With the holidays looming and all the last-minute planning my wife and I are doing with family, friends and each other, I’ve been negligent in putting together a game preview. Thus, we’ll skip the preview and go right to the gameday post.

Bringing everyone up to speed, Kyle Boller will sit, and Troy Smith will start. But you knew that — you read the blog.

The players seem to be on board with Smith and that was never more apparent than when he came in for the injured Boller in last week’s breakdown against the Dolphins.

“Troy is a winner,” Willis McGahee said. “He has won a championship and he’s been in big-time games. This is his first big-time game in the NFL, and I have every bit of confidence in him.”

“Troy is a football player, and that’s what I love about him,” Derrick Mason said. “He goes out there, makes plays and produces regardless of how big you are and what type of quarterback they say you are or are not.”

Unfortunately, Smith is thrown to the wolves this week as he takes on the sack-hungry Seahawks, who are second in the NFL with 41 sacks. If McNair and Boller can be tossed around like rag dolls in the pocket, Smith will really need to utilize his scrambling ability to avoid pressure and keep emergency back-up Cullen Finnerty on the bench. We don’t need a quarterback controversy, people.

Only a few more hours until kickoff. Keep checking back for the latest up-to-date information before, during and after the game!

Welcome to the NFL, Troy Smith!

Injury Update

It’s so bad, the Ravens should consider starting Poe. I hear he has legit shutdown ability…

All kidding aside, the injuries are really piling up. Here’s the latest word from NFL.com:

And here are the inactives: QB Kyle Boller (3rd QB), RB Cory Ross, LB Ray Lewis, T Jared Gaither, DT Amon Gordon, TE Daniel Wilcox, TE Todd Heap, WR Demetrius Williams.

Is it just me, or does Mike Holmgren look like a walrus?  You be the judge:

From the “too little too late” department, Troy Smith will get to slide under center for his NFL debut.

Ya got 2:21 to score 32 points. Good luck, Shorty!

Edit: Troy looked good, especially when rolling out of the pocket.  He did a good job looking downfield while while scrambling, too.  And the look on his face when he rumbled into the end zone was priceless — “I did it!”

It gives me pause for thought: Madden suggested that Troy Smith take the rest of the snaps from here on out.  I’ll touch more on that tomorrow.  For now, though, I’ve got to batten down the hatches — we’ve got an ice storm a comin’ through town.

Did I say gameday?  I mean to say slaughter.

Here we are again, trailing by a ton.  Boller’s looked like a turd that’s been rolled around on a barber shop floor.  The lone bright spot?  Yamon Figurs poured it on and returned a kickoff for a touchdown.

Other than that, it really looks like the Ravens are mailing this one in.  Factor in the prime time audience, the black alternate uniforms, the injuries to our secondary and the rain, and we’ve got a recipe for a meltdown.

So, I pose this to you — with Boller looking like the Kyle Boller of old, when do you sit him down and see what you’ve got with Troy Smith? On the sidelines, it was reported that Billick said that he’s going to ride Boller through the rest of the game and that Smith will only play if Boller gets hurt.

I’m sorry, but you can only give up so many points off turnovers.  It’s time to put Troy Smith in.  Now.

*Disclaimer: Knob Creek Whiskey ruined all rational thought*

You know what?

F*uck those guys. We came so close to winning — and I had a sneaking suspicion that we wouldn’t win — but then we fall 2 yards shy. Stupid salt in the wound ‘n stuff…

The sad thing? It all came down to Rex Ryan calling a time out. I’d expect it from Billick — but Ryan? The defense stopped the Patriots — dropped ‘em for a loss, even. Argh.

I will say this, though - this was the best Ravens game since the Super Bowl season I’ve ever seen them play. Step for step, they had the Patriots painted in to a corner. The best team in the league? I don’t think so. Look at the numbers — this was an ugly win. Just what you’d expect when the favorites rolled into M&T.

