Five Things I Hate About...the Pittsburgh Steelers

I feel like I have seen that game before. Back and forth, being on the losing end of yet another low time amount TD to AJ Green. It's getting old boys! We still believe! Well some of us do, some of us go on talk radio and lose our mind! The one thing that never gets old, hating on the Steelers. Now I have had some posts where it was hard to come up with five things. For this, you mean I only need five?

1) Why oh why did they have to be so good in the 70s

credit: Amazon

This one is personal. My wife grew up around the time of Terry Bradshaw and the steel curtain battling it out with the Cowboys (her dad's team). While I thank the football God's she isn't a damn Boys fan I have to remember that she is a hated rivals fan. Now I have to go through life getting asked stupid questions like, "How did this happen?" Or hearing fun things directed towards her like, "go home bitch!,"or, "I knew there was a reason I liked your wife." Guess which fan says what in those previous interactions. If they could have just sucked like they did in the 3 decades prior that would have been fantastic. Alas, they didn't, so I have to stare at a black and white framed photo of Bradshaw on my wife's nightstand. Three pictures on that damn thing, Bradshaw, our daughter and our first dog. Notice there was no mention of me in there. DAAAAAAAAAAAAMN YOOOOOOOOOOOOOU BRAAAAAAAAAADSHAAAAAAW!

Eh, I got the wedding photo over the bed. Suck it Bradshaw!

2) Wishy Washy Fan Reactions to Michael Vick

credit: NFL Memes

Some fans, could care less. "He served his time blah blah blah here we go blah blah black and yellow blah blah terrible towel blah blah QUEST FOR 7 blah blah."  I know, I know....Ray Rice. I heard it already! Am I condoning what either of them did? No. Did I support Rice when it all went down? No. However, your new backup served time for running a dog fighting ring where multiple dogs were killed and mistreated. My guy punched his future wife. Just sayin'. Your QBs tend to make poor decisions. Hoping for more from Vick on Thursday.

I personally enjoy talking to the ones who hate the move...like the wife. "I...can't believe they signed him. I'm embarrassed. I don't know if I can support them." Did I mention the dog photo on the nightstand over me? Okay, now that we're clear...

3) Hines Ward's face

credit: steelers.com

That smile probably means he just legally blind side blocked the hell out of somebody and gave them a concussion. Ward has the same effect as Derek Jeter had/has on me. I hate/respect him. Ward was a warrior and one of the reasons that the Steeler/Raven rivalry is so great today. Would I have taken him on my team? Oh hell yeah. Would I have enjoyed seeing him fall through the ground in The Dark Knight Rises? Bane is an ass hat for NOT doing that. Did I enjoy seeing him get blown away in The Walking Dead? I would have, if he would have been on screen for more than 10 seconds. I do take some pleasure knowing he had to sit through all the time of having the makeup put on for only a few seconds of work...however, still awesome to have been on the show. DAMN YOU WARD! EVEN IN RETIREMENT WE STILL HATE YOU! Admit it, you know you boo when NBC is in town and he shows up. He feeds off those like a warlock feeds off tears.

credit: examiner.com

4) Joey Porter is still a douche

I have hated this guy for as long as I can remember. It pains me to still see him on the damn sideline. I mostly hate him for one play in particular. Way back in my drunken youth (2004) we were playing the Steelers here at the big crab cake. Todd Heeeeeeeeeeeeap (yeah we started that before your little Heeeeeeeeeeeath chant d-bags) came back from a play and was limping badly. He had, what looked like, hurt his ankle on the play and the Ravens were rushing to the line to spike the ball to stop the clock. Porter, in his infinite wisdom, pushed Heap to the ground as Boller spiked the ball. Porter denied it as a cheap shot and said Heap could have been faking and that this is just football. After that moment I busted my roommates chops and called my friend (and future wife) to call her player an a$$hole. They both gave the same defense. 

Probably cause they were butthurt to have lost to a Kyle Boller led Ravens team, 30-13. I don't blame you, if I lost to a pile of garbage in a game of Madden I'd be pissed to.

5) There is no arguing with SOME of their fans

Now, some of them do actually have some damn sense. Just like some Ravens fans(stop stereotyping us Steeler fan). True football heads are hard to come by but when you can have an educated conversation with a rival fan without ever hearing the phrase, "WE HAVE 6!," or "QUEST FOR 7!" It's a beautiful thing. Like seeing a rainbow, finding the pot of gold at the end of said rainbow and enjoying an ice cold one as you swim around your new riches. However with Steeler fans it's like seeing a freaking unicorn. It never happens. Most keep that stupid title comment in their back pocket along with "hate us cause they ain't us" which is just a totally overused phrase that needs to just die. The people that use that phrase are usually the ones that try to bet on games with you before you even know who is going to be on the team. Listen here Mitch, can we get to March before you want me to drop a 50 spot on the game? K! Thaaaaaaaaanks.

I am shocked that took more than 10 minutes to type up! I'm disappointed, that I didn't have more hate! The thing is with this team, we all have plenty. While I haven't been to a Ravens Steelers game in nearly a decade I can honestly say that those were the most intense games I went to. I saw more fights pregame than anyone can imagine and would almost bet to see more at the game were I there on Thursday. Hopefully the Ravens put up a good showing cause you know with Vick out there its going to be a dog fight. Waka waka kids!

credit: muppethub.com

Would the Real Contender...

