Author Archives: Steve Hasler

About Steve Hasler

Steve Hasler

March 29, 1984. Steve Häsler was attending college in Gambier, Ohio when the phone rang in his dorm room. His parents were calling with disturbing news – our beloved Colts had poured the entire organization into Mayflower vans and left town. For the next four autumns, Steve was forced to watch football with Browns fans, unsympathetic to the plight of losing a hometown team. By 1987 he was back in Baltimore, working in advertising, and attending the Towson Fourth of July every year just to hear the Baltimore Colts Marching Band play the old fight song as they waddled by. It made his mother cry every year. And yes, he called his old Ohio roommates back in 1995 just to make sure they heard the news that he once again he was going to have a team to root for. Steve has been opining on all things Ravens pretty much since the invention of message boards. You may know him as Shas.

RAVENS SUPER BOWL XLVII REPORT CARD: Ravens 34, 49ers 31

Posted on by
Reed SB Trophy 600
REARVIEW MIRROR – SUPER BOWL XLVII BALTIMORE RAVENS 34, SAN FRANCISCO FORTY-NINERS February 4, 2013 After the last flake of confetti fluttered to the floor of the Super Dome several stunned Ravens were still staring into the rafters, looking for a surer sign.  Could that have just happened? Had they really outlasted the San Francisco 49ers, 34-31, to win Super Bowl XLVII? It seemed like an improbable dream. Not because they weren’t good enough to earn the win. The talent was always there, even as Las Vegas continued to label … Continue reading →

RAVENS REPORT CARD: Ravens 28 Patriots 13

Posted on by
ricetdne
They didn’t play a perfect game. But when challenged the Baltimore Ravens responded and the New England Patriots did not.  The Ravens outlasted and outclassed the Patriots to come away with a 28-13 win, earning themselves a trip to the Super Bowl for the second time in team history. The Ravens came out of the gate slowly and fell behind 13-7 by halftime.  They could have panicked knowing quarterback Tom Brady and head coach Bill Belichick were 67-0 at home when leading at halftime and they had never lost to … Continue reading →

RAVENS REPORT CARD: Ravens 38 Broncos 35 (2 OT)

Posted on by
Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Jones celebrates his fourth quarter touchdown against the Denver Broncos with teammate Smith in their NFL AFC Divisional playoff football game in Denver
The nightmare of recent playoffs past crept into the Super Bowl dreams of Ravens fans once again. When Jacoby Jones dropped a pass thrown by Joe Flacco on third-and-five with 3:22 left in this AFC Divisional Championship game, with the Ravens trailing the Denver Broncos by a touchdown, it certainly looked like a third consecutive year that the Ravens would get knocked out of the playoffs just as Flacco was driving his offense for a late score to tie or win the game. In each of the last two playoff … Continue reading →

WILDCARD REPORT CARD: Ravens 24, Colts 9

Posted on by
Wild Card Playoffs - Indianapolis Colts v Baltimore Ravens
BALTIMORE RAVENS VS INDIANAPOLIS COLTS January 6, 2013 It felt like a surreal, nostalgic game of musical chairs.  In the end, when the music stopped, the Baltimore Ravens were still seated, having beaten the Indianapolis Colts 24-9 to advance to the Divisional round of the AFC Playoffs next Saturday at 4:30 Eastern against the Denver Broncos. The game was full of strange story lines.  Most everything that had been, changed, but then in the end it all really seemed to stay the same. The changes kept coming right up until … Continue reading →

RAVENS REPORT CARD: Bengals 23 Ravens 17

Posted on by
taylorbengals
Each year Marist University conducts a poll asking Americans what is the most obnoxious word or phrase used in casual conversation.  For the fourth consecutive year the top choice was, whatever. So with apologies to all Americans, here’s our reaction to a Ravens 23-17 loss in their regular season finale to the Cincinnati Bengals: whatever. As many suspected, head coach John Harbaugh treated this game like a meaningless pre-season tune up, opting to sit most of his starters well before the first quarter had ended. With a post-season home game … Continue reading →

RAVENS REPORT CARD: Ravens 33 Giants 14

Posted on by
ricetdgiants
The reigning world-champion New York football Giants came to Baltimore with their playoff lives at stake. Question was, which Giants team would the Baltimore Ravens see? The Giants who were shutout 34-0 in Atlanta a week prior?  Or the Giants who had crushed a good Packers team and a surging Saints squad in home contests in weeks 12 and 14? It wasn’t an easy game to predict. After all, the Ravens were reeling, losers of three straight and playing just as poorly at home as on the road. They came … Continue reading →

