No breakout- no point. I mentioned before the Ravens were going to have to execute nearly flawlessly in order to win in Foxboro. They didn’t, and they didn’t.

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(via l.yimg.com)

In the playoffs, only the "W" matters, no matter how pretty or ugly it is. The Ravens 20 - 13 squeaker counts just as much as the Patriots 45 - 10 white- washing. Do the Saints get anything for gamely almost overcoming five turnovers on the road? A slightly higher draft pick than their opponent, and that is about it. But at the end of the day, they are in the same boat as the once 15-1 Packers.

That looked like a Steelers game. The pass rush was relentless, Flacco (more on him) was getting harassed and beat up. Not sure if Houston was that good or we were that bad. How can you be, plus four in the turnover department and yet only win by seven at home?

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Not the usual GBU, granted. So in that vein I will offer musings and observations vice an actual Good, Bad and Ugly. I only got to see three out of the four games. Missed out on the Giants-Falcons, but apparently there wasn’t much to see in that game.

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Your typical bye-week post for the statistically curious. I have posted before that I consider 1950 kind of a demarcation year for the modern NFL as it is post WW2, and there were major rule changes prior to that season which made the game resemble the sport we all know and love; as prior to that, there were rules that made it look very different than what it is today. I also consider 2002 another demarcation year as that is the first season that the NFL played with 32 teams -its present configuration, with the introduction of the Houston Texans.

Below is a table of the 32 teams' wins, losses and ties (there have been two tie ball games: a Falcons-Steelers tie, and the infamous McNabb "I didn't know there are ties in the NFL" game between the Eagles and Bengals) for the past ten seasons, including this year. There are a few interesting conclusions to draw: some franchises are really, really good, and have sustained success for a ten year period and others are deep studies in absolute ineptitude. Parity? Bah! No freakin' parity...

Please see the table below the jump.

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There's been a lot of talk about this quarterback, maybe too much talk. This post is not a rebel post, this post is,

via i137.photobucket.com

Joe "Cool" Flacco. (Apologies to Bono)

For a guy that has won a playoff game every year he has been in the league, and will probably continue that trend at least for this year, he sure has a lot of detractors. So I decided to compare his first four years as an NFL quarterback with some of his contemporaries that he is constantly compared to and also against some Hall of Famers for, comparison sake.

Granted, each quarterback had a unique situation when they entered the NFL, and it is probably not completely fair to mix eras. Some rode the pines for a while, some were pegged to be the starter from Day 1, some got injured, some got traded so I agree this is not the best possible true comparison, but it does shed some light onto how good Joe really is, given a lot of circumstances and variables. And for those of you who scream, "Unfair!" because someone didn't play very much early in their career, Flacco had the starting job thrust upon him from the start. He could have pulled a Boller, and we would all be lamenting the lack of QB's for the Ravens. But he didn't, and we are all better because of it -which I believe is a credit, not a detraction, to Joe.

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Can't wait for the jokers to come out of the woodwork and say the Ravens should make a run at Flynn. Shadow? Some of the others? C'mon, I want to hear the pretzel logic to justify this...

But seriously, in all the hoopla of yesterday with the Ravens securing the #2 seed, Flynn just secured his family's financial future. Come free agency, his grand kids will never have to work a day in their lives.

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Outstanding! The Ravens came into a very hostile environment and matched the Bengals blow for blow. Right out of the gate, the Ravens let everybody know that they came to play, were not going to roll over like past road games and take everything the Bengals could throw at them, and then some.

Cincy clawed back, and hit the Ravens with everything they could. Baltimore absorbed the body blow and fought threw it. While the Bengals are a young and up-and-coming team, the Ravens set the tone early and then held on for the victory.

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Congrats to the Ravens as they completed a home sweep for the first time. What we learned: not much new beyond what we already know- the Ravens are very good at home and they have inconsistent lapses. Somehow, without Boldin, and with the drops, the Ravens were able to move the ball through the air, but nobody really assumed the role as the "go-to guy".

The issue is, Cleveland is not a very good measuring stick. Yes, they are a divisional rival, but they are just not a very good team so it is hard to get a good gauge as to how the Ravens stack up.

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San Diego was the better team last night –no two ways about it. They were more up, they were more aggressive on offense, and outplayed us on defense. Credit them as they deserve it. I cannot even say we were flat as it was more than that. We just stunk compared to the Chargers. Hats off to them as they deserve it and the victory they easily earned.

