Here it is two days after the Baltimore Ravens traveled north to Foxboro and crushed the New England Patriots in their first round playoff game and people are complaining about the team’s performance.

Why isn’t everyone happy?

The Ravens were there in week 4 and put up a valiant effort but fell 6 points shy of tying the game. A day after that loss, people wanted Mark Clayton’s head on a purple platter. Since that loss, the Ravens went 6-6 and struggled mightily to make the playoffs as a number 6 seed, meaning no home playoff games for the faithful in Baltimore.

Some say they backed into the playoffs. Some say they limped into the playoffs. Some even said they didn’t belong in the playoffs and would easily get bounced out by the Patriots. The 2009 Ravens fought long and hard and overcame injuries to key players to once again prove they belonged in the NFL ‘s version of March Madness.

Then the talk started. Joe Flacco was hurting and couldn’t move very well. Ed Reed missed games down the stretch with groin troubles. When you looked across the line at the Patriots, you see no Wes Welker, the NFL’s leading pass catcher, out with a torn ACL and MCL. Julian Edelman was taking his place. Wow… the Ravens may have a chance to actually win, even though the odds and mystique of the New England Patriots come playoff time were stacked against them.

In case you were out of the country and didn’t hear the news, the Baltimore Ravens beat the New England Patriots in Foxboro 33-14 and will advance to the divisional playoff round, with the winner playing for the AFC Championship. Yawnnn….been there, done that.

The Ravens set the tone with Ray Rice’s 83 yard scamper for the game’s first score not even 45 seconds into the game. On the Patriots first possession, Terrell Suggs strip-sacked Tom Brady (no flags THIS time) and the Ravens found the end zone again for a 14-0 lead 2 minutes into the game. That lead vaulted to 24-0 afer the first quarter and although the Patriots mounted a little bit of a charge, the game was clearly in hand.

Only problem was, Joe Flacco completed only 40% of his passes for 34 yards. That is a problem? No.That means the team was controlling the ground game and used Rice, McGahee, and McClain to pound the Patriots stunned defense for over 200 yards. Flacco’s 4 completions were huge though, with I believe all coming on 3rd down conversions. Yes, the Ravens offense looked eerily like the Dilfer-led Ravens in the 2000 playoffs, throwing for less than 125 yards while pounding the opposing defenses on the ground with the combination of Priest Holmes and Jamal Lewis.

This week the Ravens will travel to see an old nemesis in the Indianapolis Colts. You remember the Colts, right? Yeah, those guys who wear uniforms similar to what we used to cheer for here in Baltimore some 26 plus years ago. It’s hard to believe the Colts have been in Indianapolis just a few years less than they were in Baltimore. The Colts came into the 2006 playoffs as the lower seed facing the Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium for the divisional. The Ravens came off the bye week and in the late Steve McNair’s worst game as a Raven, held Peyton Manning to 5 field goals but could only muster 2 Matt Stover field goals in a 15-6 loss that devastated this town and made us hate the Colt franchise even more than on March 24, 1984.

The talk is that there is no way the Ravens are going to march into Indianapolis and do to the Colts what they did against the Patriots. They beat a banged up New England team and  Tom Brady made un-Brady-like mistakes and pretty much handed the game over to the Ravens.  Last I looked, New England won the AFC East title and was 8-0 in the Brady era at home. Were the Ravens afraid? Hell no. “They went into the lions den screaming like a banshee and kicked the hell out of the lions.” If they do the same thing Saturday night they will find themselves, for the second straight year, playing for the AFC Championship. What a ride!!!  But waiting in the wings is the great Peyton Manning and the Colts. This one is hard to swallow.

I actually heard people expressing the opinions that they Ravens better play Troy Smith if Flacco is still  hurting. “Troy is our only hope because he can avoid Freeney and Mathis, plus he gives the offense a different look that maybe the Colts haven’t seen” Are you freaking kidding me? Troy Smith?  Look at his records. As a starter he is 1-1. That’s it. Although he has seen action in quite a few games the last 2 seasons, he only started 2 NFL games. Basically he is a rookie when it comes to taking snaps from center. Flacco has started 36 games in his first two seasons, 18 times as many as Smith. And people have the balls to say Troy Smith should be playing in Flacco’s place?  These people need to take the saliva test, as Charley Eckman used to say. 

