If the panic button wasn’t already pushed in Baltimore it’s due to the fact that the horrible anxiety has morphed into acceptance. A bittersweet agreeable outcome that the entire fan base has come together about. After a crushing defeat at the hands of the lowly Browns, the fat lady has all but sang her final tune for this Ravens team, just five weeks into this “50th Super Bowl” season.
Blame will be thrown about over the next week or so as the coaching staff, players and fans alike try to make sense of this debacle. Whether it was the numerous undisciplined decisions, the several injuries to key players or the lack of super star talent throughout the roster, this just isn’t the year of the Raven.
Though strange things do happen in professional sports, a “Maryland Miracle” shouldn’t be expected. With next to no targets for Joe Flacco, the offense seems to be defeated before they reach the line of scrimmage. An unfair situation has arisen from this major gap in the depth chart, once again the offensive coordinator will be on the chopping block for the downfall of the offense when in turn it should be Ozzie Newsome. Also, John Harbaugh has led this team to the playoffs in almost every year of his active duty as head coach, a feat very rarely achieved. To throw any shade towards him is ludicrous and outrageous. A player or coach can only work with what they are given, the personnel has to get better, and quick.
Seeing a few teams beginning to crumble means most of the bottom feeders will be looking to shake things up. Baltimore being one of those teams. Now would be the perfect time to offload contracts such as Pitta, Webb, Monroe, Canty, Dumervil and even Forsett. All whom have been injury prone or flashes in the pan. While they may not be the most prolific of stars they create space on the roster for future draft picks and maybe even some unwanted talent wasting away on another teams bench.
Chicago, Miami , New Orleans, and even San Francisco are all teams that could possibly make some waves in the next few weeks as the trade deadline approaches. For the Ravens team to not try to land a marquee name for Flacco to grow and excel with the next several years, they will just be planning for their ever accelerating descent to the basement of the NFL.
History doesn’t side well with the Ravens in their particular situation. Only nine teams have ever made the playoffs after starting a season 1-4. None have won a Lombardi trophy and few have even made it past the wildcard round. The rest of their schedule is far from child’s play as well. With dates against the defensive studded Seahawks, the Suprisingly high powered offence in Arizona and the final divisional games still remaining, the journey only treads more weary as the weeks pass.
The season is far from over, like previously noted, strange things DO happen. Just difficult to envision that something like that takes place in this scenario. Time will tell if the front office staff, most importantly Ozzie Newsome, figure out what the true problem is in Charm City, ultimately solving it by the end of the regular season.
