To the Ravens Fans

[WhoaDirty]

With a hard enough hit from a hand to the head, a QB could end up with a concussion. I believe there is also a rule to stop offensive linemen from slapping defensive guys in the head (or maybe vice versa?) Rather than leave it in the refs' hands to determine the severity of the hit, it is easier just to make a rule to not allow any contact with the QB's head. It takes the judgement call away from the refs, which I think is the better way to go.

 

[Mossachusetts]

Come on Dude;

Do your team a little better. Those calls come and go every week. Don't diminish by "going there". Bottom line. I think two of the better teams in the league went at it hard and it came down to the last seconds. No shame, but don't bother with the "we got robbed" crap. It's part of the game.

Good game, and I HOPE we don't meet in the postseason. Baltimore scares many Pats fans as much as the Pats should scare you all.

We both played a hell of a game, and that's all there is to it.

I agree 100%

 

[mayoclinic]

Well, it's not so much the officiating as it is the rules. The call wasn't wrong, but the rule is.

That said, does anyone here really think that called should have been made on Ngata for roughing the passer? I think the refs should use at least some discretion when making calls like that.

I didn't see that play, so I can't judge.

With that in mind, we got 2 iffy roughing calls against us in the Buffalo game that were huge - one against Wilfork where the "Brady rule" was called on a clean hit clearly well above the knees, one on Adalius Thomas where the referees should have blown the play dead but allowed the QB to struggle while in the grasp, then whistled AD for "slamming" him to the ground.

That's not to absolve bad calls. But if the refs around the NFL have decided to step up protecting the QB and be ultra-vigilant, at least they should be consistent. It's even worse to have an inconsistent standard.

Of the plays I saw, the one where we clearly got a favorable ruling was the fake field goal pass. The referee's explanation after the game sounds hollow - something we have been on the other end of many times.

The 4th down spot on McGahee was a good call. His forward progress was clearly stopped well short of the 1st down, and after he was stopped he tried to reach the ball forward.

Tough game to lose, as you guys clearly played well enough to beat almost anyone. I thought we would put you away in the 3rd quarter, but the Suggs sack/fumble for a TD was huge. I thought we would put you away after we stopped McGahee twice, but your defense was stout. It was a toe-to-toe slugfest, and the Ravens showed that they had what it takes to go the distances. Just because they lost a "split decision" by a hair doesn't detract from that accomplishment.

The Chargers and Colts have a powerhouse passing attack but are otherwise limited. The Steelers have yet to run effectively and have had their share of inconsistency. The Jets have a fabulous defense but haven't shown enough offensive balance or the ability to sustain it throughout the season. As far as I can tell, the Pats and the Ravens are the two most balanced and complete teams in the AFC.

 

[Patriot Missile]

I didn't see that play, so I can't judge.

With that in mind, we got 2 iffy roughing calls against us in the Buffalo game that were huge - one against Wilfork where the "Brady rule" was called on a clean hit clearly well above the knees, one on Adalius Thomas where the referees should have blown the play dead but allowed the QB to struggle while in the grasp, then whistled AD for "slamming" him to the ground.

That's not to absolve bad calls. But if the refs around the NFL have decided to step up protecting the QB and be ultra-vigilant, at least they should be consistent. It's even worse to have an inconsistent standard.

Of the plays I saw, the one where we clearly got a favorable ruling was the fake field goal pass. The referee's explanation after the game sounds hollow - something we have been on the other end of many times.

The 4th down spot on McGahee was a good call. His forward progress was clearly stopped well short of the 1st down, and after he was stopped he tried to reach the ball forward.

Tough game to lose, as you guys clearly played well enough to beat almost anyone. I thought we would put you away in the 3rd quarter, but the Suggs sack/fumble for a TD was huge. I thought we would put you away after we stopped McGahee twice, but your defense was stout. It was a toe-to-toe slugfest, and the Ravens showed that they had what it takes to go the distances. Just because they lost a "split decision" by a hair doesn't detract from that accomplishment.

