“Oh mama I’ve been fearing for my life from the long arm of the law. LawMan has put an end to my run and I’m so far from my home. Oh mama I can hear you crying, you’re so scared and all alone. HangMan is coming down from the galos and I don’t have very long. YEAH!” It pains me to play Renegade but I have no choice. It’s Steelers week regardless if there are playoffs or not. Also this could be the final hurrah for an AFC North legend. Anyways let’s get to the show.
CHARM CITY BEASTS
Starring Lamar Jackson, Tyler Huntley, Mark Andrews, Marquise Brown, Calais Campbell, Marcus Peters, Justin Tucker, John Harbaugh, Don Martindale, Greg Roman, Eric DeCosta with Steve Saunders, and Steve Bisciotti. Guest Appearances by the Angry Marylander.
Season 2 Episode 17: A Harsh Reality Sets In
Created by Bragging Rights Sports
Narrator: Can this season end already so I can get all of this nonsense that has happened over the last few weeks. (Sidevoice: NO THERE NEEDS TO BE ONE FINAL BLOW!) Oh great! After a heartbreaking loss to the Rams where the Boys in Purple squandered golden chances at the goal line to put the game away their playoff fate is mostly gone. Just like in most of the games over the last month, the Roman Empire has taken the blame for their inability to score in those short yardage situations. His response to those takes has been “we are trying to keep others guessing but sometimes you either execute those plays or you don’t. And if you don’t there will be questions all over the place.” It also didn’t help that the Ravens had to play a Center in his 1st career start against Aaron Donald, plus Patrick Mekari once again proved why he cannot produce in big games against stronger pass rushers. Even worse for Roman and his offense, the medical staff has officially shut down both Planet LJ and Project Pat for the season. Without 2 of their more valuable offensive players, the Ravens will have a steep climb just to make it another week. John Harbaugh knows that with this being the last game of the season against a potential playoff team, his team is going to give it everything they have even with more injuries taking their toll. The next 3 men that were shut were Odafe Oweh, Tavon Young, and Anthony Averett. YIKES. This already adds to their NFL Record for players on IR or the COVID list this season. Speaking of the COVID list, that’s where Gerry Sandusky was last week. This was the 1st time in his 16 year tenure as Play by Play man for the Ravens that he ever missed a game. That’s brutal as well. At least Bruce Cunningham and Scott Garceau got to cover one more game in his absence.
A lot of things need to happen in order for the Ravens to make the playoffs. They need the Jaguars to beat the Colts in Jacksonville, they need the Patriots to beat the Dolphins in Miami, they need the Chargers to lose to the Raiders in Las Vegas on Sunday Night, plus they need to win their own game. However it won’t be easy. The Ravens opponent just happens to be their arch rivals in the Pittsburgh Steelers. They are also fighting for their playoff lives and all they need to do is win and hope for a Colts loss to get in the playoffs. More importantly this will most likely be the final regular season game in the career of Ben Roethlisberger. (And it’s against the same team that started his career because Tommy Maddox was knocked out by Adalius Thomas in Week 2 of 2004) After a fairytale ending last Monday Night against the Browns at Heinz Field, you know they are going to want to build on that. Luckily for Ravens fans, his arch nemesis Terrell Suggs was asked to be the honorary Legend of the Game. And he came out with a gladiator mask. You’d think the crowd would be pumped up after that scene. Except they weren’t. Why, thanks to the Ravens basically being eliminated, half of M&T Bank Stadium was swarmed by either empty seats or Yinzers. The start of this game would match the weather conditions at this game and the emotions of Marylanders. Cold, wet, and uninspiring. Thanks to an unusual bad snap by Bradley Bozeman and Snoop getting stripped by TJ Watt, the Steelers were set up with excellent field position, but could only get 3 points out of it. The next drive was even more pitiful, Huntley continued his awful start by throwing an interception. Thank Mark Andrews for playing the ball badly for that mistake. (Also an excellent catch by Terrell Edmonds) Luckily for Boy Wonder Johnny Harbaugh the Leader of Men would give it right back to the offense thanks to an interception by Geno Stone. Baltimore’s response was going right after one of the league’s run defenses. (Which is unusual in the Steelers Dictionary) However the drive stalled after a nice 3rd Down stand by Pittsburgh. I wonder what they do on 4th Down. Marylander: IT’S A FAKE! (BUZZER!) UGGGGGGGGGGG!!! (That’s the 1st time Sam Koch has thrown an incomplete pass in his 16 year career) Narrator: Settle down, the Steelers are stuck in quicksand too. Marylander: That’s fine with me. Narrator: Anyways, with Big Ben being limited for now, and the Ravens offense looking to snap out of their recent funk, the game remained 3-0. That is until Baltimore mounted a drive at the end of the 1st Half. It appeared as if the Ravens were going to take the lead before the half. Then another offensive line breakdown ended it all. One which led to TJ Watt tying the NFL Record for sacks in a season. (The Marylanders will blame Hollywood dropping a TD shortly after that, but on a normal day he catches that) Fortunately the game is tied at 3 going into halftime and the Ravens are getting the ball again too.
