Isn't it a heck of a lot easier to wake up on Monday mornings after a Ravens' win? It sure makes looking forward to posting on this blog a lot more positive, thinking on what good to write about, instead of just complaining. Can you imagine what the die-hard Browns fans are posting? From what I saw when I peaked in on their site after yesterday's game, it was anger and hostility. Funny though, the anger and hostility was not aimed at the Ravens, or even us fans, but at the Browns, specifically Romeo Crennel and Derek Anderson. Not surprisingly, there was little or no credit given to the Ravens for their 37-27 comeback victory yesterday. Rather, they continued to mock our team, saying how bad we were and we had ONLY beaten a terrible team (their Browns) twice and until we beat the Steelers, they still think we stink. I guess they just think they stink more than us, so beating them is no big deal!

However, this is the NFL. Now sitting at 5-3, the Ravens are smack dab in the middle of the playoff hunt with half the season completed. While we should not even mention the "p" word until after week ten at the earliest, you can't help but feel a certain level of confidence after sweeping the season series of a tough divisional opponent. Our five wins have all come at the expense of teams with losing records, but that can be deceiving if you look at who those teams beat. The Dolphins beat New England, San Diego, Buffalo and now Denver. Yet, we went into their crib and punked them. The Browns crushed the defending Super Bowl Champs NY Giants while handing them their only loss of this season so far. They also went on the road to Jacksonville and upset them, yet we put up 37 on them on their field. If you look at those angles, then the parity in this league should only make our 5-3 record look even better and more legitimate. With the Ravens fifth win in eight games, we have now won as many games this season as we did all of 2007, when we finished 5-11. Something tells me we will be drastically improving on that embarassing season.

What went right yesterday? Well, to be honest, I just don't have the time to list everything that pleased me. However, to fall behind by two touchdowns usually meant "implosion time" for the Ravens. Yesterday, I saw a focused team calmly go about getting back the first TD, then rely on the defense to get them the ball back. Their confidence soared behind their rookie QB, who never seemed to panic as he continued his incredibly quick growth as a NFL starter and candidate for Rookie-of-the-Year. Zero turnovers in three straight games while throwing sharp passes that we only dreamed of in Baltimore, as it is apparent that we have our QB of the future in the present. To me, one of the biggest signs of his poise and confdence came in the third quarter when we were inside our 20 yard line with a third down and 16 yards to go, now down by two TD's. Normally, you'd expect a short pass, draw play or worse, and then a punt out of the end zone as our downward spiral continued. Instead, Flacco rifled a bullet over the middle to his favorite target, Derrick Mason, for a 20 yard gain and a first down on our way to a TD to get back into the game. If Mason isn't one of the best possession receivers in the NFL, then pray tell me, who is better? Another long drive, capped by a 28 yard catch and run by Mason for the tying TD and we were back to even. A fourth straight three-and-out by our defense, assisted by some very questionable, conservative playcalling, not to mention a dropped pass by Braylon Edwards, and we got the lead on Matt Stover's third FG of the game. The nail in the coffin was the interception return for TD by T-Sizzle in a virtual replay of the exact same thing he did in Miami two weeks ago. Something tells me Suggs is going to get a hefty pay raise for next year by the Ravens, who have no intention of letting him test the free agent market.

With key starters on both sides of the ball injured and out for the game, the reserves stepped up and played huge roles in this victory. None was bigger than the rookie from Rutgers, Ray Rice, who ripped through and around the tough Browns run defense for 154 yards, easily a career high. He is surprisingly strong and hard to bring down for a relatively small RB, and showed the speed that transformed the Rutgers football program from a joke into a legitmate contender for  the Big East crown during his time there. Combined with the bruising of backfield mate Le'Ron McClain, they made the absence of Willis McGahee virtually negligent. Wide receiver Mark Clayton seriously showed up for the first time this season since his opening day TD run on a reverse to help defeat the Bengals. He had 80 yards, but none more important than his first TD reception this season on a great diving catch in the first quarter. It's great to see how he can complement Derrick Mason when he's open. Unfortunately, Todd Heap again returned to invisible status, although his blocking seemed greatly improved on a couple of key runs by Rice. The offensive line opened huge holes for the RB's and provided enough protection for Flacco to find his open receivers. The Ravens heavy packages, which included overloading one side of the line with two tackles, seemed to overwhelm and flatten Cleveland's front line of defense, anchored by Shaun Rogers. Rogers is spoken of in NFL cirlces as one of the best DT's in the game, but I still wouldn't even consider trading Haloti Ngata or perhaps even Justin Bannan for him, the way they're playing.

