Boller gives this team the best chance to win. Period.

I have never seen so much enthusiasm as when the Ravens played their first exhibition game. Since then it has been all down hill. Despite Ray Lewis' pre-game pep rallies, their is no passion on this team. no killer instinct. McNair maybe a trooper, but the end is near. I do not think that he can take the Birds back to the playoffs. It's time to give it back to Boller.
By-the-way, the Ravens should never have released Anderson, nor Owens. Troy Smith could surprise everyone, but his size may be a handicap.

My scorecard:

QB--D

McNair looks old and slow with no arm. He made 2 bone-headed plays that cost them...the interception and the intentional grounding.

The other telling stat is 34 completions only gained 304 yards.

Running Backs B

McGahee gets a "A"...the rest get a "D". Willis was the only Raven I saw who looked ready to place. Smith accomplished little again, and McClain's holding penalty penalty stymied a good drive.

O-Line--B

Pass protection was mostly good but they couldn't move Cleveland inside. Once again penalities hurt them.

D-line- C

At best...no pressure on Anderson; gave up 3 long runs that hurt.

Linebackers--C

No blitz pressure and a dropped interception cost any chance of a comeback. They handled Jamal well, but were not the factor they need to be to compensate for no pass rush and a very poor secondary.

Secondary--F

They do not seem to have a clue and played for 3 quarters like they've played in the 4th quarter the last 2 weeks.

McAlister looked asleep for most of the game; Landry is a big liability in pass coverage and, unfortunately, anybody they have to replace him is worse.

The nickle and dime coverage packages are exceptionally poor time and again...concept or personnel.

Special Teams--F

Fumbled kickoff...2 missed FG's...offside on a missed FG attempt that then led to a touchdown.

Coaching--F

They were not ready to play...that's the coach's fault and it happens way too often...twice already this year.

Play-calling wasn't really an issue, though Billick still tries to get 9 yards with a 4-yard pass too much.

However, execution and design inside the redzone is as always...I wonder if even Billick knows what he wants to do.

The season isn't over, but its really tottering on the edge...one would HOPE somebody would see the problems looking at the films.

One thing stands out today more than anything I think. With the defense looking average and not bailing out the offense it really sheds light on how terrible a coach Billick is. Playcalling and disciplne are this teams two biggest problems, two thing with are directly related to the quality of the coach.

Why is Willis McGahee only getting 14 carries??????

Once again the Ravens lack of a pass rush has exposed the weak secondary coverage. Cory Ivey is nothing more than a nickel back. Mcalister had a bad game and looked unispired. But the whole team plays with a lack of passion. That tends to happen when you get your butt kicked all over the field!!

Our performance today was terrible. I believe we should start Boller, as McNair can not do anything with the ball. Our secondary needs a major overhaul. What's up with the defense? I thought Ryan would make some adjustments in the second half. Why is Billick calling the plays? Can't anyone see that he has been ineffective at play calling for four games? If we can't beat cleveland, how can we possibly beat Indy, Steelers and Pats? Steve Biscotti, are you seeing the same poor play as the rest of us are?? Do something. Start Boller (I never thought I would recommend that) Go Ravens,

Good analysis Ed D.

At this point, Biscotti, Newsome, Billick, and the rest of the coaching staff should keep in mind the Pareto Principle -- that 20% of your problems are creating 80% of the negative effects. The principle also works the other way. Focus 80% of your efforts on solving the top 20% of your problems and most of your problems will go away.

The Ravens for the most part looked sluggish and un-prepared for Cleveland. McGahee wasn't used enough, 5-yard passes don't constitute a passing attack, let alone move the chains! And, as usual it took the Ravens half-way into the fourth quarter to finally score another meaningless touchdown. The previous two "last second " wins were purely luck! Forget the playoffs, Ravens will finish at best "8 and 8."

First, I would like to get the few positives out of the way.
1. It is not often that Matt Stover has a day like this. However, seeing as he has won countless games for this offensively broken franchise for over a decade now, he is more than deserving of a pass. The young offensive line did a good job in pass protection and the veteran Flynn did a great job in anchoring the line audibles. Yanda may be the weak link on this line, but one can hope he will only get better. The receivers played well also. They gave the quarterback big opportunities today. McAlister got caught gambling once. That won't happen too often. Nothing was done against him the rest of the game.

Now, to what seriously needs to bring worry to the fans.

1. While the run defense did well today, O-linemen are getting to R. Lewis too often. If the DTs can't clog the middle up and allow him to roam free, the d can be open to big plays up the middle.

2. Trevor Pryce's injury has caused major problems for this D. Offenses used to have problems because they could not double either Suggs or Pryce. Now, they can double Suggs, because Edwards is not the answer at DE. The lack of pressure on the quarterback is exposing the secondary as a whole and even more so with the injury to Samari Rolle. If you give any quarterback enough time to throw, he will make a good throw.

