Author: scottiggy

Ravens:
Well, my main goal was to NOT see john elway during the Super Bowl. Unfortunately, they realized they had to show his ugly mug early in the 2nd half, otherwise they wouldn’t have a chance. Personally, I would have like to see him crying with 2 minutes left in the game. Oh well. I guess I can’t have my cake and eat it too… Preliminary odds for the Ravens winning the next Super Bowl are pretty bad at 40-1, along with the Texans and Redskins. However, without free agency, and the draft, many team will make a lot of changes in
the near future… Remember the Doritos Time Machine Commercial? Former Ellicott City native Raj Suri submitted the commercial, and won the $1M contest prize.

Ravens:
The Ravens hired Gary Kubiak and most of his previous staff members to fix the Ravens Offense. Kubs is well respected for his offensive prowess, but could have his work cut out for himself with a undersized front line that is confused over their blocking scheme, wide receivers that can’t get open, and an average quarterback making elite dollars.

Ravens:
With Caldwell gone, the Ravens look to fill OC job, and a few suddenly vacant other coaching holes.

Ravens:
Finally, some resolution. Caldwell is hired as Head Coach of Detroit Lions, as I was expecting, and it appears secondary coach Teryl Austin is going with him to be their new Defensive Coordinator. It’s not that I was wanting him to go, it’s that I was wanting it resolved. The Limbo of not knowing if we should move forward with Caldwell as OC in the off-season planning, or interview replacements was paralyzing this time of the year. Although we have to replace these guys, at least we know what work needs to be done. Ravens have vowed to resolve the issue of a top tier receiver in the off-season, and, oh, by the way, Boldin is a Free Agent. Not saying it will be him, just stating facts.

Ravens:
As OC Jim Caldwell interviews for every NFL head coaching job under the sun, the Ravens have already released Running Backs Coach Wilbert Montgomery. Assuming Caldwell finds another job, the Ravens will have to find a new OC, and with that comes the potential of several other staff changes. Ravens are in a “wait and see” mode… Present rumors indicate that with Ray Lewis and Ed Reed gone, the team lacked leadership in the locker room. Instances of Suggs and Dumervil not working together; Ray Rice, Vonte Leach, and Bernard Pierce bickering; and general confusion in the secondary are now surfacing… Ravens have 19 free agents entering into the off-season. Most notable players that should be kept are Jacoby Jones, Corey Graham, Dennis Pitta, Arther Jones, Terrence Cody, James Ihedigbo, and Eugene Monroe… Off-season should focus on a bigger offensive line, a go-to Wide Receiver, and 2nd (and 3rd?) Tight End… Finally, the NFL’s draft tie-breaking system is totally different from the playoff tie-breaking system. Long story short, the stealers will draft ahead of us, but technically finished in 2nd place. What a farce!

Ravens:
Game over, man. Game over! Now, the early starting off-season will be filled with efforts to avoid making the same mistakes (Boldin) made last off-season that probably was enough to cost us a playoff berth. The opportunity was there for the taking, and we failed to execute due to an undersized front line, and lack of a “go to” receiver. The Defense progressed nicely throughout the season, and should continue a dominant presence for years to come.

Now the bantering from my squealer friend started after the Ravens lost, but boy was he quiet after San Diego finally posted the W. His comeback from there was that they started 0-4 and finished above the Ravens. Well, that is true, but now the Ravens pick ahead of pittsburgh in the draft, while BOTH teams are sitting at home watching the playoffs. Personally, I think we made out on that deal, although our position of 16 or 17 overall will be decided via a coin toss with Dallas.

Ravens:
Okay, the miracle endings went the other way this time. After giving up 3 TDs in the final 2 minutes, that game went down as the worst home loss in franchise history. Flacco was NOT himself, and nothing else worked or went our way. The Ravens were out of sync most all of the game, and made the patriots look better than they are. What hurts the most is that they Ravens were in control of their destiny. Now they are not. In a 3 team train wreck for the last playoff spot, the Ravens have the edge over Miami and San Diego individually, but, in a 3 car pile-up, we come up short. Only answer is to win, and hope. There are possibilities to make the show, if we lose, but that will re-introduce the steelers into the picture, and we can’t have that!

Ravens:
UNBLIEVABLE, HON. 6 Field Goals! 61 Yards!?! It worked this week, but not on Sunday, when rain is forecasted with the Patriots coming into town. Brady is much better than Stafford (who is a lite version of Tony Romo), although Brady is scared of the Ravens. The Pats have staged major comebacks in several games recently, and the Ravens can’t get a lead and try sitting on it. The Patriots don’t play defense, and the Ravens need to exploit this to the fullest to score 7’s (not 3’s) as early and often as possible. Anything else is setting up a heart breaker.

This game has all kind of playoff implications involved, and at many levels. The Patriots clinched the division title with a win or a Miami Loss. The Ravens need a lot more help, but their destiny is in their hands. If they win the next 2 games, they don’t only clinch a playoff berth, but they also clinch the division title, and don’t think that it will only be a 4 seed. There are scenarios out there that could push us further up the post season standings… as far as the 2 seed and a first round bye, but lets not get ahead of ourselves. Winning is a requirement, and no opponent can be overlooked from here on out. That story hasn’t changed since Week 12.

Ravens:
Just when I thought things couldn’t get any wilder, the Ravens and Vikings combined for 5 TD’s in the final 2:05, including a kick return that did NOT include Mike Tomlin tripping/tackling/interfering with Jacoby Jones. The scoring frenzy was an NFL record for the most TDs in a 2 minute span, and the 6 4th quarter lead changes also set a new NFL record. An independent firm who compiles statistics on NFL games rated this the 2nd most exciting non-overtime regular season game in NFL history. I am still trying to figure out what could have been more exciting.

The offense was it’s typical erratic self, but the running game was able to get more traction than usual on the snow covered field. The defense still failed to put consistent pressure on the quarterback, and gave up some big plays without recording a sack for the second consecutive game. Special teams was 1 missed tackle away from giving Minnesota a game winning kick off return for a TD. Blame what you will on the weather, the Ravens played their typical sloppy self.

Now, the Ravens will wrap up their regular season with 3 straight games against division leaders. Every game is a must win as the Ravens maintain their tie-breaker edge over Miami for the 6th and final wild card spot. Playoffs started in week 12 for the Ravens, and they have now won the first 3 games of this stretch. Any loss from here on out can be devastating to our playoff hopes, and don’t count the Ravens out of the division title talks yet. Cincinnati has a 2 game lead, and with a game in Pittsburgh this week, the table could be set for a division title game Week 17 in Cincinnati. But first things first, we must win every game from here on out (and cheer for… um… the steelers to beat the Bengals!?!)

One final note: Ravens game against the pats has been demoted to 4:25 start time in favor of Chicago/Philadelphia for the Sunday night game of the week. Are they “predicting” we will lose to Detroit and our game against the patriots will be less important?