frozen joe flacco fan

Here's my prediction, my fine-feathered friend: Now get ready for the drum roll!! Dadadrum, dadadrum, dadadrum!!! You can chalk this one up with a V for a team whose mascot is some kind of bird. I just hope it will be the type of bird that is part of a constable. On a more serious note though, I find your tweet, no pun intended, a little patronizing. I mean don't you believe in the principle of fair play? Our team has at least 33% of our 53 original roster players on season-ending IR. It would be hard for anyone to imagine that we stand much of a chance to beat you with our team filled with replacement players. That being said, I'd probably predict an upset were it not for the penchant of the NFL officiating crews to seal & steal victories from the teams they don't like.

AND you obviously can't read or something...... I'm not saying he didn't use a PED. I'm saying he's stupid if he did given the golden opportunity that was gift-wrapped and laid in his lap. He probably did something like what Chris Davis did or what Haloti Ngata did but whatever he took it was stupid and selfish. What they did was stupid too and wound up hurting their respective teams. As for your question about what % of players in the Niffle take unauthorized drugs, I have no idea but its probably about the same as the % of referees who use them. It seems like some of the refs run faster than some of our defenders. BTW, the use of PEDs is not a new phenomenon. Some NFL players have even become addicted to painkillers, Mr. Enlightened Fan!! The good news is that this will probably not cost us a Super Bowl.

So, is the morale of the story its OK to cheat; just don't get caught? That's as bad as saying to your mother, "Oh Ma, everybody does it!" Stupid is as stupid does and getting suspended for four games when you have an opportunity of a lifetime handed to you is just plain stupid!!!! Knock it off, Nick!

Before the season started, I had the Pack playing the Brady Bunch in the SB. Now, I'm not sure about the Patsies but the Pack might still make it. Good luck!

If we only have one more victory this year, Coach Brooks, let it be your victory over cancer. Praying for your full and speedy recovery!

If I were the HC, I would not have gone for a QB sneak on 4th down and inches with Matt Schaub under center. Coach Harbaugh has been lucky on going for it on 4th down so far this year but the law of averages caught up with him. At this point in the season, its academic but coming away with zero points after a long sustained drive is a major morale buster in any game. To coin a basketball phrase, if you live by the jumpshot, you'll die by the jumpshot. In retrospect, Coach Harbaugh should have put his team in a position to win by kicking the earlier FG instead of putting the pressure on his kicker to kick a 55 yarder late in the game. Besides, perfect practice makes permanent so kicking the earlier FG would have helped his confidence to kick a late FG to win it. Of course, it was not Justin Tucker's kicking that cost us the game. It was poor officiating again and poor play-calling in critical red-zone situations.

Like most of you, I have very low expectations for Matt. However, there are two intangibles: 1) The team will rally around him; and 2) He has something to prove if he still thinks he can be a starting QB again. It really doesn't matter what the rest of think. Good luck, Matt, and stay healthy!!

Yeah, I think one of those penalties called against us fired him up but you could definitely see the fire in his eyes. Combine Singletary eyes with the explosiveness of Ray Lewis and he'll be dynamite. He's got a great nose for the ball. His pass coverage needs to improve but that comes from reading the plays and making his drops. Its not due to a lack of quickness or speed. I think he felt he had something to prove to McDonald who was getting all the pre-game hype. He and Jimmy can help this defense get its swagger back. The addition of another pass rusher and DB will help too. Grim nailed it though. It must have been those stickers!

Its a tough call to make. I do understand and appreciate your frustration. I was concerned heading into this game that there could be some injuries given St. Louis' reputation regarding dirty plays and our abysmal record entering the game. I would probably have opted to rest some of the starters, including Joe. Hindsight is 20-20 though. That would have been erring on the side of caution and taking a middle ground between forfeiting the team's remaining games and going all out to win the meaningless games, or the "damn the torpedoes; full speed ahead" mentality, which our coach obviously espouses. He obviously believes we're still in the hunt. Hunt for what, right? Now, we're in a situation where 18 players have been IRed with season-ending injuries if my facts are correct. So, now we're in the unenviable position in which its "all hands on deck". While it is true that hungry dogs hunt best, I'm not sure how many hungry dogs we have left on this squad. 33% of our original roster players are "pups", that is, physically unable to perform. There are very few dogs left to let out so to speak. I used to love to hear Ray's pre-game "Who let the dogs out" hype. This will be a very challenging offseason to start to rebuild the team into a contender again and it will probably be a multi-year process.

Its even more disappointing to see Michael Oher grading higher at LT than Eugene Monroe. I can't believe he left the game nursing a shoulder he injured in college but that's what Harbaugh reported in his presser. If he's injury-prone, he needs to go. We need a reliable LT. Is Jonathan Ogden available?

