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  1. #1
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    Arrow The famed chicken little syndrome

    One thing we don't see so much at this board that we saw at YBR are the chicken little meltdowns after a bad game. Remember those?

    Granted, we just won in New Orleans. So obviously Billick's a genius, the old Jamal is back, Landry and Prude are future Hall of Famers, McNair has finally arrived and we're going to win our division after we sweep Cincy and Pittsburgh.

    But what if we had lost to the Saints? Bisciotti must fire Billick NOW, Jamal doesn't have that burst anymore, Landry and Prude are huge liabilities (why didn't we take that other guy on the board!?) it's time to start Kyle Boller and it doesn't matter who wins our division now because we all suck.

    Both of these reactions happen within a mere 7 days of each other.

    So I ask you guys, which parts of the 2 schools of thought are actually right?

    Is Jamal really back? Is Billick really as bad as some people have said he is? And so on...

    In other words what's the real truth in all these issues, emotional rollercoasters aside?





  2. #2
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    Re: The famed chicken little syndrome

    I could always give the fans an excuse because we had to put up with an unbearably annoying offense for the past 7 years.

    But now with Billick at the reins, doesn't look as if that would be the case -- the first half was the most enjoyable half of offensive football that I've seen from the Ravens in years!!.

    Lets call it like it is -- will be interesting once the "adjusted" stats are in (e.g., Aikman's efficiency ratings, DVOA) -- think they will show that the Ravens are definitely in the "top tier" of teams. We have split our games against some very good teams -- Carolina Denver New Orleans San Diego; and won the games we should have. We have not been blown out yet which shows that the team has a very good mental attitude.

    What we are NOT yet is at the level of New England, Indianapolis. Who knows if McNair will start to become more consistent? Completely unknown whether the team can step it up and beat more of the top tier teams for the second half. But for the first time in 2 years, we have a good shot at getting to the playoffs -- that's enough for me and will help me avoid daily Prilosec.

    IF we win the Cincinnati game -- look out! 6-2 at the halfway mark with Tenn / Atlanta next -- I like that scenario a lot.

    Now if only our team could figure out how to get some of our second and third rounders out on the field . . .





  3. #3
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    Re: The famed chicken little syndrome

    Quote Originally Posted by FadeToBlack View Post

    So I ask you guys, which parts of the 2 schools of thought are actually right?

    Billick, is that you?





  4. #4

    Re: The famed chicken little syndrome

    Worst part about *other* boards is chicken little is setting in right now. There are actually posts about why we wont make the SB. Not saying we will, who knows at this point? Enjoy what we got though.
    Actual user comment from a yahoo sports article:

    On this given sunday you will witnesses why we'll called steeler nation!!!





  5. #5

    Re: The famed chicken little syndrome

    Quote Originally Posted by FadeToBlack View Post
    Is Jamal really back? Is Billick really as bad as some people have said he is? And so on...
    People complain about Billick too much IMHO, but the question about Jamal is a good one. I like the way Billick wanted to establish the run in New Orleans, and stuck with it, but I'm not ready to say Jamal is back. 109 yards is a nice game but it took him 31 carries to get there.

    I continue to wonder why we don't play Mike Anderson -- why did we sign him?





  6. #6
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    Re: The famed chicken little syndrome

    Quote Originally Posted by highwater View Post
    I continue to wonder why we don't play Mike Anderson -- why did we sign him?
    I wonder the same thing. He gets 10 yds. per carry in Denver and never sees the field again. My guess is Billick doesn't want to go with the RB-by-committee format.





  7. #7
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    Re: The famed chicken little syndrome

    3.5 yards per carry over 31 carries against a porus run D like New Orleans' isn't really anything to write home about. Today's Jamal is not 2003's Jamal, I think that has pretty much been established. But the OL isn't the 2003 line, either. It is what it is. But the efficiency in the passing offense more than makes up for what we're losing in the run offense.

    We're going to lose some games, but as long as the D plays at this level and McNair can run the offense like he did Sunday, we'll be right in the thick of things to the end. Which is really all you can hope for. This Sunday is going to be a huge test. If we win this one, we have a clear upper hand for the division.


    WORLD CHAMPIONS 2000 * 2012





  8. #8
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    Re: The famed chicken little syndrome

    Quote Originally Posted by losac View Post
    I wonder the same thing. He gets 10 yds. per carry in Denver and never sees the field again. My guess is Billick doesn't want to go with the RB-by-committee format.
    I kind of chalk it up to the Billick tendancy to stay with "his guys". One of the complaints about Billick has been his stubborn loyalty to people and I think this is an example. It's pretty obvious, I think, that Jamal isn't as effective as he once was. Of course, it could also be as simple as Billick just doesn't want to hear him bitching all the time so he has decided to run him til he's out of breath and can't complain. That said, I sure would like to see more of Anderson.





  9. #9

    Re: The famed chicken little syndrome

    Billick did what he had to do. The passing game and defense got the lead and he ran the ball to take time off the clock in the second half. He gave the ball to Jamal and said run it and he did. In the past the Ravens were predictable to say the least. Teams on the schedule now have no game film to work with except NO. This weeks game againsts Cinncy will tell alot about the offense. Do you prepare for the old Ravens offense? The new offense? Are they gonna run the ball? are they gonna throw? Is McNair gonna scramble? Will the line open holes? Will Mike Anderson switch with Jamal speed versus size?
    The Ravens are at the very least unpredictable now. That is a hugh change. It may or may not spell success but it is far and above anything we have had in the last 7 odd years. Keep the opposition on their heels and execute. Throw in some over the top D and a home field advantage and this could be an exciting run. No more Vanilla.





