A Humbling Reminder

[Ravnet]

I hate to be the one to make this post, but I just want to keep us grounded. Although we left Nashville with the win, the Titans severely outplayed us in nearly every facet of the game, sans redzone efficiency. I know it was all for naught because we won, but the fact remains that they not only beat us statistically, but they were clearlly the more dominating team even from the naked eye.

Looking at [url="http://www.baltimoreravens.com/media_library/Videos/Ravens_13_Titans_10_Game_Highlights.aspx"]this[/url] video, it's shocking how well the Tennessee offensive line picked up our blitzes, and as a result, how inefficient our entire defense became. Our traditional weaknesses shone through as the secondary could not cover average receivers without pressure on the quarterback.

Nearly every single time we rushed six, even with Sizzle in the game, the Titans' linemen were able to easily eat up five, with White/Johnson cutting the sixth blitzer. With absolutely no pressure, it was painful having to watch Collins sit back in an intact pocket, survey his options, and then hit one of his pretty bad receivers in stride. To be honest, their line was actually pushing back our guys...

Furthermore, our open field tackles were just atrocious. Both Fabian Washington and Bart Scott completely whiffed on Chris Johnson for huge gains, and guys like Ray and Suggs weren't able to finish off tackles.

I understand that this game was a rare occurrence, but it is nonetheless troubling. I also get that we were tired coming off of another short week, but that is just the way it goes in the playoffs. Fatigue is a valid justification, but the Titans were pretty banged up as well; we're going to need the guys to play at an even higher level should they want to go to the Super Bowl, because that's what championship teams do. Playing 19 straight contests, and four playoff games on the road, is no easy feat, but quite simply, the Ravens need to perform at a higher level.

Our offense was neither prolific nor abysmal, but if the Titans had been able to convert at a higher rate, we would have needed to see Flacco actually take charge. The rushing statistics don't concern me as McClain was battling an injury most of the game, and Willis just isn't very good/consistent. Overall, the offensive line did an adequate job, but they weren't comparable to their counterparts on the Tennessee sidelines.

I'm hoping that we get Pittsburgh next week because even though their line has improved, it still isn't very good. A San Diego victory would take us all the way over to California, to play in a warm, pass happy environment, against a team with another quick, elusive running back, and a good passer at the helm. As much as it hurts to say it, let's root for the Steelers today.

[WACKO4FLACC0]

I thought they were going to out play us and the only way we would win is if the defense forced mistakes which they did... your right we need to step our game up thou... especially against Steelers if they win

today.

[raylewismvp]

Well the very deciveing factor was the defence struggled as bad as I had seen it struggle all year but we were able to keep them off the board and that is why I love this team were scrappy and we get it down no matter what we have to do

[raven43]

[quote name='Ravnet' post='126241' date='Jan 11 2009, 02:13 PM']I hate to be the one to make this post,[/quote]
no, you don't. I didn't need to read anything past that line, I know exactly what your going to say, dude......

[raylewismvp]

lol.

[Ravnet]

[quote name='raylewismvp' post='126247' date='Jan 11 2009, 02:17 PM']Well the very deciveing factor was the defence struggled as bad as I had seen it struggle all year but we were able to keep them off the board and that is why I love this team were scrappy and we get it down no matter what we have to do[/quote]

I'll agree with that statement, but I it was downright shocking that the Titans were able to drive from their own endzone, all the way into our our redzone. I've never seen a sustained drive like that coming from a pretty bad offense. It was disheartening, and easy to forget seeing as we won.

[raylewismvp]

It suprised me but it didn't shock me we were tired you could tell. Short week and playing what 17 weeks straight? I think we should be nice and rested and ready to go for the next game!

[Ravnet]

[quote name='raylewismvp' post='126259' date='Jan 11 2009, 02:22 PM']It suprised me but it didn't shock me we were tired you could tell. Short week and playing what 17 weeks straight? I think we should be nice and rested and ready to go for the next game! [/quote]

I knew I forgot something, I'm going to add that as it was a major factor.

