..
Bigravensfan.net
"better
than a
halftime quickie"
.. |
Bigravensfan.net |
|
WEEK 7 IN REVIEW |
| Pre Game Analysis: |
WEEK 7: THE FACTS:
Week 7
Predictions:
(open dates: Detroit, Miami, Tampa Bay) |
Battle of the Beltway Ravens, Redskins fight for pride, standing When the schedule came out back in April,
this was the first game that I circled as one that I
would most like to win. There is some personal history
here. After the Colts moved away back in '84, the league
and local media saw fit to force the Redskins down the
throats of heartbroken Baltimore fans, as if an ugly,
obnoxious cousin could ever replace your beloved wife or
husband. Thus is the mentality of your average marketing
"hotshot". Those old wounds remain fresh as the
local Baltimore newspaper continues to report daily on
the Redskins, as if any true "Baltimore"
football fan actually gave a damn. Coupled with the
shameless offseason Redskins media blitz into our market
as carried out by the local TV stations, this game
carries some added weight. Throw pompous, attention-seeking
Redskins owner Danny Snyder into the mix and we have a
full-scale, all-out war on our hands. Little Danny's
"Just win the Super Bowl boys and nobody gets fired"
micro-managing approach, along with his gouging of his
team's faithful following to attend training camp
represents everything that I loathe in an owner and
conjures up memories of former Colts owner, Robert Irsay.
Setting aside my emotional attachment to this game, the
matchup provides the Ravens with their strongest opponent
to date. Another "test" for the team. The final
leg of a three-game road trip, a hostile environment and
a still-struggling offense are but a few of the obstacles
that the Ravens must overcome to walk away victorious. It
is all emotion for me this week and in the words of
another headline-seeking team owner: "JUST WIN BABY!"
|
| Post Game Analysis: |
One that got away Week 7
|
No delivery at FedEx Missed opportunities spell frustration, doom Maybe this
is what they meant by "the agony of defeat".
For 3 hours on Sunday, Ravens fans sat and watched
helplessly as our worshipped Men of Perpetual Agony let a
victory slip through their hands. Drive after promising
drive came to an abrupt end with failed 3rd down
conversion plays. Twice, Tony Banks had a receiver wide
open for an apparent cakewalk touchdown and on both
occasions overthrew the ball well out of bounds. The
kicker, (pardon the pun) however, occured with 10 seconds
left in the first half. After a pass interference call in
the endzone, the Ravens were given a 1st and goal at the
Redskins one yard line. Learning nothing from the
disastrous results in the Miami game a few weeks ago,
Baltimore chose not to pound their #1 draft pick Jamal
Lewis over the goal line but to attempt a pass over the
middle. Tony Banks threw into double-coverage in an
attempt to hit Shannon Sharpe and the ball was picked off
by Redskins' linebacker Kevin Mitchell. You could almost
hear the wind going out of the Ravens' sails. Another
"close but no cigar" for "TD-Less"
Tony and his gang. One could only imagine the true
feelings of the defensive players on this team. For what
seems like an eternity, the defense has more than held up
their end of the bargain, stealing the ball away time and
time again for their sputtering offense. Thus far, it has
been to no avail. Perhaps it will take a repeat of the
famous "you're playing like a bunch of bit**es"
sideline speech from Ray Lewis, this time directed at the
anemic offense, to get things into gear. Brian Billick,
for all of his rhetoric and offensive expertise, has yet
to force the offense into executing properly. My money is
on Ray. |