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Great win for the Ravens as they did not play down to their counterparts. Fortunately, that has not been the case at home this season, only on the road. This was great win for many reasons: 1) Everybody else keeps winning i.e. P-burgh, New England and Houston, etc. 2) it was against Indy. Been since 2001 since we beat them last so it was about time we shook that monkey off our back and rightfully so.

It appeared that early on all facets of the Ravens were firing on all cylinders and again, rightfully so, since we were entertaining an 0 – 12 team. Full disclosure: I say “it appeared” as I was in airports traveling most of Sunday and only really got to see the last third of the game so the GBU is delayed and short this week –just like most government projects.

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(via d.yimg.com)

One of the hardest things to do in sports is to go on the road in the NFL and win. Even harder is to accomplish it at a divisional opponent's place. No matter how good or bad the teams involved are, it is always difficult. Throw in the horrible conditions and anything could have happened. Luckily the Ravens are pretty good and the Browns are pretty bad. We were able to jump out to a lead, and keep the pressure on. Except for a few slip-ups, we did a good job of not really letting the Browns back in the game. Which is as it should be if the Ravens want to make some noise in the post season: now is the time to put inferior teams to bed early and impose our will on them, like we did Sunday. Hopefully, this will lay to rest whatever demons the Ravens had with inferior teams on the road.

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The game was everything everybody thought it would be.  Close defensive struggle that was decided late in the game.  49ers are a very good football team, and they pushed and tested the Ravens.  They have a bright future as they can pretty much own that division for the next several years.  The other three teams will improve, but San Fran has such a head start on them, it will take a while for the other teams to catch up.

I have been saying that because of the Raven's inconsistent play, one really needed to take the two games together in order to evaluate the Ravens.  Two games in eleven days against two very teams- quite the maelstrom.  Both teams had very most excellent defenses.  At first glance, the Ravens proved they could move the ball against very good defenses.  The other obvious take-away is that when the Ravens put their mind to it and are on their "A" game, they are a very, very good football team and can play with/beat anybody.  Bengals was an "okay" performance for a win, but the 49ers was a solid ten-point victory all the way around.  They beat the Bengals and then stepped up their game for the 49ers - very impressive.  In many ways last night's victory was just as impressive as the Week One victory as last night's game was about a complete team victory as there is.

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(via www.thecitrusreport.com)

Nothing with this year’s edition of the Baltimore Ravens is simple.  Give the Cincinnati Bengals their props, they are definitely an up and coming team and may have finally, finally got most of the pieces in place; they just need a little more time.  With rookie WR A.J. Green out, at home, we should have put this team to bed much earlier and not let them back in with a chance to tie it up and force OT.

Now, I cannot bucket QB Joe Flacco or rookie CB Jimmy Smith.  Both made great plays, but then they both made blatant mistakes.  So everything kind of cancels everything out.  Full disclosure: as the game was not televised in the DC area, I had to go watch it at a bar with no sound so I could not hear what the commentators were saying.  That said, it appeared to me that Flacco just plain missed Ray Rice on the opening drive for the third and short.  Not saying we would have driven for a TD, but that misfire just seemed to set the tone for our team and the game, at least initially.  And that you have to place at Flacco’s feet along with the fumble and the pick (who the heck was he throwing to?  It looked like the Bengal was intended receiver).  Flacco made up for it later on- nice execution on the Anquan Boldin TD and the bomb to Torrey.

Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy…  Live by the rookie, die by the rookie…  Nice pick and congrats for his first, but you have got to know when you are going to be tackled (or at least a better sense/feel for the players around you) and wrap up the ball.  And the TD he gave up- yikes…

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AHHHH!!!!  It’s attack of the really nice shiny happy people.  How come we keep doing this to ourselves?  It is beyond maddening.  Everybody knew it was coming.  Everybody kept reminding us, everybody kept saying the right things all week: players, coaches, media, yet for some inexplicable reason we still went out and with supreme fidelity, laid yet another egg to a woeful, and I mean this with no disrespect, but a truly woeful team.  Seahawks have a bright future? Sure.  But currently, blleeecchhh…

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(via boxing-wallpapers.com)

This was a throwback championship bout between two heavyweights- fifteen rounds, not the wussy twelve round max they impose nowadays.  This was Ali-Frazier; the "Rumble in the Jungle"; the "The Thrilla in Manilla"; "The Bout in the ‘Burgh"…

Blow after blow was landed and absorbed.  Knees buckled; standing eight counts were answered.  Black and blue bruised; this was football the way the gods intended it to be played.

