Walt Harris is a very good signing for this team. Lardarius Webb and Fabian Washington are progressing well through their respective rehab efforts, but everyone knows that football players, especially speed guys, are not quite the same the first year back from an ACL. The Ravens need a proven vet to be available to start at corner. Remember two years ago when the Ravens were forced to start Frank Walker in the AFC Championship game? Or last year when Chris Carr and even Cary Williams saw their names in the starting lineup? That’s a scary scenario for a team looking to make a deep playoff run.

I realize that Harris is turning 36 and coming off his own knee injury, which forced him to miss the entire 2009 season, but he looked good in a tryout with the Ravens and has 13 years of starting NFL cornerback savvy. Harris has some pedigree as well. He was a first round draft pick by the Bears in 1996; has started just under 90% of his career games; and made the pro bowl in 2006. I’m not getting overly excited here, I actually hope the Ravens never need Harris to make a signal start. I’m just satisfied with the Ravens’ options should Webb and Washington not be available.

I’m also pretty happy with the Ravens other pro bowl signings. Ken Hamlin is a hard hitting safety that could step in should Ed Reed not fully recover from hip surgery in time for the season. Hamlin has some left in the tank at 29 and seems to be hungry to prove that he is still a starting safety in the NFL. At very least, he will push Dawan Landry.

Marc Bulger doesn’t come cheap at $3.8 million, but he is a significant upgrade over Troy Smith and Jon Beck. Hey Troy, you still want to get traded to Cleveland? Well I’m sure they’re not interested, but hopefully we can get a sixth rounder for you. I can’t stress the importance of having a competent backup QB, it’s the most important position in sports. Bulger, even as a backup, is well worth the money.

The NFL is a league of attrition, which is why the Ravens front office deserves a hand for their recent signings.

~Pat Cary

The Ravens scored on their first play from scrimmage then immediately turned the Pats over on their fist defensive series and scored again.  The Ravens defense turned Brady over in three of the Patriots first four offensive series en route to scoring 24 first quarter points.  After the first quarter barrage the Pats never came within 13 points of the Ravens.  The halftime score should have been 24-0, but John Harbaugh failed to challenge a bad referee call that awarded the Patriots a fumble recovery off a New England punt.  At 27-13 in the third quarter the Ravens faithful must have felt a little uneasy, but those fears were short-lived as the offense continued to pound the ball and control the clock.

There’s something so beautiful about watching a team impose their will on an opponent.  The Ravens were going to run the ball, everyone watching the game knew that and still the Patriots couldn’t stop them.  Joe Flacco attempted ten passes!  Ten passes – high school quarter backs regularly attempt more passes than that.  The 234 rushing yards the Ravens put up is just as much a testament to the offensive line as it is to the running backs, because they smashed the Pats’ defensive front without a passing game. 

In addition to the outstanding offensive line play I thought the defense turned in their best performance of the year.  The much maligned defensive backfield deserves a lot of praise for how they played on Sunday.  Ray Lewis played an outstanding game and led all defenders with 13 tackles, but I thought the best tackler on the field Sunday was Domonique Foxworth.  Foxworth whose 5’11”, 175, and known to be a suspect tackler at times recorded ten tackles (nine solo) and prevented a number of five yard receptions from being 15 yard receptions as he shutdown Randy Moss. 

Greg Mattison put together a great defensive scheme and called an excellent game as well.  He dropped a lot of defenders into pass coverage, but was still able to sack Brady three times.  You never want to see Tom Brady stand comfortably in the pocket, but the Ravens coverage held up and made Brady pay by intercepting him three times.  Frank Walker even had a good game! 

Boomer Esiason, Mike Greenberg and some other NFL analyst discredited the Ravens’ performance by saying that there must be something wrong with Tom Brady.  Yeah there was something wrong with Tom Brady; he went up against a Ravens defense that still knows how to hit people in the mouth.  I’m not denying that Brady is banged up, but who isn’t?  From week 13 (when Brady supposedly sustain his rib injury) through week 17 the Pats were 3-2 Brady threw eight touchdowns to five interceptions and averaged a 90.8 QB rating.  Those numbers aren’t stellar, but they certainly don’t jump off the page indicating that there is something really wrong with the golden boy.  As much as I hate Bill Belichick I’ll have to say that he gave the Ravens their due when he said that they were the better team in all facets of the game.  

So it’s onto Indianapolis for the Ravens where they’ll try and exercise another skeleton from their closet.  In week 11 of the regular season the Ravens held Peyton Manning and the Colts to 17 points, but narrowly lost the game.  The Ravens didn’t sack Manning on that day, but forced him in two interceptions and somewhat contained the hall of fame quarterback.  This time the Ravens will be on the road and they’ll most certainly be underdogs, but that’s how they like it. 

