While John Harbaugh and Cam Cameron have led the Ravens to three consecutive playoff trips, there is question if they are the right men for the job.

The year was 2008, the Ravens were fresh off of a dismal 5-11 season, and Super Bowl winning coach Brian Billick was given his walking papers. The franchise that had won a Super Bowl in its infancy, and had stability at the coaching the position for almost a decade, was about to go through a major overhaul. Throughout the Billick tenure, the Ravens offense was anemic at best, and the teamed looked for another brash offensive mind to help this offense turn the corner. Cowboys’ offensive coordinator Jason Garrett was offered the job, but chose to spurn the Ravens and stay in Dallas. The Ravens and their fans were left with a bunch of candidates that had no head coaching experience or notable pedigree. The Ravens finally decided on a special team’s coach, who while being the son of coach, had never held a coach position or offensive or defensive coordinator position at any level. That man was John Harbaugh, and many Ravens fans, myself included, wondered if this was the right man for the job.

It was no secret that the Ravens organization was defined by defense and a smash mouth running game. But, the NFL was changing into a pass happy league, and with the defense aging, fans and the organization knew that the time had come to start improving the offense. Enter Cam Cameron, former offensive coordinator of the potent San Diego Chargers, and many believed the Ravens offense was now in good hands. In their first season on the job, Cameron and Harbaugh were not left with much offensive talent. Their options at quarterback were Kyle Boller, who had already reached first round bust status; Troy Smith, former Heisman Trophy winner, but 5th round pick with only 3 career starts; and rookie Joe Flacco, who many believed would be the franchise quarterback in a few years— but not ready to play 16 games in his rookie season. Flacco won the starting job, and was a game manager, taking the Ravens to an 11-5 record and the AFC Championship game. Many believed that as Flacco got more comfortable, Cameron would open up the offense and make it more dynamic and explosive.

I personally am of the mindset that coaching can win football games, so it is hard to argue with Harbaugh’s 36-19 record, including trips to the playoffs in each of his first three seasons. But, I think talent will get you wins in the NFL, but coaching can get you over the top. In his 3 seasons Harbaugh is 2-6 vs. the Steelers, 1-2 vs. the Patriots, and hasn’t come close to beating the Colts. The Ravens have been to the playoffs the past three years because of the talent on the field. However, Harbaugh hasn’t coached down his players, but his track record in big games shows that he is not managing that talent properly. This season the Ravens were built to take that next step to beat upper echelon teams like the Patriots, Colts and Steelers and finally make it back to the Super Bowl. But, after watching a 14 point lead evaporate in Pittsburgh, people are left looking for answers as to why the Ravens came up short of their goal. The answer: Coaching. The NFL is about making adjustments, and many times the Ravens would have a strong first half, only to see teams come out and make adjustments in the second half which the Ravens could not counter. The talent on the field was good enough to overcome the lack of adjustments made by the coaching staff, but had the coaching staff been able to counter those adjustments and win just one more game, the Ravens would have hosted the Steelers instead of being forced to go on the road for the playoffs this season. In fact had they been able to get one more win because of coaching in each of Harbaugh’s three seasons, the Ravens could have hosted the likes of Indy, Pittsburgh and New England, and would have had a much better shot of beating them at M & T Bank stadium.

Another area where Harbaugh failed this season was with his trust in Cam Cameron. I understand the job of the offensive coordinator is to run the office, and that interfering could cause dissension (we have seen it happen to many franchises). However, if you continuously see conservative play calling in the second half of games, and watch an offense with Pro Bowlers at every position finish behind the likes of the Redskins, Bucs, Dolphins and Jags in total offense (22nd overall), the head coach should step in and do something about it. That being said, the reason the offense finished 22nd in the NFL was because of Cam Cameron. During his time in San Diego Cameron was respected for his innovative play calling and his offenses put up points and numbers. However, that offense was led by a Hall of Fame running back, which makes any coordinators job easier. Cameron failed to utilize the talents of Drew Brees who toiled in mediocrity, only to become one of the elite quarterbacks in the league after leaving Cameron for Sean Payton. Many will say that the reason San Diego does not have a Super Bowl trophy is Cameron’s vanilla play calling in the playoffs, and that he was one of the reason’s the Chargers were labeled the most talented team in the NFL yet to hoist a Lomardi Trophy. There are grumblings around the league from former players that Cameron will take no input from anyone on his staff, nor does he let his quarterback audible to a different play.

