frozen joe flacco fan

Thank you for making my point better than I could have said it! You're exactly right. Without realizing it, you hit the nail on the head --- John hasn't been a coach since after the Super Bowl; he's been a spectator. Quite frankly, he must have found it hard to be a spectator at the game in Cincy from the sidelines 'cause his team jest went thru the motions and tried not to get hurt. It was a classic example of folding it up and mailing it in. His team didn't play for him. Some of us have said repeatedly and predicted this right after the Super Bowl and Ray's retirement. Coach Harbaugh would have to coach for the first time since he was appointed by Mr. Bisciotti. That game was a total embarrassment to all the organization has stood for since its inception. Any head coach worth his or her salt could not have been happy with the effort not to mention the result. Before the season started, I predicted this team would most likely go 9-7. So, they failed to meet my expectations. After watching every game, I must conclude that I sold them short. They should have wound up with a much better record than 8-8. If you're satisfied with mediocrity, then be happy 'cause mediocrity is what we have. A mediocre employee is one who does everything he or she is told to do and nothing more. An outstanding employee is one who goes the extra mile and then keeps on going. I have to question the amount of preparation that went into the Cincy game based on the result. Was the Cincy team that led Pittsburgh at halftime and laid down in the 2nd half the same team we played against or did we just not show up to play?

I believe he's talking about our mediocre record since we won the Super Bowl. If you like mediocrity, then you should be very happy 'cause that's where we are. Its hard to say whether the team got better or not, given the injuries we had last year. You ought to know that there's no such thing as the status quo. You're either getting better or getting worse. Again, its kinda hard to say at this point whether we're getting better or worse. Our team has numerous holes to fill at various positions and the coaching seems to have declined IMO.

Good point! But other than that, how did you like the play, Mr. Lincoln?

If U don't get it, U don't get it. Harbaugh should be looking for another job as a Special Teams Coach. What is his regular season record since we won the Super Bowl? Its mediocre. If we could not even beat a Cincinnati team without its primary playmakers, Green, Bernard, Hill and Burffict, that's pathetic game-planning and game-coaching. It was evident Cincy laid down against the Steelers in the 2nd half of their game against the Steelers but then took their wrath out on us. Harbaugh should go. It was obvious Cincy wanted the game more than we did. Our team did not play for Harbaugh in a game which decided whether or not we would have a winning season. AND, what about the great playcall again toward the end of the half with us trailing at the time 17-3? We call a pass on 1st and goal with 2:28 to play. It was like deja vu from the Eagles game. It was Einstein who said, "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results." Well, Harbaugh is obviously not Einstein, is he? That was Forrest Gump football at its finest, i.e., stupid is as stupid does. That was a flat out embarrassing display of coaching ineptitude. Its time to go, John! Your message has gotten stale and its time for a change. The organization needs a new culture and a new philosophy. Its time to bring in someone with a good grasp of the game instead of someone who it takes three years to find an adequate punt returner.

Its a rare day in Baltimore when I agree with you but I think today's the day! In the above novel, I think you just acknowledged that Joe's competent. That's a step up from most of the intellectual giants who have posted less complimentary things about Joe on this forum. Most of them wouldn't know the difference between competent and elite if Joe's career or personal life depended on it. I'm not sure what your definition of either is but you have intimated that there are less than 32 competent QBs in the NFL. If that is true, your list of elite QBs must really be small. I would suggest Joe's in the 2nd tier of QBs in the league in terms of his overall performance right now. I would also suggest that he's both competent and elite for a variety of reasons, which I do not care to expound upon. Of course, there must be a basis to make such a preposterous claim as this. So, please indulge me. It is simply this. In the NFL, there are only a handful of QBs who I would consider "Triple A" QBs. The shortlist would include those QBs with Athleticism, Arm strength and Accuracy. AND, if there were a fourth A, it would be Attitude. No matter how you rate him in the four "A" categories, Joe is competent and elite. Unfortunately, he's playing on a team that is neither competent nor elite in many ways, not the least of which is the coaching. If Coach Harbaugh learned anything from an earlier game in which we called a pass on 1st and goal to go, it didn't show up in the Cincy game, did it? At a point in the game when the score was 17-3, he opted to throw the ball to Pitta in the endzone again instead of running the ball. It was extremely poor coaching, playcalling and clock management, not to mention a poor read by Joe. Dixon was open in the flat for a certain TD and could have walked into the endzone but that's beside the point. If Joe is ever gonna play at a higher level, the coaching philosophy of this team and its culture must undergo some immediate changes. It was Einstein who once said "the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." He also said "You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anybody else." Its becoming patently obvious that our Head Coach is no Einstein and its also apparent that you don't have to be a football player to be a good coach. Golly, I suppose an aeronautical engineer from Renssalear Polytechnical Institute could even learn how to be a pretty good football coach, huh?

