Why The Steelers Are Good For Ravens Fan Base.
by lastcallbmore on Sep 10, 2011 6:00 PM EDT
Email
PrintBeing a fan of the Baltimore Ravens has been an emotional roller coaster since our Super Bowl 35 winning year of 2000. We have gone from Dilfer to Boller to Flacco with others sprinkled in between trying to put together a functional offense to go with our dominant defense. In 2008 the team made a move at the head coaching position firing Brian Billick and hiring John Harbaugh, the special teams coach from the Philadelphia Eagles. Choosing Harbauagh over in house option defensive coordinator Rex Ryan showed that the front office was ready to change the face of the team from a defensive unit to a more well rounded squad, and it worked. For the most part...
Enter Ben Roethlisberger and the rival Pittsburgh Steelers, a team within the division with aspirations similar to our own. The major difference, however, is that Pittsburgh has had a two-year head start with their franchise QB and unheard of stability at the defensive coordinator position. As the Ravens offense grew and got better we lost Rex Ryan to the New York Jets and Pittsburgh continued to grow on offense while their defense remained stable through Dick LeBeau. Ozzie Newsome and company continued to put the pieces together while keeping a quality product on the field as the Ravens made it to the AFC Championship Game in 2008... only to find their heated rival Pittsburgh Steelers waiting for them. John Harbaugh and Joe Flacco's story book first year together quickly came to an end as Troy Polamalu snatched their Super Bowl hopes out of the air as he and the Steelers D combined for four turnovers and beat the Ravens 23-14.
The Ravens were good enough to make the playoffs again in 2009 but only good enough to get to the 2nd round as an ill-advised pass by Flacco to Ray Rice against the Colts ended the season once again for the team from Baltimore. Then in 2010 the Ravens, having grown more confident in their young QB brought in veteran receivers Dante Stallworth and T.J. Houshmandzadeh to pair with Anquan Boldin and Derrick Mason. Adding these ingredients to the mix Baltimore hoped this would be the recipe to spread the Steelers out and finally win the division and take Baltimore all the way to the Super Bowl. However, once again being faced with Big Ben and the Steelers in the 2nd round of the playoffs proved too much for Flacco and Company as the Ravens squandered a 14 point halftime lead and imploded all over the field.
As a Ravens fan these moments were stomach turning and ruined football for some of us all together as many could not even bare to watch as the Steelers made their way down "our " path to the big game. In the wake of all this many fans wanted blood. Some wanted the blood of offensive coordinator Cam Cameron and some even pleaded for Harbaugh to be fired and Flacco to be benched. Did these fans remember Kyle Boller and Brian Billick at all??
Ask any Browns or Bengals fan whether it is better to have loved and lost or to never have loved at all? The Ravens are a very good football team and are always on the cusp of winning it all. That gives us hope every Sunday that no matter who we are playing we have a very good chance of not only winning the game but of putting on a dominant performance. For some reason those moments never come against Ben and the Steelers and although that hurts us as fans it also brings us together. If the Ravens were to win every game and be the best every year, as fans we would never grow closer to our team. It is these gut wrenching loses that keep us mentally on the same level as John Harbaugh and Ray Lewis because we know how they feel inside when it happens.
When the time comes for us to beat the Steelers it will be all the more sweet because we know what it is like to get so far and have it all ripped away. In Philadelphia Michael Vick knows exactly what I am talking about . When you have been on top of the game for so long you begin to take it for granted and you make mistakes. Hopefully the Ravens have made all of their mistakes already and are ready to take things to an other level. Like Vick, the Ravens should be smarter and more mature now due to what Pittsburgh has shown us. If the Ravens get up 21-7 at the half tomorrow I am betting there won't be so much chirping until the game is put away.
Ravens fans know what it's like to be winners. We know what it's like to lose big games as well and through all of this we have grown. We have grown closer to our team and closer to each other. whether we win or lose tomorrow, as fans we will have grown. We can take this experience and use it to our advantage... no matter the outcome.
