It was a great win. It was a fun win. It was good to see Todd Heap step up, especially with Mason getting hurt. Haloti Ngata continues to amaze.Once again, we’ll play it week by week. If the Ravens beat or even hang close with the Giants next Sunday; they’re an AFC Championship contender. If they get blown out; they’re still a playoff contender.

But let’s take it week by week. And let’s get Joe Flacco to work on taking sacks. And not throwing the ball where his best receiver can get hurt!

Let’s see what everyone else has to say……..

Best of Sunday’s WNST Blogs:

Nestor Aparicio

says Ravens ‘for real’

Casey Willett says Ravens face ‘huge test’ vs. Giants next week

Bob Haynie says 6-3 ‘ain’t a bad place to be’

Drew Forrester says Ravens can think they’re good enough to go to the Super Bowl

Drew Forrester doesn’t think anyone could have been worse than Rosenfels

Glenn Clark says Ryan keeping Flacco out of Rookie of the Year picture

RAVENS:The Official Site’s Mike Duffy

says Flacco throws for 2 TD’s in win

The Official Site’s Mike Duffy says Ravens come up with four picks to get 41-13The Official Site’s Kristen Deahl

says Ngata was ‘all over field’ for Ravens in win

Texans Official Site’s Brooke Bentley says Rosenfels accepts blame for 2^nd half mistakes

Texans Official Site says Kubiak thought team ‘self destructed’

Texans Official Site’s Nick Schenck says Ravens scored 16 points off giveaways

The Sun’s Jamison Hensley says Flacco more ‘clutch’ than ‘rookie’ in win

The Sun’s Rick Maese says even keel locker room ‘refreshing’ after big win

The Sun’s David Steele says healthy McGahee gets 112 yards, 2 TD’s in win

The Sun’s David Steele gives highest praise to Flacco, LB’s

The Sun’s Jamison Hensley says Ravens have scored at least 27 in 4 straight games for first time in franchise history

The Sun’s Rick Maese says Heap finally gets involved with 5 catches, 58 yards, and 2 TD’s

The Sun’s Peter Schmuck says Ravens put together ‘most complete performance of year’

The Sun’s Jamison Hensley and David Steele say Ngata had ‘best overall game’ of any player on team

The AP says 52 collects 2 picks in win

Aaron Wilson says Ravens ‘brutal’, ‘relentless’, ‘physically dominant’, ‘instinctive’, ‘merciless’ in win

Aaron Wilson says Heap thought scoring first TD of season ‘great feeling’

Aaron Wilson says Mason returned from dislocated shoulder in 2^nd half to catch 3 passes, 43 yards, 2 point conversion

Aaron Wilson gives QB’s, D-Line highest praise

Houston Chronicle’s Richard Justice says Kubiak critical of DC Smith after game

Houston Chronicle’s John McClain says Texans look ‘pathetic’ enough to finish 3-13

Houston Chronicle’s Dale Robertson says Rosenfels’ run at starter ‘couldn’t have got off to worse start’Houston Chronicle’s Megan Manfull

says defense accepts “flak” for Flacco performance

Houston Chronicle’s Megan Manfull and Dale Robertson say Suggs thinks Ravens kept Texans’ ‘heads under water’

ESPN.com’s John Clayton says Flacco ‘ahead of schedule’

ESPN.com’s James Walker says Ravens would be amongst hottest AFC teams if not for Titans

ESPN.com’s James Walker says Ravens ‘proving to be legitimate threat’ in AFC

SI’s Peter King ‘can’t tell difference’ in 52 from age 28 to age 33

CBS Sports’ Clark Judge says Flacco extends no INT streak to 4 games

TERRAPINS FOOTBALL:The Sun’s Jeff Barker

says Terps out of first place, out of Top 25

The Sun’s Jeff Barker says Ralph relieved to play next two at home

The Diamondback’s Eric Detweiler says despite falling out of first; Terps still control destiny

Washington Post’s Eric Prisbell says Terps have toughest schedule of teams fighting for division title

Washington Post’s Eric Prisbell says Ralph blames O-Line, Scott’s injury for rushing struggles Thursday night

Washington Times’ Patrick Stevens says Terps 3-3 all-time at home vs. ranked Carolina teams

Washington Times’ Patrick Stevens says C. Jackson could be ‘most irreplaceable’ Terp

Washington Times’ Patrick Stevens says ‘confusion’ caused Terps to call timeout before 3^rd and 18 at end of first half

Washington Times’ Patrick Stevens says Scott, C. Jackson ‘no worse for wear’ injury-wise

Washington Times’ Patrick Stevens says only one writer still voting for Terps

ESPN.com’s Mark Schlabach says Terps Charlotte-bound, Bruce Feldman thinks Terps headed to BoiseESPN.com’s Heather Dinich

drops Terps to 9^th in power rankings

ESPN.com’s Heather Dinich says inconsistency not only problem for Terps

Terrapin Times’ Keith Cavanaugh says Terps get better injury news than thought after loss (must subscribe)TERRAPINS BASKETBALL:

The Sun’s Don Markus

says Dupree, Burney will ‘have to grow up fast’

The Sun’s Don Markus picks Terps 9^th in ACC

The Diamondback’s Mark Selig says Terps want to be better vs. ‘lesser’ teams

The Diamondback’s Greg Schimmel not hailing Kim as ‘savior’ yet

Washington Post’s Steve Yanda says Gary thinks half of ACC deserves Tourney bid

Washington Post’s Steve Yanda says Mosley will return to practice today

Washington Post’s Steve Yanda says Gary thinks Milbourne becoming ‘leader’

TERRAPINS WOMEN’S BASKETBALL:The Diamondback’s Adi Joseph

says Liles has double double in exhibition win

Washington Times’ Mike Fratto says Terps must ‘replace stars’

NAVY FOOTBALL:Washington Times’ Patrick Stevens

says Mids likely to play BC or Virginia in EagleBank Bowl

ORIOLES:The Official Site’s Spencer Fordin

says Birds looking for ‘new identity’ in offseason

SWIMMING:The Examiner’s Jon Gallo

says Bowman, Phelps want to make Meadowbrook ‘world class facility’

SOME QUICK THOUGHTS:-Congratulations to SunTrust Athlete of the Morning Tony Johnson…..the Fallston RB who had 5 TD’s in the Cougars’ 35-14 victory over Rising Sun. Congratulations to our other nominees as well; including Poly RB John Marcus (2 TD’s in the 2^nd half as Poly rallied from down 13-0 to beat City 16-13); Fallston Senior Derek Hyde (game winner as Fallston beat La Plata 1-0 in the state semifinals); his cousin Marissa Hyde (6 saves as Fallston’s girls’ team advanced to the state finals as well); and the VERY deserving Zack Kane (12^th clean sheet of season as Perry Hall beat Magruder to advance to state finals).

Talk to you tomorrow.

-G

It’s hard not to get caught up in this. For weeks I’ve been talking about the possibility of the Ravens ripping off four straight wins like they just have, and the potential for the schedule to pull the rug back out from under them just as quickly. For weeks I’ve been cautioning myself to not get too caught up in the euphoria of the Ravens and in particular their young franchise QB having success against the NFL’s lower echelon. And all along, I’ve been thinking that this is still an 8-win team at best, and simply not playoff bound, and there are still plenty of reasons to feel that way. But somewhere along the way, “Joe Can Do” and the new look Ravens offense has got me caught up in the very excitement I had set out to avoid.