So why isn’t everyone happy and enjoying yet another post-season run by the guys in purple? Because we’re playing the Colts? So what!! They weren’t afraid of the Patriots and they aren’t afraid of the Colts. We’ll see on Saturday night. I think this team will come to play and hopefully catch the Colts off guard and punch their ticket to the AFC Championship game in either San Diego or New York. Many are saying the Jets don’t stand a chance against the NFL’s hottest team, but do you think the Jets are afraid  of the Chargers?  Maybe about as afraid as they were against the Bengals. How’d that work out for them?

Hey Baltimore, the Ravens are one of 8 teams remaining in the quest for the Lombardi trophy and guess what else?  The hated Pittsburgh Steelers are nowhere to be found this time. Life is good here in Baltimore, unless you are the soon to be former Mayor, so get out and hug a fellow Ravens fan this week. Spread the love of the purple!!

Goooooooooo Raven!!!

Let me get this straight.

New England hadn’t lost a home playoff game in 31 years — and in that time they were 11-0 in Foxborough.

Tom Brady was 8-0 at home in his post-season career.

Baltimore’s pedestrian 9-7 regular season mark this year included a dismal 3-5 away record.

So with all of that statistical data overloaded against Baltimore, it made perfect sense that the Ravens would race out to a 24-0 first quarter lead and cruise to a 33-14 win in New England today.

Right?

If you say so.

What a crazy league the NFL has become.

And what a crazy season it’s been for the Ravens, who literally entered the 4th quarter of their final regular season game in Oakland with their playoff berth still very much in jeopardy.

7 days later, they’ve polished off the mystique of the New England Patriots and they’re on their way to Indianapolis for a Saturday evening showdown with Peyton Manning and the Colts.

The New England fans hung around until there were about 9 minutes to go in the game.

They put in more of an effort than Randy Moss, that’s for sure.

So how did it happen today?

In a way only the dreamer could possibly imagine, the Ravens scored on their first play from scrimmage and then parlayed two first quarter turnovers into a 24-0 lead before half the crowd could say, “Want another cup of chow-dahh?”

And with their star quarterback obviously in need of a spark-plug change and Moss mailing it in like a member of the Postal Service, the Patriots were left with nothing to do except entertain an afternoon of boos from their faithful and wonder to themselves how on earth they picked today to have their worst game of the season.

As for the Ravens, they picked a great time to produce their best 30 minutes of defensive football all season, that’s for sure.

With Ray Lewis providing yet another epic post-season performance and Domonique Foxworth leading an opportunistic secondary, Baltimore clamped down early and often on both Brady and the running game en-route to a comfortable 24-7 halftime lead.

And when Willis McGahee scampered in with 10:32 to play to make it 33-14, the stands started to empty.

So it’s now on to Indianapolis, where the Ravens will undoubtedly have January 13, 2007 on their minds.  Fresh off of a 13-3 regular season and a first-week playoff bye, Steve McNair had a game only Tom Brady could duplicate (today) and the Baltimore offense stalled in a 15-6 loss to Indy.

Next Saturday night in Indy, it’s payback time for Ray Lewis, Todd Heap, Ed Reed and the rest of the guys who were part of that disappointing home defeat.

It had to be this way, right?

Baltimore vs. Indianapolis.

Winner goes to the AFC Championship game.

Loser goes home.

One thing for sure:  Tom Brady won’t be making a trip to South Florida in early February to gun for his 4th ring.

The Ravens made sure of that today in New England.

Now if they can send next week’s opposing quarterback home early, we might really be on to something.

I’m not one for cartoons, jokes, chain letters or general web stuff that I refer to as “spam.” (And for the 1000th time, NO, I don’t want to play Mafia Wars with you on Facebook! Stop sending me that manure!)

However, I got this link forwarded to me on Facebook (thanks, Tom!) and, well, it’s pretty freaking good.

