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Who's the Diet Dr Pepper Player of the Year? Or the Viagra Comeback Player of the Year? Why should Diet Pepsi mean squat? Who the F are THEY!!!!!! Is Aaron Rodgers the Kraft Cracker Barrell Chedder Cheese Stick Player of the Year? TELL ME! dIET pEPSI!!!!!!!!!!!AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's playoff time so... How about a sneak peek at the multiple personalities I have chatting in my head right now? Ready!?! Nobody knows what next year brings or the next. Teams wait decades to win a SB. Many never have. I don't care about the 11 other Cinderella stories in the playoffs. There's only 1 that I care about and that's the 2008 Baltimore Ravens. The compitition will never get easier, the Ravens never more mature or ready, and something will always be missing or needed. "So why not win the damened thing this year!?!" "Oh I don't know Bluto...we have a rookie QB and HC...a banged up secondary....and there's the Titans, Colts and Stealers!" "I'm not focusing on what this team lacks. NOT ME!I know the players and coaches aren't. They believe they have what it takes and...I DO TOO!" The big chance is now. This team has what it takes to shock the NFL world. "I've been telling you that all along!"

cleetz...from Bart...

Plus Jamal ran out of gas by the playoffs....he was the offense. Flacco might only have to hand the ball off Sunday. The Ravens just might run over Miami. But you know Cam...there will be some unexpected shots thrown in. Ball control, ball security, time of possesion, best defense is a good offense...might be a boring win. Of course I'll be nervous as hell unless the Ravens are up by 17. The D has to pressure Pennington.

True...true...but the Ravens went 3-2 during that stretch, didn't lose a game after that and won a Super Bowl. That took some of the sting out...

Do you mean the one with Radio Wright at the helm? This team is more complete. The 2003 O was a simplified U formation but the D was very good. Opponents stacked the box with 8, 9, 10 players at times and the Ravens couldn't beat them with the big play. They couldn't make the defenses honest. This 2008 squad will tourch you if you do that.

I like Pennington and think he got a raw deal in NY. You can win with the "dink & dunk"....McNair led the Ravens to 13-3 and and the playoffs doing that in 2006 because he couldn't throw the long ball. The Bucs won a Super Bowl with Brad Johnson who couldn't throw over 15 yards. Both are good, solid quarterbacks. Flacco can make all the throws and Pennington can't. The big play is a real threat with Joe...not with Chad. Flacco is more atheletic and mobile. Pennington obviously has the edge in experience. He's done a better job protecting the ball. He's a good leader and field general.

Bucky Brooks nails it in one sentence... The big play ingredient is very important (remember 2000). The Ravens produced 10 pass plays of 40 or more yards this season, 5 of which went for TDs. The Ravens’ 10 “big” aerial plays tied for the 2nd most in franchise history and were the most in a single season since 1999 (10). The run is there....The Ravens totaled a franchise-record 20 rushing TDs in 2008, tied for 5th most in the NFL. Baltimore also produced 3 rushing plays of at least 50 yards, tying for 2nd most in the league. 3rd down success is there...Baltimore’s offense converted 23 of 26 3rd-and-1 plays this season. The Ravens’ 88.5% success rate on 3rd-and-1 ranked 2nd in the NFL. Additionally, on 3rd-and-short situations (4 yards or less), Baltimore converted 40 of 59 attempts (67.8%), good for the NFL’s 3rd-best rate this season. We all know about the defense...

Wow! Excellent observations. You really do your homework cleetz! That's ESPN front page stuff IMO.

Time for Bret to hang it up. You can't win with him. He kills his team.

You might be on to something crav. This gal is heavy on statistics. Perhaps she'll go all the way... The high STD rate in Baltimore vs the high incest rate in Tenneessee. That should endear her to the Baltimore readers.

Cleveland became the first team in NFL history to fail to score an offensive touchdown in six consecutive games.

"You'll fit in here real good Adam. Take the Pledge. I...state your name..." You should send it to Eric DeCosta. Now...I have some hillbilly hoe down verses I might need you to sing should the Ravens win and advance to Tenneessee. You know...it's a Ravens song to "Grab your partner swing her round!" Only it goes something like... "Look out Titans here comes Raaaaayyyy! looks like 4 yards for de day Everybody prominade!" I'll pm you...don't go away...

I think Rex is smart enough to not end his career as a HC before it starts. He won't go to a crappy organization.

"Perhaps, we, as Ravens fans, shouldn't jump to rash conclusions like the media. Did it ever occur to you that maybe Anita Marx dumped him and right now he's just hurt, confused and unable to reach his happy place? Would you be able to eloquently express yourself under similar circumstances? Of course not! Give him a break."