~Pat Cary

Here are my primary takeaways from the game:

The offensive line turned in their worst performance of the year.  There have been many games when they’ve failed to run block well and there have been games when they’ve failed to protect Joe Flacco, but on Monday Night they failed in both facets.  The Ravens recorded just 185 yards of total offense and if it wasn’t for the 175 yards they received as the result of Packer penalties the final could have been more lopsided.  Packers’ rookie defensive tackled BJ Raji worked Ben Grubbs, while his fellow rookie teammate Clay Matthews Jr. gave Jared Gaither fits. 

Greg Mattison is the king of sending blitzes that don’t pressure the quarterback.  A typical Ravens blitz goes a little something like this…Ravens send two or three defenders who are instantly swallowed up by the O-line and/or running backs, the QB sidesteps what little pressure is in his face and connects down field for significant yardage.  Our corners are simply not good enough to be left on an island, so we need to disrupt the QB when we blitz.  The Ravens managed just one sack and two QB hits last night while the Packers sacked Flacco three times and hit him eight times total.  I’ll admit that the pressure from the down linemen was better in the second half, but still not acceptable. 

Raven receivers get ZERO separation and it hampers Joe Flacco and the offense as a whole.  Far too often you’ll see Flacco check down to Ray Rice or try to force a ball into tight coverage, which is a direct result of the lack of open receivers.  Last season the Ravens were able to use play action to get receivers open, but that was when they were a legitimate running threat.

John Harbaugh looked shell shocked on the sidelines for most of the game.  Teams reflect the personality of their head coach and last night the Ravens intensity was lacking for most of the game.  Harbaugh started jawing at Flacco after he threw a fourth quarter endzone interceptions, but besides that there was little fire from the head coach.  On another note, I can’t understand why Harbaugh would elect to short kick it after two consecutive scores.  Trailing 17-14 I would have booted it deep and let the defense take over. 

Cam Cameron’s play calling was a little suspect last night as well.  Cam did a masterful job working with a rookie QB last season…maybe it’s time to dumb down the play book a bit and get back to basics. 

NFL referees have way too much impact on the outcome of games.  I get that the Ravens and Packers are the first and second most penalized teams in the NFL, but last night was a bit ridiculous.  The game featured a combine 23 penalties for 310 yards, which made it the second highest single game penalty total in NFL history.  You can attribute that to a lack of discipline on both sidelines, but the sheer volume speaks to a deeper problem.  The NFL is soft.  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…the NFL rules committee has gone too far to foster offensive production.  It’s to the point where sound defensive plays are being flagged and it’s having a significant impact on the outcome of games. 

The silver lining is that if the Ravens win out they still have a real chance of making the playoffs, but at 6-6 they no longer control their own destiny.  Last year we saw the Patriots miss the playoffs at 11-5 and the year before that Cleveland was left out after going 10-6.  The Ravens head back to M&T for a two home games against the Lions and Bears before hitting the road to finish at Pittsburgh and Oakland.  It’s definitely possible to win out, but if we really want to be a legit team we need to fix our line play on both sides of the ball. 

~ Pat Cary

It’s an old football cliché, but when you settle for field goals, especially off turnovers, you set yourself up for failure.  The Ravens’ defense forced Peyton Manning and Indy’s offense into three turnovers, but only had six points to show for their efforts.  Toss in a fourth quarter Indy goal line stand and a Joe Flacco INT and you have a recipe for disaster. 

This game was so crucial for the Ravens who saw the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cincinatti Bengals unexpectedly fall to weak AFC West opponents. The Ravens had a prime opportunity to knockoff unbeaten Indy, improve their record to six and four, and stay atop the wildcard pack.  Instead the theme of the day was blown opportunity. 

The offense was able to move the ball fairly well against an injury bitten Indy defense, but couldn’t seal the deal with touchdowns.  Cam Cameron committed to running the ball with 31 attempts, but the o-line weren’t able to blow the undersized defenders back at the point of contact.  This marks the fourth straight week the Ravens rush the ball for less than a four yards per carry average.  Rice is a hell of a player, but we need that big bruising back to run in-between the tackles.  That person used to be LeRon McClain, but McClain has been underutilized as a tailback this season.  Frankly, I’m not quite sure McClain has the quickness needed to be a dominant tailback in the NFL

Another factor contributing to the Ravens lack of offensive production is the fact that our wide receivers get little to no separation.  I realize that Derrick Mason had a huge day, but many of his catches came under duress.  Outside of Mason the Ravens wide receivers had a total of two catches for 18 yards.  Bottom line, this offense would be a force if Flacco had a big fast option opposite Mason.  There’s no white knight receiver available to the Ravens at this point, so let’s continue this conversation in April.

Billy Cundiff looked to be a just what the Ravens needed, but instead of  turning in a five-for-five Matt Stover-like performance, he missed a chip shot that would have been the difference in the game.  I’m not blaming the loss on Cundiff though, because the Ravens’ offense left so many points on the field. 

In all honesty the season’s not over, but if we lose to Pittsburgh next week it will be.  Perhaps Harbaugh can get his first victory against the Roethlisberger-less Steelers.   