Let’s face it, as Ravens fans we’ve been privileged to have seen a lot of spectacular things in the team’s very short history, but 134 points in 4 games can certainly have a mesmerizing effect on a team that’s been known for living on their defense, and still strikes fear in opponents first and foremost on that side of the ball. In fact, 134 points in 4 games is unprecedented in Ravens history. It’s never happened before. They were closest in 1996, with 130 over a 4 game stretch, from a team that we remember as dynamic offensively. They came close in 1999 and in 2000 too believe it or not, and again in 2003 behind Anthony Wright, but never quite 134.

Clearly this is where the price of poker goes up. The Dolphins, Browns, Raiders and Texans are ranked 11^th, 16^th, 21^st and 30^th respectively in scoring defense, in part due to the points that the Ravens put up on them, but also in part because they are simply mediocre to bad defenses. Upcoming, the Ravens will have to deal with a lot more upper echelon defenses, but on the bright side they likely won’t need 33 points per game to win.

There are still a number of reasons to be concerned. The Ravens’ all world run defense will likely force teams to go more pass heavy against them, and recently the team has shown that they’ll make you pay on the underneath stuff too. Sooner or later, teams will just sell out to attack the Ravens deep, and just do enough of the other stuff to keep them honest. The deep ball still looks to be a weakness for the team, and forcing teams to do it more often could force the defense to make adjustments, and put pressure on the offense to score more. 

Flacco has been getting the job done, largely despite the lack of a playmaker in his receiving corps, and depending on the prognosis on Derrick Mason, he may have to go forward without his best possession receiver for the foreseeable future. There are still big questions to be answered in the kicking game as Matt Stover is a risky proposition outside of 40 yards, and we’ve yet to see if Steven Hauschka has the accuracy to make it as an NFL kicker.

Ed Reed has been largely missing in action so far this season, which is understandable if the Ravens are using him differently because of his injuries, but if that’s the case, it’s really puzzling why they’d risk him on a punt return last week, especially when Jim Leonhard had been doing so well returning kicks.

And rookie coach John Harbaugh has taken a number of questionable timeouts, which haven’t been costly yet, but still have to be reason for concern. And I have no idea what is going on with the team’s red flag review process, but clearly that system needs a complete overhaul.

Still, the Ravens are a work in progress. That’s usually the ideal place for championship teams to be at this time of the season. We all know where the 2000 Ravens were at this point in their season, and although these are clearly not the 2000 Ravens, look where the Giants were at this time last season too. Even going into the playoffs, few outside of their own diehard fans, thought the Giants would have the juice to go all the way. The Colts in ’06 and Steelers in ’05 both had a number of stumbles down the stretch and were widely being overlooked at playoff time. As I said, despite all of the reasons to be cautious, it’s just tough to not get ahead of yourself with this team.

They do seem to be answering a new question and showing a new wrinkle every week. Bringing in a kickoff specialist and using him for a 54 yard field goal is evidence of that. Todd Heap has been slowly finding his way back into the offense in recent weeks and broke out in a big way on Sunday, and just in the nick of time too with Mason going down.

Terrell Suggs and Haloti Ngata are dominating the line of scrimmage, and have combined for more interceptions than any 2 active members of the secondary. And in the last two weeks, the Ravens have gotten away from the cute and tricky offensive plays that they’d used primarily to score in the earlier games, and showed that they can simply impose their will in a traditional straight ahead offensive scheme too.

I’m trying not to let my expectations get the best of me. There’s too much stacked against this team for it to be their year. Injuries, age in some cases, inexperience in others, the most difficult schedule they’ve probably ever had to deal with, and mostly the same old personnel on offense. There are too many glaring deficiencies, the young and banged up offensive line, the fact that Chris McAllister still leads the team in interceptions despite not playing in nearly half of the games. The fact that Suggs, Ngata, and Ray Lewis all have more interceptions than Reed, and Justin Bannan is tied with him.

There’s also the fact that Suggs still has scored more points than Todd Heap, who has been healthy all season so far. And now it looks like the team’s leading active receivers now have just 20 catches on the year too. And perhaps most of all there is the entire NFC East, Pittsburgh, Jacksonville and Cincinnati still standing between the Ravens and the playoffs.

Still though, even the most cynical among us have to be excited about the future of this club, and particularly this offense. Even the biggest of doubters would have to concede that with 4 home games left, the Ravens, always dangerous at M&T could have some fight left in them. The NFC East is looking more and more vulnerable with each passing week, and we all know what can happen when this defense gets on a roll.

If I had to pick today, I’d still put my guess at 9 wins, but a lot can certainly happen between now and the end of the season. The Ravens have at least proven that they have enough offense to meet the defense almost halfway, which is much closer than they’ve been in a long time. And the cold weather, which tends to favor a team that can run the ball and play defense is right around the corner.

The odds of a playoff berth still look slim to me, and the odds of a home playoff game look even longer. But it looks like an absolute certainty that this team will be playing meaningful football games well into December, which is more than most of us would have expected at the beginning of the 2008 campaign. And I’m guessing that playoff ticket orders will be out in the mail before long. And I’ll be laying out the money for them and hoping for the best. Maybe, just maybe, Joe Can Do.

Peace,

T

(thyrl@wnst.net)

It’s certainly no secret that the Ravens will have a lot of difficult decisions to make this off-season. There’s the pending free agency of Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs and Bart Scott, the now seemingly up in the air status of Chris McAllister and the team’s still glaring need for a playmaker at wide receiver. And since we are only at the midway point in the season, my guess is that a number of new needs, issues and/or question marks are likely to arise before this season wraps.

I’d also say that it’s hardly breaking news that unless they are certain that the salary cap will go away in 2010 and beyond, as has been speculated, there’s no way that they’ll be able to address all of the above. How to prioritize and handle each of those situations will likely be the subject of much debate in the coming weeks and months.

If I were charged with prioritizing these needs, Suggs would have to be at the top of the list. While his career certainly hasn’t reached the magnitude of Ray Lewis’, at 26 years old and with 6 seasons under his belt, Suggs certainly represents the most value of all of the Ravens’ pending free agents. My preference would be to sign Suggs to a 4 or 5-year deal and keep him in Baltimore. Suggs can do a lot to negate the loss of McAllister too, as a solid pass rush is one of the primary prerequisites of a solid secondary. The Ravens have been doing a decent job of proving that over the last few weeks.

If signing Suggs long term isn’t in the cards, then it’ll be important to get something for him that comes close to fair market value. They could put a non-exclusive franchise tag on him and allow him to negotiate with other teams, at that point they allow Suggs to establish his own market value, and absent some crazy “poison pill” deal, the Ravens would still get a chance to match it. Further, it would award the Ravens two first rounders if they elected to let him go. Regardless, dealing with Suggs’ situation or electing to put it off for another year with another franchise tag has to be regarded as the team’s top priority.

For my money, the cornerback situation has to be resolved next. If McAllister is going to be out of the picture, then the Ravens need to get some more bodies into it. Although they are holding their own right now, the Ravens secondary certainly doesn’t feel like that of a big time contender going forward. I have always felt that McAllister was the most important component of the defense, and maybe the biggest reason for the sustained run of defensive dominance that we’ve enjoyed as fans for a decade now. Replacing his services will be no easy task, as I am afraid we are likely to become much more aware of as the second half of this season plays out.

Bart Scott, I fear, will probably be a victim of the Ravens’ inability to resign everyone and will likely be the odd man out, I’d guess. At just 28 years old, and in only his fourth season of full time action, letting Scott walk could turn out to be a mistake. But given the team’s history of developing linebackers, the Ravens have to feel relatively confident about cutting some corners with Scott. It’ll also be interesting to see if Scott, unlike other former Ravens linebackers is able to flourish in another system and winds up being worth the money that he commands in free agency.