The Chargers and Colts have a powerhouse passing attack but are otherwise limited. The Steelers have yet to run effectively and have had their share of inconsistency. The Jets have a fabulous defense but haven't shown enough offensive balance or the ability to sustain it throughout the season. As far as I can tell, the Pats and the Ravens are the two most balanced and complete teams in the AFC.

Well put Mayo.

 

[flynismo]

I don't see why Ravens fans are b*tching and moaning so much. We'll probably see them again in the Divisional or Championship game.

Well, I can understand why some of us are taking it so hard. Most of us feel that we have a championship caliber team, and got a lot of flak because the teams we beat were KC, SD and Cle, so many people were saying we're a "fake" 3-0 because we didn't beat any elite teams. This game was about respect for us, because here was our chance to go into New England and beat them in their own house, which would have brought a lot of credibility to us. But we blew it. It's a tough pill to swallow.

 

[BradyFTW!]

Of the people accusing you of having a "fake" 3-1 team, how many of them have "real" 1-3 teams? That's pretty much how it works...

 

[JSn]

The Ravens were good. The Pats were better. See you in January.

 

[Deus Irae]

I think it's pretty clear that, through 4 games, there aren't any teams in the NFL, other than the Giants, playing playoff caliber football.

 

[ausbacker]

I think it's pretty clear that, through 4 games, there aren't any teams in the NFL, other than the Giants, playing playoff caliber football.

Yeah.. those Saints are terrible

 

[Deus Irae]

Yeah.. those Saints are terrible

There is a spectrum in between "terrible" and "playoff caliber". I think that the Saints are playing good football. That said, they've beaten the Lions, the Bills (who actually made them work a bit), the Eagles in Kolb's first game as a starter, and the Jets, with Sanchez playing as Sanchez has played against pressure all season. They look good, but I wouldn't say that they are playing playoff caliber football.

And, yes, I did watch the Jets/Saints game.

 

[ausbacker]

There is a spectrum in between "terrible" and "playoff caliber". I think that the Saints are playing good football. That said, they've beaten the Lions, the Bills (who actually made them work a bit), the Eagles in Kolb's first game as a starter, and the Jets, with Sanchez playing as Sanchez has played against pressure all season. They look good, but I wouldn't say that they are playing playoff caliber football.

And, yes, I did watch the Jets/Saints game.

Well I think you're selling them short at the moment. They are balanced on both side of the ball and doing things you'd expect of a playoff calibre team.

 

[Kontradiction]

I think it's pretty clear that, through 4 games, there aren't any teams in the NFL, other than the Giants, playing playoff caliber football.

It's week 4.

 

[mayoclinic]

It's week 4.

Indeed. Way too early to make judgments. But why not try, anyway?

A this admittedly very early point there are 4 teams that stand out in terms of being potentially "complete" teams - teams that can run the ball, pass effectively, defend the run, defend the pass, rush the passer, and have solid special teams: the Pats and Ravens in the AFC, and the Giants and Saints in the NFC.

In the AFC, the Colts and Chargers look one-dimensional at this point. Neither has a run defense, and both are way too unbalanced in terms of the pass. The Jets and Broncos have been terrific on defense, but don't seem to have the offensive power it will likely take to get it done. The Steelers have the potential to be a complete team, but haven't played close to that so far.

The Ravens and Pats both looked like solid contending teams yesterday. Both could slip, especially if injuries occur, but both teams looked pretty complete. The Ravens' pass defense is their weakest spot. We're solid all around but still not quite clicking on all 4 cylinders.

In the NFC, the Giants and Saints meet in 2 weeks to determine NFC bragging rights. Yes it's early, but the Saints have showed better ability to run the ball and much better defense than expected. Their defense essentially outplayed the Jets defense yesterday. I still think the Giants are the class of the NFC until proven otherwise, however. Minnesota's probably the only other team worth considering right now, but I don't believe that Favre can sustain his performance over a 16 game season, and their WRs are very limited.

I'm hoping the Colts continue to blow people away with their passing game and get all the accolades, just like they did in 2003-2004, right up until they lost in the playoffs. I like us lurking just a little bit in the shadows.