  10. #10
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    Re: The famed chicken little syndrome

    One thing we don't see so much at this board that we saw at YBR are the chicken little meltdowns after a bad game. Remember those?
    The answer to that FTB is quite simple. With the obvious exceptions, there is a better class of poster over here. Most of the people here want to talk the realities of football and try not to knee-jerk every reaction that comes down the pike. Sorry if that offends some people, but I simply believe the class of people here reflects the overall direction of this forum. And that's why I don't post or read YBR anymore.


    So I ask you guys, which parts of the 2 schools of thought are actually right?

    Is Jamal really back? Is Billick really as bad as some people have said he is? And so on...

    In other words what's the real truth in all these issues, emotional rollercoasters aside?
    I'm going to give my perceived truths (because it's an opinion, it can't really be true can it?).

    1) I don't think it's that Billick is as bad as we thought. I think it's the opposite. I think Billick trusted his OC's too much and tried very hard not to overrule or get in their way. Fassel can say all he wants that this was still Billick's offense and he wasn't allowed to run his own. But what I saw on the field Sunday was nothing I've seen Fassel or Cavanaugh run over the past 7 years. Fassel can't convince me he would have run a spread offense QB draw on the 10 yard line with McNair. I don't mind saying right now I was wrong about Billick in the last few weeks in judging his playcalling abilities and maybe his system.

    Now, this could all change if we hit a bad losing streak and we see the team go back into a shell. But the mix of plays was just too good Sunday to think it was a one-time deal.

    And I'll say this, and I have no interest in illiciting a response from anyone on this, starting another arguement, and I will absolutely not respond to any comments made on this next statement. My personal opinion whether right or wrong, is that I wonder how Kyle Boller would have done with the type of playcalling Billick was running rather than the type of playcalling Fassel and Cavanaugh were running. Could be the exact same results. Could be better, could be different. Just makes me wonder if this changes the future a little bit based on the playbook magically opening up for the first time in a very long time. I've said my peace on that, and we move on.


    2) Jamal......Such the quandry. I would rather it not take 31 carries to get him cranked up. Look at his starting carries in yards: 10, then a fumble. Then 4, 2, 2, 1, 2, 6. And none of those were runs for first downs. Those were 109 very hard yards, and they really didn't do much for us in terms of converting 3rd downs or gaining significant yardage.

    Two things really still bother me about Jamal. One, his inability to hit holes like he used to. Two repaired knees could do that to you. But a guy that used to bowl over linebackers is easy to tackle now. Two, once again guess how many catches he had Sunday? ZERO, goose egg, nada, zilch. Not a screen pass was thrown to him, nor a swing pass. You never saw him really even release across the LOS if he didn't have the ball. Sorry, but the fact that he has very little ability to catch the ball is a very limiting factor on this team. If we can't even throw a screen to him to take pressure off a blitz, how long before McNair gets blitzed into the ground?

    Yes, some of that also falls on the offensive line. That has to change this offseason whether Ozzie likes it or not. We need to inject some athleticism into the line and get a guard that can pull for a change. We need offside blocking and something other than zone and push blocks.


    3) McNair. I want to see at least the Cincinnatti game before I start proclaiming that the 2003 Steve McNair is here. That said, he's the starting QB for the Ravens, and I cheer for him every week. I will say this, I was highly encouraged by what I saw Sunday. He looked in control the whole time. Even on plays he missed, which were not frequent, you saw him laugh it off. I think McNair's turnaround could be tied to Billick's taking over of the offense. You didn't see a lot of out patterns, and you saw designed rollouts and post throws. I really liked what I saw, and if that McNair shows up for the rest of the season, I only see two games we could lose. So if we get through Cincy without a relapse, I'll be much happier. If this is our McNair, then I'm getting tickets to our home playoff game.

    THAT SAID, the team has to continue to play well around him too. If Mike Flynn goes back to 'ole'ing' people through the line to put pressure on him, McNair is going to have more games like Denver and such than NO. Receivers have to catch the ball, offensive line has to block. The rest of the team has to play to their potential for McNair to play to his. I sort of put the NO game in like Minnesota game last year. When the OL blocks and the recievers don't drop passes that hit them in the hands or chest, it's amazing how well our QB behind center can do.


    My bottom line FTB? For the first time since the Tampa Bay game, I am looking forward to Sunday. I am looking damn forward to being at the stadium Sunday. Enough that this week can't go by fast enough. We've got a chance to put a 2 game foot in Cincy's ASS this week, and if we play like we did in the Big Very Easy, this will be a fun game.





  11. #11

    Re: The famed chicken little syndrome

    Quote Originally Posted by StingerNLG View Post
    For the first time since the Tampa Bay game, I am looking forward to Sunday. I am looking damn forward to being at the stadium Sunday.
    I look forward to pretty much every game, but this one scares me -- our secondary has looked pretty weak the past two games, and Carson Palmer has the potential to carve us up. He's done it before.

    It really is a huge game, because we're up two games if we win, but if we lose, we're tied with another game with the Bengals in Cincy. If we can't beat them at home, it'll be tough to beat them on the road.

    We really need to win this game.





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