As I sit in warm, sunny South Florida in anticipation of another Ravens victory over the Miami Dolphins tomorrow., I still need to put my quick thoughts here on the Beatdown regarding the other three playoff games starting with tonight's game. So, in the interest of time and trying to enjoy being away from the frigid Baltimore weather, let's get right to it.

Arizona over Atlanta: Believe it or not, I actually like the Cardinals to rebound in a big way. Kurt Warner is playoff battle tested and knows how to handle the pressure. He also has geat receivers to throw to and the Cards usually play a lot tougher at home than they do on the road, especially when they have to go to the east coast. Meanwhile, the Falcons have been a wonderful surprise and have some great players, including Rookie-of-the-Year, Matt Ryan, and RB Michael Turner, who finished tied for second in voting for the league's MVP. However, Ryan is not nearly the QB on the road as he is at home and I expect the Cards to be able to outscore the Falcons in this one.

Indianapolis over San Diego: This is going to be the closest game of the weekend, as both teams can easily take charge and win tonight. Both QB's have the guns to put up points in a hurry and as well as the Colts have done in winning the last nine in arow, the Chargers have come back from the dead to steal the AFC West title on the arm of Philip Rivers. However, Peyton Manning is the master of his domain and should be able to pick apart the San Diego secondary all night. At the same time, the Colts defense has shown signs of life, with the pass rush of Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis and of course, All Pro safety, Bob Sanders stuffing the run as well as playing a great center field.

Minnesota over Philadelphia: Most people have jumped on the Eagles bandwagon, but not me. I know they destroyed the Cowboys when they needed to, but that was at home where they've played well all season. However, they lost a lot of luster in my eyes with their loss in Washington where they couldn't even score a TD all game. Now they have to go into a deafening dome as a visitor and deal with a very good defense and that Peterson guy at running back . As good as Donovan McNabb can be, he can also throw down a clunker like he did in Washington, as well as he did in Baltimore. I'm looking for the Vikings to let Peterson loose all night and McNabb to make the mistakes that give the game to the Vikings.

NOTE: I'll pick & pan the Ravens-Dolphins game in Sunday's posting, before I leave to go to the game tomorrow morning. GO RAVENS!!!

....does it seem that the trash talking between the Ravens and Dolphins fans has stepped up from the regular season to the playoffs or what!?

...I see bizarre similarities between the newly successful Dolphins fans comments and the same sort from the Cleveland Browns fans after their surprising 2007 season.

...I still admire their loyalty despite their rather personal attacks on our team, fans and bloggers.

...for whatever reason they do not handle the trash talking and smack very well, and get unusually defensive over on their site compared to here.

...I will continue to trade barbs with them and will gladly go back there after we win (or lose) to get "closure."

...I doubt anyone from there will come here to take their "medicine" after they lose.

...I would urge all Beatdown fans to continue to post the type of comments that you know I approve of, and keep our "quality-over-quantity" slogan true.

...I just can't see the Ravens losing this game on either offense or defense.

...me thinks this Ravens team is way too physical for the Dolphins to stick with for four quarters.

...while offense is sometimes good and bad, defense "travels" well.

...here's some stats for you:

...Miami's defense ranks 15th in the NFL, 10th against the run, 25th against the pass and 9th in points allowed.

...the Ravens defense ranks 2nd overall, 3rd against the run, 2nd against the pass and 3rd in points allowed.

...Miami's offense ranks 12th overall, 11th in rushing, 10 in passing and 21st in points scored.

...the Ravens offense ranks 18th overall, 4th rushing, 28th passing, but 11th in points scored.

...while it seems that the 3-4 points that the Ravens score more and allow less are relatively insignificant, they are absolutely not as that could easily be the difference between winning the Super Bowl or not even making the playoffs and is a spread of seven points per game, if taken together.

...the betting line has moved from Ravens -3 to -3.5, indicating a majority of the betting money is being put on the Ravens.

...don't be surprised if the line goes to -4 before the game on Sunday.

...I will post my predictions for the two Saturday games, as well as the other Sunday game tomorrow, although I am taking some of the underdogs this weekend.

