I’ll preface this by saying that I hope the Brain Trust is smarter than this. The rumors are out in full force in Cincinnati and Baltimore that Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis could interview for the Ravens HC position.

I’m against this for a bevy of reasons. Here are a few:

• Marvin Lewis has enough trouble controlling the players on his own team. We need a hard-ass coach, not Lewis.
• Much like the prospects of the 2008 election, it’s time for some fresh blood. Let’s not keep picking up apples that fall from the Billick coaching tree.
• Regardless of the amount of success (or lack thereof) Lewis achieved in Cincinnati during his tenure as head coach, he is not worth draft pick compensation. With 3 years left on his contract in Cincinnati, that’s exactly what it would take to pry him away from the Bengals. Ozzie Newsome’s success has come from building the team through the draft - picks are precious commodities.
• Mike Preston and I are like oil and water — and he appears to really enjoy the idea of bringing Lewis on board. Therefore, I’m not. (Just kidding, Mike)

What do you think? Is Marvin Lewis worth a look? Is he worth the draft pick that the Ravens would most likely have to give up? For historical context, Herm Edwards was “traded” to the Kansas City Chiefs from the Jets for a 4th round pick in 2006 and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers picked up Jon Gruden from the Raiders for $8M in compensation and 4 draft picks (two first round, two second round).

You’ll have to forgive the brevity of this game preview. Today is my birthday and I’m still recovering a little from last night’s pre-birthday festivities. I’ll be recovering from tonight’s birthday festivities tomorrow and then New Year’s Eve festivities on Tuesday. If anyone knows how to bump your name up on the liver replacement list, I’m all ears.

We kind of suck

Let’s face it: the Ravens are probably going to lose their 10th straight decision today. In case you missed the last 9 games, we kind of suck. It’s so bad that loyal season ticket holders are selling tickets to the terrible towel-toting tools in Black and Gold. And let me tell you — there’s nothing I hate more than seeing those f*cking towels waving in our house.

All pleasantries aside, if the Steelers jump out to an early lead, it’ll turn into a home game for them as Ravens fans head for the turnstiles.

What’s at stake

For one team, a complete sweep of the division. For another, a complete shut-out by division foes.

For one team, the possibility of the #3 seed in the AFC (with a Steelers win and a Chargers loss). For another team, pride.

For me, I just want to see an entertaining game. Today is my birthday and I would like to at least see the Ravens put up a fight. However, something tells me that the team was done by week 10 and are just going through the motions. We’ll see.

Calling off the dogs

The Steelers will be rolling in to town with some notables missing. According to Die Hard Steel, the worthy Steelers blog counterpart on the Sports Cartel Blog Network, QB Ben Roethlisberger will sit and QB Charlie Batch will start, LT Marvel Smith is out with back surgery and T Max Starks will start in Smith’s stead. It’s also looking like SS Troy Polamalu and QB Blower-Upper/Steelers’ team MVP LB James “Silverback” Harrison will be watching form the sidelines, too. Pro Bowl RB Willie Parker will also sit, as I’m sure he can’t put much weight on his foot.

Thank the deity of your choosing that James Harrison won’t be starting on Sunday. In week 9, on Monday Night Football, Harrison destroyed the Steve McNair/Kyle Boller fumble factory like the firebombing of Dresden in WWII. In one of the most dominant defensive performances I’ve ever seen, Harrison recorded 9 tackles, 3 1/2 sacks, 2 forced fumbles and 1 interception.

Roethlisberger is also sitting. In the same salt-in-wound Monday Night Football game, Roethlisberger threw for 5 scores in the first half, spotting the Steelers to a 35-7 halftime lead. Against the Rams in week 16, Roethlisberger had his 3rd career perfect passer rating game (158.3). I like to bag on Big Ben, but it’s looking like I’ll have to eat a hot plate of crow: he’s *gulp* having a monster season and deserves all the accolades.

The Ravens, on the other hand, will be without a lot of notables due to injury. QB Kyle Boller (head), TE Todd Heap (thigh), RB Willis McGahee (chest), S Gerome Sapp (thigh), TE Quinn Sypniewski (head), TE Daniel Wilcox (thigh) and WR Demetrius Williams (ankle) are listed as Out on the team injury report. RB Mike Anderson (thigh), WR Mark Clayton (back) LB Ray Lewis (back) are listed as Questionable. LB Edgar Jones (foot) and T Jonathan Ogden (thigh) as Probable.

Without our top 3 tight ends, it looks like it’s up to Lee Vickers. Did I just type that?

Prediction

We’ll see more of the same as the Ravens stumble, fumble and flail our way to our 10th straight loss. Garbage time continues to be our friend, as we score the only meaningful points of the game late in the 4th quarter.

We’ve now gone 76 games since the last Ravens victory.  Bring on the draft!

