“Gonna roll, roll, flip it, got it! OH THE BALL WAS DROPPED!” Well well well, where do I begin? Just when you think every single narrative about this team is going to be vanquished they always find ways to break your heart. Honestly at this point it’s expected. Normally after a loss like this, I would be absolutely crushed. But not this time. This has become typical for this freaking city whether its baseball, or football. Lets see the circumstances, a Baltimore team goes into the playoffs with a talented roster, solid coaching, and an excellent front office on paper, and proceeds to come up short when it matters because the men who have carried them all season uncharacteristically make mistakes. It’s a tradition in this city that goes all the way back to Super Bowl III. And even more insane is that everything was lining up perfectly. The revenge tour with the Chiefs, the Super Bowl being back in New Orleans, Jacoby Jones and Joe D’Alessandris blessing the team from above, THE RULE OF 12s! But then this team further proves the point that they’re the NFL’s version of the Penn State Nittany Lions. Enough talking lets get this over with. PAUSE.
Lamar Jackson does deserve at least some criticism for this game, but not much. The interception he threw was his fault, it was a bad pass and Taylor Rapp was Johnny on the Spot waiting for it to land his lap. The fumble was also ugly, but in his defense he was doomed from the moment the snap was botched. Although I will say this. In recent years, Lamar would have been a deer in the headlights and shot himself in the foot after something like that. In the 2nd Half he didn’t. That 88 yard drive at the end of regulation showed how far he’s come as a QB. He will win a championship one of these years. And he knows it. But until then, he’s going to be getting the same treatment that Dan Marino, and Warren Moon received before him. I find it fascinating that this is what Cal Ripken would have been had he not won the 1983 World Series. PAUSE.
I feel so bad for Mark Andrews. That man has overcome a ton of setbacks this year and for him to have this happen to him is just depressing. Think about it. Mandrews suffers a broken ankle, comes back from it but clearly isn’t 100%, then gets in a major car accident and nearly loses his life, then returns to his old form down the stretch which was something that I thought wouldn’t be possible, and then at the worst time he turns into Todd Heap against Indianapolis in 2006. The one thing that this man has valued more than anything is ball security. And in this game, it was his undoing. The fumble in the 4th Quarter I won’t go too hard on him because that was an outstanding play by Terrel Bernard. But unfortunately that dropped pass on the 2 point play will forever be his legacy with the Ravens just like Todd Heap when he dropped the go ahead TD against the Colts which ironically resulted in an interception as well. The worst part about this is that this may have been his last game in purple. He has a player option next year and I’m not sure if the Ravens are going to want to exercise that option. And if this is indeed the end for him in Baltimore, it was great to watch you. Let me guess they’re going to draft Tyler Warren to replace him. PAUSE.
Really Linderbaum? You had to pick this game to get completely manhandled up front? The whole Buford moniker, straight up imposing your will against guys who were stronger and heavier than you. Don’t get me wrong, he had some good open field blocks in the 2nd Half, but more often than not he got run over. And not to mention Lamar tripped over his foot which killed one drive, and then he had a bad snap that was flashbacks to Patrick Mekari 4 years later in which he and the rest of that offense almost turned Von Miller into Taron Johnson. If Linderbaum does his job, we might not even be talking about this being a lost cause right now. But hey he’s made back to back Pro Bowls and is probably getting a gigantic extension either this year or next year. Word of advice, don’t let this happen again. PAUSE.
Brandon Stephens is the modern day LaDarius Webb. Solid player but there’s only one massive flaw in his game. HE CAN’T TURN AROUND AND LOOK FOR THE BALL! When Buffalo scored on their opening drive, Josh Allen literally took that chance and it paid off. And even though Tre’Davious White in theory should have been an upgrade, he too was suffering from Webb’s disease. But in their defense, HOW THE HELL WAS THAT PI ON WHITE! I get the NFL wants their two golden boys to face each other in the AFC Championship Game at Arrowhead but that was so blatant. If that doesn’t get called just like Linderbaum botching a snap, who knows what happens the rest of this game. And luckily for the grouchy Marylanders, both White and Stephens will probably be gone in the offseason due to cap constraints. But hey at least Nate Wiggins is a stud. PAUSE.