...I actually like both NFC home teams, which are both underdogs, as are all the home teams this weekend.

...I still am not convinced that the Eagles are consistent enough to win a key game on the road in Minnesota.

...the Eagles loss in Washington convinced me that they are far from the improved team they are getting credit for.

...while the Vikings QB situation is less than optimistic, they have some guy named Peterson that you can never discount his effect on the game.

...while the Arizona Cardinals have stunk it up the past month or so, they are still tough at home and the Falcons' Matt Ryan has not looked so great on the road lately, throwing more interceptions than TD's.

...the Cards have a ton of firepower in the passing game and Kurt Warner has been here before and done pretty well in the post season.

...while the Colts have won nine in a row and I still think they will win over the Chargers, it could go either way as San Diego has had Indy's number over the past couple of years.

...both Phil Rivers and Peyton Manning have had great years and rolled up big stats in leading their teams to the playoffs when they both were looking pretty sickly after the first month or so of the season.

...it should be a great opening weekend of the post season and I can't wait to get on my flight tomorrow morning to sunny South Florida to see my Ravens repeat what I witnessed them do in October!

...I just don't see the Ravens being flat for the Jacksonville game.

...head coach John Harbaugh won't let them think the game is in the bag, as he's not overconfident.

... I'm sure he IS confident that his team will win.

...despite their terrible season and 5-10 record which includes losses in five of their last six games and eight of ten, the Jags will not lay down and could be a dangerous team.

...Maurice Jones-Drew is one of the few guys in this league that can score everytime he touches the ball, and you know he'll get a bunch of touches.

...hopefully the guy known as "pocket Hercules" will feel the pain that Ray Lewis and company can bring.

...Jags QB David Garrard is an elusive scrambler and can be a very streaky passer.

...don't forget they took the Colts to the brink in their last game and also beat them earlier this season.

...that was when the Colts looked like a totally different team than they do now.

...don't forget that I said around a month ago that if the Ravens don't make it, I predicted a Manning v. Manning Super Bowl.

...to go off on a different tangent, what in the world was the idiot Plaxico Burress thinking when he STILL had a cache of weapons found in his house, including the bloody clothing he was wearing when he shot himself in the leg!?

...please don't force feed me any more news on the possible retirement of Brett Favre, as I had more than my fill last summer and would prefer not to hear him whine or see him cry again this off season.

...I am rooting for the Buffalo Bills to make our game irrelevant Sunday by upsetting the Patriots in the earlier game.

...I am also rooting for the Miami Dolphins to win the AFC East, although I wouldn't mind punking Favre's butt in HIS last game!

...while we beat the Dolphins earlier this season and I fully expect to beat them again in the post season, this will be a much different and tougher game this time around than it was the first time.

...I can't believe the San Diego Chargers are going to come back from the grave to beat the Denver Broncos and take the AFC West.

...the Broncos should have wrapped that division up weeks ago but couldn't play defense against anyone and doomed themselves to this meltdown.

...the Chargers will be a more dangerous team in the post season than Denver would have been.

...what do we care, as the Colts will have to go to San Diego, or Denver, if by some chance the Broncos pull off a miracle.

...it really doesn't matter, as Indy will beat either one and then go to Pittsburgh and beat the Steelers as well in the next round.

...and while I fully expect to beat the Dolphins and Jets in the first round, I just do not like the matchup with the Patriots, should they end up winning the AFC East title and host us in the first round of the playoffs.

...the Ravens can certainly confound and confuse Matt Cassel, the weather and some guy named Randy Moss might think differently.

...if we handle Moss the same way we did TO, we should be okay, although that little man, Wes Welker, scares me due to his ability to cross the field on the short slant for huge gains, which is our defense's Achilles Heel.

...I can't believe that the NFL (Scrooge) fined the Pats Wes Welker $10G for making a snow angel last week in their win over the hapless Cardinals.

...It's only Friday and I've been going silly since last week's amazing game and win over the Cowboys as I wait for this Sunday's playoff clinhing victory over the Jags!

