RaRaRavens

I suppose it's clear now even from the FO side of things. 2015 campaign is officially scraped. Time to heal and rebuild!

Harbaugh has made yet another shaky coaching move with the Ross cut. Yes, he made a mistake. One mistake! But he had so many great plays, both as WR and a return man. One of those great plays was neglected by Asa Jackson bonehead mistakes, which was one of his numerous bad plays. Asa was a loose cannon who made great plays and then screwed everything up, so I understand the move there, you can't have such unpredictability and inconsistency. But Ross makes 1 mistake in a game which is soaked by mistakes from a lot of players, but he gets the ax? That's a hot headed move not suitable for a rational head coach. Harbaugh has such a zero tolerance on mistakes, but it's completely biased policy. Flacco has had bad games this season and made mistakes even Johnny Manziel knows not to make, yet Harbs has not even called out on his 120 mil $ Super Bowl MVP QB's performance. Another example, his comments on Dumerivil's game losing foul weren't even a slap on the wrist. I know some people will justify Doom by saying that he's a vet, but do you understand that exactly makes it even worse?! A vet should be aware of the situation and understand at that moment that the only thing he absolutely can not do is commit a foul. There was no time left so only an unlikely Hail Mary or a defensive penalty could have saved the Jaguars. Yet Doom made the outrageous rookie mistake. But don't worry, Harbaugh won't even say anything twice about his defensive leader, let alone bench him even for a quarter to deliver the message to his team. And don't even start on the coordinators - have Trestman or Pees, who have been absolute below average coordinators, been disciplined so far this season?! The general game planning of Pees, and the specific play calling of Trestman (how about them 2 yard slants on 3rd&8, bravo Maestro QB Whisperer, what an offensive genius at work) have been embarrassing to watch. They both have called some terrible games more than once this season, yet they sit safely behind the protection of Harbaugh. I would be pleased with Harbaugh if even once he admitted that EVERYONE on this team - from players to coaches to coordinators, all the way up to himself - needed to perform better. Then he would be a leader and a true head coach who takes responsibility. A head coach who can be respected. But no, he doesn't do that. He treats his players biasly, yells on players on live TV, fires decent players after a single mistake while ignoring while completely ignoring the mistakes of his other players and coordinaotrs. Ross was a solid return man, who haven't had for couple of seasons now. But now he's gone, because Harbaugh is clearly and completely clueless what to do next in this nightmare of a season. But I can assure your, randomly firing players after one mistake is not going to make things better. If anything, it's going to make them worse. If it would help, we would be out of this whole already after he started cutting players months back. No, this won't help, bigger changes are needed. Coordniators need to change, not the players. And if the head coach can not realize it, then maybe the head coach needs to change, too. Bottom line is, a bad season brings the worst out in everyone, but it also shows you who will rise to the occasion and lead the team when things get bad. This season, unfortunately, has shown that Harbaugh is not that guy for us. He's a heck of a HC, but I won't mistake for a second anymore that he can be the lone mental and emotional leader for this team. *Edit: Before someone starts saying again that we don't know what happens behind the closed doors, it's true, we don't. But if Harbs decided to deal with the shortcomings of his team behind closed doors, then he wouldn't be firing players at the get go. Also, it's quite obvious the private addressing of issues haven't worked, so it's about time for some drastic measures.

Is it even medically possible for a knee sprain to heal so slow? Especially for an NFL player, who has the best medical attention in the world available for him?? It doesn't seem plausible. Either there's something much more serious wrong with his knee no one has been able to diagnose, he's the ultimate wuss of a football player, or just doesn't want to play ball.

We should call them Hydra. Cause they a three-headed BEAST!

OC is a joke. If we have the same personnel but no running game compared to last season, the problem is OC.

