My glass is half-full...

[4G63]

...because I feel that if we're in every game we play, like tonight, then I'll be happy with our team! We should have won this game, but as usual we couldn't finish.

Flacco looked very poised tonight and rebounded great after his bad 3rd quarter. I feel like the sky is the limit with this team now and as long as he makes strides each week, we're gonna be an awesome team. Plus, I think we've ended our QB search!!! :ww:

[UKRaven]

Spot on !!! It was a victory in a narrow defeat.

[UKRavenStockers]

I'm certainly not massively discouraged by the game and the manner of defeat but it is still slightly worrying. We were in total control of that game until that mad three minutes after Jarrett Johnson's personal foul. The momentum swung on that play and we never really got back in control of the game to the same extent. I firmly believe we were the dominant team in the game, but we were only ten points up, it's not that we weren't going for the kill shot, it's that we weren't good enough to finish them off and it's going to be like that for a while yet, probably all season. Teams are going to hang around with us and we'll probably lose another game or two that we probably shouldn't.

I'm encouraged and the team has a ton of positives to take from this one, but even when you're a young growing team, dropping a game like this when the Steelers really didn't play well enough to win has gotta hurt big time. It's gonna be a tough job for Harbaugh to pick these guys up on a short week to get ready for a physical and ready Titans team on Sunday.

[ravenfever_com]

My glass is still FULL! I only gained my respect for Flacco and the boys. I am not worried at all at the team getting ready for Tenn. I do feel that playing in our house, with mad players and mad fans will make it a Big WIN next Sunday!

Its ok to be 2-1, since we can still be 17-1 now ! LOL

[xmradiodave]

That was our game to win. Stupid mistakes slightly tarnish a fantastic outing by Flacco. But, we lost the game. I still like what I saw. Take away that fumble for a score, and the JJ penalty, that game would have never seen OT, and we would have been 0-3.

[OwingsMillsAlex]

That was a hard game to lose. The Ravens showed up and played it tough against a team that thought they would be able to push/walk all over this team. Flacco answered the "can he bring this team back if behind on points" question.

Why they didn't challenge the Mason TD that was called out of bounds became a big mistake that cost us points. But we battled back! We tied the game and forced them to go to Over Time.

I hope Sunday is another good game as I'm bring my boy to his first full Ravens game.

[octscotts]

Guys,

Settle down. Way more positives in this game than negatives. First and foremost, Flacco is the REAL DEAL. It's all fun and games to play at home, but it's something entirely different to play on the road and in Squeelerville, no less. He made a few rookie mistakes but didn't we, shouldn't we all expect a few of those. He's not going to come in and be perfect. How could he? BUT, he is a baller. He threw some beautiful passes, showed good presence in the pocket and damn he's a scrambler too. He shook off his mistakes and just kept playing. How many times have we heard the Ravens are not equipped to come from behind. Last night showed that tide has turned. Joe's fumble was costly, no doubt, but he led a hell of a drive to come back and tie that thing up.

Defense still looks good. Big Bum got some passes out when he needed to but it was on a depleted secondary and we all know that you live by the blitz and you can die by the blitz. I'm happy. I'm not drinking the purple Kool-Aid when I say this team will be OK.

[Lee Van Cleef]

There are clearly things to work on. Gaither needs to get his feet moving, Flacco needs to think a bit more about ball protection (get a cup?), Rex Ryan needs to sort out whatever happened in the secondary, JJ needs to think more about his composure on the field and the whole defense needs to weigh up making highlight reel hits against getting the guy to the floor, as there were some missed opportunities.

But this isn't stuff that can't be taught and picked out in game film. I'm not hugely worried because I still think there are a lot of positives that can be drawn from this. It sucks to lose and like D-Mase said after the game, there are no moral victories, you win or lose, but there is something to build on and that's a start.

[ravenjoe]

Even though we still can't close the deal, Ray was awesomein that goal line stand. Our coaches are the Best in the entire league, and that is going unnoticed by a lot of people in the press. And, a real breath of fresh air, Harbs got in JJ's face bigtime after that penalty!!! Our team looks disicplined out there, for the most part, and we've definitely found a solid QB in Flacco. I just wish to hell this team would not meltdown in crunch time.

[Mwjergs]

-Ray Lewis made some huge plays last night.
-Flacco looked very good. He throws a very tight ball.
-Derrick Mason is our ONLY reciever.
-I have been pleased with the coaching staff. I did think that they played not to lose in the second half. Another 3 minutes past the third and this game was OVER. JJ's penalty was a momentum shifter.
-The team is better disciplined. Stupid penalties and yellow flags during the overtime drive killed any chance of winning.

-If that is the top of the AFC North we have a great shot at it if the team can keep guys healthy.

[ravenjoe]

I've said this before and I'll say it again. If we stay healthy, there is no reason why this team can't be better than the '06 team, not necessarily in terms of wins and losses, but by our overall team balance. The D is just as good; our Offense is better; and, our coaching is better.