...I thought the Indianapolis Colts were doing everything possible to give away last night's game as well as the 5th seed in the playoffs.

...something tells me that Peyton Manning was never worried and knew they could outgun the Jags in the end.

...the incredible thing is that if the Colts defense can "hold" the opposition to under 30 points, the Colts will always have a chance to win. Crazy!

...you just wouldn't be surprised to see the Colts win three in a row on the road on their way to Super Bowl 43.

...as tough as it will be to win in Pittsburgh and Tennessee, they can certainly do both, as neither team has been as consistent as Indy over the past two months.

...Pittsburgh should be the favorite over the Titans this weekend, even in Tennessee, due to the loss of Haynesworth and Vanden Bosch.

...while that makes the Steelers the top seed and a possible second round matchup for the Ravens if when they make the playoffs and if when they beat the #3 seed.

...I may be one of the few that truly wants another shot at the Steelers this season.

...something tells me that the Ravens' players would join with me on that one.

...the Steelers would also agree that they'd rather face us than the Colts, as Indy has already proven that they can beat Pittsburgh this year.

...either way, whomever the 3rd and 4th seeds end up being, they are one and done as home teams in the first round of the playoffs if the Ravens join the Colts as Wild Card entries.

...the Ravens MUST win this week and next week at home vs. Jacksonville, and not rely on other scenerios to back in.

...the Ravens actually could lose to Dallas and still make the playoffs if two of the three AFC East teams split their next two games.

...either the Jets or the Dolphins will at least go 1-1, as they play each other in week 17 in the Meadowlands.

...the Pats should be able to beat the Cardinals this weekend, but you know who I'm rooting for!?

...I'd rather take the options out of anyone else's hands and do it myself, and start with an upset victory in Dallas tomorrow night.

...does it seem to you that the NFL Network was gushing over the Cowboys last night during the Colts-Jags game?

...I bet the schedule makers were looking to expect the Cowboys to destroy the horrible Ravens when this game was put on the schedule after the terrible seaon the Ravens had in 2007.

...a caller into a local sports talk radio station said this, and compared it to the Yankees closing down their historic stadium last year by hosting the Baltimore Orioles.

...do you think these are both coincidences? Hmm....

...nothing would make me prouder than to disappoint millions of Cowboys fans around the country as "America's Team" is blasted in their final game at Texas Stadium.

...hey, I'm a Ravens fan and this is my blog, dammit, so I can do what I want!

It's time to move on. I just can't stand to continue to whine and complain about the Ravens-Steelers game anymore. They beat us, face it and let's refocus our efforts on this coming Saturday's game against the Dallas Cowboys, once again on national TV. Both teams are still in the playoff hunt, Dallas sitting in the fifth seed in the NFC and Baltimore at the sixth seed in the AFC. This game is huge for both teams and takes on an added emotional angle as it closes out the history of Texas Stadium as the Cowboys prepare to move into their billion dollar digs next season. I hear that they will have $250,000 SIDELINE skyboxes available, only feet from the field! Wonder what it's like to have a pro football player come barreling into your seats, knocking over your champagne and caviar when you're trying to put a move on the closest cheerleader!?

Anyway, let's take a look at the current scenerios if the regular season has ended and the playoffs began today. In the NFC, the Vikings (3rd seed)  would host the Buccaneers (6th seed) and the Cardinals (4th seed) would host the Cowboys (5th seed). I see the Vikings winning and although the Cards have already beaten the Cowboys this season in Arizona, I think the 'boys are the hotter team and predict them winning. That would then send Dallas to the New York Giants (#1 seed) and the Vikings to the Carolina Panthers (#2 seed). I realize that the Panthers play at the Giants this coming weekend in a game that could decide the #1 seed, but we're working on the assumption that the season ended today, so sorry that just doesn't apply. The Giants will beat the Cowboys at home in the rubber game of their season matches, while the Panthers should take care of business at home over the Vikings. That leaves Carolina to revisit the Giants for the NFC Championship. Funny thing is, with this scenerio I see the Giants repeating as NFC Champs. However, even hough I'm not supposed to go here, if the Panthers beat the Giants this weekend and end up with the #1 seed, then the playoff combinations change and while I still see these two teams meeting in the NFC Championship Game, if it is played in Carolina, then I'd take the Panthers at home. If Carolina can beat the Giants in the Meadowlands, then they can also beat them in Carolina. However, as I've said, we're going with the fact that the season ended today, not after this weekend. After this weekend, we can revisit the scenerios, as they will probably change, but for today's post, this is it. So, the New York Giants will once again represent the NFC in Super Bowl 43.