~ Pat Cary

P.S. Can someone on the Ravens’ coaching staff please tell Ed Reed that he is no longer allowed to lateral the ball on returns of any kind.  I realize that the Ravens would have had the ball on their own 41 yard line with about 17 seconds left on the clock, but at least they would have had a chance.

The Bengals established their dominance early going 12 plays and 68 yards on their first drive…the Ravens offense ran 11 plays total in the first quarter.  The Ravens offense ran just 19 plays in the first half totaling eight minutes and seventeen seconds.  While the Ravens struggled to string drives together the Bengals offense execute 43 plays totaling over twenty-one minutes of possession time.  Palmer, Chad Ochocinco, and company lead scoring drives of 68, 80, and 75 yards in the first half, which seemed to break the Ravens’ will. 

The Ravens defense, however, dug-in during the second half and held the Bengals scoreless.  It’s too bad that the Ravens offense decided to continue their futility.  Cam Cameron’s charges had an utterly forgettable day.  When Joe Flacco had time he couldn’t find an open receiver and when he did take a deep shot coverage was rock sold while his throws were not.  I want to reiterate how well Cincy’s corners played.  Johnathan Joseph and Leon Hall were about as shutdown as you can be while playing within the rules of this offense-happy league.  It must be nice to have a corner you can trust to play man coverage without a ten yard cushion. 

I guess if there was a silver lining to Sunday’s beating it was the inspiring play of rookie Lardarius Webb.  This guy continues to impress with speed, aggressiveness, and a workman-like approach to the game. Webb rotated in at nickelback early in the game and eventually relieved Fabian Washington at corner. Webb was the only Raven defensive back who played inspired football on Sunday.  I’m including Ed Reed in that statement realizing that he was solely responsible for the fourth quarter strip of Chad Ochocinco, which briefly gave the Ravens life.  Ed is admittedly my favorite player and I’ll go to bat for him any day, but he had a terrible game.  My primary beef was with Ed’s tackling, which was atrocious on Sunday.  A tertiary concern is the seemly apathetic attitude coming from ole number 20. 

As I said before, despite Ed’s troubles he was responsible for breathing life into the team when he created a huge fourth quarter turnover.  All momentum and points, however, were lost when Steve “Nerves” Hauschka pushed a 38 yard field goal attempt wide left.  What can we say about that?  I know he has all the physical tools to nail that kick, but it appears that he lacks the mental makeup to hit pressure kicks.  Can I officially stop eating crow for being on the ‘show Stover the door’ bandwagon?  Game day roster spots are precious in the NFL, but reliable kickers are more important.  I would venture to say that John Harbaugh would gladly carry two kickers at this point. 

Up next for the Ravens is a matchup with Cleveland on Monday Night Football.  Let’s take advantage of a team in shambles, because the following week sees Peyton Manning stroll into M&T Bank Stadium.  This defense needs to get right for that game, because Manning will absolute punish us if we can’t figure out a solution in the secondary. 

~ Patrick Cary

Should we be getting use to this?  It’s the third consecutive week the Ravens saw their chances for victory slip away in the final minutes of the fourth quarter.  It’s also the third straight week that the Ravens lost the time of possession battle by nearly ten minutes and failed to rush the ball more than twenty times.  This marks the second week the Ravens’ defense allowed the opposition to march down a long field to score the game winner.  And it’s the second week in a row the Ravens have surrendered a 100 plus yard rusher…only the second time in franchise history that the Ravens have allowed back-to-back 100 yard rushers, first since 1999.  This week’s loss, however, had a different feel than the Patriots and Bengals games.   

Sunday’s game was a tale of two halves.  The Vikings scored on their first two possessions and made it look easy as Visanthe Shiancoe, Bernard Berrian, and Sidney Rice made Jarret Johnson and our secondary look silly.  The Ravens defense was able to quickly tighten their straps, as they forced the Vikings to punt on their final four possessions of the first half.  The Ravens offense, however, could only muster three points and 137 total yards. 

Three minutes into the game the Ravens looked as if they were on the business end of a blowout, but by halftime they had worked their way onto life support.  The Ravens defense seemed stable, but the Vikings defense looked dominate as they shut down the run and treated Joe Flacco like a tackling dummy. 

The Ravens offense showed life during their second offensive possession of the third quarter, driving 72 yards for their first touchdown of the game.  The 22 yard Ray Rice scamper brought the Ravens within seven points of the Vikings’ lead and tilted the momentum in their favor.  The Vikings immediately answered back as Sidney Rice turned a routine slant route into a 63 yard gain.  The Ravens were ultimately able to hold the Vikings to a field goal, but their inability to defend the pass was disheartening. 

A combine forty one points were scored in the fourth quarter, as Joe Flacco and Ray Rice seemingly willed the Ravens’ offense to success.  And the defense …well the defense gave up a 58 yard run to Adrian Peterson after containing him for most of the day and again proved they couldn’t cover anyone when it really mattered.   

