Iggy’s Ravens Report – January 23, 2012

News & Commentary

Ravens:
Unbelievable… Again! The Ravens are going to the Super Bowl. Let me say that again: The BALTIMORE RAVENS are going to the SUPER BOWL! We exorcised the ghost of Bob Irsay. Then we conquered the man, myth, and legend known as Peyton Manning (and the A-hole GM John Elway >*spit*<), and now, we defeated our own failures of years past. We earned this trip. We pulled ourselves together at the perfect time: the playoffs. By how, after 16 games, did we rise above the inconsistency that has plagued us for, oh…um… 5 years? There are many answers to that question. First, it is Caldwell. Jettisoning Cam Cameron was a long time coming. Caldwell understands quarterbacks. He understands Flacco. He understands how to use the weapons we have and build a plan around it. Next is getting healthy at the right time. Our "starting" defense didn't take the field at the same time until the playoffs, and now it shows what we can do. Thirdly, it is Bryant McKinnie. We renegotiated his contract to start the season with a bonus for snap counts and then benched him until the playoffs. He was the missing piece of the offensive line that has given Joe the time pick his receivers, and not settle for one in a panic. These are a few of the many factors that have come together at the right time, and given us a chance to become legendary, once again.

Well, now that we are here, can we finish what we started? Can we send Ray Lewis out with the biggest bang possible in this league? The answer is simple. YES WE CAN. But we need to find new motivation. There is no Irsay, Elway, Manning, Lee Evans, or Billy Cundiff to overcome now. If anyone, it is the San Francisco 49ers who have a chip on their shoulders. They lost the only previous meeting of two brotherly Head Coaches in NFL history 16-6 on Thanksgiving night just over a year ago. They have a very passionate head coach, and a 2nd year quarterback who continues to find ways to win. In our corner, is the winningest quarterback in the NFL over the last 5 years, an emotional Ray Lewis, and a 4+ point “underdog” rating to stoke our fire. We have experience, and are the only underdog team to have won this post season, and we’ve done it twice thus far. So, can we do it? We have the heart and we know what it takes. No it is only a matter of execution. Just take a few extra minutes in practice on special teams, please, or I’ll have to talk about another type of execution.

Ravens:
Unbelievable! That’s the only word I can come up with. In the 4th longest game in NFL history, the Ravens enter the come 9+ points underdogs and beat the top seeded Broncos on their home frozen turf. In a game that the Broncos literally gave away by failing to take this game and the Ravens seriously, Flacco hit 3 homeruns, and Corey Graham picked off 2 Peyton Manning passes that are sure to give him nightmares for months to come. The 2nd rates Broncos defense dared Flacco to beat them on deep balls, and he did. With time outs left and Manning as their QB, the Broncos twice let the clock expire instead of trying to drive for points. Finally, in something that should NEVER happen, Jacoby Jones got behind the corners AND the safeties for a 70 yard touchdown with less then a minute left. How do you obtain a #1 seed, and make those kind of mistakes and errors? Simple: You didn’t take your opponent seriously. After all, you just pounded their rotting dead body in to their own home turf a month earlier. The path was paved, but they walked on the grass: The frozen grass.

Now, after excising the demons of Irsay and Elway, the Ravens find themselves 9+ points underdogs again, this time to nemesis New England, where we have to go deep into our souls to remove our own demons from last year: Lee Evans and Billy Cundiff. Their memory, and it will be brought up every day for the next week, is what stands in the way of our destiny. What will it be Ravens? You are where I never thought you would be all season long. Prove me wrong again and take us to the show!

PS – Who says Suggs is a gimp (2 sacks), and Ray Lewis (17 tackles) is washed up and should have retired well before this year? Keep calling them that, and you will find yourself gimpy and washed up… and, so help me, if Dan Dierdork is broadcasting the AFC Championship game… … … I better not finish that thought.

Ravens:
Despite horrific officiating, the Ravens found enough luck to advance to the divisional round of playoffs by giving up 400+ yards of total offense, but keeping the colts out of the end zone. Ray Lewis lead the team in tackles, and showed great heart in his last home game with the team, while Ray “flu-like Fumble-itis” Rice should have had a few less carries. The next order is much stiffer, as the significantly underdog Ravens travel to Mile High Denver to face arch-nemesis Peyton Manning, who just schooled us last month. Hopefully playing with more heart and determination, the Ravens will need to depend on more big plays on offensive against a defense much better than Indy, and continue to shut down the opposing QB.