With Jacksonville beating up Carson Wentz and the Colts, false hope was consuming both fanbases at the start of the 2nd Half. That thinking for Ravens fans was taken to another level as Latavius Murray broke off a monster TD run. Now down by 7 the Steelers offense would finally wake up. Led by short and quick passes, they got deep into Raven territory. But the drive stalled when Najee Harris got stuffed on a 3rd and 1. At least they got a field goal out of it. After both teams traded punts, Huntley and Murray would continue to jam the ball down the Yinzers’ throats. Looks like we may have a different outcome than last week. All the Ravens need to do is punch it in for a touchdown and the win and a possible playoff berth is all but theirs. “Huntley to throw, fires, (DRAMATIC MUSIC!) INTERCEPTED!” Marylander: OH MY GOODNESS PLEASE STOP WITH ALL OF THIS!!! An easy touchdown taken away by an spectacular INT by Pittsburgh. (Pennsylvania Polka playing) Narrator: Wouldn’t you know it the Leader of Men woke up and my gosh did he ever. He was suddenly back in his prime and the Ravens practice squad secondary had no answers for him. The Steelers chewed up about 6 minutes of clock and converted key 3rd Down after key 3rd Down. And all of a sudden they are in the lead. Don’t tell me this is how the Ravens season is going to end, please let there be false hope. HERE I COME TO SAVE THE DAY! Ask and it shall be done! Snoop and Mark Andrews got Baltimore into field goal range in a hurry. However, another clutch stop by Pittsburgh prevented the Ravens from going further. (Patrick Mekari getting run over again, just stop this please) There will be no need to worry about Justin Tucker this time despite his missed chip shot in their last meeting with the Steelers as he tied the game at 13 with 1:13 left. The defense did their job and stopped Pat Freiermuth from extending the ensuing drive. Thus the game is going into overtime! With the Jaguars beating the Colts just minutes earlier, false hope on both sides is up for grabs. The Ravens won the coin toss and the ball. In just 2 plays they reached midfield. All I can do is hope they better not stall out. (YoYo Sound) Well Huntley threw another bad pass that Andrews could have easily caught. Now they are going to have to rely on the defense to save them. Against the Leader of Men it won’t be easy. Um, how many 3rd Downs are the Steelers going to convert? I swear this is just like almost every game that we have lost to at the hands of Big Ben. Ok, they stopped them on 3rd and 8, it looks like Huntley will get another chance to win it. WAIT THEY ARE GOING FOR IT!? I thought Mike Tomlin was conservative and trusted his defense. Well the season and perhaps his legacy is on the line so why not? Ravens, please STOP THEM! Let the false hope reign supreme in this city! “(Titanic Music playing) Shotgun, Roethlisberger, throws, catch, 1ST DOWN! Ray-Ray McCloud.” Marylander: No. No! NO! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! WHY DOES THIS KEEP HAPPENING TO ME! WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!! Now all they can do is kick a field goal and end the dreams of Ravens fans. “Sweeps the leg, and that is a winner for Pittsburgh!” AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! WHY MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!! SOMEONE STOP THIS RIGHT NOW! (The ending to maybe the most agonizing season in Raven History. I never thought this day would come) PAUSE.
