Ravens can't run from errors

[G. Host]

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/football/bal-sp.ravens22oct22001520,0,4073696.story
Playing a Bills team that had the NFL's 31st-ranked offense and last-ranked defense, the Ravens committed 11 penalties (tying a season high), turned over the ball deep in their own territory, misplayed three returns and made another questionable play call with the game on the line.

The crowd, the Bills and the Ravens attitude all contributed this.

And the writer while hyping Willis as "only one who showed up" failed to mention how he was unavailable at end of game to do those runs he'd prefer.

[OpIv37]

it was the classic "trap" game for Baltimore- a road game against a non division opponent that's inferior on paper going into a bye week. They simply weren't prepared and did not have their heads in the game. Most of our players played well, but our idiot coaches gave them plenty of opportunities and they failed to capitalize.

[Wys Guy]

The crowd, the Bills and the Ravens attitude all contributed this.
How do you know Glen? The best you can do is speculate. It could very well have been all the Ravens simply botching things. Who knows.

I will offer up the following; that teams that are going to play us either don't prepare solidly figuring it's an easy win or they get lax in their execution of the game and/or lose focus quickly.

It's nice to suggest that all of the things that "go right for us" for lack of a better explanation, can all somehow be attributed to the team either via the coaching or players, but IMO the 12th man has done more this year to keep games close than either the players or coaches. We will certainly find out since 4 of 6 games have been at home thus far. 6 of 10 remaining are on the road now.

If we were really doing much insofar as the team goes we wouldn't keep skidding the sheets offensively week in and week out. We haven't had a solid offensive game yet.

Yet, that's where almost every move in the offseason went. $75M on a pair of linemen, yet our offense is operating at a fraction of the capability that it did last season, and arguably with a better RB. How on earth does this happen?

This was Kyle Boller that we played. I have never heard anyone on this or other Bills sites ever say that Boller was anything but a borderline starter/backup player. He's not even a solid yet even lackluster starter in this league and never has been. He has only failed at trying to lock down a starting job in Baltimore, a team in desperate need of a QB during his time in the NFL.

McGahee, well we all know what he is as a known quantity and he impresses no one, yet, he had the 2nd best rushing performance of all RBs this past week and the best in terms of YPC. Want to take away his best run, two, three? Fine, just do the same for Lynch then when conducting an analysis for consistency and the picture will clear up.

Given the mistakes, penalties, some forced some unforced, clearly, the fact that this Ravens team was still in the game down to the wire for the most part says a lot.

Take a good long solid look at the Bills' team stats this season, particularly those of the offense and you'll note how awfully we've regressed since last season.

Sure, we've played some tough teams like the Steelers and Pats, but we've also played some easy ones like the Jets, Broncos, and the Dallas D, while formidable, certainly wasn't top-10 caliber.

I can appreciate enthusiasm, but this team right now is one that only capitalizes on the unforced mistakes of opponents but does little to force them or create their own opportunities. I'm sure we force some, but not nearly as many as you and others here would like to believe. As such we are entirely at the mercy of in what state of mind/preparation/readiness/focus that our opponents show up to games in while often likely looking past us, not exactly a reach here in terms of believeability.

Either way, this team's "big hurrah" for this season has been an astonishing failure given the money and effort put in during the offseason, namely the offense.

[jamze132]

How do you know Glen? The best you can do is speculate. It could very well have been all the Ravens simply botching things. Who knows.

I will offer up the following; that teams that are going to play us either don't prepare solidly figuring it's an easy win or they get lax in their execution of the game and/or lose focus quickly.

It's nice to suggest that all of the things that "go right for us" for lack of a better explanation, can all somehow be attributed to the team either via the coaching or players, but IMO the 12th man has done more this year to keep games close than either the players or coaches. We will certainly find out since 4 of 6 games have been at home thus far. 6 of 10 remaining are on the road now.

If we were really doing much insofar as the team goes we wouldn't keep skidding the sheets offensively week in and week out. We haven't had a solid offensive game yet.