Filling the need at wide receiver has been an ongoing theme for this front office for as long as I can remember. So although I look at this once again as a position of need in this off-season, my faith in the ability of this team to adequately scout wide receivers has been shaken. For that reason, I’m not even sure that I’d want the Ravens to go out and spend highly in the draft for a wide receiver again, and I’m guessing with all of the in house contract issues to be dealt with, the Ravens probably won’t be big players in free agency either.

So where does that leave Ray Lewis? He’ll be 34 at the beginning of next season, and while I’ll be the first to tell you that 35 is spry, it’s probably not the best age to be spending mega-millions of dollars on, especially in signing bonus money. I truly appreciate the job that he’s done here, and would love to see him ride off into the sunset as a Raven. But realistically, I can’t see paying him for another 4 years based on the magnificent season that he’s having this year.

It’d pain me to see Lewis go elsewhere to finish out his career, but likely no more than it pained Niner’s fans to see it happen with Montana and Rice, or Cowboys fans with Emmitt Smith, or Chargers fans with Junior Seau, or Dolphins fans with Jason Taylor. That’s the modern NFL. And if the Ravens are looking to build the most competitive team for now and the future, it’s likely that future will see a new face of the franchise sooner than we think. I’d say that Joe Flacco is growing nicely into that role so far.

At the end of the day, maybe it’s Ozzie’s fault that he’ll have to make that decision. I’m no capologist, but it seems that Ozzie’s not either. Accolades are easy to pile on Newsome based on his accomplishments here, but cap management has certainly been a deficiency. We can all remember the cap purge that took place after 2001, and to Newsome’s credit, he built the roster to rebound quickly. But at least from my perspective, the Ravens always seem to be up against it cap-wise.

It doesn’t seem that we have any more stars than other teams, yet when names like Roy Williams (not that I would have given up the king’s ransom that the Cowboys did to get him, nor do I ever expect that Ozzie would have either), but when players like that become available, the Ravens always seem to be immediately out of the running due to cap space. Other teams, like Dallas and Washington, seemingly loaded with big contracts routinely find ways to fit more star salaries under their caps, while the Ravens seem to have to cut corners just to retain their own free agents.

Sometimes I think that the Ravens have been way too human as an organization. It’s a business in the NFL, and at times the club has seemed to allow emotions to dictate how they handle personnel matters. This has been especially true when it comes to coaches. I can’t think of any staff that has been scalped as routinely for coaching vacancies over the last few seasons. Perhaps the Ravens have been too accommodating when it comes to allowing their coaches the freedom to explore other opportunities.

When Josh McDaniels name started surfacing for head coaching interviews last season, he declined to interview with anyone after meeting with Bill Bellichick and feeling that he wasn’t ready. My guess is that Bellichick’s message was along the lines of the Patriots needing an OC who was going to be with the team for an extended period, and if he had interest in pursuing other opportunities, that they might have to find someone with more similar priorities to those of the team. That’s just me guessing, but that’s seems to be the way that they do things in New England. No player is bigger than the team, and unless your name is Tom Brady, then you are replaceable.

That’s how the Patriots have handled player contracts over the years too. They let go of Lawyer Malloy in a highly publicized incident that was likely meant to send a message to the rest of the team. When Deion Branch held out he was traded, others who commanded big paydays in free agency have been allowed to walk from New England. And whether by design or not, their team first concept seems to keep individual players from achieving too much recognition, thereby cutting down on the costs of retaining them.

Along with all of their on the field success, the Patriots have been clear about their intentions to run the team in a cold and businesslike manner. They’ve seen a great deal of success on the field as a result, and the really strange side effect is that former superstars, ready to humble themselves and accept role player positions and pay, flock to the Patriots in spite of those methods. Winning is the best deodorant.

In a perfect world, it’d be right to overpay Ray Lewis to stay put, and ride off into the sunset and Canton as a lifelong Raven. Short of the salary cap being repealed, it just doesn’t make sense from a football standpoint. Ray Lewis has truly left it all on the field each and every time he suited up as a Raven. He’s played through pain, and due to his dedication, leadership and natural talent has elevated the play of every man who has had the privilege of sharing a huddle with him. He ushered in the new era of Baltimore football by creating an aura of dominance on his side of the ball. But perhaps above all, he has been paid handsomely for it too.

Although he still seems nearly every bit the player he was at his prime, Lewis has had difficulty getting through an entire season in recent years. At his age, the kind of money he’ll likely get on the open market is a dangerous proposition. And as we are all too familiar with as fans, these types of deals can hamstring a payroll for years after the player’s performance level dips below their cap number. 

Let’s see how he finishes the season first, but the Ravens have a lot of decisions to make this off-season, and none will likely be more difficult than the decision on whether or not to give Ray his money. Based on the numbers that are being speculated, I’d say no. From a risk reward standpoint, the Ravens would be much better to let him walk too. If you pay him and he winds up stinking up the tail end of the deal, it’s wasted money and cap space. If you don’t and he lights it up with someone else after signing a big money deal, it’ll sting, but that’s all, and you’ll get a compensatory pick in return.

We all know what the perfect world solution would be, but we also all know that it’s not a perfect world. In this case, it’s the NFL and it makes no sense to “pay it backward”.

Peace,

T

(thyrl@wnst.net)

Ravens 27, Texans 17Yes, I’m picking the Ravens. Stop the presses. The Ravens NEED to win this game, and I feel as though they are in the type of groove that will continue on the road Sunday. Expect a big day for the Ravens’ LB’s.

Delaware 24, Towson 20If this was a home game, the Tigers would get a win.

Let’s see what everyone else has to say…….

Best of Thursday’s WNST Blogs:

Joe Flacco says Ravens in ‘really good groove’

Brian Billick says Oakland’s Russell opposite of Flacco

Casey Willett says McGahee had ‘noticeable limp’ yesterday

Glenn Clark says last night’s game, Simpson’s performance last season examples of why Cosh could be out

Ed Frankovic says Caps get two goals in final minutes to beat Canes

Nestor Aparicio says Puck Bus included thrilling game

RAVENS:

The Official Site’s Mike Duffy says Suggs thinks Harbaugh doing ‘good job night before the game getting (Ravens) ready’ on road

The Official Site’s Mike Duffy says decision coming on Landry

The Official Site says Rex Ryan not talking to brother Rob regarding DeAngelo Hall

The Official Site’s Patrick Gleason says many Ravens thought last week’s game ‘defining’ moment for team

Texans Official Site’s Brooke Bentley says Kubiak will play Adibi 15 to 20 snaps

Texans Official Site’s Michael A. Lutz says Texans must get job done on 3rd down

Texans Official Site’s Nick Scurfield says Texans ready for Ravens’ 3-4 front

Texans Official Site says Kubiak thinks RB Green ‘should be fine’

The Sun’s Mike Preston gives highest praise at midway point to D-Line, LB’s

The Sun’s Jamison Hensley says Ravens need production from Suggs, RB’s; must force Rosenfels to make mistakes

The Sun’s Jamison Hensley says Ravens in playoff mix, but face difficult schedule

The Sun’s Jamison Hensley says despite matching records, Flacco’s first 8 games better than Boller’s

The Sun’s Edward Lee says Clayton ‘refreshed’ by TD in Cleveland game

The Sun’s Jamison Hensley says Boller won’t be ‘bitter’

The Sun’s Mike Preston says Rolle found watching from sidelines ‘tough’