"This was Jill's "carpe diem" life moment. Truely "Rattus norvegicus."

Happy New Year Dee and everybody! Success and happiness to all. Now...let's kick this year off with a Ravens win Sunday... It's "Chaos in the Playoffs"!!!

Thanks cleetz. That makes sense. It's a hard pill to swallow drafting a QB #1. That Cap hit is highest for QB's...many don't pan out...some are paid a ton of money to carry a clipboard for a year or two. Long was the safe bet and he is good. Still...when Pennington goes south...they could have had their guy for the next 10+ years. Now they have a high pick...could be a long time before they get a shot at a guy of Ryan's caliber...decades even. Henne doesn't impress me.

Clayton reports: My memory is foggy on the draft, but if this is true, then I'd say the Dolphins really screwed up. Sure Pennington is a part of the reason they are in the playoffs...but if he is so great then why did they have to go to the wildcat to move the chains? Long term, Ryan would be the face of the franchise while Pennington has been injury prone his whole career. He's a short term fix.

After writting one too many obituary reports, Sun writer Jill Rosen finally snapped and trashes Baltimore and Miami as she gingerly takes her first baby steps into the world as a Rookie Troll. After reading this I thought "WTF!?" Now...It's your basic troll post...not witty, not funny, contrived.... but definitely disgusting and insulting....a good basic start for a future troll. Still...it has rookie written all over it. "Should the Ravens win, she can not successfully follow this up with "Rat's vs Redneck Hillbilly's" next week without our help." "Jill...Congratulations! You have the basics needed to succeed. A disturbed mind, total disregard for people's feelings, too much time on your hands and you are unfazed by how the world views you."

I hope this trend continues because it's all road games now. Harbaugh accomplished a huge team goal by getting this team to win on the road...to find ways to win, execute, stay focused and not wilt. You don't make the playoffs without that attribute. Fan note: For those who will be attending the game, report to the "Orange Lot"...for a huge Ravens tailgate party.... Then march, 'en masse' into the stadium.

I have that feeling the offense will be bailing out the defense in the playoffs. To do that Joe has to play his best football of the year...a tall order for a rookie. Now...Joe has shown the character and "cool" to do this. In the playoffs, Joe will have to carry this team at some point...some drives...in order for this team to advance. He'll have to play like a seasoned vet. He has to protect the ball and make 2-3...maybe more big plays a game for this Ravens team to go deep. The good news is he doesn't have to do this alone. He has a good line who are totally fired up to protect him and to pound the rock. He has a running game...a huge bonus to help him. I was watching Flacco's set up and delivery Sunday...fundamentally sweet! He really looked like a "thrower". Fluid and quick to deliver. His mechanics don't slow him down...just his reads and receivers getting open. On the reads, I think it's more of a case where he's being patient for a man to break free, as he seems to see the whole field now.

The Ravens are all banged up. That's a lot of Ravens not practicing while Miami is healthy. This is not looking good for a deep playoff run...not when 3/4th's of the secondary is hurt (then factor in CMac and Landry out).... Just for a moment let's look at the worst case senario... Due to injuries the Ravens are down to Walker and Ivy at the corners...Leonard and Zibocowski as the safeties. This could happen by some point in Sunday's game....or in Tenneessee if the Ravens win....or by the following week for the AFC title game. Even if that doesn't come to pass it has to take away from their effectiveness playing hurt. Rex can only mask or hide so many weaknesses. Opponents know this. If I'm a WR, then I make it a point to step on Washington's big toe...often. Then Ravens should be able to get away with this Sunday because the Dolphins are weak in the middle of their O line and Pennington can't throw the deep ball. Or can he?...if Ginn is sprinting wide open down the field even a Hail Mary would do the big play trick. Got to hope Ed's back there on that one because this group is vulnerable to the big play now.

Fans are just waking up to it. The tempo is fast soit's only in the last two games that have I heard fans catching it in rythmn. It's an awesome video and the chant would be insane if the whole crowd would catch on. Maybe if they did the drums thing followed by 2 "Defense!" chants and then the "What's our name?" "Ravens!!!" chant it would work. My reasoning is we are busy there...talking, score board watching, watching the game, food, women......that when I hear the Drums..Boom...Boom...then "DEFENSE!"...I'm ready to join in. This chant goes so fast that by the time I hear it and I'm ready to reply... it's over. Play it all next year and we'll get it down...I like it. The game experience at M&T is off the charts...incredible atmosphere...I love our Baltimore fans. Thanks for being "You".

LOL!