Yet, that's where almost every move in the offseason went. $75M on a pair of linemen, yet our offense is operating at a fraction of the capability that it did last season, and arguably with a better RB. How on earth does this happen?

This was Kyle Boller that we played. I have never heard anyone on this or other Bills sites ever say that Boller was anything but a borderline starter/backup player. He's not even a solid yet even lackluster starter in this league and never has been. He has only failed at trying to lock down a starting job in Baltimore, a team in desperate need of a QB during his time in the NFL.

McGahee, well we all know what he is as a known quantity and he impresses no one, yet, he had the 2nd best rushing performance of all RBs this past week and the best in terms of YPC. Want to take away his best run, two, three? Fine, just do the same for Lynch then when conducting an analysis for consistency and the picture will clear up.

Given the mistakes, penalties, some forced some unforced, clearly, the fact that this Ravens team was still in the game down to the wire for the most part says a lot.

Take a good long solid look at the Bills' team stats this season, particularly those of the offense and you'll note how awfully we've regressed since last season.

Sure, we've played some tough teams like the Steelers and Pats, but we've also played some easy ones like the Jets, Broncos, and the Dallas D, while formidable, certainly wasn't top-10 caliber.

I can appreciate enthusiasm, but this team right now is one that only capitalizes on the unforced mistakes of opponents but does little to force them or create their own opportunities. I'm sure we force some, but not nearly as many as you and others here would like to believe. As such we are entirely at the mercy of in what state of mind/preparation/readiness/focus that our opponents show up to games in while often likely looking past us, not exactly a reach here in terms of believeability.

Either way, this team's "big hurrah" for this season has been an astonishing failure given the money and effort put in during the offseason, namely the offense.
So the only reason we won at all this year was because the other team wasn't fully prepared? I don't buy that. It's the NFL, not Pop Warner. You can look at stats all you want, but every team that plays Buffalo has came away saying that they played tough and they are better than what their record and stats dictate. Your drowing in your own negativity.

[John Doe]

So the only reason we won at all this year was because the other team wasn't fully prepared? I don't buy that. It's the NFL, not Pop Warner. You can look at stats all you want, but every team that plays Buffalo has came away saying that they played tough and they are better than what their record and stats dictate. Your drowing in your own negativity.

Good posting.

It looked to me like the Ravens gave their all against the Bills. Ray Lewis was certainly fired up and they were bringing the heat in their pass rush big time. They had plenty at stake and their head coach has developed a culture of motivation on that team. They were ready - they just got beat.

Yeh, Kyle Boller was starting. Big deal - the Bills were starting a freakin' rookie. The rook drew them offsides a few times - maybe he was well coached. And the perfect long ball to Parrish that drew a 30+ yard penalty won't show in the stats unless you look hard enough. Of course, the Bills only generated 3 measly penalties for 25 yards - just lucky, I guess.

The special teams played flawless. Why is that overlooked as a part of the Bills? I guess that can't generate enough stats to make people notice.

The defense started 5 second year players - plus they rotated in a few more. These guys are going to mature together and maybe build a pretty good defense down the line. But then, they were not all that bad yesterday.

[jamze132]

Good posting.

It looked to me like the Ravens gave their all against the Bills. Ray Lewis was certainly fired up and they were bringing the heat in their pass rush big time. They had plenty at stake and their head coach has developed a culture of motivation on that team. They were ready - they just got beat.

Yeh, Kyle Boller was starting. Big deal - the Bills were starting a freakin' rookie. The rook drew them offsides a few times - maybe he was well coached. And the perfect long ball to Parrish that drew a 30+ yard penalty won't show in the stats unless you look hard enough. Of course, the Bills only generated 3 measly penalties for 25 yards - just lucky, I guess.

The special teams played flawless. Why is that overlooked as a part of the Bills? I guess that can't generate enough stats to make people notice.

The defense started 5 second year players - plus they rotated in a few more. These guys are going to mature together and maybe build a pretty good defense down the line. But then, they were not all that bad yesterday.

I like your enthusiasm.