The Sun’s Mike Preston believes Ravens will be interested in Hall

The Sun’s Edward Lee says L. McClain dealing with sore ankle

The Sun’s Edward Lee says previously released Wheelwright back at practice

All Sun writers pick Ravens

The Examiner’s Ron Snyder says Ayanbadejo happy to make impact on special teams

Aaron Wilson says Ravens respect Texans WR Johnson

Aaron Wilson says Ravens ‘don’t have much salary-cap room’ to use on Hall

The AP says Rice ‘invaluable’ to Ravens

Houston Chronicle’s John McClain picks Texans 23-20

Houston Chronicle’s Jerome Solomon thinks Kubiak could be coaching for job

Houston Chronicle’s Megan Manfull says Texans, Ravens each getting lift from rookie RB’s

Houston Chronicle’s Megan Manfull says Okoye could miss game

3 of 5 ESPN Sunday Countdown analysts pick Ravens

All ESPN analysts (except Chris Mortensen) pick Ravens

ESPN.com’s John Clayton says Ravens ‘desperately’ need to beat Texans

ESPN.com’s James Walker says Harbaugh has high approval

ESPN.com’s James Walker says Scouts Inc’s Kidd thinks teams MUST account for Suggs

SI’s “Dr. Z” has Ravens 17th in power rankings

Sporting News’ Vinnie Iyer picks Ravens 20-14

4 of 6 Sporting News analysts pick Ravens

TERRAPINS FOOTBALL:

The AP says strong efforts from Turner, DHB not enough as Terps lose 23-13

The Official Site provides numerical evidence of loss

The Official Site says Ralph frustrated by inability to tackle, stop run, get run going

The Official Site says DHB continues to move up career charts at Maryland

Virginia Tech Official Site says Evans outrushes Terps 253 to -12

The Sun’s Jeff Barker says Terps still control destiny in ACC

The Sun’s Rick Maese says 8 Bowl officials on hand to see Terps lose

The Sun’s Jeff Barker wonders if Portis experiment over

The Sun’s Jeff Barker says Scott had ‘nowhere to run’
D
The Examiner’s Steve DeClue says Cosh ‘failing to take away other team’s strength’

The Diamondback’s Eric Detweiler says Warren’s hit on DHB permanently shifted momentum back to Tech

The Diamondback’s Greg Schimmel says Terps ‘never really had a chance’

The Diamondback’s Eric Detweiler and Greg Schimmel say Terps fall to 3-6 on Thursday nights under Ralph

Washington Post’s Eric Prisbell says ACC race further ‘muddled’ after Maryland loss

Washington Post’s Steve Yanda says defense failed to stop run despite focus in practice

Washington Post’s Zach Berman says Glennon ‘gutsy’ in playing hurt

Washington Post’s Matthew Rennie says Ralph ‘berated’ Cosh before half

Washington Post’s Steve Yanda says Terps tied for 1st with FSU, Wake now in Atlantic Division

Washington Times’ Patrick Stevens says Terps post worst rushing output in Ralph’s tenure

Washington Times’ Patrick Stevens says Turner ‘fortunate’ to only be sacked thrice

Washington Times’ Patrick Stevens says Carroll injured ankle, T. Smith injured achilles in loss

Richmond Times-Dispatch’s Darryl Slater says Glennon found Boone for TD pass to open scoring

ESPN.com’s Heather Dinich says Evans ‘proved doubters wrong’

ESPN.com’s Heather Dinich says Terps ‘not looking like ACC Champ’

ESPN.com’s Heather Dinich says ‘deja vu’ for Glennon in earning job back

TERRAPINS BASKETBALL:

The Examiner’s Dylan Waugh says Gist blogging about pro experience

Frederick News-Post’s Greg Swatek says Vasquez knows he must stay ‘calm’

SI’s Luke Winn says Old Spice Classic best early season Tournament

CBS Sports’ Gary Parrish has Terps 8th in ACC

TERRAPINS WOMEN’S BASKETBALL:

The Sun’s Matt Bracken says Townsend wanted ‘family’ atmosphere in College Park

The Examiner says Toliver collecting preseason accolades

NAVY FOOTBALL:

The Official Site says Niumatalolo holding another luncheon next week

Annapolis Capital’s Bill Wagner says Bryant ‘likely’ to start vs. Irish

TOWSON FOOTBALL:

Delaware Official Site offers Hens-Tigers release (pdf)

TOWSON LACROSSE:

The Official Site says Tigers visit Loyola to start ’09 season

MORGAN FOOTBALL:

The Examiner’s Dave Carey says Bears again leading MEAC on ground

HOPKINS FOOTBALL:

The Official Site previews trip to Franklin & Marshall

The Official Site offers complete Franklin & Marshall release (pdf)

UMBC BASKETBALL:

The Official Site says 7 games will be on TV this season

COPPIN BASKETBALL:

The Official Site says McKee named mid-major All-American

MT. ST. MARY’S BASKETBALL:

The Official Site says Eers picked 22nd amongst Mid-Majors

The Official Site says Mitchell looking forward to Loyola contest

ORIOLES:

The Sun’s Jeff Zrebiec says Baez wants to start

The Sun’s Dean Jones Jr. says Bascom, Henson continue struggles in Hawaii

The Examiner’s Jay Trucker says trading for Greene would be ‘risky’

Carroll County Times’ Josh Land says Wieters, Tillman, Matusz, Arrieta, Reimold named top prospects by Baseball America

HORSE RACING:

The Sun’s Bill Ordine says slots could lead to improvements at Pimlico, Laurel

SWIMMING:

The Sun’s Kevin Van Valkenburg says Phelps, Bowman to partner at Meadowbrook

SOME QUICK THOUGHTS:

-Congratulations to “Unheralded Athlete of the Morning” Jenna Benke from Mercy.

-The highlights of last night’s game and Mikell Simpson’s performance vs. Virginia last season will be why Chris Cosh will likely be gone at the end of the season.

-Why shouldn’t Baez start? Who else do the Orioles have?

Talk to you Monday.

-G

Virginia Tech 27, Maryland 17

Night game, on the road, against Virginia Tech. I don’t want to make this pick, but I have to. Da’Rel Scott will help; but the idea of Tyrod Taylor playing doesn’t sit well with me. I’ve seen too much of Marcus Vick running all over Maryland’s defense to think they can stifle Taylor. If Glennon plays, Maryland has a chance.
Let’s see what everyone else has to say…

Best of Wednesday’s WNST Blogs:

Nestor Aparicio loves roadtrips to Cleveland

Drew Forrester clarifies 52 blog

Bob Haynie ‘nervous’ to find Ravens favored

Bryan Powell says two M&T games highlight Hopkins schedule

Casey Willett says A. Phillips back to practice squad, Wheelwright released

Alex Thomas picks Ravens 29-12

Drew Forrester all for Free The Birds reunion

Chris Pika says Ravens ‘team to watch’

Ed Frankovic says Caps play first division game tonight

RAVENS:

The Official Site’s Mike Duffy says Texans playing 5th home game in last 6

The Official Site’s Mike Duffy says new Ravens making major impact this season

The Official Site says Clayton would ‘love’ to throw ball in “Suggs package”

The Official Site says Harbaugh thinks Texans better now than they would have been Week 2

The Official Site says Kubiak has ‘utmost respect’ for Ravens’ defense

The Official Site gathers fans’ thoughts on Ravens

Texans Official Site’s Nick Schenck says LB Diles out for season with broken leg

Texans Official Site’s Michael A. Lutz says Rosenfels looking forward to chance to ‘silence critics’

