Sell the team Pete!! Set Baltimore free!!!

How many Ravens does it take to win in Pittsburgh? None - it's a trick question.

I was waiting for the Ravens to cry once again about the refs - sad thing is - they only need to look in the mirror. Terrible performance. 'Play our hearts out' - bull, how about playing smart for a change. Cry about the refs all you want - a bunch of losers. Sick of it!!! Ray Lewis and his b.s. bravdo - get real dude! You have infested the whole team with you thugster attitude. Good riddance. I heard you gave Mason a bible for Thanksgiving - nice cover up for a dude who treated some innocents wrong in that Atlanta alley. Needs some new character guys - poor excuse for pros.

Cincy better be up to the task of beating the Jets since I'd imagine they wouldn't want to face the team they just lost to the prior week. I'm sure they don't want to face the Ravens either, but they wouldn't have to fight against the momentum from the previous game.

pittsburgh fans should be ashamed to have the REFS have to win all their games for them , when Ben is out of the pocket there is no illegal contact and Heap was tackled in the endzone by a safety to stop a touchdown , forget the hold on washington which had no effect on play , why isn't Pittsburgh called for holding when they tackle our lineman

Rooney controls Rules committee and refs , period

pittsburgh fans should be ashamed to have the REFS have to win all their games for them , when Ben is out of the pocket there is no illegal contact and Heap was tackled in the endzone by a safety to stop a touchdown , forget the hold on washington which had no effect on play , why isn't Pittsburgh called for holding when they tackle our lineman

Rooney controls Rules committee and refs , period

pittsburgh fans should be ashamed to have the REFS have to win all their games for them , when Ben is out of the pocket there is no illegal contact and Heap was tackled in the endzone by a safety to stop a touchdown , forget the hold on washington which had no effect on play , why isn't Pittsburgh called for holding when they tackle our lineman

Rooney controls Rules committee and refs , period

pittsburgh fans should be ashamed to have the REFS have to win all their games for them , when Ben is out of the pocket there is no illegal contact and Heap was tackled in the endzone by a safety to stop a touchdown , forget the hold on washington which had no effect on play , why isn't Pittsburgh called for holding when they tackle our lineman

Rooney controls Rules committee and refs , period

pittsburgh fans should be ashamed to have the REFS have to win all their games for them , when Ben is out of the pocket there is no illegal contact and Heap was tackled in the endzone by a safety to stop a touchdown , forget the hold on washington which had no effect on play , why isn't Pittsburgh called for holding when they tackle our lineman

Rooney controls Rules committee and refs , period

A lot of complaints about the officiating and Ravens continued stupid penalties. Coaching is usually blamed for players sloppy play. Maybe some of these repeated offenders just aren't that bright and cannot be coached.

I really hope you were using sarcasm when you said the "Dolphins would step aside at their pivotal moment." Who exactly has Miami folded up against? New England? Maybe they would play like they did against New Orleans or Indy when those two teams were playing the best football in the league. As a Ravens fan, and in your case someone who writes about the Ravens, we are in no position to claim another playoff contender would step aside. That's really an ignorant claim and I am glad that you were so confident the Dolphins would lose to the Texans--a team that hasn't come up big since the first half of the season. Also, assuming that the Jets will lose to the Bengals is way out of line. By the time of that game, Cincy will know their playoff seeding. There is a very realistic chance that they pull what the Colts did yesterday and sit most of their key players. The Jets would be handed another golden opportunity to beat a good team's second unit.

Pete

Poor discipline...this is really reminding me of a Billick-lead team.

Maybe the Ozzie had better start giving his draft choices IQ tests instead of 100 yrd dash scores...the numbers would likely be the same.

BTW...the Steelers are the best I've ever seen at drawing penalties.

Before you strain your arm patting yourself on the back, you also said the Ravens would win that game.

Also, the Bengals will rest their regulars, just as the Colts did, so the Jets can moonwalk into the playoffs.

Yesterday's game reminded me of Ray Lewis' recent comments when someone mentioned to him that the fans were "disappointed." He responded rather bluntly, asserting that there are plenty of teams whose seasons are over, that the Ravens were in control of their destiny, and that we should be satisfied with that.