The last four minutes of the game created a whirlwind of emotions for the Ravens faithful.   Ray Rice broke his second 20 plus yard TD run to give the Ravens a one point lead only to see Brett Favre lead his unit 66 yards down the field, in little over a minute and a half, to take it right back.  To the credit of the Ravens offense they didn’t seem to be phased as Flacco calmly lead his team 41 yards to set up a 44 yard game winning field goal attempt…

Wide left!

Ravens fans now have two weeks to stew over the third consecutive gut wrenching loss.  14 days…14 days of “we should have kept Stover”…14 days of excessive scrutiny and pessimism from the droves of Monday Morning Quarterbacks. 

I’m not saying a certain level of scrutiny isn’t deserved.  I’ve maintained all season that the Ravens defensive secondary was merely the victims of bad breaks and a lack of pressure, but I’m starting to worry that a fundamental problem exists.  Fabian Washington looked like a shutdown corner at times last year and now he’s getting benched in favor of Frank Walker during crucial late game drives. The secondary as a whole has largely turned in underwhelming performances thus far.  I’ll maintain that a lack of pressure from the front seven is a big part of the problem, but it’s time for the DBs to start showing some accountability. 

As always I like to keep things in perspective…turn back the calendar twelve months and you’ll find many similarities.  The Ravens were coming off their third consecutive loss after an absolute trouncing in Indianapolis.  After a good start the Ravens had fell victims to questionable calls, questionable coverage, and an inability to close teams out (see the 2008 Steelers, Titans, Colts stretch).  At 2-3 the Ravens were facing a very difficult stretch of the schedule. A year later the team is 3-3 facing a bye week followed by a tough stretch of games. 

Believe me this loss is going to stick in my craw, but at the end of the day the team gave 110%. Let’s hope the Ravens use this bye week to address their secondary issues internally.  Perhaps Mike Preston, of the Baltimore Sun, wasn’t so far off when he suggested that the Ravens give third rounder Lardarius Webb a chance at corner.  In addition to getting focused and getting healthy let’s hope the Ravens brass pull off a trade for  stud wide receiver Dwayne Bowe of the Kansas City Chiefs.  Bowe is rumored to be on the table for a second round draft pick in the 2010 draft due to his rocky relationship with new head coach Todd Haley.  Bowe for a second round pick is an absolute steal.  I’m not sure how much truth there is to the trade rumor, especially after Bowe went for a 109 yards today, but here’s to hoping. 

~Pat Cary

I’d hate to let my Baltimorean paranoia get the better of me by spouting off about conspiracy theories, but when did it become illegal to hit Tom Brady?  Haloti Ngata and Terrell Suggs were both called for roughing the passer during Sunday’s game.  Ngata drew a flag for lightly touching Brady’s helmet, which negated a third down and nine stop by the defense.  Suggs was called for stumbling forward and falling in the direction of Brady’s knee…Brady even prompted the ref to throw the flag.  All in all the Ravens had nine penalties called against them for 85 yards.  There were several flags thrown at critical parts of the game.   One of the more inopportune flags came on the Patriots first possession of the third quarter when Chris Carr was flagged for illegal contact on third down and ten.  I didn’t see an infraction and apparently neither did John Harbaugh as CBS camera’s caught him screaming, “that was a bullsh*t call!” to the line judge.  Harbaugh’s outburst resulted in a personal foul call against the Ravens, their third 15-yard violation of the day.

In addition to the untimely penalties the Ravens lost starting left tackle Jared Gaither, who was carted off the field in the second quarter, for most of the game.  Gaither appeared to suffer a head/neck injury, which caused him to be carted off the field and sent to Massachusetts General Hospital.  The good news is that Gaither has movement in all extremities, but we’ll have to wait to see how long the injury will keep him sidelined.  The news for Brendon Ayanbadejo, however, was not so good.  A game after being named the AFC’s defensive player of the week, Ayanbadejo will likely have to undergo season-ending surgery on his torn quadriceps tendon.  This injury has to be a huge blow for Ayanbadejo who was seeing his role with the Ravens expand from special teams ace to regular contributor on defense. 

Despite all the adversity the Ravens kept battling back.  On fourth and four, with less than a minute left in the game, Joe Flacco fired a strike right between the eight and nine on Mark Clayton’s jersey only to see the ball bounce off his chest.  If Clayton would have made that routine catch the Ravens would have had a time out and four shots at the endzone from within their own ten yard line. There’s no doubt in my mind that the Ravens would have punched in the go-ahead score if Clayton would have been able to convert on fourth down. 

This had game had the makings of a benchmark victory for the Ravens.  It would have been about as big as a non-playoff-berth-cinching regular season win could be.  Instead we, as Ravens fans, are left with our disappointment and thoughts of what could have been.  To me it’s on par with the disappointment I felt after the Ravens overtime loss in Pittsburgh last season…Okay, let me take a deep breath…The Ravens are 3-1 and playing the Cincinnati Bengals at home next week for sole possession of first place in the AFC North.

