4-0

[brady_branch]

Are we really this good? 4-0?

I mean, the D has looked good in the second half, but we can't keep winning on last-minute drives. A nice blowout every now and then would be nice and reassuring.

[football junkie]

Kelly Gregg and Haloti Ngata have been solid as a rock up front and that has freed up Bart Scott, Terrell Suggs, Ed Reed and RAY LEWIS to play like it's 1999 -- to paraphrase Prince.

But no, "you are" not that good. The wide outs are pedestrian -- by which I mean slow. I think I can say with complete confidence that Todd Heap is by far the best receiver on the team and he's a tight end, so that's bad.

More importantly Jamal Lewis hasn't been healthy since 2003. Without a steady running game the Ravens will wind down and tire out as the season marches on. And while Steve McNair is certainly a huge improvement over Kyle Boller -- we have to remember that this is the 2006 McNair, not the 2003 version. The offensive decreases have already started. After putting up 27 points in week 1 and 28 points in week 2, they've barely eked out 31 points in their last two games combined.

The schedule isn't going to get any easier with trips to Denver, Cincinnati, Kansas City and Pittsburgh. The Ravens also host the Panthers, Falcons and have to play the Bengals and Steelers twice.

All that written, it's awfully hard to screw up a 4-0 start. The Ravens should win 10, 11 games but don't go Superbowl dreaming.

[brady_branch]

Beating the Steelers is plenty for me. Let's just not be a reverse of the Panthers -- start 8-1 and finish 9-7.

Heap is the best receiver, but Clayton is very good on those game-winning drives. Mason has great hands, he'll catch almost anything. But I would still be looking for Heap if I got inside the 20 and I was Steve McNair... which is what he did (kinda, Heap was his second target) on Sunday. 4-0 is always great, but they've done it against teams that are a combined *gasp* 2-13 before last week's games.

[football junkie]

November 26 at Baltimore and December 24 at Pittsburgh. I see the Steelers winning both of those games. But I've been known to be wrong. I wouldn't lose any sleep over it.

I know the Steelers are 1-2 and everyone has jumped off the bandwagon but they're still a fantastic football team. Their schedule is murder but I still think they'll finish 12-4.

Steelers vs. Bears -- boy would that be a Superbowl!

[brady_branch]

I was ecstatic when the Steelers lost the division last year. My hatred of them is surpassed only by that of the Yankees.

[football junkie]

Well that 4-0 start has now been reduced to 4-2 -- still respectable but nothing special.

The offensive decline countinued, in week five Baltimore managed only three points. In week six they seemed to come alive after the injury to McNair and scored 21 points, with Kyle Boller throwing three touchdowns! Of course they still lost.

And after the bye week they've just enjoyed, I understand that Steve McNair is going back under center. I know I've said this about a dozen times, but one more won't hurt. Getting McNair would have been great for the Ravens if the calendar read 2002 -- unfortunately for them it doesn't.

And after Boller's performance in week six, I'd like to see what he can do given a start or two. Maybe the Ravens bringing in McNair to take his job and then firing his mentor, Jim Fassel, lit a fire under Boller's posterior.

I know one thing, if the Ravens just waltze McNair and company onto the field this week in New Orleans the Ravens will get clobbered. Drew Brees is the most under-rated QB in the NFL. Joe Horn certainly seems re-invigorated. And with the two-headed monster, Deuce & Reggie at RB, the Ravens are going to need to score more than six or 10 points to win.

I say start Boller because he's been playing hot -- tossed three touchdowns against Carolina which has one of the best defenses in the league. And because McNair just seems like a (statue) sitting target now. Anybody want to take bets on how many times he'll get sacked by Brian Young, Will Smith, Charles Grant or Scott Fujita combined?

[football junkie]

The Ravens are now 6-2. They've scored 61 points in the last two weeks and Steve McNair has absolutely been on fire, posting a QB Rating of 121.5 in week eight and one of 91.5 last week. Perhaps there was some problem between Jim Fassel and McNair because I can't help but notice that since Fassel was fired the Ravens' offense has been re-invigorated.

It should probably also be mentioned that Jamal Lewis has also had two of his best weeks of the season since Brian Billick took over the play calling. This week the Ravens play the Tennessee Titans. I think the Ravens would get a tougher game from the Volunteers.

[brady_branch]

On the radio here, they're talking about Maryland going 10-2 and the Ravens going 14-2. They do have the softest remaining schedule of any NFL team, but....

The reason the Ravens' offense has been so good lately is because they've got that unpredictability to them. They never throw to a motionless receiver, they throw a lot less screens, they don't try and run as much off-tackle with Jamal and up the gut with Musa Smith... and the defense has created a lot of offense as well, with all those turnover TDs...