I THINK IF MCNAIR IS NOT READY TO FULFILL HIS OBLIGATION TO THE TEAM LET'S GO WITH BOLLER HE LOOKS LIKE HE'S GETTING MUCH MORE CONFIDENT IN THE POCKET AND I DONT THINK THIS SWITCHING BACK AND FORTH IS GOOD FOR EITHER QUARTERBACK. EITHER WAY ONE OR THE OTHER NOT BOTH EVERY WEEK BEFORE WE END UP WITH TROY SMITH IN THERE BECAUSE MCNAIR AND BOLLER ARE HURT!!

Maybe he could do what Maryland did a couple of years ago. Have two starting QBs, and trade them out every series or set of plays.

Ay Bill the truth of the matter is beggars cant be chosey, were talking about an old hurt guy and a guy who never panned out, not Montana and Elway.They may have thought they were getting the 1997 Mcnair when they spent that money but thats what happens when you think idealisticly and not realisticly.We all watch the same games every year, they didnt Know Mcnair would come with an extra supply of crazyglue
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Rob,
I'm the guy who did the story cataloguing the injuries. They certainly understood. They got a game manager and a leader.
-- Bill O.

Media types are suppose to REPORT. Preston may have a chance to analysis with his personal experience but he certainly manages to DUCK all responsibility that goes along with the territory. Hensley, on the other hand, has a major short coming. He is a typical MEDIA individual with less than 2 grey cells. In other words, he is brain less.
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JohnJames,
To sort this out a bit, Jamison Hensley is the beat writer who has the responsibility to report on the Ravens day to day. Mike Preston writes columns and offers analysis about the team. You are entitled to your opinions about anyone here -- including me. I happen to strongly disagree with your comments. But more to the point is that the first rule of critiquing is to give examples when you're being critical. And while I certainly welcome editors straightening out my sloppy writing at times, the correct spellings are shortcoming and brainless. And I think you meant to use the verb analyze when you wrote the noun analysis. Oh yeah, and that should be fewer than two grey cells, not less. Other than that, thanks for writing.
-- Bill O.

I think the worst thing that could happen to this team is to start a QB contraversy. Steve is our QB as long as he is healthy...I agree with Mike Preston (as much as I hate to admit it), McNair could have finished the game by handing off to McGhee and Smith. I also agree that Billick has a problem excepting the fact that his 'chosen' QB can't lead the team to a type of season we had last year (13-3). Boller is a very good No.2 but he could never handle the situations that were handed to us last season, go to the tapes.

I like Mike Preston's articles. He does indeed rub alot of Raven fans the wrong way. Since he offers a view point that is not well received by the fans. But, he is usually dead-on with his analysis, in my opinion. If he was a homer and always wrote with that view point. Then he would be slammed for doing that. The guy can't win for losing.

Can you imagine the irony, if after bringing McNair in to take this team to the next level, it is Kyle Boller who gives this team the best chance to win? Most who understand that McNair was on the downside of his career when we brought him in, understand that he was not expected to come in and become Peyton Manning with this offense. However, throughout this season and even in shades of last season(Hidden under our 13-3 record), McNair has been playing more and more the way that Kyle Boller used to when he was going through his shell shock years here. Boller, on the other hand, has come in for McNair both this year and last year with more confidence. Also, he has done a much better job of taking care of the football. He has shown that he can move the ball downfield patiently and he has shown that he can make the throws to get the team down the field in 3 or 4 plays. His deep ball seems a bit off, but I believe that he could get a good rhythm if given more playing time. It is just amazing that the Quarterback that so many predicted Brian Billick to sink with would rise above the Quarterback brought in to save Billick's job and win games for this team. Boller is even bailing out the defense now? Who would have thought?

Best thing that can happen to this franchise is for the Ravens to miss the playoffs this year and the owner will be free to fire BB. If BB gets to the first round of the playoffs, then the owner will be forced to keep BB around for another year.

Hey Gang -

Written from the (soon to be) frozen North, let’s be pragmatic. McNair came in last year to give a Raven’s, rather patchwork, team another shot at a Super Bowl. Unfortunately, he blew it big time against the Colts.

So okay, I predict the Raven’s will barely make 8-8. If you wanna take me up on it, I’ll buy you a couple of crab cakes and a cold one the next time I am in Baltimore – but you gotta bet me now!

A transplanted Baltimorean in Montreal...

- Dick Murry

Interestingly, I think Billick did an excellent job so far with these quarterbacks.