Texans Official Site’s Nick Scurfield says Bentley, Adibi will fill in for Diles

Texans Official Site’s Brooke Bentley says Ravens impressed by Slaton

Texans Official Site says Harbaugh thinks Flacco better now than he would have been Week 2

Texans Official Site says Kubiak thinks Diles ‘was becoming great player’

The Sun’s Edward Lee says Rolle return would be ‘timely’ Sunday

The Sun’s Jamison Hensley says Ravens trying to win 3 straight on road for first time in seven years

The Sun cleans up after me

The Sun’s Edward Lee says McAlister misses practice again

The Sun’s Mike Preston says Scott thinks Slaton ‘dumb enough’ to try to run on Ravens

The Sun’s Mike Preston says Suggs throws Billick ‘under bus’

The Sun’s Mike Preston says McAlister in Canada for another opinion on knee

The Sun’s Edward Lee says Rolle, McGahee practiced

The Sun’s Edward Lee says Ravens move Bouman, Stone to active roster

The AP’s Bill Kaczor says former Raven Boulware trailing by 440 votes before recount

The Examiner’s Ron Snyder says Rolle amongst Ravens ‘passionate’ about Obama election

Aaron Wilson says Harbaugh believes Rolle’s return makes Ravens ‘better’

Aaron Wilson says Landry could be headed to IR

Frederick News-Post’s Stan Goldberg says Harbaugh thought Rolle ‘looked good’ in practice

Houston Chronicle’s John McClain says Diles one of Texans’ ‘best defensive players’

ESPN.com Page 2′s David Fleming says Ravens amongst teams doing ‘twice as much with half the talent’

ESPN.com’s James Walker says Ravens ‘can definitely use’ Rolle for second half

ESPN.com’s James Walker says Suggs, Flacco amongst best in AFC North

Fox Sports’ Alex Marvez thinks Steelers rematch might be ‘too much to handle’ for Flacco

Fox Sports’ Peter Schrager picks Texans 30-20

TERRAPINS FOOTBALL:

Virginia Tech Official Site says Hokies hoping for sportsmanship from fans tonight

The Sun’s David Steele says Terps have ‘golden chance’ to get first win over Hokies in ACC

The Sun’s Jeff Barker says Egekeze ‘back in groove’ after terrible start

The Sun’s Jeff Barker says Scott ‘wants’ to play tonight

The Examiner’s Steve Declue picks Terps 23-17

The Diamondback’s Eric Detweiler says last trip to Blacksburg ‘infuriating’ for Griffin

The Diamondback’s Greg Schimmel says Terps might just need to be mediocre to win ACC title

Washington Post’s Eric Prisbell says Turner won’t be rattled in trip to Blacksburg

Washington Post’s Zach Berman says Hokies won’t decide starting QB until warmups

Washington Post’s Zach Berman says Hokies haven’t been able to get offense going no matter who plays QB

Washington Post’s Matthew Rennie says Hokies’ staff has Maryland background

Washington Post’s Matthew Rennie says ACC teams just 15-14 at home in conference games this season

Washington Post’s Eric Prisbell picks Terps 17-14

Washington Post’s Eric Prisbell says Ralph doesn’t think Thursday night as big a deal as it used to be

Washington Times’ Patrick Stevens says Terps continue to struggle with outside speed

Washington Times’ Patrick Stevens picks Hokies 24-17

Washington Times’ Patrick Stevens breaks down season statistics for Terps, Hokies

DC Examiner’s Rick Snider says Lane Stadium amongst ‘toughest venues’ in ACC

Richmond Times-Dispatch’s Darryl Slater says seniors trying to take leadership for Hokies

ESPN.com’s Heather Dinich picks Terps 21-17

ESPN.com’s Heather Dinich says Ralph thinks Holt mix between Taylor, Glennon

ESPN.com’s Heather Dinich says Ralph ‘expects’ Scott to play

ESPN.com’s Heather Dinich says Friedgen, Beamer bring familiarity to tonight’s game

ESPN.com’s Heather Dinich says Cosh thinks turnovers ‘key’ to tonight’s game for Maryland

SI’s Stewart Mandel has Terps 22nd in power rankings

3 of 5 CBS Sports experts pick Virginia Tech

Terrapin Times’ Keith Cavanaugh says Terps using Va Tech failures of past for ‘motivation’ (must subscribe)

Terrapin Times’ Mike Ashley says tonight another chapter in Friedgen-Beamer story (must subscribe)

Terrapin Times’ Claire Knudsen says Downs could be next long snapper from Derry (must subscribe)

TERRAPINS BASKETBALL:

Washington Post’s Josh Barr says former Terp Gilchrist can play at South Florida in December

Terrapin Times’ Dan Painter says Terps looking at ’10 swingman from NJ (must subscribe)

TERRAPINS WOMEN’S BASKETBALL:

The Official Site says Toliver AP All-American

NAVY FOOTBALL:

Annapolis Capital’s Bill Wagner says Mids playing 13 regular season games next season for first time in school history

NAVY BASKETBALL:

The Official Site says Lange thinks Mids looking for ‘consistency’

MORGAN FOOTBALL:

The Official Site previews Saturday’s trip to Norfolk

LOYOLA BASKETBALL:

The Official Site previews Friday’s exhibition opener vs. Catholic

MT. ST. MARY’S BASKETBALL:

The Official Site says Eers favorite to win NEC

ORIOLES:

The Sun’s Peter Schmuck says taxes part of reason Palmeiro originally left Baltimore

The Examiner’s Tony Giro makes Birds butt of joke in weekly quiz

BLAST:

The Examiner’s Sean Welsh says two leagues ‘unlikely to merge’

HORSE RACING:The Sun’s Bill Ordine says slots passage gives ‘hope’ to racing industry

Washington Post’s John Scheinman says racing industry revitalized by slots package

Daily Racing Form’s Matt Hegarty says Pimlico ‘not a candidate’ for slots in Baltimore

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL:

The Sun’s Rich Scherr says City-Poly will be even more important this season

SOME QUICK THOUGHTS:

-Congratulations to Athlete of the Morning Zach Sullivan from Spalding; who won the individual race at the A conference Champsionship yesterday. We all know Joe Glos from Perry Hall deserved to win however.

-Rob Ryan will in the end be the reason the Ravens don’t pursue DeAngelo Hall. He will tell Rex that the headache isn’t worth it.

Talk to you tomorrow.

-G

FROM THE MAILBAG:

nestor:

by the way, made the trip to cleveland last weekend. found the town and 99% of the people to be great. unfortunately there was one dude about 7 rows behind my 2 sons and i that seemed to have a problem with us wearing the purple.

there were some pretty hairy moments, particularly after they scored 10 unanswered to take the lead. i thought i might be watching most of the 2nd half from the lock-up.

needless to say, it suddenly got real quiet in the 4th quarter.

we had a blast.

signed,

brad

Hey Brad:

Well done…send along a pic from the roadie and I’ll post it from now on…

My videos are on wnstv…check ‘em out…
I go every year and I almost have a routine at this point.

I love the RTA…

I love the flight…

I love Paninis…I always order the turkey and the cole slaw and fries are the bomb!
I love paying $20 to a scalper for a ticket…

I have great memories of Cleveland…from the 1995 World Series, the 1996 playoffs, Oilers trips back in the 1980′s, Indians games at the old ballpark, nights with Ohio’s finest in the Flats, buddies at Baldwin-Wallace college who I met on a spring break trip…

I’ve seen Springsteen, The Who, Phil Collins, Def Leppard, The Alarm, The Smithereens…tons of bands and trips to Cleveland on Southwest Airlines for $19.