Over in the AFC the first round games have the Ravens (6th seed) at the NY Jets (3rd seed) and the Indianapolis Colts (5th seed) at the Denver Broncos (4th seed). As I've said all along, I still say that both Wild Card entries are better than the division champions they will be facing, so I stick with my prediction that the Ravens beat the Jets and the Colts defeat the Broncos. That would send the Ravens to Tennessee and the Colts to Pittsburgh. It's amazing that both conference's #1 and #2 seeds are playing each other in the #1 seeds home field this weekend, so things can certainly change with this scenerio as well as it can in the NFC. This is especially true with the logjam in the AFC East, as there are currently three teams with the same 9-5 record, as well as the 6th seeded Ravens. However, once again, this is based on the current standings and that is how we'll roll in this post. I see the Indianapolis Colts on a roll and therefore going into Heinz Field and upsetting the Steelers in their own crib. Unfortunately, I do not see the Ravens upsetting the Titans (so sorry, guys). While it's also interesting that the Titans and Colts will meet again this season, this scenerio has the season over so we don't get to see the outcome of that rematch. We'll see them meet in the AFC Championship Game in Tennessee, where the Titans have already beaten the Colts this season. However, the Colts have been as hot as any team in the NFL since earlier this season and they set up the dream game of Manning vs. Manning in Super Bowl 43.

I said it a few weeks ago and I still see it coming to fruition as the season winds down to the Big Game. You heard it here first and I'm repeating it, especially if it looks like our Ravens will have an insurmountable road to the summit.

Super Bowl 43: Indianapolis Colts vs. New York Giants

Let the debate begin!

While in past weeks, this column's title has been pretty easy to break down, this week's matchup poses significant problems when determining the best way of defeating the Ravens next opponent. The New York Giants have the home field advantage, and we all know how hard, regardless of the Ravens recent success, it is to win on the road in the NFL. Mind you, these aren't the Houston Texans, Miami Dolphins or even the Cleveland Browns we're facing. At the same time, we beat the Browns in Cleveland while the Giants couldn't. Don't read too much into that, although I'm sure the Ravens top brass have picked apart that tape all week.

The problem herein lies with the solid play of the Giants on both sides of the ball. Normally, you either have a weakness on the opponent that the strength of our team can exploit. The Giants provide a quandry of issues on this. They really don't have a significant weakness that we can pinpoint to attack. At the same time, the reverse is just not true about the Ravens. We all know our most glaring weakness is our pass defense, and more specifically the lack of depth in our secondary. If teams can protect their QB, then they can have the time to wait and pick us apart, as evidenced by the way Indy's Peyton Manning did so in their 31-3 beatdown of us. Usually, we can cover that weakness through a harrassing pass rush that does not give the time to the opposing QB and often results in sacks or interceptions, as the Ravens are tied for second in the league with 14 picks, thanks in part to four last week in Houston. The problem with this issue is that the Giants might have the best offensive line in the NFL with only 11 sacks allowed, tied for fifth in the league, not coincidently with the Indianapolis Colts.

So then how do our Ravens go into the Meadowlands and leave Sunday with a victory over the 8-1 and defending Super Bowl Champs? There are only two chinks in the armor that I think we can plan to exploit. The first is in our control, the second we'll need New York's cooperation. The Ravens lead the league in time of possession. If we can have a couple of long, time consuming drives that result in points, that will wear down the Giants defense, as their offense also ranks high in time of possession and their defense is just not used to being kept on the field longer than the offense. At the same time, the Ravens will need every advantage they can get and to me that translates to a wide open playbook, including trick plays. A quick, easy score can give us some breathing room and take pressure off Joe Flacco and the rest of the offense, while giving them the confidence to move the ball and keep the Giants alert and on their heels.

