Win or lose today, is this the most frustrating season of the Harbaugh and Billick eras?

[jimjim5]

I am curious to know other posters thoughts on this subject.

 

I personally feel this is the most difficult season I have had to endure as a Ravens fan. Although I am pleased with the SB victory last year, and that has made me a bit indifferent at times about our record this year because we got another ring, I still get incensed after losing three winnable (or 2) games because I think about how talented this team is.

 

We should be 5-1 and in the drivers seat. I was able to accept losing with Billick teams, because in the inner depth of my mind, I knew that the team was missing something. The year before last, I knew we were stacked, and I feel no different this year, save for some bad roster decisions that affect special teams and RB depth.

 

Even if we don't go Super Bowling this year, I think we should at least be the clear leader in the division or so high that a wild card is not in question.

 

This is shaping up to be frustrating on the level of the 2006 and 2008 seasons! Bad schematics or so close you can taste immense success, but it just eludes you because of a coaching philosophy or a scheme issue that is correctable (or could have been mitigated in some way).

 

What do you think?

[rlh445]

Not even close.  Almost any year in the Billick era was more frustrating than any under Harbs.  Cuz ya know, we've actually scored TDs.

[Guest Moderator 6]

2007?

[izvoodoo]

You haven't been around very long if you think this is worse than 07. 

 

[jimjim5]

You haven't been around very long if you think this is worse than 07. 

 

 

huh? I said, "Harbaugh and Billick eras". Anywho, that year the team was very undisciplined on defense. They got burnt on every play fake. After several games, the writing was on the wall. That was a comical season, and without that season, the Ravens might have become a laughing stock for years to come. Thank you Bisciotti for making an organizational change. The inmates were running the asylum.

[PurpleDoc]

It is frustrating because the Ravens have a lot of talented players, but we play terribly.  Sloppy, missed tackles, horrible O-Line, receivers run poor routes....   All in all this is a coaching problem.  

[berad]

2006 and 2008 were frustrating??

The only bad part of those seasons were the playoff losses.

[Rav'n Maniac]

What is frustrating about this year is we have the talent to be a dominating team and haven't shown it in full, "yet". All the problems we have seen are without question, fixable.

 

We have to depend on our coaches to figure out the issues and find the best way to correct them. How long that will take is the biggest question of all.

 

Hopefully, we will begin turning the corner this week!

[PeRK82]

Keep it simple

 

YES!!!!

 

This team plays with absolutely no Urgency.

 

The intensity is not there ( mostly on Offense)

 

The D has been playing enough to win even if the Offense were playing mediocre but they cant even do that

[PeRK82]

Not even close.  Almost any year in the Billick era was more frustrating than any under Harbs.  Cuz ya know, we've actually scored TDs.

Yea but Billick had a bit of an excuse, we didnt have a QB or Wrers.

[PurpleDoc]

Keep it simple

 

YES!!!!

 

This team plays with absolutely no Urgency.

 

The intensity is not there ( mostly on Offense)

 

The D has been playing enough to win even if the Offense were playing mediocre but they cant even do that

 

Agree.   Other teams come out on fire against the Ravens while we never put in a full 60 minutes of football.   watching Peyton call his offensive to the line for the no huddle and then watching the Raven's slow, sluggish efforts is embarrassing.  

[jimjim5]

2006 and 2008 were frustrating??

The only bad part of those seasons were the playoff losses.

 

It was frustrating in my eyes because there should have been more.

 

2008.... Cam not putting Rice in when he was clearly the go juice for the team. Offensive scheme adjustments after opposing team adjustments were nil. We should have put up a much better fight. (like this year).

 

2006... The defense was sick!!!! Home -field advantage, yet the offense couldn't muster a point when it mattered. That was a frustrating moment. Ok I will remove 2006.... That was a moment, not a season. but 2008!!!! Geez. Yo-yo team for no good reason.

[berad]

It was frustrating in my eyes because there should have been more.
 
2008.... Cam not putting Rice in when he was clearly the go juice for the team. Offensive scheme adjustments after opposing team adjustments were nil. We should have put up a much better fight. (like this year).
 
2006... The defense was sick!!!! Home -field advantage, yet the offense couldn't muster a point when it mattered. That was a frustrating moment. Ok I will remove 2006.... That was a moment, not a season. but 2008!!!! Geez. Yo-yo team for no good reason.

I wasn't frustrated after 2008, though. We had just gone 5-11 and were starting out with a rookie QB (who was third string at the beginning of preseason) and a rookie HC. Kelly Gregg was already out for the year, Our top CB had a crappy attitude, a Week 2 bye (Houston hurricane), etc etc. We still went deep in the playoffs with the adversity and the inexperience of some main guys.

