View topic - Snippet from Baltimore Sun

[punum123 Profile]

Sounds like the Ravens aren't really worried about the Stillers should they meet again....

"But here's the X-factor for the Ravens: There is no Manning or Tom Brady or even Brett Favre left who can take advantage of their (baltimore's) suspect secondary.

Tennessee's Kerry Collins? He's a veteran and a proven commodity, but he doesn't put the fear of Dan Marino in anyone.

San Diego's Philip Rivers? Gimme a break. Tough guy. Strong personality. But one game he might throw four touchdown passes, and the next day he might throw four interceptions. He's the poster child for better-than-average quarterbacks in the NFL.

Pittsburgh's Ben Roethlisberger? The dude is a head case. He likes drama. If he doesn't have an injury, he will invent one. The kid is scary, though. He makes big plays in crunch time.

But with the Patriots and Colts, the odds were high that the Ravens couldn't beat them. The Ravens, though, know they can beat Pittsburgh and Tennessee.

Will they?

That's the $1 million question. But at least it's not the same situation with the Ravens and Miami. There was no way the Dolphins were going to beat the Ravens on Sunday. The Ravens had physically abused them earlier in the season, and you can't heal those psychological scars in a few months. The Ravens are tough, and Miami was soft.

But the final two games in the AFC playoffs will be brawls, and the Ravens thrive in those games. The Ravens will have to travel for both to get to the Super Bowl, but they've won big games on the road this season.

They have absolutely no fear of either Pittsburgh or Tennessee, and Ravens safety Ed Reed laid the gauntlet down Sunday when he said: "Tennessee, here we come. Here come the Ravens. The team you don't want to see."

There wasn't any swagger or arrogance, but confidence. The Ravens are feeling it right now.

The Ravens have had some things go wrong. They will be playing their 17th game without a week off Saturday, and they are on a short week for preparation. That might play head games with some teams, but the Ravens thrive on situations like these. Nothing disturbs them. They just keep grinding away.

The defense was overwhelming against Miami, and Ed Reed was Ed Reed. Big plays are expected whenever he is in the vicinity of the ball. The running game was strong Sunday, and the only downside was that the passing game didn't leave you feeling warm and fuzzy about the Ravens' victory.

But that's the style the Ravens play sometimes. And San Diego, Pittsburgh and Tennessee often play the same way. With the quarterback situation, Flacco isn't that far behind Rivers, Collins or even Roethlisberger.

Everything is close to being equal. There is no Brady, no Genius and no Patriots. And after this weekend with the departure of Manning and the Colts, the Ravens' chances of winning the conference championship increased significantly."

[jstallworth82 Profile]

Actually a good and accurate article. Well written, not cocky but confident and the writer is correct nothing really bothers Baltimore but will they? I like that part no predictions positive or negative. No crap talking

[dracula in cleats Profile]

I do not think the Titans are worried about seeing the Ravens...the Titans are pretty confident right now (unfortunately the Steeler helped them out a little there)! There is going to be some hard hitting out in ole Tennessee Saturday!

I sometimes feel the same way about Roethlesberger sometimes...I tell the teachers I work with that I would probably not like him if he played for someone else...but he is high on the list on the only QB's I would want behind center for the Steelers right now...

[ILLSTILL Profile]

Never has an article annoyed me so much.

And, ironically it's not steelers related.

San Diego's Philip Rivers? Gimme a break. Tough guy. Strong personality. But one game he might throw four touchdown passes, and the next day he might throw four interceptions.

This is the most idiotic thing I've ever heard.

Do you guys know how many times Rivers has thrown even 3 ints in a game?

Go ahead, guess...

0 (zero)

BTW, fellow stiller fans, while I was looking up this stat (Which I was almost positive of), I noticed he had his second worst game in 2 years against Pitt. Lets hope for another one like that, eh?

[SteelBeach Profile]

Perhaps we forgot to note the Titans schedule this year...

[WoodsonOfSteel Profile]

Don't forget that Jerome Bettis is from Detroit.

Nice post there, ILLSTILL.