Please stand up, please stand up. We're a contender so don't be a pretender and won't the real contender please stand up, please stand up, please stand up. Will Smith doesn't have to cuss in his blogs to get views, oh yeah well...

Well before I go all Marshall Mathers, this question is asked every season by the true contenders for a division. The Broncos faithful have to wonder if the Chiefs or Chargers are going to matter. The Colts have to hope for four more years of sucking for the Texans and Titans. The Patriots have, uh, the Patriots have, uhm, OH WAIT I GOT IT! The Patriots have to figure out how to make the NFL look like a bunch of morons each season and whether or not someone in their division might get out of mediocrity. While us in purple country, MD wonder who is going to be a bigger thorn in our side. The Steelers or Bengals.

If we all want to believe Sports Illustrated's Peter King who recently said we could go to the Super Bowl this season with the only thing being in our way....the Cincinnati Bengals. Citing that they have won 4 out of the last 5 meetings between us. That lone victory was the insane overtime home game where AJ Green caught that TD pass to tie the game off of a deflection from Ihedigbo. I had a Bengal fan drop this gem on me, "Andy Dalton (regular season version) always seems to be the Red Rifle against you, (terrible) against most everyone else." Easy bro, Dalton hasn't exactly been precise in our meetings. Surprisingly productive in crunch time yes but his TD-INT is terrible. He has 7(passing) TDs compared to 12 INTs. His QBR isn't that impressive either with only eclipsing a 90 rating twice (out of eight meetings). So while the Bengals fan may have said something silly, King points towards the Bengal defense as their reason for success. While our defense aged and hit kind of a rut, the Bengals have improved significantly on offense and defense over the past few years. Their D has held us to 18.8 points per game. Doesn't bode well for getting another important factor for success in the playoffs. King believes that for the Ravens to go to the promised land we need homefield advantage. I got to say, I 100% agree with that fact. The Harbaugh led Ravens are 45-11 at home and a measly 27-29 on the road during the regular season. Would you rather enjoy playing in the nest in downtown Baltimore for the AFC championship or freezing your nether regions off in Denver/New England?

That being said, let's look at who is actually playing New England on Thursday night. The Steelers will be opening the season against the reigning champs from New England where there are probably going to be a total of 90 points put up. The Steelers, like us, have had a severe change in their lineup over the past few years during our rivalry, arguably the best one in the sport. Their defense is just straight doo doo. While we (surprisingly) finished in the top 10 last year, Pittsburgh fell down into 18th. Not terrible but also not the Steeler football that we are used to seeing. On the flip side of that, they were the second in the league in both total offense (a mere .3 yards behind the Saints) and passing (behind Indy by 69 yards). The killer B's (Big Ben, Le'Veon Bell and Antonio Brown) all

The Killer B's
Photo Credit: Bleacher Report

have something to do with that. Brown and Bell are arguably the best at their position. Ben is the best QB in the division, ouch that hurt to type. Anyway the man is more than likely going to post a 5,000 yard season this year especially with Bell out the first two games of the year while going against okay pass defenses. New England doesn't really have a shut down corner(and Ben has done well before since Belichick hasn't figured him out). San Francisco may have one, in the year 2020. So he might legitimately have nearly 1,000 yards by the end of week 2. No Bell means little to no run game (sorry DeAngelo Williams) and even though the team is without their deep threat in Bryant they still have a bevy of other weapons they can use. The cupboard isn't bare in Pittsburgh. What does this have to do with the Ravens you say? Well in all honesty, as far as the season series goes we can usually pencil whip a 1-1 split between the teams. Most times they will be close, someone may die/get severely injured and we are going to have one of a battle with some jerkwad on social media about something Suggs does. Happens every time. The thing is, Pittsburgh always plays well later in the season, you know when the season is on the line, and we do get to play them in a part of their schedule that they are usually in a groove.

In all honesty there is a wrong answer here. That answer is what King said. I don't see how, with the chip on our shoulder from last year, we don't march all over Cincy when we play them in week 3. Harbs seems to be quite pissy lately when the team isn't performing up to par and I don't see them doing that again against the Bengals. Hell, by week 17 they could be out of the playoff picture. They have a tougher (first place) schedule, an aging oft injured defense, their star player is coming back from several injuries from just a season ago (A.J. Green) and a QB who (most of the time) chokes under pressure. I hate/respect Big Ben. If we aren't up by 9 or more against the Steelers with more than :35 on the clock I'm nervous. If anyone says other wise they are lying more than Tom Brady in court.

All in all I expect this year to be a down year for the Bengals and Coach Lewis to finally be cut loose. The Steelers, whether we like them or not, get the Ravens to play their best football. Even in the Boller years (ugh) we always got amped up to beat/play them. Plus that high powered offense utterly destroyed us last season and considering our lack of depth in the secondary it could happen again. Look for the Ravens and Steelers to be going blow for blow all season.

The North Report - Preseason Edition: Pittsburgh Steelers

So let me get this straight. The Steeler's open the season with the Hall of Fame game and also open the regular season against what will probably be the Brady-less (waaa waa Pats fans) Patriots squad. Interesting. In all honesty I missed the game this past Thursday. Starters barely play in the first game and fans barely get a chance to see new players in action. Even realize the team has new players. I didn't get to hear the wife say,"Oh crap! He's a damn Steeler now?." Well now you(and she) will know.

