dc.

1. You're right that the board is different - big server failure caused an almost restart. Haven't been able to rebuild yet. Sucks. 2. I think your first paragraph actually makes my point for me. We lost a lot of close games in a bad, bad way... and many people here were very upset and claiming that this team didn't deserve any respect or recognition (except as one of the most flagged teams out there). There was a doom and gloom attitude - and no one able to say, "Hey, we were 4 plays from 13-3." And I just think it's classic that those voices fade when we win a game in a solid way.

No, again, I get it. Like I said, I don't entirely know because I know that, in the rules, replay is not supposed to be used to enforce penalties. BUT I also know that I have seen, on numerous occasions, it used to not only enforce the 'forward pass' rule, but also a penalty as a part of that. No justification why, really.

I was actually referring mostly to Force, so I'm glad he fessed up. I saw hints of the same ideas elsewhere... Papa, Grubber (actually, I didn't notice Grubber). I just think it's silly to say "Why go to the playoffs if you're going to lose?" That's like saying "Why should Maryland go to the NCAA tourney if they won't make it past the first or second round?" You play to do your best. If our best gets us just to the first round, fine. But I want the first round. As an O's fan, I'm not so jaded as to think just making the playoffs has no value. And I'm equally as frustrated every game. I mean, when we lose in a bad way (knowing we could have so easily changed the outcome), it's not even worth trying to talk to me for the next 12 hours. It's sad, funny, but true. But that doesn't mean I don't want the team to succeed in whatever way they can.

Agree on all fronts with other posts... Owings Mills, Towson, Timonium, Hunt Valley, etc etc... In the city, you can actually find some decently renovated places in good areas (Mt Vernon, Station North, etc) at decent rates. But you do have to hunt. Finding a roommate is never a bad idea either. I have friends who found a great place right off 83 and Charles St, 1 bed, 1.5 bath, amazing renovations for about $1000. Split two ways its manageable, depending on income. I haven't done a ton of looking ... but Towson further up York Rd/83 has had a lot of growth in terms of pop-up apts/condos... no idea on prices, but I know that many, many of them have not filled because of the market, so you may find a good deal.

True. Regardless... they showed up on this board. Meanwhile... I'm watching NFL Live and seeing highlights of the Cards-Pack game... unbelievable what both teams got away with last night. Facemasks (on QBs!), offensive pass interference, defensive holding, whatever... On two of Fitzgerald's big plays there was obvious and ridiculous contact. First time it looked largely incidental and, eventually, helped him make a big catch. But still, amazed that no flag hit the ground when a defender gets his arms wrapped around Fitz. Second time, Fitz just railroads a defender and again... no flag. In fact, I think they may have called it defensive holding. Just silly. By the way... anyone notice the Pats started resorting to throwing picks downfield to try and help Brady? They called it on Moss, thankfully. But it was there elsewhere.

It's not even about that, Dee. I can't say I was the most confident - I avoided predictions, and just played the middle. And I'll likely do the same this week. This was about all those who started saying 2, 4 or even 6-8 weeks ago that this team should just fold it in and stop embarrassing itself. As recently as 10 days ago we had people on these very boards saying that they WANTED the Ravens to lose to Oakland ... it would make sure we didn't get beat up anywhere else. That's what it's about. If you don't think we'll win, fine. I don't always think we'll win. But there's a big difference between expecting a loss and HOPING for a loss.

WHY did we EVER let this team make the playoffs??? What a pathetic showing! No. No way I want my 9-7 team in the playoffs. No way I want this defense in the playoffs. No way am I letting Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Phil Rivers and Carson Palmer trounce us on National TV after such an awful season. This is stupid. Why are we even here?!?

I remembered that earlier this season I spent some time at Pats Planet talking the first game... They are pretty active and reading their game thread is too much fun. 3 pages of pre-game 'ass whooping' talk... And then 20 pages of devastation... and then 49 more pages of just packing it in. Love it. http://www.patriotsplanet.com/BB/showthread.php?t=53310

Well, in the case of illegal forward pass, in addition to being a penalty, it is a non-judgment call that determines the outcome of a play - fumble, out of bounds, 'breaking the plane.' Whether you should be able to enforce the penalty? Arguable. But whether you should be able to correct an illegal act (like completing a pass forward or lateraling to a man forward)? Certainly.