It was announced at the Ravens yearly “State of the Ravens” address that Cameron would be coming back and that he is on the hot seat. Harbaugh will not only be back but is likely to receive a contract extension by the end of the month. There was a major disconnect between the players and Cam Cameron, yet the team still won 12 games and made the playoffs. There is talent on this Ravens team at every position, so I could probably coach them and they would still make the playoffs. But, that is not what this team was built to do. This team was built to win the Super Bowl and unless things change, I do not believe this coaching staff can get them there.

Making the playoffs in three straight season certainly helps make a case to keep your job as an offensive coordinator (as in Cam Cameron’s case), or help you garner a deserved contract extension as in Harbaugh’ case. But winning a Super Bowl as a coach and organization puts you in a whole different stratosphere.

The Ravens have good coaches and a good team, but they have yet to get over that hump and everyone needs to take a look in the mirror on how to fix it. Their former defensive coordinator, who they failed to give the head coaching job, just made his 2nd AFC title game in as many seasons while their most hated rival is playing for their 3rd Super Bowl in six years.

There is a popular saying that says “always a bridesmaid, never a bride” and thus far that has held true for John Harbaugh and Cam Cameron.

If the Ravens want to make the Super Bowl then these might not be the right men for the job.

Hopefully they can prove me wrong.

The Little Roman

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

Now the Ravens are in the playoffs and heading north to take on Brady and Belichick.  The Pats are the team of the decade with three rings and a perfect regular season under their belts, but they aren’t in the best shape heading into this playoff season.  The Pats will be without pro bowl wide receiver Wes Welker, who likely tore both his left ACL and MCL in yesterday’s loss to the Texans.  You never want to see a guy suffer a knee injury of that nature, because there is always a chance that it’s career altering (i.e. Daunte Culpepper).  That being said, the absence of Welker is a huge benefit for a Ravens’ secondary that’s depleted with knee injuries of their own.  In addition to Welker’s injury it’s reported that Tom Brady has been playing with three broken ribs since week 13.  

In stop-and-go action against the Texans Brady looked pedestrian, throwing a pick and registering a passer rating of 70.4.  I would venture to say that part of the reason for Brady’s poor play can be attributed to him being pulled and then reinserted into the game; however, the rib injury could have certainly factored into his performance.  Broken ribs make breathing uncomfortable, so I can’t imagine how it would feel to riffle a football twenty-six times with three of them. 

Regardless of the injuries the Patriots are a very tough draw, especially in Foxborough.  The Ravens have never beaten the Patriots.  In five contests the average margin of defeat has been just under a touchdown and the last two contests saw the Pats edge out the Ravens by three and six points respectively.  I’m certain that Ravens fans remember the primetime game against the Pats in 2007 (the Bart Scott flag throwing incident) and the contest just a couple months ago (the Mark Clayton 4^th down drop) all too well. 

Personally, I would rather the Ravens play the Bengals in the first round after, especially after their performance last night against the Jets.  I realize the Bengals didn’t have much to play for and they didn’t want to tip their hand to their round one opponent, but they really looked terrible last night.  You never want to enter the playoff off of a 37-0 shellacking where your starting quarterback throws as many completions to the opposite team as he does to his own receivers.  The Bengals also would have difficulty beating the Ravens three times in one season.

Side note: I still think the Jets are a pretender with their limitations at quarterback, but they can run the ball and play defense and that is a dangerous combination.  Cincinnati isn’t exactly a menacing place for the opposition, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Jets advance to the second round.    