I refuse to believe that all this misfortune against us is a coincidence. No, I'm not saying NFL is fixing games against us, I just truly believe that destiny has something brewing for us. Just think about our season for a second: tons of mistakes by the refs that went against us, at least 2 which directly cost us the game; super weird turnovers that have shifted the momentum against us (remember that Flacco fumble against the Steelers? Ok, we won that game, but 1st, how does that fumble even happen to a vet QB, and 2nd, what the heck kind of a bounce was that?!); huge mistakes by savvy players that cost us big plays; tons on injuries, some of which are very uncommon in the first place. All of this happening yet again and again every game makes me seriously wonder that there has to be a reason behind all this. I mean, the mathematical probability of all these things happening to one and the same team every week are pretty much as high as our chances of making the playoffs at this point. So it's really hard for me to believe that all this is a coincidence and happening for no good reason. And now consider this: 2016 NFL draft is projected by some to be one of the weakest in years. If you don't have a top 10 draft pick, you might not get a solid, plug-and-play starting caliber player even in the first round. Maybe it's my optimistic ignorance, but I like to think that all of our misfortunes this year has got something to do with bigger and better things ahead for us. And one of those things could be that we need to finish in the gutter of the league this year so we could draft next HoF GOAT player (I believe Joes Bosa is currently predicted for us?), while most other teams might even struggle to find much talent at all. Again, this might be just my stupid naivety trying to find a bigger explanation for us sucking so bad, and it probably is, but at least it's a thought that helps you get through another miserable Sunday.

ROFLOL

If I see another person claiming Pees is "doing a good job" I'll shove them this article down their sorry throat! Pees is a joke! Don't get me wrong, he does his job, but just barely. But Pagano or Ryan would have put up record setting results with this defense we have. That's the problem with Pees! Insted of using his defense to the fullest potential he blames his players for poor performance. Pees is a damn joke! A ridicules excuse for DC! Pathetic.

Read my comment, I said FOR 2015. Not for next years to come. My point was that Patriots should have been removed of their 1st round draft pick, but due to Perrimans unfortunate injury we are essentially out of our 1st selection this year. Read before you blare.

How ironic. It was the New England Cheat-a-lots who played dishonest, maybe even against us as well, yet it was us who essentially lost a 1st round pick for 2015. Sigh. My issue with Perriman isn't that it takes so long to heal, but the fact that he might be another of our injury proned players.

What a pick up! Maybe won't contribute this season, but I believe he has good years ahead of us. Could definitely become a great backup RB. And again on demonstration was the brilliance of Oz - got the guy who he wanted, but without wasting any draft picks. Project player, so he wouldn't have been plug-in starter anyway, perfect time to snag him. I applaud you, Oz!

I don't get it where did the rumor start that we are 6th in sacks. No, we are not! We are tied for the 9th and 10th spot with the Chiefs. The stats are here: http://www.nfl.com/stats/categorystats?archive=false&conference=null&role=OPP&offensiveStatisticCategory=null&defensiveStatisticCategory=SACKS&season=2015&seasonType=REG&tabSeq=2&qualified=false&Submit=Go The mere fact that there are 5 NUMBERED SPOTS ahead of us on the NFL.com table don't make us the 6th in the rankings. You still have to count the TEAMS ahead of you, not the RANKINGS ahead of you. This is the typical useless hype propaganda too often seen on this site and these forums for my liking. Please, let's stick to the facts!

At one point couple of weeks back I wasn't even excited to turn my GamePass on on Sundays. But now I'm really excited again, because if we win the next one (and the next after that, and so on), we'll be one inch closer to making history by pulling of an absolute miracle of a come back. But if we lose, I'll be just as glad because that means we'll be one inch closer to getting absolute beast in the first round of draft, I have no doubt about Oz being able to pick another HoF with such a high pick. Excited as hell again!

Another thing, according to Hensley "Harbaugh said he hasn't had much communication with injured LB Terrell Suggs, who hasn't been at team facility since tearing his Achilles." That's one thing I don't understand and can't get behind. I mean, is there a rule or something prohibiting from a player on IR from sticking around with their team from time to time helping out their teammates?? Even if a player gets injured in first game and is out for the season, he is STILL PART OF THE TEAM. Suggs wasn't fired, he's on the IR. What do you mean he isn't in team facility?! Okay yeah, he doesn't necessarily need to be there 6 days a week for 10 hours every day, nor should he definitely rehab with team doctors. But just being there for this team even if he doesn't play is vital! At least this is what I believe that true Leaders should do. Just go help coach the players, give them tips, help them to study opponents...jeesh even giving rookies like Smith a pat on the back on the hallway and saying "Go get a sack for me on Sunday!" would give them a confidence boost I'm sure! I love Suggs and I do hope he returns but I can't understand why he hasn't been around HIS team at all this season. Sure, you rehab all over the country, spend time with your family or whatever, but find the time to visit every other week or so at least. Especially in the midst of all the turmoil this season and clear void in sound leadership, Suggs, who has been stamped as the leader and cornerstone of this team, should have showed up and motivated the team at least couple of times. This is a bit disappointing to be honest, smh.