If the whole of our football experience was reading how our team performed in the newspaper, yes, we should be satisfied with that. However, we invest hours and hours watching the games and otherwise following the team. It's one thing to lose, but a number of our losses this year have come down to as blatant a collective lack of discipline as I can recall in professional sports. That's the source of the disappointment.

In the real world, the penalties incurred by the Ravens are analogous to transgressions that get people fired "for cause." However, since the NFL is far from the real world, all those penalties do is amount to what becomes a huge waste of time for the fan.

I'm just one guy, but hey, Harbs, get this, "I don't want to watch games that are decided on gross lack of discipline. It's a complete waste of four weekend hours. So just let me know if the team is going to come out and disregard the rules and I'll do something else."

However, should we get passed Oakland, is there any reason to think that our first playoff game on the road won't end extremely similarly to yesterday's contest? At this point, it's a stretch to think it would end any other way.

20 teams are going home after next week, including Pittsburgh!

Miami, Denver, Houston, Jax, Denver and yes, Pittsburgh......not to mention all the other afc teams not even close, would ALL love to be in the Ravens position right now.

Yes, the loss yesterday leaves a bitter taste. It's the nfl though and you move on. And those moving on to the post season, all have a chance.

As a fan, that's all you ask for.

So whine, cry. complain and point fingers all you want. Bottom line is, 20 teams will be done in less than 7 days. For the others, their records will be 0-0.

You can be happy to make the post season, or you can be a redskin fan. Pretty simple!

And Steeler fans..... cya - enjoy watching the post season!

Pete coach harbaugh has made enough mistakes this year to last a life time.His mishandeling of timeouts both when to take one and just the ones that they continue to waste shouldn't continue to happen at this level. Do you honestly think coaches like parcells, bellicek jimmy johnson, cowher would continue to tolerate the continue mistakes and lack of disipline that continues to occur on this team. I don't care if it was suggs, haloiti or whoever his A$$ would be on the bench or gone. There isn't one trace of accountability on this team, in fact when we make mistakes our players sit on the bench laughing like it's some rite of passage for how many cheap shots each of them can make. The owner of this team should be down right pissed off to have his team continually mentioned as the most incompetent and undisciplined team in the league. I don't care if they do win next week and go to the playoffs there are serious issues with how this coach runs this team. On a side note, i know joe flacco wasn't directly responsible for losing that game yesterday but his decision making and pocket presence leaves a whole lot to be desired,He has actually taken a few steps backwards from last year in those area's. Prime example, on the 2 plays that ben knew the ravens had jumped offsides he knew he had a free play and just threw the ball down field , on the other hand joe had the same 2 chances and he ducked his head and took a sack both times, there is just no excuse for that kind of leadership.

Hey Wayne,

Some of us like to enjoy the ride too. And while playoffs are certainly nice, you can't change who you are just b/c you're 0-0 after a 17 week season.

If we get past Oakland, my opinion is that our first road playoff game will end exactly how most all of our big games this year have ended. We'll outplay the other team, but ultimately come up short because of a collection of penalties.

Everyone will point fingers at the officials, but all anyone needs to do is point to our entire season.

Dear Mr. Biscoitti,

As a fan of your team I would like to take this opportunity to express some frustrations. You fired Brian Billick because of the lack of consistency, lack of discipline, and the in-ability to take responsibility. His arrogance toward the media and fans were also contributing factors.

Sound familiar? John Harbaugh seems like a fine man. Can't Kevin help him? He has been around in his PR role forever. Why can't Harbaugh express his frustration over his team's performance publicly? Doesn't this send the wrong message to the team when he doesn't share his outrage with everyone?

All we want as fans is to be included. We want to be part of the highs and lows. Most of us do not want to bash the team when we don't do well. We want to identify with a coach that reflects our excitement when we win and our disgust when we play poorly or commit dumb penalties.

If either you could talk to John or have Kevin talk to John, I would greatly appreciate it.

