About 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 REPORT CARD: Ravens 31, Broncos 17

Posted on October 11, 2010 by Steve Hasler

REARVIEW MIRROR BALTIMORE RAVENS 31, DENVER BRONCOS 17 OCTOBER 10, 2010 As they prepared for Sunday’s home game against Denver Broncos the biggest concern for the Baltimore Ravens may have been whether they would take this game too lightly. With three of their first four games played on the road, this was a game sandwiched between tough road trips to Pittsburgh and New England. So it was easy to imagine John Harbaugh’s Ravens lacking the necessary intensity. After all, the Ravens have had the Broncos number at home. They came … Continue reading →

RAVENS REPORT CARD: Ravens 17, Steelers 14

Posted on October 4, 2010 by Steve Hasler

BALTIMORE RAVENS 17, PITTSBURGH STEELERS 14 October 3, 2010 How long before the NFL League office starts charging a premium to watch Ravens-Steelers games? That’s how fiercely entertaining these contests have become. Sunday was no exception in a see-saw battle that once again came down to the final ticks of the clock—as is usually the case in games featuring the NFL’s best rivalry. It has become a familiar story, one that was written on the faces in the crowd. The home-town fans bit their yellow towels and glanced pensively at … Continue reading →

RAVENS REPORT CARD: Ravens 24, Browns 17

Posted on September 27, 2010 by Steve Hasler

BALTIMORE RAVENS 24, CLEVELAND BROWNS 17 September 26, 2010 After six consecutive regular season and playoff games on the road, the Baltimore Ravens were finally back home Sunday looking to flip the script against a short-handed, heavy-underdog Cleveland Browns. Talk about 180º turnarounds — you couldn’t ask for a bigger improvement from quarterback Joe Flacco, who went from having perhaps his worst professional game a week ago against division rival Cincinnati, to what might be his best game to date. Flacco piloted a high-flying Ravens offense, with Anquan Boldin serving … Continue reading →

RAVENS REPORT CARD: Bengals 15, Ravens 10

Posted on September 19, 2010 by Steve Hasler

CINCINNATI BENGALS 15, BALTIMORE RAVENS 10 SEPTEMBER 19, 2010 For the second straight week, the much-anticipated Baltimore Ravens offense mustered just ten points against a strong defensive secondary. And again this week it was offensive turnovers—four interceptions by Joe Flacco—that erased any advantage that their penalty-prone opponent handed to them. In two games, the Ravens’ opponents have committed 23 penalties, compared to just ten for Baltimore. And, just like their week-one contest against the New York Jets, the Ravens defense stiffened when repeatedly put in poor field position, holding opposing … Continue reading →

RAVENS REPORT CARD: Ravens 10, Jets 9

Posted on September 15, 2010 by Steve Hasler

September 13, 2010 It turns out Steve Bisciotti was right. After ‘changing his mind’ and dismissing head coach Brian Billick at the end of the 2007 season, the Ravens owner could have simply anointed defensive coordinator and player-favorite Rex Ryan as the third head coach in Ravens history. But he didn’t. As owner of the Ravens Bisciotti had a very different vision for who should lead the team. He talked about a “gut feeling” that led to his choice of John Harbaugh. So, what did Bisciotti see in Harbaugh, the … Continue reading →

RAVENS REPORT CARD: Rams 27, Ravens 21

Posted on September 3, 2010 by Steve Hasler

CAROLINA PANTHERS 27, BALTIMORE RAVENS 21 September 2, 2010 Ugly, ugly, ugly. "It’s clear the fans don’t want four preseason games. It’s clear the players don’t want four preseason games. They tell me that all the time. You ask them that question and they’ll tell you. And we really don’t need it to make the game better.” You’re telling me. In June, when NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell made these remarks about the inferior quality of preseason football, he must have been gazing into his crystal ball, anticipating Thursday night’s 27-21 … Continue reading →