 

[The_Man]

Yuck. This game was the most Billick-esque performance we've seen since Harbaugh arrived. Personal fouls, coaches as out of control as players, post-game fingerpointing at the refs, shaky clock management, etc.

But I have confidence the Ravens will rebound. I said this would be a measuring stick game, and I think we saw that the Ravens are a very good time that can't quite overcome mistakes/bad breaks on the road to beat an elite opponent -- so, either stop making those mistakes, or get good enough to overcome them. I thought they showed a lot of heart to battle back (especially without their starting LT) and be in position to maybe win the game at the end.

Cam Cameron got way out of balance this game. On second down, the Ravens passed 17 times and ran 3. On third down, they passed 11 times and ran once. Their only third down run was the one where Rice got stuffed immediately prior to McGahee getting stuffed on fourth down. The running game doesn't work that way -- if you haven't established it for three quarters, it's not suddenly going to be there in the fourth. If Cameron was going to be so pass-heavy all day, he should have stuck by his guns with the game on the line and not suddenly try to discover the ground game.

I mentioned in the pre-game thread that before yesterday, Flacco had a first down QB rating of 126.7. On first down yesterday, Flacco went 9 of 18 for 91 yards, 0 TDs, and his only first down INT of the season. That's a QB rating on first down of 41.6. I'll have to watch the tape to see what happened, but I fully expected the genius of Belichick to shut down the Ravens' first down passing attack. It did, and the Ravens never countered.

Great game. I might be flattering the Ravens a little, but my guess is you might not be looking forward to seeing them again in January. Thanks for being such good hosts and I hope we have the chance to meet again!

 

[PatsFanSince74]

Good post. I just have to add one more thing. As much as I hate to say it, I think the Steelers are going to be one of those teams on the list of "balanced" teams in the AFC. They proved last night that they can still run the ball with the best of them. Just imagine what they are going to be like once Parker returns to the line-up. On top of that, they still have Big Ben and have proven that they can also pass their way down the field. The only thing that's missing from their line-up right now is someone that can generate a turnover and cover the entire field on defense. That someone should be coming back in a few weeks. They still almost blew it last night, but don't count them out yet.

as long as they have Big Ben throwing his body around behind the LOS until "someone, anyone" of his fine receivers gets open, the Steelers will be a threat until someone ends their season.

 

[The_Man]

Yuck. This game was the most Billick-esque performance we've seen since Harbaugh arrived. Personal fouls, coaches as out of control as players, post-game fingerpointing at the refs, shaky clock management, etc.

But I have confidence the Ravens will rebound. I said this would be a measuring stick game, and I think we saw that the Ravens are a very good time that can't quite overcome mistakes/bad breaks on the road to beat an elite opponent -- so, either stop making those mistakes, or get good enough to overcome them. I thought they showed a lot of heart to battle back (especially without their starting LT) and be in position to maybe win the game at the end.

Cam Cameron got way out of balance this game. On second down, the Ravens passed 17 times and ran 3. On third down, they passed 11 times and ran once. Their only third down run was the one where Rice got stuffed immediately prior to McGahee getting stuffed on fourth down. The running game doesn't work that way -- if you haven't established it for three quarters, it's not suddenly going to be there in the fourth. If Cameron was going to be so pass-heavy all day, he should have stuck by his guns with the game on the line and not suddenly try to discover the ground game.

I mentioned in the pre-game thread that before yesterday, Flacco had a first down QB rating of 126.7. On first down yesterday, Flacco went 9 of 18 for 91 yards, 0 TDs, and his only first down INT of the season. That's a QB rating on first down of 41.6. I'll have to watch the tape to see what happened, but I fully expected the genius of Belichick to shut down the Ravens' first down passing attack. It did, and the Ravens never countered.

Great game. I might be flattering the Ravens a little, but my guess is you might not be looking forward to seeing them again in January. Thanks for being such good hosts and I hope we have the chance to meet again!

One other thing -- I thought the Pats' fans showed a lot of class with their respectful applause for both the Ravens' injured players. Just a great game, and I wish the Ravens wouldn't have marred the on-field competition with all the post-game whining.

