I Just like the sound of my headline so feel free to stone Cam. How many times can you force a ball into double coverage in hopes that slow poke Boldin can bring it in. Way to change it up and use those dust collecting TE's. We actually started to run the ball a little in the second 1/2 but Cam quickly pulled the plug on that ounce he reached the 30 of J-ville. What made him think Flacctard could hit a T-Smith 40 yards away when Agent 49 can't even hit someone at 12 feet unless he bounces it off a D-linemans mits and catches it himself. Busch Lights on ice and the BOOOO's are warming up. Chase Flacconstein and his creator back to the Castle...with a quick stop at the packy for a couple 40's to celebrate.  

1. Got away from the run after Hightower started to heat up.

2. Stopped running at the 7 minute mark and burned 0 time with a 4 point lead at the 7 minute mark.

3. Ran three straight all out blitzes and got toasted.

4. Rex cannot move a team quickly as he has one throw, one distance and both are extemely average. He cannot go deep and his passes in the flats are always dangerous- for him. He is not a comeback threat.

5. The O-coord is all over the place and didn't establish the run or sreen.

6. The Cowboys were as bad as they ever will be and Skins couldn't beat them. I saw it coming. Playing down to the opponent.

7. Coaches son not always the best for the job.

Got real beef with division mugs

Gotta bang’em out my purple thugs

Yellow, orange baby room colors

Beatdown by my purple band of brothers

Tiger stripes, Sunkist head

Snuffed out by my purple cred

Yellow and black, ugly throwbacks

Motionless under my purple jacks

Heinz field, Jungle theme

Kindergarden to my purple dream

Quiet orange house, Byner fumble

Hiding out from my purple rumble

A F C search party

Kickin' doors with my purple homies

Roll up the bus, light up the plane

Passin’ around my purple pain

-Raven 2010

   Excuse me if I rehash what has already been written but this is therapy for me. Another huge loss against an elite team.  This game smelled of our attempts against 2007 NE, 2008 Steelers, any Colts game and The Detroit Game. From head scratching play calling to stupid penalties we played like a Raven in an elite game.

     I don't have a problem with the imbalanced attack of run vs. pass because Flacco had receivers open most of the day and his dunks to Rice took us to the doorstep of a win. Overall, the point is to get rushing yards and Cam's play calling allowed Rice to have over 100. It's the yards not the carries that count. Would Cam be better if Rice ran for 100 on 25 carries? The fact that Flacco was airing it out allowed Rice to have running room.  Also, in Cams defense, we needed to score fast simply because the Pats were eating up the clock and our possessions were extremely valuable. Our D simply couldn't stop Brady- again. If anything, Cam should have established the run early before Brady took control of the game and exposed our secondary and LB's.

     Clayton made a mistake and I can live with that. Very unfortunate. Ngata rearranged Brady's face mask and Suggs dove at a QB's knees. Those penalties will be called on every team. It's sissy rules but they are explained to every team over and over again. What I can't live with is the play of our LB's in pass defence and short yardage situations. Where is Ray Lewis against these elite teams. He didn't jam the line on runs or get back in pass defense. Most of his game was played on an island arrving after the 1st down or after the catch. I'm not sure he even realized where the first down marker was when the Pats dove for the first down near the goal line and Ray got up an ran like he stopped them. Sorry man, not even close. Jared Johnson seemed to be the only player to be able to wrangle up free running backs around the line. I think it is time to get Kruger in the games to help the LB's and ends tackle. We need surer hands and quicker bodies in there. I am calling out Ray because we are getting picked apart by playoff teams on his front porch.

     Cam made some very costly decisions that cost us field position or downs. The first instance was a trip into NE territory around the 35. At that point, I felt it was important to establish the run and at least solidify field goal position before attacking the end zone. Unfortunately, it looks like Cam has discovered the Billick lob to the end zone corner. This is totally unecessary turning Flacco into a 50/50 QB. The jump ball is a chickens way out. We aren't operating with 6'4" receivers. Anyway, this trip into NE territory actually went backwards and out of FG position and turned into a punt. Cam's long shots at the end zone on 1st really screwed up the downs and made plays 2 and 3 obvious pass downs. This killed Rice and McGahee in the passing game. Cam did this a few times even though we were moving the ball in the short game.

    On the last series of the game, Rice was unstoppable and the short passes had the Pats in a panic. So, on first down, Cam hasd Joe lob it to Clayton in the end zone corner for a very difficult catch- especially with his height. Why Cam?! We were chewing up the field with RB screens and short passes. That pass was the key to the loss. We were then stuck in obvious passing downs and a down shorter. Those long shots to the end zone when we have working short range weapons are totally uncalled for. IF we did score on that jump ball to Clayton, that would have left over a minute twenty seconds on the clock. Brady would have marched right down the field for the winning FG. The call was dumb on all fronts!

     Flacco doesn't escape criticism as he threw a few balls off his back foot hanging them up to dry. He also barely escaped 2-3 interceptions when he unloaded balls into traffic. He shorted at least 2 open deep balls by not stepping into the passes and threw behind receivers another 2-3 times. He wasn't sharp but got better as the game went on. I don't think he was comfortable with the play calling. The major plus in all of this is the receivers were all getting open. There could have been many more recepions. The 0-line did give them time. It was a tight pocket but workable.