Key Departure

This is a no brainer. It is a sad day when a future hall of famer leaves a team and the Steelers losing Troy Polamalu to retirement is disappointing. Ravens fans and Steeler fans alike loved arguing who was better between he and Ed Reed. Polamalu may have not been the same player in recent years but his presence definitely mattered in a young Steeler locker room. He was the quiet warrior and I for one am sad to see him go. Just like Hines Ward (who we all STILL hate respect) he was part of a beautiful disaster that was our rivalry with this team. I'm not going to miss him causing Flacco headaches near our own goal line (yes Steeler fan we remember that play) nor will I miss him terrorizing our entire backfield. In other words, respect!

Shamarko Thomas is stepping into the unfillable shoes of a legend. 

Update: A few days after writing this article Martavis Bryant was handed a four game suspension for violating the league's substance abuse policy. Apparently, he couldn't stay out of Le'Veon Bell's stash. Anyway his suspension hurts the offense across the board(not JUST the fantasy board). An offense that will already be missing Bell for two of those games. Markus Wheaton is going to have to step up with those two key pieces missing on offense.

What about the draft?

While every one of their fans will argue, you know they were looking for the heir apparent to Heath Miller and we snagged Maxx Williams before they could. However they still had a successful draft grabbing some depth for their linebacking core and defensive backs. They grabbed a pass rushing LB (Alvin Dupree, Kentucky) something this team has been missing since James Harrison left. Yes I know he came back and did his thing for a few games but they need it on a more consistent basis. When he was in the backfield that is when this team was dominant on the defensive side of the ball. As we all know, their pass defense was terrible last season. Almost as bad as the Ravens (which was pretty terrible). They went with a corner in the second round(Senquez Golson, Ole Miss) who was known in his college years as a ballhawk (he had 10 INTs last season at Ole Miss). In all honesty I always try to keep an eye on the receivers this team drafts. Lately they have been hitting homeruns with their later round receiver picks. This year's diamond in the rough could be Sammie Coates out of Auburn. While he did have a case of the drops he also had a case of averaging over 20 yards a reception in the SEC last season.

Did they pick up anybody?

In a word...yes! The biggest knock on the Steelers last year was how one dimensional they became without Le'Veon Bell on the field. That all should change with a significant upgrade in his backup. Deangelo Williams will be spelling Bell this season and more than likely starting in his place for a the first two games while he serves his suspension. Williams is not the runner he once was but he is still a dangerous back when healthy. He certainly isn't Bell but he can at least be dangerous as a runner which this team was missing last season when Bell wasn't out there. 

Update: While I still believe Williams to be the most significant pickup of the offseason for the Steelers, the team has signed veteran dog kill...er quarterback Michael Vick as a backup. Will Vick even see the field this season? Probably not. We all know that it literally takes a motorcycle accident for Big Ben to miss any significant amount of time. However, I can assure you that some Steeler fans (ie, the wife) were/are not too happy to see him on the team. Then again my wife likes dogs more than people.

Prediction

This really isn't prediction as much as it is a fact. This is a contending team for the division and possibly the AFC. They are year in and year out and that is mostly due to their franchise QB. There will be a battle between them and the Ravens for the AFC North which fortunately we play towards the end of the season (in week 16). However, this is during a 5 game stretch towards the end of the season where they have a quite a meaty sandwich with Browns bread. After their first game with the Browns in week 10 they get to rest up for a brutal stretch that includes @Seattle, Colts, @Cincinnati, Broncos and @Ravens before closing the season out against the Browns. This team is usually one who has started to pick up steam towards the end of the season but this one could fare differently because of that rough stretch. Yes, they are going to play the Pats without Brady more than likely in week one. Who cares? They still have to win the game without arguably their best player in Bell. So quit complaining Ravens fans, this is why they hate us. Not cause they ain't us. However if Janeane Garofalo or whatever that kids name is beats them (shut up I know his name is Jimmy Garoppolo) I will be the first to laugh at the wife until we play on Sunday against the Broncos.

10-6, wild card/possible division crown

There you have it, the division is wrapped up. Should make for an interesting football season. Remember kiddies, only a couple more sleeps until the beginning of the season!

Only Just a Dream

If you are reading this now than good for you! You weren't one of the thousands who were arrested during Sunday night's riot after the Dolphins beatdown the Ravens on Sunday. Ryan Tannehill looked like Tom Brady out there throwing for nearly 400 yards and five TDs. Mike Wallace had a career day, it was like the old days when he torched us in Pittsburgh.

Lamar Miller totaled 175 yards with a TD along with the defense taking two more to the house in what was a beatdown of epic proportions. Losing 59-15, only mustering field goals from unfortunately injured Justin Tucker, now out for the year. The radio waves(and Central Booking) have been filled with nothing but negativity and pissed off Ravens fans.

Not buying it? Me either. This town has been just losing it lately when it comes to Orioles baseball and the Ravens. Luckily they won this past Sunday. After a slow start they turned it around to easily win on the road. Something that hasn't been easy for them this season. After a three game road losing streak the Ravens have now won two in a row. One more and that's a winning streak, it has happened before. Everyone got involved in the offense with clearly two of our recent stars, Justin Forsett and Torrey Smith, hampered by injuries. We had a Lorenzo Taliaferro sighting and Kamar Aiken filled in quite nicely for Torrey. Both players had career days and look to continue to do that this week against the less than subpar 2-11 London, er I mean, Jacksonville Jaguars.