The Good:  The Ravens offense looked good with the exception of Flacco’s INT in the redzone to end the half and Clayton’s terrible drop to end the game. The Ravens outgained the Pats in total yards (363 to 319); they ran the ball at a 6.8 yard per carry clip; and they converted third downs at with a 64% efficiency.  Furthermore, Flacco and company were able to stay poised and composed on the road against a Bill Belichick defense. 

I would have liked to have seen the Ravens rush the ball more than 17 times in the game.  When you can run the ball effectively it’s always a more attractive option than passing, because there is less risk involved.  The Ravens, however, were able to take advantage of a young and inexperienced (with the exception of Shawn Springs) New England secondary on their first offensive possession.  During the Ravens opening drive Flacco accounted for 86 yards with his right arm alone, including a 20 yard TD pass to Derrick Mason.  The Ravens set the tone with the pass, but they might have been able to win the time of possession battle if they would have mixed in more rushing attempts. 

The Bad:  Special teams, with the exception of punter Sam Koch, have performed pretty poorly.  The kickoff and kickoff return teams are especially disappointing.   It be nice to see kicker Steve Hauschka send some kickoffs into the endzone…wasn’t that one of the major benefits in going with him over the weaker legged Matt Stover? 

In addition to his mediocre returns Chris Carr has now fumbled twice in this young season, both fumbles occuring on the road.  Carr’s first fumble, in San Diego, landed safely out of bounds, but that wasn’t the case when Carr coughed up the ball on the opening kickoff of Sunday’s game. Rookie Lardarius Webb, who had fumbling issues of his own in the preseason, replaced Carr as the returner late in the game and was able to give the Ravens a small spark. 

The Ugly:  I don’t think one aspect of the Ravens effort could be classified as “ugly”.  I hate to harp on the officiating, but it was terrible.  I saw Harbaugh mouth “it’s like 11 on 12 out there” to one of the officials.  The refs put the Ravens at an disadvantage with some of their calls, but they didn’t lose the game for them.  Every unit could have played better, but the bottom line is that the Ravens were a dropped pass away from marching into Gillette Stadium and earning a hard fought road win against one of the NFL’s best teams. 

~ Pat Cary

1. Giants (1), Ravens (2) – The Giants and Ravens could go 1 and 1a as far as I’m concerned. They beat good teams on the road in week 2 and then followed up with dominating performances over lesser teams in week 3. The mark of true greatness in this league is not looking ahead or falling into trap games. Sure they both beat up on horrible teams in week 3 but, that’s what they are supposed to do. Many a team would have been in an unnecessary dog fight against the Browns or Bucs in the same situation. Is there potential reason to worry about Kenny Phillips absence for the G-Men though in the coming weeks? We’ll see.

3. Colts (4) – Peyton Manning…that’s all I have to say. He’s beaten 2008 playoff teams on the road in back to back weeks and, with a banged up Seahawks squad coming to town, definitely start him if you have him in fantasy this week

4. Saints (5) – So they don’t have to throw the ball all over the place to win games. This running attack is as balanced as they’ve ever had through 3 weeks (let’s not forget how well Mike Bell played in weeks 1 and 2 only to be overshadowed by Drew Brees’ dominance). Hat’s off to the overlooked offensive line. Most people couldn’t even name 1 of them but, they are keeping Brees upright and opening big holes for whoever they throw in the backfield. Should be a great game as a Top Tier Defense in the Jets comes into town to face this video game like offense

5. Vikings (6) – So Favre still has a little magic left in his arm. I can’t wait to hear the phrase Vikings vs. Packers 2,000 times over the next few days. Match 1 of 2 versus his old team coming up. Stay tuned

6. Jets (8) – So apparently Mark Sanchez jumped directly from USC, past Rookie, to veteran in the NFL. This kid has guts and I absolutely loved the TD run he had, putting his head down at the goal line. Even at 0-3, the Titans are no slouch and that was a huge victory. Sure Sanchez will hit rough spots along the way as every NFL QB does. The great things for Jets fans is, at this point, he’s beyond rookie nerves. He’s faced 2 of the leagues premiere teams and coaches and hasn’t blinked an eye. When all is said and done, we could finally be saying, “…like Jets QB greats, Namath and Sanchez…” Is this a little presumptuous? Maybe…I like what this kid continues to show week in and week out though

7. Eagles (9) – What was the point of getting Vick in the off-season and signing, then releasing, Garcia a few weeks back? Sure Kolb has had some turnovers but, after becoming the first QB w/over 300 Yards in his first two starts, the future looks bright even after McNabb is out of town. Hopefully, fans in Philly aren’t up to their usual tricks calling for McNabb’s benching because we’re not quite there yet. I know LeSean McCoy looked good against a bad Chiefs team but, this team needs a healthy Brian Westbrook to be a true playoff contender

8. Patriots (10) – I still don’t think all is well in Patriotville but, I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt for the time being. The offense still seemed out of sync at times and, if not for a bogus offensive pass interference call on the Falcons, they would have had the lead at 17-10 which could have drastically changed the game. We’ll find out if the Pats are Super Bowl contenders or if they’ll just be battling for a playoff spot after they face the Ravens this week.

