Apocalypse in Baltimore?
I've got to take a moment to comment, briefly, on something that's been bugging me in the 24 hours since the Ravens loss to the Giants. This is an out-of-the-norm post for this blog.
Already today I've been greeted by numerous articles from local and national media outlets proclaiming "what do the Ravens do now?" and "what does this loss mean for the Ravens?"
It's as if the Ravens season has ended with their loss to the Giants. It's as if all chances of making the playoffs have been squashed out.
But guess what? The loss wasn't that surprising.
Even on Ravens-oriented sites, the Ravens were considered underdogs. ExtremeRavens has been experiencing server issues, so chat leading up to the game here was not possible.
But I can bet you that if it were, you wouldn't find anyone calling the game a cakewalk, a sure win, or anything else along those lines. In fact, for the first time all season, I even picked against the Ravens (that's another story).
Look at the national and local media for a moment. The Baltimore Sun's eight sports writers all picked the Giants. Every single analyst on ESPN (both on the Web site and on Sunday Countdown) picked the Giants. Bill Simmons picked the Ravens...with the spread. He did not pick them flat out.
I do not remember reading a single national voice that thought the Ravens would win on Sunday. Not one.
So why is this loss the end of the world?
It's something that bothers me every year, in every sport. The No. 25 ranked team plays the No. 4 ranked team in College Basketball and loses. And suddenly that No. 25 ranked team is out of the rankings. But isn't that what was expected?
Dear Baltimore Fans...Dear Football Writers...Dear Everyone...
The Ravens lost on Sunday. But somehow, they are still 6-4. They are still in the playoff hunt. In fact, the NFL believes so firmly that the Ravens still have a chance, they are going to let the Ravens play out the rest of the season. How merciful of them.
With every loss to a good opponent, the Ravens are learning. They are not a perfect team, but they are not an awful team either. Lucky for the Ravens, they have faced the two toughest teams in the league right now (the Giants and Titans), and they won't have to face either again, unless they the playoffs become a reality.
So rather than spending this week doing our best impersonations of Chicken Little, why don't we all settle back and actually discuss what this team can do and what they need to do as the season enters its final stretch?
The sky is not falling; the season is not over. This team lost a game it was supposed to lose. It may not have been pretty, but to spin the old cliche, pretty doesn't show up in the standings.
The players are going to get over it. The coaches are going to get over it. You didn't see this team carry that loss against Indianapolis around for very long, did you? So let's do our best to get over it ourselves, as fans and writers.
I'll start: Joe Flacco has pretty well learned how to avoid making mistakes. He is a legitimate threat when he has the ball, both with his arm and his legs. He's learned how to avoid sacks, make plays, and he is what brings our offense to life.
Now we need everyone else on the offense to learn the same. They don't have to make huge plays or become game-changers. But they do have to learn how to avoid mistakes themselves, especially against good opponents.
Your turn.
Copyright 2008 Bleacher Report, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Crosby says the last 1 just got away from him
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) - Just about everyone on the Green Bay sideline expected Mason Crosby to hit a bull's eye and give the Packers the win over the Minnesota Vikings yesterday.
Crosby was drilling them down the middle from 60 yards during warmups at the Metrodome.
The game was on the line for the Packers, the snap was good, the hold was fine - but the kick from Crosby was no good.
And the Packers went down to defeat 28-27 at the Metrodome. Crosby says maybe his alignment was off a bit. He says this one just got away from him.
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Florida vs Georgia College Football Predictions
Florida vs Georgia College Football Predictions: The Gators (6-1) are ranked #8 in the Polls after a big win last week over Kentucky 63-5. Tim Tebow threw two touchdown passes, ran for two scores and Florida used two blocked punts to jump-start a 63-5 rout of the injury-riddled Wildcats. HC Meyer loves running up the score and will do it in every game he can. He's so full of himself and his image. The sports odds posted by the oddsmakers currently list Florida -5.5 favorites Georgia heading into this matchup.
"It definitely means something," Tebow said. "It won't really set in now because I'm not going to think about. But later on down the road, you'll look back and you're with guys like Emmitt Smith and Fred Taylor and all the great running backs that have been here. To see yourself on a list with those guys is pretty cool."
