Ravens are no patsies - but no Pats, either -

It was a fairly revealing six hours of football. The Ravens, warts and all, slipped past the New York Jets at M&T Bank Stadium late Sunday afternoon and the New England Patriots destroyed the San Diego Chargers ...

[Scott G]

Well, the Patriots are known cheaters now. So it's easy to see how they dispatched the Chargers so easily (or is it really because Norv Turner is running the show now. How many teams has he tanked?). I was banking that there would be a huge drop off in the Chargers this year. Phillip Rivers had the Rothlesberger year last year. Now everyone has had a year to review his play. The Chargers were overrated coming into this year. They are still a very good team, but they were overrated.

As the Ravens might have been. I expect a good run the first half of the season, but the schedule is backloaded. It should give the O-line time to smooth everything out (very commendable game Sunday) before we hit that part of the schedule. And give credit where credit is due, that Clemens was making some tough passes. I had heard some say he is actually better than Pennington, they may be right.

Its never been pretty for the Ravens. Has anyone done a study of anxiety medication sold in Baltimore on fall Sundays?

[Bob S]

It's better to learn hard lessons and identify weaknesses and win the game as opposed to enduring that and losing the game. The Ravens are focused on Arizona, which is good. If you base the whole season on the first two games, New England is the greatest team in NFL history. Let's see where we are after 10 games or so.

[old19fan]

If no injuries occur to the Patriots to Moss or Brady that team as currently comprised could go undefeated. The only team in the NFL I think can possibly beat them is the Colts and they better be clicking on all cylinders. Adding Moss and Adalius has put them over the top with talent and coaching.

[skaybaltimore]

old19fan wrote:

If no injuries occur to the Patriots to Moss or Brady that team as currently comprised could go undefeated. The only team in the NFL I think can possibly beat them is the Colts and they better be clicking on all cylinders. Adding Moss and Adalius has put them over the top with talent and coaching.

Prediction: The team that I think has the best shot of beating the Pats is the Steelers. Otherwise, I agree that the Pats might just be the first team since the Fins to go undefeated.

[RtotheP]

its the NFL people, anybody can beat anybody on any given Sunday. You are crazy to think that the Ravens dont have a chance to beat the Pats. What makes the Steelers so good?? they beat up on 2 mediocre teams?? Who have the Pats beaten? the bills and a Charger team that should have lsot AT home to the Bears the week before??? we still have a lot of football yet to be played.

[Mike Morgan]

We must have faith.

[Roger Dickens]

the ravens are a contender keep mixing pass and run keep the opposing defense on edge win the game then talk dont run off at the mouth until the win is yours

GO PURPLE

[GHT]

Ravens always seem to be playing off their heels waiting for the big play instead of making it happen or defending it. It's been that way for years. When we play really good teams in the past, we wilt.

[Lake Wobegone]

What it boils down to is what is has boiled down to for the last eight years. Brian Egos poor clock management and situational play calling hinders any chance of getting back to the big dance. Remember even he admitted that it killed him not to screw it up during the Super Bowl run. Brian take one for the team. You and your playbook get out of town.

[Kevin in NH]

As a native Baltimorean and Ravrens fan who has found himself living and working up here in Southern New Hampshire, I get to see the Patriots play regularly.

And I must say this: Despite the video cheating thing of Belichick -- or "Video-gate" ... that is, everybody's doin' it, he just got caught!), this team ..... which was very good to begin with AND is now equipped with a bonafide wide receiver in Randy Moss who, by the way, isn't doin' the T.O. "crying and dogging it" show (as Moss was sometimes shown to be doing out in Oakland), AND who is playing with a new intensity -- that of a guy who's just been let out of prison with something to prove -- AND WHO plays as though he wants to win as bad as Tom Brady and Bill Belichick do ..... doesn't WANT to be in the Super Bowl, or PLAN to be in the Super Bowl.

No sir! The Pats EXPECT to be in the Super Bowl ... and they also expect to WIN the NFL title.

They are a confident, if not sometimes cocky bunch. But they have no fear! They play on both sides of the ball with "a strategic plan" ... and they look "polished," rarely do they look "disheveled," "out-of-sync" or "out of control." And that's the way they play, on O and D, week in and week out!