9. Chargers (11) – Nice bounce back win after a heartbreaker to the Ravens last week. Phillip Rivers is very, very, very good. Some people may not like his attitude but, he’s a born leader and his team respects him. To be 2-1 with only 3 Quarters of play from Tomlinson this year is impressive (a poor 4^th down play call away from a possible 3-0). This team needs to find something on the ground to be successful in the post-season though. Only 97 Rushing yards on the year out of Sproles and he’s supposed to be a viable backup to L.T.?  

10. Falcons (3) – They were in it most of the game versus the Pats despite the large margin the score showed when the clock hit triple 0. A few bounces their way and this game could have easily been theirs. This team has come a long way since Mike Vick was indicted a few years back and Bobby Petrino left town.

11. Bears (12) – I know Jay Cutler has made big plays late 2 weeks in a row now to win games and, let’s face it, regardless of the score, a win is a win and is tough to come by in this league. Nonetheless, the Bears have been unimpressive thus far and now have a confident Lions team, who hung in there with 2 great teams in weeks 1 and 2 and finally got a victory in week 3, coming to town. Upset alert? Probably not but, watch out for a look ahead performance from the Bears with a bye week and a Sunday Nighter in the Georgia Dome coming up. For my Survivor Pool’s sake, I hope that’s the case.

12. Broncos (14) – If I asked you who the Number 1 Defense in the league was right now, how long would it take for you to get to the Broncos? I don’t care who you’re playing (Bengals, Browns, Raiders)…holding teams to a total of 16 points over a 3 week span is tremendous. Maybe Brian Dawkins swagger as rubbed off on some of  his teammates (Elvis Dumervil, I’m looking your way). I’m starting to get a little high on this team. Now comes the true test with a very tough schedule all the way into November (week 10 to be exact) with a bye week sandwiched in there. If they can somehow go 2-3 even over the next 5 games before the schedule lightens up, this could be a legitimate playoff contender. From what I’ve seen of the Cowboys and their play calling thus far, don’t be shocked to see another Broncos victory in week 4.

13. Bengals (15) – This is actually a pretty good football team. They’ll be in the hunt for a playoff spot all year. It will be very interesting to see how they fare against the Browns this week in what has been a traditional let down spot for Bengals teams of years past. If they can pull out a decisive road victory, I think this team could be pretty legit. The D is playing great when it needs to and shut the Steelers down for most of the 2^nd Half last week. Carson Palmer looked like he did in 2005 on that final drive to “Ocho Siete” as Keith Olberman put him.

14. 49ers (13) – This is a very solid team and, may very well be the class of the NFC West. They had the Vikings beat, on the road, if not for a little Brett Favre magic. I was a little disappointed in the defensive effort  and, one has to be a little worried about Frank Gore missing the upcoming week but, nothing sets things right more than the St. Louis Rams coming to town. Don’t be surprised if the Rams don’t score a TD this week.

15. Packers (16) – I’m not sure what to make of this team yet. Aaron Rodgers looks very good but, can this team win close games when it counts. I know they did in week 1 but, fell a little short in week 2. Their Achilles Heel last year was not being able to close out games so, they’ll need to set that right to be the Super Bowl contender a lot of people thought they’d be coming into the year. Big road game against their old QB this week (I won’t mention any names).

 16. Cowboys (17) – I love this teams running attack. I hate how they call plays in general though. What was Jason Garrett thinking calling 2 straight pass plays on 2^nd and 1 at the Carolina goal line Monday night? You’ve got the best running game in the league but you’d rather throw jump balls to Roy Williams and Martellus Bennet? Gimme a break! This game was much closer than the end score suggested and, if the Cowboys were playing a good team, they would have lost the game because of their own bone headed mistakes. In general did they get back to playing run football? Absolutely…they still outthink themselves in the most important spots. I do like how Tony Romo has handled all the criticism though. He is always laid back and calm (i.e. the post-game press conference). Regardless of one’s personal opinion of the guy, I truly believe that he feels he can be one of the best in the league and, although he’s not anywhere near that yet, you need a QB who has that type of confidence in your huddle to be successful in the NFL. Big road game against a good defense this week.

17. Steelers (7) – Super Bowl Hangover, here we come…the Steelers WILL lose to the Chargers this week. Mark my words. They can’t run the bowl and Big Ben sure can’t pass it when he’s getting rushed out of the pocket on every down. Combine that w/Polamalu still being out and, this pre-season favorite could be lucky to get to .500 by year’s end. What happened to Willie Parker?

18. Cardinals (18) – This team should benefit from the early bye week more than anyone else. They seemed so banged up on Sunday night and were overmatched, for some reason, against a team on 6 days rest whose defense had been on the field for a full 3 quarters the Monday before. There was no reason they shouldn’t have been able to light up the Colts D Monday night but, lethargic play, penalties and turnovers really cost them any chance of winning. Kurt Warner may not make it to week 16 if he continues to take the beating he took Monday Night.