The Bulldogs (7-1) ranked #6 in the Polls and they are coming off a win last week beating LSU 52-28 on the road. QB Matthew Stafford was 17/26 for 249 yards and 2 TD's. On the season he has 12 TD's and 4 INT's and a Comp. Pct. of 61.6. RB Knowshon Moreno had a great game rushing for 163 yards and 1 TD. Georgia's offense last week just needed only one series to make its mark. Stafford converted two third-down passes and Moreno made a third-and-1 during a 78-yard drive that ended with fullback Fred Muzenmaier's 1-yard plunge into the end zone. The online sports betting odds have the OVER/UNDER in this Florida vs Georgia game set at 56.5 points.
"Matthew is really maturing. He is standing in there when everything's flying around him and focusing downfield and throwing strikes," Richt said. "He's really doing that as fine as I've ever seen him do it and as well as anyone I've ever coached."
College Football Predictions: Last year these two teams met it and it was Georgia coming out with the win on the road, 42-30. After two big wins off their by week, the Gators can focus on the game they've been looking forward to for a year: Georgia, a hated rival that stomped its way to a victory last season that essentially knocked Florida out of the Southeastern Conference race. This is going to be a very good game, UGA and UF are both dominating on offense. UGA's defense has looked good at times, bad recently. Same can be said about UF, looked good recently and bad at the beginning of the year. Over is 8-2 in Gators last 10 conference games.
Copyright 2008 Sports Odds
NFL Betting Odds: Patriots Favored Despite Lack Of Offense
The New England Patriots came within one unbelievable pass from Eli Manning of completing the second perfect season in the history of the NFL. Logic dictated that they would once again be one of the best teams in the league this year.
Logic, however, did not account for a season ending injury to starting quarterback Tom Brady in the seasons first game. Logic also did not take into account the devastating effect that injury would have on the Patriots offense.
Even though the Patriots offense has been among the leagues worst this season, New England is still receiving respect from sports books based off of last seasons merits. That is why they are the gambling favorites tonight against Denver.
The Broncos have a better record than the Patriots, and they certainly have shown through the early part of the season that they can score in bunches, something New England has failed to do. Yet the Patriots are three point favorites tonight.
The fact that New England is playing at home has something to do with the point spread. The Pats are also coming off of a humiliating loss to the Chargers last week, so perhaps the odds makers feel they will be playing with extra focus this week.
That focus is not enough for us. The Broncos have shown the ability to be one of the top teams in the AFC this year, and although they are inconsistent, they will be ready for the Patriots tonight on the road.
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Hasselbeck out again, but not for Sunday's game
RENTON, Wash. -- Status quo for Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck. Still no practice. Still on for Sunday's game against Green Bay.
The only thing that changed for three-time Pro Bowl passer on Thursday from Wednesday was the color of the team cap he was wearing -- conspicuous, neon green instead of blue. He again stood and watched practice with a black wrap over his bruised right knee.
One day after coach Mike Holmgren said Hasselbeck "has to play" for the Seahawks (1-3) against the Packers (2-3), third-string quarterback Charlie Frye again ran the offense. No. 2 quarterback Seneca Wallace is out indefinitely with a calf injury.
Offensive coordinator Gil Haskell reiterated Hasselbeck will play even if he doesn't practice Friday, but Haskell would prefer Hasselbeck got one day of work in this week with a jumbled receiving corps.
Haskell was asked if Seattle's starter since 2002, who set most of the team's passing records for a season in 2007 but is the NFC's lowest-rated passer this season, is one guy who doesn't need to practice to play.
"No, you're never there as a quarterback, because it's the rhythm," Haskell said. "Especially now, with the new receivers."
Seattle had six wide receivers hurt through last month.
Koren Robinson had a second consecutive good day of practice and says his sore knee feels better than at any time since he signed last month. He may make his season debut against the Packers, for whom he played in 2006-07. Robinson was smiling Thursday over the birth over his 5-day-old baby girl.
Bobby Engram will play in his second game of the season with Keary Colbert and Billy McMullen also in prominent roles. The latter two signed last month.
