Ravens went 11-5 last season.

The Ravens were 11-5 last year, not 13-3.

Ralph, you're right. My bad. I don't know why I wrote 13-3. Perhaps even I THOUGHT they were better than they were!

I don't know what makes you think Steve Haushka is a legit kicker, because he is not. He cannot handle the pressure, period, end of story with this guy. He's done in the NFL, if you want to see him miss another crucial kick, just watch the next couple of weeks.

Perhaps the Ravens worst off season move, letting Stover go and signing Steve Haushka.

People please! Enough of the Matt Stover talk......the guy can only kick off to the 5yd line with a tail wind. However, we do need to get another veteran kicker

Penalties aren't just a discipline issue. It is a talent/skill issue also. When you can't cover, you grab and hold. When your footwork is poor and you don't have the strength/skill to maintain your block, you hold.

Some good points, but some misses. I agree the penalties on special teams need to be addressed. It's been a constant problem. The secondary has lacked discipline, but the pass interference isn't about discipline, it's about not making plays. I still believe a lot of that goes away with a consistant pass rush. I would also like to see more of Webb. He looked good today.

Also, nothing painfully obvious about Flacco's play. He's had two off games against the Bengals. What is obvious is that against the league's better secondaries, we need better playmakers. Very little separation today from our wideouts. That left Joe to force some balls.

Not at all sure how you arrived at point 5. Things change quickly in the NFL. Last seaon we played three close games with the eventual champion Steelers. We beat the Cowboys, Eagles, Tenn, etc. It's crazy to marginalize all that. We had a rookie qb play well down the stretch and a defense that was legit (2 or 3 in the league).

Again,

Another writer who does that doesn't mention that Mattison was a poor choice and is over his head. That should have been #1 on this list.

raving mad -

Stover has hit some 40+ yard kicks already this year. He was 4 of 4 last week (accounting for 12 of Indy's 18 points) and 2 of 2 this week.

I'd take that all day.

OZZIE NEWSOME IS TERRIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!

Very insightful and, in my opinion, accurate assessment. And I find your baseball analogy especially interesting. Just as in 2007 (when they were coming off a 13-3 season) the Ravens did not do enough to improve this past off-season. They added one offensive skill position player (a journeyman 3rd down receiver) and did nothing to improve the pass rush (which they should've know was anemic without Rex Ryan's exotic blitzes). So you're talking about a team that lost three times to a division opponent (which is also their arch rival) and did nothing to improve in the off-season. No wonder Harbaugh was so non-committal about building on 2008 ("We just want to be the best Ravens we can be.")

Also, I disagree with your statement that the Ravens can "still beat every team on their schedule." As a Ravens fan trying to be objective, I see no indication that the Ravens will match the Steelers' or Colts' talent or intensity in the coming weeks.

Do not agree with you about the officiating - it stunk, it was one sided and as bad as the Ravens played, the officiating affected the outcome of this game. A ticky tack pass interference reverses a fumble we recovered. Later that same drive, on 4th and 2, another pass interference on a pass the Bengals receiver would not have caught if he was nine feet tall. Not to mention flag not thrown until Bengals receiver tells ref to do so. Bengals literally handed a touchdown on that drive to go up 14-0. That set the tone that we would not be given a fair chance. And what, no one is going to mention Ochocinco trying to give the ref money during a review? Sure it was a joke, but to me it spoke volumes about how Ravens games are called.

Bill Holmes,

Please, please know the facts before drinking the Baltimore Sun Kool Aid. Haushka's KO's last year were only 3, count em 3, yards better on average than the guy who "can only kick off to the 5yd line with a tail wind." Look it up on NFL.com, I'm not making it up. This is the "Special Team's Guru" Harbaugh's biggest lie he tells and the Sun swears by it. Don't be the Sun's lemming, know your facts!

At this point, unless/until the Colts cut Stover, there really is no point in talking about him, is there? It's like saying "We really need James Harrison. I can't believe they let him go!" You can keep bringing up his name all you want, but he's on another team and it's in the past. Clearly it looks like a mistake. But it's kind of silly to get too pissed about it now.

As for Mattison, I'm not sure how he suddenly made Trevor Pryce old, or made Terrell Suggs out of shape, or made Fabian Washington or Frank Walker or Dawan Landry bad in coverage and bad at tackling. How is that Mattison's fault? It's not like the alternative was keeping Rex Ryan. The Ravens didn't want to make him the head coach. So whomever you got to replace him was going to be a little worse if you believe he's the best in the game. But even Rex couldn't make Landry an aggressive hitter/tackler again.

Forget the five things. The Ravens lack talent on both sides of the ball. Those players with actual talent like Ray and Ed are actually old and should retire. Ed Reed looks like he is playing touch football out there. He needs to retire. Landry should have never started this year. I don't care how much money you're paying him. Would you rather "get your monies worth" or WIN?

Our corners are dreadful. Mattison should go back to coaching college. Flacco needs big targets like Moss or Colston in order to become an elite QB in this league.

Ozzie Newsome failed miserably this year. Leonard and Scott should have been re-signed. Brandon Marshall should have been a Raven. Harbaugh has showed every team in the league that they should not "play like a Raven".

And finally, Steve Bisciotti should find better coaches and not try to cut his losses from the money he is already paying Brian Billick.

The five things are good but as some other posters have said......this giant turd of a season starts with the over-hyped GM Mr. Ozzy. Chris Carr was signed to do what? Return Man....He is average at best... Corner....Hah!!!!! Tavares Gooden is still learning, correct??? His learning curve extends until 2017 when he will be out of the league for 4 years. For God's sake give Nakamura a shot instead of Landry. And you can claim that the job isn't going to a white man since He is Asian-American. Ozzy bet the farm that Landry would be the same player after a year off......WRONG!!!