I do want to say this, though - Brian Billick was NOT outcoached. I thought that would be the intangible, but it wasn’t. The intangible happened to be the Patriots beating the hell out of the last 6 minutes of the game on both sides of the ball. Bastards.

Am I disappointed? At first blush, yes. But really, no. The Patriots are the über team. And I fully expect the Steelers to destroy them next week. But to come up 2 yards shy of a win? I wouldn’t have even thought it would be possible with this year’s team. 5 more seconds is a tie. 10 more seconds is a win. This game destroyed me — more on this one tomorrow. I’m smashed on Knob Creek. This was just one of those games…

Kudos are in order.  This was the best game I’ve seen since the Super Bowl season.

You know what? If Willis McGahee — 1,000+ yards on the season and all — can throw a hurtin’ on the Pats, I think Willie Parker can, too. And I shudder to think that I’ll be rootin’ for the Steelers next week.

I need a shower.

Can someone sign me up on the liver replacement list? And send me more booze? Irrational thoughts: What a disaster!

If you would have told me that the Patriots would have a gift-wrapped drive, laden with penalties that placed the Patriots right on the doorstep and didn’t score, I’d tell you to get bent. No way.

Surely the Patriots would be able to punch the ball in and take the 7-0 lead, right? Wrong. Stand ‘em up, go down by 3. Get it back.

Boller showed his maturity by shaking off a TON of pressure, courtesy of former Raven and all-around anti-chest-thumper Adalius Thomas… and connected with Devard Darling for a crazy long hook-up with a nice YAC.

And lo and behold — Boller just iced the cake with a beauty to Derrick Mason.

TOUCHDOWN RAVENS!!

• 7-3 Good guys.
• And how about that? Sha-zam! Pint-sized Ivy crashed the Brady pocket party. Sssssssacked.

End of the 1st, 7-3 Ravens

• Can we end the game now? Or should we just play 3 more quarters like this?
• Going for it on 4th and 6? Sure, why not. WWBD? (What Would Belichick Do)
• And you know what? Whamo! Boller to Mason. He’s hanging tough in that pocket! Covertin’ 4th downs!
• Knockin’ down doors, the Ravens keep moving forward. And Stover’s on to kick after the Hobbs injury.

FG Ravens!!

• 10-3 Good guys.
• I have this sense of forboding that Brady will launch a massive pass and connect with Moss at some point this game. For now, though, I’m enjoying the lead. And the Knob Creek.
• 8:39 left to play in the second half and the Pats are still held to 3 points. I can’t believe it. Somethings gotta give, right? I mean, these ARE the Patriots, right? The Greatest Show on Turf II, right?
• Uh-oh, the No Huddle. We’re toast.
• Shit, Reed almost tore Welker’s head off. 3rd and 4, 6:20 left in the 2nd.
• Way to go, Ivy. Holding negates a possible 4th down. 2nd and goal now.
• Another penalty on the Ravens, this one on C-Mac plowing down Moss. 7 flags this quarter. Jeez, guys.
• Brady looks worried. Vrabel didn’t catch the ball. Boo-hoo.
• Evans pots the TD on the doorstep, no brainer. 10-all.
• 2 minute warning — still 10-10. Jesus H. Who would have thunk it?
• Junior Seau drops the run attack for a loss and spazzes out like ‘Roids Merriman. AD told me that the Pats don’t beat chests… right?
• Ed Reed just covered the hell out of Moss after Moss sprinted past C-Mac. Take that, douchebag.
• Ed Reed just intercepted the ball. Had a helluva return. Then Reed is stripped, Patriots recover.
• Tom Brady - stop f*cking whining about your receivers being held. It’s getting really old. Remember all the hand-checking they did in the Rams super bowl? Also, how does it feel to be held to under 100 yards so far?

Halftime. 10-10.

Is this really happening?

Okay, the key to the second half is adjustments. I guarantee that Belichick has his team tweaked and ready to go… it’s now down to a matter of which coach can make the best in-game adjustments after the half. Let’s hope it Brian Billick (who was identified earlier as Bill Belichick, as my wife predicted would happen).