19. Jaguars (27) – I can’t put a finger on this team. I’m really not even going to try. Congrats to Jack Del Rio on possibly saving his job Sunday though. I was ready to bury them last week and now wouldn’t be shocked to see them get to 2-2 against a demoralized Titans team this weekend. With the way the AFC has played as a whole thus far, 2-2 might put you square in the middle of the playoff hunt down the line. Maurice Jones-Drew is one of the top all around backs in the league who never gets any dap. 

20. Seahawks (21) – I liked the heart this team displayed on Sunday which is why I bumped them up a notch in this week’s rankings. Seneca Wallace may be the best backup QB in the league when you look at his performance Sunday and how he fared last season. Unfortunately, the Hawks have never been good traveling away from the West coast and will probably be even worse when the stare across and Peyton Manning and Company on the other sideline come Sunday.

21. Bills (19) – For once, I actually agree with T.O. The reporters were trying to bait him into putting down his teammates after that embarrassing loss to the Saints. I also would have agreed w/him if he had said they weren’t using him and Lee Evans effectively because, they absolutely aren’t. Why go out and sign T.O. if you’re not going to stretch the field w/him and Evans. The no huddle is all fine and good but, won’t be very successful if they continue to run 4 yard outs to Derek Fine all year.

22. Titans (20) – Start thinking next season. That was a must win, as much as there can be one in week 3. The Titans play a tough schedule and just don’t seem to have the killer instinct they had last year to win close games. I thought for sure, they’d beat the Jets after they bounced back to take a 17-14 lead in the 3^rd Quarter but then, it all collapsed after the muffed punt return attempt from Mouton. Not because of lack of performance but, because they need to find out if he’s their future, Vince Young will be under center by Week

23. Texans (23) – This is another team I can’t put a finger on. How do you beat a pretty good Titans team on the road and follow that up w/a winless effort against the Jags at home. At least they’ve got the Raiders coming to town. While I expect them to go to 2-2, this run defense is horrendous. If they have any aspirations of playing in mid-January, they will need to address that facet of their game and do it in a hurry.

24. Lions (30) – I wore a blue Ford shirt on Sunday and was as happy that this team had won as I would be for my own teams. Congrats to the Lions and their fans. I think it’s a disgrace that the NFL has continued to invoke the blackout policy in this down economy and that Lions fans had to listen to the victory on the radio. I heard a statistic that the average housing price in the city of Detroit is currently $7,200. Not $72,000, $7,200 yet Roger Goodell and the local TV affiliates think these fans can afford over priced tickets to a sporting event? Gimme a break! Do the right thing and buy the remaining seats yourself NFL…The reason the league is so popular is because you get just about everything right when it comes to the fans. YOU ARE WRONG ON THIS. Lift the ban for a year, buy the tickets yourself, do something! I commend how many fans still go to these games each week (which are still sold out somehow, sometimes) and loved the fact the stadium was like a playoff atmosphere this week. Detroit has great fans…treat them w/some respect the next time you’re driving you’re riding in the back of  your American Made Limo Mr. Goodell.

25. Dolphins (21) – 0-8…That’s where this team is headed. It’s unfortunate that Pennington is out for the year. He’s a pro’s, pro who never complains and has always been a winner. I really hope his career isn’t over and will be keeping my fingers crossed on that. It will be interesting to see how Chad Henne plays. I’ve always liked him since his days of Michigan…he’s a big guy with a big arm. I could see him being a very good pro.

26. Redskins (24) – This might even be a generous ranking. This is a horrible team who will be lucky to win 5 games this year. Note to Dan Snyder…this isn’t fantasy football. Football is the ultimate team sport and, buying players (unlike in baseball or basketball) just doesn’t work. You know why the Giants win? They have an offensive and defensive line who has played together for years.

27. Carolina (28) – This team is just not very good.

28. Raiders (22) – See #27 and add to it that JaMarcus Russell is the 40^th best QB in the league (I counted 8 backups I’d put in front of him in addition to the starters).

29. Chiefs (26) – It’s going to be a long season. At least this team puts up a fight each week. You watch, they’ll knock off a couple of good teams before the year is over.

30. Bucs (29) – Well…let’s see how Josh Johnson performs this week. It can’t be any worse than that zero point performance they gave their fans Sunday. They are clearly in a rebuilding mode but, c’mon…zero points?

31. Rams (32) – Another team who puts up a fight each week. They just aren’t very good. Also, what is this teams identity? They don’t have a legit receiver, they don’t have a very good defense and they’ve got an aging QB without a future one waiting in the wings. Hey Ravens fans…at least you may get to see Kyle Boller tripping over his own feet in a different uniform for once this weekend.