Narrator: The season is over. You hear that, that’s the sound of a major collapse evolving as we speak. One that in my opinion rivals the 2021 Penn State Nittany Lions. (That’s why I held off the Pride of PSU Football, because it was too painful to write about) If you look at both collapses they are literally identical. Massive expectations, a white hot start, and then unraveling at the worst moments. Plus injuries occured and they weren’t able to close games out in short yardage situations at the end of the year. Plus I’m a fan of both of those teams so it’s doubly painful. For this one I knew the Ravens were banged up and had flaws but never in my wildest dreams did I think they would miss the playoffs. Honestly that’s what happens when you coast on High End Talent and Lady Luck all year. And even worse, for the 1st time in the Harbaugh Era the Ravens finished last in the AFC North. Marylander: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! (The New Frontier of the division has technically arrived but it will only be for 1 year, I HOPE!) Narrator: People are saying that the decisions they made at the end of the year cost them but here is the thing. They were converting those early in the season. They had the best 4th Down and 2 point rate halfway through the season. The Ravens won games like this on the regular despite being criticized. I mean they did discover the ability to play from behind. The Chiefs, Colts and Vikings games, they would have been blown out in those games in years past. But it turns out that those miracle games they won back in September and October came back to bite them. Salty Marylander, it’s time to explain this story. Marylander: I’m on it sir! PAUSE.
Lamar Jackson has to be the most snakebitten player in the NFL today. Everytime the stars appear to align perfectly for the Ravens to win the Super Bowl, the Football Gods troll him at the 11th Hour. Look at how Baltimore got eliminated the last 3 years, in each of those games they lost because things that were out of his control. Planet LJ had 500 yards of total offense against the Titans in 2019, yet they didn’t even score a TD and gave up 200 yards rushing to Derrick Henry because the rest of the team excluding Hollywood Brown didn’t show up. (I’m looking right at you Earl Thomas) Last year Justin Tucker had the worst game of his career against the Bills, and the Offensive Line wasn’t prepared for the windy conditions at BillsMafia. (Patrick Mekari, boy have I had enough of him and this season proves it as well) This year he suffered a horrific ankle injury at the hands of the hated Browns which ended his season. (Plus JOK knocked him out ON PURPOSE because Haslam and that fanbase want the Ravens dead) Before the injury plus his illness in November he was on pace for 6000 yards of total offense, that would have been the NFL Record. He was the league MVP after 9 weeks in terms of how much he meant to this team in terms of his production. Yes I get that he threw 13 INTs but he had to evolve as a passer quickly thanks to a battered O-Line and basically no running game. If he hadn’t gotten hurt this team would still be playing football right. I don’t know how far they would go thanks to the injury bug, but who knows. Next year is pivotal for Lamar. He is most likely playing out his 5th year option without a new contract because the Ravens did this with Joe Flacco 10 years ago. If they have a healthy Jackson and run game, they should be serious contenders. LJ, don’t let the media plus the younger fans of the team think you will be out of here next year. You are still the future of this franchise long term. Prove them wrong again. YOU GOT THIS! PAUSE.
No one has been more criticized on this team than Marquise Brown. Yes he doesn’t have the size or catch radius at times to be a #1 receiver, and has been ripped by major networks the past few years, but here is the truth. Hollywood is the best receiver that the Ravens have ever drafted. (Well him, Mark Clayton, and Torrey Smith, everyone else bums) Look at the other receivers that have come before him. Breshad Perriman, Travis Taylor, Marcus Smith, I could go on and on. The thing is Brown played very well for much of the season. If Lamar never got hurt, he would have gone over 1400 yards receiving. He still got to 1000 yards this year despite being very limited thanks to Huntley targeting mostly Rashod Bateman and Mark Andrews. Next year will be crucial for Marquise, his rookie deal is up and he, like Jackson, will be getting his 5th year option. If those 2 are both at full strength it could be exciting to watch those 2 bearing injuries. PAUSE.
Rashod, I like you as a receiver. I think you have plenty of talent and have a bright future with the team. Yes you barely were targeted in the 1st Half of the season, but this is something every rookie goes through. Anytime a receiver has an injury in training camp that makes them miss some time is hard to overcome. Just ask Hollywood when he was a rookie back in 2019. The difference between those 2 is that Bateman is more skilled and has better hands. I know he fired his agent during the season but that’s something every player goes through. Don’t worry, once the full offense comes back next year you’ll get more space to get open because other teams will focus on the run. Plus you have established yourself as the go to guy on 3rd Down plays. That’s just how life goes in the NFL. PAUSE.