RAVENS REPORT CARD: Broncos 34, Ravens 17

Posted on by
SP16BroncosRavens JA3_7402
REARVIEW MIRROR DENVER BRONCOS 34, BALTIMORE RAVENS 17 December 16, 2012 Coming into this game against the Denver Broncos not many pundits in Baltimore expected a win, even against a team that had never beaten the Ravens in Baltimore.  Despite knowing their Ravens had not lost two consecutive home games under John Harbaugh, Ravens fans had still never seen their team beat Peyton Manning. So the chances of accomplishing it with nearly half the defense sidelined seemed dim. But how they lost this game – a 34-17 blowout – was … Continue reading →

RAVENS REPORT CARD: Ravens fall 31-28 in OT

Posted on by
REARVIEW MIRROR WASHINGTON REDSKINS 31, BALTIMORE RAVENS 28, OT December 9, 2012 What is it with the Ravens and backup quarterbacks? After losing a week ago to Charlie Batch and the Steelers, the Ravens this week faced the Washington Redskins and their vaunted rookie Robert Griffin III. Except when the Ravens knocked Griffin out of the game with a leg injury in the game’s final minute, it was backup Kirk Cousins who engineered a touchdown pass and two-point conversion with 0:29 left to send the game into overtime, then beating … Continue reading →

RAVENS REPORT CARD: Steelers 23 Ravens 20

Posted on by
The Ravens had them right where they wanted them. Joe Flacco had just connected on a 28-yard touchdown pass to Anquan Boldin down the left sideline to take a 13-3 lead over the Steelers, with just three minutes remaining in the first half. For a team riding a 15-game home winning streak, and a three-game streak over their rivals from Pittsburgh, it was looking like the win was in the bag. After all, the Steelers would be relying on Charlie Batch, their ancient, third-string quarterback, to bring them back The … Continue reading →

RAVENS REPORT CARD: Ravens 16, Chargers 13

Posted on by
REARVIEW MIRROR RAVENS 16 CHARGERS 13, OT November 25, 2012 The ends justify the means. That may be the only way to explain an ugly performance that resulted in an unlikely 16-13 overtime win for the Ravens in San Diego. In the end a beautiful, hard-fought victory justified a lethargic first-half performance against a Chargers team that had not been playing well. Coming out of the locker room down 10-0,the Ravens could have accepted excuses about traveling across three time zones to play football. They could have accepted the notion … Continue reading →

Ravens Report Card: Ravens 13 Steelers 10

Posted on by
The Ravens and Steelers had to wait eleven weeks to renew the NFL’s best rivalry. It was a long enough march to this point of the season to see a good number players go down on both rosters. The biggest and newest name on that injury list was Ben Roethlisberger, who was out with a shoulder and rib injury from the previous week, making way for veteran signal caller Byron Leftwich to get the start at quarterback for the Steelers. Given Roethlisberger’s history of overcoming injury histrionics to perform late-game … Continue reading →

Ravens Report Card: Ravens 55 Raiders 20

Posted on by
“We’re still 6-2. We’re still 6-2.” That’s what a restless Ravens fan base told themselves all week leading up to this home game against a battered Oakland Raiders team, trying to look past doubts about a team that had not played as well as its record. Those doubts were put to rest, at least for a week, as the Ravens steamrolled the visiting Raiders 55-20, setting the franchise record for points in a game and running their division-leading record to 7-2. The weather was picture perfect. Joe Flacco was back … Continue reading →

Ravens Report Card: Ravens 25, Browns 15

Posted on by
Torrey Smith TD
REARVIEW MIRROR BALTIMORE RAVENS 25, CLEVELAND BROWNS 15 NOVEMBER 4, 2012 The Baltimore Ravens arrived in Cleveland riding an impressive set of statistical streaks that predicted victory.  Under John Harbaugh they had already gone 9-0 against the Browns and had reeled off 14-straight wins following a loss. So it seemed fitting that Baltimore would look very “streaky” in beating the Browns 25-15. The offense at first appeared to be in total rhythm, emphasizing the run and throwing when necessary to move the chains.  Joe Flacco went 8-for-8 to start the … Continue reading →