32. Florida Gators, Texas Longhorns, Alabama Crimson Tide – The Browns are as bad a football team as I’ve seen in years. Last years Lions would have covered a 10 point spread on these guys. Because of this, I am putting the top 3 college teams in the rankings this week. Good to hear Eric Mangini re-opened the starting QB battle this week and decided on Derek Anderson. What a horrible off-season hiring. Not to mention, Mangini has single handedly destroyed both of these quarterbacks confidence and shots at a successful future. Instead of this organization making a choice to go w/Quinn or Anderson two off-seasons ago (as the Chargers had to do w/Brees and Rivers), this team waffled, didn’t trade either when their stock was high and are now stuck w/2 quarterbacks who are mediocre at best.

~ Tim Rescigno, JAS NFL Correspondent

Well besides statistically being atop the AFC rankings through week three, here are my top five reasons for the early offensive success of the Ravens…

Before I embark on my list I have a couple side issues to address. 

First, I’d like to send a big f- you to Mr. Bob Frantz from WTAM 1100 in Cleveland.  Has anyone heard of him?  He’s the two-bit Glenn Beck wannabe from Ohio who posted his “Top Five Reasons Why Baltimore Sucks” on You Tube earlier this week.  I won’t waste my time by stating the obvious reasons why Baltimore and the Ravens are superior to that trash heap of a city and their team, but I will thank Mr. Frantz.  Thank you for giving me a reason to continue to harbor animosity for a hapless team who pose no legitimate threat to anyone in the AFC North.  The disparity of talent between the Ravens and Browns was wider than the Grand Canyon.  The Ravens won the game by 31 and probably left two touchdowns on the field.  At no point was the game close, which was evident by John Harbaugh’s decision to go for it on fourth and one on the Ravens first offensive position of the game.  That fourth down was easily converted, the next play Willis McGahee walked into the endzone and the game for all intents and purposes was over.  So please Mr. Frantz take the long walk off a short pier right into the Cuyahoga.  Oh and for the record, Warren G. Harding was a terrible president.

Secondly, I want to commend the Ravens secondary for bouncing back with a very strong performance.  The Ravens pass defense picked Cleveland quarterbacks off four times and held them to 126 total yards.  Furthermore, the passer ratings of Brady Quinn and Derrick Anderson were 42.7 and 30.9, respectively.  The defense as a whole returned to their dominating ways holding the Browns to under 200 yards of total offense and just three points. 

Let’s keep in mind that the Ravens were playing the Browns who look like one of the very worst teams in the NFL.  That being said, give the defense their due for making professionals look helpless.

My only gripe with the defensive performance was…can you guess?  The Ravens’ pass rush, or lack thereof.  I don’t think Quinn attempted a pass of over 20 yards, but Anderson, Derrick Anderson was able to stand tall in the pocket fair too often.  The difference between Anderson with time and Ben Roethlisberger with time could be the difference between interceptions and touchdowns.  You simply can’t let a quality quarterback have 4 and 5 seconds to throw the ball and expect to have a successful day. 

The Ravens were able to successfully mix in some cover two this week, which can somewhat compensate for a tame pass rush.  I was glad to see that the Ravens weren’t dependant on the cover two, as they were able to send safety Dawan Landry up in the box to defend the run.  Ed Reed and the corners did just fine playing cover one. 

Now for the list

1.  Cam Cameron – The most underrated edition to the 2008 Ravens has picked up where he left off.  Cameron is such a creative play  caller.  He’ll incorporate unbalanced lines; two tight ends; go four or five wide; use the no huddle; and even throw in a trick play once or twice per game.  Cam is like the chef at a five-star restaurant, he knows exactly what combination of ingredients will work together perfectly. 
2. Joe Flacco – Quarterback is the most important position in all of sports (yes, all sports), it’s also the most difficult position to play.  Flacco’s maturation, which was progressing nicely, looks as if it was kicked into overdrive.  How dangerous would the Ravens have been this decade if Joe Flacco would have entered the league in 1998 instead of 2008?
3.  The Offensive Line – You build your team from the ball out.  The quarterback is the most important player on the field, but any QB will tell you that they’re only as good as their offensive line.  The Ravens offensive line is young, athletic, and nasty and that’s how you want your line to be.  Michael Oher, at 23 overall, was the absolute steal of the draft. Matt Birk is the elder statesman who leads the unit by example. 
4. The resurgence of Willis McGahee – McGahee can block, catch, run up the middle, run off tackle, and he can get to the edge…he’s the total package.  The key to his success this year is his health and a complete 180 to accept the Harbaugh-way. 
5. Kelley Washington – all the guy does is catch balls for first downs.  It seems like anytime the Ravens need to convert third and seven they call Washington’s number.  The guy has completely leapfrogged Demetrius Williams on the depth chart and is turning into a fantastic slot receiver.  He’s also a very good special teams player and let’s not forget about his dancing skills either. 

The Ravens face a huge test in week four as they travel to play the New England Patriots.  Tom Brady, Randy Moss, Wes Welker, and Ben Watson will give the defense all they can handle…notice I didn’t list a running back in that roll call.  I hope the defense finds a way to pressure Brady and turn in another strong performance, but I have a feeling this game could be a shootout. 

~ Pat Cary