[K-Dog]

agreed.
We got our butts kicked and some how managed a win.

We need to step it up significantly if we want to play one more game after next week.

[b]IF[/b] we do play two more games, rest assured that second game will not go over easy.

[raylewismvp]

yessir

[mjccia]

their offense called a phenomenal game. The mixing up up running and passing was excellent. Just when you thought you had to get the run they passed and so on. Collins kept the defense guessing.

Plus after the results of Week 15/16 you would have to think they had to be thinking they would get us. They had 1 100% solid week studying tape, 1 50%, and probably 2 at 25%. Just a thought

[FerrariFan87]

Hahahahaha, why am I NOT surprised you wrote this, Ravnet Can the Ravens do ANYTHING right in your eyes? My goodness, we are in the AFC Title game and you are moaning about how severely outplayed we were, blah blah blah.. We outplayed the Squealers twice and lost both times; stats mean nothing, only the SCOREBOARD WHEN THE CLOCK STRIKES 0:00!!! Give up your unwarranted pessimism, shut up, and enjoy what this team is doing!!

[FerrariFan87]

Oh, and root for the Steelers? You must have lost your marbles, buddy... Let's see, play in beautiful, sunny weather or in a possible blizzard on a pathetic field against a team that seemingly has our number (or the ref's).... good call on that one

[Ravnet]

[quote name='FerrariFan87' post='126269' date='Jan 11 2009, 02:32 PM']Hahahahaha, why am I NOT surprised you wrote this, Ravnet Can the Ravens do ANYTHING right in your eyes? My goodness, we are in the AFC Title game and you are moaning about how severely outplayed we were, blah blah blah.. We outplayed the Squealers twice and lost both times; stats mean nothing, only the SCOREBOARD WHEN THE CLOCK STRIKES 0:00!!! Give up your unwarranted pessimism, shut up, and enjoy what this team is doing!![/quote]

Please, just don't respond. I'm trying to point out that there were huge holes in our game, which I believe to be valid. No one else is willing to bring it up, and to be a good board, we need to have a comprehensive understanding of everything. I'm not sure why you're responding in all capital letters to tell me to shut up, why don't you just read some other thread?

[theFRANCHISE]

I said going into yesterday's game that this team needed to leave NO DOUBT on the field in order to walk away with a W; frankly, they still left doubt, but they eliminated just enough of it in order to secure the win.

The Ravens can't afford to do that next week. They can't afford to wait for the other team to make mistakes, and they can't afford to waste those opportunities when they are given. Even though the clich

[Ravnet]

[quote name='FerrariFan87' post='126271' date='Jan 11 2009, 02:36 PM']Oh, and root for the Steelers? You must have lost your marbles, buddy... Let's see, play in beautiful, sunny weather or in a possible blizzard on a pathetic field against a team that seemingly has our number (or the ref's).... good call on that one [/quote]

-A warm environment benefits a pass first team, which the Chargers are.

-I'd rather not have to fly all the way across the country, because it would cut into our rest time which we need dearly.

-Yesterday made it quite obvious that we need pressure, and Pittsburgh doesn't have a very good offensive line.

-Lastly, we know the Steelers, and we know how to keep it close with those guys; I have supreme confidence in the fact that we can defeat a team who we have barely lost to twice now.

[FerrariFan87]

[quote name='Ravnet' post='126272' date='Jan 11 2009, 02:37 PM']Please, just don't respond. I'm trying to point out that there were huge holes in our game, which I believe to be valid. No one else is willing to bring it up, and to be a good board, we need to have a comprehensive understanding of everything. I'm not sure why you're responding in all capital letters to tell me to shut up, why don't you just read some other thread?[/quote]

Oh, I'll respond.... If you read my post, I didn't write in all caps to tell you to shut up, I wrote in all caps to point out that your analysis is moot because we won, and I'm pretty sure our coaches know A LOT more than you and will gameplan accordingly. I know you like to think of yourself as the voice of reason or whatever, but you're not because I can't recall you ever posting anything positive, thus seeing things from both sides.

