Simple question ?

[varaven45]

At 1-5 and seemingly pathetic, lost and going in no direction, how in the hell did we stay in each lost game and actually could have easily one several of them ? Is the league actually that mediocre or bad or did the other teams just feel sorry for us let us hang around ?

[vmax]

The league wide talent pool is watered down. The years of success have caught up with the Ravens, They couldn't keep their very good players due to the CAP....so they hoped "next man up" works out. For a while, it did,.... until they got to their 27th next man up off the bench at the Greyhound Bus Station.

They annually are a last place team in the draft, picking leftovers.

The coaching staff has been raided to Hell.

 

Then key core leaders retired.

Too many new faces to actually know what preparing and Playing Like A Ravens actually means.

This lot can't fulfill that.

 

 

Every teams has weaknesses. Parity rules, so talent wise, most teams are close.

Everybody is beatable.

But the Ravens are more beatable.

[OneManCypher]

The team let go of our roughriders, our guys that gave us our swagger and identity, Boldin, Rice, Pollard, these guys knew what playing like a raven was all about and they were not retiring and harbaugh didn't want them because they were strong minded men and stood up to him, now he has a team full of yes men that have no attitude and Joe Flacco.

[dc.]

The fact that Pollard is consistently on your list of guys you wanted around longer undermines so much of that message.

[dc.]

Steve Smith: notorious yes man

 

Ray Rice: notoriously aggressive and strong headed (as if his departure was a Harbaugh choice)

 

Terrell Suggs: notorious yes man

 

Also funny to consider that apparently John controls the fo decisions for this team.

[cravnravn]

Did Pollard play one year after he was released?

[tsylvester]

At 1-5 and seemingly pathetic, lost and going in no direction, how in the hell did we stay in each lost game and actually could have easily one several of them ? Is the league actually that mediocre or bad or did the other teams just feel sorry for us let us hang around ?

 

 

Yes, the game has gown down, talent wise. Not because of a lack of talent, but because f a lack of preparation. These new practice rules etc that the players wanted, as we have talked about when the CBA was reworked, have given what we have today; medicocre play. The teams winning today win not just because they have better players, but because their attention to detail is much better; they make less mistakes.

 

Brady is great, but as history has sown with his receivers who left there, they would not be as good with out him. Why? system, how they are sued, yes, but more so, how much emphasis Billy B puts on knowing, doing your assignment to the letter. They do, so they win more.

 

They Ravens don't, so they lose more. Is it leadership? Maybe, but some of the onus has to fall on the players. No matter how hard Harbs claims they work, come game day, with so many blown assignments, it is clear, they do not, truly.

[varaven45]

TSyl, I really appreciate your points - all of which make sense.

 

I really believe there is a very fine line between winning and losing in today's NFL. Just look at all our games this year. The lack of discipline and attention to detail has certainly cost the team dearly. And when you lack the talent - say as Cincy - and the discipline/attention to detail - NE- then your margin for error is razor thin.

 

Moving forward, I don't see our fortunes changing until the FO actually "kills" the draft and acquires significant FA s for at least consecutive years. It will likely take at least 2-3 years before we have stockpiled enough talent to expect, rather than, hope to win. The NE, Denvers will take our current place as the irrelevant ones.

 

A team's good fortune is cyclical and this organization is at or nearing bottom. We will see the bottom this year I believe and next year we'll begin to see marked improvent. I have too much confidence in the organization to expect anything less.

 

in the meantime, I'll keep rooting for my team, knowing there's a lot of pride and good times ahead. It's like the recession: we've been there, we'll endure, and get on the other side before you know it.

 

[vmax]

Through good times and bad, I'm pulling for "Our" Baltimore Ravens.

Give'm Hell!

[Tornado700]

Max- I really don't think that we are as bad as our record indicates, but nevertheless, losing is losing. Yes, we could have won all of those games but the true character of a team is measured by their ability to win those games- and not lose them. I've talked to alot of other fans and everyone feels the way I do. And that is- what happened here? I suspect that this team just lacks the self confidence and self discipline to go out there week after week and play a really good game, which is what is necessary to win in this parody driven NFL.

[Tornado700]

Sorry Varaven45- I meant you. You are the author of this thread.

[cravnravn]

Hope we win before we get to Miami, these sorry fuckers are screaming for the Pats, they get their wish Thursday.

[dc.]

Max- I really don't think that we are as bad as our record indicates, but nevertheless, losing is losing. Yes, we could have won all of those games but the true character of a team is measured by their ability to win those games- and not lose them. I've talked to alot of other fans and everyone feels the way I do. And that is- what happened here? I suspect that this team just lacks the self confidence and self discipline to go out there week after week and play a really good game, which is what is necessary to win in this parody driven NFL.

Agree that we're not as bad as our record, but also think there are obviously flaws in prediction models that said we had a super bowl caliber roster! Ouch.