravens defense with short, accurate underneath passes that underscored our defense's glaring weakness.

If we are having obvious problems getting to the QB (zero sacks last six quarters), any QB will be able to pick us apart regardless if C-Mac and Ed Reed are healthy and looking for the interception. Our linebackers are aces against the run, but cannot seem to cover the tight ends and RB's out of the backfield running those short underneath crossing patterns. Opponents wait to see which LB is rushing the passer and then flood that side of the zone with the underneath routes. Someone is bound to be open and our LB's just can't catch them. Collins did that to perfection on those final two drives and virtually ignored his wideouts once he realized what was available.

One can only imagine what the Colts' Peyton Manning will do if he sees this happening again Sunday afternoon. Tight end Dallas Clark and RB Joseph Addai figure to have field days against us (at least I have Addai on my fantasy team), as both can outrun any of our LB's in the open field. The only reason we have ever been able to play the Colts close is that our scheming and changing defense has been able to play a great chess match with Manning. If he is able to figure us out and win that battle, we have no chance of keeping up offensively.

Speaking of the offense, while it may be improving and has nowhere to go but up, we have relied way too heavily on the notion to get get us into field goal position and let placekicker Matt Stover put the vast majority of points on the board. However, Stover has been anything but automatic this season, as he has been below average so far, hitting only four of seven attempts, including none of three from beyond the forty yard line. Last week he missed a 45 yard attempt that would have given us that ten point lead I spoke about earlier. According to Rototimes, he is only 26 of 38 from 40+ yards since 2004, including only one 50+ yarder during that same stretch. Now I understand that Stover is one of the most valuable Ravens since they came to town and deserves to be in our Ring of Honor upon retirement, but right now it also appears that he deserves to be in the unemployment line. The combination of his inaccuracy and weak leg has hurt us on the obvious field goals, but also on his inability to pin the opponents back on kickoffs, as he consistently only kicks off to the 10 yard line and rarely gets touchbacks. At some point, hopefully sooner than later, the Ravens need to bring in younger, stronger legs to, at the very least, combine with Stover to hit the longer kicks as well as the gimme's, as most any other kicker in the league can seem to do, and take over the kickoff duties asap.

So therein lies my big concern. If we have problems stopping the pass, and cannot put points on the scoreboard through Matt Stover, then the rest of our team's strong points may not matter, as the Colts will put more than enough points on the board to make it way too hard for us to keep up with.

More to follow the rest of the week. Your thoughts?

Is John Harbaugh a Liability?

Rexx — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 13:06:03 -0000

I know, you're going to rip me apart for this headline and following opinions. You're going to say he's a rookie head coach and these are just part of the growing pains. You'll say he's going to learn from his mistakes and get better. Well, I say hogwash, because I don't want to curse and say the other words as I always have the hope that main stream media will be reading this and want to whisk me away to write for the newspaper, TV, or ESPN's Sportscenter! Yes, perhaps I am delusional (I am a Ravens fan, so of course I am)!

The Ravens have played four games. Two were relatively easy wins, as much because of our solid play as our opponents ineffectiveness. The last two have been close losses and while I'm not about to blame the losses on the coach, like I did last year, I am very clear in my observations that he is hurting this team right now.

Last year I thought that Brian Billick actually cost us I believe four games just by his own coaching decisions. The first MNF game in Cincinnati when he decided to throw so many times when runs would have given us first downs and the game winning score. The Buffalo game when he chose to pass on third and fourth down with one yard needed for the first down and the game on the line. Of course there was also the Miami embarassment when he didn't have the balls to go for the win at the end of regulation and instead chose to kick the game tying FG with the ball on the Dolphins six inch line. I know there was another game at least, but I sort of have amnesia, just like the person who survived a horrible accident and can't remember anything.

But let's get back to the present. I've discussed this issue with my friends and they don't totally agree with me, although they acknowledge their concern. The decision not to throw the Red Challenge flag on Derrick Mason's TD catch early in the Steelers game was a big issue with me. Regardless of the lack of replay, Mason's indifference to the call and the coaches upstairs, he should ALWAYS throw the flag on a close play in the end zone. If it was at midfield, I'd understand it not being worth the risk of the loss of a timeout. But we're talking a touchdown here, and you ALWAYS throw the flag. There's a key reason why he didn't see the catch replayed on the video screens at Heinz Field, guys! They saw it was a catch, so why let the Ravens see it as well? Once you realize that, it's a no brainer. Is that a rookie mistake? If I'm not the coach but I know that, then it's not a rookie thing, it's a thinking thing. He needs to be able to make decisions at times without always relying on others to make them for him.