Keith V V,

The fact that this kid is missing key kicks for the Ravens IS newsworthy. You guys ran Billick out of town, but refuse to criticize the " Mighty Man" and his trite, stupid cliches, his team's poor special teams play and poor defensive backs play. The news is that you guys continue to ignore it because "like" Harbaugh because you are intimidated by him.

Well, this about says it all --- would could argue with any of this --- I would add that the coaching staff did not have that team ready to play today. There was zero motivation.

Did Ozzie draft Joe Flacco, Ray Rice, Michael Oher, Lardarius Webb, etc, etc.???

Just checking... Man, he's AWFUL!!!

He's not going to get them all right.

Special Teams Guru, this idea that anyone is "protecting Harbaugh" when they "ran Billick out of town" is absurd. The defensive backs have been ripped and ripped here and elsewhere and when Mike Preston wrote that Harbaugh still had to show he could handle adversity fans went nuts. They were furious. So to pretend the media is letting Harbaugh slide when they hammered Billick is all in your head. Harbaugh makes our jobs HARDER with his cliches and tight ship. And he also has done well so far as an NFL coach. It's the media's job to be reasonable and rational in good times or bad. If we screamed FIRE HIM after every lossit would be a joke.

Kevin V V,

Respectfully, I’ll believe it when I read it. Aside from a few bloggers, I have not read one article that points out the Harbaugh made his living as a special teams guru (my tongue-in-check handle) and defensive backs coach, both of which rank in the bottom third of the league. Meanwhile, could have filled a scrap book with the articles ridiculing Billick for his team’s lack of offensive prowess.

this isnt rocket science. when ozzie drafted defense every year, and he did an amazing job, we were a defensive force. the past few drafts have focused on offense and now, with the exception of today. we are an offensive force. ozzie is not the problem. all you have to do is look over his record. if you lived in detroit you'd kill to have ozzie as your gm. bottom line is the defense is now old, and the young guys, with some exceptions, arent legit nfl players. it doesnt help that mattison is lost in terms of how to do his job AND the players dont respond to him like they did rex. i think its time to blow this thing up the way they did in 02 and start over. most of the offense can stay, but lewis, reed, landry, carr, washington, gregg, pryce, bannan, walker, nakamura and zibikowski can go.

and somebody needs to light a fire under suggs as he seems to have gone to the mccallister school of how to play after getting the big deal!

I strongly disagree with defending Mattison.
For a decade this team had a top ten defensive, every year, without fail. We have essentially the same defensive players as last year, I believe the turnover ration from last year to this year was 20% Never has a Raven defense given up such massive chucks of yardage when they are thrown against. Its EASY to pass on the Ravens and Mattison has done NOTHING to solve this issue. The Bengals came out and threw at will against the Ravens and Ocho ran wild in the secondary. Some blame the players, I believe the issue lies with the DC and the style of play he has implemented. It has not worked and I have little confidence that Mattison will resurrect the defense, because he has essentially destroyed it. with his soft approach.

As far as the kicker, the decision was made before the season and the Ravens went with the wrong guy. Haskua is not an NFL kicker.

The main issue to me is Harbaugh. He blindly relies on his coordinators and seems incapable of recognizing their weaknesses and giving input to make their game plans better.

Last year Cameron went against his nature, Flacco forced him into a running style offense that was not exciting but controlled time of possession. This kept the offense in the game and made the defense look better than it was. This year Cameron is pass happy and the Ravens are paying for his lack of discipline with losses. Against the good teams the Ravens will only win by controlling time of possession and letting our young but physical O-line dominate at the end. Our receivers are just not that good. Cameron's record in SanDiego was one that put up big numbers but never won the big games - his 2009 offense is doing the same, Harbaugh though offers no restraint against Cam's lack of discipline.

On D - Rex created a defense that hid our age and our weaknesses. Mattison's D is based on a premise that our players are better than they are and that the other teams will be confused by a vanilla collegiate Division-3 scheme. As bad as our D-backs are; Landry is the one that shou.d probably just retire. His head is no longer in the game. When is the last time he made a play? The D-line is Ngata and nobody else. We miss Scott more than one would believe. Suggs is an undisciplined thug. The D is old and lacks basic skills. Harbaugh offers no energy and sophistication to our D mind set.

The trouble is the Ravens have more holes than solid players on D. They have more holes than a single draft can correct. They need a big receiver and tight end on O. They need a game plan on O that stresses winning versus stats. Against the really good teams the Rvens will continue to lose and Harbaugh is clueless to correct it.

I'm sick of the Stover talk but I'd agree that it maybe time to bring in another kicker. Missing a 38 yarder is unacceptable.

I also strongly believe that it's time to put Webb into the starting line up, bench Fabian. He has been given a ton of chances but he's a horrible tackler and he's looked quite bad in coverage, Webb looked great today. I'd also prefer Nakamura or Zbikowski starting over Landry, whose just looked awful this season. I still think it was a mistake letting Leonhard go.

Kevin, in regards to your response to Special Team Guru, I don't think you were a part of it (and may not even have been at the Sun during the majority of it), but the fact is the Sun did their best to run Billick. I can't pinpoint the moment when it got personal, but the coverage started taking on the tone that everything (players, owner, front office, officiating) is to-shelf; it's just poor coaching by Billick that's keeping the team from winning the Super Bowl every year. I remember Jamison Hensley's game story after the Cincinnati opener in 2007 when Todd Heap was called for a phantom offensive interference call that negated the game-winning touchdown, and Hensley made the lead of his story about Billick throwing on 3rd and short late in the game (by the way, McNair sailed the ball over a wide-open Derrick Mason's head; a completion there would've effectively iced the game). And if you don't think it's personal, how do you explain the fact that Preston and Hensley have both taken childish swipes at Billick THIS SEASON?

