What makes a fan?

With the Ravens/Steelers AFC Championship game looming on the horizon, I've been spending more time than I should at the Baltimore Sun's Ravens message board. To say it's been infested with Steeler fans would be the understatement of the year.

Dozens of them signed up for their Sun forums account on Sunday night or Monday morning (depending on when their local library opens so they can use the 'puter), so now their accounts are being activated after the mandatory 3-day waiting period and they are coming out of the woodwork like termites from hell.

Anyhow, most of them are fair-tempered, talking honest X's and O's while having confidence in their team. But many of these Steeler fans are trolls. They come to opposing team's message boards to run their mouths, talk trash that is mostly made up of bad grammar, and insult the city of Baltimore in general, as if Pittsburgh somehow transformed into Malibu over the last 20 years.

But the fact remains. The Pittsburgh Steelers are perhaps the most successful NFL franchise since the NFL-AFL merger. They've got 5 Super Bowl rings, tied with the Dallas Cowboys for most by any franchise.

So it comes as no surprise that these 2 teams have fans stretched from the Atlantic to Pacific.

And to me, this is where it gets complicated.

What does it say about people who don't live in Pittsburgh or Dallas -- and even worse, fans of those teams who do live in cities with NFL teams -- and are fans of the Steelers and Cowboys?

It's simple. People like to win. Why root for the Cardinals or the Browns when you could just as easily adopt the Steelers or Cowboys as your team? OK, if people want to do it, fine by me. But live with the consequences.

And boy are there consequences.

The way I see it, there are different levels of fandom. I am sure many people will have problems with it, especially those who find themselves living in an NFL city and rooting for another team. Especially a winning team. But that's on them.

So here we go.

NATIVE FANS

These are people who are born and raised in a city with an NFL team and are fans of that team. To them it wasn't a choice. Like they didn't have a choice to be male or female, black or white, smart or stupid when they were born, they didn't have a choice in what team they would root for. These are the fans who should never catch grief for being a fan of the team they root for, good or bad. From New York Yankee fan to Detroit Lions fan, if you're from either city, you are A-OK in my book.

I also find it common that these are the nicest fans, the ones who can admit defeat when they lose and be humble when they win.

DISPLACED FANS

These are people who once lived in the city their team plays in and moved, whether it be by force or by choice. No one can blame a Steelers fan who grew up in Pittsburgh and was forced to move when the steel mills closed and the local economy went into the toilet. And no one can blame the fan who went to college somewhere outside their home town and never returned. It happens. It's called life.

These fans are usually just as respectable and courteous as the native fans, but with more edginess. They feel the need to represent their team more because they are surrounded by fans of another team. They go on the defensive faster than a native fan because they feel cornered.

But displaced fans are usually good natured. They hang a team flag from their porch to show their loyalty to their team. They display a license plate frame on their car. They wear their team's jersey on game day when they go to the supermarket before the game. At work they might laugh at you when their team beats yours, but promptly thereafter, they slap you on the back and say "honestly, it was a good game" and move on quickly, letting you deal with the loss alone.

FAN BY RELATION

This is where it gets tricky. When a fan says he roots for his team because "his family is from there", you never know whether to believe him. Either it's true, which is fine in teamless cities, or the fan knows he's full of shit and only roots for the Steelers or Yankees because they are perennial winners and doesn't want to get called out for it.

But, in places where there is no team, it is usually acceptable to use this reasoning for being a fan, after all you didn't choose your family, and they didn't choose their team. So by proxy, you're a fan of your family's team. No harm, no foul.

However, if you live in a city with a perfectly good franchise, you can expect your fair share of shit thrown your way if you use this excuse, especially if your team is a good team, and you have to deal with it. It was your choice. You made the bed, now lie in it.

I LIKED THE COLORS WHEN I WAS A KID

OK, kids are dumb. They just are. They usually can't tie their shoes right and have pudding mustaches after they eat their lunch. They can't help what uniforms look "neat" or "cool" to them when they are kids. For me it was the Bengals. The stripes on the helmet were just as cool as the red and blue colors on Optimus Prime. So I rooted for the Bengals. I couldn't help it.

However, when that "cool looking uniformed" team happens to be the Steelers or Yankees or Duke or UNC, an instant bullshit flag should be thrown. And it is the responsibility of a native fan to throw that bullshit flag.

