*Note* This was written before last night’s victory in Pittsburgh. That victory helps put things back in perspective even more so, doesn’t it?
Ok fellow Ravens fans, it’s time for a reality check. The Ravens started 0-3 for the first time in team history, and the playoffs are a long shot, though still a remote possibility with so many home games still remaining (seven of the last twelve). Still: they probably aren’t going to the playoffs this year. Just accept it. The team has a few gaping holes talent-wise as they lack playmakers at wide receiver, in the secondary, and in the pass rush. At this point, an 8-8 season sounds like a fair goal to strive for.
And guess what? This is it right here…the whole point of this article. It’s okay!! Everything is going to be alright!! I promise!!
The Ravens are the last NFL franchise to ever have an 0-3 start. 16% of all Patriots seasons have begun with an 0-3 record. Sure, not recently, but Pretty Boy and Coach Evil aren’t going to be around forever. The Steelers started out 0-3 and 1-4 a couple of years ago and finished 8-8.
The Packers even started 1-2 last year. The Seahawks were borderline irrelevant before Russell Wilson. The Broncos won’t have a QB come next year.
The Colts went 2-14 before drafting Andrew Luck. Mediocre seasons happen. The Ravens haven’t finished .500 or worse than 2007. That’s eight years of elite success and good starts, guys.
Even if all hell breaks loose this year and the Ravens finish 5-11, it won’t be the end of all things purple. Look at it this way: The Ravens ended the 2007 season losing nine out of their last 10. They were the only team the 1-15 Dolphins beat that year. Brian Billick was fired, and Jonathan Ogden retired. The Ravens entered the 2008 season with a rookie coach and a QB trio of Kyle Boller, Troy Smith, and rookie Joe Flacco. Boller got hurt, and Smith got sick. Flacco looked anything but ready during the preseason that year. Expectations were low to say the least, but the excitement was still there. The Ravens finished 11-5 and went to the AFC Championship game that year. This team has exceeded expectations before. It’s okay if they fail to meet them every now and again as well.
While 2013 wasn’t necessarily the best of times, the Ravens have still been one of the winningest teams since that 2008 season. The Ravens rarely struggle for consecutive years. This team still has a great shot at finishing with a respectable record. Ozzie and Company will work their typical magic in the offseason, and your expectations will be higher than ever come next August.
How many of you were rooting for the Steelers over the Patriots in Week 1? Raise your hands, everyone. You all thought the Ravens could beat out the Steelers for the division anyway, and you wanted to get home-field. I get it. I don’t agree with the logic, but I get it. You were confident.
Even when the team wasn’t supposed to win, they won. We’re used to it, and we are spoiled. Think for a second about how much this could suck. Our team is 1-3. It’s depressing, isn’t it? But imagine if this was our reality every single year. We could be fans of that awful DC team or of one of the sixteen Florida teams. Remember when the Titans used to be relevant back in the early 2000s? Feels like forever ago, doesn’t it?
That won’t be the Ravens. This is a one-year blip. Keep supporting the team and cheer them on every Sunday. Don’t be a fair-weather fan calling for Harbaugh’s head because of one bad three-game stretch. If you are one of those people, that’s fine. Just do me a favor: go root for the Redskins for the next three years and get back to me on how you’re doing.
Calm down, Ravens fans, and get some perspective. We’re fine.
