Heroes and Goats...

[RAVENOUS52]

My 5 Heroes last night were the usual suspects:

1) Haloti Ngata- This Tongan monster is the pure definition of STUD and if there is any justice in this world, he'll be visiting family members in Hawaii in February...All expenses paid by the NFL for the PRO BOWL.

2) Terrell Suggs- Quite simply, a BEAST unleashed... The Ravens alltime sack record (70) shall soon pass from P. Boulware to you, T-Sizzle.

3) Le'Ron McClain- Keep on truckin, dude!!:thumbup: You are quickly becoming a force in the League and one of our biggest playmakers on offense. Way to step up big in the spotlight game of our season so far.

4) Derrick Mason- I'd venture to say that in your short time here, you've won my vote as the best Ravens receiver since Michael Jackson. Plus your wifey is a cutey! Your YAC-ability is the reason we even made it to overtime

5) Ray Lewis- To quote Tina Turner: "You're simply the BEST, You're better than all the rest..." Not only do you give heart, brains and balls and leadership to our team as a whole, you make me proud to don the apparel of the Baltimore Ravens as a fan. And you STILL play your position every down as if your job is on the line.

I'll admit that my Goats for last night probably had an off night. At least that's what I'll believe until they prove otherwise in the future:

1) Jarett Johnson- DUDE, WTF?!!:grbac: Totally out of character temporary loss of sanity for this guy... I guess this ends the myth that the lack of discipline on our team was a phenomena unique to the Billick era.:eyes:

2) Ed Reed- I expect better tackling out of a future Hall of Famer... That diving at their legs stuff rarely works, Ed. Are you still injured and protecting yourself or what?

3) Bart Scott- Played decent, but c'mon man, don't talk smack all week and then whiff on wide open sacks and blow coverage with the game hanging in the balance!

4) Adam Terry- Was beaten like a rented mule early and often :141847_smmackbottom , exposing Flacco to unsavory pressure, namely from Harrison and blitzing backers. Arrrrgh!

5) Coach Harbaugh- I understand you're a rookie coach and that you have a great future in Baltimore ahead of you, but what I'd like to know is why all the dumb penalties and lack of discipline? Why couldn't we get our plays in on time? Why no sense of urgency to move close enough at the end of regulation to give ourselves an opportunity for a Hail Mary? And more importantly, why no challenge on the Mason TD that was reduced to a FG?

Despite the outcome though, I'm pretty content with what we've shown so far this season. I think America is now aware that we are NOT the doormat so many of them thought we were and that we are on the cusp of fielding an offense capable of supporting the stellar defense we play.:ww:

Look out TITANS!:taz:

[Lee Van Cleef]

2) Ed Reed- I expect better tackling out of a future Hall of Famer... That diving at their legs stuff rarely works, Ed. Are you still injured and protecting yourself or what?

Of course he is. That neck injury didn't just clear up overnight, he's still got it and it's been obvious from all three games that he's been trying to protect it.

[bmoreravengirl]

Would like to add one more to the heroes list, Joe Flacco. Led the offense down the field toward the end of regulation to force OT. Showed EXCELLENT poise and composure considering the circumstances he was under. I'll give him a pass for the fumble, being a rookie and all.

[camdenyard]

Ray was just enormous. That goal line stand was vintage. What a player.

Props to Joe Flacco too. Joe Cool under enormous pressure and did some things that I've never seen a Ravens QB do. Dude will be a good one.

Goats...Joe Flacco for not tucking the ball. Kid needs to develop the awareness to know when to tuck it and run or just go down.

How about the kick return team, Horrid.

And maybe I am in the minority but I don't blame JJ for the loss. he didn't shank the punt, he didn't whiff on tackles in the secondary, he didn't fumble the ball for a score. He played like a man possesed out there. That's a Raven, fellas.

There were four other personal fouls by the way.

[octscotts]

I'm going to go easy on JJ too. His penalty obviously stands out because it was pretty dumb and happened at the most inopportune time. But that wasn't a repeat performance. You never see that behavior from him. He let that smiling fucker under his skin and popped him. I know he's supposed to be a professional, but under the same circumstances, how many of us would like to give him a good shot? My biggest problem? If you're going to hit him and eat the 15 yards, HIT HIM. Hit him so hard, he's can't smile.