For you are a real fan, a native fan, and this guy is using his former-child self as a human shield. Who is going to call a kid stupid? He should admit that he "is a loser and wants to feel good about himself by rooting for a winning team", but never will that happen. These guys just refuse to accept that fact that they are posers and will go to any lengths to deny it. They'll say "I am as much a fan of my team as you are of yours." Wrong.

These are also the same fans who say "well because they were winning, they were on TV the most when I was a child, so I had no choice but to root for them". Also bullshit, since there was another team playing too. Why didn't they root for them? Everyone loves an underdog.

These are also the fans who are most likely to be assholes.

They feel the need to justify their fanship so they celebrate victories by rubbing salt in the wound, e-mailing you video of the winning play with "LOL" at the bottom. These are the fans who troll opposing team message boards, running lame smack without using proper grammar. These are the fans who go to their team's games when they come to town and act a fool because it is the only time they get to say in front of a thousand people "Hey. HEY!!! Look at MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!! I am a STEEEEEEEEELERS fan!"

Since these people know deep down that they themselves are not real fans, they have to make up for it every second of their lives, usually in an aggressive and asshole-y way. In the end they lead a hollow existence.

And if they have a football team playing in the city they grew up in, and never root for that team, it's a tragedy on the scale of Hamlet or MacBeth. If Shakespeare was still around, you can bet he'd write a play about it.

So that's it. It can't be debated.

People will say "fans are fans" and "no fan is more a fan than someone else" but they are wrong.

Real fans don't have a choice just like people don't have a choice when they are born. I was born looking like me. If I could, I would make myself look like Brad Pitt. But I can't. And that essentially is what fake fans do. They choose what they want to look like. Some are brave and decide to look like Paul Giamatti by rooting for the Bears when they live in Philadelphia. Others may decide to look like Sylvestor Stallone by rooting for the Redskins when they live in Tacoma. But fans who decide to make themselves look like Brad Pitt essentially choose how they want to feel on most Sunday nights -- because they decide to root for a team that wins more than they lose.

So to all the fans of the Steelers, Cowboys, Yankees, Duke, UNC or any other perennial winning team who never lived in the city in which their team lives in, I just have one message:

You're not as much a fan as me.

Deal with it.

Ravens sink the Titan-ic!

I still haven’t fully recovered from that one.

During the second half of the Ravens’ 13-10 victory over the Tennessee Titans, I was doubled over from nerves and could barely watch. That doesn’t happen to me often. And at this rate I’ll be watching the Ravens/Steelers AFC Championship game from the ER waiting room.

Needless to say, the game was as smash-mouth as football can get. It was like watching two heavyweight fighters stand toe-to-toe for 12 rounds, wailing on each other, barely able to stand, and hanging on each other as they are too tired to throw another punch.

But in the end, the turnover battle was the big difference. The Titans bettered the Ravens in pretty much every statistical category, totaling 391 total yards to the Ravens’ 211, but Tennessee committed 3 turnovers deep in Ravens territory and that was the difference.

And with the score tied 10-10 and about 4 minutes left in the game, the Ravens got the ball, and Joe Flacco drove down field and Matt Stover capped off the victory with a 43-yard field goal.

Joe Flacco has yet to commit a turnover in the post-season and that is all you can really ask him to do. He turned in another workmanlike performance, tossing for 161 yards and a 48-yard TD pass. He is the first QB to win 2 games in the playoffs and one more would make him the first rookie QB to reach the Super Bowl. This kid doesn’t stop impressing you, does he?

Derrick Mason came up huge for the offense yet again, catching that 48-yard TD bomb and totaling 78 receiving yards. Mark Clayton caught 2 for 45, but the big one was an amazing 37-yard pass caught in double coverage that set-up a go-ahead field goal to make the score 10-7. Say what you will about the Ravens wide-receivers, but they are making some fantastic grabs this season. A welcome change from the Clarence Moore and Frank Sanders days.

The running game had a tough day. Le’Ron McClain only rushed for 12 yards on 12 carries and left the game with an injury. Willis McGahee had a better time of it, getting 32 yards on 12 carries. Ray Rice did not touch the ball.