The second item that we will need the Giants to cooperate with us for is that while the Ravens turnover differential is -2, the Giants are at +6, which is tied for the best in the NFC, but lags far behind the Titans +11 which leads the NFL. The Ravens will need Eli Manning to continue his streak of throwing an interception in the past two games. This should help the Ravens get the short field they feast upon to drive the ball downhill to the end zone. While the Giants defeated the Ravens next opponent, the Philadelphia Eagles last week, they did give up 31 points in the victory, proving that as good as their defense is, it can be scored upon, and we all know the Ravens are averaging over 33 points during their current four game winning streak.

Last, but certainly not least, is the ability of Special Teams to affect the outcome of the game. The Ravens absolutely must shut down the Giants return game if they want to keep this game close and have a chance to pull another one out on the road. Conversely, they will need a big return or two to give them a boost and put the Giants on alert.

The Ravens can definitely stay in this game until the end. In their last four victories, the Ravens have owned the second half and shut out their opponents in the fourth quarter. If the Ravens can come anywhere close to this, what was looked at as a definite loss when the 2008 schedule was originally unveiled, can be a possible win in what has become a surprisingly successful season for the Ravens.

The Baltimore Ravens put together what almost was a perfect game yesterday in Houston, as the totally dominated all aspects of the game in their 41-13 victory. Their fourth win in a row gives them a 6-3 record, and one more victory than they had in the entire 2007 season. This win was their third win of the year on the road and during their four game winning streak, they are averaging 36 points per game.

Once considered a team based totally on its smothering defense, the Ravens now have seemed to find the recipe for offensive success. While their defense is the #2 overall ranked defense in the entire NFL (#1 against the run), their offense has begun to put up enough points to make the defense's job easier. Once the Ravens take the lead thanks to their renovated offense, the defense licks their chops and feasts on their opponents mistakes. This recipe has led to the points coming in bunches as the Ravens have put the games away with a mistake-free ball control offense and a suffocating defense.

Yesterday's victory was a perfect example of how the Ravens have transformed their offense under new head coach John Harbaugh, offensive coordinator Cam Cameron and especially rookie QB Joe Flacco. While not babying him with the playbook because of his rookie status, the gameplan focuses on the running game which opens up the passing game. At the same time, Flacco has earned every accolade he has had heaped upon him as of late, not turning the ball over even once during this four game span. The offensive line has provided him excellent protection and opened gaping holes for our three-headed rushing attack. The running backs have stepped up and all three have had great success, without any indication of internal issues over their split starring roles. Even the wideouts have stepped up, with Derrick Mason not being the only one having success and catching key passes. There was even a re-emergence of tight end Todd Heap yesterday, who caught five passes for 58 yards and two (not a typo) TD's!

While Flacco has not put up Manning, Brady or even Brees-like numbers, the lack of interceptions has allowed the offense to hold onto the ball and drive down the field, owning the clock and time of possession. This usually translates into victories and has held true for the Ravens six victories. The rookie from the University of Delaware has looked calm and poised in the pocket, well advanced of his first year status. While all facets of the team have stepped up, it is by far his surprising play has made the biggest difference in the team's success.

Can the Ravens continue their winnng streak as they head up to the Meadowlands to visit the defending Super Bowl Champion and 8-1 New York Giants? That remains to be seen, as we have all week to gloat over our win and plan to go to war in New Jersey next Sunday. For now, let's revel in our season that now has us tied for first place in the AFC North with the Pittsburgh Steelers, thanks to their home loss to the Indianapolis Colts yesterday. At the same time, while we are tied for the division lead, they hold the tie breaker over us by virtue of their victory over us earlier this season. Of course, we will have the chance to set things right when the Steelers come to M&T Bank Stadium on December 14th. Until then, we can continue to control our own fate and will root for two teams- the Ravens and whomever is playing the Steelers.