I think it's time that everyone realized that the Ravens have never had supreme talent, especially on the offensive side of the ball, which forced Billick to "win ugly" (you need offensive talent to win pretty). The guy should be praised for accomplishing what he did with what he had to work with, not villified for being unable to match the passing success he had in Minnesota. As a Ravens fan I can only hope that Harbaugh can match the success that Billick enjoyed with the club.

People who say Ray Lewis and Ed Reed should retire are idiots. Those guys are out there making plays every game. Ed Reed playing touch football? Was it Ed Reed who forced that fumble in Denver last week with the big hit? Was it Ed Reed who has forced 2 fumbles on Ocho Cinco this year and returned an INT for a TD against Cincy this week? I'm frustrated like every other ravens fan but let's not be stupid here.

Some things I take away from our losses especially 2 games against Cincy this year.
#1 - Our play calling is to inconsistent this year. Joe Flacco had a horrible game. However, both games against Cincy this year we had a very conservative game plan on offense. The ravens offense does best when they attack and play to win. Today and in some of our losses this year we've played not to lose. On the defensive side of the ball we've gone from an elite defense to one of the worst defenses in the league. I give a lot of the blame to Mattison. Is Mattison out there tackling or covering Wide Receivers? No, but a coaches job is to maximize their talent and put their guys in a position to make plays. Mattison hasn't done that. The rare times we do blitz this year more good comes than bad. However, Mattison refuses to bring consistent pressure. Many times when he blitzes he doesn't disguise anything and the blitzing packages are very vanilla.
#2-The coaching has not won us any games this year but I think its lost us games. We played horrible today but lets face it both losses against Cincy this year we were outcoached. The bengals had a better game plan and were more prepared. I personally like Harbaugh as a person but I'm not sold on him as a coach. Last year, Harbaugh allowed Cameron to run the offense, Ryan to run the defense and we were successful. The special teams hasn't been good for us either of the 2 years under Harbaugh and our offense has been good this year. Defensively, we've been awful. This year, what has Harbaugh done without having 2 very good coordinators on both sides of the ball?

I think this year our coaches have let us down the most. I understand Harbaugh is very close with Mattison but sometimes you have to make very difficult decisions as a HC. Billick fired his best friend Jim Fassell and we were able to turn our season around and finish 13-3. The offense looked much better from there on. I think it's time to let Mattison go. Mike Preston, Bruce Cunningham, and many other media people say that this is a dumb decision and it's too early. I disagree. Mattison has accomplished nothing in the NFL. He hasn't shown us success in the past to lead us to believe he can turn things around. Our defense has been top 10 for most of the past 10 years and this year our defense looks horrible. As a fan, for the first time ever I have no confidence in our defense. Mattison's scheme doesn't work. We tried it but it doesn't work. He runs a scheme that requires the best defensive line in the NFL or is a college scheme. This isn't college Mattison. If you can't fool offenses and keep them on their toes they are going to eat you up. It's time for a change. The players don't respect the scheme and you can see their frustrations with it. Again, I like Harbaugh but if he's not willing to do what's best for the Ravens its time to bring someone in who will. It's not personal Mattison, it's just business.

It's not that the Ravens lack discipline. And it's not the coaches fault either. The players just aren't that good. The secondary gets beat so they grab the receiver. The O-Line gets beat so they hold, or try to jump the snap to get an extra half step and they get called for a false start. It would be lack of discipline if they were doing stupid things like picking up a referees flag and throwing it in the stands. They just aren't good. Plain and simple. If they were good they wouldn't have to hold and push and jump in order to beat their man.

Harbaugh is worthless. Cameron and Ryan made him look good last year. His clock management (which I guess is his main function) was embarrassingly bad before the end of the half in the Patriots game. And now he lies in a press conference pretending that our tackling hasn't been very poor! He's a joke.

8 and 8 if lucky. no pass rush, no pass defense. butterfingers clayton and an old mason. wait 'until next year.
oh and chicken dancer,eh, showman,he's slower ,older-non lethal

Fire Ozzie? Let's not forget that Ozzie's first two draft picks ever were sure fire hall of famers (one of the best drafts in the history of football) and these picks set the ravens up for over a decade. If you look year after year at the ravens, if their draft picks aren't in the elite of the NFL then they are at least well above average. Of course if you are bent on firing Ozzie then I am sure we can get GM's that used to work in Cleveland and a bunch of other "elite" teams with no problem.

My question is this, do the Ravens play poorly in the first half of games against good teams because they aren't well coached and therefore aren't ready to play until the second half when they finally get fired up? Or is this team simply out classed by these better teams in the first half of these games but have some success in the second half after the coaches make quick adjustments and figure out what schemes will work? Maybe the truth is somewhere in between?

The pass rush is the key to our success defensively and it must improve because last week against the Broncos, it made our defensive backs look great as it forced Kyle Orton to stick to short passes. In the 1st half of 2 of the last 3 games, the defense has been repeatedly out of position, which shows that Mattison hasn't been quick enough to make the proper adjustments. Exotic blitzes and disguised alignments are not a cover up for a weak pass rush, but important to disrupting opposing O-Lines blocking schemes. They need to use them more on 1st and 2nd downs. Webb deserves the chance to sart at CB. Zbikowski or Nakamura should get a shot to start in place of Landry.

Also, abandoning Le'Ron McClain like this has been a mistake because we are losing the battle of time of possession, one of the things that helped us win so much last season. They need to make him the power complement to Ray Rice to help put together long drives like last year.

To sum it up: they have abandoned almost everything (defense, power running game, and kicking) that made them successful last season thinking Joe Flacco alone could put them over the top. Wishful thinking.