With all due respect, I think this season is more about injuries to key players. Wouldn't you love to have a picture autographed by all of our players who have been injured so far? It would include Dennis Pitta, Steve Smith Sr.,Terrell Suggs, Justin Forsett, Joe Flacco, Breshad Perriman, Eugene Monroe and Jeremy Zuttah. That's a pretty impressive list. One of the teams that played Sunday night in the Bengals vs. Cardinals game had only used 51 roster players so far in the entire season. How many have we used? I just can't get giddy over the jobs Coach Harbaugh and the GM have done this year but the injuries have been devastating to any chance we might have had of limping into the playoffs. Injuries aside, had we taken care of business against the Jags last week, we'd still be headed into Cleveland with at least a 50/50 chance to get to a 5-6 record. It just seems far too coincidental that our two home victories have coincided with locker-room pep talks by Ray & Ed. I'm not sure we would have won without them. Pride is a powerful motivator. When no less than 18 & counting out of our current 53 roster players have landed in the roost from free agency or trades with other teams, its hard to cultivate that "play like a Raven" mentality in all of our players. At times, it appears some of our players have been playing like they don't want to get hurt and it may have contributed to the rash of injuries we've sustained. For example, our O-lineman (#74?) who rolled Joe's leg was knocked on his keaster by the opposing team. It was not a good look for someone who is supposed to be protecting Joe's blind side. Granted, he is a back-up player but that's not an excuse. We are losing for all the reasons you mentioned and then some but I don't think its blasphemy to question whether or not the Head coach has lost control of his locker-room. Great coaches tend to make adjustments in the locker-room and win games in the second half. It seems like our team does not emerge from the locker-room with any sense of urgency until its apparent that we're in danger of falling behind or losing. Coach Harbaugh may eventually find the right combination of players who want to "play like a Raven" but its going to take awhile now 'cause we have some big gaps on the offense and defense.

No way!

Excuse me. I was referring to a team sport called football. No doubt Usain Bolt is a great athlete. I even mentioned him in a previous post along with Renaldo Nehemiah and Bob Hayes, who were also great athletes. I'd love to see how Usain Bolt could catch passes from Joe Flacco. That would be something, but as I stated before it takes more than speed to make a talented, elite WR. It takes great hands, great leaping ability and great route running ability I addition to speed. Arguably though, I'd rather have Bruce Jenner on the team 'cause he was probably a greater athlete than Usain Bolt. I'm jest saying! Have ya ever heard of the decathlon? Otherwise, I have no problem with anything you said.

Joe's a classy guy & a tough hombre. I pity the fool who ever gets him mad.

Nah! It was my way of protesting against "Mattie Ice." I've always believed that on a level playing field Joe is head and shoulders above Matt Ryan in ability. For some reason, Mattie's always been the darling of the sports media types.

I've read every single post in this thread now and all I can say is that some of you fanatics are unbelievable. This game defines the meaning of the term Pyrrhic victory. We just lost our franchise QB and two of the toughest competitors in the NFL in Joe and Justin and all some of you can think about is salivating over who our 1st round draft pick will be. That's not sad --- that's just pathetic! During the week and well before the game, I told my wife it might be time for Coach Harbaugh to insert Matt Schaub in the game to protect our investment in Joe. My rationale was that St. Louis has a reputation for some dirty defense. Had we won last week, I would have felt better about starting Joe. Given our inexcusable loss to the Jags, I was concerned about Joe's safety with Monroe and Zuttah out of the lineup. I'm sure Joe would have lobbied the HC to not let him rest but its water over the dam now. There's nothing positive to say about what happened today other than Joe's courage and mental toughness. At least, neither of our all-stars was injured by a dirty hit IMO. Perhaps the most lame comment of all was the one lamenting that Joe would not get his 1st 4K passing season now. Well, Matt Schaub has had two 4,000 yard passing seasons in his career. That was probably the last thing on Joe's mind because he knows as most great athletes know that individual stats are for losers. The only stat Joe has ever cared about is Ws. If you don't get it, you don't get it. Hurry back, Frozen Joe Flacco! We need you!!!!!!!!!!!

Motivational stickers work well in Pee Wee Football and Elementary School. My wife's a teacher and she hands out stickers that read "I was caught doing something right." For grown men & women, motivation is supposed to come from within. All management can do is to provide an environment which is conducive for self-motivation. We're willing to donate my wife's stickers to the cause if the coach needs 'em. It might even be a good idea to give one to each of the coaches including himself. I wonder how that would make them feel about themselves. I still like the idea of implementing an "Accountability Jar" and having each player who makes a bonehead play to contribute $10,000 to a kitty that would be distributed to the charity(ies) of the team's choice. I think that might motivate someone to do his job better. Letting go of players who screw up is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, its sends a message to everyone. On the other hand, one must be careful about making someone into a scapegoat for screwing up. I did not agree with Coach Harbaugh's decision to let Jason Babin go and I didn't agree with letting Asa and Jeremy Ross go either. The reason is obvious. Its clear that at one time or another virtually every key player in our lineup has made his share of stupid mistakes. The only difference is that we could not afford to make an example of everyone who have higher salaries so we made an example of some of the lower paid employees. In the real world, this business practice works in reverse, that is, companies tend to dismiss the higher paid employees and replace them with entry-level employees I think the decisions to let the three aforementioned players go were knee-jerk reactions but then again, what do I know. If the ESPN report is true, all I have to say is "Goodbye, John! The party's over."

