24 replies to this topic

[BR News]

John Harbaugh saw his team improving, even during its three-game losing skid.

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[drillem]

Ain't it true? Odds-maker underdogs in all three games. Media underdogs in all three games. Even now they aren't getting their due respect from the talking heads. I read just last week this time that only one sports 'authority' picked the Ravens to win. To go ahead and ignore that talk and go ahead and win caught them all by surprise and showed the character of this team. When all else failed they still had each other. And that was enough.

[The Mom Gene]

Posted by my Brother John Kirk on FB...
It was a year ago this past weekend that the Baltimore Ravens and the New England Patriots played the AFC Championship game in Foxboro, MA. In that game, the Ravens went from winning, to tying, to losing the game - in a matter of about a minute and a half "real time," on a dropped pass and a shanked 32-yard field goal.

The game wasn't supposed to end that way after the Ravens mounted a great final drive, and even when Lee Evans dropped the TD pass, we "knew" the game was going to overtime in a minute or so. Didn't happen. Cundiff missed the chip shot. The Ravens' destiny was altered by "life happens."

I remember sitting on the floor with my back perched against the sofa in my Man-Cave uttering to myself in a low tone "What the hell just happened?"

All year, every time the subject was broached, it was painful. The Ravens were supposed to win the game. They were supposed to be in the Super Bowl. You wanted to say "Hey, that's not how it was supposed to go." But you can't. There are no do-overs in sports. It was done. Deal with it. Live with it.

So here I was this past weekend, in the same "Man-Cave," getting ready to watch the AFC Championship between the Ravens and the Patriots in Foxboro, MA. And, this weird, crazy feeling hit me. "Wow, it feels like it was yesterday we missed that field goal...and here we are right back where we were a year ago to do it again." It was crazy.
It was surreal.

Also a year ago, the San Francisco 49'ers were dealing with their own issues that altered destiny. Twice, in the same game, their kick returner let a ball graze his leg and roll by him, resulting in the Giants getting control of the ball. One of which was in field goal range in overtime, and resulted in the winning Giant's field goal. I'm thinking 49'ers fans felt the same as us. How does that happen twice in an NFC Championship game?

We won the game this year. We dominated the game. The Ravens wanted this game.

Now, after this weekend, the Ravens and the 49'ers are playing in the Super Bowl. The game that was somehow taken from us (and the 49'ers) has been given back. The Ravens and 49'ers should have been in the Super Bowl last year. It's a year late, but all is well in the universe again. Time has corrected itself. Normality has returned. It will no longer be "painful" to watch or hear about last year's game.
It was a mistake.
and... We were given a do-over.
Now, we're moving on to the game we were expecting to be in a year ago.
It's gonna be a great game.

Edited by The Mom Gene, 24 January 2013 - 11:35 AM.

[Berkeley_Raven]

It's been a postseason of monkey-killing and long standing trend breaking:

1) Ravens never beat Manning in the postseason (Although Manning is like 0-9 when the temperature's below 30...).
2) Perfect Patriots never lose at home in the AFC Championship.
3) Belichick and Brady never lose at home when leading at the half.

The Niners are 5-0 in the Super Bowl. One more trend for the Ravens to tarnish!

[balfan23]

Team didn't lose faith. The press and analysts sure did - but who cares about them? Then, there is the fan base. Did we lose faith?

Went to the archive and found the article "Is Super Bowl Still Within Reach"?

http://www.baltimore...4#commentSystem

Check out your own posts here, to remind yourself what you were thinking and saying that that time. Actually, when I looked at them, I found things were more positive than I expected. The earliest of posts to this article were the most harsh (in immediate reaction to our performance v. DEN). But as time wore on, people began to see things more positively. The one thing that was for sure ... it all rested on our game v. NYG. If we showed then what the team was really about, they, why not believe?