The schedule has been a focus of my past few posts for the simple fact that the only team in the last three for the Ravens that scares me is the Texans. A road game and J. J. Watt never spells success to me. The good news is that Pittsburgh also has a rough go heading to Atlanta this week (they just don't play well against the NFC South) while San Diego welcomes Pey Pey and the Broncos. By Monday we could be in a playoff position with our eyes on the division should Cincinnati falter.

The phone lines at radio stations will be going nuts, all the liquor stores will be sold out of Natty Boh (BLASPHEMY!), fireworks will be shot off (Katy Perry's "Firework" will be overplayed), people will be missing work(hangovers), Skins fans will slowly creep away from Landover to appreciate a quality franchise, for every ecstatic Ravens fan there will be 25 pissed off Steeler fans when/if they miss the postseason, my editor might get more creative blogs from me, THE LIST IS ENDLESS! THIS IS MADNESS! NO! THIS IS SPAR...BALTIMORE!

That being said, we handle business against a scrappy Jacksonville team while resting a few beat up players (Torrey and Forsett) and we are setting ourselves up for a nice little playoff run. Even in our Super Bowl year we didn't have that. We had the division locked up with a couple games to play. The suspense is a killer but a nice one that would want to cuddle first. 

Around the North

image courtesy of  www.thesidelinereport.com

Man, what the hell are we all going to do this week? No Ravens to watch, maybe a fantasy team is your liking. Personally I enjoy contemplating how in the world we can make it out of this division and into the playoffs. The only division where every team is above .500! More than likely stuck in front my TV hopefully laughing at one of our division foes going down in a barrel of flames.

Before I do all that, I figure why not go around the division and figure out just how teams got there and if they stand a chance of staying there (cough cough CLEVELAND cough cough). We are going to travel from first to worst in the division.

The Browns shocked not only the Bengals last Thursday but everyone in the division(perhaps the world), claiming sole possession of first place for the first time in 18 years. September 24, 1995 was the last time they were a first place team. You know, the season right before they became the Ravens! The team is currently 6-3 while wearing the division crown.

How they got here: The three headed monster they have in their backfield of Ben Tate (3.3 YPC), Isiah Crowell(4.6 YPC) and Terrance West(3.7 YPC). No one can honestly tell who is going to be the dominant back out of the bunch most weeks (recently it has been the rookie West) but they all produce. West leads the pack with 396 rushing yards, Tate has 342 and Crowell comes in last with 296. The trio has a total of 12 TDs! Which is more than their QB has (10). That production has only eased the passing game for Hoyer who just keeps on winning. He isn't lighting up the stat sheet, as mentioned, but he sure is doing it in the win column. A defense that bends (20th in total defense) but doesn't break (sixth in points allowed) has helped.

A look at the schedule: Man, who thought at the beginning of the year that the division could come down to us and the Browns in that last game? If you said, "me!," you are totally full of it. The Browns will be taking their talents on the road four out of their last seven games including Atlanta (much better at home, let's face it even the Jags beat the Browns when they were the home team) and coming to Baltimore. Any team with a rushing attack is going to give them problems, they rank 28th in the league against the run. Most of these teams at home will try to gain the lead and build that lead with the run (see Jacksonville). Their toughest opponent will be visiting them on December 7th when the Colts come to town. I could see them only getting out of this stretch with two wins but if they can go 4-3 they might take the division.

Important future knowledge: Josh Gordon, arguably the league's best WR will be back in week 12. We are talking about a guy who led the league in receiving last season only playing in 14 games. Their missing passing attack will shine when Gordon returns.

Prediction: 9-7, tied for second in the division

This team was the toast of the league during the first month of the season. Sure they swept us but they have looked piss poor in a decent amount of their games this season. Dalton is proving that when the pressure is on he can't close the deal. In Thursday's contest Dalton had more interceptions (3) than his passer rating (2.0), insane! However the team still remains in second place (stupid tie, no one likes getting ties, not even for Christmas!) at 5-3-1.

How they got here: We have already discussed the disaster on Thursday that ended their 15 game winning streak at home. Started off going 3-0 and being a Super Bowl favorite. Then the massacre in New England happened. The following week was the now infamous tie. Which leads me to ask, how do you tie the Panthers at home? They stink! The biggest news out of that game was A.J. Green's injured toe. Green missed when they were shutout against the Colts and their victory at home against the Ravens. Now they are dealing with Gio Bernard missing time giving the rookie Jeremy Hill some time as the lead back. 50/50 so far. Two weeks ago he was great, against a poor rush defense in Cleveland he was awful. However they were down the entire game so that had a little something to do with it. The team is in the middle of the pack offensively and among the bottom dwellers in a couple defensive categories. Mostly due to Dalton's ineptitude to succeed, he is having his worst season after being overpaid back in August. Doesn't scream, "division winner."

