It's that time of the season - Football season about to begin. Around this time of the year I like to go around to our rival teams websites and our own, and see whats new, whats going on, what changes have been made, etc.. etc...
One thing I have noticed the past couple of years - and it seems odd to me - is that everyone thinks we have no shot at beating the Ravens. This seems to be a common theme across the football world.
I don't get it.
Yes, we always have a hard time with them. Yes, Brady seems to get happy feet when we play them. For the most part though, we usually beat them. Unless I'm misremebering (palinism!), haven't we only like lost once to them in like the last 10 match-ups?
What am I missing? Why does it seem to be a "given" to everyone that we will lose to Baltimore this year? Last year too if I recall correctly. We lose 10% of the time to them and its an automatic loss for us now??
I've visited several of our rivals' forums - jets, fins, bills, steelers, ravens, broncos, and chargers - they all pretty much say the same thing about us:
"Ripe for the picking"
"Easy schedule"
"No way they beat the Ravens"
"Brady slow and old"
"Defense is crap"
These seem to be the most common arguments about us sucking. And the Ravens beating us seem to be a no-brainer to pretty much everyone.
Are the Ravens really that much better? I admit I do get nervous when we play them (more so than other teams), but if history is a glimpse into the future, wouldn't that say that more than likely we'd beat the Ravens?
I guess I just don't understand the thinking that we have no shot against the Ravens. Especially since we've beaten them so often in the past. If it was just one or two rival teams fans that thought this, I'd just write it off to hatred, but from what I've seen it seems to be most all fans. Even some of our own that think this.
Have the off-season changes really put us that far behind the Ravens where its a almost a given that we have no shot at winning?
SMH.