RAVENS REPORT CARD: Ravens 24, Giants 10

Posted on August 30, 2010 by Steve Hasler

BALTIMORE RAVENS 24, NEW YORK GIANTS 10 AUGUST 28, 2010 The Baltimore Ravens shook off early cobwebs and began to dominate the visiting New York Giants to pick up their seventh consecutive preseason win. In fact, the Ravens defense very nearly extended to 12 quarters their preseason streak of holding opposing offenses without a touchdown. However, with just a few diehard fans still lingering inside M&T Bank Stadium, the Giants finally pushed the ball across the goal line in the games’ final seconds to make their 24-10 loss to the … Continue reading →

RAVENS REPORT CARD: Ravens 23, Redskins 3

Posted on August 23, 2010 by Steve Hasler

AUGUST 21 2009 BALTIMORE RAVENS 23, WASHINGTON REDSKINS 3 It’s not that the Ravens starters on offense were all that bad. They weren’t. But they did look disjointed, fumbling and sputtering their way through a largely un-eventful first half of play. With the new-look Ravens offense held in check by the Washington Redskins, and their own miscues, it was left to the back ups, the defense, and the special teams units to secure a 23-3 win at FedEx Field in Landover. There is a sense about this offense of waiting … Continue reading →

RAVENS REPORT CARD: Ravens 17, Panthers 12

Posted on August 15, 2010 by Steve Hasler

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BALTIMORE RAVENS 17, CAROLINA PANTHERS 12 August 12, 2010 Ravens battle weather, inconsistency; begin preseason with a win. Mixed weather and mixed results. That’s how things went for the Baltimore Ravens in their preseason opener, a 17-12 win over the visiting Carolina Panthers. Generations of Baltimoreans have come to expect humid August days followed by stormy evenings and Thursday was no exception as the clouds opened up in the second half, bringing rain and sloppy play. Conditions compounded the coaching staff’s challenge of evaluating the talent at the back end … Continue reading →

RAVENS REPORT CARD: Colts 20, Ravens 3

Posted on January 18, 2010 by Steve Hasler

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INDIANAPOLIS 20, BALTIMORE RAVENS 3 January 16, 2010 It just wasn’t meant to be. Whatever could go wrong did, and even some things that went right went wrong for the Ravens, as their season came to a grinding halt with a 20-3 loss in Indianapolis. A week ago in the Wild Card round of the playoffs, the Ravens confounded the critics by traveling to Foxboro and destroying the Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and the Patriots’ mystic. The contest was not even close. On a short week’s … Continue reading →

RAVENS REPORT CARD: Ravens 21, Raiders 13

Posted on January 5, 2010 by Steve Hasler

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BALTIMORE RAVENS 21, OAKLAND RAIDERS 13 January 3, 2010 Game Conditions: Sunny Skies, Temp 54 degrees, Wind wnw 6 mph For the second time in two seasons head coach John Harbaugh is taking his Ravens to the playoffs after beating the Oakland Raiders 21-13, in a play-in game of sorts. The win gave the Ravens a 4-0 record this season against the AFC-West and it ran their record to an impressive 12-0 all-time under Harbaugh against teams with losing records. That’s not to say their win … Continue reading →

RAVENS REPORT CARD: Steelers 23, Ravens 20

Posted on December 29, 2009 by Steve Hasler

PITTSBURGH STEELERS 23, BALTIMORE RAVENS 20 December 27, 2009 Ravens versus Steelers: the tradition continues. Another hard fought, close game. Another loss at Heinz Field, where the Ravens have won just once in ten consecutive tries. Sunday’s game presented the Ravens with numerous chances to pull ahead and exit Pittsburgh with a win. But they did all the little things wrong, repeatedly committing mistakes that breathed fresh life into the Steelers chances for victory. After the loss, Ravens players and coaches seemed anxious to explain-away the miscues … Continue reading →

RAVENS REPORT CARD: Ravens 31, Bears 7 (including video highlights)

Posted on December 22, 2009 by Steve Hasler

BALTIMORE RAVENS 31 CHICAGO BEARS 7 December 20, 2009 While Mother Nature was dumping nearly two feet of snow on the Baltimore area this weekend, questions swirled over the Chicago Bears’ travel plans. Would the Bears even make to town before a kickoff that had already been pushed to the later 4:15 p.m. time slot? Their plane finally did land in Baltimore late Saturday night. But after watching the Ravens trounce the Bears 31-7 it may be accurate to say the Bears never really showed up. Yes, … Continue reading →