[RAVENOUS52]

Ray was just enormous. That goal line stand was vintage. What a player.

Props to Joe Flacco too. Joe Cool under enormous pressure and did some things that I've never seen a Ravens QB do. Dude will be a good one.

Goats...Joe Flacco for not tucking the ball. Kid needs to develop the awareness to know when to tuck it and run or just go down.

How about the kick return team, Horrid.

And maybe I am in the minority but I don't blame JJ for the loss. he didn't shank the punt, he didn't whiff on tackles in the secondary, he didn't fumble the ball for a score. He played like a man possesed out there. That's a Raven, fellas.

There were four other personal fouls by the way.

Agreed, but I put him on the GOATs list because his foul started the momentum the Squeelers needed to rattle off 14 pts in 15 seconds.

Flacco, while showing flashes of brilliance, balanced that out with a few no-nos; namely a lack of pocket awareness that led to a game-altering turnover. He also seems to have at least one brainfart per game when it comes to receiving the snap under center. Overall I'm not pissed because he's a rookie and his upside is that of a Bert Jones or Dave Krieg (Seahawks years), but his grade for this game is a push in my eyes, thus no Hero or Goat status.

I'm sure Flack will earn plenty of HERO kudos in the future though...Just wait until we get a #1 receiver!!:ww:

[HoustonRaven]

Great List!

I do have one exception and that's Harbaugh.

Cant fault Harbs at all, IMO. He had the team ready on both sides of the ball and played them (minus an unfortunate 15 seconds) very well. I still dont think that Mason catch was a TD -- watched it more then once today and that simply wasnt a TD no matter the level of purple glasses I put on my face. Good non-call, IMO, that saved a time out.

Does someone know how to transfer video to the boards? I have it on my DVR and can post it if someone has the savvy.

[Ravenswarrior19]

I agree on all the heroes, and I don't know what more can be said about Ray. :respect: :rocking:

The man played absolutely outta his mind last night. He's showing that age really is just a number. He sent a message to every GM in the league last night. "I can help you win a championship". What team wouldn't want him.

I hope Ozzie's cookin' the books as we speak to be able to match bonus money.


I'd add Heap to the goat list. What can we do to get him outta his funk?

[Khaine]

I'm not sure if I'd put Harbaugh on the goat list. Considering it was hit first away game, his first primetime game against the fairly tough very physical divisional opponent I think he did pretty well.

[Khaine]

I watched the Mason TD non challenged non called TD a few times as well...

How do you see it as a non TD?
Just curious...

[HoustonRaven]

I watched the Mason TD non challenged non called TD a few times as well...

How do you see it as a non TD?
Just curious...

Toes were in but ball was not settled yet. By the time the ball came under control, feet were out.

But lets suppose Harbs did challenge. Even then, it was such a close judgment call I cant see where they would have changed the outcome. Nothing about that play was "clear and convincing", which is the standard for a reversal.

[RAVENOUS52]

I agree on all the heroes, and I don't know what more can be said about Ray. :respect: :rocking:

The man played absolutely outta his mind last night. He's showing that age really is just a number. He sent a message to every GM in the league last night. "I can help you win a championship". What team wouldn't want him.

I hope Ozzie's cookin' the books as we speak to be able to match bonus money.


I'd add Heap to the goat list. What can we do to get him outta his funk?

I didn't put Heap on the list because his primary responsibilities entailed him blocking incoming Squeelers and providing a decoy in the passing game. He was invisible more than he was "bad" last night. I had a smile on my face a mile wide when the Squeeler fan behind me kept cursing at his boys to "Stop Ray FUCKING Lewis!"...:D Mendenhall getting knocked out of the game (and season) by Ray was the final straw and the inbred started downing shots to ease the pain...LOL

[Ravenswarrior19]

I didn't put Heap on the list because his primary responsibilities entailed him blocking incoming Squeelers and providing a decoy in the passing game. He was invisible more than he was "bad" last night. I had a smile on my face a mile wide when the Squeeler fan behind me kept cursing at his boys to "Stop Ray FUCKING Lewis!"...:D Mendenhall getting knocked out of the game (and season) by Ray was the final straw and the inbred started downing shots to ease the pain...LOL

That is hilarious. But last night, he was unstoppable.
--------------------------------------------------------------------

As for the Mason TD that wasn't - I'm on the wasn't side.
On the slow-mo replay, it goes Ball in hands-two feet down-Ball loose-Ball trapped against his knees as he rolls out-of-bounds.

