Dude Manly

We're 10 games into the season and my Ravens are 5-5.  I can't stop thinking that just maybe the Ravens are not a play off calibur team.  Good teams find ways to win close games even on bad days and bad teams find ways to lose close games despite playing well. 

At a look at the first 10 games I see tell tale signs from the get go.  I attended opening day against the Chiefs.  Brody Croyle quarterbacked the Chiefs.  Matt Cassell had not yet recovered from his injury.  The Chiefs scored 24 but the Ravens won.  I chalked that one up to getting used to a new defensive coordinator.  I was a bit squeemish about the Ravens Dbacks though.  I saw Domonique Foxworth at Maryland and thought he was good but not stellar.  I then dwelled on how good Ray Rice and Joe Flacco looked.  I also thought our resident genuis, Cam Cameron did it again using Willis McGahee perfectly.  McGahee played only a handful of snaps but scored twice.

My favorite game of the season was the second game when the Ravens beat the Chargers 31-26.  Who could forget the game clinching hit Ray Lewis layed on Darren Sproles to win the game.  But still the defense let up 26 points to a Bolts team without LT.  Beating the Browns was great and that was the high point of my Ravens season so far.  Although it was the Browns it appeared that all cylinders of the team were humming along.  Bring on the Pats.  Bill who?

I remember going out to do yard work after the Patriots game thinking we had the game stolen from us by the 12th men on the field wearing zebra stripes.  If it weren't for them protecting Pretty Boy Brady we woulda won. 

The following week we lost to Cinci when a last minute pass clinched the game for the Bengals.  I recall thinking the Begals won because of an emotional high of trying to win for their coordinator less than a week of the death of his wife.  I also thought that most teams are flat after an emotional loss.  Only great teams can put emotional games in the past.  Could it be that the Ravens will benefit from this experience.  And, oh yeah, the Dbacks got beat again.  I wondered that maybe I overestimated Kelly Gregg's return and it hit me that there was no way a player can return from a season ending injury and pick up right away where he left off.  Ditto that for Dawan Landry too.

The following week crushed me.  We played so well but that damn Steve Hauschka missed the winning field goal.  I thought here come the "Matt Stover I Told You So" contingent.  I was on Hauschka's side thinking we needed to have a kicker that could put the ball in the end zone on kick offs and didn't have the luxury of two kickers.

My hope was during the bye week we could get it together and the well needed rest would get the team in a new frame of mind.  The next week the Ravens blew away the Broncos in every area of the game.  We defeated the previously unbeaten Broncos.  By the way, the Broncos haven't won a game since.  Bring on the Browns.

I lost my voice screaming at the TV in the first half wondering who put on Joe Flacco's uniform.  I laughed so much at the pre-game non hype of the game.  Yes, Bill Belichick got all the hype due to the famous 4th and 2 call from the 30 but to not even mention the big Browns vs. Ravens game was comical.  I began to worry about the Ravens not showing up for the game until the second half.

This brings me up to yesterdays loss to the Colts, yes I was a season ticket holder of the Baltimore Colts but decided to live my life.  I mourned for 13 years and now I am ambivelent about the Indy Colts.  I look at Indy like a dog looks like when they hear a high pitched sound and turn their heads to the side knowing that something is wrong.  Bob Irsay is dead.  Moving on. (I have feelings about that but that's another blog.)

Peyton Manning wasn't sharp but they won and we lost.  Billy Cundiff kicked 5 field goals.  So what if he missed one.  Joe Flacco was mediocre at best.  Ed Reed has won games in the past lateralling the ball on a bang bang play.  Ed you get the pass card on that one. And yes, Matt Stover, our beloved kicker hit a chip shot that proved to be the difference.  But wait a minute.  The Indy defense played extremely well.  Joseph Addai ran those sweeps without getting touched.  Indy did enough to win. 

Indy did enough to win.  Cinci did enough to win (twice).  The Patriots did enough to win.  The Vikings did enough to win.  The Ravens did enough to lose by a little.  Indy is winning the AFC North and undefeated.  The Patriots are winning the AFC East.  The Bengals are atop the AFC North and the Vikings are dominating the NFC North.  Those division leaders are doing what needs to be done to win games.  The Ravens are not.  Those teams are good teams.  I don't think the Ravens are.  I am hopeful we can put it together but there are so many reasons that won't happen:

1. Joe Flacco is not playing like last year.
2. Terrell Suggs came into camp out of shape and is now down for weeks.
3.  Kelly Gregg and Dawan Landry are just starting to play like they used to.
4. There's no apparent answer to the loss of Bart Scott and Rex Ryan.
5.  The defensive secondary is getting beat a lot, however with a better pass rush the secondary is a bit better.
6. Trevor Price looks very old.
7. Ed Reed is damaged and isn't the Reed of old.

There's hope but I don't think its coming this year.  There are many bright spots for the future:

1. Ray Lewis - He is such great shape and unless his leg is broken in half he's the best MLB in the game, even at his age. (I'm a homer)
2.  Joe Flacco will be ok after putting this year behind him.
3.  The offensive line will be great next year.  Potential will be reached.
4.  Ray Rice will get better and he's real good now.
5.  Kelly Gregg is starting to become his former self and again with Halote Ngata will be the best interior line in the business.
6. In Oz we trust.  The Ravens have trade bait and Ozzie will figure a way to get the best personnel in the business playing in purple.  Ray Lewis doubles as assistant GM and will help bring tallented younger players to the star spangled city.  Players like Chad 85 and others rely on the influential Lewis for common sense advice,

Unless I am wrong the Ravens fans will be able to do many things on Sunday's in January besides getting ready to cheer for the Purple and black,