Yeah, trying to play a 3-4 when you're not very deep at the linebacker position is tough. If the season plays out the way you think it will, its probably a foregone conclusion that Dean Pees won't be back. I also felt we underutilized Tyrod when he was here. Just the threat of the pistol offense now and then is enough to keep defenses honest. I'm not sure why John Harbaugh didn't insist upon using him more. That's one of the inherent problems with successful teams --- its hard to argue with success. Again, I hope your prediction for tomorrow's game is wrong, Nostradamus, but it would be nice if we were in a position to draft Bosa.

I hate to admit it but I'm afraid you may be right about the outcome of the St. Louis game. We have a terrible record against Jeff Fisher coached teams and teams with only two victories this far into the season are noted for not winning any more games. Most noticeably would be the Houston Texans who started their season with two victories and finished at 2-14 with Matt Schaub at QB and Gary Kubiak at the helm. I hasten to point out though that if you are correct you will have missed on 6 out of the 1st 10 predictions you made in the original post. So, are you really a wizard or are you just clairvoyant? Either way, you knew something that the rest of us did not. I expected (hoped may be a better word) us to emerge from the first half with a record of 4-4 and then go 6-2 in the second half based on the home field advantage. I must admit that I sure didn't see this coming. I do hope you're wrong again but most of all I hope that we come out of the game injury-free. In regard to your prognostication about the Buffalo Bills' chances of advancing to the SB, I hope you're right on that one. I've always been a big Tyrod Taylor fan. IMO, Tyrod Taylor is to Joe Flacco what Gary Cuozzo was to Johnny Unitas. Both were great college QBs who played locally in Virginia and had the benefit of great mentors on and off the field in Johnny and Joe.

This is a good one. If asked a couple weeks ago. I would have said Webb was done and U could stick a fork in him. In the last couple weeks, he's looked a lot better. He's still not as fast as he used to be but he's playing better. I'll stick with Jimmy though as to who has had the best year so far. I think he has been dealing with the psychological side of the injury as much as the physical side of the lisfranc foot injury. I also think its behind him now and he'll be fine once the foot has fully healed. He's regaining his pre-injury 2014 form and swagger. The solo open-field tackle he made against the Jags on a swing pass was awesome. An injury free season and another full offseason is just what the doctor ordered. Can't wait to see him develop into the shutdown corner everyone expects him to be.

I'll bet I know who BmoreBird22 voted for! lol

lol! Yeah, its too bad they didn't tell us it was torn but its good news that they have shut him down so he can fully heal before coming back. If he's half the player his dad was, he'll do all right as a Raven.

I don't know how this morphed into another Joe Flacco topic but I agree with your position wrt Joe's value. In selling real estate, the three most important things are location, location and location. In running an offense, the three most important things are weapons, weapons and weapons. Joe completed 34 out of 45 passes on Sunday to 10 different weapons. One of the problems is his weapons aren't as effective as the weapons of most of our opponents. As you correctly pointed out, Joe will make some of the mediocre receivers we have look better than they are by year's end simply out of necessity. It seems to me that "What we have here is failure to communicate!" to coin a familiar phrase. We don't need to start over. We need to build the team through the draft as we did when the franchise was started in 1996. Its called getting back to basics. Currently, 18 of our 53 roster players came to us by way of free agency or trading away draft picks. By simple arithmetic, that's over 33% of our team who aren't "homegrown" Ravens. With all due respect to the 18 mercenaries, some of them don't even know what our motto "Play Like A Raven" means, not to mention what "Next Man Up" means. Most of the top franchises have far fewer non-drafted players than 18 with the New England Patriots having the least. Huh? Go figure!

BPA is another one of those trite expressions that has been often mentioned as Ozzie's draft philosophy. I have no problem with it as long as it is based on our most acute needs at the time. Otherwise, his philosophy could fall prey to the other BPA, that is, bad positional analysis. I think this year's draft was a successful one; unfortunately, it was too little, too late.

Your points are well taken. I said this years ago on this blog. Great teams only have to score 20 points or more to win most of their games because they hold the opposition to 19 or fewer points. While that's not too profound, its a tried and true fact dating back to the earliest days of the NFL. In other words, teams who play great defense don't have to be offensive juggernauts. Sunday's game was a classic example. It wasn't the prettiest game but both the offense and the defense really played well enough to win and the final score should have been 20-19, no thanks to the NFL's officials (who may not like us for some reason???). Oh well! Mistakes aside, Joe put his team in a position to win and the defense held the Jags out of FG range until the "immaculate deception" of the last untimed play with zero seconds to play. Unless I'm mistaken, the Bungles are holding their opponents to only 16.5 points per game. That's why they are 8-1. Before the NFL crowns Andy Dalton as the league MVP, the prognosticators ought to get in touch with reality and do their homework. I rue the day when our team is 8-0 and the hometown fans boo their quarterback for stinking up the field like Dalton did the other night. Editor's Note: I just contradicted myself from an earlier post I made on 16 November. My apologies to Tank 92, ravensdfan and other readers. I beg your pardon.