23 comments
|
2 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
I first got into football in 07, my first year of college.
I’m now a huge fan of the sport and love everything about the NFL. I have learned that although we in Baltimore love the Ravens, we are a very anxious, edgy fan base. From fan to fan, you’ll find some either love Joe Flacco and some hate him…some love Harbaugh and some want a new vision (for the record, I’m 100% pro-Flacco and pro-Harbs). I guess that comes with every fan base, but ours in particular seem to know we are just at the brink of another title, but are again, at the brink. I’ve browsed some of the other SB Nation blogs like the Steelers, Pats, Packers…Those organizations are obviously hungry for more titles, but have a sense of calm in that they know their franchise has won multiple titles. We are a hungry fan base and crave for the team’s second Lombardi. Once we achieve that, I feel our fans will stop this “fire him! bench him! replace our entire roster!” mentality after every mistake and bad game that we (and every team) will inevitably have.
With that being said, this is our year! I can’t wait for our season to kick off tomorrow and look forward to the future. I strongly believe that Flacco will bring at least one Superbowl trophy back to Baltimore, if not more. GO RAVENS!!!
by fedfan64 on Sep 10, 2011 7:17 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
I wish more people would see things this way
instead of when the Ravens loose fans freak out and always look at the flaws of the players, coaches and team as a whole. The negativity that comes from a loss, in my opinion, is ignorance to understanding the game and Ravens objective in strengthening the team over time. When the coaches and owners make the moves they do (Derrick Mason being cut, etc…) and fans freak out saying that they are stupid and the Ravens are doomed, obviously they do not look at the big picture and have faith that the moves they are making are to benefit the team for the future. Only time will tell how this season plays out but I have faith the Ravens coaches have a plan that will carry us as far as possible. Hopefully all the way to the Superbowl!!!!
by allycat52 on Sep 10, 2011 7:58 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Once Bitten
Over promised under performed. Baltimore Raven fans have been promised many times that our offensive woes will be addressed. We get a washed up Steve McNair,and Kyle Boler. Finally, the offensive genius who could only field a defense Brian Billick is fired. In comes Harbs and this Rookie named Joe Flacco. I say we are finally going to build. Then surprise we are going to the afc championship. We lose but so what we made it that far in their first year. We got something good. The next years it just seems like business as usual. The offense just cannot finish the big games. They get a lead and rest on it. It is hard to be optimistic after these hard losses Baltimore remains the same. The defenses culture never seems to change hit em hard and often. The offenses needs to change and to be fair it is but it his hard to be patient with that carrot on a string out in front of you. almost making it maybe worse than not at all
*God
Fixed that for you ;)
Editor at Baltimore Beatdown - SB Nation Baltimore Ravens Blog
"The prevent-offense i.e Cam Cameron's game-plan: Long bomb on first down, 4 yard pass on 2nd down, draw play on third down. Unpredictable? Yes. Effective? No." - Jackmca
by Zachary Beard on Sep 10, 2011 11:15 PM EDT up reply actions
Just For The Record
For some folks, it is disrespectful to actually spell it out, so for them (myself included) the proper way is “G-d”.
"A little learning is a dangerous thing; Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring."
"The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug."
"God's whiskers! Your face is as hideous as the demon's in my storybook!"
"I never expected to see the day when girls would get sunburned in the places they do today."
"It's big for a reason."
For Pittsburgh fans, that's Pope, Twain, Rostand, Rogers and Megamind
Enter Ben Roethlisberger and the rival Pittsburgh Steelers, a team within the division with aspirations similar to our own. The major difference, however, is that Pittsburgh has had a two-year head start with their franchise QB and unheard of stability at the defensive coordinator position. As the Ravens offense grew and got better we lost Rex Ryan to the New York Jets and Pittsburgh continued to grow on offense while their defense remained stable through Dick LeBeau.