If the Ravens want to beat the Pats this weekend their going to have to continue to run the ball well and stop the run.  They’re also going to have to have Chris Carr and Frank Walker step up.  Carr has played relatively well these past two weeks, while Frank Walker has been shaky, but not terrible.  I’d like to see Corey Ivy get in the mix more.  He had a tipped pass yesterday and could be effective as a nickelback.  Another key to victory will be improved play from the passing game, all aspects.  The line needs to pick up the blitz better; Flacco needs to think quicker under pressure; and the receivers need to get separation.  Oh and how could I forget – we need to pray that Billy Cundiff improves significantly in a week.  I realize that long snapper Matt Katula had a terrible day, but those kicks weren’t even close.  The Ravens recently signed long snapper Nick Sundberg to their practice as an insurance policy.  Perhaps it’s time to cash insurance policy in, because I don’t see the Ravens signing a third kicker this season. 

It should be a wild playoff season.

~ Pat Cary

If you told me that the Ravens were going to outrush the Steelers by 127 yards; win the turnover and time of possession battles; and hold Big Ben to under 260 passing yards I would venture to say that they would be 9-6 and assured a playoff berth.  Good teams don’t lose in that scenario. 

Yesterday’s game was a microcosm of the Ravens’ 2009 season…a talented team that doesn’t play like a cohesive unit.  Undisciplined is another word you could use to describe this bunch that continually produces double digit penalty flags.  It’s hard enough to win in the NFL and this team isn’t good enough to give their opponents 100 plus penalty yards on a regular basis.  The Ravens’ dominant third quarter performance gave a glimpse of how good this team could be, but their fourth quarter self-imposed meltdown was more indicative of their true identity. 

My biggest concern going into the game was the ability of the Ravens makeshift secondary to stop Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh aerial attack.  The absence of Ed Reed for the fourth straight week didn’t help to ease my mind, but I have to say that the DB’s held their own.  I realize that Frank Walker’s late pass interference call negated Tom Zbikowski’s INT and effectively ended the game, but that’s not why the Ravens lost this one.  The DB’s and the defense as a whole played well and put the Ravens in a position to win on the road. 

I think the biggest help to the secondary was the pressure that the defense was able to apply.  Pittsburgh’s offensive line is not the strong suit of the team, but the same could be said for the Ravens’ defensive line.  The four sacks registered by the Ravens on Sunday was a lofty total compared to their normal output and helped keep the Steelers passing attack in check.  That being said, there were times that Roethlisberger had all day to sit in the pocket and surprisingly the coverage was able to hold up fairly well. 

To be honest I gave the Ravens little chance of coming out of Western PA with a victory, so I guess I can take some solace in the fact that they outplayed the Steelers.  If the Ravens had to lose that game I’d rather them lose it the way they did rather than be completely outmatched. 

As disheartening as the Ravens’ latest performance was they still manage to find themselves in the driver’s seat needing only a win over the 5-10 Oakland Raiders to assure them a wildcard spot.  The Ravens need to soundly beat the Charlie Frye or JaMarcus Russell led Raiders, so they can have some momentum going into the playoffs.  No one will call the Ravens a Super Bowl contender, but I assure you that they are a scary team to face when playing well. 

~ 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

I’m writing this blog as a deflated man.  I saw this game as an opportunity for the Ravens to lay their marker down.  The Ravens had an opportunity to claim sole possession of first place in the AFC North and in doing so prove to the league that they are legitimate Super Bowl contenders.  Instead the Bengals upset the Ravens using their trusty 2009 victory formula…play defense well enough to stay in the game and turn the offense on in the 4^th quarter.   

I had a terrible feeling when the Ravens went to half with just a four point lead.  I realized that the Ravens weren’t playing well, but they were in control of the game.  But I knew in the back of my mind that this wasn’t your typical Bengal (Bungle) team, they wouldn’t eventually fold under pressure. 

The game also marked the second consecutive week of questionable officiating.  That third down pass interference flag on Frank Walker (actually called on Ed Reed), during the Bengals’ final scoring drive, was a bad call plan and simple.  The poor officiating, however, was not the reason the Ravens lost this game. 

The Ravens couldn’t sustain offense drives, punting a season-high six times.  The seven offensive points marked the second worst output of the Cam Cameron era. 

Cam’s charges started the game in typical fashion, marching to the Bengals 20 yard line with relative ease.  On third and sixteen Joe Flacco threw into the endzone, but wasn’t able to place the ball above cornerback Johnathan Joseph’s reach.  The redzone turnover sent the Ravens into an offense funk, which they wouldn’t breakout of until the 4^th quarter. 