Did the Ravens defense respond to Pees' yelling, to Lewis' fiery speech, or to Chargers playing short handed and sloppy football? My money is on the latter.

My question exactly. It seems as if there is a new "uncommon injury bug" every year. Last year it was the Lisfranc injury, something I had never heard of before. This year apparently it Achilles and biceps tears, both of which have happened before, but according to doctors are rather rare. Is someone checking into the strength and conditioning staff's work??? Cause it seems unlikely that all these uncommon injuries are just coincidences.

I'm seriously starting to believe that all of our misfortunes are happening for a reason. We couldn't possibly predict what that reason could be - a high draft pick and HoF player being selected in the draft, top players returning in best shape and motivation to prove doubters wrong, we being able to keep key players due to lackluster performance this season, whole team being extra motivated for next season to make another SB run. But just to see everything going wrong that possibly can go wrong, and then seeing some things go wrong that seem to defy all logic, makes me believe that destiny has something brewing for us.

Good thing Urschel and Yanda got snaps at WR, we're probably gonna need them considering we can get together 2 1/2 capable WRs on a good day.

Exactly that fire, passion and motivation is the X-factor that we have been missing ever since Ray left, and especially seem to be lacking of this year. At times this year it has looked like our players were waiting for a bus on the sidelines, looking all bored, sick and tired, like not wanting to be there. And now with Steve down for the season I can't think of anyone who can bring any kind of spark into this team. We badly need someone who can be even half the leader Lewis was.

I admit I might have overreacted and exaggerated a bit - and please bear in mind this is my opinion of the situation with the limited facts that we as fans have and I'm not claiming it's the undeniable truth - but I still feel that Harbaugh is protecting his coordinators and saving them from some fair criticism. The biggest basis for this opinion of mine came when one of the CBs we signed during this season (I think it was Shareece Wright) got burned deep in his first game with us against SF. Harbaugh flat out yelled on him on live TV in front of the whole nation. He was covering Torrey Smith and wasn't given any safety help over the top. Now, yes he screwed up for giving up the big play. But any DC who leaves a newly acquired average CB 1-on-1 against Torrey Smith, whose speed this coaching staff should well know, without any safety help can't realistically hope he can cover such a speedster in single man coverage. I might understand the gambit, but the fault wasn't solely on Shareece. And what does Harbaugh do?? Yell on him on the sidelines for because he wasn't physically able to keep up on Smith in coverage that he did not choose. Yeah, sounds like great, parently thing to do. After the game, and I've looked through all the transcripts, not once has Harbaugh criticized defensive play calls. Yet he has over and over indicated that players are executing poorly and flat out yelled on one which is captured on TV. I agree that all coaches aren't to blame but to claim that coaches aren't at fault here at least as much as the players are is just plain ignorant and stupid, I'm sorry! And yeah! I guess I'm not a real fan of the Ravens because I refuse to hide my head in the sand and pretend everything will get magically better and we'll rebound without any effort. Sorry for that! From now on I'll post that Harbaugh has been to the playoffs all but one of his seasons, therefore in the name of our good sweet lord baby Jesus, there can't possibly be anything he could be doing better. Sorry, buy You lost all your credibility with that sheep of a statement.

Okay, on second view, I change my opinion (not that anyone should care, lol), but those gifs are already better. They are relevant, clever and nicely cut. But PLEASE, no more of that random stuff like this http://i.imgur.com/0JuNoyp.gif or this http://i.imgur.com/koBq56z.gif. They look like they were made by a drunk 84 year old who just discovered the internet. Seriously, those weren't amusing. This weeks segment is a step up though! Hopefully our team continues to develop like you do.

UN-FRIKING-BELIVABLE! Even when coaches know for a fact that the bad play of a team is on their players, they NEVER EVER should dis them on the media. It's just not what leaders do. The only thing it does is hurt the players confidence, create distrust between players and coaches, and cause bad blood inside the team. In this particular case it's even worse, because it's you, damn Pees, who is making the calls and lining up CB-s 15 yards away from the WRs!!! How in the hell can you make such statements, that your players should play better! You should be making plays better you fool! And just the fact that Harbaugh allows his coaches to blame players publicly like that shows that he rather backs his homies he has made coaches, rather than stand united with the team and be a metaphorical captain of his ship in the middle of this sh storm. Harbaugh has never been a leader on this team, he has enjoyed the luxury of having players fill that role for him. Now with those leaders gone it is starting to show - players playing undisciplined, not knowing what to do or who to turn to for advice and encouragement, DC pointing fingers at his players, and the only solution he has is making statements like "we need to play better". Harbaugh, and his coordinators, are clueless, just trying not to sink. With his bias towards his coordinator-buddies being well documented, don't expect any changes from him soon, either. Hopefully, just maybe, MAYBE, Harbaugh will come out the other end of this adversity a better, wiser coach and leader but he is not one at the moment.