GO RAVENS!!!

The Baltimore Ravens have posted an o-for the last five times they've taken on the Indianapolis Colts, including the 44-20 smackdown they absorbed last year in front of their home fans. The team was decimated with injuries and had just come off an emotional and upsetting loss to the undefeated New England Patriots only six days earlier. This time, they're coming off two emotional and upsetting losses, including one in front of their home town fans. Huh, sounds similar? I think not.

There is a huge difference between the current status of the two teams from last season to now. Both teams are playing .500 ball at 2-2, and while the Ravens are just 6 points away from being 4-0, the Colts were just four minutes away from being 1-3. However, that is the difference between good teams and not-so-good ones. The good teams find a way to pull games out at the end, while the not-so-good ones find ways to lose them. The Ravens seem to find a new and exciting way to "snatch defeat from the jaws of victory" almost every week lately, and until they find a way to win those close games against good teams, they will remain in the not-so-good category. In order to be mentioned among the league's elite, you have to win the close games and beat teams that supposedly are thought to be better than you. The Ravens have done neither while the Colts have floundered, but still showed signs of resurging to the upper echelon of the AFC.

In order for Baltimore to gain a foothold in the division, they will need to win these games and it all starts today in Indianapolis. Remember that the second half of the Ravens schedule includes all four NFC East teams, which is easily the toughest division in football. If we can't take care of business and sweep the next three games (Indy, Miami, Oakland), we could be in danger of being swept by that tough division and once again face the prospects of a losing season and high draft pick. After the encouraging beginning of the season, that would be a major disappointment to the team and its fans. Combined with the tougher schedule the Steelers have remaining, the possibilities of the Ravens making the postseason existed, but are much more cloudy after the previous two demoralizing last minute defeats in games the Ravens had the upper hand.

In order for the Ravens to win at Indy today, the obvious jumps out at everyone. They must pound the ball up the middle in the running game behind their two backs, Willis McGahee and Le'Ron McClain. Combined with the lead blocking of Lorenzo Neal, the Ravens must wear down the Colts front four and slow down their pass rush whenever Joe Flacco is required to drop back to pass. If he has time to find the open receivers, then the combination of the running game and efficient passing can put the Ravens in position to win. The Colts are missing their best defensive player, Bob Sanders and they have proven to be a much different team without him in the lineup. They are also missing other starters in their secondary and have not been good at stopping the run. The Ravens' past two opponents have been in the top of the league in defense while the Colts are ranked at the bottom. If they can move the ball, they will certainly be in this game until the end.

However and this is a huge "however." If the Ravens defense that gave up two long scoring drives to the Titans in the fourth quarter is the one that shows up in Indy today, there's no way we can win a shootout with Manning and his cohorts. With exactly zero sacks in the past six quarters, the pass rush will have to get more creative and find a way to hurry Manning, who will torture us if he gets any time to find his second and third reads. If he has watched any tape of the Ravens (gee, you thunk!?), he sees our weakness of covering the underneath slants of the tight ends and running backs. This could lead to huge days for Dallas Clark and Joseph Addai (at least Addai's on my fantasy team!). Rex Ryan has to come up with a scheme to take that away and put the pressure on Manning to throw the ball before he wants to and lead to turnovers we will need to slow the Colts down and own the time of possession competition.

Can we do all of this and come out with a road win? Just like the Monday Night Football game in Pittsburgh, while I thought we could win the game, I said there were just too many things that had to go our way for us to come away with a road victory. Unfortunately, I feel the same way today, as we have to bank on our rushing attack being huge, Flacco having time to throw and not make mistakes, our pass rush harries Manning and we get turnovers. On top of all of this is two other very important things, both of which have not happened when the chances came this season. One is that Matt Stover has to get on track in accuracy and distance, as he hasn't hit a field goal over 40 yards all season, and secondly, head coach John Harbaugh has to make all the right moves, rookie label or not.

I just don't see it, although I'd love to be wrong and have all you who pick the Ravens today to spring the upset post just that and come back to rub it in. It'll feel great!

