Author: scottiggy

The 2016 opponents have been set for the Ravens.

2016 Baltimore Ravens Opponents
Home	Cincinnati, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Miami, Philadelphia, Washington, Oakland
Away	Cincinnati, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, New England, NY Jets, Dallas, NY Giants, Jacksonville

Unlike this year, when we had to deal with playing both WEST divisions, our longest road trip will be to Dallas.

Ravens:
THE RAVENS WIN THE SUPERBOWL!!! Ok, not really, but defeating arch-nemesis twice in one season, especially when our season has been lost for some time now is a MAJOR victory. The all-time record is now 20-24 against our premium foes, which means 4 more to go to even the score! Next week against Cincinnati is pretty much irrelevant. We could lose 73-0 and no one would care. Winning next week proves nothing and only further fouls up our draft order. Beating the squealors dropped us from #3 down to #8, so let’s not f this up further. No one cares about Cincinnati. Let them have it. We beat the steelers twice and put their playoff hopes in the hands of the New York Jets. If they fail to make the playoffs, we can honestly say that we held them out. Ryan “The Crab” Mallet played a solid game, and left me feeling more comfortable at the helm than Joe Flacco.

News and Personal Thoughts:
GoogleDoc ticket sharing status: 1 set of tickets for Pittsburgh still. Check it out at Ravens Roost 4 Ticket Exchange.

Ravens:
Three costly mistakes turned this score into a route. Had it not been for the Fumble-6 (which turned the tides), the fake punt from our 20 (Dug our hole), and the Pick 6 (desperation driven garbage points), the game was actually rather closely paid. Good teams don’t make mistakes. Bad teams do. Although we are sitting in a #3 draft spot, this is our Super Bowl on Sunday. Beat the stealers twice in a season and place a large blow to their playoffs hopes is priceless, and these guys will be pumped for the game. However, will it be enough? Don’t bet on it. This game has blowout written all over it.

News and Personal Thoughts:
GoogleDoc ticket sharing status: 1 set of tickets for Pittsburgh still. Check it out at Ravens Roost 4 Ticket Exchange.

Ravens:
Well, the last thing to keep going, stopped. With an NFL record 12 consecutive games to start a season decided by 8 points or less has been broken. No lucky 13 as the Ravens produced an abysmal outting. Frankly speaking, we have NOTHING left to play for now (save minimizing injuries to our own players) as we have clinched a losing season for the first time since 2007 and were officially eliminated from the playoff hunt (where is my shocked face?). Only positives was that I felt more comfortable with Clausen that Schaub, but the end zone was elusive. We had NO running game, our offensive line was completely over-matched, and our defense was exceptionally weak. As a matter of fact, 3rd down was something for Russell Wilson to look forward too, not the Ravens fans.

Now the quandary: With KC inches ahead of pittsburgh for a Wild Card, the Ravens winning on Sunday helps the steelers. No, I can’t bring myself to root against the Ravens, but I’m just saying…

News and Personal Thoughts:
GoogleDoc ticket sharing status: 3 postings for Seattle, 1 for Pittsburgh still. Check it out at Ravens Roost 4 Ticket Exchange.

Ravens:
Well, if it weren’t for bad luck, we would have no luck at all. Pick6 Schaub shows why he ain’t starting anymore, wasting a defensive gem by virtually giving away 2 TDs to cost us the game. You can score at least 7 more points to the ref on the bogus Pass Interference call. As a matter of fact, a co-worker’s son had the idea that Madden 2016 should include a “realistic ref” mode, where random bad calls would be inserted. This has merit. With 8 losses, the best we can hope for is either 8-8… or possibly 4-12. Although only Cleveland has been eliminated, I am thinking draft picks.

News and Personal Thoughts:
GoogleDoc ticket sharing status: Despite the time change for the Seattle game, seats are still available, as well as seats for the Pittsburgh game. Check it out at Ravens Roost 4 Ticket Exchange.