I’ve had many, many, man fun nights in Cleveland. Probably as many in Cleveland as any other place besides Baltimore on earth…
I get to catch up with Phil Savage…

I love the trip…wouldn’t miss it!

BUT…I REALLY love the trip when we kick their asses and I get to watch their fans mercilessly boo the home team…
I honestly don’t recall ever going to Cleveland and NOT hearing their fans boo the team.

It’s as much of a tradition as them playing “Hang on Sloopy”…

They made Tim Couch cry…

Honestly, I didn’t hear them boo them until Terrell Suggs picked off the ball, and for the 50,000 who were left many just grabbed their stuff and rolled.
They didn’t even have the ENERGY to boo them.

It really is a lot of fun going to the games every week and the reason I shoot the videos is to show you what it’s like to be a schmuck from Baltimore in the seats every week.

It’s one of my favorite parts of life: going to Ravens games on the road.
I don’t do “roadtrips” to Cleveland anymore because people really don’t want to go.

If you wear purple, it generally sucks. It’s just not any fun getting crap thrown at you and having your wife get called a whore for three hours. So, we wear black and just have “quiet” fun.

The fans sitting next to us didn’t know we were Ravens fans until the third quarter. We kinda snuck up on ‘em. It was a LOT of fun! Extremely memorable! With Obama buzzing around, Springsteen playing music that you could literally hear from our seats, it was pretty cool. And the comeback got me outta my seat high-fiving my wife and screaming like a banshee with a spear…

(Hey I was with Billick tonight at MaGerks…had to slip that one in there…It was a great time and an awesome crowd! Vids are coming soon!)

I can’t wait for Houston…

The deal isn’t signed, but it might as well be.

Ray Lewis isn’t going anywhere when the 2008 season comes to a close.

Since starting the season WITHOUT a contract for 2009 and beyond, there has been speculation in Baltimore that #52 might be on his way out…as the team defers to a younger (and cheaper) linebacking corps headed by Terrell Suggs and Bart Scott.

It’s not gonna happen that way.

Ray’s staying.  And he’ll eventually wind up inking a 5-year deal that will help the team fork over a mammoth signing bonus and yet not strap the team salary-cap wise through 2013.

As for Suggs and Scott…who knows, they MIGHT stay too.

But if there’s a pecking order – and make no mistake about it, there IS – you can rest assured that Ray is at the front.

A Ravens official confirmed all of this with me earlier this week by saying, “Ray’s going to be in Baltimore next year and for a while after that…it’s been discussed and reviewed and nothing has changed in our mind. Ray is going to be here and he’s going to finish his career in purple.  We know the numbers, financially, and we’re going to make them work.”

Makes sense to me.

He’s been so good for so long they should just permanently re-name the team the “Ray-vens”.

And this year, in particular, he’s ramped up his game and geared down his talk.  Gone are the days when Ray would throw out cryptic hints about money, his future and the possibilities of having to do business elsewhere.

I guess the promise of a $16 million dollar signing bonus can make a man see things a bit more clearly, huh?  

As one Ravens’ staffer said, succinctly: “Ray’s value to us is much higher than it would be with any other team in the league.”  Agreed.  He’s been to this franchise what Johnny Unitas was to the old Colts franchise. 

None of this should come as much of a surprise.  Owner Steve Bisciotti has talked openly – in interviews with Baltimore newspaper and radio – of hoping to sign Ray to a long-term deal that would keep #52 in purple and reward him for the decade-plus work he’s done in Baltimore.  

Ray deserves every penny of whatever he gets at the end of this season.

He’s the best player in the history of the franchise and arguably the best player in the league since 1996.

As for Terrell Suggs and Bart Scott, it’s a shame their paydays might be diminished by Ray’s deal, but that’s the price you pay when you’re working in concert with a Hall of Famer.  In the end, though, both of those players will make a nice salary in 2009 and beyond in large part BECAUSE of #52, not in spite of him.

“Ray’s not going anywhere…” was another comment offered to me.  ”We want him to finish his career in Baltimore and Ray wants to finish here too.  And we think Ray still has a lot of good football left – and so does he.  Ray’s going to retire a Raven, plain and simple.”

The status of the NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement and the potential for an uncapped season in 2011 makes it even more difficult for teams to enter into long term contracts with players right now…but the Ravens want Ray Lewis and Ray, well – Ray wants to get paid…in Baltimore.  Barring a change in heart by either party, you can keep those #52 jerseys clean and break ‘em out every September for the next few years.

I’m glad that issue has been put to rest.

Now, back to the playoff hunt.

Like Drew said; this was tougher to do because there were 12 worthy candidates. But here’s my Tuesday Top 7…..7-Ray Lewis

He’s on the list because of “The Speech”. He had a solid game, but apparently the rallying cry was legit.

6-Haloti Ngata

You’re just not getting anywhere near him. Forget it. He might well be the best interior lineman in the NFL.

5-Mark Clayton

If the Ravens can go downfield to Mark Clayton, this is an entirely different offense. But asking him to climb the ladder in double coverage is NOT a good idea.

4-Terrell Suggs

This team is better when the defense scores. Terrell Suggs has done that twice in the last 3 weeks.

3-Joe Flacco

If he plays like he did in the 2^nd half the rest of the season; he will beat out Matt Ryan for Rookie of the Year honors.

2-Ray Rice

Totally dynamic back. Just needs to make sure he holds on to the football.

1-Derrick Mason

The true “savior” of this offense. The catch on 3^rd and 16 was unbelievably big; and he just keeps giving Joe Flacco a sure target. Braylon Edwards might be more explosive; but Braylon Edwards dropped the most important ball thrown to him all day. Derrick Mason didn’t.

Let’s see what everyone else has to say……

Best of Monday’s WNST Blogs:

Drew Forrester

thinks Rice top Raven Sunday

Drew Forrester still ‘puzzled’ by Ravens

Nestor Aparicio struggled to root for Skins

Casey Willett says practices will be less physical this week to make up for loss of bye

RAVENS:The Official Site’s Mike Duffy

says Harbaugh ‘not worried’ about losing this week’s scheduled bye

The Official Site’s Scott Garceau says 3^rd & 16 conversion will be ‘defining moment’ of season

The Official Site says McGahee ‘will be ready’ vs. Texans

Texans Official Site’s Brooke Bentley says Rosenfels to start for injured Schaub

Texans Official Site says Kubiak ‘not sure’ if RB Green will be available vs. Ravens

The Sun’s Jamison Hensley says Ravens have decision to make at RB

The Sun’s Ken Murray says losing bye helped Harbaugh decide to give Ravens day off yesterday

The Sun’s Mike Preston says coaching staff getting ‘everything’ possible from Ravens

The Sun’s Mike Preston says Ravens can stick with both RB’s

The Sun’s Mike Preston says Flacco’s improvement not just about statistics

The Examiner’s Ron Snyder says Harbaugh just thinking about Texans

The Examiner’s Ron Snyder says McAlister out, Rolle should play Sunday

The Examiner’s Jay Trucker thinks 52 should do morning show

The Examiner’s Steve DeClue says Flacco ‘real deal’

Aaron Wilson says Rice has ‘expanded himself’ in Ravens’ offense

Aaron Wilson says Harbaugh not taking much from good record early on

The AP says Harbaugh not thinking playoffs…….or not admitting it anyway

Houston Chronicle’s John McClain says Ravens game will be 2^nd start of season for Rosenfels

ESPN.com’s James Walker thinks Ravens will go with ‘hot hand’ Rice

SI.com’s Ross Tucker says Rice one of many rookie backs with big days Sunday

Sporting News’ Mike Florio says Rice has ‘arrived’