It’s PG-13, don’t worry…thank me later!

Just click here…

Be ready to laugh…

I spent the afternoon yesterday at Sylvia’s house in Parkville watching the Pro Bowl, eating chicken wings and pizza and drinking Miller Lite. Honestly, I’m glad we did make a date to watch the game with her many Ravens buddies and waiting for a random big play from a guy in a purple helmet or to get a look at the many Ravens staffers donning Don Ho-style red Hawaiian flowered print shirts. The entire coaching staff from John Harbaugh and Cam Cameron right on down looked like Peter Schmuck at Camden Yards on a summer night.

But the Pro Bowl sucks even when you’re with people you like in a really cool basement (Sylvia won our “Miller Lite Purple Palace” contest last month). We all know that. Vanilla defenses. Lots of “no shows,” including our own Ed Reed. Even the quarterbacks stunk yesterday, with everyone from Peyton Manning to Kerry Collins to Drew Brees to Kurt Warner throwing these wobbling dying duck passes all over the Honolulu turf. Brendon Ayanbejdo played more base defense in the Pro Bowl yesterday than he did during the entire NFL season. LeRon McClain missed at one shot at the endzone and got in on his second chance. Terrell Suggs and Ray Ray looked regal in their red jerseys making a few random tackles and missing others.

And there’s no doubt about it: NO ONE wants to get hurt. Everytime Ray Lewis went toward the ball we were all holding our breath and he STILL might wind up on the Steelers in six weeks for all we know? Or, this might’ve been the final time he strapped on a purple chinstrap. That thought definitely crossed my mind.

Next year, the Pro Bowl will move back to the mainland for the first time in more than a generation, and will be played the week before the Super Bowl in Miami, which will probably allow me to attend. But what’s to see when you actually watch the game?

Guys kinda going through the motions. The NFL marketing its various “Pro Bowl official game jerseys.” And all of the stars in one place at one time in a game that should probably be changed to a flag football game. Even the announcers kinda make fun of how the game is an “exhibition” that borders on a joke as far as a competition goes.

It was a great chance to honor our “Miller Lite Purple Palace” winner and talk football. All of Sylvia’s friends were buzzed up about all the same stuff all of the WNST listeners have on their minds.

What’s going to happen with Ray Lewis?

Are the Terps going to make the tournament?

The Orioles are going to suck again.

But there’s something poignant and “final” about seeing the last snap of the football season and knowing we have to wait until August for the next round of crappy football that doesn’t matter and until after Labor Day for the first meaningful games again.

Today, the offseason begins in the NFL. The combine is next weekend in Indianapolis. The owners meetings happen in late March. The 2009 schedule will be released in early April. And then cometh the draft, which is one of my favorite weekends and events of the year.

Hang in there. We’ll try to make sense of the offseason and the Terps and Gary Williams and of course, we’ll be following the Orioles with the only objective coverage in the marketplace.

I’ll chat with you more at 2 p.m. today with a major announcement.

With one drive and a bullet-throw into the corner of the end zone, Ben Roethlisberger is now on the turnpike…heading towards Canton.  It’s tough to give a guy a Hall-of-Fame-hint just five years into his career, but that’s the path Roethlisberger has made for himself with two Super Bowl triumphs to date, including Sunday’s dramatic 27-23 win over Arizona.

Like we saw in Baltimore on three occasions this past season, Pittsburgh’s quarterback is the difference in the game.  The Arizona Cardinals were the latest victim, as they had the Super Bowl won until Big Ben engineered yet another last ditch drive to give the Steelers their 2nd title in four years.

Don’t look now, but the great Peyton Manning has one less ring than Roethlisberger.

Roethlisberger’s game-winning throw was almost as good as the catch, hauled in with precision by MVP Santonio Holmes.  The touchdown saved Pittsburgh from a summer of remorse, as their vaunted defense was torched in the 4th quarter by Kurt Warner and Larry Fitzgerald.  The primary burn victim?  No surprise there…it was Pittsburgh cornerback Ike Taylor, who will spend most of the next six weeks in gauze after getting lit up on a half-dozen occasions in the second half.  

