ON THE EDGE OF COLLAPSE : So far this team has not shown any fire to kick-start the season towards the playoffs. Since the Ray Lewis Induction Game against Houston they have lost four of five. That sole win came on September 22; meaning that Ravens fans have not seen a win from the Purple and Black for over a month. There is a sense that the team has grumblings about the O-Line schemes and certain players are unable to step up and make a difference. It seems to be a rudderless ship, and could very easily flip upright with the crashing waves around it. Although they have lost the four games by 14 points, it was hard to feel that they were ready to storm back and win; either by a Defense to stop the other team or the Offense to come out and drive to victory. 1. Coming off the Bye, it was reasonable to expect that the team would come out to try to make the run through the Division to change the direction. Instead, the Offense still looked like it was listless, Flacco was out of rhythm, the Special Teams had glitches, the Defense was spun around like a top, and as a whole the team did not look prepared to play. The final play of the game, a drop off to Rice as time expired, typified the game; a weak, harmless hope rather than a Hail Mary attempt to score a TD. That pass was a concession that the game was over - so why not take a knee and be obvious that you are quitting. 2. There are signs that some players are right on the edge of folding up like a cheap card table. Dickson does not bully his way to passes, does not extend himself or dive to make a play happen, and seems slow to make turns to get into routes. Doss fumble on the punt puts him one step away from a major-fold due to a lack of confidence. Generally though, these are examples of a soft team this year; no feeling that it can pull off a slobber-knocker that happens in the AFC North. 3. And all of this leaves me with a bad feeling about the Home game this week. Last week was a serious game; considering the record and the in-division opponent. The Ravens lose and now face a more important challenge to stay in the hunt against a good Bengals team that can knock out one threat to the division title; and coming off a semi-bye after the Thursday Night game. If the Offense comes out flat and fails to stir up some scores early, I could see the Fans turning on them. I hate to hear the boos against the Home Team, but it is especially disturbing when it is early in a game. If the Ravens fail to put some fire in the Stadium, I could see things getting ugly. Baltimore fans, especially those who are bandwagon types, can be brutal and could turn on the team. It will be unpleasant indeed if they choose to direct friendly fire on the Ravens. At this point, with all of the things going on though, I could see the fire-storm at the Bank. I hope that the team can put up a fight. They may not be good enough to win, but at least compete. And I hope that the Fans do not turn on them, regardless.
Posted on: Wed, 06 Nov 2013 12:30:46 +0000
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