The 51 yard field goal made by Phil Dawson as time ran out was first called a miss. But the referees conferred and made the right call. What the ball essentially did was break the field of play and bounced back. That kick is good and the referees did not blow it.

The Ravens special teams played uncharacteristically poor. Joshua Cribs ran the ball easily all day. He had 7 returns averaging 25 yards. Koch has a put that went only 30 yards. Stover, however, was stellar as usual.

The Ravens offense was anemic most of the game but it showed some life late in the game. Boller was not great but at this point gives the Ravens a better chance of winning games. The Ravens should have started him last week.

At 4-6 and 0-5 in the division, the Ravens are done. If the Ravens are planning on letting go of Billick, they should do it now. Perhaps if the Ravens do fire Billick now, they may go on a crazy winning stretch like they did last year when they got rid of Fassel. Maybe.

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It seemed like the Ravens were playing the 4th quarter like they were ahead by 50. It was a very poor performance on both sides of the ball. Instead of making tackles, Ravens defenders were trying to knock the ball out of the ball carrier’s had too often. Jets receivers were getting open way too often and had 3 chances to force overtime with time running out. Lucky for the Ravens each 3 times the ball was dropped.

Billick is still making questionable plays at the conclusion of the game. The Ravens second to last possession only lasted 30 second. 2 out of 3 were pass plays. Billick needed to pound the ball and kill time. Instead he called pass plays and returned the ball back to the Jets after only 30 seconds.

Boller performed better than I expected. He did not throw any interceptions and he did not trip over himself. He threw for 2 scores, he did not get sacked, and he completed 65% of this throws. As long as Boller keeps playing like he did today, we will be alright until McNair is back.

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Turn the ball over 6 times and you are almost guaranteed to loose. Thanks to the Ravens defense however, the Ravens were in it the whole time. Boller and Heap could not connect for a second time in the end zone and the gamed ended like that. The Ravens lost the game and have to come back home with key players injured; Lewis, Ogden and McNair. None of their injuries are clear but the Ravens might have to start next week with their backup quarterback and minus their best player of the offensive line and minus their best linebacker.

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It is kind of last minute but Ogden has finally made the announcement everyone had anticipated; he is coming back for at least one more season. He did say however that his return is not "100 percent" and "something drastic" would have to happen to stop him from coming back.

This announcement, last as it was, should not have much effect on the Ravens draft. Ogden has been contemplating retirement for a while and the Ravens should pick up an offensive linemen if they get the opportunity.

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Loosing Adalius Thomas to free agency was no surprise but the loss of Jamal Lewis was totally unexpected. His loss was short lived however as the Ravens traded 3 picks for the Bills’ Willis McGahee. The Ravens have also lost full back Ovie Mughelli, who was very crucial to Jamal’s running game. McGahee however is supposed to be the type of runner that does not depend on a blocking fullback.

Other cap casualties were Tony Pashos, Aubrayo Franklin, and Edwin Mulitalo. They resigned Musa Smith and Jarret Johnson.

Jonathan Ogden is also contemplating retirement. He has made the Pro Bowl all but one of his playing years. He will make his decision before the draft. It would be devastating for the Ravens if he chooses to retire.

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Billick will be head coach of the Ravens until the 2010 season. It is believed he annually salary will be around $5 million a year. The Ravens don’t like revealing financial terms. This upcoming season will be his ninth. Only Jeff Fisher and Mike Shanahan have been head coaches longer.

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The Ravens have won the AFC North and clinched a spot in the playoffs. However, their chances of securing a first week bye were hurt when the Colts won last night. The Colts, who have the same record as the Ravens, are ranked higher because they have a better record against similar opponents. The Ravens will have to win all remaining games on their schedule and hope at least the Chargers or the Colts loses one game. Chances of that happening are slim however as the Colts have the 4-10 Texans and a home again the 6-8 Dolphins. The Chargers finish at Seattle (8-6) and home against the Arizona Cardinals (4-10). The Ravens on the other hand will have to play at Pittsburgh, which has won 5 out of its last 6 contests and host Buffalo, which has won 5 out of 7 (and the 2 losses were by 3 points or less).