     Suggs got a sack but he needs to be more of a force throughout the game. He is being paid way too much to not be a dominant end. He disappears for long lengths of time in the 4 man rush. We really didn't get great pressure on Brady and our QB tackling still stinks. His obvious dive at Brady's knees was just idiotic.

    McGahee and Rice could have won this game with 5 yard dunks all day. Our short game was great. It was the formula for a win and will be against Pitt. but Cam has to stop throwing away down #1 with jump balls. I thought the Billick days were over. Very sad to see that damn 50/50 ball return! I though the DB's did okay considering our LB's provided no help in either the pass rush or pass defense. The TD to Moss was luck. Reed took a dumb gamble considering the Pats have trouble in the red zone and a straight up D could have held them to a FG. Reed and Ray better step up their games as they are the ones becoming a liability to this team.

       Looks like the Big Ben might have let things out of his own hands. Are you even shocked with this stuff anymore? All American Yetti gets flagged for personal foul. For the sake of Ben and the person involved, I hope it is resolved fairly and quickly. For the sake of the Ravens, I hope it dogs Squeeler Nation all season long. Oh, how I remember all the cruel Ray Lewis jokes and jabs coming from the Alleghanies. The mighty Squeeler empire has a wee bit of a problem to resolve. Rooney might have to put down his warm pint and head back across the pond to take his little Berger by the hairy ear. Eh Laddy, what I been tellin ya 'bout stayin out late with the drink. Did they say hike for ya or take a hike me wee boy. With 2 of Ben's 4 brain cells occupied with this mess we just might win with Marcus Smith, D. Williams and Figurs. I bet Ben Kobe did not sense this with his Red Eye Master powers. Lucky for Ben the accuser went to the police and not the gun or motorcycle dealer on the corner.

     Big deal. So a troll visits. Sometimes it's funny and creative. Most sites get uptight and flag. See M410R and Cleveland. All customers are good customers so here is posting space dedicated to the troll. If you can keep it in here that would suit everyone...even though it doesn't bother me. Some shit is funny and, in June, funny shit ain't such a bad thing. If this post is up in the morning Rexx is okay with it. What ya got Trolls?      

     Mark Clayton has been in the shadows of Derrick Mason, coaching changes, a quarterback carousel and lower offensive expectations over the past three years. Drafted 22nd in 2005, Clayton was not picked to complement a struggling offense but to be a building block for future success. 

     After being disappointed by Travis Taylor and a long, long list of fillers, Ravens fans and coaches hoped Clayton would balance the field. He had to be more than a roll player and by taking him high in the draft it’s obvious the Raven community expects huge things from him. He hasn’t totally disappointed but he leaves much to be desired from a team that desperately needs their number 2 receiver to compete with the other notable tandems in the league and provide a spark in the playoffs. This team needs a competitor other than Mason to keep teams honest. Mason, with one good arm, continued to be option #1 and the only real passing threat last season. Doubled over in pain, he had more receptions and impact catches than Clayton. It will be a struggle to repeat last year’s success with similar hopes.        

      Clayton’s number of catches from 4 different quarterbacks has dropped over the past 3 regular seasons. He had 67 in 2006, 48 in 2007 and just 41 in 2008. In regular season games, including his rookie 2005 year, Clayton has 200 catches for 2636 yards and 118 first downs. That’s an average of 42.5 yards and 1.9 first downs a game. Being a smaller receiver with speed as an asset, he averages 4.7 in YAC. He has played in all but 2 regular season games in 4 years. There is no doubt that he is a strong athlete and team player but these yards and first down numbers could probably be reached passing to a RB let alone a  #2 receiver. I’d have faith in Ray Rice reaching these numbers catching passes at the line of scrimmage.

     His catches for first downs have dropped over the past three years from 42 to 30 to 23. With Heap being injured, having no true backup TE, spotty #3 receivers, an injured Mason, and new faces in the backfield during these past few years, I would have expected Clayton’s opportunities for first down catches to have increased substantially. There is no outstanding reason to point fingers at Mark but the spotlight illuminates him this year as our quarterback, backfield and o-line is now stronger. Just as one armed Mason, Suggs, Ngata, Ray and an injured Reed dared teams to come at them in ‘08, I welcome a #2 receiver who wants the damn ball. I think Mark can do it and he showed more flashes last year than previous years that he is capable of the big play. The below stats show that he is only a percentage or two away from other #2 receivers as far as catching his % of passes. Maybe he just needs a hot spotlight and a little fan rumbling to take him to the next level.    

Regular Season:

2006 Ravens rush 476, pass att.524, 1017 total plays, 282 1st downs, 96 of 233 on 3rd

2006 Clayton caught 67 or 12.8% of passes attempted     

2007 Ravens rush 446, pass att.557, 1042 total plays, 291 1st downs, 90 of 234 on 3rd

2007 Clayton caught 48 or 8.6% of passes attempted      

2008 Ravens rush 592, pass att.433, 1058 total plays, 300 1st downs, 95 of 232 on 3rd

2008 Clayton caught 41 or 9.5% of passes attempted

Catch % of passes in 2008 Regular Season:

TJ 17.9%, Chad 10.3%, and Reggie Kelly 6% Cincy Passes Attempted

Ward 14.5%, Holmes 11%, Miller 9.5%, Washington 8%, Moore 8% Pitt. PA.

Edwards 11.3%, Winslow 8.8%,  Heiden 4.7% o Cleveland PA.

