One thing the Ravens need to do is stop spotting the opposing team 14 points in the first quarter. How many times have we given up so many points in the first quarter that we just can’t recover? Look at that Viking game. The defense just has not jelled for whatever reason. I think we need to rethink the defensive line. No one is impressing me at all there. Where are the big plays? Last week Jarret Johnson dropped a sure interception – this week it was Fabian Washington. I am not impressed with the linebackers this year and it isn’t just that Bart Scott is gone. They aren’t plugging the holes. Ray is Ray but he can’t do it all himself. Too bad Jason Phillips was injured this year – he’s a ball hawk. Suggs is not showing up and isn’t the monster he once was. I am seeing no energy from Pryce, Gregg, Edwards, Bannen or even Ngata for that matter.

I was not a Kyle Boller fan but it just goes to show you that with no blocking any QB can look like Kyle Boller. There was one point where the Bengals had 12 first downs and we had 14 total plays from scrimmage! No one came to play. Is Gano still available? This is not our season. We can still hope to break even but don’t expect any post season for these guys. And even though the refs were not to blame for the game – there is clear bias. That would mean to me that you try even harder to not make penalties because you know they are watching us closely.

I turned off the debacle toward the end of the second quarter, never looked back and moved on to more meaningful things in my life. I just couldn’t watch the game any further. What a horrific game. I can’t express my disappointment enough. The Ravens were supposed to be a playoff-caliber team. They are not. I predicted a 9-7 record and they WILL NOT finish better than that. What more can be said? They were flat-footed all game, beaten off the ball on both sides, lethargic, way too deliberate and just didn’t show any sense of urgency! Geez, am I pissed!

is 6 for 7, with a long of 53 yards for the Las Vegas UFL team. He also has made 12 of 12 XP’s. I knew it, I said, you saw it: We kept the wrong guy. Time to give him a call and get him back on board. Any Florida State kicker is better prepared for the pros than an NC State one.

all around from getting our hopes up after each win, to failing just short, to not playing to our potential. I don’t understand it.

It’s funny that of all the games, it’s the Bengals that have stiffled our offense the most. Even though they threw at will, they still only put up 17 points. This offense must be able to top that and they couldn’t do it either game. I don’t get the undisciplined penalties / bad calls that have plagued us this year. I wonder if having the ball control offense of last year would have made a difference this year.

Fans can complain all they want that we missed the injured Haloti Ngata, but the exact same thing happened in the first game when Ngata was healthy.

Bruce I really like that you pointed this out. I kept wondering what was happening and I’ll be looking very closely for numbers on jerseys on the NFL Replay because I want to know who’s failing to control their gaps and who’s losing their line-of-scrimmage battles. We all love Gregg and company, but one of our favorite players isn’t getting it done.

Flacco did seem to get rattled out there. There was one pass that Ndukwe should have definitely intercepted but didn’t, and watching it on the wire-cam (with the QB’s line of sight) it just became so obvious that Flacco was not thinking clearly and throwing to a guy who wasn’t even open. In some cases you do that with one of those “where-only-the-receiver-can-catch it” throws, but this was one of those “where-only-the-safety-can-catch-it” throws. No es bueno.

First of all, the Denver Broncos must have either played a terrible game in losing to us or they are merely pretenders and will get their clocks cleaned by a better Pittsburgh Steelers team tonight.

well this is where divisional matchups come into play. They were interviewing one of the Bangals’ O-Linemen this week and he talked about the Ravens “shock factor.” Teams that know us, like Pitt and Cincy, are quite apparently desensitized to the shock factor and can still stay composed and find our flaws. Denver, apparently, fell victim to the shock factor and never found any kind of rhythm. Orton especially seemed intimidated.

So while that doesn’t bode well for them against an even more aggressive and unforgiving Pittsburgh defense, it also doesn’t mean that the Broncos are “pretenders.” 12-4 or 13-3 are still possibilities for them and they do have a recipe that many teams have trouble defending against.

The season, as far as playoffs and Superbowls, is probably over. We’re a distant third in our own division, and there’s several competitive wildcard teams in other divisions.