But the story of the day was the defense. Their bend-don’t-break mentality was the difference. The Titans were having success moving the ball in the first half, and Chris Johnson was poised to have a huge day running the ball (72 yards on 11 carries and a TD) until he was folded up like a metal chair in the third quarter and didn’t return. LenDale White pounded the ball well at times, and was tackled at the line of scrimmage at others, and amassed 45 yards on 15 carries. His fumble deep in Ravens territory was crucial. Titans’ WR Justin Gage had a huge day, shredding the Ravens secondary for 135 receiving yards.

But when it came down to crunch time, the Ravens came up with huge turnovers (A Samari Rolle interception of Kerry Collins, and fumbles from LenDale White and Alge Crumpler) stopped impressive Titans drives.

The obligatory controversial call (there is always at least one in these kinds of physical games) came on the Ravens final drive, when Flacco seemed to get an extra 2-3 seconds after the game clock expired before completing a huge 23-yard pass over the middle to Todd Heap to set up Stover’s game-winning FG.

Yes, it was a bad call that ultimately contributed to the Ravens victory. Who knows what would have happened if the delay of game penalty was called and backed the Ravens up 5 yards. But one thing is for sure, the Titans 3 turnovers on the Ravens side of the field didn’t help either. And Ravens fans should know all about that after allowing the Steelers to drive 92-yards for a controversial touchdown in week 15 to lose the game.

If you put yourself in a position to allow the refs to lose you the game, you don’t deserve to win anyway.

However, the win didn’t come without its setbacks. Samari Rolle was injured and may miss the AFC Championship game. Le’Ron McClain and Terrell Suggs both missed time with scrapes but appear to be OK for next week. And one has to wonder if the Ravens will run out of gas after playing 17 consecutive games after Hurricane Ike bumped their bye-week up to week 2 of the regular season.

The Steelers are going to give the Ravens another hard, physical game and take it up a notch. Running the ball will be even harder than it was against the Titans. Which is exactly why the Ravens should try to come out with a different game plan.

They should let Flacco throw early and often, and throw deep. It worked against the Titans. And even if you don’t complete the deep pass, the possibility of getting a pass interference call is always there, and any deep-pass interceptions can be written off as non-4th down punts.

I really wonder if the Ravens can turn in another physical game like the one they just played. The Steelers are completely healthy and rested after their first round bye and an easy win against the Chargers.

The Ravens have proven that they can win on the road, but you have to keep wondering if they can do it again.

I think they can.

The Ravens take on the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship game this Sunday at 6:30 p.m.

Finally! O's Big in Japan!!!

The Orioles did something they’d never done before yesterday, agreeing to terms with Koji Uehara, a former All-Star pitcher from the Japanese Baseball League. (Go here for video of him pitching in Japan.)

Unless you’ve been under a rock for the last 15 years, you know that the O’s roster has been barren of Asian players at a time when most of the bigger names from Asia routinely signed with the Mariners, Dodgers, Yankees or Red Sox. So signing Uehara, regardless of the outcome, is a huge step for the future of the Baltimore Orioles. Andy MacPhail promised that the O’s would extend their scouting department past the western hemisphere, and he’s delivered on that promise by inking Uehara.

Koji Uehara is currently 33-years-old, and will turn 34 this April, so he’s no spring-roll... I mean... chicken. He’s also battled through his share of injuries during the last 2 seasons in Japan so there is some risk when it comes to his health. But, prior to his injuries, Uehara has been an innings eater throughout his career, and even better, he does something that most of our pitchers haven’t done lately, and that is throw strikes at an alarming rate.

As of now, it looks like Uehara is slated to be the #2 behind Jeremy Guthrie, while most media talking heads see Uehara as more of a #4 or #5 on better teams. But as we all know, the offseason is not over and the Orioles should add another starting pitcher or two.

All in all, this is not a huge free agent signing. It’s not going to make headlines outside of Baltimore. But it does represent a small step in the right direction for a franchise that has been so narrow-minded in the past that they were 10-15 years too late to the Dominican Republic baseball-hotbed party.

And combined with the Mark Hendrickson signing and letting Daniel Cabrera go to the Nationals, MacPhail is clearly going after players who can throw strikes.

Thank God.

Ravens spear Fish

The Ravens got their first playoff win since 2001 yesterday, and ironically, it was against the Miami Dolphins, the same team they beat in 2001.

The 27-9 victory was somewhat of an ugly win. Joe Flacco threw for only 135 yards and completed only 39% of his passes. Le’Ron McClain fumbled on the Ravens’ opening drive. And while the Ravens ran for an impressive 151 yards and 2 TD’s, only 2 drives went longer than 50 yards.