There wee certainly problems with reading the defenses... whether that was Joe, bad play calling, or the offensive line... I don't know. I know that multiple times I watched Oher double a man inside and miss an outside blitzer. His mistake or a RBs mistake? Again, don't know. But it hurt us frequently. As for Joe, though, I still say play-calling was the biggest limit to his performance. My brother started getting on Joe about holding the ball too long and how "someone has to be open." So, in response, I said we should start counting the plays were Heap AND a RB are kept in to block... the number was astronomical. Heap + RB + Joe + 5 OL... = 8 players. That leaves 3 players to receive... 2 if Rice is coming out of the backfield. It's absurd. The Raiders were rushing 5 and that leaves 6 defenders to cover 2 or 3 receivers. We will never win in that situation. I sound like a broken record... but Joe will read a defense and get off a throw quickly (or learn to) if given the chance. 5 OL, 4 receivers, 1 QB, 1 FB/TE to block... challenge the D to cover our men. Maybe they will, but just like against Pitt in Bmore and in other situations (and so many times against OUR defense), the QB will find the open man quickly. 7-step-drops and long passing patterns are the enemy. Lots of receivers, quick drops, quick throws... And when they back off and use their LBs to cover our middle routes, slash 'em with RR.

Yeah but Cedric Benson ran all over us and I have a feeling Ricky Williams and Reggie Brown could find some holes... They put up plenty of points on the Jets twice over, who by the numbers have a defense as stronger or stronger than ours. And our D last year is not our D this year.

I didn't say we couldn't win... I didn't say I expect a loss... I just know better than to EXPECT a win from this team against any decent opponents. Be real. This year and last... playoff teams got under our skin in the regular season. The Jets, worthy or not, are a playoff team and ranked ahead of us even. I don't see Sanchez eating us up (this year or next)... but that defense is pretty worthy against our inconsistent offense. Miami? You don't think their tricks could thrash us the way San Diego's little games did? And Denver we devoured this year, and I hope we can devour again next year, but who knows. That's all. I'm not penciling any W's against anyone decent.

You cannot use replay to enforce any penalty EXCEPT illegal forward passes, as far as I know... it can be done when a QB is past the line of scrimmage or when a player laterals illegally forward... I think in the case of Flacco's play, it was stupid and moot point because the pass was incomplete... had Flacco completed the pass, then sure, review it just like you would a fumble or a touchdown ... but on an incomplete pass? Silly.

NE, Cincy x2, Pitt x2, New Orleans (and that passing game), Atlanta, Miami, NYJ, Denver... None of those games are particularly patsy pansy easy... so I don't know where this "no worries" attitude comes from. Not to say the philosophy shouldn't be 'Why Not 19-0?'

For sports purposes and historical purposes, it's always easier to just go from 0-9...the 70's, the 80's, the 90's, the 00's.... But accurately, Spen is right. A true decade runs 1-10. Either way it hardly matters.

True... add in another year and Flacco easily wins QB, McClain probably wins FB more easily, Grubbs and Gaither gain some traction for their OL positioning...

Really, Grbac's numbers were no worse than Dilfer's. No better, but no worse. And that was with an injured OL and dumped RB. I think if Grbac made it another season, 2002 would have been very different...

Interesting and just as tough to answer! I still don't know that I can find 11 offensive players though, haha... Offense 1 Ogden, 2 Jamal Lewis, 3 Todd Heap, 4 Derrick Mason, 5 Edwin Mulitalo, 6 Getting Thin, 7 Shannon Sharpe, 8 Le'Ron McClain? 9 Joe Flacco? 10 Kyle Boller... um... Defense 1 Ray Lewis, 2 Ed Reed, 3 Chris McAlister, 4 Terrell Suggs, 5 Peter Boulware, 6 Bart Scott, 7 Kelly Gregg, 8 Samari Rolle, 9 Adalius Thomas, 10 Haloti Ngata, 11 (Baxter, Goose, Hartwell, McCrary?) Special Teams Stover, Koch, Jermaine Lewis, Adalius Thomas

Actually, looking back at the numbers... Dilfer was far from awful. He was about as decent as a QB we had until Flacco. 12 TDs in just 8 games as a starter (7 really, as his first game I think was still part of the TD drought). 1500 yards in 8 games too. Though, not much to write home about in the playoffs... I still just have issues with putting a guy on the list who played 1/2 a season with us!