Your points are well-taken but Oz shares the responsibility for putting playmakers on the 53 man roster. There have been some recent successes in the draft and some failures. If you are not part of the solution, then you are part of the problem. Oz has not solved our secondary problem IMHO nor has he solved our pass-rush problem via the draft. Who do you look to to do that if not him? Of course the coaching has to be better. Many have acknowledged that but it appears the game may have passed him by. Have Wallace and Perriman been consistently getting separation from their defenders or have I been missing something? I haven't seen the blinding speed to which you're referring. Nor have I seen the dependable hands by Perriman when he needs to make a clutch, move-the-chains catch. We need more playmakers on both sides of the ball and coaches who can coach them up. As you state so eloquently, when one marquee player is hurt, it shouldn't put us into a tailspin but it does seem to have that affect.

Tell your friends Joe Flacco put his team in a position to win the game with 78 seconds left in a road game against a good defensive team in a hostile environment and in a game we had to win to remain alive in the playoff hunt. We lost because ........ our defense could not protect a 10 point lead going into the final quarter and surrendered 3 TDs. We spotted the Steelers 7, our offense posted 27 points and left another 11 points on the field and our highly vaunted defense folded when it counted. It speaks volumes that The Baltimore Ravens sent 4 players to the Pro Bowl but only 1 was a defensive player - C.J.. No, its time the Wizard of Oz follows the yellow brick road out of town and takes some of the coaches with him. If its true that the players of today are bigger, stronger and faster than the players of yesteryear as some of our fans insist, then we should start drafting some of these speedy behemoths. I agree with your rationale but I do not agree with your friends' assessment of Joe's performance as a starting QB. He rose to the occasion like I hoped he would and did a phenomenal job. I only wish he could snap on FGs and catch his own throws in the end zone.

I'm not here to convict, convert or convince anybody. Besides it takes one fool to start an argument; it takes two fools to turn it into a conversation.You're entitled to your opinion jest as I'm entitled to mine. So, my argument is as follows: Kamar Aiken is not Julio Jones, Breshad Perriman is not Odell Beckham, Jr., Waller is not Jimmy Graham, Dennis Pitta is not Rob Gronkowski and, in all candor, Joe Flacco is not Tom Brady but what Joe did in Pittsburgh tonight was to put his team in a position to win with 78 seconds left in a game we had to win on the road against a good team in a hostile environment to stay alive in the playoff hunt. If that's not elite, it was most definitely electrifying and exciting to watch. Our offense scored 27 points and arguably should have scored at least 11 more points. Prior to the game, I had predicted a final score of 23-20, so our offensive production exceeded my expectations. Unfortunately, Joe seldom gets the credit he deserves from some of his undeserving "fans" and trolls like Virginia 55. Quite frankly, I attribute some of it to their sheer jealousy that he makes so much money. I don't think he begged Steve Bisciotti for his contract. Its your prerogative to label him whatever you want. I choose to call him elite because I measure his performance and value as a QB by more than the obvious tangibles. For instance, I'm more impressed by winning percentage than by total passing yardage and other statistics. Some of his intangibles include a tremendous will to compete and his unflappable demeanor under stressful situations. I've stated my case about Joe's elite play before and I do not want to go there again 'cause there's too many elitist critics of Joe out there who need to get over it and get used to his eliteness. Its been said, "If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem." Well, Joe ain't the problem!