Mason 18.5%, Clayton 9.5%, Heap 8%. Balt. PA

(Stats compiled though data from NFL.com)

You have to like how Pitt. distributes the ball

Oh Matty boy you saved our ass

when Billick came up lame

we dinked and dunked and stalled in the grass

calling your number throughout the game

you did good my boy your time has passed

aim for the sunset with your found fame

hopefully we rely less on the next kicker class

with only receivers, coaches and unibrows to blame

    Joe Flacco was interviewed just a few minutes ago on ESPN and nobody probably new. He sat relaxed and upright in his chair, made eye contact, smiled, answered the questions in a confident voice, smiled and thanked the interviewer. He didn't outwardly laugh or over-expand on simple subjects and fluidly answered the questions. It was all so quietly unassuming and left me thinking of Forest Gump when Forest delivered his speech at the Nation's Capital. Forest said a few words (with the microphone unplugged) and (with the microphone back on) concluded with, "Thats about all I have to say about that." There was a pause in the crowd then cheers and the hippy organizer told Forest, "Right on man, right on." 

     The interviewer today had twice as much enthusiasm as Joe and obviously tried to bait him into a spicey discussion about T.O.. Joe simply sidestepped the question, smiled and smoothly interupted that he was happy to have Ray and Matt Birk. Making direct eye contact with the interviewer and holding his 6' 5" frame like someone with nothing to prove, Joe moved the interview along. This is when I thought of the Forest Gump scene. The crazy hippy trying to stir up the crowd and deliver some shock statements and Forest being Forest. He communicated in many ways that things are plain, simple and nothing is as complicated as it seems. Joe cool. 

     It takes an interviewer, who is used to the more flamboyant pro athlete, only a few questions to realize that he is talking to an man of character. You can feel the interview changing with each question. The interviewer slows down and starts taking in some of the fresh air that surrounds a humble, confident and conscientious person. When Joe explained that he still lives with his parents and 4 siblings at home in NJ in the off season, the interviewer couldn't believe it. For Joe, it was natural to be home enjoying home cooked meals and spending time with those who are most important to him. He explained that even during the season it was easy and enjoyable to head north for a home cooked meal. Joe looked curiously at the interviewer for even wondering about that . Joe added that he has a place in Baltimore for the season but you could tell it's because he has to. The interview concluded with the host saying, "you don't even realize your a big deal do you? Don't ever change Joe."

     America has a switch that gets flipped when a constant part of our culture changes. Our nation reaches for the switch when something loses its balance with American Joe and is no longer humble or spontaneous. Many super stars and businesses have heard the "click" and felt the disconnect when they were on top of the world just a little too long and a little too loud.

     The Steelers are in this precarious position. They have stock piled 6 Super Bowl trophys and their self declared Nation of fans has grown to head scratching proportions. The Terrible Towel is flaunted at every Steelers home and away game. The hard hat mentality is now worn by surfers in San Diego and golf instructors in Miami Beach. They have grown to such an extent that Pennsylvania could not possibly have spawned these new allegiences. The blue collared, elbow greased Steelers franchise may have successfully jumped  American Joe's shark.

     The members of the Nation should find some cardigan comfort walking with the likes of the Yankees, Red Sox, Patriots, Tiger Woods, George Bush, Jessica Simpson, Romo, Cowboys, Terrell Owens, Eddie Murphy, LA Lakers, Tommy Lee, A-Roid, Jose Canseco, Madonna and Countrywide. There is hope and with a few years of losing Steeler fans might be able to shed the Nation and return to the palletable ranks of the one real nation. The Bears, 49'ers, Raiders, Rams, Dodgers and William Shattner found their way to the light. It starts with a few years at the bottom. In the case of the Steelers, hopefully many years on the sea floor.

     There is a way to remain in good standing with America and not have to tangle with the shark net- win in moderation, mix in a few rebuilding years, leave gimmicky towels, Super Bowl dance videos, the desire for the ball, and leave famous mixed profession romances in the garage. Exception taken for Kendra wearing something totally out of line for an early September Eagles game. Some things never jump the shark.    

Twice we got the snare aroung the dogs neck and put him on his side only to have him slip the noose and bite us in the ass. If we want to beat the Steelers there isn't one second on that clock where we can relieve the pressure. We need to make the moves and have them react and not fend for our lives if we mistakenly blink. 

There can be no more protecting of a young Qb or worrying about mistakes. Field position is just a place on a map and should not dictate our plays. We tried this. We worried about this. We lost. Twice. The time for change is not only in politcal D.C. but also here in Baltimore. We sniffed sweet caution in the wind against marginal teams and shut the door to it with difficult opponents. Those intoxicating breezes need to flow into Pittsburgh and subdue the Steeler attacks.

We have the players. We have the heart. We know we can beat the shit out of them. It will come down to the pass we need on first down and the run we need on second. We can only hope our coaches have learned enough from tough contests to put them in the proper order.      

This guy gets major cred for being everywhere. He stuck his helmet right on LenDale's hands popping the ball out. He bailed out the LB's who were late, or in Bart Scott's case, missing tackles completely. He drops back into coverage and returns punts better than anyone else on the team. His 20+ yard return was a huge field position lift.  At 5' 8' and blowing up guys a whole lot bigger, my hats off to this steal of a find.