Calais, please don’t retire. The way you played this season proves exactly why. Campbell is one of the emotional leaders on this defense and one of the few bright spots to a unit that was short handed. I know he wants to settle himself back in the Florida Area but I just don’t see him hanging up the cleats without a ring. It will be tough to see him go but honestly I wouldn’t be shocked. Not because he’s old and washed, that hasn’t been the case. It’s probably because he wants to be with his family. Your move Captain MonStar. PAUSE.
Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Peters have more value than anyone on this defense. If those 2 are healthy this is the #1 defense in the NFL. Why? Leadership, Talent, and Energy. Without those 2 players for much of the season they had the worst pass defense in franchise history. Tavon Young returned to 2016 form without being on the injury list very often. Plus Chuck Clark was a ball hawk at the end of the year. Those were the only bright spots this year. Even if they lose DeShon Elliott in FA, Juiceman and All Pro Marlo should be 100% by next season. If those 2 are on the field next year together the defense will improve dramatically. PAUSE.
I was wrong about Justin Tucker, I thought the way his season ended last year would be the beginning of a tough decline. Instead JT defeated the odds again. The 66 yarder in Detroit is obviously the highlight of his season. But once Lamar went down he was the only source of offense that they had. He basically kept them in the games against Cleveland, the LA Rams, and the Steelers. Excluding the 35 yarder that he missed at Heinz Field, Tucker was automatic as usual. I know he’s in his early 30s but he is still the best kicker in football. This year proves it. Where would this team be without him over the last decade? I have no idea. PAUSE.
I think it’s unfair to criticize John Harbaugh this season. Yes the analytical decisions were questionable but here is the thing. The work he did this year was damn good even if they couldn’t finish in the end. Most coaches that lose half of their starters before a game is even played should be tanking the season. Not Harbs. They almost made the playoffs with a practice squad team excluding their receiver core. I know the calls for his head were ongoing at the end of the season but they weren’t going to fire him because this is not who the Ravens are as an organization. The only reasons why he went for 2 in Weeks 13 and 15 was because they were playing Aaron Rodgers and Big Ben and didn’t have the personnel to stop them. It’s annoying but this isn’t the 1st time in Ravens History that fans have been outrageous. We had to deal with Ted Marchibroda being unable to adapt to the modern offense in the mid 1990s, and Brian Billick looking for the perfect QB in his image throughout his entire tenure. Steve Bisciotti is not going to get rid of coaches based on a bad season plagued with injuries. I get that they lost 6 in a row after an 8-3 start but you could’ve put the 2 previous coaches in that spot and they would have done worse. Harbs though is in an interesting situation regarding his long term future here. He’s going to be 60 in September and is in the final year of his massive extension that he signed in 2018. And remember in 2012 this was the exact same situation. Let’s hope he can break through. PAUSE.
Greg Roman, I have no idea how to judge him. Many of the Salty Marylanders including myself have had enough of him. But the situation that he was given this year was totally unfair. Was it his fault that he lost his two 1000 yard rushers, Pro Bowl Tackles, Rookie Guard, and Starting QB? Absolutely not. The thing about Roman that was impressive this year was that he had changed his entire offensive structure in a short amount of time thanks to the injuries. On a regular basis, the Ravens would run the ball 60-70% of the time and he would trust JK Dobbins and Gus Edwards to create space in the open field. This year they ran basically a Run and Shoot offense. 3WRs with Mark Andrews as the 4th WR, and 1 RB by committee) And their passing game improved dramatically. Lamar had 300 yard passing games on a regular basis. They found ways to come back from huge deficits, something they could never do in years past. Although the Miami game did lay his flaws and he never recovered from it. I would give him another year and see how it goes. If he struggles next year with a healthy Planet LJ, run game, and offensive line he will most likely end up like Jim Fassell, Cam Cameron, and Marc Trestman before him. I know you may call me crazy for not wanting him fired but this is all true. PAUSE.
