Puntit Today, 02:11 PM "The most dangerous thing you can do is tell yourself you are just a few plays from a very different record. Because if you take that attitude you won't every make necessary changes, you will stay the course, hoping the dice roll differently next year. When Steve Smith complained early on that some of his teammates just seemed happy to be on the team and didn't have that winning instinct, I knew we were in trouble. The Panthers, for example, are a good team this year only partly because they have a depth of talent but mostly because they play with an attitude, like they have a mission, not a bunch of guys just happy to be gainfully employed. The Patriots are playing with an "in your face -- we can do this even without cheating" disrespected attitude. The Bengals are playing to show the world they aren't a "one and done" team. And so on. meanwhile the Ravens are playing like a bunch of guys more than happy to lose by five and then line up for the media to say "the defense needs to play better, the offense needs to make some plays, we take responsibility". One would have hoped people would try to emulate Steve Smith and what it takes to make it in this league, show a bit of emotion about losing, but his attitude doesn't seem contagious. It almost seems like the "play like a Raven" attitude retired when Ray Lewis retired. Time to get that back, through the draft or more leader free agency signings." I love this! So true! And to harp on about it - I am still so disgusted Jimmy Clausen is a Raven. I don't care if he never plays a snap for us, he doesn't even deserve the Raven jersey. May seem harsh, but I live in NC and watched him "play" for Carolina. Imagine the numbers Steve Smith Sr. would have, if he hadn't had to waste that time with Clausen. He's terrible. Cannot believe he's even in the NFL.