Notice how the only Ray I've mentioned has been Rice, not Lewis? The defense gave up two TD's and two FG's, and it certainly could have been worse, if the Browns had stuck to the success they were having passing the ball. Instead, they stubbornly kept trying to run the ball rather than move it through the air, where they seemed to be widely successful, throwing to both Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow. Our secondary was depleted by injuries and both corners were having trouble keeping these guys covered. For whatever reason, the Browns played a lot like the Ravens in our losses, trying not to lose, rather than put us away by continuing to attack. As bad as the corners were, you've still got to understand that these guys are nickel or dime-backs, not NFL starters. We need our front line guys to get healthy or other teams won't be as cooperative as Cleveland was yesterday.

Special Teams deserves a special mention and not from a complementary angle. Their tackling was abysmal on both the kickoffs and punt returns. While Brendon Ayanbadejo had a couple of loud hits, the rest of the guys couldn't stay in their lanes and keep Cleveland's Joshua Cribbs from ripping off huge returns to set up the Browns' offense in great field position. The first return for TD after the Ravens went up 10-0 put them right back into the game after we were beginning to make this game look like a rout in the first quarter.

Overall, you've got to be stoked after this one. Going to Houston next week to make up the game postponed due to Hurricane Ike won't be an easy one either, if there are such things in the NFL. The Texans lost in Minnesota yesterday but had previously won three in a row. They'll look to get back on track and have one of the best big receivers in the game in Andre' Johnson. Unless the Ravens corners get healthy quickly, we're going to need another great performance like yesterday's if we expect to continue this streak, which then heads to the Meadowlands to face the Giants in two weeks before finally coming home to host the Philadelphia Eagles.

It's a long streak, but we're on our way after a crushing blow to the Browns' season and a series sweep of Cleveland. Now, we have to do the unthinkable, and that is to actually root for the hated Washington Redskins to beat the equally hated Pittsburgh Steelers tonight on MNF and put us in a first place tie in the AFC North, even though the Steelers hold virtually every tie-breaker at this point of the season.

Hard to say it, but "GO 'SKINS!!!

The Baltimore Ravens will host the Cleveland Browns in what may end up being a defining game for both teams very early in the 2008 season. The Ravens have only played one game so far, thanks for Hurricane Ike cancelling the game in Houston originally scheduled for week 2, and stand 1-0 due to their 17-10 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on opening weekend. The Browns limp into M&T Bank Stadium with an 0-2 record, albeit both losses to two of the top teams in the entire NFL.

However, scoring only one touchdown and not looking like the playoff contender that they were expected to be heading into the 2008 season, has many Cleveland fans worried and wondering how long before changes in key positions begin. Head coach Romeo Crennel and QB Derek Anderson are both on the hot seat and rumored to be holding onto their jobs by a thread, especially Crennel, who has long been under fire, even before last year's successful 10-6 season. The Browns just missed making the postseason and two losses to arch-rival Pittsburgh dulled the season, much less another loss at home to the hated Steelers last weekend. While Derek Anderson isn't quite hanging onto his job as gingerly as Crennel, he is coming under fire for not looking like the million dollar bonus payday he earned after last season's surprising success. Another poor showing, however, and the rabid Dawg Pound will begin the annual chant for Brady Quinn. Quinn has been patiently awaiting his opportunity on the sidelines, biding his time learning the game and making more commercials and showing off his buff body than most other teams' starters. At some point, the Browns will not want to delay the inevitable any longer.