A look at the schedule: It's not looking much better for the Bengals as they prepare for a pissed off New Orleans team who just lost a heartbreaker to the 49ers. The Saints rarely lose at home and I don't anticipate them starting a losing streak. Five of the seven games remaining are on the road for the Bengals. A team that has managed just 40 points in three games on the road. 13-14 points is not going to win this Sunday and it might not even beat Arian Foster and the Texans the following week. They still have four games in the division and more than likely will split the two they have with the Steelers. It's just what division opponents do. However I fully expect them to succumb to the season sweep at the hands of the Browns. They will be a different team with Gordon back for their next meeting and it doesn't help to be in Cleveland's domain. I see them tanking the rest of the season due to their lulls on the road.  Let us not forget that Pey Pey is coming to town with his Bronco buddies on December 22nd. So even though they have two games at home, they will be lucky to be a resident of splitsville and go 1-1.

Important future knowledge: Giovani Bernard is due to return soon which will bolster this lackluster offense who hasn't been 100% since week 4. When Green returned to the lineup he tagged out Bernard who has missed the past two games.

Prediction: 7-8-1, last in the division

Oh boy, time for some home cookin'! We ho hummed our way through the Ray Rice scandal to start the year, going 2-1. While we were dismantling the NFC South (who hasn't really) we started getting some praise. Then Roethlisberger happpened. Nevertheless we are still within striking distance of the division leading Browns even though we are tied for last place with the Pittsburgh Steelers with a 6-4 record.

How they got here: Getting swept by the Bengals is honestly what has us at the bottom of the barrel of the division. Splitting with the Steelers and losing to Indy were things we knew could/would happen before the season began. What we didn't know was the resurgence of Steve Smith Sr. or Justin Forsett. Forsett has only gone on to lead the league in yards per carry, something the Ravens were 32nd (yeah sports fans, that was last place in the league) last season. Currently we are the eighth ranked rushing team in the NFL. Mostly due to Forsett. Sure Smith Sr. has slowed down these past few weeks but he is still nearly 400 yards ahead of our second place receiver. While the offense is a little ahead of the middle of the pack the defense. Ranking third in points allowed, something this team has been known for some time now. We all know about Suggs, Ngata and the rest of our veterans but the leading tackler for this team is the rookie C.J. Mosley. Definitely the front runner for defensive rookie of the year, he currently has 90 tackles, 1 forced fumble and 2 interceptions. Our biggest issue has been our pass defense and Jimmy Smith's season ending foot injury/surgery is not helping that. Last week against the Titans we looked okay after that first drive. However, that was the Titans.

A look at the schedule: Coming off the bye week we are off to the Big Breesy for a Monday night date with the Saints. We have won there before but with a much better pass defense. Honestly we are done with the meaty part of our schedule. Among our division, our remaining opponents have the worst winning percentage. We have three at home (San Diego, Jacksonville and Cleveland) and three on the road (New Orleans, Miami and Houston). All very winnable games but we all know the parity of the NFL where any team can pull one out that maybe they shouldn't. Hear me out, we already saw what happened to San Diego coming across country, a beatdown in Miami. Jacksonville is scrappy but should not scare us at home. The division may come down to the Cleveland game. They are going to be the best team that we play the rest of the season. They again will be a different team with a totally different game plan with Gordon in the lineup. However, by then we hope, the secondary will have pulled together. Our biggest challenge on the road comes against the Dolphins in week 13. Hear me out! The Fins are quietly one of the best defensive teams in the league, ahead of us in many of the stats. They are fourth in the league in total defense including being the second ranked team in pass defense. We also will be battling it out with them with the thoughts of a playoff spot being out there. The winning team would have a leg up in the wild card and possibly catch up to their division leader. Let's face it, the Dolphins are a wild card or bust team. They won't catch the Pats.

Important future knowledge: Flacco could turn out to have his best season this year. The only decent defense he will face is Miami. He is only two TDs behind last year's total with far less interceptions. A mere eight away from his career high. We can only hope that the money we spent after his Super Bowl MVP is finally going to show through in his regular season numbers.

Prediction: 11-5, first place in the division

We save the worst for last! Okay okay, tie for worst. The Steelers have been very inconsistent this season and are either the best team on the planet or worse than the Jets...and Bucs. I mean it is hard to consider this team a contender when they do what they do against less than mediocre opponents. No way they should have lost to either of those teams but somehow they found a way to play worse than them. When they lost to Tampa they were still trying to find their offense. They find their offense but lose it against a decent Jets defense. Antonio Brown actually is human and did something wrong(a lost fumble).

How they got here: Horrible losses to the Bucs and Jets that in my honest opinion should have been wins which would catapult them into first place in this division. You have to play to your schedule and the Steelers have not beaten all of the opponents that they should have. On the bright side, this season has been Le'Veon Bell's coming out party. He has been a beast out of the backfield totaling 1,213 yards from scrimmage. Just not sniffing the end zone. Big Ben has been up and down this season, most recently he had the peak of 12 TDs in two games (tying an NFL record). However against the Jets he was back to the Ben Raven fans love, throwing red zone interceptions. The defense has come around since the beginning of the season but is still old and lacking when it comes to pass defense. They are a middle of the pack defense with tremendous upside on the offense, if they are clicking watch the scoreboard go. Also let's not forget the coming out party of Martavis Bryant. He has played in 4 games this season and has 6 TDs. I wish the Ravens could draft a receiver like that.