3. Except Steve McNair. The fact is that his groin injury is seriously affecting his play. He already had bad Mechanics as it was. Now, he is sailing everything. He missed atleast three sure touchdown passes in this game. If he cannot make the necessary throws, he cannot be put out there. Kyle Boller is not the Boller of old, nor is he surrounded by the Heap/Lewis only talent of old. He has proven over the past two years that he can make any throw on the field and that his decision making has improved alot. McNair is still not making good decisions with the football. He is fortunate that the game was as close as it was. Delay of games are still happening with him? Intentional grounding? Not seeing defenders right in front of him?. Boller is ready. Atleast, if McNair is going to play the way that Boller used to, you might as well put in the quarterback that has more knowledge of the system and who can make the necessary throws on the field.

4. Brian Billick. This one is nothing new. His play calling truly was not so bad considering the bad throws by McNair that ruined so many opportunities. However, he does have to get a better feel for the game. This is also nothing new. More time of possession needs to be taken up given the d is struggling. He needs to bring poise and smart decision making to this team to minimize the penalties. He needs to manage his timeouts better.

There is indeed reason to worry. I was worried coming into this game, but I thought that we could win it close. The improvements will not happen over night, but they can be made. There is still plenty of time in the season.

I don't know that I've ever been as discouraged with a Ravens game as I was with today's. If Billick is a genius, I'm Albert Einstein. First, the Ravens were obviosly not prepared to start the season. Timing, execution and penalties are mostly the result of lack of repetition and loss of discipline. Second, he has absolutely no clue about time management. With the Ravens down by three touchdowns and under 5 minutes left in the game, the team was still taking 25 - 30 seconds to get off each play and showed no sense of urgency whatsoever. Not only did they not go to a no-huddle offense, they didn't even hurry up. You'd have thought they were out for a walk in the park.

Anita Marks, said on the radio it wasn't Billick's fault today because McNair couldn't make the throws or get into and out of the huddle fast enough because of the groin injury. She also said no blame could be put on McNair because he was injured. Well, you can't have it both ways! If McNair wasn't injured he played atrociously. And, if his pathetic play and slow motion strolls to and from the huddle were the result of the groin pull, it's Billick's fault for leaving him in the game. And, even if McNair were healthy, Boller deserved a shot to start the second half to attempt to jump start an uninspired, passionless team. Billick lost the Cincy game with faulty play calling, and today took all chance of a comeback off the board by not playing Boller in the second half.

Third, either Billick is slow getting the plays to McNair, or McNair is a moron, because of all the delay of game calls and timeouts taken in non-critical situations. Fourth, the continaul three-yard passes on third-and-12 get on my nerves. Why bother? McGahee averaged over 7 yards a carry but only touched the ball 14 times. Wouldn't you rather see a 7-yard run than these 3-yard passes? Billick also blew it by not challenging the Jamal touchdown. We had time for three replays on TD and it was obvious Lewis didn't break the plane. Are you telling me no one in the coaching box saw what we did?

The Ravens caught a break with the Steelers' loss to the Cardinals; otherwise, they'd be two games back without even playing the Steelers. But they better get these problems fixed, or it won't matter who they play because they look pathetic and disinterested. Kind of reminds me of another clueless team that plays in the stadium next door and masquerades as a major league baseball team.

The Ravens are simply getting old. Most of the starters (both offense and defense) are either plagued with chronic injuries or their skills have diminished to the point where they are simply average players. This team needs a major youth infusion. Some new blood on both sides of the ball and a new coaching staff. Although I'm usually a Billick supporter I think his message is stale and is lost on this team.

Will the anti-Baltimore bias ever end?
The Vikings had the Purple People Eaters, the Steelers the Steel Curtain. TV announcers are forever calling the Ravens good hits as cheap shots. Sports writers call our players nasty, and a bunch of bullies. Baltimore, that stinking city that stole the beloved browns. No one on the National scene shed a tear when the moving vans pulled out of Baltimore under the cover of darkness during a snow storm...

It's becoming more obvious that my team (RAVENS ) are done for the season.

We lack a quarterback, coach and secondaries. My team (RAVENS) can't get a touchdown from the poorest defenses (Cleveland & Cincy) in the league. It's going to be a blow out when we play Indy, Pittsburgh and New England.

Also, it's being apparent that we (RAVENS) miss A.D. Thomas.

Most importantly, nobody is afraid of the RAVENS defense.

This is going to be long season for me. SAD!!!!!!

Once we play Indy and New England Patriots

BK your right football is a youngmans game.Experienced vets are good just not to many.Heisman winner Troy Smith should be given a chance old broken vet ...vs young fresh Heisman winner.. can you choose wisely weedhopper .God please inject some brainpwer into this unecessary mess