Let me just play Devil's Advocate for all the anti-Mattison people sharpening their pitchforks and lighting their torches. Firing the defensive coordinator after eight games is a panic move. It's something the Redskins would do. NFL franchises that succeed thrive on stability. So as much as you might want Mattison gone, and as much as you think it's his fault, if you start yanking coaches after emotional losses, that's a recipe for chaos. I read some of these comments and it makes it seem like this is ALL on the coaches and ALL on Ozzie. If some people had their way, they'd fire a coordinator after every single game. Maybe hiring Mattison was the wrong call. I honestly can't say. But to be honest, that's something you have to evaluate at the end of the season. There is no magic wand you're going to wave to make this a great defensive team. To paraphrase Rick Pitino before he started impregnating groupies on the floors of restaurants, Rex Ryan ain't walking through that door. Brian Billick's not walking through that door.

Let me just add this about Billick: Every NFL coach has ups and downs with the media members that cover him. To say that the Sun ran Billick out of town is putting a lot more faith in the power of print media than I'm willing to believe at this point. And a lot less faith in the owner, if you believe he was influenced by what we did or did not write. Bernie, I can't speak specifically to what Jameson might have written on a particular game. Deadline journalism is a tough gig sometimes. As far as leads go, sometimes you go with something you think was the most important thing early, then have to try and tweak it for a later edition. Personally, I think a lot of people enjoyed covering Billick. He was never boring. That's mostly what we ask. Billick got fired, in my opinion, because he wanted to draft Kyle Boller. He decided this was his guy, even though some other people in the organization had reservations. He stuck his neck out, put his own rep on the line, and Boller was a trainwreck. That's what happens with high picks that don't work out. They get coaches fired. Had Billick continued to win with McNair or Wright or whomever, he would have stayed. But he didn't and he was gone. The Sun had almost nothing to do with that. It's not a personal thing. It's the way of the NFL.

A lot of you all must be old Redskin fans. Ready to dump the coach after a .500 start and what is likely to be a non-playoff year.

This is the same Harbaugh that got us to the AFC Championship last year. The same man who brought Cameron and a real offense to Baltimore. And the same man who is halfway through his SECOND season as the coach.

The game today made me sick, but some of these comments made me sicker. Go back to DC, fair-weather fans.

Points 1-4 are fine but I have no idea where you arrive at your last point.

Of their 11 wins last season only 1 was by 7 points or less. Of course the Titans playoff win on Stover's FG.

The Ravens problem as a franchise has always been consistency. Make the playoffs one year, out the next. Last time they were back to back playoff appearances 2000-2001.

Besides "bringing in" a DC, what exactly does Harbaugh do? Does he call plays? I kind of hope not. I wonder this about many head coaches, actually.

Dirk, NFL coaches like Harbaugh are overseers. They're responsible for overall strategy, which means he probably meets with Cameron and Mattison at the beginning of the week and says "What are you seeing and what are our scouts seeing on film?" And the coordinators tell him what they think, and Harbaugh then makes suggestions about overall stuff he'd like to focus on, plays or packages he thinks would be effective. The macro stuff.

But the micro stuff, the play calling, falls to the coordinators. Head coaches are also responsible for the overall plan, the daily schedule, the way the players deal with the media. For instance, after the first loss to Cincy, it was clear that Harbaugh spoke to the team and told them "Do not complain about the officiating" because he sent Trevor Pryce, who had one tackle, to stall while he spoke to the team, which almost never happens. Head coaches are kind of like presidents or CEOs. They have a big staff they rely on, but it's their job to make the tough calls and deal with the backlash when it doesn't go well. I think that's probably a fair assessment of what Harbaugh does, although I'm sure he has more input on the micro level with the special teams and secondary stuff because that's his background. (He is also super secretive, so most of this is conjecture, but I have seen him working on special teams stuff during practices.) A coach like Andy Reid or Belichick, who calls the offensive or defense plays, does it a little differently obviously.

Thanks, Kevin. I had been wondering about Harbaugh's role, especially since Zorn was publicly stripped of his playcalling abilities.

I used to think raven fans just ignore the obvious and make excuses (ray-ray) for all of the reasons they lose a game, but I see that you can speak truth when discussing your team.
I love the reference to the chicken dance. Somoen should tll him he no longer plays at a level that he should do all that dancing and shouting. He cant back it up anymore. Good luck with the rest of your year.

Hello Kevin

I agree with you on the Ravens forgetting that Flacco is only a 2nd year quarterback.

I believe offensively they have to go back to playing offense like they did last year. Using the other Running Backs a little more, and also using the Wildcat a couple of times a game. Also a gadget play every now and then wouldn't hurt.

On defenisive side, I agree with you Kevin about Reed, as he either makes a spectacular play or he is almost useless for parts of the game. But to be successful on defense, they are going to have to come up with more ways to put more pressure on the opposing quarterback.

I still have faith in the Ravens but they need to make some changes if they are going to make a run this year for a Wildcard.

1.We learned again that the Ravens overachieved last year, creating unrealistic expectations. We're a .500 team tonight, and will be at the end of the season.
2.The game against Denver was the fluke. Weeks 4,5,6,9 is this year's model. Mostly close but no cigar.
3. The offense has to keep the ball more in the first half - it's gassing the defense.
4.Yes, Webb is going to make it in the NFL, but we still need to draft or sign corners come the off season.
5. Indy, Green Bay, and the 2 w/ Pittsburgh are not going to be pretty.

I just want to say that after reading the majority of these impulsive and uninformed posts, and listening to the Neanderthals who call into the radio talk shows, I'm consistently embarrassed to be associated with most Baltimore football fans. Fellow Baltimorons, think before you speak and type. Greg Mattison is not doing a great job, yes. But Rex was going to be a head coach this year, and there was nothing we could do to keep him. Firing Mattison will eliminate the realistic 30% chance we have left of making the playoffs. If anything, you should raise your pitchforks and demand that Mattison continue to experiment with schemes outside his comfort zone as Ray Lewis has asked him to do.