The dramatic late-game heroics also saved the league from a day of headlines as the referees again took over in the second half and threw out more yellow flags than Springsteen had band members during the halftime show.  I know the old adage is “the refs could call a penalty on every play”…but do they have to do that?

Arizona has nothing to be ashamed of, having halted the much-talked about Pittsburgh running game and stopping the Steelers three times inside the Cardinals’ ten yard line.  Larry Fitzgerald proved he’s one of the best receivers in the league and Warner showed Hall-of-Fame mettle in the second half when the Cards worked their way back into the game.  That was a very good Arizona team that lost tonight.  

There’s not much else to say.  The Roethlisberger-Holmes connection on the game-winning throw will go down as one of those “Montana to Clark” moments.  

Someday, on a hot August afternoon in Canton, Ohio, I’m sure they’ll show that highlight a few times when #7 gets inducted.

I know, one game at a time. The Ravens still have a way to go in order to bring home a Super Bowl victory, but if they do they will most likely have to go through some Super Bowl experienced QB’s.

How much does Super Bowl experience help as you travel through the NFL playoffs? It’s hard to quantify what each player’s experience means but as the pressure mounts it can only be to their advantage to have been through it before.

Currently with 8 teams left in the hunt, 6 of these teams have QB’s that have been on the NFL’s biggest stage. These names include Kurt Warner (twice), Kerry Collins, Jake Delhomme, Donovan McNabb, Ben Roethlisberger, and Eli Manning.

The two players yet to go are Philip Rivers and Joe Flacco. Rivers saw action in last years AFC championship game where he lost to the Patriots while nursing an injured leg (19/37 211 yds 0 TD – 2 Int).

Flacco on the other hand is still new to the playoffs, but since when has he seemed phased by anything? Will he be bothered by the media attention or the perceived pressure as he moves through each game? If this season is any indication we may have the exception to the rule, but the Ravens will have their hands full with whoever they play.

Below are the SB performances of the QB’s still alive in this years playoffs:

SB #                Player                           comp-att          yards  td-int   W/L    other

XXXIV            Kurt Warner                     24/45           414      2-0       W      MVP   

XXV                Kerry Collins                    15/39           112      0-4        L       lost to Ravens

XXXVI            Kurt Warner                     28/44           365      1-2        L       

XXXVIII         Jake Delhomme                16/33           323      3-0        L

XXXVIX         Donovan McNabb          30/51           357      3-3         L

XL                    Ben Roethlisberger           9/21           123      0-2        W

XLII                 Eli Manning                      19/34           255      2-1        W      MVP

Watching the Colts and the Falcons get eliminated last night brings to focus the reality of today’s “do or die” game here in Miami against the Dolphins. It also will revisit the overtime argument about possession and coin flips and the fairness of the current NFL doctrine. Should the Colts have at least gotten ball last night?

My thought is “sure”…except when it’s the Colts. Good riddance to them! The Ravens’ path to the Super Bowl got a lot easier last night when San Diego won the coin flip and went down the field and euthanized the Colts’ season. So long, Peyton! See ya in those commercials during the rest of the playoffs!

It’s a beautiful morning here in Miami — it’s expected to reach 80 degrees by game time. Our party at Alabama Joe’s last night was outstanding as the bar was packed with purple with representatives from all over the state of Maryland as well as several “expatrioted” Baltimoreans living down here in the land of depressed housing and sunshine.

We’ll be blogging he

The biggest question going into this week’s games, besides who will make the playoffs, is what team will play what players. With all that is on the line for a number of teams in the NFC, the game between the New York Giants and the Minnesota Vikings is a perfect “case study” for the coach’s dilemma.

If Minnesota loses and Chicago wins, the Bears will win the division and move on to the playoffs. If Minnesota wins and Chicago loses, the reverse is true. There are some other possibilities for both to get in but they are remote at best.

The New York Giants, on the other hand, have earned home-field advantage throughout the playoffs and are not affected in any way by the outcome of the game.

