Season Success Or Failure

[Raven43hike]

[quote name='sharkh20' timestamp='1327275068' post='965287']

I would say Evans to a larger extent, since it was a perfect pass and it was for the win and not the tie, just terrible.
[/quote]
I agree,I wish they would totally ban celebrations of any kind in the end zone just catch the ball and hand it to the ref or drop it to the ground act like you"ve done it before , if I wanted to see dancing I'd watch dancing with the stars sick of it, I know he didn't dance but he was thinking about it thats why he dropped a perfect pass.

[Jerseyraven52205527]

Failure......

We didn't finish!

[Greatness]

[quote name='theFRANCHISE' timestamp='1327275336' post='965321']
Even falling short, I consider this season a success.

Yes, this loss will sting for a long, long time to come. I feel physically ill right now. I haven't felt this horrible about a loss in years, if not ever.

But this team accomplished more than we imagined at the start of the season. They finally began to play to their potential, albeit inconsistently. And most of all, they got over every single hurdle from years past [i]except [/i]getting into the Super Bowl.

So let it hurt today, and tomorrow, and for the next few days. But be proud of what our team has done. Be proud of the effort they showed in the national spotlight. Above all, be proud that this team went toe-to-toe with an elite team like the Patriots and made them look human.
[/quote]

That's all nice and good, but I can hop on this bandwagon. With this team and players (Even more so last year IMO) losing like we've done is not a sucess. I'm about to watch a team with no defense, or running game go to my Superbowl. While my Ravens, one of if not the most balance team in the league is going home yet again because we couldn't buy an ounce of clutchness. Or the fact that two horrible play-calls put us in an even bigger hole to begin with.

It is what it is, but I won't accept it. I can't do anything about it as it's over, but this season with nothing short of a failure. No middle ground whatsoever. We've been considerably healthy and again, balanced and win in spite of horrible coaches. I'm glad some Ravens fan can find light at the end of this tunnel, but I'll take this to my grave.

Two years. Two Superbowls. Two frauds.

[Militant X 1]

[quote name='theFRANCHISE' timestamp='1327275336' post='965321']
Even falling short, I consider this season a success.

Yes, this loss will sting for a long, long time to come. I feel physically ill right now. I haven't felt this horrible about a loss in years, if not ever.

But this team accomplished more than we imagined at the start of the season. They finally began to play to their potential, albeit inconsistently. And most of all, they got over every single hurdle from years past [i]except [/i]getting into the Super Bowl.

So let it hurt today, and tomorrow, and for the next few days. [u][b]But be proud of what our team has done. Be proud of the effort they showed in the national spotlight. Above all, be proud that this team went toe-to-toe with an elite team like the Patriots and made them look human.[/b][/u]
[/quote]

exactly!!

i am very proud of our boys!

~Mili

[gotekiraven]

There are fans in the NFL who has never known what having a winning team feels like on a consistent basis. Talk to a Redskins fan, Browns fan, Buffalo fan, Panthers fan, Jacksonville fan on down the line and tell them your sad story. 32 freaking teams started this season hoping to get where we and 3 other teams were. Maybe our fans have been spoiled. This is only the third time in team history we've gotten to the AFC Championship game. Think about this. Let's say we don't even make the playoffs next season, then you all would be complainng that we DIDN'T MAKE THE PLAYOFFS at all.

[Static]

[quote name='gotekiraven' timestamp='1327282848' post='966332']
There are fans in the NFL who has never known what having a winning team feels like on a consistent basis. Talk to a Redskins fan, Browns fan, Buffalo fan, Panthers fan, Jacksonville fan on down the line and tell them your sad story. 32 freaking teams started this season hoping to get where we and 3 other teams were. Maybe our fans have been spoiled. This is only the third time in team history we've gotten to the AFC Championship game. Think about this. Let's say we don't even make the playoffs next season, then you all would be complainng that we DIDN'T MAKE THE PLAYOFFS at all.
[/quote]
Ok. A team struggling to rebuild and gather talent go from 2-14 to 7-9 , pretty ok

A team stacked with talent, youth, a great defense, and has been close plenty of times. They
Almost make it but fail , not a success.