The amount of bad press that the team receives would be greatly reduced, if John could verbalize what he is feeling and what he is going to do about it. We would be in his corner far more if we knew he shared our disappointment. We would be much more supportive if we knew what John was doing to reduce the penalties.

Thank you

Who edit's this stuff...alll I wanna know is why is the post by "larry g" shown five times in a row?

GO RAVENS!

Rookie head coach Rex Ryan is on the verge of making the playoffs with a rookie QB and despite the ups and downs, the Jets are still in it. Hey, didn't Rex used to be with the Ravens? And wasnt he looking for a head coach position when the Ravens were looking for a head coach? Why I believe he was. No offense to Harbaugh but why did we pass on a seasoned and accomplished in-house def. coordinator for an unproven special teams coach? That decision has to rank up there with taking a pass on Matt Stover and, going even further back, passing on Marvin Lewis. The defense this year is nothing like what it was under Rex. They line up well in advance and telegraph their formation. Its too hard to watch as the qb audibles and leisurely calls out the assignments so that every defender is accounted for. Its also no wonder they commit so many penalties - they get beat early and often.

My complaints about the refs. are all about them letting Pitt. get away with assault on the field, but the Ravens have no excuse for all the stupid penalties they commit.
All season long, in fact for the last several years, the Ravens have continued to shoot themselves in the foot with bonehead penalties that either kill their own drives or extend an opponent's.
Unless the Ravens somehow morph into another team, they're looking to be 1 and done if they do manage to beat Oakland and get in. They just cannot finish anyone off when they have them on the ropes, and have too many trips into the red zone with no points to show for them, in many cases because of stupid penalties. Everyone likes aggressive play, and some penalties are bound to happen, but the Ravens need to play smarter or they will be watching Super Bowls at home for years to come.

What is the over-under on offsetting personal fouls in the upcoming Ravens / Raiders game?

The Ravens need to get back to football, and end the theatrics. All of the dancing (especially Ray's stupid pre-game entrance), gesturing, chest beating, pointing and generally acting like thugs needs to end, beginning in Oakland. The Ravens are are the laughing stock of the NFL.

There may be an interesting explanation for why some of the Ravens were laughing on the sideline of the Steelers game. My premise: the players (perhaps more than anyone) appreciate the relative nature of winning and losing in the NFL. Although the Ravens continue to show a remarkable lack of individual discipline (which may doom them in the playoffs), they were gratified by the way they handled and outplayed the Steelers this year, penalties notwithstanding. A moral victory and redemption for the events of a year ago (to say nothing of a confidence booster)? Yes. But it was nevertheless a victory because it was psychological. As long as they retained control of their own destiny, a psychological victory over a nemesis opponent and reigning Super Bowl champ had as much value as a victory by points, if not more so. In other words, despite the loss, the Ravens like their chances going forward -- thus their smiling faces.

In a different manner, the relative nature of winning and losing in the NFL was displayed by the Colts in their defeat by the Jets Sunday. The Colts, having secured their division, pulled their starters in a strategy designed with winning their third Super Bowl (including Super Bowl V) in mind. The loss by points to the Jets was no psychological loss to the Colts, for they were perfectly capable of going undefeated in regular season. However, in a cost-benefit analysis, the Colts playing all-out to win a game that was meaningful to everyone but the Colts made little sense in the grand scheme of things, i.e. why risk injury to Peyton Manning or other valuable starters for the sake of an undefeated season that would mean nothing if not accompanied by a Super Bowl win? (Who remembers or even cares about the Patriots undefeated season in 2007?). In other words, despite the loss, the Colts like their chances going forward -- thus, their smiling faces.

If the Ravens go on to win the Super Bowl, the players will likely attribute the turning point of their season to this relative and psychological victory over the Steelers, and the fans will remember nothing of this loss by points and by penalties.

Personally, I like their chances going forward -- thus my smiling face.

Pete- no way in Hiz-zell Cincy wins Sunday. They may go as far as bringing back Ki-Jana Carter and Akili Smith to ensure it.

A Jets loss puts the Raven's in at the 5th seed and w/ a Stiller win, them in at the 6th seed.

