So who hasn't jumped ship?

[psuasskicker]

Yeah that was me too at one point. Still is to an extent, of course. But the "Ignore" button helps a lot...

Still...it's sorta like a two-pack-a-day-er quitting cold turkey. Maybe they should make a "Message Board Patch."

- C -

[festivus]

I like this board because of the proportionately high number of foxes. Yes there are plenty of hedgehogs, but I think we are mostly foxes, which is a rare treat for an internet message board.

In short, what experts think matters far less than how they think, or their cognitive style. At one extreme, hedgehogs seek certainty and closure, dismiss information that undercuts their preconceptions and embrace evidence that reinforces them, in what is called "belief defense and bolstering." At the other extreme, foxes are cognitively flexible, modest and open to self-criticism.

Also FO's cartoon is hilarious. :)

[braven98]

never jump ship...by 12am Tuesday I was ready for the lions

[ravensnhokies]

Not jumping ship. Hoping for the best, but fearing the worst.

More important than whether we can sneak into the playoffs, great teams are not built for one-year runs -- they are built to win year after year. What does our near-term future hold?

Starting at random:
TE: An area of need for next year. No young guys on the roster who have shown the potential to start at TE.

WR: We all know this is a desperately bad position. I do not think we can say that we have a young receiver or two ready to play a key role next year.

OL: Two #1s (Grubb and Oher) a top quality veteran (Birk), a #2 (Chester), a very tough guy (Yanda) and a great physical specimen (Gaither). Add it all up and you get . . . inconsistency and mediocrity??? Either they are overrated, not working hard, or are being badly coached. Behind them: Oneil Cousins -- not even good enough to suit up. No other promising young studs behind them -- very thin. Crazy, but we may need an overhaul here.

LB: With Bart Scott's spot open, I thought we had LOTS of depth -- TOO MANY young LBs. WRONG. Burgess, Gooden, McLain, Barnes -- none stepped up -- all beaten out by an UNDRAFTED FA!? Ray can not go much longer. Do we have anyone a year away from replacing him? While other teams draft stud college LBs and play them at LB, we draft "tweeners" and FAs -- and fail.

DE: Old, slow, no pass rush. No true pass rushing DEs at all. We seem to have nothing but a bunch of run-stuffing DTs. With a D line desperate for a pass rush, Kruger has not shown a great deal. He MIGHT be a player. Anyone else?

DB: Aparently, no one behind Reed, who could be gone at any moment. Landry might be done in terms of being a quality starter. Webb: a hopeful future, but he will not get any taller. He will always be several inches shorter than some of the WRs he'll need to cover. He can be a #1, but who else is there? Washington is a possibility. Carr, Walker, and The One I Will Not Name are horrible.

Coaching: Wow. What happened to Cameron? Is Harbs in over his head? Is our DB coach getting what (little) he can out of that group? Why is our OL so far from its potential?

FO: Why can we not get a WR? Why do we blow so many #2 and #3 picks? Why do we get cute with DE/LBs instead of just taking LBs? WHY HAVE WE NOT GIVEN OUR FRANCHISE QB THE WEAPONS AND GAMEPLANS HE NEEDS TO SUCCEED?

Good analysis... I am fearful that the Ravens are closer to a 6-10 team than a 10-6 team talentwise & coaching acumen moving into 2010. Oz needs to do a great job replacing these old guys with young talent. His past 2 drafts have been very good (maybe even great) but this year's FA signings have been :grbac: