0_o

This is a game that puts the media on our bandwagon again. Which will be important moving forward because this team is a team that's exceptionally responsive to criticism. We're a young, inexperienced but gifted defense that's waiting to be acknowledge. We have a "we want to be recognized as great" defense. Which is great because it translates into "we must do what has to be done" mentality. This is a game that can elevate that mentality and really take us to the next level. This is a defense where the greater the expectation the greater the focus. These players want to be a part of "the ravens way" no matter what we have to do type defense. I'm not worried about the Cowboys, their hype or their running game and here's why: Timmy Jernigan, Brandon Williams, CJ Mosely, Terrell Suggs, Michael Pierce, Lawrence Guy, Zachary Orr, Eric Weddle. Our front seven is savage. No one team is going to dominate them. No one. The more a team tries to run against us the better we become, the better chance we have at winning and that's telling because the Cowboiys currently have the #1 ranked rushing attack. However, the outcome of this game will be determined by the Quarterback play. If Romo were playing paired with this rushing attack, I would be concerned. But Dak Prescott Is their Quarterback and he's not a player that comes to mind when I think of "Ravens beater". I see an inexperienced rookie Quarterback who has executed well to this point but isn't expected to win 'by himself' and immediately I'm reminded of Dean Pee's strengths. Quarterbacks that can single handedly beat the Ravens are the seasoned, instinctive, accurate type Quarterbacks that excel in offensive philosophy and execute well in the passing game. Ben Roethlisburger, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning....quarterbacks that have that killer instinct to move the ball at will. Dak Prescott screams rookie QB who has exceeded expectations because 'he's not required' to win games on his own but rather let the run offense carry the burden. I believe this game plays right into our hands on multiple levels and might be the exact game we need if we want to develop a championship mentality...but here's what has to happen for us to win. Joe Flacco. Joe Flacco has to wake up and realize his Superbowl MVP potential all over again. Joe is the type that plays his best when he feels slighted and over the last 2 years I think he's been playing too "content". He needs to play like he has something to prove again. We need our offensive line to play well but more importantly I think it's time for one of those "clutch Joe Flacco games". And by that I don't mean the 30 of 50 for 175 yards, with 2 interceptions and 0 TD...3 of 17 first downs type games. I mean the 22 of 30, 300 yds, 2 td, 0 interception type games where we're converting those key 3rd downs and keeping the opposing defense in suspense. Call a spade a spade. Enough with the excuses. Enough in waiting for this offense to find it's groove. Joe Flacco needs to be called out. This guy has to step up and get over that knee injury. He needs to be the definitive leader. He has to be the one that brings the champion mindset to this offense. As someone who has experienced an ACL tear and ACL surgery, I can tell you it is an injury that really tests the confidence you put into your recovery. It is without a doubt the biggest obstacle in Joe Flacco's way right now. There is a mental roadblock that he hasn't fully overcome yet and it's clear it's interfering with his throwing mechanics. But you know what? He's being paid bazooka mullah right now..and needs to realize, so what if I get hurt a second time I need to play like bazooka Joe again. He needs to abandon that fear of stepping up and stepping into whatever a defense throws at him. Once that mentality clicks we're good. How long will it take? I have no idea. But we have too much talent on this team to be limited to this bull ship anemic offense that we've been forced to settle with. Step it up Joe. It's time! ...and if you do sooner than later, by the time the playoffs come around we will be the team no one wants to see again. We will become the Ravens of old and if we can reestablish THAT...there will always be a chance to win no matter who the opposition is.

Sometime in 2016 we're actually going to use Justin Tucker...right?? That being said I think it's time for some Royal Farms chicken

No offense to those of you running around screaming the end of days are here but this team is still very talented and will be in the playoffs contending at the end of the year. We have a run game, we just don't know how to use it yet and don't forget Defense wins championships...ours is top 3. You can jump off the bandwagon now but as painful as these last 2 losses have been we're still built for the playoffs. But i get it, we keep finding new ways to make it tough on ourselves. Which is becoming overly frustrating. We should have never signed Jimenez. My thing is how many games are we going to have to sacrifice before we wake up and learn to get out of own way?? I know Harbaugh is all about overcoming adversity and all but when it's self induced...yeah just a waste of time. Hopefully we snap out of it before it's too late. Just remember our SB run started with a change at OC. Harbaugh has already proven he can make the tough call if it comes down to it... with all that being said KICK THE FIELDGOAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Suggesting Ray Lewis as a DC is just an obvious idea that makes sense to me. This team isn't lacking talent. It's not lacking Coaching. It's lacking identity and leadership. We don't have the right temperament. Hall of fame linebacker running our Defense on Sundays doesn't sound like such a bad idea. Im ok with that. Maybe theres an adjustment period where it takes time but give me a break, we already know what his football IQ is and what his commitment level is like. The X's and O's can't be match with Ray Lewis. Of course he's bringing that to the table. He's been surrounded by it his whole life. He would adapt easily. He would also teach our younger players how to play with some heart. Now I havent been watching Ray Lewis on ESPN lately. So maybe his rah rah is being worn out but Ray Lewis + our defense just seems like that's the way it's suppose to be.

No, I think Ray Lewis needed time away from the organization for a little while. 17 years. He needed to step away and take a breath. I'm sure the passion for the game is still there. The desire to compete. I could see him putting the analyst thing on hold and coming back. Certainly his leadership would be tremendous for us. Especially to a young team. He would command that entire defense from day one. The other coaches would coach and he would lead....and call the plays.

Never coached?? If you think Ray Lewis was just a player all these years then I don't know who you've been watching. Why do you think his teammates called him the General? Who do you think switched defenses in-and-out at the last second when he didn't like what he saw ? Who do you think Ed Reed learned from? He taught Ed Reed how to read the film in a new way, and Ed Reed became a Hall of Fame safety. Imagine what he could do if he taught film session to an entire defense...Seriously dude? You dont think Ray Lewis could handle calling a play? He did it for 17 years... I gotta say I'm a little shocked by that. But whatever floats your bubble, bubble boy

We're not a bad team we just don't have any leadership. And by leadership I mean, players stepping up. These losses aren't being made by the coaches. No one is stepping up. It's time to stop making excuses and start holding the players accountable.

After Dean Pees moves on, reach out to Ray Lewis and tell him we want Baltimore Defense back.

Well since the "season's over" you guys might as well turn off the TV and go about your merry way. No need in being upset every Sunday, right? However, if you go to turn your TV back on during the playoffs and happen to notice the Ravens playing the dark horse roll as a wild card - just remember - you're not allowed to root or celebrate for them because you revoked your fan card in week 5 of the regular season. Wah, wah, wah.... No worries though, after the playoffs are over you can always reapply for a new seat on the bandwagon. Hell you might even be able to get a window view the way everyone is jumping ship. cheerios fairweather fans

The Great Collapse The Holy Secondary The Marshmallow Wall The Hold and Grabbers The Baltimore P.D. (Passive Defense) Embarrassment << (My favorite)

As much as these 4 losses have stung we're still only 2 games back in the wild card race with 11 games remaining in the season. Yes losing sucks and it makes people feel a certain way but those 4 losses were by an average of 4 points and honestly could have gone either way. The fact is, we're not getting blown out of games. We're contending all the way to the final minutes and we're playing competitively. Granted a 1st year offense, injuries, and penalties have made it a difficult start but these aren't things we cant overcome. Don't fall inline with the rest of our naive fans who think the season is over. It's going to be a fight to stay in contention but it's looking as though 9 wins will be enough to claim one of the wild card spot this year and i have faith our team can rebound. Take a look at the rest of the conference. 1.) Patriots 5-0 2.) Bengals 5-0 3.) Broncos 5-0 4.) Colts 3-2 ----------------- 5.) Jets 3-1 > Wild Card #1 6.) Bills 3-2 > Wild Card #2 ------------------ 7.) Steelers 3-2 8.) Browns 2-3 9.) Raiders 2-3 10.) Chargers 2-3 11.) Titans 1-3 12.) Dolphins 1-3 13.) Ravens 1-4 14.) Chiefs 1-4 15.) Texans 1-4 16.) Jaguars 1-4 This is our remaining schedule and opponents current record: 6.) 49ers 1-4 7.) Cardinals 4-1 8.) Chargers 2-3 9.) Jaguars 1-4 10.) Rams 2-3 11.) Browns 2-3 12.) Dolphins 1-3 13.) Seahawks 2-3 14.) Chiefs 1-4 15.) Steelers 3-2 16.) Bengals 5-0

Good news is there should be plenty of room on the bandwagon now that everyone is jumping off. Let's separate the real fans from the fake. When we turn the season around and go on a run there wont be any refunds on your fan cards. If we would have won in OT the story line would have been about us being playoff bound yada yada. Instead, we lose by 3 points and now our fans want us to tank the season for draft picks. Weak.

We won't miss the playoffs because the AFC is weak. To put it in perspective, if the playoffs were to start a month from now we would currently be 1 game back in the wild card standings. -2 of our 3 losses game from teams who are currently undefeated and atop their division. Of which, the Bengals and Broncos have arguably the 2 best defenses in football right now.... keep in mind our offense is in it's 1st year under a new coordinator so a rough start was expected. -4 of our next 6 games are at home with a bye week sandwiched in between. -Of these next 6 games coming up, 5 of those teams currently have a combined record of 7-13. To put THAT in perspective, our first 4 opponents currently have a combined record of 12-4... We lost 3 games by a combined 14 points...2 touchdowns. We've dropped more touchdowns then that this year... This team is not a bad team. We've hung in their toe to toe with the best the AFC has to offer right now, on the road, and came up short by less than a touchdown in each loss. Each of which came down to the last drive in the last minutes of the game. We'll get the kinks ironed out. We always do. We'll contend for a wild card spot as always. And hopefully the Bengals come through like only the Bengals know how and choke away the last half of their season like they always do.. The Bengals started the 2014 season 3-0 and lost the division. The Steelers started the 2014 season 3-3 and won the division. The 2014 Ravens were the only AFC North team to win a playoff game... we're only 1-3 and we have an easier road ahead of us then we had at the start of the season. If you hit the panic button now you're going to miss the ride. One of the things i cherish the most about the 2012 season was never giving up on our team even though there was every reason to do so. Don't hang up your fan card now only 4 games into the season. We'll make the playoffs...and we'll be a different team come January then we are now. A better team. This is how we roll every season. The Ravens without adversity wouldn't be the Ravens!

Marc Trestman should not be our offensive coordinator. QB coach? Offensive assistant? Offensive adviser? Ok, maybe... He'll have his moments. Fans will give him time and their patience. However, once the honeymoon period ends and reality bubbles to the surface, I think everyone will begin to see why this was a bad fit. Especially, after having success under Gary Kubiak and being teased by what a real NFL offense should look like. Trestman will be a liability if he can't get the players to buy-in or if he strays from the foundation we built last year. Kubiak's genius was in his simplicity - the complete opposite of Marc Trestman; whom, will hit gold from time to time but is bound to over-think his way into a lot of costly decisions. Which will get old rather quickly. As long as his duties are relegated to play calling and Joe Flacco - our offensive staff will adjust accordingly. If he oversteps his boundaries anywhere else and tries to change the recipe, this offense will regress. I'm not saying this to be pessimistic or skeptical...I'm just saying most of you here probably aren't too familiar with Trestman's schemes and coaching style - the more familiar you become well, I think the more impatient you'll grow. However, the optimist in me realizes our defense will be the strength of our team moving forward and as long as we don't abandon the run heavy concept, we'll be right back in the mix of things next year. Just caution yourselves on expectation from Trestman. Enjoy: Trestman's message to the Fighting Illini http://youtu.be/jpXK99lgENE?t=2m25s