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No one thought the Ravens had a chance in Kansas City (not even me). No one had won in Kansas City in December in the last 10 years. The Ravens ended Kansas City’s 18 December home game winning streak that started in 1996.

The Ravens did a lot more to the record books than just ending the Chiefs winning streak. When Stover made his first FG, he joined Gary Anderson, Morton Andersen and John Carney as the only kickers to make 400 FGs. Heap reached 300 receptions, becoming the sixth fastest to do so. The win was Billick's 72nd regular season victory, making him the winningest coach in Baltimore football. He passed Don Shula on the list. Linebacker Terrell Suggs, who forced and recovered a fumble with his second-quarter sack of Kansas City quarterback Trent Green, moved to the top of the Ravens' all-time forced fumbles chart. His 14 strips passed Peter Boulware and Adalius Thomas (13).

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Kansas City, Buffalo, Dallas, Minnosota, and Seattle are the teams the Ravens have not played outside of Baltimore. Earlier this year the Ravens also played in New Orleans for the very first time.

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The Ravens are a pretty good team in December. Over all they are 23-17. Recently, the have finished December with a 3-1 record in 2003 and 2005.

1996	1-3-0
1997	2-1-0
1998	1-3-0
1999	4-0-0
2000	4-0-0
2001	2-2-0
2002	2-3-0
2003	3-1-0
2004	1-3-0
2005	3-1-0
	23-17

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The Ravens finally got to the beleaguered Atlanta defense in the 3rd quarter. ATL’s defense shut out the Ravens offense allowing only 7 yards of rushing yards. In the second half, the Ravens offense finally got it going, doing what it knows best; hogging the ball. The Ravens are one of the best teams when it comes to time of position. The running game that was non existent the whole season suddenly came alive. Jamal Lewis scored 3 rushing touchdowns, which ties his career high. And what happens when you have a running game? You can pass. They passed the ball effectively in the second half to keep drives alive and convert third downs.

The catalyst to the Ravens second half performance was special teams play by BJ Sams. In the third quarter alone, he had 138 yards off of returns (2 kickoffs and 1 punt). With Sams setting the Ravens up with great field positions, the Ravens scored on all of their possessions in the third quarter. Matt Stover’s streak consecutive field goals made came to an end in the first half when he missed a 42-yarder.

The Ravens came out flat to begin the game for the second week in a row (the Ray Lewis effect?). Although the defense did not play poorly, they still couldn’t avoid stupid penalties. The offense was non existent and couldn’t sustain any drives. Steve McNair lost a fumble, costing the Ravens a chance to go into halftime with a score. Special teams also played poorly in the opening half. Matt Stover missed a field goal and BJ Sam played poorly (until the last 2 minutes of the half).

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In the first quarter, Steve McNair passed to Clarence Moore to the right for 4 yard touchdown. What? I thought Moore was released. It says so right on BaltimoreRavens.com.

One player that won't be suiting up for the Ravens is wideout Clarence Moore, who was released by the team Saturday [October 14th]

. Either that is a false report or they might have brought him back.

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I am one of the few Ravens fans in the DC area (College Park). I rely on Channel 9 WUSA for most of the Ravens games. So far this year, the station has carried all CBS games in which the Ravens have appeared. However Fox 5 has not been so generous. Two weeks ago, they opted to show the Philadelphia vs New Orleans game instead of the Ravens vs Carolina game. So I had to whip out the bunny ears, tune in to channel 45 and had to settle for the poor reception.

According to this article by Jim Williams, the Ravens are seeking a shared market between Baltimore and Washington. I have not heard anything about it but I am all for it. Also according to this article, 570 AM in the DC area broadcasts the Ravens games. However, according to schedule, that is not the case. Well, I will just have to tune in into that station during game time.