I've heard words like "walk on" to describe how he made the team. If that's the case, we need to have wide open doors at the Raven's training facility. He was a major reason we survived today's Titan offensive push. When we get Zibby and Nakamura up to his speed that entire backfield will be one hell of a unit. It was nice seeing all the young guys getting playoff experience and spelling a tired (won't admit it) D. Now, we need to find Ray Rice some playing time. When Lorenzo Neal gets more touches than our star rookie back...

Why, all of the sudden, are the Ravens back near the top after years of shortcomings? Why have we turned things around with essentially the same personnel? We can talk about injuries like all teams. We can point to a poised rookie QB. We can talk about Mason and Reed. We can look at a number of things but the biggest difference is our philosophy to simply try. To try new things. To try new players. To try to get away from the box that we have lived in for years.

Cam Cameron and John Harbaugh have the essentially the same type of team this year as our old regime had over the years. The difference lies in our new coaches willingness to listen and try. Yesterday Flacco missed on a number of deep balls to Clayton. That is only half the story. What Flacco did was stretch the field and upset the balance. An attempt can be as important as a completion. Clayton has been a target this year. Heap is getting down field. When we line up in the red zone the entire stadium is no longer expecting a lob to the corner of the end zone and a subsequent field goal. We no longer have to suffer through 6 yard outs to Mason when we need 7 for a first down.

The new Raven coaches have simply mixed things up and refuse to bang their heads against a concrete wall forcing the same 4 plays catering to a jumpy Boller. They have learned how to complement  their outstanding D and not lean on it. Their interviews are humble and it is obvious that players have some say in their performance. They have continued to give Troy Smith a place in the O and must feel for his situation. They have developed a previously underused Clayton. They brought along a rookie QB 1/3 of a field at a time and measured his growth instead of yelling "damn it Kyle" every other play and then repeating the mistake. We no longer have Stover short kick kickoffs. We again understand the importance of our punter and special teams. We take chances to win. This did not develop during the first game but Cam and John learned. It did not take them 10 years however! 

By breathing creativity into our humble O our defense has been able to return to greatness. All they ever needed was a lead or an occassional chance to rest on the bench for more than a minute. They were abused to mediocrity by the previous coach. When they have the slightest of openings we then get the Reed performances, the Ngata rushes, the Lewis seek and destroy D and the excitement from watching young guys playing to win-not lose.

A lot of talk and upside down bread and butter ruled our roost for years and now with some creative coaching and a whole lot of trying we are seeing what we should have witnessed many years ago. Steve Bischotti gave our old coach a second life but realized this is where we need to be. He has done a great job landing Cam and John while giving us all the team we knew we had. 

1st Quarter

1. Adam Terry beat by Ware who sacked Joe/fumble. Ware shut down after that!

2. Leonhard ankle tackles a breakaway Choice. Barber couldn't have done any better than Choice.

3. A swamped Flacco zips a last split second 8 yard pass to McClaine. Laser baby.

4. Leonhard drops Choice for a loss and then returns the resulting punt to the Cowboys 46.  This guy came up big! Again. The cameras kept zooming in on Leonhard's mug in hopes the announcers would comment on his impact/story but Deon kept going on about Romo/Flacco...Maybe next game Leonhard.  

2nd quarter

5. Heap needs to learn how to jump. George Muresan out-jumps Todd.

6. Neil too involved in the pass O for my taste. Nice gimmick but maybe we could find a little more speed for a 3rd check down. I know the Fridge ran too but..

7. Flacco made a great read in the first quarter when he attempted to fire a 10 yard slant into the end zone to Clayton BUT someone forgot to pick up Burnette and Flacco barely got off a wounded duck. The fact that he saw the open Clayton streaking was real positive to see. It was a sure TD.

8. On 3rd and 6 Mason makes a huge 1 arm catch for a crucial first down. What can you say. I'm glad the world saw what we see every week. They listed a graphic showing how amazing Mason is (just behind Rice and Tim Brown in a major category) but again, Deon, was talking about T.O. or somebody and the graphic wasn't noted.

9. Super Koch keeps placing them. Pro-Bowl over-sight. Ngata and Koch should crash it.

10. Owens misses bomb down field. Always a sweet miss.

11. Reed INT. No comment. He's actually boring now.

12. McGahee gets a great dunk pass from Joe for a first down..and gets out of bounds with under a minute.

13. McGahee runs to the Cowboy 20- first down.

3rd Quarter

14. Joe makes another great read recognizing a LB on Heap but the quick pass to Todd fails. His maturation is getting obvious now-the unibrow is loosing it's peach fuzz.. 

15. Leonhard puts his hands to his head in relief after Romo over-bombs Witten. Me too.

16. Mason has fumble tossed his way thanks to a butterfinger Cowboy. I think Mason just calls the ball to him like Aquaman with fish.

17. Flacco misses wide open Heap near the 10. Trade him!

18. Koch's beautiful fake punt and run for first down. "NFL Network Prime Time Football..This is why we watch"- Deon. I think there might have been 2 other announcers in the booth too..maybe. 

19. After staring down the opposite side receiver Flacco finds Mason for TD with one flap down. Joe grew another inch.

20. Announcers wondering where Roy Williams is. "Trust me, you don't want to go back to Detroit..ooh no" -Deon.

4th quarter

21. Choice drops pitch. (the play where Cowboys fans officially announce that they gave us the win.) No other team in NFL history has ever dropped a pitch and not let the opponent win at that very point. Gee Choice, better get out of Dodge.