Where were you people last year when Fabian Washington was playing quite well in relief of that hated C-Mac? C-Mac is one of the most talented corners of this generation. We could leave him man coverage for most of a game with little worry. Neither of our current corners will ever be of that caliber. But getting rid of Washington is not even remotely close to an answer. The ineptitude of Foxworth, Washington, Walker and Carr is a reflection of our entire defense and preparation, not solely their lack of talent. Also, cutting Walker and Carr does not solve our problems. The reason they get beat or called for penalties is because they are BACKUPS. Firing bench players, or nickles/dimes will not improve our starting defense, which is the main culprit. I do think we should give the guy whose jersey I'm buying next (Webb #21) a shot in the upcoming game against the weak browns. But that still won't have much of an effect on our pedestrian rush defense. Not many people have emphasized the fact that we've given up 3 100+ yard rushers. Inability to stop long drives is the heart of our defensive woes, and goes against everything that is Baltimore football.

For several years, I've been the biggest advocate on the radio hotlines for bringing in a big name tall target to help develop a QB and keep men out of the box. It is too difficult to do so in the draft, so each year I hope we either pick up a Marshall, or Edwards, V Jackson, or trade a 2nd round for a guy like Bowe. I do think an aggressive big play receiver would have helped us on offense today. But I don't know if it would have won us the game. I'd like to see our tight ends run at least to the marker on 3rd down plays, and I'd also like our receivers to show some minimal aggressiveness on contestable balls instead of watching Bengals corners make Flacco look like Boller.

Flacco is a 2nd year QB with a very bright future. A well coached, talented team will find a way to win when our young stud is having a sub-par game. Minus Bart Scott and Leonard, we are the SAME team we were last year plus a new stud Tackle and add a year to Flacco and Rice's resumes. I hope no one tries to argue that Gooden/McClain and Landry are THAT big of a drop off. I see 2 major issues: 1. A significant decline from last year's defensive preparation and execution. 2. A team that does not have the mental "kill or be killed" attitude when entering most games. Foxworth recently commented that the difference in skill between teams at this level is so small, that confidence and mental preparation are paramount. John Harbaugh, I hope you're reading this.

Last year was not a fluke. Close games are usually won through execution, not chance (unless you're Brandon Stokley)! We can beat every team left on our schedule with the proper preparation, aggressiveness, and lack of fear of not making the playoffs.

Lastly, I am sick of other fans infiltrating our websites and radio shows with comments about Baltimore fans blaming games on the refs. True intellectual fans realize that the Ravens, and only the Ravens, are the reason we are 4-4. That does not mean that poor officiating should not be scrutinized. Fans like you and I are the reason the NFL exists. We fund the NFL through watching funny beer commercials of companies that pay the NFL lots of money, which gets dispersed to the players, coaches and REFS. We are the NFL shareholders. I value my right to criticize my assets. The officiating in Ravens games has been glaringly lopsided. IT HAS NOT CAUSED OUR LOSSES. But perhaps it has affected us negatively. The majority of the penalties have been deserved and I blame on our coaching. But in each game, there have been excessively more close-calls or should-have-been-no-calls against the Ravens than our opponents. A Bengal corner got away with some hand holding with Mason today that was called against Fabian Washington. As an NFL shareholder, I think we should strive to perfect the game and its officiating.

I agree with all five points being made.

I would add the discipline thing is also playing out of position and missing tackles.

What I find alarming is how strong the focus is on the Raven D. Let's remember they gave up 17 points both times to the Bengals. That should be good enough to win most games.

Unfortunately, the offense couldn't keep the ball very long in either game making the defense stay out there for essentially two or three extra series. And for some reason, the Ravens were looking too often for the quick strike with a long pass -- rather alarming when time was in short supply and "tiny" passes were working.

While I am not "sharpening my pitchfork," both coordinators deserve scrutiny. The offense seems to feel its way through during the first half week after week regardless of the other teams' start. While the defense had an admirable game in the first half versus Denver, too many holes are being dug early there as well.

Finally, Ray Rice is a wonderful player. However, he should not be touching the ball more than 23 times per game. He needs to be fresher on the occasions he does touch the ball, and he needs to be decoy so teams don't just automatically scheme against him. McClain and McGahee need to touch the ball more. Screens and slants seem to be used too sparingly, especially against a very good defense.

The Ravens are not yet in a position where they can win year after year. They did earlier in the decade when they were intensely disciplined. It now seems the 13-3's and 11-5's are somewhat a product of the pitiful schedule they had the year before (and vice versa, of course). Cincinnati is improved as evidenced by not only their 6-2 but their 4-3-1 finish last year as well. Nevertheless, they have a cake schedule compared to the Ravens.

That's no excuse. Teams who can put together double-digit wins in consecutive years are more likely to be upper tier legit. The Ravens haven't been there in a good while. The Bengals haven't been there in a much greater while. It pains me to list the teams who are there.

Ozzie has done a good job keeping the Ravens as intact as a salary cap allows. Unless this team pulls off a 6-2 second half or better (and probably requiring a sweep of Pittsburgh to boot), some decisions need to be made, and not just with players.

Cameron has generally proven himself. Mattison's role needs to addressed. The second half could sound the alarm for him and/or some of the players who are getting up there in age.

Hey people Nobody is mentioning the LOSS of Rex Ryan. This may be where the lack of disipline is. Then as someone said Mattison is a poor choice. Offence wins games, defence wins championships!!

We are just a middle of the pack team. Every time we play a talented quarterback they just know how to pick our secondary apart let alone no pass rush what so ever! Some of these guys should return their game checks!