[12jg34]

Here's two reasons why my glass is half full:

(1) The biggest story of the night to me was Flacco, as I said in another thread.

-That TD pass was beautiful; it had perfect touch on it.
-He threw the ball in very tight spaces accurately
-The play where he scrambled to the left sideline and then all the way back to the right sideline, while connecting on the pass to Mason was shades of Donovan McNabb's pass against the Cowboys on Monday Night a few seasons ago. Not quite as impressive, but it was the sign of a future playmaker.
-His deep throws were a bit off, but it's only a matter of time before he begins to hit them. I'm glad the coaches are taking chances deep.
-Flacco's tight spirals are gorgeous. (Yes, I'm describing a piece of leather moving in circles the same way I would describe an SI model.)

(2) Here's another huge positive: barring major injuries, this team should get better as the season goes on. Not better like most NFL teams improve throughout the season; I expect greater improvement than that. Flacco certainly will get better. He will get better at reading defenses and making quicker decisions. He will develop rapport with another WR not named Mason. The O-line will also improve.

--------
The Steelers, the only rival for the AFC North title, won't improve like the Ravens. I expect Big Ben to get more banged up, and I expect Willie Parker will have difficulties surviving the season.

I got the purple sun glasses cemented on my face, but I think with solid reasons.

[RAVENOUS52]

That was our game to win. Stupid mistakes slightly tarnish a fantastic outing by Flacco. But, we lost the game. I still like what I saw. Take away that fumble for a score, and the JJ penalty, that game would have never seen OT, and we would have been 0-3.

That highlighted part makes no sense. If Derek Anderson doesn't throw three picks against us and the Browns defense doesn't allow us to run the ball last week...well, you get the picture. I mostly agree with everything else you said though...

There's reason for much optimism after last night...I was about as calm as I've ever been following a Ravens loss last night... I believe we showed the entire league that the Baltimore Ravens are a force to be reckoned with.

[highwater]

I agree that there were clearly some positives, but since I'm still cranky and sleep-deprived over the loss, here's what bothered me --

> Based on this game, I don't agree that the team is more disciplined -- penalties really hurt us.

> Our pass protection in the second half began to resemble the pass protection we had last year, which is to say, not that great. Gaither completely whiffed on one sack -- the rusher literally just ran right past him.

> This is extremely nitpicky, but I couldn't help but notice that every time a camera shot showed Harbaugh on the sideline after the Steelers took the lead, he had a very obvious worried expression on his face. Not angry, not intense, just worried. Not exactly inspiring sideline demeanor.

> ESPN is doing a better job on MNF than previously, but Kornheiser still sucks and doesn't even need to be there. I especially enjoyed his take that the Ravens weren't playing that great in the first half, it was just that the Steelers were playing poorly.

There were times in this game when Flacco finally looked like a rookie, but I'm not complaining about that because HE IS a rookie, and overall I thought he played well under the circumstances. But we were so close to winning this game! We've had two fumbles returned for TDs already, in just three games. The defense has been playing great, but the offense can't keep giving up points like that.

Okay, rant over.

[Khaine]

I believe we showed the entire league that the Baltimore Ravens are a force to be reckoned with.

:iagree:

It'll be very interesting to see what 'the experts' say about us this week. I think we showed a lot of force on D and potential on O.

Hopefully this will evolve into a very good year for us...
Much unlike my hangover I feel coming on...

[jonboy79]

We won that game 58-2 if you look at it in terms of the clock, that is a lot to be positve about.

FWIW, I think a very overlooked reason we lost, was Ed Reed's fear of hitting people. He dove at Holmes during the TD in the third quarter, and was also a key missed tackle on Mewelde Moore in overtime. If he were the normal Ed Reed makign both of those tackels we win. I think they were more important moments hten JJ's penalty, Koch's bad punt... Not Flacco's fumble, but you get the point.

[12jg34]

:iagree:

It'll be very interesting to see what 'the experts' say about us this week. I think we showed a lot of force on D and potential on O.

Hopefully this will evolve into a very good year for us...
Much unlike my hangover I feel coming on...

Most of what I've seen and read is about the Steelers no huddle offense beating the Ravens, although the Ravens have gone up in ESPN's power poll, from 17 to 14.

[sailorsam]

seemed to me like a game of adjustments; the Stoolers ran well early but got shut down; they stuffed the Ravens o early but Balmer got it going, etc. hard to be too unhappy about a road loss with rookie HC/QB etc. looking forward to the rematch.
barring injuries I think Ravens can take the division.
going into the game there was talk about how Ravens hadn't played anyone, but whom had the Stoolers played? Houston is no good, Cleveland got spanked, and they lost to the Iggles.
so close! so close! we can all think of a dozen plays that could have changed it...