A look at the schedule: How in the world the Titans got a Monday night home game I have not a clue. However, you got to know that Tomlin is going to be asking his men to step up and show up against another low quality team. Who knows? Maybe they will. Considering their piss poor record against such an opponent I doubt it. They are one of the few teams that have not had their bye week, which will happen next week. This team, like us, can benefit from a late bye. It could help push them into the playoffs. They still play the Bengals twice, if they sweep that could be the division for them. At the very least a wild card. Not that they don't travel well but just where they have to travel makes me believe they won't win another road game this year. Is it possible they can win in Atlanta and Tennessee (cue Arrested Development)? Sure! Have they proven that they will win? Not so much. Their home games are New Orleans (terrible on the road), Kansas City(these Chiefs ain't royal) and finishing out the year against Cincy. Odds are that either this game or the Ravens/Browns game will be moved into primetime. The division could be on the line in either game.

Important future knowledge: The defense will get a boost when Ike Taylor returns from his broken forearm. He wasn't the shutdown corner he used to be but he is clearly their best option. I already mentioned the emergence of Martavis Bryant. He is what this team has been missing since Plaxico Burress left.

Prediction: 9-7, tied for second in the division

Yeah, I know it seems like a homer pick to take the Ravens but in reality they should end the season that way. The back end of their schedule is much easier than their division opponents so why not. 10-6 could win this division but 11-5 just sounds better. We could have two division champs in our town for the first time in my life. That would be awesome!

Haven't You Heard?

So have you heard? The bird is the word! Well the Ravens bird that is.

NFL schedules were released Tuesday which means that last night the complaints from fans began about who had the most ridiculous schedule out there. As well as bragging rights as to who has the toughest schedule for 2010. Well this blog is nothing like that, actually I lie. It's everything like that.

I am not basing my opinion on records from last year like Texans or Titans fans are (they are tied for the hardest schedule based on that). Their opponents bolster a .547 winning percentage from last season. Mainly due to the strength of their own division or just the Colts. Why wouldn't I base it on the same thing that many experts are? Simple, did personnel change? So the teams are all going to change, good or bad. If you want to check out the list go
here ---> http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcnorth/post/_/id/11663/sweating-out-the-schedule

With that said let me start off by saying that the Ravens have one of the toughest schedules in the league this year. They rank in the middle of the pack when it comes to last years record (12th, .508 percentage) but they are tied with the Lions at that spot. Leaning towards the Ravens being better then the kittens this year. Just a guess. While I went through last year and analyzed and predicted whether the team would win each game on my fridge (not man enough to put it in the blog I guess) I was completely wrong. I didn't see the Bengals not sucking last year, I'm not Merrill Hoge. Nor did I see the Steelers losing to such powerhouses as the Raiders, Browns and Chiefs. At least I got some enjoyment out of that.

So before this drones on let's get to this years schedule. Let's break it down to 4 game increments.

Weeks 1-4 - @Jets, @Cincinnati, Browns and @ Pittsburgh

Prediction - 2-2

The Ravens get the opportunity to play the first Monday Night game in new Jets/Giants stadium. Honestly in the first 7 games before the bye I could see them only getting 3 wins in that stretch. I would be upset and disappointed but it could happen. The Jets game will be the most interesting, not only for the simple fact that its Rex vs Ravens but more importantly its Rex's disciples against Rex's current followers. This could be a new rivalry that could challenge the gladiator fights in Rome for the amount of bloodshed. Two smashmouth teams that have similar gameplans, run and stop the run. What a way to open up Monday Night Football. Cincinnati will be tough but they really haven't improved their team. Still the same team who got blown out in the first round of the playoffs last season just with Antonio Bryant who fell off in production last year. The prediction for the home game against the Browns is that Delhomme will throw 4 picks, if he's the starter. At Jets, at Cincinnati and at Pittsburgh will all be tough games. Even with Big Ben out for the week 4 game (it has just been announced that he will be suspended for 4-6 weeks for personal conduct violations) against the Ravens, Dixon gave them trouble in Baltimore last season. More then likely he will start over Leftwich/Batch.

Week 5-9 - Broncos, @New England, Bills, Bye, Miami

Prediction - 4-0

I know what you are going to say. Obvious wins are agains the Broncos and Bills. Neither team has improved (Broncos are rebuilding trading Brandon Marshall to the Dolphins and Tony Scheffler to the Detroit). Besides, even if Brady Quinn starts for Denver, we own him. Plus those are home games, expect a beatdown of one or both of those teams. Before last season's drubbing of the Pats in the playoffs I would have immediately said there was no way we could win at Gilette Stadium. Now I have high hopes and the Ravens are going to need to go undefeated in this stretch to improve their playoff chances later. A win over the Pats in their house would assist in that. That and it would fuel the fire for me to tease my buddy Marcel who hails from the region. The Bills could be a surprise if they get something from the QB position. Odds are bad for that to happen though. Injuries seem to kill the Bills as well. Add that all the teams in their division got better while they seemed to only get worse (they lost Terrell Owens to free agency...maybe). Plus new coach; alright, thats it enough piling up negatives on the Bills. In week 9, after the bye, Miami pays us a visit. They just picked up a guy we were after last year in Brandon Marshall. Now if he only had a QB that could get him the ball. Marshall is going to burn us, pretty sure of that. Most big time receivers do. That's if Henne has the time to throw which, in our house, is unlikely.

