Fan Bias

I was fortunate enough to be at the Ravens’ final home game of the 2009 season this past Sunday. Thankfully the roads to M&T Bank Stadium had been plowed, the stadium itself was mostly clear of snow, and the temperature wasn’t nearly as cold as I thought it would be. To top it all off, I had a good seat as I witnessed a rare live victory for the team.

In the NFL, the old adage is that every victory means something and no victory should never be taken for granted, but I’m sure even the most diehard Baltimore fan would admit that the Ravens’ last two blowout victories over bad NFL teams (Detroit and Chicago) don’t really give us a very clear indication of how good the Ravens truly are. There’s a reason why the team is 8-6 after all (you are what your record says you are), and why most fans are anything but certain of victory as the team travels to Pittsburgh this coming weekend.

With that in mind, here are some of my thoughts on the Bears game and on the team as it finishes up the regular season campaign…

Demetrius Williams should be the #2 receiver. I don’t see the guys practice all week and I don’t break down film like the coaches but based on what I’ve seen in games this year, Williams is the team’s second best receiver behind Derrick Mason. Against both the Lions and Bears, he came down with long passes in double coverage, having to jostle for position and fight off defenders. Against Green Bay he drew at least one pass interference call.

He is the Ravens’ only legit deep threat and on top of that, he’s tall, strong, and can jump. When Williams is on the field, he forces defenses to respect the deep ball, opening up opportunities for TE Todd Heap and Mason underneath, and even creating space for the running game. The Ravens don’t have another receiver who can do what Williams does.

Still need more McClain and McGahee. One thing is clear with this Ravens team: offensive coordinator Cam Cameron has no desire to feature any RB other than Ray Rice. Against the Bears, Rice broke off a couple of nice runs early but was bottled up the rest of the game. It would have been a great opportunity to use Le’Ron McClain and Willis McGahee to grind out some hard-fought yardage between the tackles, especially with a big lead late. Instead, Cameron seemed satisfied running Rice for two yards a pop.

It was nice to see the “Suggs Package” again. Trickeration — to borrow a phrase — was a big part of the Ravens’ offensive scheme under Cameron in 2008. One of the wrinkles included bringing in backup QB Troy Smith to run the option (or even toss a pass downfield to Flacco.)  This year, however, the offense has been far more conventional and has suffered for it, as far as I’m concerned.

So, this past Sunday, it was nice to see Smith in on some offensive plays that actually counted (rather than in a mop-up role like we saw against the Lions.) Smith did throw a late interception but generally speaking, I enjoy the added dimension Smith gives the offense when he’s on the field. He’s an athlete (and a former Heisman trophy winner) and I think he can help the team regularly beyond holding a clipboard.

Flacco was in the game too long. Up big at the beginning of the fourth quarter there was no reason for Flacco to be in the game. There was nothing in the tenor of the game at that point that should have made Cameron think the Bears were going to mount a serious comeback. So, why risk your franchise quarterback to run some meaningless plays at the end of a game?

Now, had the plays all been simple hand-offs, I guess I could have forgiven Cameron. But, he actually had Flacco drop back for some passes. And, in what was ultimately his last series of the game, Flacco was sacked hard and got up limping. What would have been Cameron’s defense if Flacco had suffered a serious injury at that point in the game? In my opinion, Flacco played two series too many.

This might seem like a good time to also go off on the Ravens for playing Lardarius Webb on special teams when his true value to the team is as a CB. After all, Webb suffered a season-ending knee injury in the third quarter against the Bears on a special teams play (reminiscent of what happened to former Giants CB Jason Sehorn many years ago.)

While I am worried about how the Ravens secondary will cope against the Steelers without Webb, he had provided a much-needed spark as a kick returner so it’s difficult to blame the Ravens brass for playing him on special teams. However, I’m also willing to bet we’ll never see Webb play special teams regularly again (outside of very, very occasional situations like we see with Ed Reed.)

Ravens need to win the Steelers game for more than just playoffs. The Steelers are the Ravens’ most formidable rival. Last year, they defeated the Ravens three times en route to winning the Super Bowl and the manner and circumstances of those three losses hurt Ravens fans to the core.

Some fans may believe that Baltimore ended the streak of futilitiy earlier this year by defeating Pittsburgh in overtime at home. However, I’m not one of them. Why? Because Ben Roethlisberger didn’t play due to a concussion and third-string backup Dennis Dixon was in at QB. And, to think, it was still a close game!

In other words, that game meant nothing. As far as I’m concerned, it didn’t even count. On the other hand, if the Ravens can go into Pittsburgh this Sunday against a healthy Big Ben in a game that matters for both teams AND WIN, then I believe the team is poised for a long playoff run. No other win could possibly give Baltimore and its fans the confidence that a win like that would bestow. And, I dare say that would be the biggest win in the John Harbaugh era.

Can the Ravens make the playoffs without defeating the Steelers this weekend? Sure. But, a Steelers loss would leave a bitter taste in my mouth and making the playoffs won’t give me the same sense of satisfaction. If the Ravens want to be considered an elite team, they have to defeat their arch-nemesis this weekend.

(Photos of Ray Lewis firing up the crowd courtesy of Pramit Mohapatra.)