Colts:  23-13

If the Baltimore Ravens couldn't hold leads late in the games against the past two teams, both who have had offensive issues, how in the world do they expect to hold one, much less even get one, when they visit the Indianapolis Colts this weekend? The Ravens had a ten point lead into the second half against the Steelers two weeks ago, and were all over the back of QB Ben Roethlisberger, who had a suspect offensive line and injured throwing shoulder and hand. Yet, they let them back into the game and couldn't get close to him late in the game and into the overtime period when he patiently drove them down the field for the game winning field goal. Last week, they had Tennessee on the ropes with a seven point lead and were driving for a field goal that might have put the game out of reach or at the very least sent it to OT, but couldn't get the last 5-10 yards to get into field goal range. The Ravens couldn't sack Titans QB Kerry Collins even once and gave him too much time to get his act together and improve on his horrible first half by carving up the Ravens defense with short, accurate underneath passes that underscored our defense's glaring weakness.

If we are having obvious problems getting to the QB (zero sacks last six quarters), any QB will be able to pick us apart regardless if C-Mac and Ed Reed are healthy and looking for the interception. Our linebackers are aces against the run, but cannot seem to cover the tight ends and RB's out of the backfield running those short underneath crossing patterns. Opponents wait to see which LB is rushing the passer and then flood that side of the zone with the underneath routes. Someone is bound to be open and our LB's just can't catch them. Collins did that to perfection on those final two drives and virtually ignored his wideouts once he realized what was available.

One can only imagine what the Colts' Peyton Manning will do if he sees this happening again Sunday afternoon. Tight end Dallas Clark and RB Joseph Addai figure to have field days against us (at least I have Addai on my fantasy team), as both can outrun any of our LB's in the open field. The only reason we have ever been able to play the Colts close is that our scheming and changing defense has been able to play a great chess match with Manning. If he is able to figure us out and win that battle, we have no chance of keeping up offensively.

Speaking of the offense, while it may be improving and has nowhere to go but up, we have relied way too heavily on the notion to get get us into field goal position and let placekicker Matt Stover put the vast majority of points on the board. However, Stover has been anything but automatic this season, as he has been below average so far, hitting only four of seven attempts, including none of three from beyond the forty yard line. Last week he missed a 45 yard attempt that would have given us that ten point lead I spoke about earlier. According to Rototimes, he is only 26 of 38 from 40+ yards since 2004, including only one 50+ yarder during that same stretch. Now I understand that Stover is one of the most valuable Ravens since they came to town and deserves to be in our Ring of Honor upon retirement, but right now it also appears that he deserves to be in the unemployment line. The combination of his inaccuracy and weak leg has hurt us on the obvious field goals, but also on his inability to pin the opponents back on kickoffs, as he consistently only kicks off to the 10 yard line and rarely gets touchbacks. At some point, hopefully sooner than later, the Ravens need to bring in younger, stronger legs to, at the very least, combine with Stover to hit the longer kicks as well as the gimme's, as most any other kicker in the league can seem to do, and take over the kickoff duties asap.

So therein lies my big concern. If we have problems stopping the pass, and cannot put points on the scoreboard through Matt Stover, then the rest of our team's strong points may not matter, as the Colts will put more than enough points on the board to make it way too hard for us to keep up with.

More to follow the rest of the week. Your thoughts?

While none of the current coaches were here when the current offensive line was drafted, they have been able to determine which player will help the team the most and at which position. Together, the starters (and key reserve Willie Anderson) have turned what was a glaring weakness of this team into a non-issue and even a strength after two games so far.

Head Coach John Harbaugh has started off with great success by doing what any successful leader in any business has done. That is to surround himself with great people, those who are better than him in their respective specialties, with him being the best "generalist" of the group. Offensive Coordinator Cam Cameron has joined this team with the gameplan philosophy of determining who to play and what to do based on the players' abilities as well as the opponents' tendencies. Unfortunately, this did not seem to be the philosophy of the previous Ravens' regieme. They always seemed to have the same gameplan regardless of the opponent's strengths or weaknesses and without regard for our own players abilities or inabilities. Perhaps that is why the offense seemed so vanilla and a regular fan like me could always seem to call out the plays from the stands before they were ran. If I knew what was coming, what do you think the defense knew!? Luckily, that has not been the situation under the current crop of coaches.