I’ve often wondered how good our defense would be if we had been able to keep Ryan as DC like the Steelers have been able to do with LeBeau. It’s clear that his scheme is that defense’s biggest strength. Obviously, they have great players, but I doubt they would have been nearly as good without LeBeau covering up their weaknesses in the secondary… much like Ben’s ability to scramble covers up their OL weaknesses.
Awesome post. Keep up the good work.
You know
I’m almost numb to today’s game. This is all you hear everywhere you turn. I would hate to be a DJ on 105.7. I don’t think I could handle talking about the same things from the same people every day, day in and day out. Even today’s game isn’t as big as they have it played out to be. If the Ravens win it just means we will sweep the Stealers because we will be even better in the second meeting because lack of practice. If they lose by less than 7 points it just means the Stealers beat a pick up team with basically their returning team and it is a moral victory for the Ravens. This is probably the best team we will face all year and winning would be great but losing by less than 7 shows we are still the better team in the long run.
Losing will show "we are still the best team in the long run"?
Are yo assuming the Steelers will not improve during the season?
Follow me on twitter. @steelcurtain67
by DwightWhite's Missing Tooth on Sep 11, 2011 9:06 AM EDT up reply actions
You are what you a were last year
We are not. Right now we are an unpolished pick up team. If we can win with that just imagine how good we will be when everything is in sync.
Hope that dose
of humility tastes good this Monday morning. I knew it, I said it Thursday night and the Ravens proved me right all game. They were the better team last year but made one mistake in each game to lose the lead and the game. Big difference between losing the game and the other team winning it. We lost the games last year, Pittburgh did not “win” those games.
We are the better team and it showed and should all season long.
aka 'Rexx'
by Bruce Raffel on Sep 12, 2011 9:19 AM EDT up reply actions
And your bye week is months away
by Evan Skev on Sep 11, 2011 11:44 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
What a great trip down memory lane.
Thanks
"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit."
--Aristotle
Its Game Day Folks
This write up really has me jacked up. I think we have something special with this Ravens team. We a great balance of vets and youth plus a amazing coaching staff that should be clicking very well together. The team in PA (not the Eagles) has had our # as of lately and I know that anybody that bleeds purple is waiting for that day to come.
by Georgia Raven on Sep 11, 2011 11:29 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
I still say pitt fans are good for Baltimore's fanbase
because they teach us geography and how not to act
Holy Cow!
If there ever was a case of blondness at its finest, this is it-!
That had to be one of the most non-nonsensical, incoherent utterance from an allegedly sober adult…
"A little learning is a dangerous thing; Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring."
"The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug."
"God's whiskers! Your face is as hideous as the demon's in my storybook!"
"I never expected to see the day when girls would get sunburned in the places they do today."
"It's big for a reason."
For Pittsburgh fans, that's Pope, Twain, Rostand, Rogers and Megamind
Her Breathing
Gets her laid…
Her parents must be so proud. I swear, if ever one of daughters ever gives an answer like that, to a question like that, forget about writing them out of the will, I am going straight to the courthouse and changing both their names to Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton respectively…
"A little learning is a dangerous thing; Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring."
"The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug."
"God's whiskers! Your face is as hideous as the demon's in my storybook!"
"I never expected to see the day when girls would get sunburned in the places they do today."
"It's big for a reason."
For Pittsburgh fans, that's Pope, Twain, Rostand, Rogers and Megamind
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Related FanPosts on Baltimore Beat Down
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
SBNation.com Recent Stories
In Association With
Shutdown Corner - NFL - Yahoo! Sports
- Former high-school star Brian Banks does serious time on trumped-up charge, now hopes for an NFL shot
- Former ‘idiot kicker’ Mike Vanderjagt in trouble after accosting junior-high heckler
- Adrian Peterson blows teammates away in footraces; appears to be on the mend
- UPDATE: Charlie Sheen didn’t buy Lawrence Taylor’s Super Bowl ring
- Alex Smith gets blown up by Jon Beason over Cam Newton comments