Cincy doesn't want to meet the Ravens a third time OR to allow the Stillers to make the playoffs. Losing too sends the Ravens to NE to get clobbered.
Plus, they get a free preview of a lousy Jets team a week before playign them again.
A Cincy win in Round 1 puts them up against Indy (rather than possibly winning plus NE losign and getting stuck with SD again)

EM- every team has players who do obnoxious things during and before games (see Brian Dawkins entrance last night going back to philly). Its apart of the game, gets fans fired up and ticks off opponents.

gordonlee- you play to win because the Colts have a bad string of sucking in the playoffs after letting up in the end of the season. The tanked it last night bc they were afraid of the 19-0 pressure that the Pats dealt with. Further, Manning has never been hurt in 12 years in the league. When its your time, its your time.

The Ravens has deserved most of the penalties they has recieved this year, but boy, have the refs missed a lot on the opponents.

Here are the scenarios for all 64 permutations of the 6 games involving the 7 AFC Wild Card teams still in the hunt. The 1st column is the scenario number. The next 7 corresponds to whether the 7 teams listed in the header row Win or Lose their respective games. The next 7 columns list the resulting win total. The last 2 columns list the Wild Card winners in seed order. Copy and paste this data into a spreadsheet for easier viewing, then click "text to columns" in Excel to put it all into separate columns.
NYJ MIA PIT BAL HOU JAX DEN WC1 WC2
1 L W L L L L L 8 8 8 8 8 7 8 DEN MIA
2 L W L L L L W 8 8 8 8 8 7 9 DEN MIA
3 L W L L L W L 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 JAX DEN
4 L W L L L W W 8 8 8 8 8 8 9 DEN JAX
5 L W L L W L L 8 8 8 8 9 7 8 HOU DEN
6 L W L L W L W 8 8 8 8 9 7 9 HOU DEN
7 L W L L W W L 8 8 8 8 9 8 8 HOU JAX
8 L W L L W W W 8 8 8 8 9 8 9 DEN HOU
9 L W L W L L L 8 8 8 9 8 7 8 BAL PIT/DEN
10 L W L W L L W 8 8 8 9 8 7 9 BAL DEN
11 L W L W L W L 8 8 8 9 8 8 8 BAL JAX
12 L W L W L W W 8 8 8 9 8 8 9 BAL DEN
13 L W L W W L L 8 8 8 9 9 7 8 BAL HOU
14 L W L W W L W 8 8 8 9 9 7 9 BAL DEN
15 L W L W W W L 8 8 8 9 9 8 8 BAL HOU
16 L W L W W W W 8 8 8 9 9 8 9 BAL DEN
17 L L W L L L L 8 7 9 8 8 7 8 PIT DEN/NYJ
18 L L W L L L W 8 7 9 8 8 7 9 PIT DEN
19 L L W L L W L 8 7 9 8 8 8 8 PIT JAX
20 L L W L L W W 8 7 9 8 8 8 9 PIT DEN
21 L L W L W L L 8 7 9 8 9 7 8 PIT HOU
22 L L W L W L W 8 7 9 8 9 7 9 DEN PIT
23 L L W L W W L 8 7 9 8 9 8 8 PIT HOU
24 L L W L W W W 8 7 9 8 9 8 9 DEN PIT
25 L L W W L L L 8 7 9 9 8 7 8 BAL PIT
26 L L W W L L W 8 7 9 9 8 7 9 BAL PIT
27 L L W W L W L 8 7 9 9 8 8 8 BAL PIT
28 L L W W L W W 8 7 9 9 8 8 9 BAL PIT
29 L L W W W L L 8 7 9 9 9 7 8 BAL PIT
30 L L W W W L W 8 7 9 9 9 7 9 BAL DEN
31 L L W W W W L 8 7 9 9 9 8 8 BAL PIT
32 L L W W W W W 8 7 9 9 9 8 9 BAL DEN
33 W W L L L L L 9 8 8 8 8 7 8 NYJ DEN
34 W W L L L L W 9 8 8 8 8 7 9 NYJ DEN
35 W W L L L W L 9 8 8 8 8 8 8 NYJ JAX
36 W W L L L W W 9 8 8 8 8 8 9 NYJ DEN
37 W W L L W L L 9 8 8 8 9 7 8 NYJ HOU
38 W W L L W L W 9 8 8 8 9 7 9 NYJ DEN
39 W W L L W W L 9 8 8 8 9 8 8 NYJ HOU
40 W W L L W W W 9 8 8 8 9 8 9 NYJ DEN
41 W W L W L L L 9 8 8 9 8 7 8 NYJ BAL
42 W W L W L L W 9 8 8 9 8 7 9 NYJ BAL
43 W W L W L W L 9 8 8 9 8 8 8 NYJ BAL
44 W W L W L W W 9 8 8 9 8 8 9 NYJ BAL
45 W W L W W L L 9 8 8 9 9 7 8 NYJ BAL
46 W W L W W L W 9 8 8 9 9 7 9 NYJ BAL
47 W W L W W W L 9 8 8 9 9 8 8 NYJ BAL
48 W W L W W W W 9 8 8 9 9 8 9 NYJ BAL
49 W L W L L L L 9 7 9 8 8 7 8 NYJ PIT
50 W L W L L L W 9 7 9 8 8 7 9 NYJ PIT
51 W L W L L W L 9 7 9 8 8 8 8 NYJ PIT
52 W L W L L W W 9 7 9 8 8 8 9 NYJ PIT
53 W L W L W L L 9 7 9 8 9 7 8 NYJ PIT
54 W L W L W L W 9 7 9 8 9 7 9 NYJ DEN
55 W L W L W W L 9 7 9 8 9 8 8 NYJ PIT
56 W L W L W W W 9 7 9 8 9 8 9 NYJ DEN
57 W L W W L L L 9 7 9 9 8 7 8 NYJ BAL
58 W L W W L L W 9 7 9 9 8 7 9 NYJ BAL
59 W L W W L W L 9 7 9 9 8 8 8 NYJ BAL
60 W L W W L W W 9 7 9 9 8 8 9 NYJ BAL
61 W L W W W L L 9 7 9 9 9 7 8 NYJ BAL
62 W L W W W L W 9 7 9 9 9 7 9 NYJ BAL
63 W L W W W W L 9 7 9 9 9 8 8 NYJ BAL
64 W L W W W W W 9 7 9 9 9 8 9 NYJ BAL