I don’t think Martindale is going to be a head coach in the NFL. From the way he does his press conferences to how he is the product of the players around him is exactly why. He’s going to another Rex Ryan. A defensive minded guy who will be exposed as a head coach. This year proved that thinking. Because of injuries he didn’t have the personnel to run all of those creative schemes that make him perhaps the best defensive coordinator in the league during 2018 and 2019. Yet he still kept running them because he thought that he still had Peters and Humphrey on the field. When your top corner is Anthony Averett there is a problem. I’ll at least give him credit for trying to rally his troops quickly despite what hit them. If he has a healthy unit next year, the Ravens will have another legendary defense. And most likely they are taking Jordan Davis or Kyle Hamilton in the 1st Round so that also helps. Wink you did a good job considering what was against you, keep up the good work. PAUSE.
Chris Horton is nowhere near Jerry Rosberg but he’s on the right track. He has turned Devin Duvernay into an All Pro Return Man. Justin Tucker is still the most accurate kicker in league history, and Sam Koch even at age 39 is still a solid punter. And this was without their former long snapper Morgan Cox. Even if they lose their special teams anchor in Anthony Levine to retirement he should find an excellent replacement to be the ace in that unit. And you know Harbaugh values special teams more than anything. PAUSE.
Eric DeCosta in my opinion has had mixed emotions from many Ravens fans. Some of his decisions have been very good or very bad. I will say anytime you live in the shadows of Ozzie Newsome for over a decade it will take a while to make an impact. I won’t rip him for the Earl Thomas signing. He was the biggest name on the market, and DeCosta made sure the Browns didn’t get their hands on him. There have been a few moves that have been controversial. Drafting Miles Boykin over Deebo Samuel is one of them. Boykin is an excellent blocker for a receiver but they rarely use him. Samuel meanwhile is a swiss army knife for San Francisco. The only other mistake he made was trading Shawn Wade to the Patriots. At the time it made sense, the Ravens cornerback room was loaded, but then the injuries came in. His draft decisions have been good for the most part. Hollywood Brown and Patrick Queen are good players but who knows if they will become superstars overnight. JK Dobbins is a stud when he is healthy, Rashod Bateman and Odafe Oweh each had productive rookie seasons. If EDC has cap space there is a good chance they will pull off a blockbuster deal to make them contenders. That’s all you can hope for right. PAUSE.
I have one request for ESPN Ravens Reporter Jamison Hensley. Please don’t rumor Lamar out of Baltimore. I don’t want to deal with Giannis type rumors again for a majority of the next year. I was nervous for a while that other teams and fans would recruit the Greek Freak to their teams and I don’t want Jackson to follow that trend. The difference between the Giannis situation and the Lamar situation is the experience of the reporters that potentially break these stories. Malika Andrews and Eric Woodyard were each in their 1st year of covering the Bucks when they broke Giannis rumors in the offseasons of 2019 and 2020. Hensley has been covering the Ravens since their years at Memorial Stadium and has been close with many of the executives. (He was with the Baltimore Sun before ESPN) Although forcing Chuck Clark to walk out of a press conference after their Week 18 loss to Pittsburgh was not a good look for him, but that rarely happens in today’s NFL. I don’t think he’s going to criticize Planet LJ’s future. Lamar isn’t focusing on his future but just getting back on the field. Plus even if the ESPN Producers are pushing for that article to come out, it most likely won’t happen. Why? Hensley went through this in 2009 when Ray Lewis and Ed Reed were both traded to the Dallas Cowboys in a blockbuster that included TO and 2 1st Round picks. And he only wrote articles that gave Baltimore fans hope that those 2 would come back, and they did. Both of the Ravens legendary icons on defense came back and eventually won a Super Bowl together. Jamison you’ll be fine regardless of the potential Lamar rumors. That’s the responsibility of being a reporter right? PAUSE.