Boller needed a veteran to take him under his wing, and McNair has done that. Boller is much better for it, and I expect he will be starter caliber by next year. His backup games last year and this have been real confidence boosters for him, and the fans.

McNair is great when he is in form. His first half on Sunday was brilliant. But I have also seen him lose games, when he is tired/hurt. I count the playoff loss among them. He had what I thought was his worst game of the season. I agree that he showed more zip after a week off.

So what do we need? McNair getting rested during the year. A quarter here, a game there. A rested McNair is still better than Boller, today, and we need him rested in January.

As an aside, while I agree with Mike Preston's complaints in the first game, Billick's 4th quarter play-calling has not been a factor in either close shave, and his play calls have been excellent in the first 3 quarters. There is a reason the offense has been able to bail out the defense, and that is the productivity of those first 3 quarters.

First of all, let's label Mike Preston's "analysis" for what it is, opinion. I can't trust much of what he says because he has been a BB hater from the get-go. Does that mean he doesn't get it right sometimes, no. However, his extreme bias does delude his thinking and he is far from objective. On the Boller/McNair front, I for one was concerned before the Cards game that McNair could tweak his groin and have a lingering injury for weeks. When Billick pulled him for Boller on Sunday (I was at the game), I assumed he thought the game was in the bag and that he didn't want to risk McNair's health for the rest of the season when we WILL need him. As for putting McNair back in the game after the Cards scored twice, it wasn't an option because McNair was then cold and at even greater risk of injury. You can fault Billick for pulling McNair when he did, but with a 20-6 lead and our defense having shut them down to that point, who wouldn't pull their first stringer and give him rest. Bottom line, Preston and everyone else needs to quit trying to make this a story. Quit feeding in to this media creation. That's what they want you to do. McNair is our #1, he gives us the best chance of winning against elite teams due to his experience and he needs to be healthy to do so. Is he on the downside of his career? Absolutely. Does the media think we are so stupid that we don't know that? Can McNair still lead this team and win games? Yes. Everybody wants to blame McNair for the Colts game last year, but look at what the Colts defense did at the end of last season. They were the reason the Colts won, not Manning. Finally, are the Ravens going to go to the Super Bowl this year? Probably not. They have a very young offensive line and a defense trying to sort things out after losing AD. The media treats this team like we won the Super Bowl last year and seems to think that they need to tell us how bad this team is. I don't know about you, but I read analysis for objective critiques of the team. I don't object to criticism nor do I want a homer, but the sarcasm and tongue-in-cheek crap demeans the writers and the newspapers alike. Bill, I do think you are pretty objective and I appreciate that. Hope you can pass some of your objectivity on to your colleagues.
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Cam Mac,
Thanks for your well thought-out note. I'm not sure I'm always completely objective but I try to be fair. And, honestly, a little entertaining, too. Here's the balance I try to strike ... and I used to be the beat guy covering the Eagles in Philadelphia, talk about Hysteria Central ... you want to give the fans the benefit of the significance of what you believe to be true without overreacting to every shift in the wind. I'll say this again ... I thought it was VERY significant when Billick noted that McNair's arm was more lively after the game he sat out against the Jets. That tells me this may not just be about resting the groin injury. Bottom line, yeah, I think Billick is deliberately nursing his QB situation to see how things develop. And we have to be realistic ... guys get hurt. Some guys (McNair) get hurt more than other guys (Favre). In that unhappy circumstance, you would like folks (and I include the Ravens defense here) not to jump off the Hanover Street Bridge if Boller has to start in January.
I will this about our writers, though. They are pretty wired. When Mike Preston writes something, he's not just pulling it out of thin air.
-- Bill O.

This comment is for Bill Ordine.

One of my complaints about journalist and many editors is that they do not know grammar; therefore, it was nice to see that you know the distinction between few and less.

Brian
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Brian,
It took several years of shock therapy for me to get that one straight.
-- Bill O.

You people just don't get it. McNair puts his all in it. Your coach is an idiot. I watched the replay, no reason to take him out. The score was much greater, then became close. Trust in Ray, he is the reason because he knows what is best. You really don't deserve McNair, you need Rex. I am white, Rex is white, that is what you want and deserve. Let Boller rule!! That is what you deserve!! Pretty boy on game shows, wow!!!

your right Kay,Reading this stuff makes you realize that most of these people were raised on the bugs bunny road runner hour and they continue to have that mentality,always looking for the handsome prince