Most of the highlights, as usual, were provided by the defense. The Ravens forced the Dolphins to commit 5 turnovers, including 4 interceptions by Chad Pennington, who threw only 7 interceptions all season.

Ed Reed had 2 INT’s yet again, and scored a touchdown on a brilliant Willie Mays-style over the shoulder catch that he returned for 64 yards and the score. Fabian Washington and Jim Leonhard also had a pick each.

It was great to get the winless-in-the-playoffs monkey off our back, but it would have been nice to see the offense clicking a little better. Flacco missed 3 deep passes by overthrowing the receiver, who was open each time. Credit the Miami defense for pressuring Flacco and keeping him off balance all day, but it won’t get any easier this Saturday in Tennessee. Flacco has struggled against the better defenses of Washington, Pittsburgh and Miami over the last few weeks, and he’ll face another stiff challenge while facing the Titans. Hopefully he’s gotten his playoff jitters out of the way.

Like the Dolphins, the Titans are not a high-powered offense. They are much like the Ravens of old on offense. Run, run, pass. Kerry Collins has taken on the Trent Dilfer-role of “control the game, don’t lose it”. The Titans’ running attack is 7th in the league, but they match up poorly with the Ravens defense who are ranked #3 in rushing yards allowed. The Ravens are also great at stopping big bruiser running backs like LenDale White, but the speedy Chris Johnson could pose problems. He’s also a great pass catcher, so if the Ravens succeed in bottling up Chris Johnson, the Ravens should be able to hold Kerry Collins and the Titans receivers in check.

On offense, however, the Titans rank #6 against the run and #9 against the pass, so it will be hard to move the ball. It would be great to see Ray Rice worked back into the offense since he is healthy now, and utilize the screen-pass a little more.

But the key to winning is the same as it’s been since week 1. Protect the ball and force turnovers on defense.

And for the love of God, Rex Ryan, do not call the dogs off on defense when we get a lead! Ryan did the same thing yesterday while the Ravens were up 20-3 early in the 4th quarter, which allowed the Dolphins to waltz down the field 74 yards and score a TD.

Hopefully, he will not allow the Titans to do what they did against the Ravens in Baltimore earlier this season, and drive the field to score a late TD.

My prediction, the Ravens force some turnovers, score at least once on defense, and establish somewhat of a run game.

Ravens 20
Titans 10

The Ravens take on the Tennessee Titans this Saturday at 4:30 p.m.

CaBBrera signs with the Nationals

So I’m a little behind in writing about Daniel Cabrera being non-tendered and signing with the Nationals.

The O’s haven’t exactly given me much of a reason to follow their moves this offseason, so sue me.

Anyway, yeah... Daniel CaBBrera signed with the Nationals.

The era ends.

Maybe now the Orioles won’t lead the MLB in walks.

I guess he won’t be plunking opposing batters as much any more, knowing he could get plunked himself when he steps into the batter’s box.

Even if Cabrera finds his “potential” in D.C., he was done as an Oriole. He constantly regressed over his career and he’s likely to be even worse in the NL, where his short temper and attention span will have to grapple with hitting. Or trying to hit.

So far he’s 0-14 in his career with 14 strikeouts and a sacrifice bunt (doesn’t count as an at-bat). But, he’s currently struck out 8 times in his last 8 at-bats, so only 5 more to go to break the record of 12 consecutive K’s by a hitter, which was set by Dean Chance in 1965.

Hey, that right there is enough reason to watch the Nationals more than the Orioles this year.

But don’t worry O’s fans. The O’s promptly filled Daniel Cabrera’s spot with Mark Hendrickson and his 5.07 career ERA.

Hendrickson may not walk as many batters, but the ERA will be about the same.

It’s all about consistency in Baltimore these days.

O's sign Hendricksuck... I mean Hendrickson

What is Andy MacPhail thinking?

That’s got to be the question on the dozen or so Orioles fans left in Maryland.

Yesterday the O’s agreed to terms with Mark Hendrickson. Hendrickson is a 36-year old journeyman who has never really been any good at any point in his career. If he was a right-handed pitcher who wasn’t eight-feet-tall he’d probably be working a cell-phone kiosk in a mall.