From division champs to division chumps in 11 games. That sure didn’t take long.

Now the Ravens get to play the role of spoiler. Will they topple the New England juggernaut next week? Probably not. Will they finally beat the Colts at M&T? Probably not. Will they help the Miami Dolphins make history? Probably so.

Looking at the rest of the schedule, the Ravens take on four division-leading teams (New England, Indianapolis, Seattle, Pittsburgh) and one cellar-dweller (Miami). Assuming the Ravens win against teams with a losing record and lose against the division leaders, the best they can finish is 5-11.

If Miami loses out the rest of their historic season, they’ll (obviously) have the #1 overall pick in the draft. That leaves the Ravens (4-7), Chiefs (4-7), Panthers (4-7), Raiders (3-8), Falcons (3-8), 49ers (3-8), Rams (2-9) and Jets (2-9) jockeying for draft position and playing for pride.

I’m not looking to throw in the towel on the season but I’m a realist. This incarnation of the Ravens just isn’t that good. Perhaps it’s time to throw fresh blood into the mix and see just where we are as an organization. Move Adam Terry out in favor of Marshall Yanda (and make the move permanent). Swap out Mike Flynn at Center and replace him with Chris Chester. Rest up Jonathan Ogden and let him split some time with Jared Gaither and/or Adam Terry. Let Rhys Lloyd handle kickoffs instead of Matt Stover. Go young. See what these kids have in the tank. Get a good, frank evaluation of the personnel we have so the front office can assess needs for the NFL draft.

Brian Billick may think that the playoffs are possible - and mathematically, we’re not eliminated yet - but who is he kidding? Is there anything about this 2007 squad that makes you believe that they could make the playoffs? And further, let’s say that they actually sniff the post-season — do you really think that they’d be more than one-and-done?

I’ve put off writing this post for 3 weeks. Being dead last in the AFC North, looking up at the Steelers, Browns and Bengals, set off the trigger.

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Believe it or not, there were a lot of positives to come out of the loss. However, as noted
earlier, there were also plenty of things about the loss that really hacked me off.  Try as I may, I still can’t shake this one out of my system.  Allow me to vent…

The Good

• First and foremost, the offense actually came alive in the second half. Led by the bastard child of Grizzly Adams and the Bearded Lady, the Ravens poured it on for 368 total net yards of offense. I know, I know! Holy crap!
• I have had an issue of The Sporting News with a second half NFL preview. I say “had” because it’s now sitting in a large pile in a landfill, where it rightfully belongs. The clueless author wrote that “In order for the Ravens to succeed, MLB Ray Lewis will need to elevate his game.”

  Say what?

  Ray Lewis has been playing at an insane level all year long. Let’s not forget that the guy tore his triceps in Week 1 and has managed to either lead the team in tackles each game or come really damn close. His play this season surely punches his ticket to Hawaii. He’s an absolute beast.His play on Sunday was outstanding. What more could you ask for out of a defensive leader? He notched 16 tackles, including an open-field dandy, and returned a pick to the house. That’s why my Sporting News subscription is in serious jeopardy.

• Willis McGahee continued to prove that he belongs. His blocking has improved from week to week, and with the exception of a missed block that sent a Boller pass screaming a bit high to Mason in the first half, he’s been rock solid helping to buy more time for which ever QB has been under center. Oh, and did I mention that he cracked 100 again?
• I can’t believe I’m going to type this, but the Ravens only had 2 penalties for 15 yards. No early jumps for either line, no bone-headed plays (except for Haloti Ngata stupidly throwing a punch to a guy wearing a helmet - c’mon, dude… you need those hands!). Just a well-executed game all around.

The Bad

• Kick-gate: Look, I can’t disagree with the officials. They got the call right in the end. I wasn’t happy with it then and I’m still not happy with it now… but those are the breaks. I would be even more upset if the kick wasn’t good but they ruled it good anyway. We wouldn’t of have a review then, either. But, be that as it may, it was a crummy way to force overtime.

  Again, I’m not upset that the officials got the call correct in the end; however, that doesn’t change the fact that the call is not reviewable. The Ravens had defeat snatched from the jaws of victory.

• Ian Eagle and Solomon Wilcots… can you please tone down your anti-Ravens agenda? It’s making me sick. During the comeback in the second half, Dumb and Dumber acted surprised with each Ravens completed pass, first down and touchdown. To be honest, I was surprised that we were able to score, too — but c’mon, at least be impartial. They did everything short of taking turns blowing Anderson during commercial breaks…
• You knew the “Genius” label would be his undoing, but Brian Billick’s playcalling was horrible. With the game on the line, why not go for the easiest possible way to notch the victory? It certainly isn’t two passing plays when all you need is 1 yard. C’mon. Here’s what he had to say about it:“We were on the 30 on a cold damp night, we have a lot of faith in Matt Stover. We were trying to get the yardage and we had a little out route that kind of got away from us. Had we completed that, the idea was by the nature of the route, if caught, would have bought us another five, six, seven yards and gotten out of bounds and allowed us another call if we chose to. Didn’t turn out that way and fortunately Matt came in and hit it. You’ve got to hope that you can cover kicks well enough and make that a longer field that it doesn’t allow a team to come back. Obviously we didn’t get that done.’’