I agree with most of what you have said. There's another pro for keeping Harbaugh, which is, its hard to argue with success. However, I believe its time for a change and here's why. A highly regarded management guru, named Peter Druecker, once said, "Culture eats strategy for breakfast." To me, that is what needs to change, i.e., the culture of the organization. The culture of an organization is your reason to exist. Our goal this year was never high enough. It was to return to the playoffs. It should have been to get back to the SB. With a relatively strong nucleus of returning veterans and a pretty good group of younger players, we had a group of under-achievers. Our management team, led by Coach Harbaugh failed even to return to the playoffs.

I think the premise of the OP is "Is Harbaugh on the HotSeat?" If it wasn't hot before, it is now. That collapse in Pittsburgh was pathetic. Did you ever once see him on the sideline imploring his defense to leave nothing on the field? Goodbye, Coach! Thanks to some really great players, you had a pretty good run at it!

Joe's elite but your post is not. The Ravens sent one defensive player to the Pro Bowl. End of story.

I'd like to see them hire one of the young Turks like McDaniels, Patricia or Shanahan. All three of these guys have a high football IQ. John Harbaugh would make somebody an excellent Special Teams coach. So long, Coach! You had a team of underachievers this yea and couldn't get the job done. We sent 1 defensive player to the Pro Bowl. BTW, Oz, its time for you to ride off into the sunset too. The game has passed you by. Its like all the negative Nancys (except me) on this blog site have been sayin. The players in the league are bigger, stronger and faster than they used to be. We need to draft some of 'em.

I know that had to be a typo when you said Joe was a dud QB. You meant dude, right? If I understand your warped logic, you think it is all Flacco's fault again. Let's see. Dennis dropped a TD pass in the end zone. Waller dropped a TD pass in the end zone. Perriman dropped another key pass in the clutch. AND, Aiken, well, Aiken belongs on a volleyball team or some other non-contact sport. If it weren't for old school SSS, we would have been in bigger trouble. Steve and Joe are ballers. BUT, I'll give you credit where credit's due. You are consistent. You never have a nice thing to say about Joe. You just lack objectivity. I just wish they would let Joe tape the plays to his wrist so he could remember what to call like your idol Big Ben does. If U think that us not having Jimmy was the biggest issue on D, then think again. Not only did we not sack Ben got very little, if any, pressure on him. Blame Coach Pees for that if you want but he's between a rock and a hard place. B/c of our sorry CBs, he has limited options. If he blitzes, we get burned. If he doesn't blitz, the opposing QBs pick us apart. Otherwise, your post was right on target, just like Joe Flacco was all night long. We need playmakers. Tonight, I was proud of the way the offense fought. I was most disappointed in the play of Terrell Suggs, Elvis Doomerville and Mike Wallace. In the final analysis, it speaks volumes that the Baltimore Ravens sent 4 players to this year's Pro Bowl but only one is from our defense. That's why we lost tonight!

Well, the tongue wagging scene was not a good look. I agree. But then again, Ray Lewis always exhorted his teammates and encouraged them to bark and play like dogs, remember? When T-Sizzle went down last year with his 2nd Achilles injury, few realized how much he meant to the team until the season was over. Granted, we had several other injuries to key players but T-Sizzle's injury was IMO the most significant. When "The General" went down, General Confusion took over the defense. Even Steve Bisciotti admitted he didn't realize how much Suggs' injury affected the team chemistry. I've seen him take plays off. I've also seen him take heads off. I've seen him do more of the latter than the former. Go Man-child! Play like a one arm dog tomorrow!!

Veteran is spelled V-E-T-E-R-A-N, Desert!

Well said. Its obvious part of the problem has been Joe trying to get over the psychological side of his knee injury. I saw the same thing with Tom Brady when he came back from the same injury. Tom played tentatively and protected his knee for several games upon his return. I hope Joe has put that behind him.

