Have we as fans been spoiled?

**lobachevsky** · 05-30-2013, 09:00 PM

Originally Posted by Ravens75

There are some Ravens fans (mainly the casual ones) that are spoiled but I would categorize our overall group as being more even keeled than most other fan bases.

I agree, but it's equanimity born of bitter experience.

This fan base knows what it's like to lose a team & get stomped on in the quest for a replacement. It knows what it's like to win a Super Bowl & have a real shot to repeat blown to pieces by a couple of freak injuries. To not be able to get over that last hurdle, whether it's a marginally competent QB or a dropped pass & a shanked FG attempt.

In short, this fan base knows how quickly the best laid plans can go sour.

IMHO the 2013 Ravens have the stuff that back-to-back Lombardis can be won with--but I also think too many things can go freakishly wrong (or too many things go freakishly right for some other team) to anticipate it. At least it will be interesting to see what (if anything) prevents them from repeating, because I think it will have to be something significant.

**Ravens75** · 05-30-2013, 09:03 PM

Originally Posted by lobachevsky

I agree, but it's equanimity born of bitter experience.

This fan base knows what it's like to lose a team & get stomped on in the quest for a replacement. It knows what it's like to win a Super Bowl & have a real shot to repeat blown to pieces by a couple of freak injuries. To not be able to get over that last hurdle, whether it's a marginally competent QB or a dropped pass & a shanked FG attempt.

In short, this fan base knows how quickly the best laid plans can go sour.

IMHO the 2013 Ravens have the stuff that back-to-back Lombardis can be won with--but I also think too many things can go freakishly wrong (or too many things go freakishly right for some other team) to anticipate it. At least it will be interesting to see what (if anything) prevents them from repeating, because I think it will have to be something significant.

I agree 100%

**camdenyard** · 05-30-2013, 10:58 PM

Of course we are spoiled. At least one playoff win 5 years in a row? 3 AFC Championship appearances...and a Super Bowl win? It's only natural.

I remember being at the WC game in NE in 2009. The Pats fans that were there (because naturally, real Pats fans aren't bothered with lowly wild card games...they wait for real playoff games) were so supremely confident before the game. By the second quarter they were utterly beside themselves. By halftime half were gone. They were spoiled too.

Success breeds expectation.

**BcRaven** · 05-30-2013, 11:14 PM

Originally Posted by TheSpiderWebb

Yeah I agree. There will eventually be year where we don't make the playoffs, but barring something catastrophic like a Flacco injury, I don't see this being the year. Aside from WR2 and possibly center depending on what happens there, we are the same or better at every position, including things like nickel, WR3, and most defensive substitutes up front.

Now maybe we won't win the Superbowl again(though I'll admit at this early point pre-summer I think we can) but I think we should pretty easily be better than last years regular season team, which was pretty average before Cam's firing.

YES, and we've got Caldwell instead of Cam and plenty of youngsters in our newly revised defense. I agree that we should be better than last year's regular season team... Bc

**ballhawk** · 05-31-2013, 01:09 AM

Exc-

I don't know is someone else pointed it out but Flacco lost 3 in row at the beginning of 2009. We started that year 3-0, then dropped to 3-3, before turning it around against the 6-0 Broncos at home. Webb ran a kickoff for a TD at the beginning of the 2nd half. Josh McDaniels never recovered from that game.

The big difference between that losing streak and the one last year was that Flacco played very well during that 2009 skid. One of those games was in Minnesota, where Hauschka missed a game winning (or tying?) FG. The other was up in Foxborro, where Clayton dropped a 4th down catch near the goal line.

**Ravens75** · 05-31-2013, 07:00 AM

Originally Posted by ballhawk

Exc-

I don't know is someone else pointed it out but Flacco lost 3 in row at the beginning of 2009. We started that year 3-0, then dropped to 3-3, before turning it around against the 6-0 Broncos at home. Webb ran a kickoff for a TD at the beginning of the 2nd half. Josh McDaniels never recovered from that game.

The big difference between that losing streak and the one last year was that Flacco played very well during that 2009 skid. One of those games was in Minnesota, where Hauschka missed a game winning (or tying?) FG. The other was up in Foxborro, where Clayton dropped a 4th down catch near the goal line.

Flacco's issue during the skid last year was that he turned the ball over like 5 times during that streak. INT's happen but he had three critical fumbles in those games. The one against Pitt was simply inexcusable.