Well, I'm not trying to take it TOO seriously. But ... if we don't have a decent RT to put on the list, I just don't want to put a RT on the list. You know? Same with QB. I'd rather just highlight, as I did, the 3-5 best players from each unit... or maybe the 10 best players period... because I think this team is obviously lacking in certain areas.

I mean no offense, Crav... but my point remains... If you're doing it based on team accomplishments... than Flynn, Price, Rolle, Scott, Mulitalo, Brown, even Rice, McClain, etc... they simply don't belong. If you're doing it based on longevity... Boulware, Dilfer, Woodson, Rolle, Rice, McClain, Goose don't belong... If you're doing individual accomplishments... Rice, Boulware, Woodson, Dilfer, Rolle, McClain, don't belong... If you're going to mix... it's still hard to fit Dilfer (and others) in there. That TEAM won the Super Bowl, not just Dilfer. I mean, Dilfer is not this team's QB of the decade to me. It's that simple. It's hard to say Flacco is, but he won more games than Dilfer in his first season... and actually made it to a second season with the team. Goose and Woodson were gone after 01, no? Flynn was just a bad center in my mind... and I don't really count him as a RG. But if you count Flynn for his time with the team, then you have to count Boller over Dilfer or Flacco.

PS... Bernard Berrian is kind of a joke to have on that list. He's not a weapon. Largely helped by the other 3 around him - as Mason would be with some more help, and still Mason's numbers beat Berrian. Same with Anthony Becht. (REALLY??? Becht??? 7 catches for 61 yards... but Heap's a 'sometimes?') And Brandon Stokley (mmm 14 catches). And Daniel Graham (mmm 24 catches). And Crayton (33). And Matt Spaeth (5). Why not just add in every eligible receiver on each of these teams??? Oh... and I love the Giants WR numbers... but I wouldn't trade our spot for the Giants.

I will say that Heap is always a weapon... when he's allowed to go and play catch. But our offensive plans right now, and in part thanks to our lacking WR corps, call for him to block more often. You are right, our WR failings probably do fall to Ozzie on some level. They also fall to Billick, Harbaugh and Cam... all of whom thought the crew would work out. But you point to this whole team and find just one area where we don't match up... to me, that's not so shabby. Every team fails to match-up somewhere (or many places as the case may be in... Arizona?)

I think it's a borderline silly thing to think about... you'd have to decide on some criteria: longevity? raw talent? contributions? accomplishments? Dilfer gets All-Decade honors...? He started a total of 12 games for us, including the playoffs! But do I want Boller there? Nah. Flacco started more games last year than Dilfer... and won more... including 2 playoff wins! Add in this year and Flacco is this team's most successful and consistent QB ever! Mike Flynn - never liked him as a player. By longevity, he should be there, but not by accomplishments or contributions. Why not Matt Birk? Has done more than Flynn and started more games than Dilfer did as a Raven. Goose, Woodson - they hardly played for this team in the OO's. Boulware too when you add in injury... Pryce has been here a bit, but hardly a better pass rusher than Boulware who was pretty much in that spot earlier... FB... we haven't had a FB last more than 2 seasons all decade... McClain's as good as any, I guess... I guess, to me, there's so much turnover on a single team in a decade that it's hard to pick an 'all-decade' team ... might be better to just pick 3-5 guys from each side of the ball. Offense: Jamal Lewis Jon Ogden Todd Heap Defense: Ray Lewis Ed Reed Terrell Suggs Chris McAlister Kelly Gregg Special Teams: Matt Stover

I see your point. But I look at the numbers and guys from the likes of Howard to Berkman to Mourneau all make in the range of 13-15m per year. Tex got 20m per year. To me, he's not worth the extra 5m over those guys. And then throw in the likes of a guy like Joey Votto... 322/25 HR last year in only 130 games... and he, like Gonzalez is still restricted. And I just don't think it's that hard to find a big man to stand on a corner and swing a bat. If we really wanted to, we could do it with Reimold right now and probably turn him into a 25-30 HR guy while Pie, Jones and Markakis patrolled the OF. I guess my point is that everyone wants a 'power hitting 1B'... to me, anyone who hits for power could be a 1B (Reimold included). But if you can develop power and ability everywhere else on the field, that spot can be filled anytime... Sidenote on Fielder... if you read "Moneyball" back in the day, it was funny to read that no one thought Fielder belonged as a top pick. Swisher was the guy to get and the A's were thankful that the Brew Crew gave Fielder the old 'family pull' ... how different things turn out, but Fielder wasn't really anyone's top pick.