Will somebody please explain how Frank Walker keeps his job.

Does he have incriminating pictures?

We would be better off playing with ten.

Is bobby boyd available?

The Ravens wanted to the the '70's Raiders of the east. Well be careful what you wish for. The refs are now looking for reasons to throw the flag. And when playing a team like the Steelers, who give Italian soccer clubs a run for the money in the acting like a baby department, it will be a yellow flag fiesta.

Just wondering if a team has ever made the Playoff's and said "No Thanks, We don't deserve it" Just sayin.

And BTW, doesn't Troy Smith's agent have great timing. And they wonder why people think of them as scum.

David... you mean like turning down a bowl game in NCAA? haha!

However, look back in recent years to a team that played .500 mediocre football down the stretch, behind a QB with a 73 rating, to a 10-6 record in a lousy conference. This team would go on to beat the 18-0 Patriots to win the Super Bowl.

Not saying its going to happen again, but teams get hot over 4 games!

Next season, Flacco takes over Ravens alltime QB marks with 1200 yards passing and 15 tds.

Wow! Says a lot about this teams QBs!

I am surprised at the comments made by the Ravens players and coaches. They sure want to forget yesterday pretty quickly. I would think they should give some extra thought to what went wrong and TRY TO FIX IT. The penalty calls should never have happened. What are we doing to see they stop NOW?

Will Harbaugh ever accept responsibility for anything? The decision to keep Cousins at tackle instead of moving Yanda over was poor at best. He knew it was a good chance Gaither may not play and they should have planned this move out.

If we can't beat Oakland this week we sure don't deserve to be in the playoffs. At this point I believe the 1st pick should be a shutdown corner that is not 5'8".