22. Flacco deep to Clayton fails. Clayton almost circled back on it. I would have caught it.

23. Announcers make point on how Cam has brought along Flacco 1/3 of a field at a time (this explains his early season rolls to the right and forced balls..by design. Sorry Joe for giving you crap on the roll outs).

24. Backed up to 1st and 15 Witten gets a 35 yard pass and run. TE's still cause us problems. I'm glad Dallas didn't try those Bavaro esque passes more often.

25. Lucky tipped ball ends up a completion to Crayton 1st down. 1 of 3 fortunate tips for Cowboys. Oh wait, the Ravens didn't give them anything..

26. TO gets TD over Fabian. Too easy.

27. Figurs fumbles but we're Johnny on the spot. This is a job for Leonhard Man.

28. McGahee rips off a 72 yard TD...and looks like a purple bobble head all the way down the field. Like a Madden Classic Video Game breakaway run.

29. Witten 13 yarder. Ugh..TE's.

30. Crayton runs behind a scarecrow posed Ray in the 3 man front D for a 1st down catch. Again, dead horse here, but we can't work in that type of zone. Look at it this way-

the Cowboys had 7 by half-time and 14 in the last 3 minutes and 54 seconds. When do you think we went soft again. Come on Rex Ryan..cut it out already. TO's TD at 3:54. Witten's TD at 1:36.  We were in trouble if McGahee doesn't bank it. Wake up Rex. I'll give him that there were more rushers than usual during this time so maybe he's working on it.

31. J. McClaine sacks Romo. This guys starting to appear more often.

32. Witten TD pass. Ugh...TE's over LB's not good.

33. McClaine 88 yard TD run with wicked stiff arm on Ken Hamlin. The picture of him stiff arming Hamlin could replace the famous one of Riggins stiff arming the Dolphin's Blackman in the SB.  

The outcome of this game goes beyond 2009. It was a statement made by the Ravens when all the stars were aligned against them. We were scheduled to play our divisional rival and then travel to play Amedias team for the last game in Texas Stadium. With a rookie QB we took Pitt. to the limit and then overcame our agonizing loss to whip the much hyped Cowboys when all of America awaited a Cowboys farewell party. 

Our rookie Flacco shook off his week's misfortunes and stood taller than his veteran Cowboy counterpardner. I don't know if I'm more relieved from the result of this game or excited to get on with the playoffs. I am satisfied but spoiled to expect a run into January. Our team may have lost its share of heart breaking games but this only occurs because we always have high hope. Hope given to us by a team that competes week in and week out while us fans (especially me) stab, probe, insult and cheer from the bottom of our football loving souls. God bless the Ravens. They finally won a huge game on national tv...at night! I can rest in peace.   

T'was the night of the big game with all in the house. Old Cowboys were stirring even Newhouse. Watching the tube I jumped with much clatter, threw aside my cold beer, it didn't matter, McGahee and Ron just ran for a mile. This Raven fan went to bed with a smile. To all a merry Christmas and to all a good night, for the playoffs are coming and we're ready to fight. 

For the most part we closed the door on the Steeler's fans today. It was a sea of screaming purple. There were pockets of yellow but nothing even close to the way Steeler fans travel to other stadiums. I am proud of B-more! Unfortunately, the Ravens had no offensive game plan. When the running game got going Cam backed off it. They didn't attempt anything remotely creative and served up bread and butter to the Steelers all day. Our O went into its big game shell and bit itself in the ass. 

Our defense was terrific. But, as usual, can't stop the last drive in a decisive game. This game wreaked of New England and many others from the past few years. To be considered a great D you need to stop teams when it matters most. The Steelers had to go 92 yards and did. The best team won today. The Steelers D had to play with horrible field postion and the Ravens couldn't put them away. We had great special teams, tremendous D and the best field position one could even dream of in game like this. But the Steeler D held- even after their O fumbled within their own 20.

Cam Cameron was a bore. When he ran on 3rd and 8 early in the first quarter I knew that could be the game. He was tight, showed little confidence in Flacco early and played scared.  You have to pass on the Steelers on first or second down if you want any success at all. You settle for 3rd down passes and they tee off. At the end of the game, when we could have put it away with about 4 minutes on the clock, Cam runs on first and second down for 1 yard each. With an obvious 3rd down passing situation my whole section knew Flacco was going to get sacked- out of field goal range. We played into the Steelers hands going punt for punt with minimal creativity. Unfortunately, the Steelers have a proven short passing game with more than one receiver and picked us apart for the win. 

Question the horrible officiating but it was Cam who couldn't get things in gear. Not one gadget. For some reason, we save those for the bad teams. We barely stretched the field. Our receivers did beat the Steelers deep at times but Flacco was high with his passes. In Cams defense, Joe missed on 3 crucial balls- 2 in the end zone. McClaine was picking up steam with back to back runs of 6 and 7 yards before Cam went pass and Flacco through the Int.. Figures, he passes on first down when the running game was starting to gain momentum (even though the refs gave the Steelers a rest with an official huddle?). We have the weapons but played ultra conservative and all of us who have followed this team knew keeping Ben around would be costly.