This past week in the once again disappointing loss to the Titans he froze and then make multiple horrible decsions at the end of the first half. When you have one timeout left, are about to get into field goal range and just rip off a long gain with half your team over 15 yards away and only 40 seconds on the clock, you ALWAYS call timeout. Once you regroup, you can always call two plays in the huddle or stop the clock with a quick snap and down the ball. However, if you try to save the TO and get to the line of scrimmage you waste at least 15-20 seconds to get set which usually results in a false start and of course, that dreaded ten second runoff. Ah yes, that ten second runoff, let's talk about that idiotic decision with 14 seconds on the clock. Due to the Ravens unwillingness to use that timeout and inability to get to the line of scrimmage and get a play off, they false started and were left with the decision to lose five yards and be left with four seconds, or use their final TO and still have 14 seconds, perhaps enough to get a few more yards to improve their FG position. If you're just going to kick the FG, why leave any time on the clock for Tennessee to have in the event of a botched play? In that case, just kick the damn FG and end the half. If you want to put the additional ten seconds back on the clock, then try a sideline play or throw it out of bounds if no one's open. Both choices would have been unnecessary if we had just utilized the timeout with 40 seconds on the clock. Next we could have ran the ball to get a few more yards and then spiked it to stop the clock. We could have had the FG team ready to rush onto the field and kick a much shorter FG, perhaps from the 40 yard line or less, rather than the 46 after the five yard penalty. Stover has been erratic this season, but you have to think he would have made it from 40 yards or less. That miss was a critical loss of points that could have been a huge difference in the outcome of the game. In addition, with the score 10-3, we had the ball just outside of field goal range and couldn't come up with a play to get a crucial first down to prolong the drive and perhaps put us in range for another FG atttempt that might have put the game out of reach, or at least forced overtime after Tennessee's game tying drive. It certainly would have wound down the clock a few more minutes at the very least.

While I've focused on the poor decision making of head coach John Harbaugh, I've also been sorely disppointed with offensive coordinator Cam Cameron's playbook the last two games. The first two had a bunch of plays we'd never seen before from the Ravens, including a couple of trick plays, such as reverses. The past two, when a trick play could make (yes, or break) the game, they were non-existent. The playcalling was so vanilla in both losses, that I mentioned in yesterday's posting that I thought former o-coordinator Matt Cavanugh had taken over the playcalling duties once again. Why is it that every other team throws to their wide receivers on the run, while all we do is throw to them when their backs are to the end zone? There was one pass to D. Williams and everyhting else was pretty much to Flacco's only look (Mason) or to the Titans. Flacco is NOT a roll out QB. DO NOT design plays that have him roll out. Furthermore, TELL HIM that when he does scramble to his right, either RUN the ball or THROW it out of bounds! We DO NOT need his attempt to sneak in a short throw on the sideline because EVERY team knows it's coming and is READY!!! Do I seem to be making myself CLEAR? Get it? GOOD!

Now I'm going to go take my medicine as my heart is racing and my pressure is skyrocketing again, as it took all last week for it to go down and then here we go again yesterday. This trend of imploding both on the field and the sideline is beginning to get to me and the scary thing is that the season is only one quarter over. I know I can't take much more of this and with five of our next six on the road, it could get worse before it gets better. At least when I'm at the game I can't throw a lamp or break a window. Now what am I going to do when I see this type of managment!? Luckily, I am taking my very first career Ravens road trip out of state(other than DC years ago), to see them play in Miami in two weeks. Hopefully, they'll have bigger cojones than they did last season when they were there. Unfortunately, it looks like the Dolphins are nowhere near the patsies they were then, and we still lost.

Deep breaths, Rexx, in your nose and out your mouth. Slowly now, there, that's better. Ahhh...

Congrats from a Ravens fan

Rexx — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 13:46:47 -0000

I am a miserable Ravens fan. I was there, screaming my head off, watching what I thought was going to be a Ravens tough earned victory over a previously undefeated Titans team. However, for the second game in a row, the Ravens snatched defeat from the jawes of victory. This no longer is an aberration on either side. My Ravens are pretenders, as they cannot win the close games agains the better teams. On the flip side, your titans are difinitely contenders and on their way to a AFC South title. You guys did what you needed to against a brutal defense. The refs were horrible on both of us, as this is one fan who will never blame the refs for a loss, no matter how bad they were.

The Ravens coaches mismanaged the game clock, played not to lose when they could have possibly put the game away, and let the Titans get the critical first downs time and time again on those two fourth quarter scoring drives.

Until we learn to keep our cool after the play is called dead, then we will continue to be targeted by opponents and referees. And until we can win a close game against a contending team, we will be relegated to the middle shelf and a decent draft pick.

Good luck and feel free to visit my take on the game and post over at Baltimore Beatdown.

Thanks!

Titans Edge Ravens With Late TD

Rexx — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 12:30:21 -0000

I am absolutely miserable. I don't know where to start. Don't give me the stuff about playing a good team and staying in it until the end, that this is something to build on, that we never expected to be competitive before the season started. Blah, blah, blah. Just like 2007's last minute loss to the Pats when we were double digit underdogs, when you get close enough to win and should have won, I'm never satisfied with coming close- again! After the last Steelers game, when the Ravens blew a ten point lead within 15 seconds, perhaps you could have given them a pass for that game. However, after leading by seven in the fourth quarter and having the ball almost within field goal range, then to give up two length of the field drives that result in a field goal and game winning touchdown!? Sorry, but that's the difference between a contender and pretender, and we thought we were the former but now realize that we are the latter.