No way, Jose! The Wizard and I have agreed on many things but he has crossed the line this time like James Patterson, the author . There's no way Big Ben and his merry men will score 34 points in the first half. They won't even score 34 points in the game. If that were to happen, I suspect Harbaugh and Newsome would be on the last train to Clarksville. If that happens, they should be run out of town on a rail. I have said all along that this team is a bunch of underachievers. They have enough talent to beat the Squeelers if they are coached properly. The high powered Steelers offense that the Wizard raves about has scored 341 points in 14 games while our offense has scored 306 points. By my 'rithmetic, that's less than 3 points a game more. Whoopie! The Wizard is right about one thing though. He predicted we would win 6 games and we have! If this goes as it should, we will win 6 + 4 = 10 games. See! There's more than one Wizard in this town, Mr. Broken Spirit. I predicted the final score long before the Wizard did and I said our beloved Ravens would win the game on a Justin Tucker field goal by a score of 23-20. Nothing has changed. Unlike the Cincy Bungles who laid down in the 2nd half against the Squeelers, the Ravens will lay the wood to Big Ben and his band of men. All the terrible towels in the world and Mike Tomlin trying to trip our receivers will not intimidate the unflappable Joe Flacco and the twin Grinches, named Wallace and Smith, who will steal Christmas from the Steelers on Christmas Day in Spittsburgh, PA. By game's end, your team's colors will change from black and yellow to black and blue and your terrible towels can be used for crying towels. Elvis (Doomerville, that is) will be singing his rendition of Blue Christmas to your fans. The General will have his way with Big Ben. Son, this is gonna be fun!!!

There must be some truth in the old adage that "If you can't dazzle them with your brilliance, then baffle them with (fill in the blank)." That's all you've done here. The stats you love to quote prove nothing. You may say there is no correlation between Rushing TDs and an effective running game but I respectfully disagree. Here's why. I'm sure you'd agree that Adrian Petersen, Emmit Smith, Barry Sanders, Earl Campbell, Gale Sayers and Jim Brown all played on teams that had effective running games. Granted, some of their teams were highly successful; some weren't. BUT, what did all of them have in common? The answer is: They all led the league in TDs their 1st three years in the NFL. So, there can be a direct correlation between rushing TDs and "having a running game". Some of those teams would have been more successful if they had had better passing games but, again, that's why a balanced attack is generally so important. At the risk of seeing more statistics, it would be interesting to speculate on whose running game has been more effective and why --- NE's or Baltimore's. I would suggest that NE's has been more effective w/o analyzing a lot of stats. BTW, Adrian Petersen didn't play in the 70s, 80, or 90s. Yep, football has evolved but if your theory about the unimportance of establishing a running game was correct, it would seem to follow logically that the team that leads the league in passing each year would win the Super Bowl every year. We know that is not what always happens. IMO the 2015 Denver Broncos were a good example of a team without a great passing game.

For me, the biggest surprise is the return of Dennis Pitta to the starting lineup. Next to that, I'd say the play of Tavon Young is a pleasant surprise.

When Ray Lewis retired, I had to decide whose jersey to buy. There was some talk back then that T-Sizzle might not be back the next year. I bought a white Suggs Jersey with a Super Bowl patch on it. I'm really glad I did. He really is The Baller or The Brawler from Ball So Hard U. You can bet Ben Rothlisberger knows who "The General" is on our team.

I didn't expect anything less from you. Trying to insult someone who disagrees with you doesn't make that person a fool nor does it make you win an argument. Obviously, the game of football has changed since the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s. I don't think anyone is disputing that. Its obviously a more pass-oriented league now. Its patently obvious that you have a bias toward passing and that's fine but there have been numerous examples of successful teams who were run-oriented. The Ravens teams that featured Jamaal Lewis were built that way out of necessity. You love to cite statistics so you obviously know that Jim Brown lost the rushing title only once during his illustrious career to another pretty good runner on another run-oriented team. I assume the stats you have issued on Jim Brown are accurate as you probably just googled them like any of us "fools" could do. The amazing thing about the stats is that you seem to lack comprehension as to what they really mean. When Jim Brown played, he achieved the rushing yardage in less games than the cupcakes of today play each year. Yes, that's right, I called them cupcakes. The myth that the NFL tries to project that the players are bigger and stronger now than they used to be is ludicrous. You probably never saw Bubba Smith play and I'm sure you've never heard of Big Daddy Lipscomb but that's OK. BTW, you sound a lot like a Bill Belichik surrogate. You become very defensive about your beloved Patriots, when they are criticized by some of us. The officiating stunk in that game like when one of our players reported as a tackle-eligible and we were penalized for it. But that's OK. I know you have a short memory. Here's another cute thing for you: "Computers just tell you the answer." - Pablo Picasso Is it time for your next computer football game yet? Just as rushing stats do not correlate with winning, passing stats don't either. An effective balance of the two is what ultimately separates the sheep from the goats. Thanks for the discourse and enjoy the game on Sunday!

