Most members of the local sports media will tell you that they aren’t fans of the Baltimore Ravens. They detach themselves emotionally in order to remain objective.

I suppose in a way that is somewhat similar to a surgeon who can’t get too close to terminally ill patients for the benefit of other patients who depend on said surgeon’s cerebral clarity.

Unfortunately I’m not one of those locals covering the Ravens who have that ability.

I tried decompressing over the past 15 plus hours to calm down and attain that clarity so that I might deliver lucid thoughts. You can evaluate my lucidity for yourself but I’m here to tell you that I have not calmed down.

I am pissed off!

The question I have is, “Why isn’t anyone over at One Winning Drive pissed off?”

The Ravens have struggled mightily to get off to a fast start over the course of the last 7 games. So, on their first offensive drive last night they are in the red zone with a first and 10 from the Green Bay 17. On the very next play, Ray Rice coughs it up. Green Bay takes over.

“It’s my fault,” Rice said. “I’m not known as a fumbler. I protect the ball well. It’s something I’ll get corrected.”

No worries. Back to the drawing board and do better next time, right?

Willis McGahee gets tripped up rather easily on a first and goal at the one with the Ravens trailing 24-14 and 9:46 left on the game clock. This is the guy who is supposed to have a nose for the goal line yet he bounces his run outside and is upended after a toe tap from Charles Woodson.

“He came through and tripped me up,” McGahee said. “It was a great play. He’s a Pro Bowler.”

Next play, Joe Flacco flushes out of the pocket, rolls right, sets and lobs a pass across his body and towards the middle of the field in the end zone to Demetrius Williams. Put a little mustard on it and Williams just might have a touchdown. Instead the result is an inexcusable red zone interception.

“It was a stupid decision and a worse throw,” Flacco said. “It was second down so you don’t really need to make a play there.

“You can give yourself another shot on third down and still kick a field goal. I didn’t set my feet, I didn’t get enough on the ball and I underthrew him.”

Why are these guys not more emotionally committed?

How can they so cavalierly discard these major blunders?

“We are fighting for our lives right now, but we are still breathing,” coach John Harbaugh said. “We are still alive. I think our character and heart will show through as we finish up the season.”

You mean like that unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that Derrick Mason chipped in with while your team trailed 17-14 at the start of the fourth quarter? You remember, the foul that forced Sam Koch to punt from his own end zone don’t you coach? Didn’t Aaron Rodgers & Co. start that drive from YOUR 49?

Oh and four plays later it was Packers 24-14, ring a bell?

Is that the character and heart you are talking about?

 “That shouldn’t happen,” Harbaugh said. “You keep your poise, you come off the field. You’re upset about it. Derrick has to keep his poise, come off the field and not compound the problem. We tell our guys, ‘Something happens, don’t compound the problem.’”

Well based on that level of passion and emotional involvement from the ball coach I bet Derrick Mason didn’t get his chocolate pudding on the plane ride back to Baltimore.

Where is the sense of urgency?

How about some accountability?

“The penalties have to improve,” Harbaugh said. “There were too many penalties. Obviously it was a two-way deal. The game was called a certain way."

Coach this has been going on the entire season. Your team is next to the bottom of the league in number of penalties and penalty yards. With 12 games in the bag, do you have any idea when exactly we can expect the improvement?

Where is the discipline?

Penalties and regular bone-headed mistakes from players like Mason, Flacco, Haloti Ngata even Ray Lewis.

These aren’t Mighty Men coach, this is a mighty mess!

You know as a fan of this team and with the access to information that I’ve been granted and certainly appreciate, I will often refrain from second guessing some questionable organizational moves. My rationalization is simple – these guys know more about football and certainly more about what is best for the Baltimore Ravens than I do.

I hear the front office folks talk about their players and coaches like proud parents.

I’ve heard the coaches heap praise upon Ozzie Newsome and his staff and proclaim them the best in the business.

How then do you explain a 3-6 record over the past nine games?

Even lowly teams like the Chiefs, Bears and Seahawks have better records during that stretch. In fact, the team many once considered the worst in the league (Oakland Raiders) has the same record over the last nine games as the Ravens!

Why has this team slipped drastically to the 15^th ranked offense in the league?

Where is the ball distribution?

How can the coaches justify not getting the ball into the hands of Kelley Washington more frequently?

Where is the pass rush?

If the Ravens have talented players and coaches why don’t they have the results to match?

Clearly the front office has some explaining to do.

They brought in a nickel back and return guy in Chris Carr and gave him money that could have been Jim Leonhard’s. Didn’t secondary coach Chuck Pagano see enough of Carr in Oakland to realize he doesn’t have the prerequisite speed for those duties?

The Ravens re-signed Samari Rolle who hasn’t sniffed the field since the Divisional Playoff Game against the Titans last season. Why? Was this some sort of payback to Rolle for some behind the scenes favor?

Domonique Foxworth has hardly given the team their money’s worth and is at best a No. 2 corner but more realistically a nickel. We heard about what a great job he did against Larry Fitzgerald in the playoffs last year but if he was really that good, wouldn’t a post season participant like the Falcons fight a bit harder to keep him?

LJ Smith, an All Pro on the NFL’s All China Doll team is brought in to be a backup to Todd Heap, a player who isn’t exactly a model of health. Didn’t John Harbaugh see enough of Smith’s act in Philadelphia to know that the oft-broken winged Eagle would hardly fly as a Raven?

And what do you think about the team gifting Terrell Suggs with the most lucrative linebacker contract ever? Oh sure, we get that Suggs is a multi-talented linebacker who can support the run and MAYBE give you 8-10 sacks per year but was the Brink’s Truck really necessary? Is he THAT much of a difference maker?

“We’ve done this to ourselves”, said Jarret Johnson.

“Across the board, we didn’t play well enough to win. We need to win four games.”

Maybe Double J should have just stopped at, “We’ve done this to ourselves across the board.”

And maybe that’s why no one is really all that pissed off.

They have ALL wet the bed over at One Winning Drive.

The players, the coaches, the scouts, the front office – everyone needs a Huggie.

And since they are collectively to blame, why point fingers? Just keep it on the down low, say we’ll get ‘em next time and everyone goes home unscathed – for now anyway.

Many give props to owner Steve Bisciotti for not meddling and I must admit I’m one of them. But maybe it’s time that Bisciotti blows a gasket. Maybe he needs to collect his coaches, front office and team captains and have a come to Jesus meeting about what the flip is going on and why this alleged collection of talent is so mediocre.

That shower scene with baseball bats from Bull Durham comes to mind.

This ‘09 season is officially on life support and the pulling of the plug isn’t far off.

Unlike that surgeon, it’s time for Bisciotti to get emotionally involved.

He doesn’t have to meddle, but he should be pissed off just like me and you.

And just like me and you, he should want some answers.

Not tomorrow, not after this week’s game against the Lions – RIGHT NOW!

Unlike that horrific two minute offense at the end of last night’s debacle, there needs to be a sense of urgency. Because that sense of urgency just might be all that a mediocre team like the Ravens needs to actually get a post season dance card in this very mediocre NFL.