As Jim Mora would say Playoffs your kidding me Playoffs. It's over with folks. Even if we do make the playoffs we will get bounced immediately.

Here is the bottom line. The RAVENS are not as good as we thought. We jumped the gun after they beat three weak teams early in the season. People were practically popping Champaynge! Let's recork it... They suck, it's all good.

What about our WR's? I agree with 1-4 but I don't see anyone talking about our WR's. They could not get open at all which made the offense look like it did. We just cant beat those DB's. Every deep pass or even on simple out routes a Bengals DB was in our WR's pocket. Whenever we face young, strong, fast corners our offense is going to look like that. That is just as big of a problem as the secondary to me. The team also flat out made a HUGE mistake when they let Stover go over a roster spot. Looking back because of that choice we lost 1 game, and lost a big chance in the game yesterday. The NFL is so different year to year that I don't think it even matters anymore about last year. We were as good as our record last year, but the teams are so different I dont see how you can compare teams. Last years team had so many different parts and was just better than this year's team. As far as the secondary maybe Webb will give the unit a lift. At least this may mean the end of Chris Carr? Let Carr and Washington battle it out of the 3rd corner spot. Maybe Washington can shine vs. some of the 3rd WR's in the league.

" In 2008, the Ravens stayed healthy"
We had 18 players on the IR and no cornerbacks in the final two drives of the Steelers play-off game.
Just seems like a bunch of under achievers this year.
Raven in the dena

There were no coaches brought in to interview for the Defensive Coordinator job. It was handed to Mattison. That is not how you get the best man for the job. The team was compromised because of friendship. The man was not ready. The pros are so much different than college. Hopefully, Harbaugh learns from this mistake. Additionally, the formula for success was running to set up the pass. Now, we throw so often, without the gamebreaking reciever, that it becomes a dink and dunk game. Pound people with the three headed monster.
Compromising the team to give your friend his dream job is the first big mistake of Harbaugh's career in Baltimore. He can rectify that or he will be considered a flash in the pan coach who lucked into a talented team that had a chip on its shoulder in 2008. However, he does not want to be remembered for running this team into inconsistent and undisciplined play. Coach, you hired your friend instead of the best man for the job. The future has been compromised. A one year pro coach is not ready to lead a pro defense.

In some ways, the Ravens are really pretty much the same las last year, minus an effective Ed Reed. Last year, they lost three times to a good quarterback who knew how to exploit their weaknesses in the secondary -- Ben Roethlesberger. The Ravens ignored those issues in the off season, and how, in a season in which they are playing better offenses than last season, they are paying the price for their complacency.

In some ways, the Ravens are really pretty much the same las last year, minus an effective Ed Reed. Last year, they lost three times to a good quarterback who knew how to exploit their weaknesses in the secondary -- Ben Roethlesberger. The Ravens ignored those issues in the off season, and now, in a season in which they are playing better offenses than last season, they are paying the price for their complacency.

Rex was able to hide the bad players on the defense last year. Now we see time and time again. Each time Ozzy makes a bad pick it really hurts the team. After the first round Ozzy can't pick a first teamer. Has anybody seen Paul Krueger since pre-season???? The front office and entire coaching staff needs to be changed!!! Now we have nothing to look forward to: Spring Baseball The 0's. Now Fall: The Baltimore Yardbirds!!!!!

It's too early ro fire Mattison. Who would replace him? Fire him at the end of the year and hope that Del Rio gets canned in Jacksonville.

I hate to say I told you so, but I predicted that the Stover move would come back to haunt the Ravens at the worst possible moment. It was poor judgment on Harbaugh's part to think he would get away with a Rookie kicker and it really made no sense.

It is also quite apparent that that the Ravens should have aquired a taller, speedy receiver able to get separation and take the ball away from defensive backs like other physical receievrs do to ours. Watching other team's receivers exploit our small defensive backs is taking candy from a baby.

We all knew these issues were there prior to the season but the Ravens head coach and front office elected to roll the dice and go with what they had.

If they were going to basically stand pat there was absolutley no reason for the move with Stover. Maybe the kid will turn into a great kicker someday but the gamble has really hurt this year.

Correction: The Ravens did not stand pat....they gave Foxworth 25 million for four years and drafted Kruger second rather than a receiver.

How's that working out for you Ozzie?

The loss to the Bengals reflects whats been a problem for the Ravens for years. They continue to talk Superbowl, but has yet to be able to beat Pats, Colts, Steelers consistently. The teams you must beat to get there. The front office ignored the warning signs last year when the Defense gave up 4th quarter drives to Steelers and Titans then blamed the refs. Go man-handled by the Colts and Giants. For years, they continue to add players like (Pryce, Fox, Rolle) who are solid but pass their primes Rookie free agents to the LB corps. Not every player will develop like Bart Scott. Remember when our def was truely great. Meaning it didn't matter if it was Manning or Favre. We could play with any team because we knew the defense would keep it close if not totally dominate the game. Back then our linebacker corp were studs, our corners were 1st round drafts picks playing well and any combination of 11 guys on the field could tackle. Since then we tried to build up the Offense and belived that as long as Ray was on the field we could run the same system and everything would be OK. Wrong! This embarrasement should serve notice to the front office to build the defense through the draft. We added Birk when Chester could have moved to center, we drafted Oher when the O-line was already a strength of the team. Our 2nd rounder is inactive for most games. We didn't agressively pursue a game changing WR and wonder why Leon Hall and Joeseph could basically shut out our receiving corp. We passed on Britt, Ray from USC, and Nicks. Colts build their team in the draft it's no wonder why' they win double digits games every season and are competing for another championship. This loss shows if you snooze in the off-season you will lose in the regular season.