For the neutral fan, wow, what a treat- one of the best games of the year!  Nothing left on the field.  For Baltimore, the sun is out today, temperature rather mild for this time of year and the Ravens went 2 – 0 against the hated squeelers!!!  Is it Christmas? 

And what a great subplot to the bout- Torrey Smith.  He gets victimized by a veteran dive move on the first play from scrimmage that the refs fell for hook, line and sinker, drops two passes, one of which would have been the game winning touchdown, and then does indeed catch the game winning touchdown from QB Joe Flacco. Somewhere, Jerry Maguire is chuckling because even Hollywood couldn’t have written the "Torrey Smith Story" from last night.  I cannot imagine the emotional rollercoaster the rookie was on last night.

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Just in time for Halloween, the Ravens put on a truly Gothic horror.

In true fashion they were Mr. Hyde and Dr. Jekyll  on Sunday.  I mentioned before that the Ravens never got off the plane in Jacksonville; they never got back on it to go back to Baltimore until halftime Sunday…

Joe’s first half was ugly as anything that visited my house last night.  However, he did come out firing in the second half.  He got a little bit better blocking from the O-line in the second half (only a little) and he took advantage of that about as much as any human not wearing a Peyton costume could.  The pick was not his fault –typical rookie receiver issue.  But the fumble, while Joe was running for his life like Ichabod Crane, was his fault.  Even with the insane rush he was facing, he has to hold onto the ball.  Like Ichabod’s head, Joe keeps losing the football.

I am telling you all- Joe (almost) laid yet another egg against Arizona.  He very well still could have a repeat of week 1 next week.  Maddening, I know.

via www.runtimedna.com

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You know that feeling you get when your kid admits to you that they did something really stupid; not life-threatening, but really insipid nevertheless?  That is essentially the same feeling as Monday night.  You warn them about such-and-such (i.e. a trap game), and they still pull a bone-headed stunt- like get a 15 yard unsportsmanlike penalty that directly leads to an opposing FG; or attempt an onside kick when a touch-back would have sufficed -more on that gem later.  Or, try to field a punt on the hop when THREE tacklers are closing in on you.

Really?  You really thought that was a good idea at the time, son?

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A win is still a win, even more so when over a quality opponent.  Yes, the Baltimore Ravens were inconsistent at times and other times were a well-oiled machine.  Maddening, I know, but at the end of the day another two touchdown victory that was all but done about mid-way through the fourth quarter in the Ravens 29-14 victory over the Houston Texans yesterday at M&T Bank Stadium. Even before then, you could feel a momentum swing towards the Ravens where I knew we were going to win.

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A game of Dilfer-esque proportions.  Last night’s game could have easily been one from the 2000 season.  It could have very easily been one of the five games in which we didn’t score an offensive touchdown.  But the Ravens prevailed, the Steelers lost, everybody else in the division is 2-2, so no matter what happens during our bye, we will come out still in first place.  And hopefully everybody will be back healthy, except for Haruki Nakamura who will probably be out another month or so.

Life is good, folks!

(Click on the 'Jump' for more on The Good thru The Ugly)

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We are coming up on the Bye Week for the Ravens.  In the past, folks have vowed that there would be more than 48 hours notice for the next happy hour.  So, with that said...  

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Wow.  I just cannot predict jack this season. O-fer on my Vegas picks; totally misread yesterday’s game. I figured it would be an ugly seven point Raven win, not a masterpiece.

At least the Ravens let us know early which Ravens team was showing up.  Again, don’t think the Rams had a prayer even before the opening kick-off.

(Click on the 'Jump' to read The Good, The Bad & The, ..what Ugly?)

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Yeah, I got called away on a last minute business trip so I spent the Ravens game in an airplane -my apologies.  So I can only go by what I have seen in highlights and what other folks have talked about.

I am just leaving this as a Fanpost due to me missing the game.  If Bruce still wants to promote it to the front page, that is fine with me.  otherwise I am happy with it here.

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Oh what a feeling!!! (Cue the old ‘70's Toyota commercials)  From the first snap to the last sack of Ben - just a wonderful game.  Lockout?  What lockout?  Kind of so-so preseason?  Pshaw...

I tell the kids on my lacrosse team that nine times out of ten, the game is won even before the first face-off.  Blank stares back at me as they are ten and eleven year olds...  The point is that many times the team that is more prepared, practiced harder and knows their roles, will win.  And yesterday's game was a prime example of that.  The game was won before the coin flip.  The Baltimore Ravens were obviously so much better prepared, so better coached leading up to the game that the matter was settled before anybody went to bed Saturday night.