Pete, who would you prefer we play if we get to the playoff's? I say whatever bracket the Colt's are not in.

I wish Joe Flacco would do more commericals and promote the NFL and his team. It seems that the players who QB's are in front of the cameras get better calls. Man up Flacco get over your shyness and do us a favor make a few commericals for the good of the team even J.O. did one for us now he's a future HOF.

Ok Big,lol
I just want Joe to throw the freakin ball.
To read his options faster.
To get energized a tad more.
To play faster.
To go to Athletes School in Arizona to work on being athletic,stronger a tad quicker

If he does that the commercials will follow

Go Flacco but he needs to play FASTER

All of you Browns fans are funny...

The Ravens don't seem to grasp this foundational truth about football--spoken by my JC coach: "the firstest with the mostest" wins the battle.

John H., its a simple game. Line 'em up and show 'em whatcha got.

Hey Pete,

Don't mean to change the subject here but I just watched you on MLB Prime 9. I was just wondering if you agree with the top 5 "most unbreakable records?"

With the way the game has changed I can't see anyone breaking the top 5 but I was just wondering what your thoughts on the most unbreakable records was.

MLB's Top 5:

#5 Nolan Ryan strikeouts (5,714)
#4 Ricky Henderson season SB (130)
#3 Yankees 5 straight WS victories
#2 Cal's Ironman Streak (2,632)
#1 Cy Young wins (511)

Mine:
#5 Pete Rose hits (4,256)
#4 Nolan Ryan strikeouts (5,714)
#3 Yankees 5 straight WS
#2 Cal's Ironman Streak (2,632)
#1 Cy Young wins (511)

Thoughts?

The good news is the Ravens control their own destiny. The bad news is the Ravens have been controlling their own destiny for 14 of their 15 weeks of play.

No need to look at Excel (or the better spreadsheet, Quattro Pro). If the Ravens win, they're in; if they lose, they snooze.

OAK and BAL should start their game on FRI to get the game done by MON with the flagfest this promises to be. The over/under is 245 ... yards penalized.

Harbaugh says the team would just as soon take the plane straight to OAK. Really? Don't you think some practice might help?

Troy Smith wants a trade. Does Baltimore still have an indoor team?

OAK's last four games were a win against an 8-win team, a loss against an 11-loss team, a win against an 8-win team, and a loss against an 11-loss team. Guess what's next on this pattern as the 8-7 Ravens go to OAK.

Getting back to Excel, the only AFC team that could lose and still make the playoffs is DEN even though they could win and stay at home (not counting IND, CIN, NE and SD, of course).

Did the judge put a restraining order on Suggs from attending the other team's backfield?

Cundiff's kickoffs may have distance, but what about the height? Seems like returners run 15 yards before a teammate of Billy's enters my TV screen. (I really could use a wide screen.)

I have no problem with IND doing whatever they want having clinched everything there is to clinch before the proverbial second season starts, but the timing of the subfest was peculiar to say the least. It wasn't like there were any Jets in Manning's zip code.

Belichick tells four players to go home after they show up late for practice. Then, NE starts back on their winning ways. Say what you want about his style but few teams have double-digit wins when they're in a rebuilding mode.

IND's only SB win came when they clinched in the regular season week.

Can you imagine Norv Turner coaching against Wade Phillips in the SB? Nah, neither can I.

If all of the games of Week 17 end in a tie, BAL doesn't get in. Put that in your Excel and smoke it.

That should have read: IND's only SB win came when they clinched A PLAYOFF SPOT in the LAST regular season week.

I wish Joe Flacco would do more commericals and promote the NFL and his team.

Posted by: Big Shane | December 28, 2009 7:38 P
**********

not sure if you have seen the CBS intro, but after showing the great AFC players, I am pretty sure they show Flacco getting hit and taking a sack... wtf???

Don't you love how Samsung is running a commercial now highlighting Roethlisberger's last-play, game winning pass against the Packers?

What stands out for me in the commercial is exactly what I saw in real time: two Steelers holding onto a Packer as he attempts to rush Roethlisberger.

No sign of a yellow flag.