[Ravnet]

[quote name='theFRANCHISE' post='126277' date='Jan 11 2009, 02:41 PM']I said going into yesterday's game that this team needed to leave NO DOUBT on the field in order to walk away with a W; frankly, they still left doubt, but they eliminated just enough of it in order to secure the win.

The Ravens can't afford to do that next week. They can't afford to wait for the other team to make mistakes, and they can't afford to waste those opportunities when they are given. Even though the clich

[LongLiveBillick]

1 week at a time I agree. But I have to tell you this week taught me a lot about the Ravens. Keep winning the turnover battle and continue to play decent offense and no one stands in our way.

[Ravnet]

[quote name='FerrariFan87' post='126280' date='Jan 11 2009, 02:44 PM']Oh, I'll respond.... If you read my post, I didn't write in all caps to tell you to shut up, I wrote in all caps to point out that your analysis is moot because we won, and I'm pretty sure our coaches know A LOT more than you and will gameplan accordingly. I know you like to think of yourself as the voice of reason or whatever, but you're not because I can't recall you ever posting anything positive, thus seeing things from both sides.[/quote]

I'm trying to play devil's advocate and ground a pretty ecstatic fan base. There aren't many threads similar to this one, so I think it's legitimate.

I don't get why I have to be subjected to criticism when I am doing nothing wrong.

[theFRANCHISE]

[quote name='Ravnet' post='126281' date='Jan 11 2009, 02:45 PM']I agree completely. I'm not sure if we'll need to step it up on offense next week, or the week after, but we'll eventually need to ramp up our game. Believe me, I understand that Flacco's stats don't tell the entire story, but you're not going to win a Super Bowl with those numbers. Dilfer did it, but it's now quite obvious that our defense is not on the 2000 level.[/quote]
I don't see how anyone could've ever compared this defense to 2000's Super Bowl-winning defense. The aggression is there, but the takeaways hadn't been as frequent during the regular season (they didn't truly ramp up until the tail end of the season), and the sack numbers are down. Though both teams are comparable in how they've stopped the run, we've seen this Ravens defense get punched in the mouth more often than the 2000 squad.

Additionally, and most importantly, the 2000 squad WON most of the games that season; this year, the offense has done its fair share in putting checkmarks in the W column, especially when the defense has faltered and given up big plays.

[theFRANCHISE]

[quote name='Ravnet' post='126285' date='Jan 11 2009, 02:47 PM']I'm trying to play devil's advocate and ground a pretty ecstatic fan base. There aren't many threads similar to this one, so I think it's legitimate.

I don't get why I have to be subjected to criticism when I am doing nothing wrong.[/quote]
It's the blindly-optimistic nature of fanhood. Most people equate being a fan with being 100% optimistic about the team and its chances. And, to be fair, no one really likes hearing pessimism during the playoffs.

Personally, I could care less. I like taking the Joe Flacco approach and staying level with everything. There's no point in getting emotional on a message board, when there's sports bars and restaurants where I can be passionate in-person, regardless of whether or not it's with other Ravens fans.

Plus, to be honest, passion and emotion doesn't translate well over the Internet; most times, it just makes people look stupid, especially when thigns blow up in their face. So I don't even bother.

[Ravnet]

[quote name='theFRANCHISE' post='126287' date='Jan 11 2009, 02:49 PM']I don't see how anyone could've ever compared this defense to 2000's Super Bowl-winning defense. The aggression is there, but the takeaways hadn't been as frequent during the regular season (they didn't truly ramp up until the tail end of the season), and the sack numbers are down. Though both teams are comparable in how they've stopped the run, we've seen this Ravens defense get punched in the mouth more often than the 2000 squad.