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Jim Fassel is no longer with the Ravens but he is still due $2 million this year and next year. Not only that but his son, John, is still with the Ravens as a coach. What a quagmire this must be for him?

Billick had to make a move if he wanted to gain more control off his fate. He did not make the move to pacify player complaints nor did he make this decision to ease tension within the coaching staff. He made this decision because the offense is the Achilles heel of this team and needs a major overhaul for the Ravens to build on their 4-2 record. Either he was going to have to relinquish control of the offense entirely to Fassel or take it all upon himself. He chose the latter and only time will tell whether he made the correct decision. Granted, Billick is dubbed an offensive genius for the success he had as an offensive coordinator with the Vikings, for which he landed a head coaching job with the Ravens. He does not have as a good a time with the Ravens now but it is an offense that has plenty of talent. It features at least one star at all the major offensive positions; quarterback, running back, wide receiver, tight end and offensive tackle. Who is to blame for the failure? It has to be the coaching. M
att Cavanaugh and Jim Fassel couldn’t get it turned around. If Billick can’t get this offense turned around by seasons end, I am sorry to say but he needs to get fired.

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After coming out the gate with an unprecedented 4 game winning streak, the Ravens have now lost 2 games. Perhaps it attributes to the fact that 3 out of the 4 teams (Oakland, Cleveland and Tampa Bay) are now a combined 2 – 13. Their next game is at a place that seems enchanted (the Superdome) and then Cincinnati at home. It will be real tough for the Ravens not to fall to 4-4.

One element of their game the Ravens usually rely on, the defense, was unreliable. Jake Delhomme passed for a career high of 365 yards against non-existent Ravens passing defense. Samari Rolle had a game he would soon like to forget, getting beat on 2 long touchdown plays of 42 and 72 yards. McAlister didn’t help by being penalized twice and I don’t recall hearing Ed Reed’s naming being called at all. However Steve Smith might just be the best receiver in the NFL. He made more than one incredible catche only great receivers seem to be capable of. Jake Delhomme deserves credit as well for making those passes.

Early in the game, Steve McNair suffered a concussion and was replaced by Kyle Boller for the rest of the game. It seemed like when the change was made, they also decided to do away with the running game. Boller came out passing the ball. The Ravens were trailing but it was at a manageable 13-7. Jamal Lewis didn’t say it in so many words but they Ravens should not have abandoned the running game. Jamal averaged 4 yards a game and the Ravens should have pounded the line more often.

Boller performed well under a difficult situation. He looked very mobile and had it not been for 2 overthrown passes, he would have had an excellent game. His 3 touchdowns are elusive, as for 2 of them came off of a deflection and the ball could have ended up on anyone’s hands; that they landed on Mark Clayton’s hands and ended up as touchdowns is pure luck.

Up next is the bye week and it could not have come at a better time, for McNair is hurt and will need as much time as possible to get better and get back into practice. Their next game will be in New Orleans versus the 5-1 Saints. The Ravens have never played at the Superdome. The Ravens have faced the Saints 3 times and have won 2 of them.

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The Ravens are 0-2 all time against the Panthers. Both games were played in Carolina.

This game will see the return of Kemoeatu to Baltimore. The Ravens were unable to keep him during the past last off season. Ray Lewis was very upset over the loss Kemoeatu.

The Ravens offense is still not in synch and having to face Carolina's defense does not make it easy. Baltimore ranks 29th in the NFL with 267.6 yards of offense per game, and McNair is 29th among quarterbacks who have played more than one game with an average of 182.2 passing yards. The rushing game hasn't been much better, averaging 97.2 yards per game.

Carolina's offense can be just as good as it defense. It futures starts such as Steve Smith, Keyshawn Johnson, DeShaun Foster, and Jake Delhomme. The Ravens defense will have their hands fool. If the offense is still stagnant, the defense could have itself a very long day.

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