Why in the hell are we talking about turnovers when this defense is holding on for dear life in every game, just trying not to get blown out?! Absurd!

If Flacco is such an elite player, why did he throw a dead duck in the air when he saw that blitz coming?! Why did he leave the game to be decided by a badly thrown jump ball, which is always a coin toss?! Why didn't he throw it out of the end zone so he could live another play and make a bullet throw on the next play himself like truly great QBs do, rather than throw the ball in the air and have his receiver make a play for him. I tell you why, because he is not that top tier QB we hope he is. I'm not saying we should cut him, I'm just saying we should admit that he isn't the type of team carrying QB like Brady or Rodgers are. Flacco will always need Smiths and Boldins around him who can make the catch for him, rather than making the throw himself and make the play on his own. It's not necessarily a bad thing, we just need to accept this fact and move on accordingly. First, stop paying him like a top 5 QB. Secondly, get the receivers around him who can make plays for him, cause with SSS gone after this season and Perriman a huge question mark at best, Flacco won't even get 200 yards of passing solely on his own skills. And thirdly, just from a pure emotional and mental aspect, stop making the statement that Flacco is a cornerstone and a carrier of this team. It puts expectation in fans minds and pressure on Flacco, that he's never able to live up to on his own. Just to make things very clear, I stress one more time. I do not think Flacco is bad, nor do I want to see him go. But I also don't want us lying to ourselves thinking Flacco can carry this team alone, like our beloved writers Mink&Co so often seem to do. And we shouldn't put ourselves in a predicament with his salary either. Flacco's salary should be cut in half, with the other half going to a play making possession WR who can make Flacco a great QB. I hope Flacco realizes after this season that he is only as good as his receiving core is, and adjusts his contract accordingly. Then, and only then, we'll be golden.

Yeah it does provide a chance, but a chance for what exactly? Let's look at this realistically for a change and have Mink take off his pink glasses. Let's say there is a high chance of winning our home games (which I'm not convinced of considering how we've played so far) and look remaining schedule. Our next 3 games are at home against SD, JAC and STL. Though SD is by no means a confident win, let's say we win all of those games and be 4-6. Then we'll visit CLE and MIA. Neither of those teams are below us and I'm going on a stretch here by saying we'll win one of them which will put us at 5-7. A loss to SEA and we're at 5-8. We MIGHT win against KC and be 6-8. I don't see us winning against PIT who should still be competing at that point, or against CIN at their home field. So in conclusion we'll be 6-10. 6-10 is my realistic prediction for us (even though I gave us couple of W out on a limb here). Why would we want to finish with that kind of a record?! It's not a secret that even a 10-6 record might not be enough to get a wild card spot. So even if we win all of our remaining games, we might fall short. So why should we want a 6-10 record?! It'd give us an average draft pick around 10-12th spot, at which point the best players will most likely be gone in a weaker draft like 2016 is projected to be. Why should we root for a better record, if the reality is we won't make the playoffs? Though mathematically there still is a chance and this team of ours will keep fighting, it'd be naive and childish to realistically hope that the ravens are going to the playoffs. It pains me that people say I'm not a real fan because I say things like that. But it's because I want what's best for this club in the long run. In 12 months no one cares if we finished 2015 1-15, 3-13, 6-10 or 8-8. What will be remembered is that we weren't in the playoffs and weren't competing in January. What also will matter in 12 months is whether we'll have Joey Bosa in Ravens uniform running around chasing down Big Ben, or we'll be praying that Tre'Davious White will be the solution for this Swiss cheese of a secondary we've been trying to fix for years. I'd much rather have a bad season and get a difference maker, who this team desperately needs, from the draft, rather than have an average season, not make the playoffs and get a player whose abilities will be a coin toss at best. So I hope I'm forgiven by this community, and I'll still scream from joy when the Ravens make a great play Sunday, but if we'll fall short yet again in the end, I won't be heartbroken anymore. Not at all. I'll actually be a little bit glad.