What went wrong? Like I said, where do we start? Overall, I was surprised by the vanilla offensive gameplan of Cam Cameron. At some point, I thought Matt Cavanaugh had returned to run the offense It was so boring and predictable, the fans around me agreed that we had "turtled" and were trying not to lose, rather than go for the jugular vein. Where were the passes over the middle? There was one excellent pass to Demetrius Williams for the Ravens longest play of the game from scrimmage. Other than that, every single pass play was to a receiver running anywhere but towards the end zone. By that, I mean that all of our pass plays seem to be to a receiver standing still, curling back to the line of scrimmage, or to the sideline. While it was nice to see Todd Heap get into the offense and catch a couple of passes (without flipping head over heels and fumbling!), they are so predictable and this has been a trend the past two games whenever they get the lead. I guess the coaches are less than confident that Flacco can stay out of trouble when the game is on the line.

Speaking of Flacco, when will he learn to throw the ball out of bounds when running to the sideline? His insistence on trying to be sneaky and force the ball in rather than play it safe has cost us. He should have had two early interceptions but was lucky when one was reversed on the replay. For whatever reason, the coaches continue to run plays having him roll out, which always seem to end up with bad results. He is not a scrambling QB, but should remain in the pocket under all circumstances, even if it means taking the sack or throwing it away. Until he limits his mistakes, we will always be one bad play away from implosion.

Speaking of implosion, I can't stand hearing our fans whine and complain about the officals' poor calls that gave the Titans a new set of downs late in the fourth quarter and resulted in their game winning drive. Funny how the Ravens fans seem to forget that both scores we had were the direct results of Titans penalties that extended our drives for all ten points we scored. As I've said repeatedly in these blogs, that until the Ravens learn that the entire league and officials are just waiting and baiting this undisciplined "me-first" group of players, then we will continue to be the target and never given the benefit of the doubt. Sure, the Titans were pretty thug-like as well, but face it, we either start or more frustrating, retaliate more often than any team in the NFL. I'm curious to see, although I doubt the public will, how Harbaugh handles our continued lack of poise and control after the plays have ended. I totally agree that the officials were horrible all game long, but the Titans' fans will agree, as they were also called for a ton of penalties and the referees arms must be sore from throwing their yellow bean bags way too often. This includes that phantom call on Suggs on the third down "incompletion/false start/roughing-the-passer" play that jump started the Titans final TD drive. I, for one, will never blame the officials for a loss, nor give them credit for a win. Ever.

Even more disturbing was the incredibly poor clock management at the end of the first half. The coaching staff, and the responsibility falls directly onto head coach John Harbaugh, looked embarassingly confused and poorly prepared. That's two weeks in a row that the rookie head coach has made obvious poor decisions. The Ravens were driving for a possible score and had just run off a huge gain to get into field goal position. They had one timeout and there were 45 seconds left in the first half. Harbaugh chose to try to get the team up to the line for either another play or to spike the ball to stop the clock and save the timeout. However, with half the team 15-20 yards downfield the obvious call would be to use the timeout, for which I was screaming for from the stands. This would have put the ball in field goal range and we would have had 40 seconds to run a couple of plays and then spike the ball if needed to stop the clock. Instead, he tried to do what he did and the clock ran all the way down to the 14 seconds that started his decision-making mess. The Ravens were penalized and had the option of losing a timeout or take a ten second runoff which would have put the game clock down to four seconds. For whatever reason, he chose the timeout to keep the clock at 14 seconds, then unexpicably went for the field goal anyway! Matt Stover missed a key opportunity to add to the Ravens lead, and his lack of success this season at shots he has usually been money on has me and the rest of the fans concerned that he may be losing it real fast. Stover has been one of the most valuable Ravens in history, but his age and limited distance on both field goals and kickoffs are becoming an obvious liability.

All in all, this game sticks in my craw like the powdered mash potatoes my mother raised me on and never let me leave the dinner table until I ate every last disgusting bite (yeah, I got issues, so what!?) One loss and perhaps it's excusable. Two, in a row, and we have a trend. The Ravens cannot win the close games against good teams. Our defense cannot shut down the underneath pass, as our secondary blankets the wideouts, while the tight ends and running backs continually outrun our linebackers and get open for critical gains when the game is on the line. The Titans offensive line deserves some impressive props as they held us without a sack, which allowed Kerry Collins to wait until the underneath options broke into the open for first down receptions over and over again. Don't also forget, penalties or not, that the Titans drove 80 yards twice in a row in the fourth quarter for scores, when we had the chance to put the game away with a long drive or another score. Once again, we couldn't get it done, which combined with the Steelers going on the road in Jacksonville and winning, put us in a position that has us playing five of our next six games on the road. At one point, I could see us competing for the AFC North title, based on our play and Pittsburgh's hellacious schedule. However, contenders (Steelers) find ways to win close games, while pretenders (Ravens) find ways to lose them.

'Nuff said.