  No sh*t, Sherlock.

The Ugly

• How about the anemic offense in the first half?  Simply brutal.  As noted numerous times on this blog, they may as well change the Ravens logo to a silhouette of a punter.  The Baltimore 3-and-outs.  They can play their home games at the fumbledome.
• The Ravens fell to 0-5 in the division.  Meanwhile, the Steelers and Bengals lost (to the Jets and Cardinals, respectively), allowing the Browns to creep ever-so-close to the big boys table.  I’m impressed with the Browns, but that’s two season sweeps at the hands of Ohio.  And I hate Ohio (with the exception of Skyline. — that place rules).
• Kyle Boller’s beard.  Seriously, dude… what the hell is going on.  You’re a mountain man with a mountain plan:
  

Imagine the following scenario: 3rd and 1. McGahee’s been moving the ball well all day. Boller’s grabbed a first down on a lunge in a previous offensive series. The drive has managed to chew up all but 35 seconds on the clock in the 4th quarter.

… all the Ravens have to do is get a fresh set of downs and leave just enough time on the clock for a Stover game winner.

Billick instead elects to call a quick out to Quinn Sypniewski, which fell incomplete, to bring in Stover on 4th and 1 to kick the go-ahead points. The Browns then had 26 seconds to get into Dawson range - which they did - and managed to set up the most bizarre bounce I’ve ever seen on a field goal.

I’ll get to my thoughts on kick-gate in a bit. But first, the playcalling. Oh, the agony!

Why in the wide world of sports did Billick decide to defy convention and not go for the first down the easy way? Let’s say that he calls on Boller or McGahee (or even Musa Smith) to power through for a yard and he falls short. The worst thing that could happen is the clock continues to roll, it’s 4th-and-1 and Cleveland stops the clock with a time out. You’ve probably shaved a good 5 - 8 seconds off the clock and could trim even more away on the Stover field goal. When the ball is kicked off, the Browns would have under 20 seconds to move the ball into Phil f*cking Dawson coin-toss-will-he-or-won’t-he range.

From the NFL Game Center:

Okay. Let’s timeshift: 1st and 10 on the Cleveland 43. Let’s shave 8 seconds off the clock as noted above — (:18). Anderson passed short right to Jurevicius for a 6 yard gain. The ball is now at the Cleveland 49, and the pass play took :15 off the clock. The Browns naturally call a time out to stop the clock and regroup. Cleveland has 3 seconds to hit the end zone because not even Pele had the leg to muscle one from 60+ in swirling winds. Sure, Cleveland’s strategy would have changed as the clock dictated, but the Ravens — and especially Chris McAlister — were shutting down the deep threats. The outcome of this game rested squarely on Billick’s shoulders… and it could have been one of the lone bright spots in this otherwise dismal season.

I know there are a lot of “what ifs” in the above scenario, but the playcalling really had me scratching my head. It was if Billick hadn’t learned his lesson from the other two boneheaded games he called (Jets, Bills). My sincere hope is that we tap an offensive coordinator in the offseason with the balls to tell Billick to hand over the playbook and headset and concentrate on game management.

What do you think? How would you have called things differently?

First, the bad news:

Inactives: QB Steve McNair (3rd QB), CB Samari Rolle, DB Gerome Sapp, T Jared Gaither, TE Daniel Wilcox, TE Todd Heap, WR Demetrius Williams, LB Edgar Jones.

Now, the good news: RB Willis McGahee should have a HUGE day running against the 28th ranked rush defense, giving up 137.8 average yards per game. A little pre-game scattershooting, but I’ll take Willis over Jamal Lewis in yards and scores this afternoon.

As a quick aside: Am I the only one who thinks “Iron Eagle” when I hear “Ian Eagle”?

Anyway, the comments are open — I’ll keep updating as the game progresses with thoughts by quarter.

GO RAVENS!!!