• My God. The Ravens are moving the ball really well. McGahee keeps pounding the ball… and currently sits on 999 yards on the season. Jamal who?

TOUCHDOWN McGAHEE!!!!!!!!!!! POWER RUN!!!!!

• 1,000 yards plus on the season and there we go. Capped with a TD thanks to a GREAT block by Jonathan Ogden.
• Okay, here comes the pissed off possession — one of two things will happen: 1) Brady and Moss will connect for BIG TIME yardage; or 2) Brady will get antsy and force a throw that gets picked, getting even more pissed off.
• Brady-to-Moss on a blitz pickup. Almost too easy for the Patriots. Nice call there, Rex. 17-all. Holy crap. 4:26 left in the 3rd quarter and we’re score-for-score with the Patriots. I’ll say it again: is this happening?
• Alright. McGahee is a goddamn beast. 132 rushing yards so far. 2 yards away from a touchdown. I’ll ask again: is this really happening?

TOUCHDOWN WILCOX!!!!!!!

• I will ask ANOTHER time: is this really happening? 24-17 Good guys.
• Haloti Ngata with the BIIIIIIG sack! 3rd and 12.
• Barnes with his FIRST professional sack! (and no, Light didn’t hold him at all)
• Back-to-back sacks. Amazing.
• WHAT A RETURN FROM FIGURS!!!!! And so begins the downfall of Rome - a flag on the Patriots!
• Boller throws his first pick. Helluva return on it, too. Mason whiffed, fat guys up front missed… eh. It was bound to happen. You didn’t think that Kyle Boller would out-perform Tom Brady, did you?
• This is the biggest series in the game (so far). A stop here keeps the Patriots on the ropes and the crow on the table.
• Brian Billick blew kisses at Harrison after he tried to smack talk the head coach of another team. First, that’s really arrogant and stupid - and shouldn’t that be an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty? It also made me snort whiskey out of my nose from laughter.
• Welker was draped like superman’s cape on that play. 4th and 6, 24-20 Good guys on Drunk Idiot Kicker’s Gostkowski’s leg.
• Figurs tripped up, Ravens ball. Let’s chew clock and squeeze out a hard-fought victory.
• The game is in McGahee’s hands.  If he can power for a first down, we’re okay.  If we have to keep turning the ball over, we’ll lose.

Before we begin, I just want to say that Chris and Amy Hood — the Sports Cartel’s first husband-wife blogging duo, are awesome.  Authors of the Patriots Blog, Land of Patriots, they’ve got a fun take on the season (you know, that of little-to-no worry about playoffs, opponents, et. Al).

I wanted to e-mail Chris and Amy to find out what they were thinking about the game.  The following is our back-and-forth:

Amy, Chris -

First, let me start by saying enjoy the win.  The Patriots have been playing out-of-this-world football all season long, finding ways to win big and rarely winning ugly.  I have a feeling that tonight’s game will be another one of those “win big” evenings.  If you haven’t noticed, the Ravens - and especially the QB - have an almost supernatural ability to fumble and throw picks.  After 13 weeks, the Ravens sit at a horrendous -11 turnover ratio, a 4-7 record and winless in the AFC North, one year removed from taking the division crown.

As the Ravens battle the Patriots well into the midnight hour (who’s idea was it to start the game that late, anyway?!), I’ll be battling my psyche, desperately trying to salvage positive things to write about on Tuesday morning.

Here are the three things the Ravens must do in order to actually compete against the Patriots:
1) Not be intimidated.  Sure, it’s the undefeated Patriots, but you can’t play scared.  Missouri played scared in the Big 12 Championship game and look what that got them — a big ‘ole defeat by the Oklahoma Sooners and a crappy bowl game.
2) Apply constant pressure on Tom Brady.  It goes without saying, but QBs that are pressured into making throws are more likely to make mistakes.  With Ed Reed ball-hawkin’ in the secondary, that could be trouble.
3) Limit the turnovers.  Keep the Patriots offense off the field and they won’t be able to score on you.  Elementary, I know, but if you’re not giving the Patriots a short field to work with and chew up the clock like the Ravens offense of old, the Patriots can’t hang 140 on you.