Weeks 10-13 - @Atlanta, @Carolina, Tampa Bay, Pittsburgh

Prediction - 3-1

We will finally have a head to head of Flacco and Ryan. The two first round QB's from a couple years ago. Should be a show that the Falcons will lose. Yes, I know they picked up Dunta Robinson. I am pretty sure that Boldin will truck him and Ray Rice will juke him out of his shoes. Their linebacking core is young and inexperienced. John Abraham will give Oher a test on the edge but this is a game we should win. Ryan needs to improve from his sophomore slump last year. The game against the Panthers could be interesting. Moore can go deep and Steve Smith is, oh wait wrong one. If they can actually run on our boys than they might stand a chance. This 3 game NFC South stretch ends against the Bucs in the nest. There is no way they pull of a victory in Baltimore, Josh Freeman will get abused in that game. While I could continue to analyze the game, why would I? The Bucs are rebuilding along with the Rams and Lions, these 3 will be vying for top 5 picks in next years draft. This all leads to the final season meeting against the Steelers. Now we all know they will still be near the top of our division because they are the Steelers after all. Add to the fact that the only tough opponent in their first 6 games when they will be without Ben is us and possibly Miami/Tennessee. As we all know, when both teams are playing well, 9 times out of 10 the home team wins. Facts are facts, even Kyle Boller beat them in Baltimore. Argue with that Steeler fan!

Weeks 14-17 - @Houston, Saints, @Cleveland, Bengals

Prediction - 2-2

The end of the season could be interesting. At Houston is a game that is up in the air in my eyes. Could go either way depending on what Texans team shows up. As far as New Orleans, they are the defending Super Bowl champs, Brees is on the Madden cover (by this time in the season he could have fallen to the infamous Madden curse) and their offense should still be strong. Cleveland as I said before will be a joke this year but by week 16 things should or could be clicking for them, think last year when they ended the Steelers hopes at the playoffs. When they realized Jerome Harrison could actually run the ball if given the opportunity, the defense began to play, for lack of a better term, defense. So who knows what can happen with a division rival on the road. Speaking of division rivals the Bengals come to Baltimore for week 17 which could be a division crown deciding game. If I were the NFL I would have scheduled the Steelers for the Ravens in week 17 to guarantee that everyone would play for both teams since the players hate/respect each other. The same could be said about some of the Bengals as far as respect but this should be a great game in what could be a lackluster week 17 where teams in the AFC South and West will likely be resting players.

So I have the Ravens going 11-5 which could win the division. Hopefully I am right and Flacco leads us to the playoffs for the third straight year. If I am wrong however, who will know? You won't tell anyone, will you?

Bye or Sell

So this past week was officially the bye week and I think I speak for all Ravens fans when I say, "Thank God!" We were heading in with a horrific three week losing streak where we lost by a total of eleven points, yes combined, to three very good teams.

Losing at New England, honestly we all know we kind of expected it, wasn't so bad. Having Clayton take a ball off the numbers when we could have had the game on the final drive, hurts. Then Cincinnati comes to town, coming off an upset victory over the Steelers. They are the cardiac cats for a reason as they ripped out our hearts on their final drive rather than completely screwing the pooch like they had in years past. Of course that leads to this past week where I thought we were in deep trouble after the first quarter and then Flacco/Rice lead us back into the game only to have our special teams blow it on the final play. Well I am here, fellow Ravens fans and probably haters, to ease your pain from this three week demise from on top of the world (and power rankings) to middle of the pack. Let's first talk about why we are depressed.

Our Defense is NOT Who We Thought They Were!

Let's talk about the defense, something we always knew or thought we could count on as Ravens fans/followers. Some of us referred to them for years as our offense, jokingly and unfortunately true for some time. Now we look pitiful, especially in our secondary. We are usually in the top 5 throughout the season in total defense and at this point this unit is a disgrace.

Here is our stat line in defense this season; 21st in points allowed with 21.7, 17th in total defense with 332.7 yards a game (22nd against the pass, 241.5 yds/gm and 8th against the run, at least we have that still), 5th in the league in interceptions with 7 but only 2 fumbles recovered. So through 6 games we have only caused 9 turnovers and scored 2 TDs on defense? Yes, I know Reed actually took one to the house and last season didn't really get going until late in the year. Yes, we are all hoping that happens again. Yes, he is the only person in our secondary I don't want to throw out the window right now. No, I will not stop using interjections! Fine, I will. I'm serious this time. Greg Mattison is not using our pass rushers as well as he could. It seems like the only guy getting pressure is Suggs and Ray Lewis. We have been spoiled in years past but great defensive minds like Marvin Lewis, Mike Nolan and Rex Ryan. All of been head coaches in this league (2 still are) with Nolan turning around a horrible Broncos defense from a year ago to being number 1 in the league. Let's give Mattison time to adjust to his team before Harbaugh probably chews him a new one. But if he doesn't, I can assure you that there are millions of fans that gladly would.

And before someone goes crazy and says how our red zone defense has been decent this year I'm just a guy calling it how I see it. How we looked great in the second quarter on Sunday and blah blah blah. Fine but I am solid in my stance of this defense is not who we thought they were going to be.