You understand what I'm sayin?

[LouieDaLug]

Failure...this team keeps finding ways to choke away playoff victories....

[jus4fun46]

great year....disappointing finish. Thank you Ravens!!

[flynismo]

You can consider this season a failure and still have pride in our team

[Scotty410bmore]

we are a perennial playoff team so its a FAILURE...we get to the playoffs but so what...but if you like moral victories, then yes this season was a success

[Ravenglenn]

Of course it's a failure! And it should be considered such. Do the Buffalo Bills fans consider their four SB losses in a row was any sort of success? Of course not! Neither should we consider this season a success when we lose to the likes of Jax, Sea, and Ten. And the sad way we lost today does not translate into a successful season.

One question: if Biscotti, Ozzie, and Harbaugh wanted to win so bad, what was Cam doing around here?

[theblackdog]

As easy as it would be to say failure, I am going to say success. First year with Flacco that we won the AFC North, swept the Steelers, got a home playoff game, and first year since his rookie year that we got to the AFCCG. Yes, tonight's loss stings like hell, but damn if we didn't show that we are contenders, that we deserved our fourth playoff run, and that other teams should continue to be afraid to play against us.

[1/28/01]

Proud overall? Yes! Want to throw a bowling ball through every TV I own? Yes! Failure overall? 100%!!!

[H8R]

AFC north champs, success. One step at a time , i guess for this team.

[darklight1216]

There are alot of things to celebrate this season: twelve wins, a division title, fourth consecutive playoff appearance... but this was a Bowl or Bust year.

[tsizzle95]

easy answer. complete failure. yeah we had a great season,but 32 strive for a championship and only one can succeed.

[Ravenslifer]

I still don't get this whole "down-year" thing for the Ravens. Come on, our problem has never, ever been defending against guys like Brady, Manning, or Roethlisberger (Rivers and his walking trees are another matter). It's always been our ability to play offense and score to put these guys under pressure and/or keep up with them when we do score. We've seen tonight that we can do it. It took 7 years for Manning to win, 9 for Brees to win, etc. This team is going to be better, especially if we end the Cam Cameron Experiment.

[RavenousBG]

Mission was not accomplished. We have much to build on. I look forward to what Torrey is becoming. I look forward to what happens with McPhee and Jimmy too and most of all what kind of baller Webb is becoming.

But mission was no accomplished so I am sad to say it was a failure.

I can live with it if we can find a way to take the next step next season. If we take a step backwards, looking back at this season could become a very bitter aftertaste to the pill already swallowed.

[BigMike]

Success...four years of post seasons football. Just a few tweaks and we can get it done!!

[Clutch Ravens]

31 teams fail completely every year.

Annoyingly, this REALLY was our year. It's like the stars aligned.

I can say, confidently, we, when playing our best football, are BETTER than either team in the Super Bowl this year.

[Romo Ravens]

[quote name='Clutch Ravens' timestamp='1327291128' post='967283']
31 teams fail completely every year.

[b]Annoyingly, this REALLY was our year. It's like the stars aligned.[/b]

I can say, confidently, we, when playing our best football, are BETTER than either team in the Super Bowl this year.
[/quote]

I just don't know about that. When we kept Cam Cameron in the offseason, I had really low expectations for this season in the Summer. Now that he'll be shown the door, and with the news that Ray Lewis will not retire, adding to the fact that we can stock up on FA's and the draft, I really think next year will be our year. We were just too inexperienced at WR, although Torrey should be a beast next season. Our offensive line was up and down and Flacco was really inconsistent. Hurts to say, but you just can't win Super Bowl's when those three things add up.

[reediddy]

[quote name='1/28/01' timestamp='1327286067' post='966738']
Proud overall? Yes! Want to throw a bowling ball through every TV I own? Yes! Failure overall? 100%!!!
[/quote]

My sentiments exactly. Success of a season is determined by winning the Lombardi so in essence this season is a failure. But man we accomplished so much! Division champs! Swept the division! Better yet, swept the STEELERS! Can't wait til next year. Let's get Hue Jackson in as OC and bring in a real #1 wide receiver to complement Q. Upgrade the OL. A lot to get done. Who says the offseason isn't exciting??!?! Lol I think I'm going crazy!!