The loss was frustrating but, if I'm being honest, I didn't think that team would get to that level.

edit - on this topic: this season IS frustrating. The close losses in Buffalo and against Green Bay add to that. With any semblance of a running game we could be at 5-1, you're right.

I think the Ravens anticipated there would be some inconsistency passing the ball - with the trade of Boldin and unexpected loss of Pitta. But they could not have foreseen how utterly terrible the running game, and offensive line, have been. The need to right that ship. The defense is great, much better than 2012, but we can't lean on them like the defenses of the early-mid 2000s.

[BirdWatcher]

No good reason in 2008? I think a rookie QB and rookie HC were pretty good reasons. I was pretty excited about the future. 2007 was the worst for me.

[Natural Born Hitters]

I immediately thought about 07 when I read the title. 06 was such a promising year with our defense and with how McNair helped jump start our offense. Then he got hurt in 07 and we went right back to Boller, very disappointing.

[PeRK82]

Agree.   Other teams come out on fire against the Ravens while we never put in a full 60 minutes of football.   watching Peyton call his offensive to the line for the no huddle and then watching the Raven's slow, sluggish efforts is embarrassing.  

Our 2 Min offense is how other teams regular offense plays ( and im not talking about how Manning run his reg. Offense, he is a freak). Thats the only way i could really compare it.

 

Also, Why dont we play to our strengths, you see how Flacco can draw D off sides but we never do it. It took them half the game to realize it playing the TEXANS and we havnt seen it since.

 

Its frustrating because its so Obvious. But they cant seem to see it.  Im  no football expert but somethings are just clear as day.  Borderline stupidity

[runamuk]

this season doesn't come close to 2007 once joe got here I was optimistic about the ravens and the future .even with the slow start and issues this year I remain optimistic .

[ckgeisl]

Our 2 Min offense is how other teams regular offense plays ( and im not talking about how Manning run his reg. Offense, he is a freak). Thats the only way i could really compare it.

 

Also, Why dont we play to our strengths, you see how Flacco can draw D off sides but we never do it. It took them half the game to realize it playing the TEXANS and we havnt seen it since.

 

Its frustrating because its so Obvious. But they cant seem to see it.  Im  no football expert but somethings are just clear as day.  Borderline stupidity

Never never compare your 2 min offense as a way your offense should play......... a 2 minute offense is playing against a prevent defense ( per definition) and numbers , completions and runs are skewed.  The fact that you are mentioning your 2 minute offense should tell you a lot about your offense or lack there of....  A wide open offense is dramatically different relative to difficulty  in the 1st 3 quarters versus the last 2-5 minutes when a defense is playing not to lose. 

[Guest Im An Ozzie Newsome Guy]

Hands down, the 2007 season was the most frustrating year during either the Billick or Harbaugh era. The 2005 season is a distant second.

 

Heck, if you just want to talk about John Harbaugh's years, alone, nothing can compare to the what was the '09-1'0 season. The season played like a palindrome: Whenever the Ravens won a game, they would lose the next one. If Baltimore won two-in-a-row, they would then lose 2 games, back-to-back. Even at the start of the year, when the Ravens won their 1st three games, it was immediately followed by 3 straight losses.

 

Granted, while Flacco improved as a QB from his rookie outing, he was nowhere near ready to be a difference-maker for the offense. But, more importantly, it didn't help that the offense, itself, was average, at best. Besides the emerging Ray Rice and Willis McGahee combo, all the offense really had was Derrick Mason and Todd Heap, who had already peaked as a tight end, unfortunately. Mark Clayton had his worse season as a Raven and Kelley Washington didn't do much of anything as the other receiver and that offensive line was probably even worse than this year's (with Birk and Grubbs being the only "strengths" to it, while Oher was still a rookie).

 

The defense suffered a little without Rex Ryan and special teams was just not good (sans for Sam Koch). The team obviously missed Matt Stover, as Steven Hauschka was terrible in clutch situations (*COUGH* Vikings game *COUGH*); the Ravens eventually cut him, only to sign some guy named Billy Cundiff.

 

I realize I'm just ranting about the 2009 team; but, it was so tough to be excited that year. The Ravens should of have beat an average Steelers team in week 16; yet, they couldn't even do that. Instead, it wasn't until the last week of the season, when Baltimore went to Oakland, that the Ravens could say they made the playoffs... by beating a horrible Raiders team.

 

Yeah, the Ravens managed to go into Foxboro and give the Patriots their first home playoff loss during the Bill Belichick era; and, that was cool and everything. But, even then, the fun only lasted for really a quarter before the Ravens didn't do much for the rest of the game. As for the Colts game; well, the defense did everything to slow-down Manning and their offense. However, once again, a Ravens team, in the playoffs, couldn't score against Indy.

