ExtremeRavens Posted October 20 Posted October 20 This time last year, about a week apart, Lamar Jackson and Mike Elias remarked about the state of their respective organizations in an odd moment of affinity. Jackson, the star quarterback for Baltimore’s perennial playoff contending football team, then off to an 0-2 start, said, “We got to find our mojo because that’s not us at all.” Just a few days later, Elias, the president of baseball operations at the heart of the Orioles’ rebuild, making sense of the twilight of a disappointing season, felt “The mojo that we’ve had, it just has drifted away from us.” Now, there’s a similar sentiment hanging over both Baltimore sports teams as each grapples with lost mojo and disappointing seasons. The Orioles were a popular pick for a deep playoff run and missed the postseason entirely, finishing 75-87 in the cellar of the American League East. The Ravens, who were also a Super Bowl contender heading into this season, are now 1-5 at the bye week, facing an uphill climb for an AFC North three peat. Both birds have a few disappointing losses to show for it. On April 20, the Orioles fell 24-2 to the Cincinnati Reds in the franchise’s most lopsided defeat since 2007. The Ravens tied their largest loss in the team’s 30-year history two weeks ago in a 44-10 rout by the Texans. Most fans want to forget about the Ravens coughing up a 15-point, fourth-quarter lead to the Bills in Week 1. Well on June 18, the Orioles let an eight-run lead slip to the Tampa Bay Rays — the third time since 1954 they’ve surrendered such a dominant lead. Sigh. It’s a hard pill to swallow. The Ravens and Orioles have each been snake bit by injuries while stars have played short of expectations. Maybe Baltimoreans have an Etsy witch to blame. For one, both teams were forced to lean on an aging veteran to keep the ship afloat. Neither did any such thing. Charlie Morton, 41, signed to be a stabilizing arm for what was thought to be a high-upside rotation led by Grayson Rodriguez, Zach Eflin and Trevor Rogers, with Kyle Bradish and Tyler Wells on the way. All of them missed time to varying degrees. And Morton went 0-7 with a 9.38 ERA over his first nine outings. “That was really, really difficult,” the always-honest Morton told local reporters after being traded to Detroit at the deadline. “I’m failing on the field with a group of guys who don’t really know me, a new organization, high expectations.” Same could be said for Ravens backup quarterback Cooper Rush, even if his mellow vibe won’t put such heartfelt words to it. The Ravens signed Rush on a two-year, $6.2 million deal. He was a successful backup in Dallas, going 9-5 as a starter over four seasons. Baltimore figured it might be getting similar value. Rush has filled in for two games while Jackson nurses a hamstring injury and it’s gone about as poorly as Morton’s tenure. In two starts, both losses, he threw four interceptions without a passing touchdown. Of course, injuries have been the most glaring parallel between the neighboring teams. Ravens fans head to the exits as the Rams put the finishing touches on a 17-3 win. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) The Ravens injury report has included as many as 15 players. Eleven of them were regular starters. Across the street, the Orioles were, by year’s end, the fourth most-injured team in MLB. Such unfortunate luck can sidetrack even the most ambitious of postseason plans. Both the Ravens and Orioles have had trouble getting the ball across the goal line, too — figuratively and literally. In last Sunday’s loss to the Rams, tight end Mark Andrews was stuffed on consecutive tush pushes in a goal-to-go situation that yielded no points. The same thing happened in Kansas City, when Jackson fumbled on fourth-down from inside the 5. And Week 2 against Cleveland, Baltimore needed all four downs to punch the ball in. At 44.44%, the Ravens rank 27th in the NFL at scoring touchdowns from the red zone. It’s the No. 1 thing on coach John Harbaugh’s mind heading into the bye week. Offensive coordinator Todd Monken said this week he thinks “we’ve just got to get our mojo back a little bit.” This break in the schedule will either serve as a turning point for the Ravens or the point where the rollercoaster begins its vertical descent. Some are calling for defensive coordinator Zach Orr to be fired, despite the defense’s solid showing on Sunday. A smaller contingent of restless fans are wondering whether the second longest tenured NFL coach’s job is safe. The Orioles fired their manager on a much shorter leash. Brandon Hyde was hired by Baltimore after the 2018 season. He won Manager of the Year in 2023 and made the playoffs in two straight seasons, a feat no Orioles team has accomplished since 1996-1997. But this season, after a 15-28 start — earlier in the season with a better winning percentage than where the Ravens are now — he was fired. Under interim manager Tony Mansolino, the Orioles went 60-59. Elias acknowledged at his end-of-season news conference, “I’ve got a very busy offseason ahead of me.” Surely there are more parallels between the two pro teams in town. But the Ravens still have (some) hope of salvaging this season. An optimistic Harbaugh said before the bye week, “We have a lot of work to do.” One of these teams is bound to find their mojo soon. Have a news tip? Contact Sam Cohn at scohn@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/samdcohn.x.com. View the full article Quote
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