Joining Harbaugh and Cameron in the success of the o-line has to be Offensive Line Coach John Matsko and Assistant Offensive Line Coach Andy Moeller. Both Matsko and Moeller has worked with these guys all summer to get them comfortable at where they would be lining up and blending the chemistry necessary to have them work together. While much of the credit should go to these guys, you have to really be impressed with the individual players who do the dirty work in the trenches on the playing field.

To me, it all starts with the old man of the group, 25 year old center Jason Brown. Brown moved over from left guard, where he originally replaced an injured Edwin Mulitalo and did a great job next to the All Pro Jonathan Ogden. When veteran Mike Flynn was released, Brown was put into the center positon because of his larger size and nastier disposition. While Flynn always seemed to be pushed well into the backfield each play, Brown has been a pillar of strength on the line so far, manhandling some of the better nose tackles, including the huge Shaun Rogers of Cleveland last week.

To either side of Brown, he looks to his left and sees 2nd year left guard Ben Grubbs. Grubbs started at right guard as a rookie and did a great job, although his natural position was on the left side. Now he's a fixture there and should receive Pro Bowl consideration as he has done a great job snce he came to the Ravens out of Auburn in the 2007 draft. To Brown's right is other guard Marshall Yanda. Yanda was a middle round draft pick from 2007 who was forced into the starting right tackle position due to injuries last year. While Yanda did a decent job, he was playing out of position and now is firmly seated at his natural spot.

Going into the 2008 season, the retirement of the All-World Ogden left two gaping holes in the most important pass blocking positions on the line. Both tackles had either retired or been injured all last season and no one knew who would be there when the season began. On top of that, when it seemed to become clear who the better choices to start were, injuries limited playing time and the critical opportunity to develop the chemistry the o-line needs to be successful. For the first game of the season, the players got together on the field for what seemed to be the first real extended playing time tegether as a unit of their careers. The Ravens started 2nd year player and one of the youngest in the entire league in Jared Gaither, from the University of Maryland, picked in the 5th round of last year's Supplemental Draft. He was thought to be a project but ended up with extended playing time due to Ogden's injury last season and did a decent job considering his age and lack of experience. He has a huge advantage in that he is a behemoth in the mold of JO, standing 6'9" and tipping the scales at over 330 pounds. He will be responsible for protecting rookie QB Joe Flacco's blind side and while we shouldn't expect All Pro results just et, he has proven so far to be a pleasant surprise. Over on the right side is Adam Terry, who has played all over the o-line and probably has the most playing experience of the group, although he has been susceptible to nagging injuries.

You also can't forget the veteran All Pro Willie Anderson who was signed just before the season began after being released by Cincinnati. Anderson was originally thought to be brought in to start as soon as possible, but has been relegated to a reserve due to the current players' success as a group. At the same time, he has been humble and willing to accept his role, like the veteran pro he is. He would play the right tackle position in the event of an injury to Terry, while Adam would also switch over to left tackle should an injury to Gaither occur. Either way, our first line of replacement to the tackles gives us the luxury of depth that we never previously enjoyed. Should an injury to the guards occur, we are not as deep, although Chris Chester is still learning and Brown could always move back to that position in an emergency.

Together, this group has been the basis of our early season success. While not big on star power, these guys always determine the success of a team. Look what the o-line in New England did for Tom Brady and the same in Indianapolis for Peyton Manning. So far this season, we've seen what the loss of the Colts' All Pro center Jeff Staurday has meant to Manning and the Colts, as they have started off 1-2, with both losses at home and should have lost their only road game as Minnesota as well. As the season progresses, the chemistry and bond between this young group will only continue to mesh and they should become a strong point on this offense for a long time. This will only add to the early success of a young quarterback, as they could easily be the main reason he has the time to find his open receivers with the confidence that all five guys have his back at all times.