Ravens:
As Matt Schaub continued his decent into the record book for the infamous (4 straight games with a pick 6), while the Ravens clocked in with their own record, becoming only the 2nd team in NFL history to win a game on a block-six. I gave up researching it, but it appears the only other time was when Arizona beat Dallas in OT in 2008 with a 3 yard blocked punt return for a TD. If that is the case, it would make the Ravens the ONLY team to have won a game on a blocked field goal returned for a touchdown… Ironically, the game on Monday marked the 3rd worst late season Monday night match-up in the programs history, with a combined 5 wins between the 2 teams, but yet posted one of the most improbable finishes you will ever see… Given all the excitement, [Iggy get’s on his soapbox] will Baltimore EVER get any respect? Every game this season, I have had to listen to the announcers talk about how the “other” team has to get back into the game, hold on to the lead, or whatever. They NEVER talk about what Baltimore needs to do. ESPN, CBS, and FOX all do the same thing. Even with the spectacular ending, the post game press focused on what went wrong for Cleveland and how Cleveland lost the game. It is annoying and frustrating as my finger hovers above the mute button every game. It’s been 20 years since we re-acquired a team, but they don’t care how we lost our team similar to how Cleveland lost theirs, or that we had to steal a team because the NFL wouldn’t give us a team back. These people need to get over it. Do I have to wait another 20 year until these announcers and critics are dead or retired, and a new batch are dispensed who don’t remember the Baltimore Colts? [Iggy get’s off his soap box] … Now, with Schaub’s challenges, and the known ineptitude of Clausen, the Ravens are now entertaining other options at QB while ex-Raven Tyrod Taylor remains the starter in Buffalo… Last, but not least, it is amazing what one win can do. The Ravens went from discussions of a high first round draft pick to “In the Hunt.” At 2 games back with 5 games left, there are lots of teams to hurdle to make the post season, but not impossible. In the end, we made our bed, and now we have to sleep in it. Our journey to the promised land is a pipe dream at this point, and all they can do is win and hope, but then again, that is what they have had to do all season which is what got us here. Just remember, with 11 straight games (also an NFL record) decided by 8 points or less, we are just a few ball bounces (or bad calls) from being 11-0, or 0-11. In the end, .500 will suit us. Anything more is an over-achievement, while anything less was probably deserved given the circumstances.

News and Personal Thoughts:
I had this done on Thursday, but forgot to post it, so I tweaked a few things before posting. DOH! Anyway, the GoogleDoc ticket sharing status: Still tickets available for people who want to sit in the freezing cold in the middle of December… er… I mean the Seattle and Pittsburgh games. Check it out at Ravens Roost 4 Ticket Exchange.

Ravens:
As the Ravens continue their record of now 10 straight games decided by 1 score (8 points) or less, the team needs to make a decision of rebuilding for next year or continuing their feeble attempt to regain respectability. Each win, pushes us further down the draft board, but is winning the best option right now? As messed up as the AFC is right now, the Ravens are 2 games behind KC for the 6th playoff spot, with 6 games left. But also keep in mind that Houston, Buffalo, the Jets, Oakland, Jacksonville, and Miami all sit between us the promised land. On the other side of the coin Cleveland, San Diego, Tennessee and now Dallas stand between us and the #1 pick. It starts this weekend. A win pushes Cleveland further into the basement, and us down the draft charts, while hopefully moving us up the playoff picture. A loss, on the other hand, commits us to the rebuilding plan. The other problem is that with so many guys on IR, half our team is fighting for 2016 roster spots. The teams need for a “future” QB will become evident now. Schaub and Clausen are not them.

News and Personal Thoughts:
The GoogleDoc ticket sharing status: NEW ENTRY for St. Louis game and several outstanding tickets available for Seattle and Pittsburgh. Check it out at Ravens Roost 4 Ticket Exchange.

Ravens:
The death toll has reached 17 (Ravens on IR), and the Refs created a new way for us to lose on Sunday. At this point, there is very little hope left to salvage this season, nor reason for players to play their hardest and get injured themselves. As far as I am concerned, if we only win 1 more game (pittsburgh), then so be it.

News and Personal Thoughts:
The GoogleDoc ticket sharing status: NEW ENTRY for Jacksonville game. Still some outstanding tickets available for Seattle and Pittsburgh tickets. Check it out at Ravens Roost 4 Ticket Exchange.

Ravens:
Pitta has been scratched for the season, but the Ravens players are talking about being the first 2-6 teams to make the playoffs under the current post season format. Frankly, speaking, it is possible. With only 2 opponents with winning record (steelers and Bengals) and 5 home games left, the Ravens could still turn this train wreck around. First things first, they need to stop the mistakes and play like the deserve. So far, not so much.

News and Personal Thoughts:
The GoogleDoc ticket sharing status: We had a spike in SD tickets available before the weekend. Now we have Seattle and Pittsburgh tickets still available. Check it out at Ravens Roost 4 Ticket Exchange.

Ravens:
Well, just when things started to turn our way, Smith is out for the season. Although this eliminates our “go to” receiver, it will force someone else to step up for the future. We are still not a great team. We are still making stupid mistakes, but Sunday we did not give the ball away, and managed to work the clock so we had the ball last, which meant our defense couldn’t fail us again. Interestingly, at 2 wins, we are only 2.5 games out of a wild card spot. Go figure. There is still a small glimmer of hope, but the future starts now.