1st Quarter:

• What an odd time out. That’s why you’re Romeo Crennel and you coach the Browns.
• Did I just see Haloti Ngata PUNCH someone? Dude, this ain’t the octagon… cool it.
  • Yup, 15 yards, now we’ll never get into Matt Stover range.
• Alright, Brian. Time to feed Willis the rock. Let’s get him more than 20 carries this game, mmmmkay?
• The Baltimore 3-and-outs are back. 2 yard McGahee run. 3 yard McGahee run. Incomplete pass on 3rd and 5. Sam Koch punt.
• Eric Wright is being carted off. Weak secondary. Let’s stretch it!!!
• Ed Reed just dropped Anderson and Lewis back for a six yard loss. Sweet. Gotta love the miscommunication.
• 3rd and 10. Ian Eagle’s obligatory ‘Anderson was a former Baltimore Raven’ quote makes its way into the broadcast.
• Okay. I hate Cory Ross. It’s official. These turnovers are getting reeeeealy old.
  • I’m guessing that Ed Reed will handle PR duties from here on out.
• Holy crap — Jamal Lewis just accelerated!
• They’ll spot it as a first down… but it was a helluva stop on 3rd and 1.
• Phil Dawson sucks. Chip shot… heh.
  
• Alright, gotta march down field. Gotta put some points on the board. Gotta take advantage of the momentum!
• Okay, Kyle Boller has got Rex Grossman-itis. “F*ck it… I’m going loooong.” On second thought, maybe dropping that bomb to Clayton wasn’t the best idea… D-Williams is the vertical threat. D-Williams has the height to go over the coverage in the secondary… Clayton’s coming off an injury… ugh. Bottom line: another turnover. Welcome to Ravens football.
• Damn, Kelly Gregg rules.
• Well, Jamal sure is stupid. And this sparks the great debate as to appropriate times to spike the ball… Anyway, Jamal’s hit with a 15 yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, proving both idiot announcers wrong.
• Martin almost got a pick on Landry’s tip. Damn, that would have been hot.
• Hey hey! Cory Ross held on to the ball! Let’s celebrate by doing a shot!
• In-game poll: How long will it take for the Ravens to turn over the ball? I’m going with 3 downs.
• Wow, I wasn’t expecting that to happen. I hate being right.
• We must be gunning for a good first round pick… because I don’t see us winning many games with our perfect 3-for-3 possessions-to-turnover ratio.
• Jeez… we really missed C-Mac. Wow. Great breakup!
• Phil Dawson *finally* gets the Dawg Pound on the board with a 28-yard chip shot. He flipped a coin and it came up heads…
• Kyle Boller is tryin’… I’ll give him that. But the offense just sucks so bad… so, so bad. Can we please have a first down? Please?
• Jurevicious just TORCHED the secondary. Shit. We looked REALLY out of place.
• End of the first, we’re still screwed.

2nd Quarter:

• I’m not quite sure how the Ravens are gonna stop the Browns this half… or how spectacularly they’ll turn the ball over, but the Browns are on the Ravens 30 and *maybe* in Phil Dawson range.
• Jamal Lewis keeps on running hard. He’s picking up yards in chunks o’ three… running hard, downhill.
• Another first down.
• 4 total yards for the Ravens. Jesus tap-dancin’ Christ. We suck.
• Jamal Lewis runs it in for a TD on a first and goal. I’m now wondering how badly we’ll lose this game. 10-0 Dawg Pound.
• I’m glad that Yamon Figurs can hold onto the ball. That was a nifty spin move on the return. Of course, he got blown up shortly thereafter, but at least he held on to the ball…
• Good night. It’s only a matter of time before we see Kyle chuckin’ pass after pass trying to play catch up. Sure, McGahee hasn’t done much on his carries, but neither has Boller. One step forward, two steps back. At least we held onto the ball!
• This game is gonna get ugly.
• RAY LEWIS!!!! He’s got room! He’s SCOOOOOOORES!
• Haloti Ngata was step-for-step with Ray on the INT return. How… strange. Ngata even laid a decent block to ensure that Ray would get into the end zone… for a fat man, he’s sure got wheels!
• The kick is good… 10-7!
• NO WAY! A Cleveland turnover! D. Martin recovers! Baltimore football!!!
• Well, maybe not. Romeo Crennel threw the red flag. The good news is that he’s 2-for-21 in getting challenges overturned. If you ask me… it was a fumble. He tried to stretch for more yards, and it was at that point that the ball came out. He didn’t have control of the ball. But… it’s ruled down by contact, so Cleveland has a first down and we can’t catch a break for crap.
• The crowd plays a role in that one… Cleveland with the false start. 2nd and 11. Now we’re at 3rd and inches. Big stop time!
• Eh, they got it. Anderson is big. Plus he’s used to lunging.
• Another penalty on the Browns… back it up another 5, 1st and 15.
• Gotta ask a question: did you ever see Jamal run like this last season? He just hurdled over a linebacker.
• Another first down for Cleveland. We just can’t seem to stop ‘em… just slow ‘em down. We don’t have a 1st down yet and the Browns already have 10. Are you sure? Is this really happening? Am I still drunk?
• Billick threw the challenge flag… and we’ll be charged with a time out. HORRIBLE CHALLENGE.
• Wait a sec… the system malfunctioned? And that’s how they’re determining the result of the challenge? Are you … sure? That just seems like a giant bag of bullshit. Granted, I think it was a horrible challenge, but still — at least be conclusive with your findings.
• Jamal Lewis called for a hold. And what a doosy — he held onto Edward’s foot. Douche.
• Holy crap. ANOTHER false start on Cleveland. This is hilariously bad. NO WAY — ANOTHER FALSE START ON THOMAS. 2nd and 35. Lollerskates!
• Dawson on for a 39 yard FG attempt… and he barely made it. 13-7, Cleveland with 1:41 to go. Let’s get our 6 total yards of offense back on the field and kick some ass!
• OH MAH GODS! A BALTIMORE FIRST DOWN! THEY DO EXIST!
• And they follow it up with yet another first down. The Quinn Sypniewski experience!
• McGahee missed a block, causing a lot of pressure on Boller in the pocket. The throw looked a little forced (read: high) to Mason… had McGahee made the block, I’m sure Boller could have threaded the ball to Mason for a first down.
• Turnover on downs. Boller put it up for Devard Darling… who, as the annoucers keep harpin’, didn’t fight for control of the ball. Thank heavens for Ray Lewis.
• End of the half. 13-7, Cleveland.