"Every team knows that they're going to face adversity at some point and ours came just right at the beginning," Hasselbeck told reporters in Green Bay this week.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
Gross, Otah practice; Kalil doubtful for Panthers
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The Carolina Panthers could have two of their three injured offensive linemen back for Sunday's game at Tampa Bay.
Left tackle Jordan Gross and right tackle Jeff Otah practiced for a second straight day Friday, while center Ryan Kalil missed his third straight workout and is listed as doubtful to play against the Buccaneers.
Gross and Otah are listed as questionable, but participated fully in Friday's practice. Gross missed last Sunday's win over Kansas City after being knocked unconscious a week earlier against Atlanta when he was kneed in the head. Otah sat out the win over the Falcons with a sprained right ankle.
Kalil injured his right ankle against the Chiefs. Geoff Hangartner is expected to start in his place.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
Moss contributes as captain despite fewer catches
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Randy Moss and Matt Cassel huddled at their adjacent lockers, gesturing and talking about pass patterns.
They would have plenty of time to work together in practice. But the Patriots new passing combination -- the untested quarterback and the star wide receiver -- tried to smoothe out some rough spots even before they practiced for Sunday's game at San Francisco.
The chemistry that's developed between Moss and his teammates is one reason they elected him captain even though he made several missteps on his road to New England last season.
Moss? A leader?
Coach Bill Belichick said Wednesday that Moss has been very good in that role.
"I think his leadership last year was every bit as good as it is this year," Belichick said. "His recognition (by his teammates) as a captain speaks to that and gives him a little more support relative to the meetings that I have with the captains and the guys who have been selected as the leadership guys by the players."
Moss appears very popular with his teammates.
He jokes in the locker room, communicates well in the huddle and has been productive on the field while avoiding controversy off of it.
Before joining the Patriots, Moss made news as much for his foibles as his feats.
With Minnesota, he was criticized by quarterback Daunte Culpepper and others for leaving the field with 2 seconds left in a game. He bumped a traffic control officer with his car in 2002, verbally abused corporate sponsors on a team bus in 2001 and squirted an official with a water bottle in 1999.
Now that Tom Brady is sidelined for the season, might Moss sulk? All 23 of his touchdown catches last season, an NFL record, were thrown by Brady.
So far there have been no signs of that even though he has just 12 receptions after three games; he had 22 in that same stretch last year.
If Cassel believes in himself, "it will trickle on down to the whole offense," Moss said Wednesday. "We have seen Matt progress in these last couple of weeks quicker than we expected him to. We just have to put guys around him."
The Patriots' production is way off without Brady, from 114 points in the first three games last season when they went 16-0 to 49 this season in compiling a 2-1 record.
Last year, the Patriots were first in the NFL in yards gained and the 49ers were last. It's still very early, but this year the Patriots are ranked 28th and the 49ers are 12th.
It's up to Moss and the other captains to keep the team confident.
There's a reason for his success in that role.
"I think it is just believing in what coach is selling," Moss said. "When you have everybody on the same page I guess it's easier to lead a team. I think everybody is buying in what he is selling. I don't think it is just me being a leader, I think it's just everybody is on the same page.
"We really have to turn things around and go out with a great week of practice because this is going to be a long road trip. I think we are up for the challenge."
The Patriots leave Friday for the West Coast and will stay there the following week to prepare for the next game at San Diego with practices at San Jose State.
More time for Cassel and Moss to refine their teamwork. In their last game, a 38-13 loss to the Miami Dolphins, Moss caught just four passes for a total of 25 yards.
"You always want to get the ball to Randy," Cassel said before that game. "He's one of the best receivers in the NFL and we're going to work hard to do that."
Moss reads defenses very well and reports what he sees to the quarterback before the next play.
"He's really smart," Belichick said. "He really understands football."
So even if he's not catching as many passes this season, Moss contributes in another way -- as a captain.
"It means that the guys still believe in me, that I can lead on and off the field," he said, "if it is with my play, with my emotions or if it is verbally. That is a good thing. It definitely felt good to be appointed a captain of the New England Patriots."England Patriots.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
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