What leadership they have in guys like Tom Brady on offense and Tedy Bruschi on defense!

Ahhhhhhhh ... if only I could say the same things about the Ravens and their "strategic plan" and "leadership."

Far too often, the Ravens look like a band of wild houligans they get out of control on defense (too damn many penalties, etc.)... and a confused bunch of misguided sandlot kids on offense.

If I were BB, I'd use Patriots game film each week to illustrate to his team the "proper way to get things done!"

And you don't know how much it grieves me to have just admitted that!!!

[mike from annapolis]

amen! i dread new england coming to town. it won't be pretty!

[GHT]

Kevin in NH, I totally agree. It's professional vs sandlot.

[larry g]

we've got something for R Moss

[Rob Donna]

If winning a championship was based on talent or defense certainly we would have atleast 1 more,unfortunately in a leauge where every team has talent its coaching and teams playing the game in a cerebrial manner that determines the winners from the losers.Preperation, focus, and a calm confident ledership presence will give you stability and confidence.New England has all these ingredients... the Ravens have none [except for Rex Ryan and the defense].Billick and Belichick are complete opposites.One is calm and prepared the other is ill prepared and demonstrative, the team reflects the personality of the coach.If the situation requires clock management or common sense you can always depend on Billick to do the something flakey.Regardless of signal stealing no one can deny that the Patriots are the most calm, confident, best prepared most professional team in the league Then they aquire Thomas, Moss, Welker, Stallworth, K.Brady,
Merriwether and Brown.The only area the Ravens are unmatched at is drafting blue chip players that rest of the league has now learned to covet,and the fact that Billck has done so little with them is its own testiment

[Maui Guy]

Ravens could beat NE if the D has a great game. First thing they need to do is get Brady out of the game. Then anything could happen.

[Kevin in NH]

Not sure about that, Maui Guy.

Ex-Raven Vinnie Testaverde is the backup QB, and he's smart. He also can still play pretty well with that excellent Pats O-line -- did you not see how they, for the most part, frustrated and dominated Merriman & Co. on Sunday night? Damn, I'm 50, and I think I could've completed passes with that kind of protection!-- plus having a weapon like Moss to keep the Ravens D honest?!?
YIKES!!!

And what about Lawrence Maroney and Wes Welker -- geez, the "system" Belichick has these guys playing in could make both these guys All-Pros!

Sorry, but the truth hurts baby!!!!!

[Roy]

As another Ravens fan in Pats country, I have to say the Ravens have a way to go to be on the Pat's level, but it is early and the Ravens are notorius slow starters.
Tha Pats can be something of a Jekel and Hyde team as well, letting down and playing badly when you least expect it.
I'm sure glad The Ravens will have time to let the O'line come together and figure out just what they want out of McGahee before they take on the Pats, but if they continue to improve and aren't crippled by any more major losses to injury, it should be a whale of a game.

[Scott G]

One point I think everyone here is missing, but I alluded to, the Ravens schedule is so backloaded. If the Raven do manage to make it to the Divisional level of the playoffs, as well as the pre-season picked teams, you are looking at re-matches within about a month of the regular season match. I could care less about the regular season match. I think it will be difficult of any of the "big three" (SD, Ind, NE) to sweep Baltimore, and vice versa. But there is going to be a sleeper team, and a drop off team. A little early to determine the sleeper team, but I think the drop off team is San Diego. I think they over-achieved last year, plus they have Norv Turner coaching, and I don't think he is that great. They are still good, but I think they will drop off more than Bal, Ind and NE. So, who will be the sleeper, and which coach adapts best after that nasty backloaded schedule? Thats what it will come down to, in my opinion.

[Colts Goodin]

Invent a blow up video camera that's the size of an averabe beach ball to throw around during a Cheatriots game. That would be awesome!!

[skaybaltimore]

Lake Wobegone wrote:

What it boils down to is what is has boiled down to for the last eight years. Brian Egos poor clock management and situational play calling hinders any chance of getting back to the big dance. Remember even he admitted that it killed him not to screw it up during the Super Bowl run. Brian take one for the team. You and your playbook get out of town.

Word!