FIRE MATTISON. Start Webb. That will be a start to resolving this issue.

well folks, i guess we'll have to wait till next year because this team will be 9-7 at BEST. it seems like a perfect storm, where a lack of overall talent on both D and O has combined with coaching deficiencies to create some pretty ugly games. Cameron needs to simplify things and Mattison needs to make things more complex.

moving forward, i'd LOVE to see gaither as starting RIGHT OT next year (with Oher moving to LT) because he simply can't hang with elite pass rushers. Webb needs to be made a starting CB 5 minutes ago, and Fabian should be given Carr's spot as the nickel "specialist." i think if things keep up like this, Landry, McGahee, Hauschka, Gregg, AND Carr will all be GONE at the start of next year.

- also, if the Ravens lose one of their next 5 games (an entirely plausible possibility), expect for Harbaugh to shelve Rice in favor of McGahee. he'll want to preserve Rice for next season while getting his money's worth out of Willis for what will be his last year before getting CUT...

Special Teams Guru and Bernie are right on the money. The Sun posted MANY personal, childish shots at Brian Billick - the winningist coach in Baltimore football history.

If Brian passed on 3rd and short they'd question why he abandoned the run and if he ran and came up short, they were all over him. Billick did an excellent job and made this a proud, respectable franchise. The talent wasn't always there and the players simply didn't make plays, but Brian became the scapegoat.

Harbaugh's team is a mess. He is very ineffective with team discipline (too many bone headed penalties) and fails to make proper adjustments. The secondary continues to get burned and oh year, he's supposed to be a special teams guru? The Sun gives Harbaugh a free pass and should be ashamed (especially Preston and Hensley) for their childish, unprofessional shots at Brian Billick. Harbaugh needs to get it together.

Where's Ray Lewis? I thought it was a fluke?

I love how 3-0 in September meant hoisting the Lombardi trophy in FEBRUARY. It's a long season and you don't win ANYTHING till late January/early February. Wasn't there a poll on Baltimoresun.com saying "When will the Ravens lose their first game?" after they were 3-0? And even an article BEFORE the season started putting the Rave in the Super Bowl? Nothing is over by any means, but looking up at Cincy AND Pitts is pretty bad.

We keep talking about how the Ravens let Stover go because of his weak kick-offs but I'd love to know what Haushka's average has been on KO's also.

Suggs is overpaid and out of shape! Losing Ngata this week was huge. Funny how the talk of training camp was how deep we were at DB!

The Ravens stink and it starts from the top down. Bad trades,coaching staff does not have control of this team, way too many stupid mistakes that led to flags.
Just on plays that show you can play as a team. No offense for 3 quarters, and you say it was a slow start? And the coach and players are saying it was a slow start? Are you kidding me it looked like most of the team missed the flight to Cincinnati! So the Bengals beat you buts twice and you are blaming calls for your loss. WAKE UP Ravens fans your team is falling apart in front of your eyes! Can't stop Benson for the 2nd time. ZERO offense in the first 3 quarters and you cannot see the forest for the trees? This team is not going to hit the playoffs this year and you know it, just look at the rest of your season. Not looking very bright now is it. Ray Lewis is just taking up space on Sunday and Cincinnati's O LINE did what ever they wanted to do with no one able to stop them, Palmer had much time to pass and he picked the Ravens apart. It appears that the inmates are running the asylum and this is what you get when a coach cannot take charge.
Very sub par year so far for the Ravens, with no help in sight! It will be a very long year for the ravens with no playoff spot any where in sight, not the way these BUMBS are playing. You can cry about the refs all you want but the fact is that you had your A$$ kicked by a much better team 2 times this year, and it was the Bengals! They out played us in both games! Wake up Ravens you stink this year!

The Ravens stink and it starts from the top down. Bad trades,coaching staff does not have control of this team, way too many stupid mistakes that led to flags.
Just on plays that show you can play as a team. No offense for 3 quarters, and you say it was a slow start? And the coach and players are saying it was a slow start? Are you kidding me it looked like most of the team missed the flight to Cincinnati! So the Bengals beat you buts twice and you are blaming calls for your loss. WAKE UP Ravens fans your team is falling apart in front of your eyes! Can't stop Benson for the 2nd time. ZERO offense in the first 3 quarters and you cannot see the forest for the trees? This team is not going to hit the playoffs this year and you know it, just look at the rest of your season. Not looking very bright now is it. Ray Lewis is just taking up space on Sunday and Cincinnati's O LINE did what ever they wanted to do with no one able to stop them, Palmer had much time to pass and he picked the Ravens apart. It appears that the inmates are running the asylum and this is what you get when a coach cannot take charge.
Very sub par year so far for the Ravens, with no help in sight! It will be a very long year for the ravens with no playoff spot any where in sight, not the way these BUMBS are playing. You can cry about the refs all you want but the fact is that you had your A$$ kicked by a much better team 2 times this year, and it was the Bengals! They out played us in both games! Wake up Ravens you stink this year!

Too bad great players have to get old and die. Take all the greatest players from Baltimore football and you can make the greatest team in football history. This years Ravens team went into Minnesota and almost upset the Vikings. Beat the Chargers in San Diego. Stomped on the unbeaten Broncos. Were an eyelash of ruining Belichicks day at New England. All we here now are put-downs. This is going to be one fine team. The secondary is new and will take work to refine. The young linebackers will continue to get better. I am so glad the low scoring era is in the past when our defense ruled. When things balance out this team will be really good. And its going to be very exciting to watch it grow up taking its lumps along the way.

To Ray.....I would be careful when implying that there are just a handful of truly intelligent fans in Baltimore.....makes your point of view far less compelling.