[jdynamite]

This season was a failure for us, because this team's goal is to a Super Bowl not get into the playoffs or win a playoff game or two.

There are many bright spots for this team and for us to be positive about however. Webb is an emerging defensive star, teams won't be testing him as much next year. J.Smith continue to display his big play ability today. We have many young players that will improve and make this team capable of winning it all next year. A year from Pitta, Dickson, T.Smith will all be even better on offense. Kruger , McPhee , J.Smith, C.Williams and Webb will get better. Kindle will finally be ready to get snaps.

Hopefully this team doesn't re-sign Cam Cameron! Then we will see significant growth within the offense!

[rlh445]

I believe around this time last year or the year before I made a long winded post saying sorry for not being able to be positive about how the season went because I was so mad..and it's no different this year. I guess I'm super tired of the Ravens team as a whole just shooting themselves in the foot repeatedly for one reason or another. We flat out played the Patsies and yet they're going to the Super Bowl and I know it's the anger talking, but they don't deserve to be there: the Ravens do.

[vonbonds]

This season was a failure. We just learned a new way to lose instead of persevering. My two cents.

[JohnJohnson]

This feels like the worst kind of failure, and Flacco's not there to bear the burden this time. After last year's loss we knew we needed more speed and a more explosive offense; there's just nothing to say after this loss. We had a great team despite our youth, I believe the best team in the AFC this season, and we let the game slip through our fingers. Before today I would have said the season was successful no matter what...I didn't expect this type of loss.

[chris14]

FAIL it was sb or bust imo. I have never felt like this before this hurts more than any loss ever. I dont think i even felt this bad when a girl has cheated on me or something along thoose lines...it's its just terrible . Having said this I will always love my Ravens.....except cam

[Guest RBates]

[quote name='flynismo' timestamp='1327276625' post='965525']
not sure what you mean about my timing being bad. Just saying that at least we dont have to listen to people try to bash Flacco over a loss. As usual,[b] his teammates on offense let him down.[/b]
[/quote]
They all played a good game. Defense had their share of letdowns also. It all gets magnified in the end. Flacco played a great game. Big time players, make big time plays, in big games. The Haters just need to see this throughout the year a lil more. Flacco will be better next year, we have no doubt. When we say he was average this year ........well it is because he was. He proved today, that he has the skills(that was never in question) to be one of the best in the league.

[Guest RBates]

[quote name='1/28/01' timestamp='1327281095' post='966129']
And whose shoulders does that fall on? Do tell...
[/quote]
Its a team game so the whole team. Flacco played a good game. Why do you guys act like this is hard for me to say. The guy has all the tools to be great. I explained that already. I can't blame Billy, although my confidence in him is getting shaky. I can't blame Evans, would have liked him to make a violent catch (grab&snatch) right there though. It is what it is. We need to fill a lot of holes on defense and offense starting upfront with that O-line. For the season Flacco was average. He will be better next year with his receivers and coaches working with him for a full season. He is our guy. Bookmark me saying that.

[flynismo]

[quote name='RBates' timestamp='1327302402' post='967903']
They all played a good game. Defense had their share of letdowns also. It all gets magnified in the end. Flacco played a great game. Big time players, make big time plays, in big games. The Haters just need to see this throughout the year a lil more. Flacco will be better next year, we have no doubt. When we say he was average this year ........well it is because he was. He proved today, that he has the skills(that was never in question) to be one of the best in the league.
[/quote]


I feel like our OL let us down big time, and Rice didn't do much again either -- in large part because of the OL.

But I don't wanna stir the blame game up; nice to hear you crediting Flacco like that, even if it is just for this game. If everyone did that, we wouldn't have such a huge divide regarding Flacco. He has earned both accolades and criticism throughout the course of the season, I hope that we can all agree on that.