During the three game losing streak in 2009 the defense was terrible. Brady, Palmer and Farve shredded them along with AP gashing them for 158 yards (I had hope for LB Tarvares Gooden after he ran down AP.........he has been the biggest wasted draft pick since Boller because he was supposed to be the bridge from Ray).

**Captain Offense** · 05-31-2013, 07:16 AM

I do not think that "Fans" can be lumped together in the "expectations" category. The basic core is going to understand all of the twists and turns of a season and can expect the team to compete, but not be shocked if things break wrong in any given year. The "expectation" of that group is that the team as a whole will do what it can and what it believes to be the best move. It may or may not work.

The "Fad Fan" is going to have a high expectation that the team is a winner and be spoiled by the success alone. They can have a major reaction to a lack of Playoffs or even the failure to win a Super Bowl. Their response is that the team is bad and that they will not watch any more games. Their "spoil-meter" is based on a black-and-white analysis.

I will not forget how much I believed in the 2006 team. I really felt it was a Super Bowl-caliber team and that it would win it all. I believed in McNair and how the team had made their way to a first-round bye. And then I watched it slip through their hands after holding Manning's team to FG's. I was extremely disappointed because my expectations had not been met, but I also accepted the fact that in the NFL any of that is possible.

Spoiled? No. Expectations for a higher standard? Yes. I see it like having a kid that gets A's regularly and suddenly gets a C or D. It gets your attention, but the body of work suggests a blip on the screen.

Now if there is a record of 14 years of losing......

**HotInHere** · 05-31-2013, 08:51 AM

Originally Posted by lobachevsky

I agree, but it's equanimity born of bitter experience.

Bitter compared to what though? Name me a sports team that can't spout off similar bitter experiences? Let's not even talk about the daily bitter experiences of the Browns, Jaguars, Lions, etc. Even the most blessed franchise of this millennium -- how bitter do you suppose it was for them to win every game of the regular season and then lose in the Super Bowl? To see their franchise QB go down in what could have been their best season (given that they won 11 games with a stiff?) To win 12 division titles since '96, and only get 3 rings out of it?

Give me a team, I'll give you their bitter experiences. Sure we have the 'stuff' to win a Super Bowl this year. But so do a handful of other teams. And that's not including half the league that has the 'stuff' to squeak into the playoffs and go on an 4-game binge like we did last year.

Odds are we should only have one year in 32 that's NOT bitter.

**Ravens75** · 05-31-2013, 08:56 AM

Originally Posted by HotInHere

Bitter compared to what though? Name me a sports team that can't spout off similar bitter experiences? Let's not even talk about the daily bitter experiences of the Browns, Jaguars, Lions, etc. Even the most blessed franchise of this millennium -- how bitter do you suppose it was for them to win every game of the regular season and then lose in the Super Bowl? To see their franchise QB go down in what could have been their best season (given that they won 11 games with a stiff?) To win 12 division titles since '96, and only get 3 rings out of it?

Give me a team, I'll give you their bitter experiences. Sure we have the 'stuff' to win a Super Bowl this year. But so do a handful of other teams. And that's not including half the league that has the 'stuff' to squeak into the playoffs and go on an 4-game binge like we did last year.

Odds are we should only have one year in 32 that's NOT bitter.

Lobo was referring to Ravens fans being a bit more even keeled due to our not having a team for 12 years and understanding that in the end that it could be a lot worse then blown SB chances, a bad season etc.

**TheSpiderWebb** · 05-31-2013, 09:03 AM

Originally Posted by Ravens75

Flacco's issue during the skid last year was that he turned the ball over like 5 times during that streak. INT's happen but he had three critical fumbles in those games. The one against Pitt was simply inexcusable.

During the three game losing streak in 2009 the defense was terrible. Brady, Palmer and Farve shredded them along with AP gashing them for 158 yards (I had hope for LB Tarvares Gooden after he ran down AP.........he has been the biggest wasted draft pick since Boller because he was supposed to be the bridge from Ray).

Says hi!

**srobert96** · 05-31-2013, 09:17 AM

I do think we are a bit spoiled. I also think there was angst over the last few years as fans saw the window for winning a SB slipping away. We had aging vets and every time someone made a mistake it was like a dagger. The culmination was last year with the Evans drop and Cundiff miss. Fans are thrilled with success when a team is rebuilding and on a an upswing. When you expect to win a SB and missteps are painful. That is why it is a wait and see approach with upstart QBs. It is easy to put up stats and wins when expectations are low. It is hard when anything less than near perfection and SB win is considered a failure.