It was obvious that the Pittsburgh Steelers were, at best, confused, and at worse ill-prepared to handle us when Ray Rice takes the first snap, a very basic dive play over left tackle, and almost takes it to the house.  Reminded me of the playoff game against the New England Patriots, except with a healthy QB...

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Before anybody goes bonkers over Paul Kruger or Josh Bynes or anybody else for that matter, remember, they were going up against 2’s and 3’s, not 1’s.  Big difference.  Makes it very difficult to see what a player really has when they are going up against future Home Depot forklift operators…

The Good

Kruger.  Yeah, I said don’t go bonkers, but there is no denying he did play very- all around solid and then sprinkled in some really nice exceptional plays.  Pernell McPhee just continues to impress.  He could register four or five sacks for us this year.

Anthony Allen just looks like it *hurts* to tackle him.  Bruising runner?  More like painful runner if there is such a description.  Bynes played well.  Definitely makes the taxi squad, assuming he clears waivers; and may have earned himself a slot as a Special Teams Ace, but there is room for only so many of those, and he may be purely a victim of numbers in that department.

LaQuan Williams is on the team, no doubt.  I doubt he would clear waivers so I do not know how he does not get a roster spot.  In fact, he may have cost Marcus Smith or now, the suspended David Reed, a roster spot.  Tandon Doss is the #3 receiver, no doubt.  He just catches everything and not only that, somehow seems to get an extra yard or two, no matter what.  We have not had a receiver like that since, since I do not know when.  Plus, he looks so smooth when he is playing; almost effortless –which is a great sign.  Now compare that to Torrey Smith where it – just – looks – like – everything – is – a – struggle with him.  Although Torrey did show me a little something last night.

Jimmy Smith and Chykie Brown had good games, but again, going up against lesser competition.  The more I see of Smith (Jimmy), the brighter the future looks, but he is still not there yet. I am still not 100% comfortable him starting week 1 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Yes, if other options to start opposite Cary Williams are injured, go with Smith and roll the dice and hope for the best.  Because as soon as Ben & Co. see Smith in the game, they are going to target the rookie, and I would rather have that happen in the middle of the game as opposed to right off the bat.

And even Michael McAdoo should me some glimpses as to why Ozzie called him up.  Quick, which I would expect, and surprised me with the amount of push generated for someone of his build.  Practice squad most definitely, and I hope he clears waivers, but I wouldn’t be at all surprised if someone took a flyer on him and nabbed him from us.

(Click on the 'Jump' to read the "Bad & The Ugly")

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An over/under on the number of series McKinnie plays Thursday night in Atlanta?

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The Good

Ray Rice *still* in mid-season form.  Evans, Boldin; Ricky running with authority.  McPhee, even though against 2's and 3's, he is a beast.  Leech, wow, that guy is just a load and half.  Anthony Allen looked solid (needs to work on those mitts, though).  I think Parmalee's days are now numbered as a Raven.

Doss.  Does he get credit for a save for his pre-game adventures?  Right now, he is the number three receiver on the team.  He catches everything thrown in his zip code...

Slants.  Keep 'em coming, Cam!  And let us face it, the drop by Allen- that normally would have been Rice or Ricky, and either one of them would have caught that easily.

Tyrod taylor.  Yes, risky having a rookie as your backup, especially on a legitimate SuperBowl contender.  But I like what I have seen so far.  Ball seems to sail on him a bit, but he is putting together a nice preseason campaign.

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And not Cody doing a tackling drill...  For real!!!

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What if, the worst case scenario happens Friday night and the Ravens lose a starter to season ending injury?  Just kicking this around as filler until game time.  We have lost at least one starter for the season each of the past few years, so if past is prologue...

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Ha!  Can we finally put this argument to bed?  Yeah he lost a fumble and nearly a second one earlier, but despite getting sacked four times, hit numerous others, he played lights out.  No other way to put it.  The third and long conversion to Heap when he stepped up in the pocket and then I think side-stepped another rusher to make the connection to Heap to keep the late second quarter TD drive alive -sublime.  The TD strike to Boldin was a thing of artistic beauty.  If you watch, Flacco gets the ball over not one, but two linebackers and puts it where only his receiver can make a play on it –perfect pass and perfect catch for a perfect touchdown.

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We won.  Yay team…  Okay, now the “real” games start.

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