John Harbaugh is coaching this team until he retires. Let me set that record straight. Although there is one comparison that is completely obvious for me to make. He is the NFL’s version of James Franklin. The definition of a players coach, has a tremendous relationship with the program and the fanbase, always builds strong teams, is an incredibly likable guy to be around. Yet something always goes wrong at the worst times. And like Franklin against Notre Dame, you can’t blame Harbaugh for why they lost this game. Other than one play, they were super disciplined, they didn’t abandon the identity that got them this far, and they stood face to face with adversity and nearly came out victorious. If there’s any good news for Harbs it’s that Steve Bisciotti is a Rooney in all but name, and nothing is going to change until he decides to hang up his headset whenever that time comes. But hey he still proved that he’s a better coach than his brother, and he finally ended the narratives against Tomlin.
EDC I’m not going to waste any time on him, I’ve lost my privilege to criticize him since I now have a COMM class with his daughter Jane. PAUSE.
Chris Horton is the reason I think it’s never easy to have to replace a legend. When he was given the job of Special Teams coach once Jerry Rosberg retired, he was considered a hot prospect. If this year is any indication, Horton does not hear a who. He was tactically spanked for the majority of the season, and the fact that the Ravens went the entire season without a kick return TD is a terrible look especially by Harbaugh standards. Not to mention he’s ruined Justin Tucker’s mechanics to the point where he can no longer kick over 50 yards unless the game is played indoors. The fact that he was considered a head coaching candidate by PFF was ridiculous. If there’s any solace for the people that don’t like him, his contract is up this spring. I know someone who is going to be looking for a new Special Teams coach over at SoFi Stadium.
Ozzie Newsome has PTSD of the 1 yard line. THERE I SAID IT! This is not an exaggeration, this is absolutely factual. Look at how many times he’s been victimized on that part of the field. Red Right 88, The Drive, The Fumble, Elvis Grbac throwing two picks in the end zone against the Steelers in 2001, two crushing turnovers against Indianapolis in 06, Lee Evans, the Immaculate Extension, Marlon Humphrey having a 100 yard TD on a fumble return against the Chargers called back instant replay, Taron Johnson, Mark Andrews dropping not one but two 2-point conversion plays to end the season, The Fumble in the Jungle, and of course Zay Flowers getting his clock cleaned by Kansas City last year. And if it weren’t for CJ Mosley in 2018, they would have lost to the Browns because Lamar fumbled on the 1 yard line. The Ghost of Ernest Byner still haunts him, Kevin Byrne, and whoever is left of the Modell Family. And the sad part is that he can’t escape it because it keeps happening to him over and over. PAUSE.
The Ravens are at a crossroads. Eric DeCosta and Sashi Brown have secured everything they’ve ever desired over the past few years. Generational QB, Hall of Fame WR, solid WR combo, elite TEs, solid O-Line, great defense, Hall of Fame Kicker, Hall of Fame Coach. Yet it isn’t enough. And the sad part is that unlike previous years this wasn’t an instance where they beat themselves. They just lost. Buffalo was the better team for most of the game, and the fact that even came down to that 2 point play was impressive given how much the Bills imposed their will in the 1st Half. And for as inspiring as their efforts in the 2nd Half were, it still doesn’t ignore the fact that this was a wasted season. The goal in Training Camp was to finally make it to the Super Bowl. They failed AGAIN! They are starting to develop killer instincts based on how they overcame the Pittsburgh narratives this year but something is still missing. And I don’t know where they’re going to find it. I would say this organization is going to panic given how many times they’ve come up short, but then again this is the most patient organization in football. To put it this way, nothing is going to change. And what bums me out the most is that I know deep down in my heart that the Ravens are a blocked field goal and Hail Mary away from being ringless. Which means that if they somehow manage to win it all one day, it’ll be the result of every single thing going their way as well as their opponents collapsing as well. It would have been awfully nice not to choke against the Raiders in Week 2 which would have given them the home game rather than having to go to Orchard Park just saying. PAUSE.
Bragging Rights Sports 