So what do you do? Do you play the game straight up, as they did last year against the New England Patriots, or do you rest your player this game and use the first-round bye to get healthy for your first game in the Divisional Round?

It talking with Tony Dungy two weeks ago, when I did their game vs. the Detroit Lions, he articulated the dilemma perfectly: “Its like every other decision we make as head coaches. There is no right answer, just the one that works.” If you don’t play your starters, in an effort to get healthy and be at your best in the playoffs, then you come out and are a little flat or rusty, the fans and media will roast you for handling it that way. If you play all your players and hope to keep the momentum you have established in making the playoffs, and one of you good players gets hurt and misses your first playoff game, you are crucified for having played them.

Peyton Manning said he had changed his mind on wanting to play or not based on watching Eli play the previous year and using that as a springboard for their run to the Super Bowl. Robert Mathis said the same thing. When I visited with Dungy he made it clear, “No way.” He just couldn’t justify in his own mind the risk-reward ratio of the player risking injury. If you are Indy, on a 7-game winning streak and primed for the playoffs and Peyton Manning gets hurt, you are done.

I have two problems with sitting a player down. First, how do you tell one player you are important enough that we don’t want to get you hurt in a meaningless game, but then tell the next player I want you to go out there and bust you butt to win the game? Secondly — and this is particularly true in the Giants case — if you do chose to sit Eli Manning down, and you have a bye like the Giants do, that means your quarterback will not take a substantive snap in three weeks.

The players will tell you, for the most part, that they want to play, but will rely on the Head Coach to cover his ass and tell him he can’t. That way he can save face with his teammates, media and fans.

We had the same dilemma in our Super Bowl season when we were facing the New York Jets in our final game. Our playoff status was set and the outcome of the game would have no bearing on it. The Jets, however, needed a win to make the playoffs. We were on a six game winning streak and I don’t think I could have gotten the players to sit even if I wanted to. It ended up being an emotional night with Chris McAlister returning a 90-yard interception for a touchdown and Jermaine Lewis returning two kicks for scores to win the game. I believe that win was a major part of our going into the playoffs on an emotional high and eventually on to the Super Bowl.

With only one week remaining in the regular season, the Ravens are on target to return to post-season play for the second time in three seasons.  The only thing standing in their way: a visit from downtrodden Jacksonville this Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium.

Get ready to celebrate.  There’s no way the Jags come here and beat the Ravens with everything on the line for Baltimore and nothing at stake for J’ville.  If, somehow, Jacksonville does win on Sunday, it goes down as the most disappointing defeat in Ravens history.  Period.  That Indy home playoff loss was a downer, but it WAS a playoff game and the team that beat the Ravens on January 13, 2007 went on to win the Super Bowl.  It wasn’t like a 5-10 team came limping in here ready to mail it in and suddenly found a win to pull the upset of all upsets to keep us out of the playoffs.  That’s the scenario the Jags face on Sunday.  I don’t see it happening.

So, when the Ravens win this Sunday and scoot in as the surprising 6th seed in the AFC, the reflective question of the day will be this: “How’d we do it?”

How did the Ravens go from 5-11 a year ago, with a locker room in complete disarray and a group of mouthy, disgruntled players, to an 11-5 team just 12 months later?

There are some easy answers and some complicated ones, but they all fit together like a jigsaw puzzle.

First off, last year’s team might have finished 5-11, but they weren’t really a 5-11 club.  They lost three games in memorable, completely unexpected (some would say “fluky”) fashion.  One of the losses came at home when Cleveland’s kicker booted a game-tying field goal that hit the goal-post and bounded onto the back stantion, where it promptly bounced forward and was ruled no good.  A review (of sorts) of the play resulted in a change of the call (rightfully) to “good” and the Browns went on to win in overtime.  A few weeks later, Baltimore beat then-undefeated New England except Rex Ryan called a time-out in the game’s final minute…just as the Ravens were stopping the Patriots and their winning streak on 4th down.  Moments later, after New England capitalized on 4th down opportunity #2, Tom Brady threw the game-winning TD and the Pats won a game they had already lost.  And in week #14, ultra-reliable Matt Stover missed a 43-yard field goal in overtime that would have given Baltimore a win at Miami.  