Rather than give me a list of things the Patriots have to do in order to win, why don’t you make it interesting and provide a worst case scenario on how they’ll lose?  Please?  Pretty please?

A simple request, right? 

Stephen - 

Dude, that would just be bad karma. How about we phrase it, “Things that worry a Patriots fan about this game”?

1. The Ravens defense puts serious heat on Brady and the secondary manages to hold Moss and Welker in check. If they can consistently keep the Pats from converting on third down, they will keep the offense out of rhythm.
2. The Ravens offense manages to control the clock with a short passing game to Todd Heap and Derrick Mason. Long sustained drives resulting in touchdowns will force the Patriots to start looking down field and abandon the move-the-chains ability of Welker, Benjamin Watson, and Kevin Faulk.
3. Some of Ray Lewis’ old pals kidnap Tom Brady, and Matt Cassel has to come in and play the entire game.

Stephen, no fair complaining about night games; this is our THIRD in a row. Plus, you’re an hour behind us! We are tired, tired people.

We’ll check in with you again tomorrow!

Primetime games come with being great — the TV schedulers thought that the Ravens would warrant 3 Monday Night contests and a Sunday Night tilt, but boy were they wrong!  Amy does have a point, though — I am an hour behind in St. Louis.

Stay tuned for more back-and-forth with Chris and Amy tomorrow!

I’ll start this thread out with a poll — you know, to make things interesting.

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Think fast! Who is Tom Brady’s backup? If you said either one of the Matts — Cassel or Gutierrez — you’re correct! Unfortunately, the only way the Ravens stand a snowball’s chance in a microwave of winning tonight’s game is if we get to see one of ‘em play an extended period of time. Just think — one of them will have been running the Ravens offense in practice against the Patriots defense. One of them will have went through the playbook as Kyle Boller. All we need is a chance! A Brady-less chance! And victory could be ours!

Unfortunately, any hopes of knocking Brady out of the game with a jarring sack, a la Bart Scott on Ben Roethlisberger, are virtually nil without Trevor Pryce generating any sort of chaos and taking on multiple blockers. So how do we make due? Well, I’m going to suggest sending rushing LBs to pressure the left side of the Patriots line, putting the onus on LT Matt Light and LG Logan Mankins to stop any sort of creative Blitzing schemes that Rex Ryan wants to send…

Which brings me to my next point - “Live by the blitz, die by the blitz.” If Rex Ryan wants to keep sending in defensive backs to blitz, forcing the linebackers to drop into man or zone coverage, that’s fine. But not against the Patriots. If Brady has any time to throw, he’ll send one of his able-bodied, zippy receivers out to wreak havoc on the mis-matched coverage.

It’s just one man’s opinion, but this game is gonna be ug-ly. Brutal, even. With the added bonus of being on a prime-time NFL stage, the Ravens have a chance to further crap down their legs en route to a 6 game losing streak - and you can bet your sweet bippy that the ESPN Monday Night Football crew will point out how bad the Ravens are playing every chance they can.

How about you? Ya got any creative ways to stop the Patriots from putting on a touchdown clinic? Let’s hear ‘em!

Must be nice to gang up on those Ravens, eh, Zebras?

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…

I’m absolutely baffled.  

BAFFLED.

Why, for the love of Pete, is McNair throwing a JUMP BALL for Todd Heap?  The guy just came back from a HAMSTRING INJURY.  Does that make ANY sense at ALL? 

Is it too much to ask for Willis McGahee to get a shot at the End Zone?  When he’s had blocking, he’s been deee-stroying the Bengals, grabbing yardage in fistfulls at a time.  

… and why is it that the Ravens can run a great hurry-up offense, but can’t do sh*t when they’ve got the clock working in their favor? 

I just don’t get it.