Super Bowl Or Bust

[EyeSeeTDsInBmore]

Ray Lewis on Super Bowl or bust mentality:
"There’s 32 teams, and one will touch the confetti, so 31 other teams will be [a] bust."

Your thoughts on this mentality?

[PuRock]

[quote name='EyeSeeTDsInBmore' timestamp='1294428859' post='595476']
Ray Lewis on Super Bowl or bust mentality:
"There’s 32 teams, and one will touch the confetti, so 31 other teams will be [a] bust."

Your thoughts on this mentality?
[/quote]

Truth. You play to win the whole damn thing. If you don't, the season at its essence was a failure. Now you can always take positives out of a season and build upon them. But there is only one goal that every team has at the beginning of the season.

[PWNEDbyDEANO]

[quote name='PuRock' timestamp='1294429025' post='595479']
Truth. You play to win the whole damn thing. If you don't, the season at its essence was a failure. Now you can always take positives out of a season and build upon them. But there is only one goal that every team has at the beginning of the season.
[/quote]

Couldn't have put it better myself.

[BALTIMOREFLACCO]

I'd say yes unless your a rebuilding franchise. When talking about this year, for Bmore, I'd say its definitely a superbowl or bust mentality.

[PuRock]

[quote name='BALTIMOREFLACCO' timestamp='1294432253' post='595546']
I'd say yes unless your a rebuilding franchise. When talking about this year, for Bmore, I'd say its definitely a superbowl or bust mentality.
[/quote]

Even if your rebuilding your goal at the beginning is to win a Superbowl. Coaches on rebuilding teams don't go into the locker room and tell their guys "We're rebuilding, so go out there and try your best."

Hell no, they instill the idea that its a clean slate and any team (including them) can win it all. That's the goal and it starts one game at a time.

[edreedfromtheu]

It's true... I think if you asked the Tampa Bay Bucs, Seattle Seahawks, or St Louis Rams what they'd consider a success, they probably would have said making the playoffs.

The Rams almost won their division and made the playoffs. They didn't, but I think most would consider their season a success.

The Bucs were competing in a division with two heavyweights in the Falcons and Saints... and probably consider their season a success.

The Ravens have made the playoffs 3 years in a row, but still haven't won the division in any of those 3 years. They've got a lot of older players in important positions, and their anointed "QB of the next decade" isn't exactly showing great improvement.

Maybe the younger players on the Ravens roster don't feel it's a make or break year... but I guarantee you Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Derrick Mason, Matt Birk, and even Terrell Suggs who is relatively younger... feel that this is their best shot. Gotta get it done now. Shoot, even Anquan Boldin might feel like if he doesn't get it done this year after how close he came in Arizona... that this might be his last shot.

It's all speculation as to what happens after this year with players coming and going, but my guess is there will be a year or two of "rebuilding" needed to get back to contending whether the Ravens win it all or not.

[Ed_Reed20]

[quote name='edreedfromtheu' timestamp='1294451215' post='595870']
It's true... I think if you asked the Tampa Bay Bucs, Seattle Seahawks, or St Louis Rams what they'd consider a success, they probably would have said making the playoffs.

The Rams almost won their division and made the playoffs. They didn't, but I think most would consider their season a success.

The Bucs were competing in a division with two heavyweights in the Falcons and Saints... and probably consider their season a success.

The Ravens have made the playoffs 3 years in a row, but still haven't won the division in any of those 3 years. They've got a lot of older players in important positions, and [b]their anointed "QB of the next decade" isn't exactly showing great improvement.[/b]

Maybe the younger players on the Ravens roster don't feel it's a make or break year... but I guarantee you Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Derrick Mason, Matt Birk, and even Terrell Suggs who is relatively younger... feel that this is their best shot. Gotta get it done now. Shoot, even Anquan Boldin might feel like if he doesn't get it done this year after how close he came in Arizona... that this might be his last shot.

It's all speculation as to what happens after this year with players coming and going, but [b]my guess is there will be a year or two of "rebuilding" needed to get back to contending whether the Ravens win it all or not.[/b]
[/quote]

Fans aside(they're certainly entitled to that opinion), who has anointed Flacco that?

Regardless, I think he's improved enough from last season for this team to win a Super Bowl.

I don't see any real "rebuilding" going on after this season. The Ravens have had to deal with major FA losses the past two off-seasons but have continued to be successful. Whether some vets retire or not, there are enough young playmakers to keep the Ravens in contending position and the front office is certainly adept in FA and the draft to supplement the younger players too.

[Ravenfano3]

Herm Edwards said it best. "You play, to win the game!"

If you enter the season thinking anything but the superbowl, than you have already lost.