Our D is very good but they are far from great. Time and time again they go soft on huge last drives. They sit back and watch the clock and the next thing we know the other teams in the red zone. We had the Steeler at 3rd and 10 only to watch the worst DB coverage of the day. When they sit back on D, Ray Lewis/LB's are dead in the water as receivers buzz around them. We put ourselves in these situations and get upset when a bad call occurs. Good teams don't put themselves in these situations big game after big game. The Titan's game, first Steeler's game and this game our D choked and we come away upset about the refs. Our opponent had 3rd and long in all these games on crucial drives and Rexx Ryan chose to go soft with 3 man fronts and let our D get picked apart. It is sad to sit amongst all the amazing Raven's fans giving every thing they have only to have our D lose it in the end. At least Bart didn't throw a flag in the stands.

Congratulations to the Steelers for shutting us down. They have beat us twice and deserve the division. They make teams play their game and and have confidence to get it done on both ends. They make the plays that need to be made. We threw this game on our D and milked field goals. This may be a good recipe for squeezing out a winning record but not for making the playoffs. I am actually less angry knowing that the D had the game in their hands. They weren't screwed out of anything but, instead, screwed themselves again. How disappointing and predictable! 

We are lucky to have what will probably become one of the most interesting QB competitions in the NFL. After watching Flacco's cool progression and Quinn's amazingly confident start, all signs point to years of face offs. With Rothlesberger's and Palmer's injuries, the Browns and Ravens could find themselves jousting for the AFC North title in the near future.

We will have a front row seat as these two promising young QB's develop into Pro-Bowl veterans. Yes, I am going out on a limb with both but the demeanor they have at this very early stage of their budding careers is telling. The deliberate and strong armed Flacco is far from the average deer in the headlights rookie. Quinn brought instant attitude and spunk to the huddle against the Broncos Monday night. Both are masters at supressing nerves, if they have any.  We know about Flacco and I was equally impressed with Quinn's savvy and maturity for a first time starter. He has IT.

Quinn reminded me of  a youthful Steve Young in the huddle the way he was having fun and improvising with his check down passes. It seemed second nature. He acted like he owned the team the way he bounced around the sidelines and smerked at the Cleveland D's inability to hold a lead. He was cool and straight forward in the after game interviews. Most importantly, he moved his team at will and should have won. Yeah, I am way ahead of myself but it is exciting to see talent developing in the AFC North!

I don't like to open a thread when it's not my site..but the others were a few days old and I needed to get this message across- Beat the livin' crap out of the yellow and black. Go pass happy to your TE's because you wont have a lot of time to go long. They blitz hard but you can dink and dunk them to death. Portis will be able to zip right through the rush if you guess right. Outside on the smilin' Ward you can bottle up there passing game. Like always, they pull a new f'n running back out of their ass every week. Looking forward to our date in B-more Skins fans. If you need a great tailgate find me on here. We have the best and it's close to the stadium. Some fans hate inviting others but I think it adds to the chaos and fun. Good luck tonight and....maybe look into a bounty or 2! PS- We want our Bullets back!

How do you like how we have the best young QB's in football. I can't frikin' believe Campbell hasn't thrown a pick. That's amazing because he airs it out and you've played some whoop ass teams. What do you think of Flacco and Ray Rice?..I know, I'll wait until we meet so go kick the Squeelers in the sack.

BWI = Baltimore Washington Insurgency    

Outside of Balitmore, the nation may be missing one of the best all around performances of Ed Reed's career. He has elevated his status on the field not by ball hawking and returning picks but by being the ultimate backfield coach. Injured and distracted he has managed to maintain a pro level of play while watching and arranging many new defensive players.

He has interupted his valuable game concentration to keep an eye on rookies, 1st year players and out of position fill ins. He has put himself in strategic positions to assist instead of take chances- chances that get you into the Pro-Bowl. He has done this injured and refuses to sit out plays and games. He plays realizing how fragile the backfield situation is and how important he is as an on-field coach. He favors his neck/shoulder area as he comes off hits but stays in and slowly straightens up to guide his troops through the next play. He does this without complaint and as cool as he jumps curl routes.  For me, this is Ed's greatest year.   

For so long, I have always brothered these two teams. One good offensive season every blue moon and stiff D the majority of the time. We have had our ups and downs but reputation on each of our coasts is similar. The bad boys. We don't get the calls from refs because of our reps (so we refuse to deny) and we carry a swager into all games. We even peaked at the same time this decade and faced off in a 2000 toss up game. I know the Raiders have been down but they're still the Raiders. The history is just below the surface waiting for the right combination to come out. The Ravens are only 2-3 and looking for their own identity ouside of D. It has just struck me over the years how I feel a little like a Raider's fan must feel. It's fun being the dark force (and costly).  At least, above everything else, nobody wants to play either of us most years. Opponents know, wherever we are offensively, they are in for a brawl.  

I finally was able to check out NFL replay on TIVO and frame through the first 3 quarters. First of all, the great thing about NFL replay, especially this game, it cuts out most of flip flopper Dan Dierdork. So this is what stuck out to me:

1. Manning threw short on several plays- knee related?

2. Addai is a "tweener". Not fast enough to get around the end and not big enough to own the middle. Huge Raven advantage with run D.

3. Clark and Robinson will play vital rolls coming out of the backfield for short passes. Usually off the left side for short and right side for deeper balls.

