Has anything gone right for the Baltimore Ravens this season? It’s been a season full of lapses by the team. John Harbaugh andOzzie Newsomehave made enough personnel moves that would even impress Buck Showalter and Dan Duquette, who are known for making a lot of rosters moves. And if the play on the field is not enough to make you sick, the officials – and the response from the NFL – have been a disgrace this season as well.
The news this week is just more salt in the wounds of the Ravens. First-round pick Breshad Perriman has been placed on season-ending injured reserve. He survived just a few hours on the practice field on the opening day of training camp before a knee injury has cost his the entire season. They cutJeremy Ross. They also parted ways withAsa Jackson. Kaelin Clay,Chase FordandCassius Vaughn, who spent training camp with Baltimore, have been added to the 53-man roster.
Then comes the ultimate low blow. The NFL released a statement saying that the officials in the game against the Jackonsville Jaguars made a mistake on the final play, and the Ravens should have been handed a win. To make the situation worse, the officiating crew will not be penalized for the lapse. Why tell us that they made a mistake and make zero attempt to fix the situation?
The officiating has been a problem all season long. The Ravens were victimized this Sunday. The Detroit Lions had a game taken away from them against the Seattle Seahawks. The Pittsburgh Steelers should have had an additional 18 seconds of playing time against the San Diego Chargers. These are all fixable mistakes, yet the league slaps the wrists of their officials and move on. Roger Goodell has no problem fining and suspending the players around the league, and it’s time to do the same with the officials too.
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Fans keep hoping that there will be something good that comes out of this season, but there is little to hang your hat on. The injuries have plagued this team once again. The lack of playmakers on offense has been a problem all season long. The defense cannot make crucial stops when necessary. EvenJustin Tuckerhasn’t been his usual self this season. In fact, the only player on this team deserving of Pro Bowl honors is punterSam Koch.
The only positive news for Baltimore is that the St. Louis Rams are coming to town and have decided to make a change at quarterback. The Rams have benchedNick Foles, who they acquired in the offseason via a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles forSam Bradford, in favor ofCase Keenum. St. Louis has lost its last two games and ranks 31st in offense, averaging 309.6 yards a game.
The Cleveland Browns are due up in two weeks and also have decided to startJohnny ManzieloverJosh McCown. That’s back-to-back weeks with backup quarterbacks at the helm. Two winnable games.
Actually, who knows. With how this Ravens team has been playing in 2015, no game is a sure thing. The Rams and Browns are probably looking at this Ravens team thinking the same thing. That does not mean the fans should want them to lose, either.
The fans clamoring for the Ravens to lose and get the better draft pick need to stop now. No one gets on any playing field hoping to lose a game. If you grew up playing sports, not once did you want to lose a game. These are competitive athletes who are not only paid to win, but want to also. No one likes the feeling of losing.
Showalter and Duquette made enough moves down the stretch to get the Orioles to finish the season out strong. Harbaugh and Newsome need to follow suit. Despite some of the efficiencies, the core of this franchise (Joe Flacco,Marshal YandaandBrandon Williamsto name a few) is still a strong group that can win in the NFL. The pieces around them need some reconfiguration.
Next: Loss to Jaguars Not All on Elvis Dumervil
Baltimore wants winners. That’s what we expect from our sports teams. If you want to see the Ravens lose, do the die-hard Ravens fans a favor and jump on another team’s bandwagon. The rest will ride or die with these team, win or lose.
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