Bill, I believe it was in this blog (perhaps elsewhere) where the Ozzie Newsome haters lined up and claimed, with all the verocity and sureness of blind allegiance, that Phil Savage was the genius behind the Ravens.

The "nattering nabobs of negativity" and strangely silent in light of the impending firing of the said Savage.

Also, Ozzie sure does look like a genius right now after taking an injury-riddled team, with a rookie coach and QB, to 7-4 and in the hunt for the post season.

Ahhhh, the genius of being a genius is out-geniusing the "geniuses" who post their "genius" opinions for all the world to review their statements at the end of the season!

Found one of the quotes: "Listen whether you want to admit it or not PHIL SAVAGE has turn the browns around very fast since he took over. I am going to tell the homers in this town that he was the real brain in the ravens War Room and not OZZIe like everybody thinks .We are so far behind the browns now it's not even funny. People will tell me what a great draft the ravens have had since phil Left and that is bullcrap. "| May 6, 2008

Raven fan,
Edited out the name because it's nothing I could verify and it may not be fair to single out someone without them having a chance to respond. However, I appreciate you expressing the sentiment about Newsome and Savage.
-- Bill O.

Of course the Ravens had packed it by by Game 16 last season and still managed to beat the Stealers to end things off. Knocking of a divisional rival at the end is sometimes that last gasp of pride.
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BMH,
Thanks for writing. I realize that but I think the Steelers had clinched a home playoff game and were playing reserves in that game. I was referring to a situation where the last game might mean something to the Steelers this time.
-- Bill O.

Not even relevant. Even without the Brownies, the Steelers still have 4 very losable games on their schedule the rest of the way. They play the Patriots, Dallas, Tennessee -- and oh yeah, at the Ravens! The Ravens just need to take care of business. If they win the games they can win, and BEAT PITTSBURGH, then Baltimore wins the division. If the Ravens can't beat Pittsburgh, then a lot of the other scenarios don't matter.

When the Browns came back into the league, the Lerners tried to lure every ex-49 official to Cleveland in an attempt to make them San Francisco east. When you look at those two franchises nearly 10 years later, it looks like they've succeeded.

That city could have used someone like Art Modell.

Let's hope that Derek Anderson has something to prove, which he does, and that they'll win one of those two crucial games. As for Savage and Crennel, the former has been riding Ozzie Newsome's coattails since taking over the reins in Cleveland while Romeo has repeatedly demonstrated that he's not a head coach!

Yes because with Brady the Browns have done so well.

I don't know...no playoffs in sight, a QB (D. Anderson) that needs to prove he should still be the starting QB for the franchise next year, a coach who knows he's gonna get kicked to the curb.

It kinda sounds like the perfect storm for a team to develop a chip on it's shoulder, play the role of spoiler and upset somebody.

Then again it is Cleveland.
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BASH,
You are right, there is another way to look at it. It's just that in the NFL when things are going sour like this, the situation just seems to unravel.
-- Bill O.

U idiot!! Derek Anderson gives the Browns the best shot to win anyway. Brady Quinn is 1-2 as a starter and he has a broken finger. The dinking and dunking was not working anyway. Derek Anderson can get the ball deep down the field and is a better QB in my opinion. If it wasn't for the nfl lead leading receiver in drops Anderson is a different QB and the Browns are a different team. Plus the Browns have a lot of other things going on. (young cb, kellen winslow's "staph infection"

Like it really matters when they play the Steelers or Colts. They are both games they were going to lose anyway.
Playoffs here wecome

Bill,
In that last game against the Steelers last year, the offense was playing reserves a bit, but (if I recall correctly) the first-team defense was out there most of the time.

(I'm a lifelong Baltimorean who relocated to the Redneck Riviera about 3 years ago. I still am a Ravens season ticket holder.)
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Rob,
Thanks for writing from down there. Hope you're dodging those hurricanes. Yeah, Roethlisberger and Ward sat out. Polamalu too.
-- Bill O.

Bill,
I think the Ravens still control their own destiny. The Ravens shouldn't count on help from the Browns, even though they may get it anyway. If the Ravens go 3-2 over the next 5 games, three of which are at home. They'll be 10-6. 10-6 may come down to tie breakers. If they manage 4-1. They'll be 11-5. I don't believe 11-5 has ever been left out since the league last re-organized. I know some of these games are against tough teams. But if you're going into the playoffs, its nice to go in winning.

Don't know about the Colts game, but the Browns will never, I mean never, pack it in against the Steelers.