oldno82

Hey Billy, good to see you...sorry about your loss yesterday...I still like your team though and wish you good luck except when you play the Ravens!

Of course Ozzie deserves credit. He's the guy who hires and fires guys like DaCosta. He's also pretty good on draft day...I think he and DaCosta make an excellent team and Eric will take over when Oz retires. Thats the goal I'm shooting for. And it looks like we might have got it.

We've really got to hold on to DaCosta. I have a suspicion he's the real brains of the drafting behind the Ravens' success plus he's been working with the team since it got started. We need him. I think he wants to be here. Its up to Bisciotti.

Max, I couldn't have said it any better.

Preston's full of it on this one. What a ridiculous time to think about dumping Ray and Ed. It would completely destroy team chemistry. After the season there will be plenty of time to address this. Besides, right now both deserve a shot to lead this team to a Super Bowl.

That, I think, would make everybody happy.

I think the final answer to the question posed in the start of this thread is: No. Dalton is not better than Flacco. At least not yet.

Does Evans have anything left in his tank or even his hands? What a waste of a 4th round pick thats turning out to be.

The Western Division imploded this year until the Chargers got their act together...the Colts collapsed as did the Jets so who better than us, Pittsburgh and you guys?

I can.

Somebody shut him down didn't they?

Thanks! And you guys made the playoffs too and deservedly so. I like the makeup of your team. How about beating the Steelers now in the playoffs for both of us?

I read this and have to admit it makes for another worry: From Baltimore Ravens.com Flacco Beware NBC’s “Football Night in America” analysts Rodney Harrison and Tony Dungy believe the Bengals have a real chance of pulling off an upset over the Ravens in Sunday’s regular-season finale. One of the keys to stopping the Bengals from pulling out a win will be the Ravens’ ability to protect quarterback Joe Flacco. In ESPN’s stock watch, the Bengals’ pass rush is on the rise. They rank third in the NFL in sacks with 44. “Few defenses have pressured quarterbacks like Cincinnati recently,” wrote Jamison Hensley. “Over the past three games, the Bengals have recorded 13 sacks and 29 quarterback hits. “The problem for offenses is that you can’t shut down the pass rush by shutting down one player. During this three-game span, 11 players have recorded at least a half sack. The only player with more than 1.5 sacks is defensive end Jonathan Fanene (three sacks).”

Couldn't agree more with you, Max.

Rex is light years ahead of anybody else when it comes to making outrageous statements. I don't see anything wrong with Terrell saying he'd rather be in the Super Bowl than the Pro Bowl and I bet most if not all players would say the same thing.

Funny how you just disappeared from our board after that loss with all the trash talk you were doing beforehand.

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I read that Yanda MAY have a fractured rib. Oh no!

Merry Christmas to Everybody! Ravens are something of a puzzle aren't they? I wish I could say I understood this team but they seem to defy logical explanation. A couple things I agree with: Reed is not having a good year and Ray Lewis is over the hill. Flacco can't carry the team and Cam has too many shortcomings to continue after this season. The problem is I really don't have any answers. At this point, I see a defeat in Cincy followed by an early exit from the playoffs. I don't think this team is playing up to its potential and a large part of that you have to lay at the coaching staff's feet. And, by the way, to Bengal Billy: you guys will also have an early exit from the playoffs and may not even make them next year. The Bungles are not a very good team.

Williams has played before and done well catching the ball. The problem is, Boldin is very effective over the middle in traffic and do we have a WR who can do that too without getting killed when we play the Bungles?

I don't think Graham's got that kind of power leg anymore but he should be useful inside the 40 or 45. I hope!

No to Randy Moss; yes to Lee Evans. For a third receiver we have Williams and Doss and I'd like to see both of them get some action against the Browns.

I think Cundiff looks both unconfident and uncomfortable on the field now. I'm not sure how much of an improvement Graham is but a move had to be made. Really hoping Billy can turn it around.

The best thing I like about this forum is the diversity of opinions you guys bring to it. I usually find it quite mentally stimulating and after reading all the responses above I feel that way more than ever. You guys make me think and at my age thats a blessing! I think we have have a very good defense and a good offense but neither is in the 'great' category. The defense is not up to the one that we had around the early part of last decade. The offense probably has more weapons than any other Raven offense has had since they've been here. I guess the problem I see with Joe is something Ozzie said a few years ago at the end of the season press conference. Ozzie said he liked an offense that could move the ball on the ground but it had to be one that 'could win in a shootout' too. I think we're missing that. Our defense can't carry the team every game so there are going to be times the offense bails them out just like there are times they bail out the offense. We didn't respond like that against the Chargers. Instead our passing game looked incapable of winning a shootout and in fact looked like they couldn't even participate in one. As I've been a real longtime Baltimore football fan, I think back not only to the days of Johnny U and what magic he could do, but also back to the Bert Jones days when that guy could carry a team on his back by his outstanding offensive production. I think thats missing from this franchise. Still, after reading all the comments above I have to say that I feel better today than yesterday about our prospects and certainly the Steelers losing helped that too. We HAVE to win the next two games. This team is capable of winning the next two days. I'm hoping our quarterback and our coaching is up to it. Maybe they are and maybe we'll get a Christmas present of the Ravens getting that first round bye and at least one home playoff game. The Bengals will be tough again but we did beat them once---here.

This Ravens team are a good team. But not a great one. If the pass rush gets contained, the secondary can't step up. On offense, Flacco is a decent quarterback but not one who can carry the offense and lead it, will it to a win. I'd rank him about 9th in the NFL and I think he's hit his ceiling. He's more a game manager than a game winner. Ed Reed and Ray Lewis look about done. Reed has not had the kind of super season we're used to and Ray isn't the linebacker he once was. These 2 guys are old and it showed last night. The defensive line, for all that we hear about Ngata and Cody, did not dominate a sick offensive line like the Chargers are playing with right now. There was no pressure once the Chargers took Suggs out of the game with clever blocking schemes and a fine performance by Jared Gaither. We have good receivers but I still don't understand why we don't get more separation. I have to figure its the coaching and that needs to change after this season---either Cam goes or we won't get any better. Hate to harp on Flacco because I think he's a decent guy, but he just doesn't have the personality to take the Ravens where they'd like to go. I've defended him a lot over the last 4 years but he's regressed this year and looks like the guy who came out of a Division II school which he is. So, yeah, we're in the playoffs but I'm not excited. Bisciotti needs to insist that Harbaugh institutes more changes on offense. He also needs to stop cutting checks for Ray Lewis (who was the greatest linebacker I've ever seen) and Ed Reed (he's not the playmaker he once was) and only sign Flacco to a low cost deal. Its going to be a long road to the Super Bowl for the Ravens. I don't know where you can pick up a franchise qb as long as you're finishing at .500 or above and they need help at linebacker and on the offensive line (which gave up 7 sacks last night). Now, I admit I'm depressed after last night's game and the season has been, mostly, successful. Still, I want another deep playoff run and that doesn't look possible right now.