3rd Quarter:

• Why the hell aren’t we running the no-huddle more often? Damn! Boller to Mason has been electric on this drive!
• McGahee SCOOOOOOORES! He’s rewarded for two hard-nosed runs and the Ravens take the lead on a 75 yard drive! 14-13, Baltimore!
• Somehow Braylon Edwards was able to come down with a threaded needle pass from Anderson. On a good kick return, the Browns suddenly have great field position.
• 3rd and 8. Here we go!
• False start on the Browns (Surprise, surprise!). 3rd and 13. And here we go… they’re out of Dawson range. Gotta pick up yards through the air.
• Reed’s returning. Or, at least holding on to the ball long enough not to fumble or crap his pants.
• 3 and out… hemmed back to our 4 yard line. I always get nervous when I see Boller in the end zone.
• Cribbs RIPPED a return on the Ravens on a weak punt from Koch. They’ve got awesome field position (on the Baltimore 11).
• C-Mac proves his worth again, keeping the ball out of Edwards hands in the end zone.
• Jamal Lewis just powered his way through to the goal line… but falling short. I repeat: I rarely - if ever - saw him running like this last season.
• Weak pass interference call on Bart Scott. Anderson rushes the ball in for a quick six and Dawson tacks on the point after. 20-14, Cleveland.
• The Ravens take over with great field position. Ian Eagle and Solomon Wilcots are the worst announcers in the history of professional sports. “It wasn’t a catch. They’re ruling it a catch. Great catch! Wow, he really had to go up to a whole new level to catch that ball! No, they’re
• Devard Darling proves his worth… big gain!
• McGahee rips off a great run, putting the Ravens into the scary Red Zone. Will we punch it in? Probably not. But hey, at least Stover is ready to finally kick one.
• Nevermind. 100 yard INT return. F*ck this offense. Everyone just plum gave up trying to stop Pool on the return. Jesus H. Tap-Dancing MFin’ Christ.
• Cory Ross returns… to the 20-ish. Great run, kiddo!

4th Quarter:

• Boller’s throwing heat… almost too much. And as I type that, he throws a rocket to Mason that he can’t handle. Lay off the gas, Kyle!
• McGahee’s able to really break off some great runs when Grubbs is on his blocking. I can’t wait to see how rapidly Grubbs progresses throughout his career. I have a gut feeling that he’ll be punching a ticket to Hawaii with Haloti Ngata in the near future…
• Next play, Boller’s dropped for a big loss. 14 yards. At least he didn’t errantly throw the ball a mile high for anyone who wanted to break off an INT return… positive things are happening!
• Thanks to ANOTHER penalty on the Browns (Personal Foul, Facemask), the Ravens are rockin’ the Red Zone again. Let’s not throw this one away.
• Well, sacked again. 6th time is the charm. What happened to the pocket?
• Stover’s on… and the kick is good! 34 yards and we inch ever closer to going 4-6.
• Sorry, Hester… Cribbs is the new return king. He just smoked the Ravens for 50 yards and broke a few tackles along the way.
• Average drive start for the Browns today? 49 yard line. Jesus. 1 yard shy of midfield. Cribbs is going to Hawaii, no doubt.
• Again, I never saw Lewis run this hard last year. He’s the key to Romeo’s clock control.
• Antwan Barnes sighting! I can’t wait to see him suit up
• 49 yard attempt for Dawson… into the wind. And whamo! Dave Zstudil had to deal with a bad snap and swallow it. Ravens take over on downs.
• McGahee keeps those legs moving. Keep feeding him the ball, Brian. 94 yards rushing. Don’t screw this one up. More carries.
• Boller connects with Mason for another first down.
• With McGahee’s 5 yard gain, he’s one shy of 100 for the day. Keep feeding him the ball!
• Boller’s leading a good drive here… lots of momentum…
• Okay, I spoke too soon. The fear of the Red Zone rears its ugly head again… 3rd and 10. Kyle Boller just threw 3 straight away trying to shoot for the end zone.
• Stover’s on for a 41 yard attempt.
• Kick is up… and it’s GOOD! 27-20 with 7:20 left in the game.
• Well, that’s one way to keep the ball out of Cribbs’ hands — just kick the ever-lovin’ hell out of it for a touchback.
• This game is taking forever. Just sayin’.
• The defense continues to amaze… HUGE stop. 5:12 left in the game, Baltimore has the ball on the 17 yard line.
• Double D with a HUUUUUUGE gain! Boller had a nice touch on the rainbow pass right into his outstretched hands. Darling now has 80 yards on the game…
• And even better news for your Sunday Ticket folks: The game is running so long, the Stealers/Jets game is being broadcast on channel 714. Take that, Pittsburgh!
• I love McGahee. And there’s the elusive screen pass. And there’s his 2 yard gain for over 100 rushing yards on the day. I’ve got a sports crush on Willis.
• TOOOOOUCHDOWN, DARLING!!!!!! Great throw, great catch. He burned the man coverage, got the score and has over 100 yards receiving. Nuts. Just NUTS.
• The Stover kick is good… TIE GAME.
• Momentum. It’s a good thing. Let’s see how the Browns deal with the jacked-up Defense.
• Looks like the Browns are doing a good job playing against the adversity, et cetera. Yadda yadda. Pryce is injured. Yiiiikes.
• Intentional grounding. Call it.
• Called. Hell yeah. 3rd and 16.
• T-SIZZLE!!!!!! That’s some BIIIIIG pressure. 4th and impossible for the Browns.
• 2:00 warning.
• Okay, 1:49 to get into Stover range. 2 time outs remain. Let’s do it!
• Boller’s managing this really well. Let’s see how Billick responds to a 3rd-and-1. What play will he call? Who knows. You gotta get that fresh set of downs!
• Boller powers through for a first down, timeout called. 1:11 left to get into AutoMATTic range.
• DERRICK MASON WITH A HUUUUUUGE GRAB!!!! Mason’s got some great presence of mind to drop both feet in and hop out quickly.
• 3rd and 1. 1 time out left. 35 seconds left. We are in Stover range — 47-ish yards.
• Here comes Stover for a long game winner. 47 yard attempt. AND IT’S GOOOOOOOOOOOOOD!!!!!!!!
• 26 seconds left for the Browns to answer. 26 seconds for the Ravens to hold them.
• This is the most important kick of the game. He’s gotta kick it around Cribbs. Gotta.
• 16 seconds remaining… Cribbs is an absolute BEAST. And the Browns have 3 TO’s remaining. Let’s see how Rex plays it…
• Jesus. Wilcots and Eagle have blowjob appointments with Anderson after the game. Sweet Jeebus.
• Dawson is on for a 51 yard attempt. The wind is swirling. This is for the tie.
• … and it’s NO GOOD! Or so it seems. The officials are delaying the game even further. Just let us win, douchebags. I’ve never seen anything like this before. Never. And now the officials are reviewing the kick. Ian Eagle and Solomon Wilcots are saying that the play cannot be reviewed… but yet the officials reviewed it anyway.
• Heading to overtime.

Overtime:

• Well, the two douchebags we’ve got announcing the game (That’s Eagle and Wilcots, for those of you keeping score at home) kept saying that the play isn’t reviewable. The no good call should stand. Buuuuut, they took a look anyway and eventually got the call right.
• Now Wilcots and Eagle want to add Dawson to the circle jerk list.
• Browns won the toss, elect to receive. This is gonna be tough.
• The Browns are moving the ball well. Defense needs to tighten up.
• Well, 5 yard penalty on the offense. This time on Shaffer. 1st and 15. DEFENSE!
• 2nd and 12. Tighten up! Tighten up!
• 3rd and 10. C’mon, D.
• Kellen Winslow gains 18 on a play. There’s the ballgame.
• Nothing but running plays to cut down on turnovers. Ray Lewis is still a beast.
• There’s the game. Dawson pots a chip-shot.

Thoughts:

I’m breaking from the bullet-points for a bit. While nice, they’re a formatting nightmare.

