varaven45

Ditto on Hill. I am hoping he is as good as advertised. Actually, if he's half that good, we ought to insert him in the lineup.....soon and very soon.

They overcame adversity, numerous significant injuries, and fielded a patchwork SP rotation in compiling a 90 + win season and AL East Championship. Kudos to the Os, the organization and the fans. It was a great year and I'm already looking forward to spring 2015. Go Os !!!!

KC will have their glory this postseason and be a one and done team for sure. Nobody has really taken them seriously this postseason. Next year, they will come back to earth and be a marginal playoff team. Another Florida Marlins team from last decade.

You can stick a fork in us.

Ditto. Two weeks ago- against Indy- everyone here said our OL stunk. Last Sunday - against TB- it was great. Let's see how it performs against Atlanta, Cincy and Pitt in the next 3 weeks.

If your right, that's good. If we can shut down passing game, that's a good thing.

Actually, Crav, Ryan is second in the league (behind only Luck) in passing with 1850 yards and same number of TDs as Joe with a dozen. I expect both QB to have huge games. WR Julio Jones is a beast who will create matchup problems for our secondary; got to stay glued to him. If we can shut both down, we can be successful on Sunday. Atlanta is in a very desperate situation at 2-4 and cannot afford to drop to 2-5. I expect a huge game from the Falcons. I am going to the game with my Falcons buddy from Virginia. Looking for redemption from the that loss in the GA Dome four years ago.

Agreed on our year long lack of productions w/ the bases loaded. Its been all year long and Buck and Co have somehow taken this team to the ALCS. Its a really good team and, as a fan, I have thoroughly the team and their passion. At the same, our poor situational hitting, which we've observed all season, is now magnified in the ALCS. On the other hand, KC has put on a situational hitting clinic and their bullpen has been light out. Sprinkle in their momentum and fearless attitude, KC is just a damn tough out, for anyone. One last thought. The loss of Weiters, Machado, and Davis cannot be overstated or overlooked. Its a different series, esp with the situational hitting, with 2 out of these guys in the O's lineup. Maybe not enough to overcome KC but you can sure as hell bet we are scoring more runs with those guys in the lineup. Unfortunately, well never know.

Me too. The Good Ravens showed up today. I like it when they do that

Close game. Margin of victory: 3-6 points. Too close to call. Depends which Raven team shows up.

We are just getting beaten by a slightly better team that is white HOT. I don't see anyone beating KC right now, Giants or Cardinals.

Unfortunately, Ventura >>> Shields. As fans, we better hope this guy doesnt bring his A game and Norris does.

The Royals are world beaters right now and playing with no fear. They remind me of our 2000 Ravens ( I know different sport). It's like they don't know what they don't know. And they don't care. We need a huge break tonight and some Os magic to get back on the series. Norris need to be the man tonight. Let's Go Os

Man, KC is firing on all cylinders and is going to be tough to beat. We have to win tonight; cannot afford to go to KC down 2-0. Let's go Buck; time to rally the troops

Max, Good stuff

Talk about two evenly matched teams. Should be a great series. Who do you like and how many games ?

We"lł make him look like the next Johnny U

All of which points to the overwhelming need for a strong pash rusher - something we haven't had for a few years. Perhaps with the improved play of Webb and Smith and pending insertion of Will Hill in the lineup, Peas and Co can gamble a bit more and call a few more blitzes. If not, it'll be status quo for the year.

Yeah, like the way we thumped Cleveland and were supposed to thump Indy yesterday. While we are all just fans, its that kind of thinking that drives me crazy at times. Now, on to Tampa. Last I checked, the Bucs led NO in their house before blowing a late game lead and losing in OT. They beat the Steelers at Heinz, and then lost squeakers to Carolina and St. Louis. They have an NFL roster and are capable of beating anyone, including us, quite easily. As I recall, we eked out a late 4th quarter drive/comeback win in Cleveland and easily could be 2-3, instead of 3-2. The 2014 Ravens are a grind it out, inconsistent team with no offensive identity and a 'bend don't break' defense with a work in progress secondary. The point - this team will continue to grind it out every week, especially against the so-called "little sisters of the poor" like Tampa. They'll be written off by everyone and desperate like New England (before Monday nights game) and we saw how that one worked out. Tampa will play like its their SB and maybe we will/maybe we wont show up on Sunday. Either way, look for a grind it out ball game and late game heroics by the victor- whoever that might be.

Hmm... good point. I recall the tragic loss of his brother. Hopefully, he can rebound from whatever is ailing him.

Thanks for link Papa. I know that winning and "caught" balls cures most if not everything but ...judging from that article, it sounds like there's more to it. I wonder if this is related to fallout from the Rice situation, the owner/team's handling of matter, etc. I understand Torrey was pretty close to Ray. Plus, he's not at all playing with a purpose or passion like the old Torrey or Smith Sr . Just a hunch...

Don't have a link but Balt Sun was quoting him as feeling sick off and the on the field. Sorry I cant find link.

His 'sickness' on and off the field is befuddling but concerning as well. Does he have a serious off field problem that is adversely affecting his on field performance. I don't want to know his personal business - that's his own - but something isn't right. I hope he rights the ship soon and gets back on track. He's a good player and character guy and hate to see his performance suffer. Any insight here ?

It's ALL in the O-line, the O-line. We block, we run, we pass, we score, we win. No blocky = No win. Same next weekend in Tampa.

KC or LA ?