Wednesday, September 3, 2008

32 Teams in 30-Some Days - Baltimore Ravens

The Baltimore Ravens




"But the raven, sitting lonely on the placid bust, spoke only,
That one word, as if his soul in that one word he did outpour.
Nothing further then he uttered - not a feather then he fluttered -
Till I scarcely more than muttered `Other friends have flown before -
On the morrow he will leave me, as my hopes have flown before.'
Then the bird said, `Nevermore.'"

- The Raven
, Edgar Allen Poe


Yeah, that was a gimme. I apologize - but what else what I suppose to do for Baltimore? Sheesh.

This season is going to be a struggle for the Ravens.

They are going to start rookie quarterback Joe Flacco. And as if starting a rookie QB wasn't bad enough, there are serious questions about the offensive line with the retirement of Jonathan Ogden.

The running game should be strong with Willis McGahee and a rookie I really like, Ray Rice. However, defences are going to be keying on the run until the quarterbacks show they are capable of running an NFL offence.

Baltimore's once-formidable defence got old in a hurry and is past it's prime. Unless Ray Lewis starts murdering people again, they are not likely to much fear in their opponents.

And since I don't have any else of interest to say about the Ravens - and one might argue I never did - let's talk a little bit about last year's Super Bowl shall we? The NFL Network happened to be re-airing it last night and I was able to watch it. And I gotta tell you, there was as much joy in my heart last night as there was back in February.

If that wasn't enough, tonight, the NFL Network debuted the America's Game featuring the 2007 Giants - and I must say it was phenomenal. I've got a new respect for Tom Coughlin - it was great to see his evolution as a coach and the way he dealt with players and how they came to respect him.

And I think Eli Manning is my new best friend - he was great in telling the story of the season. Funny, self-deprecating, totally down to earth. It was a real breath of fresh air.

Michael Strahan was Michael Strahan - he was a showman and a storyteller. He showed why he's going to excel in his TV role.

The Verdict
The Ravens are going to be a disappointment. Actually, can you be a disappointment when nothing is expected of you?

And I'm going to watch America's Game again when it comes back on.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

TSN.ca is totally stealing your gimmick. They are doing 30 NHL Teams in 30 days.

Luke said...

I think I would be more upset about that if TSN could openly question a player's sexuality or insinuate someone was a murderer. I enjoy the freedom of having zero accountability.

Plus it's the NHL, nobody cares about hockey anyway.