Additionally, and most importantly, the 2000 squad WON most of the games that season; this year, the offense has done its fair share in putting checkmarks in the W column, especially when the defense has faltered and given up big plays.[/quote]

Believe me, there were people comparing the squads in the gamethread after Reed's interception for a touchdown. I just think that we have too many holes on defense to be an elite squad; the secondary situation was still very much there when the defensive line couldn't get any pressure.

[theFRANCHISE]

[quote name='Ravnet' post='126291' date='Jan 11 2009, 02:53 PM']Believe me, there were people comparing the squads in the gamethread after Reed's interception for a touchdown. I just think that we have too many holes on defense to be an elite squad; the secondary situation was still very much there when the defensive line couldn't get any pressure.[/quote]
Agreed. The Ravens are not an elite team by any stretch.

Now, before everyone throws another hissy fit, I'm NOT saying the Ravens are a bad team; if they were a bad team, they wouldn't have made the playoffs and won two playoff games, especially in the fashion in which the 6th seed was secured. With that said, the Ravens are simply a good team on the cusp of being great; there's still pieces missing to the puzzle that prevents the team from being elite, and it'll take some time before we start seeing a Ravens squad that we're truly 100% confident can beat the other elite teams in the NFL.

So far, this Ravens team has just shown that it can compete with the elite; this win against the Titans was just one more step towards validating whether or not the Ravens can consistently BEAT the elite. There's still at least one more game to prove it, and then if we're fortunate enough, one final test after that as the ultimate form of vindication for all that the team has endured.

[Moderator 3]

This team is winning ugly with grit and character. With a little more experience and a bit of new "talent", next year they will win with more "pretty".

[Ravnet]

[quote name='Moderator 3' post='126306' date='Jan 11 2009, 02:59 PM']This team is winning ugly with grit and character. With a little more experience and a bit of new "talent", next year they will win with more "pretty".[/quote]

This is why I've been more excited for the future than for the now. With maturation, our core will really start to shine.

[theFRANCHISE]

[quote name='Ravnet' post='126311' date='Jan 11 2009, 03:01 PM']This is why I've been more excited for the future than for the now. With maturation, our core will really start to shine.[/quote]
I'll say it before someone else says it:

"Boy, for someone who's 'excited,' you sure have an interesting way of showing it."

(J/k...you know I had to throw that out there...)

[MKdave]

[quote name='theFRANCHISE' post='126300' date='Jan 11 2009, 07:57 PM']The Ravens are not an elite team by any stretch.[/quote]

That's unfair. We're in the last four of the playoffs. Your definition of elite must consist of an exceptionally small sample.
We've lost on great teams on contentious decisions, freak plays, and a couple of dominant displays by great players.

But every game we've won, (N. Inc yesterday) we've won comprehensively. We're better than our 11-5 record. We slaughtered a team with that record, we beat a team with a better record, the best in the league. I don't see how we can't be among the elite at this point in time.

[Ravnet]

[quote name='MKdave' post='126318' date='Jan 11 2009, 03:05 PM']That's unfair. We're in the last four of the playoffs. Your definition of elite must consist of an exceptionally small sample.
We've lost on great teams on contentious decisions, freak plays, and a couple of dominant displays by great players.

But every game we've won, (N. Inc yesterday) we've won comprehensively. We're better than our 11-5 record. We slaughtered a team with that record, we beat a team with a better record, the best in the league. I don't see how we can't be among the elite at this point in time.[/quote]

Personally, I still think that the Ravens have something left to prove. To be an "elite" team, you have to leave no question marks, and at this point, people definitely have qualms with the team. I realize that all this is arbitrary, but that is just my take.

[quote]I'll say it before someone else says it:

"Boy, for someone who's 'excited,' you sure have an interesting way of showing it." wink.gif

(J/k...you know I had to throw that out there...) laugh.gif[/quote]

At least we got that one out of the way early on.

[macbrak]

I think top four is pretty darn elite by any definition.