RAVENS REPORT CARD: Texans 43, Ravens 13

Posted on by
Baltimore Ravens v Houston Texans
HOUSTON TEXANS 43, BALTIMORE RAVENS 13             October 21, 2012 Before we get to the criticism of the Ravens play in this 43-13 shellacking at the hands of the Houston Texans – and there is plenty of criticism to come — let’s assess whatever good news is possible to take from this game, a rare blow-out loss by the Ravens. The Ravens are still 5-2, atop their division, and they are now headed into their bye week, with a winnable division game against the Browns … Continue reading →

RAVENS REPORT CARD: Ravens 9, Chiefs 6

Posted on by
Paul Kruger Jamaal Charles
REARVIEW MIRROR BALTIMORE RAVENS 9, KANSAS CITY CHIEFS 6 October 7, 2012 The Baltimore Ravens barely survived their trip to Kansas City, coming away with a 9-6 win over the lightly regarded Chiefs. In many ways, it was old-fashioned Ravens football, with goal-line stands and field goals flying. Except it was the Chiefs who resembled those Ravens teams from a decade ago, with a solid-looking defense, and a pounding running attack that was hampered by inept quarterback play. Chiefs running backs carried the ball 46 times for 200 yards against … Continue reading →

REPORT CARD: Ravens 23, Browns 16

Posted on by
Greg-Little-Lardarius-Webb
REARVIEW MIRROR BALTIMORE RAVENS 23 CLEVELAND BROWNS 16 September 27, 2012 Gene Steratore and his experienced crew of NFL officials were back on the field Thursday night shortly after the NFL had reached their new, eight-year labor agreement with their union earlier in the day. Also back on the field to face the Cleveland Browns were the Ravens players, the same field where just four nights earlier they slugged their way through to the final whistle and came away with a last-second win over the New England Patriots. The mental … Continue reading →

RAVENS REPORT CARD: Ravens 31, Patriots 30

Posted on by
201209232309833469898-p2
REARVIEW MIRROR BALTIMORE RAVENS 31 NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS 30 September 23, 2012 This time there was no distracting, last-second chaos after quarterback Joe Flacco had moved the offense down the field in the final two minutes and the Ravens ran their kicker onto the field. This time Patriots head coach Bill Belichick did call time out in an attempt to ice the kicker. This time the kick sailed through the uprights, barely. And this time the Ravens beat the Patriots, barely, 31-30, thanks to a last-second field goal by rookie … Continue reading →

RAVENS REPORT CARD: Eagles 24, Ravens 23

Posted on by
Pollard Hits Celek
REARVIEW MIRROR PHILADELPHIA EAGLES 24, BALTIMORE RAVENS 23 SEPTEMBER 16, 2012 Seeking explanations for a 24-23 loss to the Eagles, the Ravens faithful will surely question the fairness of the officiating in Philadelphia. All afternoon Robert Frazier’s frantic crew of replacement officials failed miserably to keep players from taking shots at one another after the whistle, and they were downright laughable simply trying to correctly spot the ball amidst the ongoing chaos. So when Ravens receiver Jacoby Jones was flagged for a questionable and rare offensive pass interference call in … Continue reading →

Ravens Report Card: Ravens 44 Bengals 13

Posted on by
ricebengals4413
They did the old man proud.  On a night dedicated to the memory of former owner Art Modell, playing on Monday Night Football, the venue Modell helped pioneer over forty years ago, the Ravens dismantled the Cincinnati Bengals, 44-13. All summer long teammates pronounced Joe Flacco a new, take-charge guy.  Now a home crowd and national audience saw it with their own eyes.  Flacco played brilliantly, well enough to support the growing sense that the Ravens finally have an offense that can outshine their vaunted defense. In fact, it was … Continue reading →

Ravens Report Card: Rams 31 Ravens 17

Posted on by
ravensrams
Old Ravens nemesis and new Rams head coach Jeff Fisher elected to keep his starters on the field for more than a half of play while Ravens head coach John Harbaugh dressed only a handful of starters. It was a good chance to expose Ravens’ bubble players to top competition before the team is required to cut 22 and get down to their final, 53-man roster on Monday. However, there were very few standout performances in this runaway 31-17 Rams win. The team has been very good at unearthing undrafted … Continue reading →