[axisofeeble]

Forget the points and bet the RAY-vens "money line" and over 48 total. The RAY-vens will blow out the 9ers as Colin finally shows those jitters facing the Baltimore bullies and RAY Lewis. Pernell meet Colin. Colin eat astro-turf! GO RAY-vens!! No matter what the media gushes about Colin Kaepernack he is mighty young and very inexperienced,he might play his greatest game and still not win,more likely the RBs&defense of the run will decide this game GO JOE FLACCO!!! GO RAY RICE! GO BERNARD PIERCE! Gett'em Anquan,Torrey ----sack'em Paul-Sizzle- Haloti-Pernell-Arthur Cecil-Dannelle "Iggy" GOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! RAYvens !!!

[axisofeeble]

Faith can move mountains so how can the "read" option pistol beat the RAYvens?

[Purple-Ops]

I love my team. Always believed. Go Ravens for we are Superbowl Bound!

Edited by Purple-Ops, 24 January 2013 - 12:14 PM.

[ellicottraven]

The great thing about it is we are in the SB! The nervous thing for me about it is that we haven't still won it.... may, I don't know why, but I am petrified and anxious!

[splashjam]

Neither did the Ravens fans.

[Dudeman]

The game against the Giants allowed us to WIN the AFC North. A lot of people like to pin some of our adversity as backing into the play-offs but we didn't do that. That win wasn't a fluke, we won our division with that game and knocked the Giants out of a game they needed just as much as we did.

[D3x3001]

We got hot at the right time, but we have Ray's motivation of retirement. No one can stop us at all.

[MDpgRaven]

after the Ravens Lost at home to the squeelers, i really didnt think, that we would be in this position now. at the begining of the year i saw the Ravens as a 10-6 11-5 type team. But didnt think that they had enough to get to the Dance. i Really thought last Year was "Our Year" and with the dropped pass, and missed kick, we lost and i thought Ray was going to have to go out without another Ring.

Something Ignighted a Fire and the Team took off. Ed, Suggs, Birk, Boldin, Big Mac, Williams, and Ray, and the host of other Veterans will have their shot at Ending their Careers with the Greatest Victory in Sports. I am So happy my Team is where they are. it has been great slamming it my Skins Fan Coworkers

[greenraven]

Just a quick question,how does a players like Dannell Ellerbe go undrafted?Usually theres a reason i.e. character issues,lack of speed,lack of height etc.

[metalraven]

Just a quick question,how does a players like Dannell Ellerbe go undrafted?Usually theres a reason i.e. character issues,lack of speed,lack of height etc.

It could be a number of things. Perhaps they didn't perform well at the combine, or don't have outstanding physical attributes, and don't come off as "sexy" to scouts. Some players may not appear to be great; but are smart and humble and inturn adapt well and listen to their coaches. I think Ellerbe is that type of guy.

But the Ravens are a different team. They're known to pick up gems that were overlooked by other teams. (i.e. Ray Rice)

[metalraven]

From that pic, it looks like Jacoby is off in la la land ("I'm in the mood for some pancakes...ya, I like pancakes". and Ed Dickson is thinking: "That fool ain't even payin attention."

Harbs is doing a "toast" with an invisible champagne glass.

Sorry...I'm done now.

[Purple14]

Great speach by Coach Harbaugh. It's just this: The inside of a team is important, not what reporters are writing. And the Ravens have a team where everyone is fighting for each other. That's Super Bowl Mentality. And by the fact the Ravens lost last years AFC Finale only without a little bit of luck, I believed the whole offseason that the Ravens can and will win the Super Bowl this year. The big wins in Denver, New England, San Diego or against the Giants showed the Ravens can beat every team in the NFL. GO RAVENS!!!

[greenraven]

Yeh metal they always seem to pick really great players from right down the draft.McPhee aswell was only drafted in the 5th round I think.

[jrs034]

The ravens have trials and tribulations under their belt aside from the QB change the 49ers have none that is where the Ravens have the advantage