 

[Tunescribe]

More than anything I was impressed with how professional this Ravens team was. The change from late 2007 is stunning. Harbaugh has brought tremendous professionalism and consistency to the team. There was no wasted effort on trash and no stupid penalties, just 60 minutes of intense football. Kudos to your organization and team for turning itself around.

Let's not be overly generous here. The Ravens demonstrated lack of composure on multiple occasions, most egregiously with Harbaugh drawing a 15-yarder. There is no excuse for that. Also, plenty of sour grapes from him, Ray Lewis, and the "wonderful" Ravens fans about officiating costing them the game, the league protecting Brady, etc. The Suggs cheap shot needs addressing. Baltimore has miles to go before its professionalism approaches New England's.

 

[Deus Irae]

It's week 4.

And, as is the case most seasons, there's only a team or two that you can look at and say "They'll be tough in the playoffs", and really be confident of that.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

Fixed.

I appreciate the sentiment in your post, as I'm sure most other Ravens fans will.

I think that the officiating was pretty absurdly tilted in favor of New England, but we still had the opportunity to win the game with under 30 seconds left, so I'm not going to say that the calls were what ultimately decided the game.

Our CBs straight-up blow hard, and that concerns me as they're pretty much the only weakness on the entire team, but against quality quarterbacks like Brady/Rivers, they literally do nothing at all.

It's obvious that Brady/Welker/Moss and co. will eventually click on all cylinders, and that offense will be elite.

However, to be quite honest, although the defense shows some promise for the future, they are far from top-tier in 2009. That being said, they're probably "good enough" to win a Super Bowl as your offense is absurdly potent. Maybe I'm just underrating our offense, though.

Edit - I'm actually a bit torn on the Pats' D as the Ravens ran up and down the field on New England, but the Patriots were able to keep Baltimore out of the endzone, and their schemes did look good sans the final drive. Again, maybe I'm underrating Baltimore's offense.

Eh, this still hurts, but considering that we haven't lost more than two games in the past eight months or so, I think we can build from this.

Great game, and I'm confident that we'll either see you, or Indianapolis again.

wrong on the officiating...the calls on Brady were according to the rules...one of them was fine even a year ago and the other was fine when Johnny U played in Baltimore...but ray lewis, as much as i respect him, has to learn that he's playing todays game and not the one he'd like to be playing...

 

[jczxohn1]

Let's not be overly generous here. The Ravens demonstrated lack of composure on multiple occasions, most egregiously with Harbaugh drawing a 15-yarder. There is no excuse for that. Also, plenty of sour grapes from him, Ray Lewis, and the "wonderful" Ravens fans about officiating costing them the game, the league protecting Brady, etc. The Suggs cheap shot needs addressing. Baltimore has miles to go before its professionalism approaches New England's.

The Ravens professionalism is best epitomized by their leader, Ray Lewis:

Ray Lewis, Linebacker
(On frustration with penalties)

"Without totally going off the wall here, it is embarrassing to the game. Brady is good enough to make his own plays, let him make the play. When you have two great teams that are going at it, let them go at it. Both of their touchdown drives had personal fouls on them that kept the drives alive. Did that win or lose the game? No, but it got them 14 points."

(On what they take from the game)

"This team is so resilient. No matter what happens, we don't drop our heads for nothing. We still had an opportunity to win. Did we win it? No, but we weren't looking to go 16 and 0, so if you are going to take one on the chin, might as well take one early."

14 of those points Ray had a lot more to do with. On the first drive, he let Taylor slip through his grasp for 8+ yds. On the goal line, he didn't meet Morris in the hole, giving up a 1st down. He let Brady QB sneak for a 2 (two) yd touchdown. On the 2nd touch, Brady's pump fake and hand off to Morris, he either couldn't get off a block or failed to recognize the play and was 5 yds late to make the play when #59 whiffed.

Ray's whining sounds like the Raiders' complaining about the Tuck Rule, omitting the numerous opportunities they had later.