Still maybe worth a challenge, but I say no catch.

[RAVENOUS52]

Toes were in but ball was not settled yet. By the time the ball came under control, feet were out.

But lets suppose Harbs did challenge. Even then, it was such a close judgment call I cant see where they would have changed the outcome. Nothing about that play was "clear and convincing", which is the standard for a reversal.


I disagree (and so did Jaws and Mike Tirico). It could have gone either way, but losing that timeout wouldn't have hurt us too badly. I felt he DID have control and tapped both toes inbounds...I'm sure Harbs is beating himself up over the non-challenge this morning at film session. I named him a goat (and at #5, which means he's the least culpable of all the goats) because rookie or not, he should know our history of gameday mistakes and avoid them like the plague. On the other hand, I really love the way we played overall last night. We showed a glimpse of what we'll be capable of when our offense matures.

If we win the game, Harbs is replaced on the goats list by our punter for the critical shank... The list is subjective though, so thanks for your feedback!:thumbup:

[Khaine]

Toes were in but ball was not settled yet. By the time the ball came under control, feet were out.

But lets suppose Harbs did challenge. Even then, it was such a close judgment call I cant see where they would have changed the outcome. Nothing about that play was "clear and convincing", which is the standard for a reversal.
It sure looked like he had control to me... but I suppose we can agree to disagree on that one ;)

Doesn't make any real difference at this point anyway now does it?

[RavenScallywag]

My list:

Heroes - Ngata, Bannan (playing up to that Kelly Gregg, unsung hero persona), Ray, Suggs, Mason, Flacco, McGahee, McClain.

Honorable Mentions for Leonhard and Fabian Washington, who played decently for being out for the last month or so and being thrown in.

Goats - JJ (who did redeem himself by calling himself out), Clayton, Figurs, anyone else that picked up stupid personal fouls by giving into the Steelers baiting.

A lot of players, I can't call them goats because they played good most of the game...Reed, CMac, Bart Scott...you see them get one or two missed plays, but then play decently the rest of the game.

Harbaugh, I will not call either. Yes, this team fell apart a bit. Did it melt down? No. Do other teams have these types of breakdowns? Yes Is it really the coaches fault? Only if he lets it go unchecked...They showed Harbs in the face of JJ after the drive where he gave them a free 15 yards, he wasn't backing down.

[Ravenswarrior19]

JJ - That penalty really cost us. It was the turning point of the game. But he gets a pass for me because
1) He has never lost composure like that before.
2) I don't think anyone in Bmore feels worse about it or is taking it harder than he is. and
3) If it were me and Hines Ward, it probably woulda been worse. I be serving a 4 game suspension and facing assault charges.

[Jeremiah W]

How about Barnes on special teams coverage? That one play was maybe the best I have ever seen. getting knocked out of bounds to the ground on a double team, getting back up into his lane and putting the best shot of the day on the return man after coming back from injury.

Bart Scott is one of my favorite players, but he kind of blew the game with his coverage of the back on the last 3 drives. he had to know it was coming the 3rd or 4th time. The play on 3rd and long to the RB in the flat that allowed the FG was the K.O. blow.

I thought the Mason grab was a TD, but the O.C. could have slowd down and let the guys in the booth get another couple of looks before sending in the next play, or Mason could have lobbied for the challenge. Tough to ever put those on the HC even though it is his flag, someone else really has to tell him when to throw it unless the play is right in front of him.

From a coaching perspectice, I also thought Rex got a little too blitz happy. We were getting pressure with a 4 man rush and there was no where to throw. Ben seems to be too good at avoinidng the blotzer 1 on 1, and not as good at going through progressing and standing in a collapsing pocket.

Overall I though it was much more about what the Steelers did right in the second half than what we did wrong. That was a really great game evn though it stung like a biatch to lose it after that drive to tie.

[RAVENOUS52]

JJ - That penalty really cost us. It was the turning point of the game. But he gets a pass for me because
1) He has never lost composure like that before.
2) I don't think anyone in Bmore feels worse about it or is taking it harder than he is. and
3) If it were me and Hines Ward, it probably woulda been worse. I be serving a 4 game suspension and facing assault charges.