CBS Sports’ Pete Prisco gives Ravens ‘A’ for win over Browns

Yahoo! Sports’ Michael Silver has Ravens 19^th in power rankings

TERRAPINS FOOTBALL:The Official Site

says Terps to face Heels at 3:30

Virginia Tech Official Site offers complete Hokies-Terps release (pdf)

The Sun’s Jeff Barker says Terps haven’t always known which QB would play

The Sun’s Jeff Barker says Carolina game will be on ABC locally; ESPN nationally

The Sun’s Jeff Barker says Ralph credits O-Line for running improvement

The Sun’s Jeff Barker says despite what Ralph says, Terps do care about rankings

The Sun’s Jeff Barker says Ralph ‘loyal’ to fault

The Sun’s Matt Bracken says Stinebaugh highlights weekend action for Maryland commits

The Diamondback’s Eric Detweiler says Egekeze has background at Augusta National

Washington Post’s Eric Prisbell says coaching staff will try to keep Terps ‘focused’ for night game Saturday

Washington Post’s Eric Prisbell says Ralph ‘hopeful’ Moten can play Thursday

Washington Post’s Eric Prisbell says some fans frustrated Terps haven’t competed for national championship

Washington Post’s Eric Prisbell says Terps wax political

Washington Post’s Matthew Rennie says Hokies concerned about QB depth Thursday

Washington Times’ Patrick Stevens says Beamer not saying much about QB’s

Washington Times’ Patrick Stevens says Terps making first 3:30 ABC appearance since last year’s Clemson loss

Washington Times’ Patrick Stevens says Hokies’ beat writer Slater thinks running attack would be hurt if Taylor can’t play

Richmond Times-Dispatch’s Darryl Slater says Hokies 33-5 at home since 2003

Richmond Times-Dispatch’s Darryl Slater says Times’ Stevens thinks Terps will play ‘decent’ in Blacksburg

ESPN.com has Terps 24^th in power rankings

ESPN.com’s Heather Dinich says Virginia Tech QB’s remain ‘questionable’

TERRAPINS BASKETBALL:The Official Site

says Gary ‘very happy’ to have Kim ready to playThe Sun’s Don Markus

says Kim now eligible

The Examiner’s Dylan Waugh says Kim will create matchup problems

The Diamondback’s Mark Selig says Gary thinks Kim one of ‘best shooters’ on team

Washington Post says online courses were problem for Kim

Washington Times’ Patrick Stevens says third time charm for Kim

Terrapin Times’ Keith Cavanaugh offers breaking Jin Soo Kim news (must subscribe)Terrapin Times’ Dan Painter

says Terps looking at sophomore prospect Gibbs (must subscribe)NAVY FOOTBALL:

The Official Site

previews Navy-Notre Dame

The Official Site offers complete Navy-Notre Dame release (pdf)Annapolis Capital’s Bill Wagner

says Niumatalolo successfully replacing Johnson

TOWSON FOOTBALL:The Official Site

previews Towson-Delaware

MORGAN FOOTBALL:The Examiner’s Dave Carey

says Bears aware they have chance to accomplish something they never have

SALISBURY FOOTBALL:The Official Site

says Gulls drop to 17^th in poll

UMBC BASKETBALL:The Official Site

says new mascot named “Gritty”HOPKINS LACROSSE:

The Official Site

says Jays will play 8 Tournament teams this season

Inside Lacrosse’s Jon Brand says Rabil wins Laxie for Player of the Year

The Examiner’s Sean Welsh says Jays open season vs. Siena

Washington Times’ Patrick Stevens says Jays playing all ACC teams except Duke

ORIOLES:The Official Site’s Spencer Fordin

says Birds WILL pursue Teixeira

The Official Site’s Spencer Fordin says Birds outright Castillo to Norfolk

The Sun’s Dean Jones Jr. says Wieters cooling off, Reimold heating up in Arizona

The Sun’s Peter Schmuck says ‘little indication’ Angelos would give Teixeira $20 million per year

BLAST:The Official Site

says Massachusetts replaces Orlando in new league

BOXING:ESPN.com’s Dan Rafael

says Rahman will face W. Klitschko

FightNews.com says Rahman replaces Povetkin in fight

The AP says Rahman-Klitschko fight will be for IBF title

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL:Ravens Official Site

says Queen Anne’s County’s Graef Coach of the Week

SOME QUICK THOUGHTS:-When the Eagles visit Baltimore November 23; don’t forget to shout “Joe” instead of “O” during the national anthem.

-Kudos to everyone who sent us Flacco-isms this morning. Congratulations to Mark from Parkville for his choice “When Joe Flacco met Joe Greene; Joe Flacco threw Joe Greene HIS jersey.” Funny stuff.

-Jin Soo Kim might be a decent basketball player; but if he’s 6’8” and can’t play inside I am concerned as to how he will help this particular team.

-One of two things will happen in December when Hasim Rahman faces Wladimir Klitschko. Either Rock will stun the world; or he won’t fight in the spotlight ever again. I hope.

Talk to you tomorrow.

-G

So while we continue to bask in the glow of a huge road win, let’s blow out the candle and sit in the dark.

Just for a few minutes.

I promised you Part 2 of “Ravens beat Browns” and here it is.

Consider it the balancing act that’s necessary when someone (ahem, that would be…me) puts the team in the playoffs 8-games into a 16-game season.

I’m thrilled to death with 5-3 and equally ecstatic with how the Ravens have done it (code word for: we’ve won a few games with OFFENSE), yet I continue to see things that leave me puzzled.  And with our playoff hopes alive and well, I’m hoping none of these fears are realized late in the season when one loss, one series or one play could leave us home in January.

Here comes the balancing act.

Enough with the Troy Smith experiment already.  I’m not sure why it is that we have to get him in there on a handful of plays each game.  Is this the CYO Summer League, where all the kids have to play at least 7 minutes or 5 innings?  If Cam Cameron thinks Troy Smith is the better QB for the Ravens, he should just play him.  If Flacco is the QB, he should be the QB.  No more shuffling Smith in there to either appease him or Terrell Suggs. No more pissed-away time-outs.  No more confusion.  Stop the Smith-Shuttle-Bus already.  

Is Willis McGahee IN or OUT?  Financially, I know, he’s IN.  In a big way.  They can’t cut him next spring. He’d be an $8mm salary cap hit.  If he’s NOT healthy enough to play right now, make him inactive and give his spot to a kick-off/long field specialist.  If McClain and Rice are going to carry the load, that’s fine.  But McGahee sitting on the sidelines is a waste. If he’s hurt, fair enough.  Just don’t put him on the sidelines to watch.

Are we philosophically against challenging calls?  Why not throw the red flag yesterday when Jason Wright scampered (supposedly) into the end zone?  I know, I know…when you’re on the road, the replays don’t come as fast and furious as they would if you were the home team.  That’s all the more reason to pay attention to the FIRST replay that is shown.  I’m not 100% sure that Wright touchdown would have been overturned, but it was awfully, awfully close.  The TV crew thought he stepped out before the end zone.  So did I.  

Last but not least, I hope the team doesn’t listen to sports radio goofs who have already situated them into the AFC post-season.  Stay focused, move ahead to the next week and take care of business.

Some are already calling this game in Houston a “trap game”.  That’s a gambling term with which I’m not familiar.  OK, maybe I’m “somewhat familiar” with that term, but I’m not buying it.

Ravens 30-Houston 20.

The playoff train rolls on.

What an emotional win.On the road, in the division, against an improving team who had EVERYTHING to play for.

AND they had to rally from down 14 in the second half.