A loss today in Baltimore to start the season 0-3 will go a long way towards the beginning of the Brady Quinn era. The Ravens plan to do whatever they can to help Brady get an early start to his future. They plan to harass Anderson through a variety of stunts and blitzes and now have a healthy defense to send the extra pass rusher that they were unable to afford last season, when their secondary was chock full of reserves. Injuries to Samari Rolle, Chris McAlister and Ed Reed, along with the offseason loss of Adalius Thomas to the Patriots via free agency and injury to Trevor Pryce made the Ravens pass rush in 2007 almost non-existent. Now, with all those guys back and not even listed on the injury report, the Ravens will be basically at full strength (other than DT Kelly Gregg) for the second game this season. Week one they shut down Cincinnati's Carson Palmer, Chad Johnson and TJ Houshmandzadeh and now plan to repeat the effort this week to Anderson and his favorite targets, Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow. Edwards led the league in dropped balls last year and seems to be on pace to do so again in 2008. To top it off, he is injured and his status will be a game time decision, although expect him to play as he has enjoyed good success against the Ravens in the past. Winslow looks to be a major force in today's game and could very well end up Anderson's favorite target. The Browns would love to get their running game unleashed behind former Raven Jamal Lewis, who had a 92 yard rushing game last season against the Ravens in one of the Browns two victories over Baltimore. The Ravens have not allowed a 100 yard rusher in 20 straight games, the NFL's longest such streak, and it doesn't expect to stop today, especially if the Browns fall behind early. Perhaps the Browns biggest threat to the Ravens comes from special teams return man, Joshua Cribbs, who is one of the best in the league in his role. Cribbs has been a force and has had success against the Ravens as well as the rest of the league and will be a marked man today. If the Ravens can limit his damage, it will only help to pin the Browns back deep in their own territory. This could lead to turnovers and a short field to help the Ravens offense put points on the board without having to rely on long drives.

However, long, time consuming drives have worked out just fine for the Ravens in their lone game this season. The Ravens will continue their plan of running the ball and now have the benefit of Willis McGahee in the backfield for the first time this season. McGahee gained over 1,200 yards last season but missed the entire preseason and first game of the season, but is now not even listed on the Ravens injury report. How many carries he gets is another story, but I expect it to be at least a dozen and could be more depending on the tone of the game. Rookie Ray Rice had a great debut, other than his fumble which led to Cincinnati's lone touchdown last game. The biggest surprise has been the success of fullback Le'Ron McClain, who had over 80 yards in week one, and had primarily been utilized as a blocking back previous to that. However, the absence of McGahee made his carrying the ball more necessary and is now thought to be making a repeat performance this week against the Browns. The combination of McGahee, Rice and McClain will keep the Ravens backfield fresh and don't forget that they also have the luxury of having bruising fullback and former San Diego Charger Lorenzo Neal leading the charge. Imagine the pounding the defense will absorb by having the 260 pound Neal leading the way for the 250 pound McClain, paving the way for McGahee and Rice to dart in and around the holes opened by the young, healthy and rapidly improving offensive line.

The success of the running game will make the transition smoother for rookie QB Joe Flacco from third string in the preseason to starter in the regular season. Flacco looked surprisingly calm and collected and while he didn't put great stats on the board, he did manage the offense without any mistakes and even contributed a 38 yard lumbering touchdown run on a busted play. While we shouldn't expect him to repeat his rushing efforts, he should feel more comfortable with the extra week off to continue to learn the team's offense and take control of the huddle. If he continues his progress and keeps his mistakes to a minimum, the Ravens will have found their quarterback of the future a lot earlier than originally planned.