RAVENS REPORT CARD: Packers 27, Ravens 14

Posted on December 10, 2009 by Steve Hasler

GREEN BAY PACKERS 27, BALTIMORE RAVENS 14 DECEMBER 7, 2009 A week ago we asked the question, which Ravens team do you believe in? Are they a quality team that can fight back and beat the Super Bowl champs? Or are they a bad team that can nearly let a third string quarterback beat them in a must-win home game? After watching the Ravens travel to Lambeau Field Monday night and flounder on national television in a 27-14 loss, the answer is entirely unsatisfying. The answer is: neither. … Continue reading →

RAVENS REPORT CARD: Ravens 20, Steelers 17

Posted on December 3, 2009 by Steve Hasler

BALTIMORE RAVENS 20, PITTSBURGH STEELERS 17, OT November 29, 2009 Which Ravens team are we watching? The one that can come within a whisker of losing a must-win home game when they allowed a third-string quarterback to dash 24-yards untouched to the end zone to take a late 17-14 lead? Or are they a team “with the heart of a lion” that can claw its way back and find a way to come out on top? To the dismay of many we saw both against the … Continue reading →

RAVENS REPORT CARD: Colts 17, Ravens 15

Posted on November 24, 2009 by Steve Hasler

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS 17, BALTIMORE RAVENS 15 November 22, 2009 Ravens look better, but botch chances to knockout Colts. Remember that Ravens playoff game against the 2006 Colts? Baltimore very nearly avenged that painful loss by turning the tables Sunday. Like the Colts in that January 2007 game, Baltimore was unable to put the ball in the end zone on Sunday and had to settle for five field goals from newly acquired kicker Billy Cundiff to account for all their scoring. When Adam Vinatieri kicked five field goals … Continue reading →

RAVENS REPORT CARD: Ravens 16, Browns 0

Posted on November 17, 2009 by Steve Hasler

NOVEMBER 16, 2009 After watching the Ravens beat the Browns 16-0 in front of a national television audience this much we know: The Browns are really bad. And the Ravens did little to take advantage of it. Okay, maybe that is a bit of an exaggeration – the Browns played decently on defense. Or at least their front four seemed to play well at times. Which in turn raises questions about the Ravens offensive line, especially after seeing this unit get a knocked around for the second week … Continue reading →

RAVENS REPORT CARD: Bengals 17, Ravens 7

Posted on November 13, 2009 by Steve Hasler

CINCINNATI BENGALS 17, BALTIMORE RAVENS 7 November 8, 2009 Ravens Must Concede: Bengals Simply Better. There are going to be days when we can only shake our heads and admit we got our asses handed to us. Sunday was one of those days for the fans, players, coaches, and broadcasters who witnessed the Ravens 17-7 loss to the Bengals. Hell, even the beer vendors could see the Bengals are simply the better team right now. For a few days you will hear blame-game theories about which … Continue reading →

RAVENS REPORT CARD: Ravens 30, Broncos 7

Posted on November 3, 2009 by Steve Hasler

November 1, 2009 BALTIMORE RAVENS 30 VS DENVER BRONCOS 7 The Baltimore Ravens had two weeks to absorb the sting of their three-game losing streak. A bye week left them ample time for all the questions to sink in. Questions that had piled up in newspaper stories, on radio talk shows, and on Internet message boards. The doubters were calling the once-vaunted defense a shell of its former self. The defensive backfield was termed weak. Defensive Coordinator Greg Mattison was called an unimaginative fraud. The ability of the front … Continue reading →

RAVENS REPORT CARD: Vikings 33, Ravens 31

Posted on October 20, 2009 by Steve Hasler

MINNESOTA VIKINGS 33 BALTIMORE RAVENS 31 October 18, 2009 Another Ravens game came down to a few critical seconds. And the result was another close loss, the third in a row in fact, as the Ravens fell short to the Minnesota Vikings, 33-31. Critical seconds… The game was lost with clock reading 0:02 and Steve Hauschka’s 44-yard field goal attempt sailing left of the uprights—right? Not exactly! The critical seconds in this game were on the front-end, as the Ravens appeared to sleepwalk their way into the Metrodome … Continue reading →