So, a 5-11 team really played more like an 8-8 team.  But 5-11 it was.

Also last year, injuries played havoc with Baltimore’s starting 22 and the depth of the team was fully exposed in the latter stages of the season.  At one point in 2007, 8 of their best players missed at least 20% of the campaign, some even more.  McAlister (knee), Ogden (toe), McNair (everything), Lewis (hand), Rolle (health), Heap (ankle), Pryce (hand) and Wilcox (toe) were all sidelined and their replacements were not only inadequate, but in some cases, liabilities.  Who can ever forget that Indianapolis home game?  Peyton Manning torched the Ravens’ depth-less secondary so much the Baltimore City fire marshal showed up at halftime and issued #18 a citation for outdoor burning.

This year’s team battled injuries early on, but their BEST players, with the exception of Rolle, McAlister and Kelly Gregg, have all played the entire schedule to date: Ray, Flacco, Ngata, Suggs, Reed, Mason (banged up but playing every game somehow…what a warrior), Gaither, Brown, Grubbs, Scott, Pryce…none of those guys have missed extensive time.  It helps when your best players are playing. This year, for the most part, the Ravens best players have been available.

And it also helps when the organization learns from its mistakes.  Depth (lack thereof) was a major reason for last year’s failure, but depth is a big reason why the ’08 version is winning.  When Dawan Landry went down in week #2 with a season ending spinal injury, safety Jim Leonhard stepped in and did the job and then some, earning the respect of everyone with his week-in, week-out hard-nosed style of play.  And when Rolle and McAlister both missed time, newcomer Fabian Washington stepped in admirably at cornerback and even the oft-criticized Frank Walker has been decent enough to warrant a respectful tip of the cap.  Kelly Gregg’s absence hasn’t been felt at all, thanks to a monster year from Ngata and a breakthrough campaign for erstwhile back-up Justin Bannan.  And the triple-threat at running back has given the team different looks and different strengths all season long.  

“Players play, coaches coach” – that’s the old adage.  And it’s true.  But, when dissecting this year’s success, you’d be unfair if you didn’t mention the off-season front office work of George Kokinis, Eric DeCosta and, of course, Ozzie Newsome.  Via the draft and free agency, those three added depth in the secondary and on the offensive and defensive lines.  

John Harbaugh came in a with no-nonsense style that ruffled a feathers at the outset, but as he settled down, so did the discontent.  Coodinators Cameron and Ryan are well respected by the players and they quietly mirror Harbaugh’s confidence that this roster of players is capable of winning big games right away – even with a first-year quarterback at the helm.

But the two main components that contribute to the ’08 Ravens success are the complicated pieces that complete the puzzle.  I’ll call them “Peace and Quiet” for lack of a better term. 

First, and most obviously, it’s at quarterback, where Joe Flacco (“Peace”) has done the unthinkable. He’s gone from leading a Division 1AA school to its post-season to leading an NFL team to the brink of its post-season — all within 12 months.  And he’s done it with a quiet, reserved, hardly-a-pulse manner that has made his teammates believe in him almost from day one in Westminster last summer. Kyle Boller NEVER had the faith of his entire team in five seasons.  Joe Flacco gained it all in about five weeks. 

And without that distraction at quarterback and with the team in harmony both on and off the field, this year’s Ravens have been able to focus on playing football.  And good football, at that.

It’s been awfully “Quiet” this season.  Have you noticed how much bickering has gone on this year? Even when the team stumbled in October and dropped three straight, do you remember any public whining and moaning?  McAlister was involved in a fortnight of controversy with the coach over some misbehaving in Miami, but he suddenly suffered a season ending knee injury (*ahem*) that saved Harbaugh a tough mid-season talk.  And, other than Ed Reed dropping a “we don’t like the way Harbaugh talks down to us…” hint at mid-season, you heard no other negative whispers from the locker room.

