Dial the clock back one full season and it doesn’t take a lot of recall effort to remember how Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti publicly placed the team’s offensive coordinator on notice (4:00 mark of video below).   “We like Cam [Cameron] under fire as our offensive coordinator next year.”   But was he really under fire? Or was that some flickering candle in the wind? The numbers as evidenced in this 24x7 piece by Scot Kleinfeld, depict a slight improvement in the Ravens offense. Apparently it was enough to blow out that candle and save Cameron’s job for 2012.   But back to the concept of fire, where’s the evidence that firepower ever existed in the Ravens offense?   Outside of the opening game against the Steelers, the bombs away aerial assault upon the putrid Rams and for three-quarters of the AFC Championship Game, what can we point to as proof-positive that the Ravens improved offensively?   And perhaps a more im...

The Ravens experienced several peaks and valleys during the 2011 season.  Despite a 12-4 record (13-5 overall) the campaign was gut-wrenching in many ways for Ravens fans. Some were frustrated, others teased by the club’s potential. Perhaps expectations were set artificially high during the Opening Day waxing of the Pittsburgh Steelers. In the end 2011 was a successful journey for the team, the city of Baltimore and all of the team’s fans both near and far – one that included an AFC North Division Title, a first round bye in the playoffs, a Divisional Round victory at home and 1 completed catch away from the franchise’s second Super Bowl appearance. Maybe the suddenness of the journey’s end has left us reaching for answers or in some cases pointing the finger of blame.  Others are even buying in to carefully crafted traps of deception set by the diabolical Bill Belichick. At the end of the day what we do know is this – the proverbial bra...

Driven by adrenalin tied directly to today’s game I awoke at 5 AM. Walking down to the kitchen I peered outside to our snow covered deck and our string of purple lights intertwined with the guard rail. Their glow coupled with the light of the approaching dawn cast a purple glow upon the virgin snow. And I smiled. Today I thought, would be a purple letter day! The excitement of the playoffs has been nothing less than exhilarating. Every play, every second is riveting. We see men, our hometown gladiators digging down into the depths of their souls, the wells of perseverance to capture sports’ ultimate prize. This season has had a unique texture. It has been anything but smooth.  Inconsistency has plagued the Ravens, particularly on the road. Our quarterback has weathered a barrage of criticism normally earmarked for a losing team, not one who has won more games than any other quarterback over the last 4 years. As fans we’ve waited for the Ravens to gel, to sh...

Last season after the Ravens fell to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Divisional round of the playoffs, frustrations boiled and it was only natural to assess the damage and allocate blame. As certain as death and taxes, the Baltimore Ravens were carried by their defense while the offense struggled again, finishing 16th in points scored and 22nd overall in yardage – average to below average rankings. Cam Cameron was once again squarely in the crosshairs. Steve Bisciotti wanted Cameron replaced yet somehow John Harbaugh convinced the Ravens owner to give his offensive coordinator a mulligan. Notice was served (4:00 mark of video) and Cameron was granted borrowed time. Now here we are a full year later and the Ravens have matched their 2010 win total and they’ve won yet another playoff game. On Sunday they will fight for the right to represent the AFC in Super Bowl XLVI. That’s progress for the team but is it enough to save Cameron’s job? Comparing this seaso...

I heard this phrase in passing the other day and it hung in the air for a bit – “Prisoner of the Moment.” And then it made me think about how fickle the media is. Collectively they get so caught up in the here and now and lose sight of the big picture. If a win isn’t highlight worthy or pass muster for fantasy football geeks, it must not be a good win.  When a team gets a little momentum they become the one to watch out for regardless of previous inconsistencies. If a quarterback loses a playoff game despite a spectacular season, suddenly they can’t win the big one. I was watching NBC Sports Network the other night for the first time and host Russ Thaler went out via satellite to Milwaukee to chat with a reporter who covers the Green Bay Packers. She was saying how the Packers fans were ripping Aaron Rogers for his Divisional Playoff performance against the Giants and that he really can’t measure up to Brett Favre. Really? What about the ...