Hendrickson’s career ERA is 5.07. His ERA the last 2 seasons, in two of the most pitcher-friendly stadiums in the majors was 5.21 and 5.45. God only knows how his ERA will fare in Oriole Park, something akin to a band-box, in the AL East, where the #9 hitter is not swinging a toothpick.

MacPhail says he views Hendrickson as a long relief/spot starter type guy. Funny, I thought our entire pitching staff was filled with that kind of AAA-fodder in 2008. Now we’re going to pay more than the minimum for a guy like this?

Was Lance Cormier and his 4.02 ERA not good enough for you in blow-outs?

OK, I’ll be fair. As a reliever, Hendrickson’s ERA is not terrible. Over his career, it’s actually a respectable 3.39 in 103.2 IP. But last time I checked, we’re still paying Jamie Walker to suck, so unless we’re going to release him during Spring Training, I don’t know how we’re going to explain 2 worthless LHP in the bullpen.

My opinion? We’re being told Hendrickson is viewed as a spot starter, but in reality, he’s likely our #2 or #3. It’s the typical O’s move. “Hey, Hendrickson was good against us when he was with the Rays. He’s got to be good right? Throw him in the rotation! What the hell!”

Look up lazy move in the dictionary and pictures of Mark Hendrickson and Andy MacPhail will be staring back at you. There are any number of minor league free agents who could out-pitch Mark Hendrickson and it should be Andy MacPhail’s job to find that guy and sign him instead of giving innings to Too-Tall Hendrickson.

Maybe I’m miffed because I just watched Severna Park-native Mark Teixeira sign with the fucking Yankees or maybe I’m pissed I’ve got to take down the Christmas tree in a few days. And not because I’ll miss it.

But foul mood or not, Mark Hendrickson does nothing to improve the Orioles now, or in the future. And it’s high-time we start finding guys who at least have some potential to do that.

I thought Andy MacPhail wasn’t going to make these kinds of moves. Guess not.

Ravens Beat Jags, Year in Review & Playoff Outlook

The Ravens secured a playoff berth yesterday by beating the Jacksonville Jaguars 27-7 to finish the 2008 season with a surprisingly solid 11-5 record.

The Ravens gave us fans a small scare after allowing the Jaguars to score an early touchdown, which put the Ravens down 7-3, but the defense re-grouped and didn’t allow the Jags to score again, and the offense dropped 24 unanswered points to close out the celebratory win.

Joe Flacco passed for 295 yards (a career high) and recorded no touchdowns or interceptions. His deep ball was a thing of beauty, but even more beautiful was the sight of Mark Clayton running down those passes to the tune of 128 yards and making some great catches to bail out his QB. Flacco, meanwhile, seems back on track just in time for the playoffs.

On the ground, Le’Ron McClain scampered for 70 yards and 2 TD while Willis McGahee got the rock just 4 times, but ran impressively on his 13-yard TD run. He finished with just 24 rushing yards, but caught 2 passes for 25 yards.

Defensively, the unit was excellent save for the early touchdown they allowed. Jags’ RB Maurice Jones-Drew ran well for 78 yards, and they allowed a total of 245, but they came up big with 4 turnovers, including 2 more interceptions by Ed Reed.

After the Ravens marched down the field following the Jacksonville touchdown to retake the lead 10-7, the game became more of a celebration of the Ravens’ season than anything else.

With a win in the bag, the attention turned to the Dolphins/Jets game which decided the outcome of the Ravens opponent in the first round next week. Had the Dolphins won, the Ravens would be travelling to Miami. Had the Dolphins lost, the Ravens would be going north to New England to take on the Patriots.

The Dolphins won, which means the Ravens take on the Dolphins in Miami this Sunday for the second time this season. It’s a good thing too, because while I do believe the Ravens could beat the Patriots in New England, I feel much more comfortable facing the Dolphins again.

After all, the Ravens trounced the Dolphins earlier in the season, 27-13, and the Ravens are likely to be the favorites again. Granted, the Dolphins are a sound football team and committed the fewest turnovers in the NFL this season, but the Ravens match-up extremely well with Miami. Chad Pennington is not the kind of QB that gives the Ravens secondary problems and while Miami’s running game is strong, it is also likely to be contained by the Ravens tough run-stopping defense.

For the Ravens to lose, they’ll have to play a sloppy game, full of turnovers and mental mistakes.