No more complaints about the quarterback.  No crying about playing time.  No public campaigning for new contracts, extensions, etc.  No controversies, even on the occasion when results and fortune could have allowed for it.  

When the Ravens got pounded by the Giants in New York, they simply said, “we got beat by a better team today…” – Early in the year they lost a heartbreaker at home to the Titans when Tennessee orchestrated a late drive that was aided in large part by a phantom “blow to the head” call against Terrell Suggs…”we shouldn’t have been in that position…can’t let a good team like that stay in the game” was what the players said afterwards. – And last Sunday after losing to Pittsburgh in dramatic fashion with a goal-line TD call leaving everyone in America wondering about the effectiveness of instant-replay, the Ravens refused to bite: “we just have to go to Dallas and win a football game…we didn’t do the job on that last drive…can’t win many games if you don’t score touchdowns.”  No complaining this year.  No bellyaching about the referees, bad luck, bad coaching, etc.  

This team stayed positive all season long.

Looking for the BEST example of all?  Willis McGahee.  Essentially benched in the late stages of the season for lack of production, #23 took the chance to support his coach by saying, “If I were the coach, I’d bench me too…I’ve played like dog doo-doo.”  Gone are the days of hearing a guy chastising the coaching staff for not getting enough touches on the ball — McGahee took his demotion like a pro and put the team first. It’s been a while since I felt better about a player scoring a touchdown than I did on Saturday night when Willis broke off that 77-yard TD run.  He deserved that more than anyone else on the team.

The topper, though, has to be the unwavering championship play of Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs and Bart Scott. All three are seeking a new deal and all three are – for the most part – competing with one another for that big cash cow at season’s end.  If Ray gets all the money, Suggs and Scott might not. If Suggs cashes in, Ray and Scott might be looking at giving a purple discount or moving on to another team. Yet, there hasn’t been one – not one – moment where any of those three took the opportunity to bellow about a new deal either here or elsewhere.

It’s a happy house in Owings Mills these days.

The team has won.

The players have played hard.  Injured players have been replaced by guys performing at unexpected levels. And certain players have battled ailments to the extent that it almost looks unhealthy for them to be out there in the first place.

The Ravens have come together as men and played for one goal.

And their focus has been on winning football games.  Nothing else.

Playing time, personal friendships, money, feelings about the coach and his staff…it’s all been put on the side in exchange for trying to win.

It’s been their ’08 success formula.

Let’s hope it carries over for just one more Sunday.

Then everyone starts at 0-0 again and it’s suddenly a 4-game season.

And, based on what I’ve seen over the last four months, I like the Ravens chances in January.

Again, there wasn’t much shake up in the quarterback rankings this week. On the bright side, close to half of the top 20 weren’t very highly regarded at draft time, so there could still be a few good options on the waiver wire. The playoffs are here for a lot of us, so make sure to take a look at all of the rankings, as every decision is magnified at this time of the season.

Keep in mind that the power rankings, listed here, are based on year to date performance and not a reflection of your best options for week 14. Just below the power rankings are match up previews advising who should be better or worse than usual this week, based on their opponents. At the bottom, are the week 14 start rankings, that’s where you should look for help with your week 14 lineup decisions.

Week 14 Fantasy Quarterback Power Rankings

QB Power Rankings Archive – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 – 11 - 12 - 13

(last week’s rankings in parentheses)