I give all of our guys a pass, but realistically, there was enough blame to go round for a close loss, Lowered expectations be damned...:nerd:

[Rxdoxx]

Ray fractured Mendenhal's shoulder on that hit. The way I remember seeing it, it wasn't a pile drive into the ground, it was direct impact from a moving dump truck called Lewis. If there was anything he didn't leave out there on the field, it might have been a toenail, I'm sure ice is his best friend today and for a few days to come.

Add Figurs to the goat list, and I'm not just focusing on a fumble. He was a dancing fool out there. I was screaming at the set as he was giving up yards... yeah exciting looking for an opening...but only needed in desperation time, not all 4Q ... and add to that the changing blocking angles that he was causing, I'm sure caused others to commit penalties... our guys having their blocks figured out and getting into them when the defender slides because Figurs is dancing... a lot more probable for a block in the back or a reach and grab. Just one example- the end of regulation we could have had the ball on the 34-35yd line... he got it to the 47 and we ended back on the 15, and I blame Figurs more than who got caught.
I hated JJ's mistake but can be far more forgiving of a one time intensity slip-up than I can watching the dancing fool... I don't know if he has 'I wanna be a hero syndrome' or if he is scared of taking a bit hit, but I sure hope Harbs is on it and puts a stop to it. The first play of the game, Figurs came straight and look what HNaka was able to do!

[Jeremiah W]

Figurs did have a very bad game. He has been out for a while, and is a home run threat though. I saw Hester make more mistakes than he did against the Eagles this week though. Got to take the good with the bad I guess, and his mistakes were not all that obvious, but he did cost us a lot of hidden yards and crucial feild position too many times.

[Greg]

Figurs first two returns should have been touchbacks. Our ST coach needs to convince him that he should only bring out kicks 4-5 yards deep in the end zone if they are line drives. High kicks that deep allow the coverage to get to you well before the 20, which happened both times.

[StingerNLG]

Figurs first two returns should have been touchbacks. Our ST coach needs to convince him that he should only bring out kicks 4-5 yards deep in the end zone if they are line drives. High kicks that deep allow the coverage to get to you well before the 20, which happened both times.

But if you noticed too Greg, the rest of the ST guys couldn't open up a damn thing for him. The best return we had was from Jim Leonard, and that got flagged and put back at the 15.

Yamon had very little room to work with.

[RAVENOUS52]

The one thing Yamon Figurs did last night that had me pulling out my hair was everytime he caught the damn ball, he'd take a step BACKWARDS and then start shuffling his feet like a bad Jamal Lewis handoff.

Very frustrating!

[4G63]

I'm going to go easy on JJ too. His penalty obviously stands out because it was pretty dumb and happened at the most inopportune time. But that wasn't a repeat performance. You never see that behavior from him. He let that smiling fucker under his skin and popped him. I know he's supposed to be a professional, but under the same circumstances, how many of us would like to give him a good shot? My biggest problem? If you're going to hit him and eat the 15 yards, HIT HIM. Hit him so hard, he's can't smile.

Exactly....slam that motherfucker to the ground like you've got a set!!!

[RAVENOUS52]

Exactly....slam that motherfucker to the ground like you've got a set!!!

Maybe Mark Clayton can piss off Haynesworth this week and cause him to meltdown and get ejected from the game...:nerd:

[Jeremiah W]

Maybe Mark Clayton can piss off Haynesworth this week and cause him to meltdown and get ejected from the game...:nerd:

Lets just hope he does not try to squash his head with his cleats.

[purplepoe]

Figurs was horrid last night. It's obvious he's not 100% with that hammy and it showed.

Scott continually blows RB coverage out of the backfield. I cannot understand how he STILL does it as often as he does.

I'm wondering when we'll be seeing Willie Anderson starting at RT.

Team played very hard.

PP

[Khaine]

I was (or is that still am) concerned about Figures. He did well last year but looked all kinds of slow to decide / cut and run compared to his usual game.
Does anyone think we'll try someone else back there against the titans?
Leonard did decently if I recall correctly.

[RAVENOUS52]

Does anyone have Jermaine Lewis' number?!