Preseason games are liars. They help to set unrealistic levels of expectations both good and bad. They inspire oftentimes inaccurate forecasts of gloom and they spring false hopes. But for now, they’re all we and more importantly the coaches and team personnel evaluators have to go on to set the 53 man roster. Sometimes despite the unintentionally false pretenses, talent can emerge. And for the Ravens on a perfect August night for football that’s exactly what happened during their 48-17 thumping of the Jacksonville Jaguars. The win didn’t come without … Continue reading →

Last night’s preseason game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Detroit Lions was long and boring. Adding to the misery for the local faithful was the rain, a loss, an accompanying loss by the Orioles to another Detroit team and the fact that fans paid full price thus adding insult to injury. Speaking of which the Ravens emerged relatively unscathed from the injury bug with just a couple  of sprained ankles (LaQuan Williams, Vonta Leach), a burner (Sergio Kindle) and a hip contusion (Ricky Brown). Without further ado, let’s make … Continue reading →

The scoreboard read Ravens 31, Falcons 17 – FINAL. But in the end the victories consisted of only moral ones and those for the Ravens’ reserves. The first quarter was a disaster on both sides of the ball. To put it in perspective the Ravens manageD to “rack up” 9 yards in 9 plays on 3 possessions during the first frame while Julio Jones alone had 6 catches for 109 yards and a score. Maybe the real Ravens first team did land in Arizona (see video below). The reserve units … Continue reading →

Had you known in advance that Joe Flacco would clearly outplay Tom Brady and that New England’s All-World signal caller would not throw a single TD pass chances are you would have marked your calendar on February 5 for the Ravens’ second Super Bowl appearance. But it wasn’t meant to be. A dropped pass, a missed field goal, an interception overturned due to a ticky-tacky call – alter any of these events and it’s quite likely the story, for Ravens fans, would have had a happy ending. But in the … Continue reading →

Santa Claus visited M&T Bank Stadium on Christmas Eve 2011 and he looked strikingly similar to Cleveland Browns head coach Pat Shurmur. The Browns skipper’s inept sideline leadership, play calling and clock management played a huge role in gifting the Ravens a 20-14 victory and keep their 2011 home record at an unblemished 8-0. It wasn’t supposed to be this way. The Ravens jumped out to a 20-0 lead but as they have so often in the past, they took their collective foot off the accelerator and let an inferior … Continue reading →

The Baltimore Ravens v. the team formerly known as the Baltimore Colts. Just the mention of the game in years past was enough to raise the collective blood pressure of Baltimore area fans. Mix in the Colts 8 game winning streak against the Ravens and you might expect a pretty tense atmosphere at M&T Bank Stadium. Not yesterday, not the entire week leading into the game. No one was worried and with good reason. The 2011 Colts stink! It is mind boggling how much a difference one player makes to … Continue reading →

Thanksgiving is my favorite of holidays. Just the thought of this day of thanks stirs up warm tinglies as families gather to spend time together and to focus at least for a day upon all that they have instead of regretting what they don’t have or fretting over what they aspire to have.   There’s a calm about Thanksgiving. It’s like calling a timeout in the game of life. Thanksgiving allows you to exhale; to look around you and at your loved ones; consider who you are and what you are … Continue reading →

This just in from Forrest Gump: “The Baltimore Ravens are like a box of chocolates. You just never know what you’re gonna git!” And that pretty much says all you need to know about this 2011 John Harbaugh squad through Week 10. They’ve lost to two of the league’s worst teams, the Jaguars and Seahawks who entered each contest with five and three game losing streaks respectively. These are teams that the Ravens are supposed to control. They should be dictating the game but instead these teams despite their inadequacies … Continue reading →

Ok I have to admit to an affliction that I’ve had for about 16 years which at this point has no cure and it may be worsening. It’s called Football Tourette’s. Whenever the Ravens play the Steelers the conditions are nearly perfect for the syndrome’s side effects to really rear their ugly heads. If you need a visual, think back to the movie A Christmas Story and the father’s inability to control his knee-jerk profanity when his furnace acts up. This is why I turned down several offers to go … Continue reading →

So will the real Baltimore Ravens please stand up? Are they the team that opened the season in dominating fashion against the archrival Steelers or are they more like the team that looked dazed and confused in Jacksonville last Monday night? Yesterday against the Cardinals in their own crib, they were a little of both while providing little evidence to dispel their burgeoning reputation as a Jekyll & Hyde squad. THE GOOD: Let’s hope that Joe Flacco provided enough evidence to Cam Cameron to convince him to use the shotgun … Continue reading →

The Ravens entered yesterday’s game against the Texans well rested. Many believed that besides rest the down time might be spent on self-scouting and refining some of the areas where the team needed some polish, such as in red zone efficiency and in chemistry building along the offensive front. If they did invest some sweat equity in those areas, yesterday produced no dividends. The game was a rather strange one since it isn’t often that you see a team win by 15 points while losing the turnover battle by -2 … Continue reading →

Throughout the entire week leading into the Ravens game against the Rams in St. Louis fans and the media both wondered aloud – which team, the one that hosted the Steelers or the one that was rolled in Nashville, would show up at the Edward Jones Dome. Many worried that a 0-2 hosting team might play with a level of desperation – particularly one that many believed would compete for the NFC West Divisional Title. It didn’t take the Ravens long to answer their critics and ease the collective mind … Continue reading →

The Ravens ventured into LP Field on Sunday riding a wave of confidence thanks to a dominating performance against the Steelers on Opening Day. All week long the team talked about putting the big win behind them and focusing on the Tennessee Titans. They vowed not to overlook Mike Munchak’s squad in a stadium where the Ravens have historically enjoyed a great deal of success. Earlier in the week John Harbaugh chastised a member of the media for inquiring about the possibility of a letdown. "I’m embarrassed for you when … Continue reading →

Sunday was a beautiful day and undoubtedly one that will echo in eternity for Ravens fans. We’ve basked in the glow for a couple of days now; marinated in the nectar of victory while reliving every great play and every Ravens score. Months and months of tortuous ridicule from those black and yellow clad fans armed with an inflated sense of self-entitlement all exorcised within 60 minutes of magnificent execution by the hometown team. We are Ravens Nation! Yet this feeling that we share of glorious exultation must pale in … Continue reading →

Last night’s preseason game between the Ravens and Falcons was a true test of your fandom. Watching the game was difficult enough only made worse by WBAL-TV and their antiquated production. Reruns of the 1970 World Series on MASN seem more cutting edge than Rave TV. Between the quality of play and the broadcast production, I was hoping the game would be pre-empted by reruns of Two and a Half Men. WBAL’s graphics are horrible; the camera crew follows the action like a blindfolded kid playing Pin the Tail on … Continue reading →

There’s something painful about a preseason game. Things just never seem to flow properly. It’s a time for adjustment, fine tuning, dress rehearsals and sound checks. It’s even that way for the fans. WBAL interviewed some folks in the tailgate lots and some dude was on camera saying, “I think we can go 11-4 or 12-3.” Hello, the lockout didn’t shorten the season. If they could only shorten these preseason games! THE GOOD: Tyrod Taylor is a playmaker and he is growing seemingly on a daily basis. Behind an offensive … Continue reading →