The defense, despite allowing their first 100 yard rusher in 40 games, played well for the majority of the game.  The Ravens defense, however, failed to play for 60 minutes as they allowed the Bengals to drive 86 yards for the go ahead score.  The Bengals final drive was aided by three penalties for 30 yards including the Ravens’ fourth fifteen yard personal foul in two games when Ray Lewis lunched into Chad Ochocinco knocking the ball loose. 

During that final Bengals drive the Ravens defense looked exhausted.  The exhaustion was probably due to the unseasonably high temperatures and the fact that they were on the field for over 35 minutes.  Whatever the reason Greg Mattison’s bend-but-don’t-break bunch broke when all they need was to protect their endzone with an 80 yard cushion.  If the Ravens would have held strong we would be talking about a vintage Ravens-style defensive victory and first place in the AFC North.  

I’m dreading the week of sports talk ahead of me.  I don’t want to hear the cynicism from self proclaimed experts.  I don’t want to hear that the Ravens need a big-time receiver or that we need to overhaul our defensive backfield.  The Ravens don’t need massive changes, but rather small tweaks.   One certainty is that he Ravens have no time to dwell on this loss as they have to focus on heading north to face the undefeated Minnesota Vikings.  In the next three weeks the Ravens face two undefeated teams, Vikings and upstart Broncos, with a bye week sandwiched in between…When the going gets tough the tough get going. 

~ Pat Cary

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

According to Coach Harbaugh we should be optimistic that Mr. Mason will grace us with at least one more season in the purple and black. I’ve never been much of an optimist, so I’m already thinking of life after Mason. I’ll stick by my previous sentiments that the problem with the Ravens receiving corps is one of depth not lack of talent form the starters. Frankly though, I didn’t realize how much of a depth problem we had at the wide receiver position. In a league where you’re almost guaranteed multiple starters will miss games due to injury you have to have depth at every position. Depth in today’s NFL is a feat not easily accomplished in light of free agency, salary cap, and 53 man rosters.

My fears were lulled by gleaming OTA performance evaluations of Demetrius Williams, Kelley Washington, and Marcus Smith and the fact that we had trusty ole number 85 anchoring the crew. The news of Mason’s retirement, however, woke up those old apprehensions very quickly. Do I see potential in Marcus Smith despite him not catching a pass last season? Yes. Do I think Williams can return to his rookie season form and be a relevant slot receiver? Yes. Bottom line, however, Mark Clayton is the only proven receiver who hasn’t announced his retirement on this Ravens’ roster. And even Clayton is considered by some to be a bust. I personally thought Clayton was due for a breakout season in ’09 opposite Mason, but I have my doubts if he is our number one option.

The crew of second and third rate of receivers… ‘A few has-beens and a couple never-will-bes’…that the Ravens are considering as replacements aren’t setting my world on fire (see Drew Bennett, D.J. Hackett, and Joe Horn). I do think Marvin Harrison could serve as a adequate bandage for a season, in fact, I think the Ravens should make him an offer even if Mason decides to unretired…depth my friend, depth. I am pleased to see that the team doesn’t appear to be readying themselves to be the victim of a fleecing at the hands of the Cardinals, or Broncos. We’re too young/solid a team to broker significant pieces of our roster and/or draft picks on a misfit or a 28 year old diva.

John Harbaugh is confident that with or without Mason the Ravens will be a very good team in 2009. That’s exactly what he is supposed to say and exactly what I hope he truly believes. Being a good team in 2009 is nice, especially in this age of parity, but it’s not good enough. We were a good team last season; this is our year to be a serious Super Bowl contender. Now I know we came just one game short of the Super Bowl last season, but even I, a die-hard Ravens fan, knew deep down that we weren’t getting past the Steelers on the road. That game was impossible for us to win. The black birds had a rookie quarterback, rookie head coach, and a banged up team who enjoyed their bye week in mid September. The odds were stacked against us last January, but this team…this team is the right mix of explosive young talent and veteran leadership. We need Mason to come back and play hard for one more season.

~ Pat Cary