Read this...

[vmax]

Message to Ravens coaches and players (and fans, too):

 

You may be good. But you're not as good as you and much of America thought you were.

 

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/ravens/bs-sp-burt-ravens-column-1019-20101018,0,3508995.story

 

The Ravens coaches and players should read it too.

 

This fan says...

Edited October 19, 2010 by vmax

[papasmurfbell]

Link not working.

[papasmurfbell]

http://www.eagletribune.com/sports/x1744207453/Ravens-are-not-Super-Bowl-contenders

 

October 19, 2010

 

Ravens are not Super Bowl contenders

Bill Burt

The Eagle Tribune Tue Oct 19, 2010, 12:37 AM EDT

 

 

About halfway through the third quarter, my eyes confirmed what my ears have been hearing for much of the early season — the Baltimore Ravens are No. 1.

 

They not only made the New England Patriots defense look pedestrian, which a lot of us expected, but they also made Tom Brady look rather ordinary.

 

Leading 20-10 heading into the fourth quarter, the Ravens appeared to have everything in place to make a run at the Super Bowl ... the quarterback, the running game and, especially, the defense.

 

Another big win in Foxboro seemed imminent.

 

But then, as quickly as you could say Lombardi Trophy, all hell broke loose.

 

First, kicker Billy Cundiff booted the kickoff out of bounds, giving the Patriots the ball on their 40. Then, almost at the same moment, your Ravens coaching staff decided to let Brady try and win the game, rushing four players, at most.

 

Have the Ravens coaches ever watched film of Brady? You beat Brady the same way you ruffled his feathers in the first half: You send bodies after him.

 

Anyway, Brady finally found Deion Branch wide open in back of the end zone after the three-man rush gave him nearly five seconds to operate.

 

It set up, in my mind, the difference between champions and Wild Card wonders.

 

On the Ravens' next possession, they were second-and-three and soon third-and-one on the their own 47 with 9:10 remaining in the game.

 

Rather than go with the always dependable Ray Rice, Rice went up to the line of scrimmage in the tight end position and Joe Flacco ran a quarterback sneak. He needed about eight inches. He didn't get one inch. It was a weak effort, to say the least.

 

But it gets worse, much worse.

 

With the chance to put the Patriots away, on fourth-and-inches, coach John Harbaugh decided to punt. I couldn't believe it. Nobody in the press box could believe it.

 

You can say a lot of things about Patriots coach Bill Belichick, but you can't call him a wimp. Belichick goes for that every day of the week and twice on Sundays.

 

The point is you win the game.

 

You don't allow the other team to win the game, especially when the name "Brady" is on the back of one of their jerseys. If Rice can't get eight inches at this point of the season against this defense, then he isn't all that.

 

Most of what transpired after that was insignificant. The Patriots held the ball for almost six minutes and tied the game up, as anyone with half a brain expected.

 

With the Ravens offense changing course after scoring their 20th point and deciding the 2-yard pass to Rice was their best option of winning the game, the Patriots finally pulled it out.

 

It gets worse for the Ravens.

 

Not only did they lose the game, fair and square, but everyone, including their coach, took "denial" to new lengths.

 

"We feel like we came in here and we fought, and we competed," said Harbaugh afterward. "And we made some good plays and some not-so-good plays, some good decisions and some not-so-good decisions. They made good plays, they made some not-so-good plays. It is a classic NFL football game, two good teams going at it."

 

Are you kidding me, some not-so-good decisions?

 

Rather than tipping your cap to the opposition, taking your lumps, a few players took it a step further, making veiled threats about a potential meeting in January.

 

Dannell Ellerbe, a linebacker who has started only four games since he was picked up as an undrafted free agent last year — and a guy I had never heard of before Sunday — was asked if he was hoping for another playoff meeting with the Patriots.

 

"I hope to," Ellerbe said. "It will be a repeat of last year."

 

Veteran linebacker Terrell Suggs said, "They better hope they don't see us again."

 

There is a reason the Ravens at times look like they really are No. 1 and before you know it they're renewing their golf memberships.

 

They don't get it.

 

The 2010 Patriots are a far cry from the 2009 Patriots the Ravens buried from box to wire last January. They are winning games they weren't supposed to win. They are younger, quicker and tougher on both sides of the ball.

 

They also have a few players and a coach that have won championships ... with an "s" at the end.

 

Message to Ravens coaches and players.

 

You may be good. But you're not as good as you and much of America thought you were.

 

 

This guy about sumed up the Ravens.

[papasmurfbell]

I just posted this from the original paper.

[Guest BallTMore]

We go from Super Bowl contenders (Way too early to even think that, but it still happened) to just an average team overnight.

 

We're good. Teams have ups-and-downs.