4. The deep play of Colts DB's will allow Mason to have his best game of the year. He lives for 8-13 yard hooks and slants. The Ravens probably won't throw deep again this game but it's justified this time.

5. Manning will throw for 20 yards to Wayne on a 3 and 2 play. That's scary and how do you look for that on D? That's a real pants dropper.

6. If I were the Colts, I would pass on 3rd and short..especially this weekend. Manning has a better chance than Addai.

7. A guy named Tom Santi gets a key catch. Say what?

8. Flacco feels heat but short routes are his savior. Expect Colt DB's to creep in and make him throw the deep ball. I'm not sure he'll have the time to do that with Dwight coming blind side. Looks like our RB's will be busy blocking.

9. Dan Dierdork pays the ultimate goofy tribute to the Colts by saying they haven't been out of first place since cavemen drew on walls. Wow..and he had to wait all week to get that off. He should know..he was sitting by the fire sharpening the charcoal. 

10. It's going to be a great game with lots of Ref interuprtions. Colts 24-17.

Your getting the Raven's at the perfect time. We're down and have started doubting the new coaches, QB and believe it or not the D. Our coaches have butchered clock management, didn't challenge a sure TD in Pitt., and feel they owe McGahee most of the carries. Our QB showed major roll out right blind spots with 2 (almost 3) picks in the exact same way. Our D played with the lead late in the fourth in both loses and couldn't close the deal. We have Flacco up against Manning. That's really the whole story and I should stop here (no comment).

With both of us at 2-2 this game is huge. Dipping to the losers bracket always brings an "iffy" reaction from fans, media and players. Can't go there. It's a shame that we have these records. With our losing season last year and a rookie QB it's a little easier to stomach. But I would expect Manning to have advantage weekly- especially this week at home. We are down..way down after two absolutely heart wrenching loses. One more punch and.....I can't do it. Make me feel a little better and tell me where you think your weaknesses are.  I told you our biggest pitfalls but keep an eye on Mason (as usuall our only receiver), McClaine (a beast running back that has opened eyes) and our 3 quarter D (still crazy strong).

We dink and dunk with a good running game. We are too conservative on O and milk leads..like always. With our reliance on the running game, a few quick strikes by Manning will probably wipe us out. If we get ahead expect Mason and runs and clock watching. Retake the lead and your golden. We have the creativity to get ahead only once. It was good enough against Cleveland and Cincy- usually our perennial stocking stuffers and ego boosters. Our wings have already been clipped by journeyman QB  Collins and a beat up Rothelsberger. What ya got?     

Just like throwing a beat up McGahee out there during a crucial second half series in a huge Pitt. game, Harbaugh again forgoes the hot back in McClaine. McClaine averaged several yards a carry Sunday but watched as McGahee got stuffed at the line the whole second half. We should have and could have run McClaine up the gut to a win. Wow, I also didn't know that Rice was that bad where he can't even crack the lineup as a gimmick. I realize who has the big salary. It's too bad we have to sacrifice a big win for the sake of letting a RB play himself out of carries. Lastly, how about getting the ball to McGahee in open space where he can have some running room. He obviously can't make his own so far. I know he saved us against NE last year and I'm not calling for his cleats but come on man, Let's give the playing time to the hot playmakers.   

Well folks, I can dish it out and take it. But I have to say, I had some nice predictions- I said you'd score 13 (Ravens 20- if I were coaching). I said there would be poor clock management just before the half (only it was us with 1 play in 38 seconds and poor use of a TO). I said we'd hold you under 100 rushing and we would rush for 160-  dead on. I called for 2 picks and we got that. I predicted very physical play on our side- most of the game BUT not when it mattered. What we got was the typical Ravens vs. Titans game. If I were any fan in the NFL I would buy a ticket for this match up. I sit about 20 yards from the field and man what a vicious game. Best on some levels in about 2 years. I won't comment on QB play because we were at a draw there with your journeyman and our rookie. Why Flacco would throw his same troubled pass within the last 1.5 minutes still has me scratching my head. That exact type of throw already cost him 1.5 INT's. That really scares me because that goes beyond stupidity. This may be his blind spot like Vinny Testeverde who seems to have more INT returned for TDs than anyone. Collins is your Dilfer for sure. This game was so even and penalties were even as well. Without the Titans help on the first drive we don't get 3. On that note, with all the help you gave us on that drive if we didn't score 7 I knew we were in trouble. Any great team who is helped down the field with that many penalties puts it away for 7. Our D is that great. It is just sad to watch them suffer under coaching that loves to ride their backs and not push the issue offensively. We played like chickens before the half and at the end of the game. We also had a huge chance to come back for a field goal with 1.5 left but didn't seem prepared to execute something like that.  You carved us up with the short slants and I wasn't suprised. I have said for years that is how you beat our linebackers. Keep them back. They love to eat up the run. Our DBs love the deep ball but the short ball control slants and boring methodical ball control passing drives an impatient D crazy. The only real problem I have with the loss and the one oddity that still bugs me is on the false start penalties. We had one were your D lineman kept going after a false start whistle and literally sacked Flacco. Only the false start was called. We get nailed for a roughing the passer on a critical play with a inadvertant and partially blocked into slight hand brush on the side of the QBs helmet/shoulder. Congrats to you for the call but what was the difference?  Great game, we lost, Pitt. won so the week couldn't have been worse. 2-2 leaves us 1 game out but we have to go to the Colts ( if we can't stop Collins on a final drive watch us against Manning). The Titans are a lock for the playoffs but beware the 5 straight games without a TD. We luckily weathered that in 2000 and you don't have Billick. Okay..Gramsey let me have it..canoe and all. Considering I was a stones thow from the field ask me any questions if you'd like. There was a lot going on. I'm glad it was played here because no other regular season game this year will probably match the playoff intensity this one had. Just tremendous. If we both had normal QB's it would have been a classic or the defenses would have dominated just the same. That little back of yours was great at the line of scrimmage..he cuts in traffic and somehow pops out on the other side. He really saved the day for you offensively with his timely runs and control receptions. Well, thats it until the next time we face..I'm off to bother the Colts blog.