You call the way Cincy played in the 2nd half of that game a really good fight? I call it laying down with or without "Perfect" Burfict. That was disgraceful. I think they led at halftime 20-6 and failed to score in the 2nd half. They lost 27-20, right? It was downright pitiful!

How do you spell M-a-l-a-r-k-e-y 'cause that's what this is - malarkey (and I don't mean Mike). Re #1, The Green Bay teams of yesteryear would disagree vehemently with your assertion that rushing TDs aren't a reflection of a successful running game. Their Green Bay sweep culminated in lots of rushing TDs and Bart Starr was quite successful even though he didn't throw a lot at Alabama or Green Bay. I suspect Jim Brown and Leroy Kelley might disagree with you too. I could cite numerous other teams that imposed their will on the opposition by using the pass to set up the run but let's move on; Re #2, I agree that a team does not NEED to run the ball effectively to win any given game but a balanced attack certainly helps winning on a sustained basis. Our ratio of running plays to passing plays is about 35% run plays and 65% pass plays, right? That is grossly unbalanced and leads to a one-dimensional offense. Whether a team is efficient when they run or not is another question. Ezekial Elliott flared out to his left against TB and took a linebacker with him. The play was not even to Elliott but the threat of a pitch or flare pass to him affected the play of the defense. In several games this season, the Ravens abandoned the run game prematurely even when they had success with it. Its as if there aren't any half-time adjustments being made. Against us, the Patriots this year rushed three defenders most of the time. They were daring us to run but we didn't run enough. Re #3, wasn't that 2014 playoff game the one in which we blew two 14 point leads? It really doesn't matter what Tom and Bill told you about their 2nd half game plan. If my memory serves me correctly, we lost the game due to some rather shady officiating and a trick pass play from Edelman to Ammendola in the 4th quarter 'cause the Pats couldn't beat us by playing straight-up, not to mention some under-inflated footballs. Seriously though, the lop-sided 0% run /100% pass ratio in the 2nd half was also dictated by the flow of the game even though I'll admit it was also due in part to our makeshift secondary. In any case, I do not think one isolated game gives credence to your argument about the need to establish a running game. Given their druthers, I'm sure Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady or Joe Flacco would love to be handing the ball off to Ezekial Elliott, the real MVP of the Dallas Cowboys and perhaps the next Super Bowl MVP as well. Don't get me wrong. Dak Prescott is very good but Ezekial and the Dallas O-line are the difference makers for the Cowboys this year. Without Ezekial, Dak is just another rookie QB IMHO. I'm sure you and Tony Romo will both agree winning in the NFL is not as easy as Dak is making it look.

Amen.

If that were the case, why did he call a pass play on 1st down with six minutes to play. If Joe audibled to a pass play, that would explain it but that's not what happened. If Marty recognized that Joe was generally off his game, wouldn't he let Dixon and West try to run the ball and eat up some clock? Remember, two of the O-linemen who have just been selected to play in the Pro Bowl are Yanda and Osemele. Let's face it. Our current O-line is not as good on run-blocking or pass-blocking as the O-line Kubiak had to work with. Assuming your first statement is true, then I have no recourse than to agree with Coach Harbaugh that it was the "All-time Worst Call" and I can't see Marty returning next year for an encore performance unless we go deep into the playoffs. I happen to think the play call made by Pete Carroll's offensive staff was the worst ever but this one rates right up there. Finally, it speaks volumes that Joe Flacco is willing to stand up and take the pressure from his diva wide receivers and call for more running plays. Or do you think he's sayin that jest because he lacks confidence in himself? Sorry but I don't think that's the case. Stay tuned 'cause I think the saga of the revolving door for OCs is about to continue for another cycle. While his detractors are quick to complain about Joe's performance after 9 years, how many OCs have we had during that span of time?