We still have to face Indy, Pittsburgh twice, Chicago at home, and Green Bay on the road.

We’ll also face Detroit, Cleveland, and Oakland.

7-9 to 10-6 is probably our range of records, and 10-6 probably won’t get us into the playoffs, so it’s better to sit back, relax and enjoy what we can, and hope for some of the young players to develop so that we can have a stronger season next year.

I still love our Ravens but my hopes were all but dashed yesterday. Actually, they were crushed. If 10-6 won’t buy you a playoff spot, I’d really rather see us totally tank so that we can draw higher draft picks to sure up a couple of gaping, sucking chest wounds we have. Ugh!!!!!

Need to release Houshka, Carr, Webb, Walker, Fabian, Gooden, Nakamura, Zibby, Edwards for obvious reasons.

Houshka can’t hit easy FG’s.
Carr can’t cover and can’t return.
Webb can’t cover and is 1 dimensional.
Walker can’t cover and fouls.
Fabian can’t cover and fouls.
Gooden is dumb and always out of position.
Nakamura too small for Safety and too slow for DB.
Zibby same as above.
Edwards dumb and always in the wrong gap with his head stuck in the chest of the O-lineman.
Suggs contract will haunt us for years.

     With Cincy missing opportunities too but Ravens were screwed out of a TD with Mason again being held. Ocho got the call in the first quarter with some minor arm contact. Mason never gets the call. He should of thrown his helmet again. He was actually grabbed twice on his way to the end zone. He would have caught the ball easy for a 17-14 game and all the momentum. More referee crap- we had to red flag twice to win a break.

The real reason for the loss-

     Cam panicked early. Rice only had 12 runs. Cam hid behind Mason who gave us the worst performance of his Raven career. Mason decided Sunday not to come back on his passes but instead take arching breaks on the ball. Cam ignored Kelly and Clayton as Joe pounded a well covered Mason. With Rice and Heap managing to get open, Cam continued to seek out his security blanket Mason on all meaningful downs.

     The drive that resulted in Houshka’s miss was a carbon copy of our final drive against the Vikings. Rice earned the tough yards to get us barely in FG range. On first down, Cam throws patience out the window and airs it out to Mason in the end zone. This left 2nd and 10. We managed to inch the ball forward with Rice and Heap but again left the game on the young kickers foot.

     With the way Rice was coming alive this 1st down pass to Mason was a frustrating waist. It was all or nothing in a NOT so all or nothing part of the game. We had the momentum. We had them back pedaling. We had Rice on a roll. BUT AGAIN CAM can’t wait to chuck it and put us in a 2nd and long. We were quickly doomed for the TD.

     After the Bengals first drive Sunday, I turned it off and did some yard work. I know the Ravens and when they start like that they rarely get it together. They were dead coming out of the gate. Cam just solidified it.

Houska can’t kick from left of center. The ball needs to be on the right hash for him.

The Ravens are still playing in the ‘Any Given Sunday’ league as evidenced by their last 2 games. Can the Ravens make the playoffs, absolutely! What Ravens team will show up on Sundays is the question. Inconsistent play has troubled the Ravens throughout their history. To make a run this year they need to get beyond that & get some help from other teams. There are no DOMINANT teams this year. When the Ravens bring their A game they can compete with anyone. Harbaugh needs to stop rolling his eyes, believing what the media writes & accept his responsibility for being the leader of this team & get their heads on straight. One thing I respect about this team is that they don’t lay down. They will keep fighting. Exciting games are ahead, win or lose I’m looking forward to them. Good Luck Baltimore!

we haven’t been to the playoffs nearly enough with the talent that WAS on this team.

I want to sincerely congratulate your team for two tough games. We were lucky to come out on top in both of them. Also, wanted to say thanks for the classy attitudes you guys all displayed towards us. It’s a policy that I try to share, and I appreciate the respect shown for fellow fans. It’s something we never get from other fans in our division (cough, Steelers, cough) but refreshing.

Good luck the rest of the way, and please, for goodness’ sake, sweep the Steelers.

that’s okay. the only thing BOLD in b-more these days is the type face.