OutsideRzAcE

This is intriguing and mind boggling at the same time. Obviously like you guys I think the timing is horrendous. I guess we're so close to the SB that Ed feels the urgency - we all remember how hard he took the Indy loss a couple of years ago. He probably figured he'd regret it if he didn't say something and Joe played timid again. I cannot believe he not only called out Joe and Cam, but also the Oline and Rice all in one article. What are we, the Jets? I'm intrigued because this is our first glimpse into what Reed and possibly more of the D players really think of Flacco. Skip Bayless will be alllll over this.

That's hilarious. I guess this is a new trend.

Ok Papa you're laying it on a little thick. The Pats D is coming around? Why? Because they shut down Tim Tebow? The two games before that the Pats were down 21-0 and 17-0 before they even finished annoucing the starting lineups.

The powder of positive thinking. I was wondering if we should have Smith follow Gronkowski and Webb stick with Welker. Use a LB/Safety on Hernandez and Cary on Branch. I think Carr did a good job on Welker last time so they may look to him again.

They already started with that last week on cnnsi. They evaluated every possible SB combination to explores storylines and decided the Harbowl would be the best.

http://www.nfl.com/n..._headline_stack

The Packers are going down!

Who will cover Gronkowski? That is my concern. It's a tremendous mismatch for anyone if we go man. We'll have to scheme him and Hernandez too.

Excellent points. I thought Joe did ok for what he had to work with - receivers that couldn't get open, a terrible Oline performance (even Yanda and Grubbs looked human), and some key drops. Dickson has solidified himself as the #2 in my mind. I want Pitta out there when it matters (like now in the playoffs). Overall, yes. Win and advance is all that matters. What I will like about this upcoming week is that no-one will think the Ravens can win after the way they won vs the way NE won. They play the underdog role so much better than the role of the favored team. Big props to Ray Lewis and Ed Reed. For those wondering if all the talk about them needing to sit would motivate them - I'm thinking it did. The only better player on the field for the Ravens was Lardarius Webb.

Those of you going to the game, we're counting on you to make it so loud that the Houston players can't think of anything else but the noise. SCREAM YOUR LUNGS OUT! GO RAVENS!

I was listening to Ed Dickson on 105.7 this afternoon, Purple and Black attack. He said the energy has been through the roof this week...he gave an example where the guys were in the weight room and Redding just jumped up and shouted "IT'S OUR TIME". They are jacked up and ready to go. This team is motivated like no other team left in the playoffs. Most of the key guys have been here for 3 of the previous playoff runs, including the big disappointment last year. Motivation is not a guarantee for victory...you still need to some lucky bounces here are there, but I think we'll definitely see an across the board rise in intensity this week. I can only hope it catches the Texans off guard and they can't keep up!

That was a great article. The parts about Suggs' high school days were especially interesting. I had no idea he was a running back, but I guess a lot of guys played that position back in high school. I remember watching Foxworth run the ball at Western Tech...he was great too.

Just reading the phrase "slit the muscle" almost made me faint

I love that we have a guy like this on our team. Way to tough it out for the team Yanda!

T-SIZZLE!! LOL...good stuff

LOL Cravn I will say if the Ravens win again this year then you better make plans to move again next year. There are 47 other states to move to and 47 more championship to win!

I didn't pull up the Stats, but I think he had a good game in KC last year.

It's unsettling... like in Major League when the owner walks around to all the players right before the finale against the Yankees and wishes them luck even though she wants them to fail.

Actually Max beat me to it.

Yea that's what I was thinking. Heat of the moment or not, you can't say "Next year i'm going to control everything" (paraphrasing) unless you own the team

Playoffs are where the big time QB's make a name for themselves (unless you're Matt Ryan ba-dum psssssh). Most QB's are fortunate enough that they get to build their legacies within the friendly confines of their home stadiums. Joe hasn't had that luxury to this point. Statiscially he's a better QB at home - his QB rating is higher, he throws fewer interceptions and he is a stellar 22 games above .500 at home. (27-5!) John Clayton, who is probably one of the biggest Flacco supporters in the media wondered if Flacco needs to win the SB to finally get some respect. I don't know if that's true, but I know he's got a fantastic opportunity in front of him right now and he has to take advantage of it. Fair or not, Flacco has taken a lot of heat for a QB with is career W-L record. I have given him my fair share of criticism, notably after Jax and SD. Starting sunday it's on him to propel himself make his case to be regarded as one of the best and most respected QB's in the game. No excuses this time. He's not on the road, and the Steelers and Colts (two of the Ravens biggest SB cockblocks) will be sitting at home watching him on TV. Even if the game goes well for the Ravens and Rice gets his yards, Joe has to make plays and move the chains. Rice ran for almost 200 yards against Cinci but Joe was just as critical in the game because aside from the 2 long runs, Rice was getting bottled up. He'll have to be accurate when Torrey is open down the field, and he'll have to find his open man on time. Before the season he declared himself a top 5 QB. This is when the real cream of the crop proves it.

Yes, we need Yanda to sustain that running game and keep those sack happy youngsters off of Flacco. I have a feeling Suggs is going to be a monster in this game. He seems to step up in the playoffs on the road...I can wait to see what he does at home.

Good news. Everyone that was hurting after the Cinci game, and there were plenty, will be back for the playoff game. The Ravens will be at full strength thanks to the bye

I found this interesting. Cam got a head start on the Texans http://espn.go.com/blog/afcnorth/post/_/id/39879/ravens-cam-cameron-is-scouting-texans

Tomlin too. He has to be criticized for his handling of Big Ben and other injured players like their Center down the stretch. Roethlisberger should not have played after the 9ers game.