What an absolutely remarkable win.

If the Joe Flacco that played in the 2^nd half shows up for the rest of the season; this COULD be a playoff team.

Absolutely remarkable win. Nothing else I can say.

Let’s see what everyone else has to say…….

Best of Sunday’s WNST Blogs:

Nestor Aparicio

says Ravens create first ‘miracle’ of Harbaugh era

Drew Forrester says Ravens will make playoffs

Drew Forrester says Ravens officially have quarterback

Casey Willett says Flacco hasn’t thrown INT in 3 games

Casey Willett says offense had answer for everything in win

Thyrl Nelson wonders if Stover’s time in Baltimore should be over

Alex Thomas grateful Crennel tried to run

Ed Frankovic still has Ravens concerns

Glenn Clark says Navy got ‘lucky’

RAVENS:The Official Site’s Mike Duffy

says Ravens score 24 unanswered in 2^nd half to beat Browns

The Official Site says Harbaugh not surprised by performances of Flacco, Rice

The Official Site’s Denver Parler says Ravens again shut down run

The Official Site’s Mike Duffy says Mason goes over 100 yards for 17^th time in career

Browns Official Site’s Zac Jackson says Suggs’ INT return provided ‘dagger’ for Ravens

The Sun’s Jamison Hensley says Ravens overcame 14 point deficit in 2^nd half to beat Browns

The Sun’s David Steele says Ravens lifted by pep talk from 52

The Sun’s Mike Preston says Ravens get major production from young players in Flacco, Rice

The Sun’s Ken Murray says Ravens get production from backup DB’s

The Sun’s Mike Preston gives highest praise to Running Backs, D-Line

The Sun’s Ken Murray says after Cribbs burned Ravens for TD; Ayanbadejo responded with big tackles

The Sun’s Ray Frager says Gannon stumbled during broadcast

The Sun’s Peter Schmuck says if Ravens lose to Texans; Giants game could be ‘make or break’

The Examiner’s Gary Lambrecht thinks Rice should be elevated to top RB

The Examiner’s Ron Snyder gives highest praise to RB’s, D-Line, LB’s

The AP says former Brown Stover adds 3 FG’s in win

Aaron Wilson says 52 told Ravens they’d win game

Aaron Wilson says 52 took stopping Jamal ‘personally’

Aaron Wilson says victory gives Ravens day off today

Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Tony Grossi says Ravens dedicated win to Modell

Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Terry Pluto says Anderson ‘lost poise’, not Flacco

Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Dennis Manoloff says key drop from Edwards could have changed things for Browns

Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Terry Pluto can’t figure out how Browns wouldn’t have enough ‘energy’

Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Tony Grossi says Ravens had ‘edge’ in offense, defense, coachingCleveland Plain Dealer’s Dennis Manoloff

says Rice put ‘starch’ in Ravens’ rushing attack

Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Bud Shaw thinks after loss Browns should switch to Quinn

Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Mary Kay Cabot says Browns ‘frustrated’ by loss

Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Mary Kay Cabot says teammates won’t blame loss on Edwards’ drop

Akron Beacon Journal’s Marla Ridenour says 20 yard completion to Mason on 3^rd and 16 huge for Ravens in rally

Canton Repository’s Steve Doerschuk says McClain, Mason had TD’s for Ravens in rally

ESPN.com’s James Walker says Ravens ‘demand respect’

ESPN.com’s James Walker says Ravens ‘wanted’ win more

ESPN.com’s James Walker says Flacco found Clayton for 47 yard TD pass in first half

ESPN.com’s James Walker says Stallworth, McAlister missed game

SI’s Don Banks thinks Suggs INT will cost Anderson starting job

SI’s Peter King says Ravens one of many NFL teams playing for now and future

CBS Sports’ Clark Judge says Ravens should be taken ‘seriously’

Yahoo! Sports’ Michael Silver says Flacco looks like ‘semi-seasoned pro’

TERRAPINS FOOTBALL:The Official Site

previews Thursday tussle with Virginia Tech

The Official Site offers complete Maryland-Virginia Tech release (pdf)The Sun

says Terps move into BCS rankings

The Sun’s Ron Fritz says Ralph takes chopper to high school game

The Sun’s Matt Bracken says Hawkins committed to Maryland to stay near family

The Sun’s Jeff Barker says having Portis throw would keep defenses ‘honest’

The Examiner’s Sean Welsh says Terps move to 23^rd in AP poll

The Diamondback’s Greg Schimmel says Terps now alone in first place

Washington Post’s Eric Prisbell says Meggett ‘unflappable’

Washington Post’s Matthew Rennie says Glennon, Taylor both returned to practice for Hokies

Washington Post’s Eric Prisbell says availability of Scott, Philistin might not be known until kickoff

Washington Post’s Eric Prisbell says Terps 21^st in coaches’ poll

Washington Post’s Eric Prisbell says Terps can clinch division by winning next 3 games

Washington Post’s Zach Berman says Holt might be responsible for keeping Hokies in title race

Washington Times’ Patrick Stevens says Terps mostly support Obama

Washington Times’ Patrick Stevens says 14 voters didn’t put Terps in Top 25

Washington Times’ Patrick Stevens says Terps one of 4 ACC teams in BCS Top 25

ESPN.com’s Mark Schlabach thinks Terps headed to Jacksonville; Bruce Feldman thinks Terps Boise-bound

ESPN.com’s Heather Dinich says Terps must beat Florida State to move ahead of them in power rankingsESPN.com’s Heather Dinich

says Terps can be considered ‘frontrunner’ since they don’t have division loss yet

Terrapin Times’ Mark Clem says Turner ‘rising to top’ (must subscribe)Terrapin Times’ Keith Cavanaugh

says VA DE prospect Hill discusses visit (must subscribe)TERRAPINS WOMEN’S BASKETBALL:

The Official Site

says Terps win first exhibition game

The Diamondback’s Aaron Kraut says Coleman leads Terps with 18

Washington Post’s Camille Powell says Kizer had 13 points, 12 boards in win

Washington Times’ Patrick Stevens says Terps open season ranked 3^rd in AP poll

NAVY FOOTBALL:The Official Site

says clinching bowl berth part of big weekend in Annapolis

The Sun’s Don Markus says Mids now have week off before preparing for Notre Dame in Baltimore

The Examiner’s Steve DeClue happy to see Mids play bowl game locally

Annapolis Capital’s Bill Wagner says Niumatalolo becomes first coach to get Navy to bowl in first season

Washington Times’ Patrick Stevens says Navy hopes to bring 30,000 to EagleBank Bowl

Washington Times’ Patrick Stevens says BC or Duke would be Navy’s Bowl opponent as of now

Go Mids’ Matt Zemek says ‘Christmas came early’ for Mids Saturday

ORIOLES:MLB.com

says Wieters “Best Hitter” in minor leagues

The Sun’s Jeff Zrebiec says hot stove starts for MacPhail at this week’s GM meetings

The Examiner’s Jay Trucker says Cintron might not be missed

BLAST:The Official Site

announces ESPN Zone event

SOME QUICK THOUGHTS:-If you haven’t checked it out yet; please go to FlaccoFacts.com. Brilliant!

-I disagree with Drew. I think Troy Smith can help this offense. But the offense has to be on the same page when he gets into the game. It might be his fault, it might be the O-Line’s fault. But they have to get together in those situations.

-Congratulations to Comcast Morning Show Athlete of the Morning Kelly Ward; who had the game winner for Mercy as they beat IND 2-1 yesterday for the C conference title. We love the Mercy Magic!

Talk to you tomorrow.

-G