It was announced at M&T that the game-tying field goal wasn’t reviewable. Billick and Crennel shook hands, fans left. Then the umpire went to review it anyway and overturned the ruling on the field by saying that he “discussed it” with the other officials. I call bullshit on my couch, slam a beer, fans streamed back in, Cleveland won the coin toss, had a great return from Cribbs and was able to get into Dawson range. You had to know that Cleveland would win the game after the ruling on the field was overturned discussed. Even though it was the correct call in the end, rules are rules, right?

I have a sneaking suspicion that Ian Eagle and Solomon Wilcots want to get into a serious all-out gangbang with Anderson, Dawson and Cribbs. Just make sure you buy a lot of shower curtain liners to put on the bedsheets.

It’s all uphill from here, guys. The rest of the schedule is brutal. We could be lucky to win 6…

More thoughts to come…

Rather than bore you to death with the usual stats-laden game previews y’all have been accustomed to, I’m stuck doing some projects at work. If I have time Saturday, I’ll get to some key matchups, things I’ll be looking for and what have you… but for now, this is whatcha get.

Winless in the division

In my opinion, this is the most embarrassing part of the season. Yes, the Ravens - the reigning AFC North champions - are 0-fer in the division. Move over, Cleveland… there’s a new division door mat:

Willis to the rescue

“No doubt about it, we’ve got to give Steve [McNair] the support. I missed a block in the game. I fumbled. Those are two setbacks. He needs a supporting cast like everybody else needs a supporting cast. We’re better than what we’ve been putting out, from what we [had done] in training camp. We’ve got the potential, but we’re not following through. It’s everybody. We’ve got to be on the same page.”

McGahee’s quote tells me two things:

1. He’s on board with the Ravens… and won’t be a distraction like he was in Buffalo. Of course, being on pace for a career rushing year may have something to do with it, too.
2. He’s genuinely concerned with the lack of offensive output and obviously takes pride in his blocking — which was a knock against him in Buffalo.

Was Willis worth a 3rd round pick? Absolutely. I can’t wait to see what he does with the rest of the season (or when Billick starts to utilize his hands more as a receiver, either with a quick slant or a screen pass). Next year should be even more promising with the maturation of the offensive line.

Same injuries, different week

Injuries have proven to be our opponents’ 12th man. Last week’s game saw a patchwork secondary covering the Bengals reunited “big 3″ - Chad Johnson, T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Chris “I didn’t do it!” Henry. It’s kind of hard to believe that we managed to keep the Carson Palmer-led attack out of the end zone for 60 minutes, but the defense somehow managed. Then again, when you can hold the ground game down with a well-placed foot on the throat, the playcalling can get really predictable.

What’s up with this week? Well, as of this writing, the secondary remains depleted. Reports from the Baltimore Sun suggest that All-Pro CB Chris McAlister (knee) could target the Browns game for a return, but I remain skeptical. The last thing I want to see is an aggravated injury to the only Ravens player that has any chance of stopping Randy Moss on December 3rd.

According to the Sun, CB Samari Rolle practiced today with the secondary. Good news! However, this frightened me:

The opening-day secondary of Reed, Rolle, cornerback Chris McAlister and strong safety Dawan Landry has not started together since Sept. 16 against the New York Jets.

Yikes.

The bottom line

These guys ain’t the same ‘ole Cleveland Browns. The Ravens found that out the hard way by falling behind 14-0 after the first quarter the last time the two teams clashed — a lead that Cleveland could take to the bank.

Unless Billick and the offense can start taking some end zone performance enhancing medication, we’ll be in for another long afternoon. With Boller under center, who knows how the chips will fall. Vegas sides with the Browns — they’re still 3.5 point favorites.

Well, it just got a lot easier to be Brian Billick.

Thanks to ESPN’s bottom line (okay, really you should thank the UCLA hoops game on the deuce), I was informed by the lovely text crawl that Kyle Boller was named starter for Sunday’s game vs. Cleveland. I lept off the couch, did a happy dance, and ran in to my office to post the news.

Obviously, I’m not a big fan of any player getting injured — especially when that player is as classy as Air McNair — but I can’t help but think that McNair’s injury forced Billick to start Boller. Yes, I honestly feel that Billick would have started McNair if he could have. Deep down, I could hear Billick justifying starting McNair while staring in his bathroom mirror… “I feel Steve gives us the best chance to win.”

I headed over to the Sun’s web site to see if Mike Preston had blown a gasket over the news and read a Jamison Hensley story about McNair being out 2-3 weeks with his shoulder injury instead. McNair’s injury was announced on Billick’s weekly radio show as a partial dislocation of his non-throwing shoulder.  Preston will have something up soon, I’d imagine…

“Obviously, Kyle is cranked up and ready to go,” Billick said.

Cranked up? Did he just leave Tara Reid’s house?

Troy’s Turn?