If today's game goes as planned, the Ravens will stuff Cleveland's Jamal Lewis, forcing Derek Anderson to rely on the passing game too much. By this, I mean if the pass is so obvious, the Ravens pass rushers can pin their ears back and put a target on Anderson's chest, causing him to hurry his passes and throw the interceptions that the Ravens can turn into quick points and put the Ravens into position to win this game. Offensively, they will pound the ball with their three pronged rushing attack, with the requisite number of passes to keep the defense honest. Wide receiver Derrick Mason and tight end Todd Heap, along with short tosses to the backfield will move the ball outside the hashmarks while the RB's pound it inside. Expect the Browns to stack the box with eight or nine defenders, daring the Ravens to beat them through the air. However, the Browns secondary has not been very good and the loss of their best defender, safety Sean Jones, will make it difficult to stop the passing attack, even of the Ravens. Big defensive tackle Shaun Rogers will clog the middle and rush the passer, but expect him to get a lot of attention from the middle of the Ravens offensive line.

Overall, if both teams play to my expectations, the Ravens will go into a week four showdown on Monday Night in Pittsburgh in first place with a 2-0 record, while the Browns will join their Ohio brothers from Cincinnati in the AFC North basement. The Steelers have a tough battle of Pennsylvania at Philadelphia, where I am predicting they lose, so there is my reasoning on the first place Ravens.

I expect the teams to put more points on the board than either has done up to this point in the season, although the game will not be as close as the final score. I expect the Browns to get a late, meaningless score to keep the Ravens defense honest until the end, but the Ravens defense leads the way to victory and Flacco continues his orientation with another solid, mistake-free outing as the Ravens win.

Ravens:  26-20

After unexpectedly receiving an early Bye week and more time to rest, get healthy and prepare for the Cleveland Browns, the Baltimore Ravens are restless and ready to play this weekend. By ready, I mean that their team is probably healthier than they have been since the 2006 season. Their offensive line is all back and all five starters plus newly acquired former All Pro Willie Anderson have looked good in practice and performed well in game one.

The biggest injury concerns have centered on the defense, and most specifically the secondary. However, Chris McAlister, Ed Reed, Corey Ivy and Samari Rolle were not listed on the most recently released injury report. It looks like Fabian Washington, with a bulging disk in his neck, is the only one in danger of missing this week's game. On the defensive line, Trevor Pryce is not on the injury report and Kelly Gregg, who missed the first game, hopes to play as well, although relacement Justin Bannan was a serviceable replacement against Cincinnati.

This is great news for the Ravens and their fans. It will be a refreshing pleasure to see what we fans have always thought was the best defense in the league the past few years all on the field at the same time for the first time since, well...a long, long time. When the defense was injured, the Ravens were very pedestrian, meaning average or worse, as it showed throughout most of last season. However, when healthy, they are among, if not the most feared defense in the entire NFL, and they should be expected to perform at that level come this Sunday. If so, then my prediction on Sunday morning will make most Ravens fans happy, as it will mirror my game-by-game predictions I made on this blog earlier this summer.

Offensively, running back Willis McGahee is not listed on that injury report either, and will team with rookie Ray Rice, fullbacks Le'Ron McClain and Lorenzo Neal to pound the ball at the center of Cleveland's huge defensive line, anchored by newly acquired behemoth Shaun Rogers. However, when necessary, the Ravens will unleash rookie QB Joe Flacco to make short, accurate passes and perhaps even mix in another surprising scramble or trick play once in a while. Flacco has had the luxury of an extra week of practice, taking all the snaps and learning more of offensive coordinator Cam Cameron's playbook. It also looks like Troy Smith has recovered enough from his rare tonsil infection, in which he lost 20 pounds, to begin working out and start his comeback. Meanwhile second string QB Todd Bouman continues to get up to speed in his knowledge of the Ravens' system in the hopefully unlikely event he is needed on the field.

All in all, it is shaping up to be a great opportunity for Baltimore to exorcise their Cleveland demons, who haunted them with two victories over the Ravens last ear, as the combination of our return to health and home field advantage should triumph over the Browns slow start and injuries come this Sunday afternoon.