Yes, Miami is much better than they were when they played the Ravens earlier in the season, but so are the Ravens. Prediction: Pain. Actually, I see a repeat of the first game in my crystal ball. 28-17.

Looking back, this has to be one of the most satisfying seasons in Ravens history. I predicted them to win 3 games at the beginning of the season and even the most optimistic fan couldn’t see them winning more than 6, maybe 8 games.

We are happy to be proven wrong.

The Ravens’ unpredictable success was due in large part to the play of rookie QB Joe Flacco. Flacco was named the starting QB during the pre-season when Troy Smith went down with tonsillitis and Kyle Boller suffered a season-ending elbow injury. From the start, Flacco looked the part, standing tall in the pocket and having great accuracy. It took him some time to gain confidence and see the field clearly, but watching him yesterday he looked like he’d been in the league 5 seasons. He finishes the season with an 80.3 passer rating, 2,971 passing yards, 14 TD, 12 INT and 2 rush TD’s. However, after the infamous Colts game where he threw 3 INT, Flacco went on to have a magnificent 11-game stretch where he tossed 13 TD and 5 INT.

On defense, the usual suspects of Ray Lewis and Ed Reed had what could be called career seasons. Lewis will never top his prime from 1997-2001 seasons, but that is like climbing Mount Everest and then looking for a taller mountain to climb. Lewis responded to the critics who said his age was catching up to him (I myself was even believing it) and totaled 84 solo tackles, 3 sacks and 3 interceptions. More importantly, he still played the game with his patented intensity and leadership that fueled the rest of the defensive unit.

Ed Reed, who played most of 2008 with a severe neck injury that many said could end his career, equaled his career high in interceptions (9), and scored a career-best 3 defensive touchdowns as a game-changer in the secondary.

And they were all lead by rookie head coach John Harbaugh. Many critics said that Harbaugh was the only choice the Ravens had after Cowboys offensive coordinator Jason Garrett turned them down, and other potential candidates were hired elsewhere, but Harbaugh has made drastic changes in the Ravens organization in just one season. The Ravens are now a more disciplined unit than they were under Brian Billick, and perhaps the most important characteristic Harbaugh has going for him is his ability to let his staff do their job.

And that has allowed offensive coordinator Cam Cameron work his magic. No longer do the Ravens struggle to score more than 14 points a game. Cameron, in just his first season as Ravens OC, and working with a rookie QB mind you, has catapulted the Ravens offense from the depths of the NFL to 11th of 32 teams in points scored. He’s also demolished the “don’t lose” mentality that Billick lived and died by, by taking the training wheels off Flacco around the half-season mark.

The Ravens, or more specifically, Ozzie Newsome, also made a ton of smaller, but very important roster moves that contributed to their 11-5 season. They traded for CB Fabian Washington on draft day, who has filled in nicely for a deactivated Chris McAllister. They picked up OL Willie Anderson to shore up an inexperienced offensive line after the Bengals cut him. And they signed a veteran-savy Lorenzo Neal to block for Le’Ron McClain and Willis McGahee. They've also smartly worked Troy Smith into the offense, bringing with him an unpredictible and explosive potential.

So looking back, I really couldn’t have been more wrong about the Ravens and the prediction of 3 wins. The Ravens proved that they could rebuild on offense faster than expected while the defense still played dominant championship-caliber football. And it has all culminated at the right time, with the team playing their best football as they head into the playoffs.

What does that mean? I don’t exactly know. I think they can beat anyone, anywhere with the way they are playing now, but I still do worry about facing the likes of the Titans, Steelers and Colts on the road. And while I am completely confident that the Ravens can handle their business in Miami this Sunday, a costly mistake in a close game can make all the difference.

So I think the Ravens will go as far as they allow themselves to go. If they play mistake-free football, they can beat any team the NFL can throw at them. But, the game film to beat the Ravens is there. Maurice Jones-Drew ran for 78 yards yesterday. The Giants trounced the Ravens by rushing for over 200 yards in a loss earlier this season. And the Colts put on their yearly clinic on how to make the Ravens defense look like a bad high school team.

But the most important thing to remember is that the Ravens were never expected to do anything. They had a rookie head coach, a rookie QB and a defense that people called over-the-hill. It was supposed to be the end of an era. And now they’re playing their best football as they head into the playoffs and they can hang with anyone.

Not bad for a team that essentially never had a bye week, huh?