 

Honestly, look at the schedule and point out the team the Ravens have no chance to beat. I can't find one.

 

Think of the top teams in both conferences, can we hang with them? Beat them? In my opinion, yes we can.

 

Ok. So we know we can't beat the Colts. That's about it. We should modify those t-shirts to "(Someone else) BEAT INDY!"

 

We have ten weeks to fix this. Relax.

[dc.]

I just love how when we beat the Jets in week one... the Jets were learning.

 

And when we beat the Steelers... the Steelers had some reasons.

 

But one bad quarter against the Pats and we're creampuffs.

 

 

The Ravens should have won that game. No questions. It was theirs. The loss is on them. And that's humiliating and frustrating. But it's not impossible to overcome. In fact, it's much better to me than just getting our butts kicked up there (like usual).

 

 

Aside from that - I disagree with this guy's evaluation of the Pats. Their D is better than last year? The numbers say otherwise. You even said otherwise! You said the Ravens made them look good - not vice versa. And their offense, while always formidable, as he said "looked pedestrian."

 

So I don't know how this guy gets "The Ravens are average, the Pats are 'winning games they weren't supposed to'" from one quarter.

[Spen]

I think its too soon to judge any team Super Bowl ready or not. There have been a lot of surprises so far.

 

I am really happy with the 4-2 record at this point as I don't feel the team has consistently played well. I thought and hoped the team would be playing better, especially on offense, but they haven't and that's a disappointment for me. But there's miles to go... before I sleep, miles to go before I sleep.

[geo]

What a genius; Then, almost at the same moment, your Ravens coaching staff decided to let Brady try and win the game, rushing four players, at most.

 

Have the Ravens coaches ever watched film of Brady? You beat Brady the same way you ruffled his feathers in the first half: You send bodies after him.

 

 

It was our standard package that hurt us not the dime, or 3 and fewer passrushers.

 

 

Numbers from Filmstudy.

 

The Patriots ran 72 offensive plays excluding Brady’s kneel.

 

Overall:

 

Vs. the Run: 25 plays, 128 yards, 5.1 YPC

Vs. the Pass: 47 plays, 267 yards, 5.7 YPP

Overall: 72 plays, 395 yards, 5.5 YPPA

 

By number of defensive backs

 

Goal Line (3 DBs): 1/2, 2.0 YPPA

Standard (4 DBs): 28/195, 7.0 YPPA

Nickel (5 DBs): 35/149, 4.3 YPPA, 2 sacks, 1 TO

Dime (6 DBs): 7/44, 6.3 YPPA, 1 sack, 1 TO

Quarter (7 DBs): 1/5, 5.0

 

By number of pass rushers

 

3 or fewer: 7 plays, 0 yards, 0.0 YPP, 1 sack, 1 TO

4: 23/219, 9.5 YPPA, 1 sack, 1 TO

5: 11/41, 3.7 YPPA, 1 sack

6: 5/7, 1.4 YPPA

7+: 1/0, 0 YPPA.

 

sorry for using this site..

 

http://www.ravens24x7.com/forum/showthread.php?t=59664

[cravnravn]

His entire article is based upon, we only have one tough game left on our schedule, and thats the Stealers. If we would have defeated NE, he would have crowned us Champs..Typical Bean Town Beat Writer..He was on the radio yesterday..When talking, yes he made some sence with his opinion on our team, but theres more to our situation, I cant believe Flacco dosent have an open opition with this offence, I cant believe he is handcuffed to the play thats sent in..If he is than we have other problems.

[yagersports]

The fact of the matter remains....we have alot of work to do if this team is to go where it thinks it's capable of going. I think the article was pointing that out. We have alot of work ahead of us, that's not being pessamistic. Being pessamistic would be stating that the work is too hard or not possible to achieve. Acknowledging that we have a ton of work to do is essential to winning a championship if we want to win one. Championship teams don't let games get away like we let this past game get away. We need to keep our foot down and finish that type of game. This team is more than capable of addressing problems with the amount of talent that we have, that's a major positive! It's good to say that we are a playoff team that has not reached their ceiling yet.

[vmax]

The Ravens know they should have won and they know how they blew it.

 

 

We'll see on Sunday if the team and coaching staff got the message from this loss. If they did, then they'll crush the Bills.

[DMK]

This guy is delusional. The pats are as bad this year as they were last year, maybe worse.

 

The Ravens are working on new things, the pats have had the same schtick for the past 10 years. We GAVE them that win, just like last season when i believe it was clayton who dropped a 4th down pass on the goal line that may have ended up getting us the win.

 

Pats are no longer a scary team, just like the Red Sox. Talented? sure... but living mostly off of yesterdays glory. Brady and bellychick will not add to there ring collection anytime soon.

 

Cant stand anything Boston/Mass.