Matt Stover WOULD NOT Have Made That Kick!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lay off the kicker people. Unless you can kick a 44 yard field goal to win an NFL game on the road just stop it. I was just as upset as any Raven fan was when the kick went inches to the left on Sunday. If it was Stover it wouldn't even have been long enough. Last season, Stover was 5/9 on field goals between 40 and 49 yards. Percentage wise the odds are against Stover who kicked better at home then on the road throughout his career. Also would you rather have the 53rd spot on your roster for a linebacker (like we do this season, they guy took down and injured Adrian Peterson for a series) or a kicker like we had to for previous years for kickoffs. Steven Hauschka is only in his first full season as a field goal kicker. In limited chances, as opposed to other seasons, he is 5/7 with his long being from 44 yards (54 being his career long). Everything was wrong with that play, Koch got it down but the snap was horrible. The rest is obviously history.

Since this is supposed to be a more positive piece let's go to a guy who, in his rookie season, missed a lot of important kicks. Am I the only guy who remembers that in Nate Kaeding's rookie year he was terrible? When it came to crunch time kicks(specifically one kick is all I can think of), like that of Sunday, Kaeding missed. Luckily for him he wasn't used that often, they had some guy named Ladainian Tomli-something. Kaeding did start the season great being perfect until week 7. Unlike Haushka, Kaeding's issue was with shorter kicks (his first miss was between 20-29 yards) and he was pretty accurate during the regular season. The only pressure he faced was in their opening round playoff game against the New York Jets. Also different from Hauschka, Kaeding was actually drafted (3rd round in 2004). Hauschka was an undrafted free agent that we picked up mid season for kickoffs last year. Other undrafted free agent kickers in history for example are Adam Vinatieri, Mike "the drunk kicker" Vanderjagt(thanks Peyton for the nickname) and Robbie Gould to name a few. I'm in no way saying the guy is Vinatieri now but just give him a chance.

Just a reminder folks, that was not all Hauschka. Kick wide yes! Horrible snap by Katula, no. Now for a change in the mood. What should we all be excited about? I think its pretty obvious.

Our Past Two Drafts Rule Everyone!

So in the past two drafts we have selected Joe Flacco, Ray Rice and Michael Oher. All have entered beast mode this season. Flacco is throwing all over everyone, Rice just torched a defense that hadn't allowed a rushing TD all season(Rice got 2) and Michael Oher is passing every test thrown at him on the line.

Starting with Flacco, everyone is just wacko for this guy. For good reason, a Raven QB you actually might want on your fantasy team. Who knew? He ranks in the top 10 in the league in passing yards(9th with 1,674) , pass yards per game (8th with 279, only 4 yards behind Drew Brees) and TDs (tied 8th with 11). Every game it seems like Cam Cameron is trusting him with more and more plays. Whether its going deep or just trying to get the first down, Flacco can do it. His favorite target seems to be the all wise Derrick Mason, all he does is catch first downs. Clayton is starting to come around, making some clutch grabs after that monumental drop in New England. Add to that Todd Heap's performance and health thus far, the guy has weapons. One very quick and elusive man out of the backfield isn't bad either.

That would be Ray Rice. I have been man crushing Ray Rice since I heard we drafted him before last season. Unlike other fans, Antoine, who were or may have been gushing over Steve Slaton(yeah, "We coulda had him, that guys fast," is an exact quote from Antoine) after one year(he is slumping so far this season) now look at this season. Rice has developed into an explosive option out of the backfield. He looked pretty awesome against a tough Minnesota D, especially against the run. Getting the first two rushing scores of the season against them. He may not lead the league in rushing like Cedric Benson but he is averaging 6 yards a carry. Who in their right mind wouldn't take that out of their running back? In addition to his quick cuts, Rice also has great hands. This is the reason why he leads the team with 33 catches with an average of nearly 10 yards per reception. Basically if Rice touches the ball, he has a chance of picking up 8 yards. Now that Willis is nearly out of the picture when it comes to taking his goal line carries, Rice is able to find the end zone. Actually all of Rice's TD runs thus far have been outside the 20. Which is where he has been excellent this season without the TD stealing McGahee or McClain in his way. Now fantasy owners and Ravens fans alike are gushing over this guy, we all think he can handle the load.

Speaking of a load, let's talk about Michael Oher for a second. He played hard in preseason. So hard that he took a man out, drilled him into the ground and had his own helmet fly off. If you missed it, that sucks for you(there was also a moment in week 1 against the Chiefs). What you didn't miss was his performance against one of the nastiest pass rushers in the NFL. After which he sounded very confident, boosting his performance. This didn't sit well with Jared Allen who said, "that's just some idiot trying to talk himself up ... I beat that dude like a redheaded stepchild, let's be honest. If he was so good, why did they have to chip me all day? Ask him that. That's just a rookie trying to build his self-confidence up." Oh really fool? Why he may have been sacked 3 times(1 by Allen on a blown play) and was hurried all day he never turned the ball over, threw for 385 yards, 2 TDs and had a passer rating of 109.2. So if anything he beat you like a red headed stepchild. Oher put up a great fight and will have to continue to prove himself against even more pass rushers in the coming weeks. Look at the schedule! Denver, Indy, Pittsburgh (twice) and Oakland. Yes Oakland. Richard Seymour is still a monster.

So look at it this way Ravens fans, this weekend's game is yet another monster one. We need at least 11 wins for a chance at the playoffs. We have a great chance at doing that. We can still take the division. We are still beasts of the...uh...north!?!