There is an awesome buzz here in the Land of Pleasant Living these days. Fans are intoxicated by the Baltimore Ravens. Everywhere you look there’s purple. There are purple lights; purple buildings; purple vehicles, faces, hair, finger nails. Folks everywhere are rocking their Ravens gear and tattoo artists throughout town are being asked to ink up their customers with menacing birds and colorful logos. Game day always has a special vibe about it during the regular season and a Sunday win paves the way to a celebratory start to any work week. Conversely a Sunday loss usually opens the door to a gloomy Monday and a seemingly extraordinarily long wait to the following game – Redemption Sunday. Today there’s little doubt that the anticipation of tomorrow’s game is exponentially greater than a regular season contest and a win tomorrow punches the Ravens’ ticket to the AFC Championship game and even more purple celebrations. But there’s a down side too...

So all week long my plan was clear and present. In fact it was perfect, or so I thought. Step 1: Cheer for the Texans; they win and come to Baltimore Step 2: The dirty work – hope for a Steelers win in Denver. Step 3: Steelers continue their winning ways and beat the Commissioner’s Godson and the Patriots in Foxboro. Step 4: Ravens keep their home winning streak alive and their lifetime mark against the Texans flawless and deliver another problem to Houston. The plan if properly executed would set up the third game of the 2011 season trilogy between the Ravens and the Steelers. How could it possibly be any better than to host Pittsburgh for the AFC Championship? There is not a doubt in my mind that the Ravens would have taken the Steelers down again. NONE! All that silly talk about how hard it is to beat a team three times in the same season was so off the mark as history has proven that 67% of the time the team that won the first 2 games, wins the third. The matc...

During his 9 seasons in Baltimore Brian Billick compiled a record of 85-67 (.559) including a 5-3 record in the playoffs – and of course a World Championship in Super Bowl XXXV. Billick has been away from the sidelines and in broadcasting booths and studios ever since Steve Bisciotti abruptly fired him on New Year’s Eve, 2007. Billick deserved it. Inside sources agreed and offered comments that included but were not limited to: “He lost the team.” “His commitment to Boller split the locker room.” “He was arrogant and crass and disrespected the scouting department.” Billick’s departure in many ways was a self-fulfilling prophecy. He said on several occasions that the coaching life cycle is 7 years after which the same old message from the same old ball coach no longer delivers the intended results. A look around the league suggests that Billick’s theory is off since several highly successful coaches with tenures at or ex...

Anyone who has followed this site or my blog for any amount of time knows that I love the Ravens.  There are many journalists who wouldn’t admit that out of fear that it might jeopardize their journalistic integrity. I happen to believe you can be objective and a fan at the same time – and admit it. Closet fandom doesn’t sit well with me. Recently I took pause to reflect upon the season as both a journalist and a fan. Sometimes it’s difficult to separate the two. Ravens Director of Player Personnel Eric DeCosta once said to me that I write like a coach might write. He said when “we” do well you find a weakness in the game as part of an effort to get better. A coach might prefer to break you down when things are going well so that no one rests on their laurels. Need a little shower on your parade? I’ve got it! Conversely if the Ravens performed poorly, I’ll find the silver lining and build on in order to learn from the loss, move ...

This week the Ravens and to some degree their fans get to sit back, rest a bit both physically and mentally before cranking up the adrenaline throttle in preparation for January 15, 2012 at 1:00PM. Together we can take in all the games, the most interesting and perhaps most pivotal of which for the Ravens is the Bengals v. Texans game in Houston this Saturday at 4:30PM.   The oddsmakers have installed the home team as a 3 point favorite and if it plays out that way and the Texans win, it should be music to the ears of Ravens fans. That means the Ravens would host the Texans a week from Sunday and in all likelihood, despite being banged up, the Steelers will draw the Patriots on Saturday, January 14. Earlier this season the Steelers beat the Patriots on October 30 at Heinz Field by the score of 25-17. It wasn’t that close. And despite their injuries, if the Steelers can take the early lead on January 14 in Foxboro, I don’t think they’ll give it up as easily as t...