 

Not like I had much hope for Baltimore to win, especially since Flacco was hurt; but, it was just a bum ending as a follow-up season to a year that was so exciting and full of optimism for the future, after what they did with a rookie head coach and QB in 2008. * Ends rant! *  :34853_brickwall:

[TXRaven]

2001, 2007 are 2 that were worse for me. 2002 coming off the Super Bowl win, believing we had a real QB and a great acquisition in Leon Searcy. Gbeck stunk, Searcy got hurt and was out before he ever played a regular season game and Jamal Lewis went down in camp for the year.. 2007 just made me want to pull my hair out. This year is frustrating, because I know we can do better, but I can not say I didn't expect it to be a little rough.

[Ravenseconbeast]

Forgot which year, but the year jamal won OPOY and lewis won DPOY only to be mired by craptastic kyle boller.

We couldve won a superbowl that year if we had a avg QB.

[The Raven]

The season isn't over. In fact, it's not even half over. We haven't even gotten to the bye week. Ask me again after ten games.

[Malkavian Raven]

Forgot which year, but the year jamal won OPOY and lewis won DPOY only to be mired by craptastic kyle boller.

We couldve won a superbowl that year if we had a avg QB.

 

'03.

 

As for where we stand currently, I'm not ready to hit the panic button just yet.  I think the next three games will show us where we're going to end up come week 17.

[PeRK82]

Never never compare your 2 min offense as a way your offense should play......... a 2 minute offense is playing against a prevent defense ( per definition) and numbers , completions and runs are skewed.  The fact that you are mentioning your 2 minute offense should tell you a lot about your offense or lack there of....  A wide open offense is dramatically different relative to difficulty  in the 1st 3 quarters versus the last 2-5 minutes when a defense is playing not to lose. 

Sir, you are looking into what i wrote way, way too much.

 

Its the pace of play im talking about.

[Bltravens]

'03.

 

As for where we stand currently, I'm not ready to hit the panic button just yet.  I think the next three games will show us where we're going to end up come week 17.

'03 is my worst year.  Boller couldn't beat out Anthony Wright...awful.  

07 was just ridiculously riddled with injury so it was somewhat easier to swallow.  03, even though we made the playoffs, was a massive disappointment for me.  Jamal was running through 8 and 9 man boxes and no one could tackle him...and we had like the 30th ranked offense lol.

[Static]

The fact that we should have faced the Giants in the Superbowl , again,  in 2011 and have gone to two straight super bowls but didnt because of kicker and WR who shalln't be named is/was pretty frustrating .

[ckgeisl]

Sir, you are looking into what i wrote way, way too much.

 

Its the pace of play im talking about.

MVP.....I understand, but once again it is a very fine line to executing a hurry up offense.  Execution being the key word.  Unless everyone is on the same page it is very difficult to implement a scheme that is fluid and has multiple decisions by WR's against specific defensive formations and the QB being on the same page as the WR.  That's why the hurry up offense is OK when going with the 2 min drill and everything underneath is open ( ie  quarter defense) rather than a regular nickel and dime package.  Just sayin......that is why an OC is very leary when using this strategy, other than with a Brady or Payton Manning.  I also do not think your defense would like to get back on the field quicker than they already are when things do not go right. 

[BirdWatcher]

Stick to the subject, please.

[GTRavens]

It was frustrating in my eyes because there should have been more.

 

2008.... Cam not putting Rice in when he was clearly the go juice for the team. Offensive scheme adjustments after opposing team adjustments were nil. We should have put up a much better fight. (like this year).

 

2006... The defense was sick!!!! Home -field advantage, yet the offense couldn't muster a point when it mattered. That was a frustrating moment. Ok I will remove 2006.... That was a moment, not a season. but 2008!!!! Geez. Yo-yo team for no good reason.

You are one spoiled fan.

[Stephenjr]

I am curious to know other posters thoughts on this subject.

 

I personally feel this is the most difficult season I have had to endure as a Ravens fan. Although I am pleased with the SB victory last year, and that has made me a bit indifferent at times about our record this year because we got another ring, I still get incensed after losing three winnable (or 2) games because I think about how talented this team is.

 

We should be 5-1 and in the drivers seat. I was able to accept losing with Billick teams, because in the inner depth of my mind, I knew that the team was missing something. The year before last, I knew we were stacked, and I feel no different this year, save for some bad roster decisions that affect special teams and RB depth.

 

Even if we don't go Super Bowling this year, I think we should at least be the clear leader in the division or so high that a wild card is not in question.

 

This is shaping up to be frustrating on the level of the 2006 and 2008 seasons! Bad schematics or so close you can taste immense success, but it just eludes you because of a coaching philosophy or a scheme issue that is correctable (or could have been mitigated in some way).

 

What do you think?

I agree. HarBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!