This morning Mike Preston indicated that once again there are locker room issues with guys getting fed up with the usual attention Lewis garners, and others who are not "buying in" to Harbaugh's plan for the team. I think we all know what happens to the teams who quit on their teammates and coaches........they battle Detroit to see who gets the first pick in next year's draft.

It might be time to clean house again. The guys pouting about Rex not being named head coach are obviously not going to get over it. The guys who don't like Harbaugh aren't going to change their minds either. Until all the players get on the same page and focused on one goal the fans are going to continue to be disappointed........and express themselves in many different ways.

I'm not against Mattison, but this old fella needs to change us back to 3-4! Does not he get it?? We ARE NOT a SOFT 4-3 team. Why cant he blitz more often?? He's an NFL coordinator and he should realize that without PASS RUSH, WE ARE JUST GOING TO GET KILLED! Doesn't he study FILM?? I'm sure it's pretty clear that we're giving QBs a minimum of 4 second and that's just HORRIBLE!! Why did we demolish Denver while we playing 3-4 defense, but Mr. Mattison did not wanna continue that trend?? Come on people, Ozzie has nothing to do with this. Our corners will look a lot better if they get some pressure up front. Fabian played great last season and none of you wanna ask why?? SIMPLE ANSWER: We had PASS RUSHERS.

This team proved once and for all, that they are no contenders. I agree with the lack of discipline by the Ravens, they are professionals and they know the rules. We can't beat the Steelers, Colts, Patriots and now the Bengals, any talk of playoffs are over. Next season, get a deep threat, improve the secondary and lets get a pass rusher. Tfizzle has been a major disappointment after getting paid. Lastly, I don't know what the def. coordinator is up to, but his schemes have been all wrong.

First of all, I believe the jury is out on Harbaugh being a top QB in this league. While I am aware we have crap for WR"s he looks completely lost sometimes.
Second, this D needs to stop the mouth talk and play (maybe they can't play and that is why they talk like idiots). Beating Denver just exposed Denver as not being much , Cincy had them beat if not for a hail mary and look for Pitt to beat them bad tonight.
Lastly, the coach, he needs to grow up. Stop looking like the kid who found out their is no santa. Install some discipline and coach. He might have reached his peak last year. This whole team is going south!

Does anybody else think around here??? Every year the Refs visit training camp for the purpose of showing the players what will and will not be called as penalties, however now that it's regular season the calls that other teams get(not just in the ravens games, but all over) seem totally different from those the Ravens get. For instance, how do you not call the two obvious pass interference calls of Mason and Clayton yet Washington and foxworth can't get too close to players without illegal contact being called on them. Come on people it does not matter if we put the All Madden team on the field, as long as the games are called differently against us, our players will look lost and out of place. However we do need to bring Gano back and release this other guy.

Agree with most of the comments but let's face it, the BENGALS outplayed the Ravens and are just a BETTER TEAM. Let's keep it positive and hope for a better year in 2010. Ray needs to be a real leader and back up his mouth.

Kevin Van Valkenburg.......im schocked....you obviously understand football and are an objective journalist......go talk to your boy's hennesy jamesly....sowheard and murray..

Ravens do not have the players to make the playoffs. They should bench Clayton for Washington, treat Rice like the Eagles played Westbrook 2 years ago. Slot him, put him in motion, work for those one on one matchups with linebackers.
Get McGahee and McClain more involved in the offense. Wear out defenses using the three rbs. Make Rice the third wr with McGahee in the game.
Get a new kicker. Start Carr at CB with Foxworth. Bench a very tenative/soft Landry. Rotate defensve linemen to keep them fresh. 9 wins look like a longshot now. Get Kruger in there. Perhaps bench Suggs for aquarter. That contract has certainly shown up on the field.
CMAC disease!

Keith,

Your understanding of Billick's role in drafting Boller is inaccurate. It is a myth perpetuated by some of your colleagues at the Sun. For a more accurate account, please read John Feinstein's book, Next Man Up. He provides a detailed description of the draft and it is not consistent with your belief. Billick did like Boller but he did not stick his neck out for him, the organization evaluated determined that Leftwich was its number one target and that Boller was its second choice. When the trade with Minnesota to move up to get Leftwich was botched, the team went with its second rated quarterback, Boller. Billick did not force the team to get Boller and the rest of the organization agreed that he was the correct player to pursue. If Boller would have worked out, Ozzie would have gotten credit for another good draft pick. Because, it didn’t, Billick took the blame.

By the way, if Mike Preston was treating Harbaugh the same way he treated Billick, why did I have to read about Harbaugh’s apology to Jerry Jones in a Dallas paper and not in the Baltimore Sun? Furthermore, when Ozzie and Harbaugh disagreed about whether they should pursue Michael Vick, why didn’t Preston write a blurb about it? He certainly wasn’t above speculation and gossip when Billick was in charge. Why does he continue to ridicule Billick two years after he is gone even though the organization’s only Super Bowl was won during Billick’s watch? Mike Preston praises Ted Marchibroda every chance he gets, yet The Ravens did not have a winning season during his three year tenure.

The Ravens did not beat one good team last year. Not one. All of our wins were against medicore or bad teams. The Ravens were definitely overrated last year.

The Ravens did not beat one good team last year. Not one. All of our wins were against medicore or bad teams. The Ravens were definitely overrated last year.

The breath and depth on the lack of knowledge and expertise in football is absolutely MASSIVE in the Baltimore Sun SPROTSWRITERS(?) ARENA. It is very apparent that ture spports knowledge is a determent to being a REPORTER on the Baltimore Sun staff.

Joe makes a good point about the Cowboys-Harbaugh controversy. The Ravens head coach is making national news over this (just google Harbaugh and Dallas Cowboys and you'll see all the stories) yet the Sun hasn't printed one word about it. But we're supposed to believe that the Sun isn't protecting Harbaugh???