Such a huge call as the "roughing" penalty should be reviewable. It is as important as any INT or fumble etc...With such a short season and the value of a single win they should allow the red flag to be used on 4th quarter penalty calls. TO's are more important then and coaches would not abuse such a rule. The Chargers and now Ravens have been cost victories by horrible last minutes calls. There has to be a way to curtail the poor officiating in the final minutes. 

It didn't take our new coaches long to figure out how to have a long career in the NFL...ride the D. Again foot comes off the gas and burden thrown on D.

Coach went with money RB not hot hand and it killed us. McClaine should have had the ball in crunch time.

Figurs doesn't figure again.

Great game but again coaches and O not ready for prime time.

Defense still can't stop game winning drives and over come bad calls. They wilt with the emotion of the fans.

Another deserved win but heartache loss.

On Mike and Mike, Mark Scherleth just picked the Titan's over the Raven's..what a hoser. He said the Titan's were a physical team. Not sure about that one...Who does he think their playing on Sunday? Is he kidding me? We just pounded the daylights out of Pitt. in front of their potato sack families and fans. If we handed out any more injuries we could have chalked up our own body bag game. Pitt. was damn lucky. The Titans won't be. If I feel like taking a bat to every fixture in the house after Monday, I can imagine how the Ravens feel. They have to be chomping at the bit to tear the asses of the Titans. Physical Titan's? Whatever.

I'm not going here but I am. I like Flacco and time will tell but good golly Gomer, put some zip on those paper airplanes. I think Troy Palimalu did a series of sideline to sideline suicides before Joe's ball re-entered the atmosphere. The Iraqi guy selling Steelers miners helmets took cover under the sausage stand when he heard the whistling of that ball coming straight down. Lucky it was another mortar dud. It reminded me of the original tank battle game for Atari when you took long shots. You shot then waited, and waited as the little white square traveled across the tv.  As far as speed goes- I know he's tall but so was Slingblade and he still managed to track down some people. French fried potatas'. I'm almost over the loss today but I have to admit I turned the tv off after Pitt's first TD. I knew what was to come..that's how we roll. I would never leave a game early but to hear the Pitt. fans come to life on national tv after we had them in an air tight trunk made my heart drop. I couldn't do it to myself again..not after NE, not after the Colts playoff and not after 4 other Monday night games against the black and gold. It reminded me of the Detroit game years ago where we penalized ourselves out of the game. We lost our heads and it was every man for themselves.  We dominated the Lions but lost to a rookie running back. 'What just happened feeling' all over again. 3-1 after this Sunday would be just fine, great actually. At least we face an overated coach Fisher who manages the clock worse than anyone in the league. Speaking of a coach who should have been in multiple Super Bowls...He killed that team as much as Billick drowned us with b.s..

Is our D really that good or have they had the luxury of being compared to our O throughout the years? The numbers are there for them. They lead or are at the top of the league for yards/points allowed but how much of that falls into the game planning against them. If I am an opponent, I know that 14 points is an obstacle for the Raven's and 21 should get me the win. Ray Lewis used to say "give us 13 points and we'll win." It's sad he had to plea for 13 points from his offense. That says to me, as an opponent, that 14 ought to beat the Raven's. My opposing game plan would be to get a 7 point lead and milk the clock on the Ravens and dare them to get a come from behind TD. Offensive touchdowns of any kind have been hard to come by for the Ravens. When the Raven's play from behind by 7 they usually lose.  The Ravens are probably the worst comeback team out of all winning teams.  So, as the opposition, I slow everything down and work the clock. I come away from the game with low offensive grades but usually with a win. Why, as the opponent, would I want to air it out when 3 scores get me the win. The Raven's can have the D records. I'll take clock management and wins.

For years our Defense has padded it stats with four games every year against the Browns and Bengals. Even Jamal Lewis added 500 yards to his record year thanks to them. The inflated ego those 2 teams give us sets us up for a right hook  from teams with winning records. The Raven's continue to show up for big prime time games only to get beat. Usually, it's the defense in these prime time games that can't hold it's water. Every year we watch a Manning, Rothelsberger, Brady or any winning QB shred our defense on last quarter/minute drives after the offense has given them the lead. If you want to live up to the hype and convince the rest of the country your for real do it when their watching. Quit hiding behind the defensive domination of Ohio and stop a game winning drive for once. Quit loosing your head with the game on the line and save some of that energy for the brain. The Raven's D is the craziest kid on the block who you would prefer to stay away from but simply step out of the way when he charges you and he falls down a manhole.

Is it 5 time in 5 tries the Steelers have beat us on Monday night? Who's ready for the lights?