1. Drew Brees (1) – NO – 3870 yds 24 TD 14 int & 1 TD rush

2. Tony Romo (3) – DAL – 2559 yds 21 TD 8 int

3. Aaron Rodgers (4) – GB – 2897 yds 20 TD 10 int & 4 TD rush

4. Kurt Warner (2) – AZ – 3741 yds 24 TD 11 int

5. Jay Cutler (5) – DEN – 3393 yds 21 TD 13 int

6. Phillip Rivers (6) – SD – 2955 yds 23 TD 10 int

7. Donavan McNabb (13) – PHI – 3030 yds 18 TD 10 int & 1 TD rush

8. Peyton Manning (7) – IND – 2948 yds 19 TD 12 int & 1 TD rush

9. Matt Cassel (10) – NE – 2784 yds 13 TD 10 int & 2 TD rush

10. Tyler Thigpen (12) – KC – 1739 yds 13 TD 8 int & 1 TD rush & 1 TD rec

11. Shaun Hill (11) – SF – 1067 yds 8 TD 3 int & 1 TD rush

12. Eli Manning (9) – NYG – 2624 yds 19 TD 8 int & 1 TD rush

13. Brett Favre (8) – GB – 2708 yds 20 TD 14 int

14. Chad Pennington (14) – MIA – 2881 yds 11 TD 6 int & 1 TD rush

15. Joe Flacco (16) – BAL – 2276 yds 12 TD 9 int & 2 TD rush

16. David Garrard (15) – JAX – 2748 yds 10 TD 9 int & 1 TD rush

17. Matt Ryan (18) – ATL – 2625 yds 13 TD 6 int

18. Kyle Orton (20) – CHI – 2195 yds 13 TD 7 int & 1 TD rush

19. Jason Campbell (19) – WAS – 2560 yds 10 TD 4 int

20. Jeff Garcia (NR) – TB – 1902 yds 8 TD 3 int

Dropped From Rankings: Trent Edwards – BUF

QBs Who Should Be Better Than Usual In Week 14: Matt Cassel @ SEA; Shaun Hill vs. NYJ; Matt Ryan @ NO; Kurt Warner vs. ST.L; Peyton Manning vs. CIN; Aaron Rodgers vs. HOU

QBs Who Could Be Sleepers Based On Week 14 Match Ups: JaMarcus Russell @ SD; Marc Bulger @ AZ; Gus Frerotte @ DET; Matt Hasselbeck vs. NE

QBs With Tough Week 14 Match Ups: Tony Romo @ PIT; Jake Delhomme vs. TB; Donavan McNabb @ NYG; Eli Manning vs. PHI; Jeff Garcia @ CAR; Phillip Rivers vs. OAK; Sage Rosenfels @ GB

QBs You Might Want To Avoid In Week 14: Ryan Fitzpatrick or Jordan Palmer @ IND; Jason Campbell @ BAL; Ken Dorsey @ TEN

And here are the week 14 Fantasy QB start rankings; it’s all 32 projected starting QBs in the order that you should consider them this week. They were gotten using the Fantasy Flavor secret formula, and have their formulary numbers in parentheses, the lower the better. We’ll get all of the positional rankings out to you in time for Thursday’s game, so keep checking back for the rest.

1. Drew Brees (15)

2. Kurt Warner (15)

3. Aaron Rodgers (16)

4. Shaun Hill (23)

5. Jay Cutler (24)

6. Peyton Manning (24)

7. Matt Cassel (24)

8. Tyler Thigpen (31)

9. Tony Romo (35)

10. Phillip Rivers (36)

11. Brett Favre (38)

12. Matt Ryan (40)

13. Donavan McNabb (41)

14. Chad Pennington (46)

15. Eli Manning (49)

16. Gus Frerotte (50)

17. Joe Flacco (51)

18. David Garrard (52)

19. Kyle Orton (52)

20. Trent Edwards (57)

21. JaMarcus Russell (59)

22. Ben Roethlisberger (61)

23. Matt Hasselbeck (65)

24. Marc Bulger (65)

25. Jeff Garcia (66)

26. Jason Campbell (68)

27. Sage Rosenfels (73) *I’d move him between McNabb & Pennington if it’s Schaub

28. Kerry Collins (73)

29. Jake Delhomme (76)

30. Daunte Culpepper (82)

31. Ryan Fitzpatrick (84) *no difference for Jordan Palmer

32. Ken Dorsey (93)

All of the rankings will be up in time for you to get your Thursday lineups in, so check back tomorrow for the rest. And use the links below to check all of the other positions; they’ll be activated as they become available.

Peace,

T

(thyrl@wnst.net)

Week 14 RB Rankings & Previews

Week 14 WR Rankings & Previews

Week 14 TE Rankings & Previews

Week 14 K Rankings & Previews

Week 14 D/ST Rankings & Previews