The Sun article had an interesting blurb at the tail end:

With Boller becoming the starter, rookie fifth-round pick Troy Smith now becomes the backup. Last season’s Heisman Trophy winner has yet to take a snap during the regular season.

“That’s going to be a fun challenge for Troy, because now he’s been around enough,” Billick said. “The focus and attention that he brings to [preparing] is heightened.”

Because Smith is the second quarterback (the No. 3 essentially can’t play the first three quarters unless the top two quarterbacks are injured), Billick speculated that Smith could be put into some specialty packages to take advantage of his athleticism.

“You don’t want to tip your hand, but there are some things that you could do with Troy in that capacity because of his abilities to run the ball and do some of those things,” Billick said.

The idea of putting in Smith for some “specialty packages” (read: ooh! gadgety trick plays!) is dumb. I’m sorry, but the one trick play we tried earlier this year was downright embarrassing. Let’s leave the cutesy stuff to the Chargers…

As for Troy getting some NFL experience… if Boller gets his body rocked with the young offensive line, Smith may just get his shot after all.

I know, I know. It sounds so… wrong. But according to BetUS, the line has been set. The Browns are 3 1/2 point favorites.

The Ravens are UNDERDOGS at home… even though they’ve notched the best home field winning percentage since the 2000 season (45-15, .750%).  I guess snapping an 8 game home winning streak to Cincinnati was the straw that broke the bookie’s back…

I wonder how much the line will change when Billick finally announces which QB will start?

When I got my first ‘real’ job, I started to tuck away money into a 401k. After a few years of stocking the account with as much pre-tax contributions as I could afford, I wanted to test the waters in the investment world. I met with my father’s financial adviser and received the best cautionary advice anyone could give:

Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

I got to thinking last night… that advice also applies to the 2007 Ravens. Specifically, in that it may be time to sit QB Steve McNair and part ways with coach Brian Billick’s plays/play-calling. Oh, and let’s take away his challenge flag while we’re at it.

McNair had a stellar 2006 campaign, leading the Ravens to a 13-3 season, but has been absolutely abysmal this year the few times he’s been healthy enough to start. It’s really easy to call for the backup QB from the comfort of your favorite watering hole or couch, but Billick’s reluctance to pull the embattled McNair in favor or Kyle Boller is baffling. The times that Boller has played, he filled in admirably.

Let me be really clear: Boller is NOT the answer. However, when the alternative is trotting out an aging, butter-fingered QB on the downslide of his career, the decision becomes nearly automatic — you have to start the player that gives your team the best chance to win. By sticking with McNair, Billick is setting up the team to fail.

The Ravens are now 0-4 in the division, and have lost to some colossally bad teams (Buffalo, anyone?). By defeating the Browns on Sunday, the Steelers have officially opened up a sizable division lead en route to the AFC North crown. Yesterday’s game was a must-win. Instead, it was an embarrassment.

Defense of the Defense

This is the second week in a row that the stingy Ravens defense has been given the daunting task of playing with their backs to the wall — and I’m not talking about the injuries to our starting cornerbacks. Costly turnovers gift wrapped perfect field position to the Bengals, who couldn’t punch the ball in to save their lives. Of course, when Cincinnati needed to get into Shayne Grahm’s range, they could.

If I’m Ray Lewis, Ed Reed or Bart Scott, I’m getting really tired of this. I’d hate to be sitting on the wrong end of the divided locker room…

I feel cheated

Sundays are for Ravens football, plain and simple. I plan my entire day around a 3 hour chunk of time. I turn off my phone, I disconnect. However, the past few weeks, all I’ve wanted to do is watch other football games. Each week, Monday Night Football withstanding, there have been better games being played with other teams in the same time slot… like Dallas/New York (Giants), for instance.

I just can’t bring myself to change the channel. No matter how bad the Ravens are playing, I’m glued to the game.  I can’t wait for Baltimore to finally have a league-average offense!

What can be done?

I’ve got a few low-impact suggestions that could significantly alter the rest of the season:

• Take away the playcalling duties from Billick so he can concentrate on game management.
• Slowly work in a few new plays in practice, altering the playbook a little — after all, it’s rather stale and the Patriots already have it on film.
• Feed Willis the rock as much as possible. He’s been the only consistent offensive player. Don’t just talk about doing it — actually DO IT.
• Get Mike Anderson involved. His running style compliments McGahee’s.
• Bench McNair in favor of Kyle Boller. Give him next week’s game against the Browns to get his feet wet before the brutal stretch against the Chargers, Patriots and Colts.
• Admit that this season is a wash and look for a franchise QB in the draft (Brian Brohm? Matt Ryan?).

I’m all ears — why don’t you comment about the state of the Ravens offense and what you’d do to improve it? If I like the suggestions, I’ll highlight ‘em in a future post.