(Headphone Warning)
SAUNDERS! (I’ve been waiting to do this since the beginning of the season and now I have the chance) This man is the reason why the Baltimore Ravens have turned into the NFL’s newest Glue Factory. Everything Steve has done recently has only resulted in head scratching moments. I know it’s crazy to criticize the conditioning coach for why a team misses the playoffs but here is one of those times. Look at the impact he has had on this team since 2017. He ruined Joe Flacco’s prime and turned him into a Checkdown magnet, he’s responsible as to why no receiver wants to sign with Baltimore in the offseason, he’s why Matthew Judon openly criticized the Ravens conditioning program on Social Media! Judon left the 410 without a contract last spring because he was tired of the Ravens conditioning program and wanted to go to a team that would realize his potential. (Saunders fingerprints were all over that) This year the way he handled the players trying to come back from injury was something that would be seen in a circus act. Ronnie Stanley, Derek Wolfe, and Ja’Wuan James were supposed to come back by Week 1. Those 3 didn’t even play a game this season. (Stanley played one game and was shut down again) That’s not the only mistake. Rashod Bateman was supposed to make his league debut in Week 2, he didn’t come back until Week 6. Nick Boyle was supposed to return in Week 4, he didn’t come back until Week 11. Ben Cleveland and Sammy Watkins got injured in Week 5, Watkins didn’t return until Week 10, and Cleveland was held out until Week 15. Not to mention he did the same thing 2 years ago before the playoffs, Mark Andrews and Mark Ingram were supposed to return to practice during the Ravens playoff Bye after they both got hurt in Week 16. Those 2 didn’t even practice and yet they rushed them back and got little playing time against the Titans in the Divisional Round. (That’s when I knew he was a problem) All of this is not even including the COVID outbreak last year. Yes you can say that most of the cases happened at a November Party at a Baltimore nightclub. WRONG! Those positive tests started long before that night because no one was wearing a mask in the Under Armour Performance Center. (Players, Coaches, Everyone) Don’t worry Steve, you’re most likely getting another year next season because management wants you to change the way they condition and that a majority of the season ending injuries happened at FedEx Field in Week 3 of the Preseason. I hope he adapts but who knows. If he doesn’t he’s going to ruin Lamar in a hurry. I didn’t even get to the worst part of this. (DRAMATIC MUSIC!) Saunders was on the conditioning staff in San Francisco during the Jim Harbaugh years. That staff ruined Colin Kapernick’s prime, and forced many of their star players to either leave in Free Agency or retire in their primes. And Roman was with him too. Knowing what I just said about that 49ers team it could be the same thing happening in Baltimore if management doesn’t make any changes in the next year. Hopefully Bisciotti has an answer for this. PAUSE.
I would not consider this season as a failure for the Ravens. I know they had Super Bowl Ambitions but they should have been buried right from when the season started. Any team that sets the record for injuries in a season and has the hardest schedule in the NFL shouldn’t be anywhere near the playoffs. But do you not realize what organization this is. The Ravens are warriors who built their identity on overcoming adversity. For the most part they did. They lived by High End Talent, and died by High End Talent. Even if they lost 6 straight including 5 by 8 points each to end the season this shouldn’t be something to be sad about. Why? On paper the Ravens should have lost each of those games by an average of 3 TDs because of how decimated they were on both sides and that they were facing Super Bowl Contenders in a majority of those games. The fact that they nearly made the playoffs with Tyler Huntley at QB sends a message that this team will be a force next season. With a 4th place schedule and 45 Million in Cap Space the 2022 season will have high hopes in the Charm City. Plus next year is the 10th Anniversary of their Super Bowl XLVII Championship. (I can’t believe it’s been almost 10 years since I was in New Orleans for that epic championship victory) There will be many flashbacks of those great moments next season. And let’s hope that the Ravens can live up to those lofty expectations. With Joe Burrow already in Cincinnati, and perhaps Deshawn Watson and Kenny Pickett possibly joining the Browns and Steelers, the AFC North will be tough but if the Boys in Purple are healthy it’s Baltimore’s to lose. Fortunately for you viewers I will be bringing this series back for a 3rd season next year. This may not be the season finale just yet but I wanted to put this out there. And to wrap this season up, here are the words that will symbolize this team and city as the Baltimore Ravens attempt to go for Super Bowl Championship #3 in 2022. “HERE WE ARE DON’T TURN AWAY NOW! WE ARE THE WARRIORS THAT BUILT! THIS!! TOWN!!!” (May the Omar Whistle and League of Legends theme reign supreme around B-More. Amen. BIG TRUSS! Go Ravens!)
Bragging Rights Sports 