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Originally Posted by slickdtc |
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I don't know why it feels like BAL doesn't deserve a playoff spot, even if all teams end up equal. It's not about the record. It just seems like they've coasted this year. In the end, it's just a personal feeling. I'm sure you haven't given a second thought to the Buffalo Bills after we intercepted Flacco 5 times.
I'd love to see the Chargers get the final spot, to be honest with you.
I, too, agree that Baltimore isn't going past the wild card weekend if they qualify. Typically, I love me a good underdog but they don't strike me as being able to make noise. San Diego, though? Definitely. Miami to a degree. Not getting a feeling with PIT or BAL.
Marvin Lewis has been there a long time. Say what you will, but he turned that franchise around from day one. Will he ever get over the hump with that team? I don't think so. And just making the playoffs gets tiresome. But man, Cincy was just ugly for a good while there. Thank goodness for the Browns, I suppose. I'd love to see the Bengals go all the way.
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I know the game is already over but good discussion, so continuing it. I think you may feel my bias to the team had me feeling a bit more strongly about them than I did. When I said didn't deserve it more than the others, I didn't mean the Ravens were better... instead I felt (still feel) that all of the players had serious flaws and the one left standing would be more the lucky one than the most deserving. I actually think that played out yesterday too. The Ravens pretty much played as you described. The injuries made things that much more difficult, but the oline was horrible and the D couldn't step up when the momentum shifted... that's been pretty constant all year. Injuries or other issues with Flacco and Rice get the blame, but I think it's more that those two have masked other issues in the games they've done well (more Flacco than Rice). Their line has been a joke all year. The D got better as the year went on, and definitely helped win more than lose. But they didn't have that extra gear when necessary... I guess that's where we can really point to being hurt by losing Lewis and Reed.
No offense to your Bills (sorry for the unintentional shot earlier, lol) but the Dolphins should've wrapped all of this up and they didn't even put up a fight. They didn't deserve it and have been just as uninspired as the Ravens you described going into the end of the season. The Chargers have been up and down all year, and though they won, it took overtime to beat KC's "B" team. Honestly, the only team in the group that were playing like they could put up a fight in the post season was the Steelers, and they would've gone in at 8-8 so all of these teams were fighting for the little trophy.
As for Mavin Lewis, I didn't mean to imply anything negative about him at all. I loved him as our D Coordinator and as the Skins D Coordinator. Want nothing but the best from that guy, and he's doing an incredible job. I was just saying that the Bengals have been tough against the Ravens O since he's been there. I think he knows enough about the Ravens to use against them, and with the help of Zimmer and some great drafts, that D just isn't fun for the Ravens to face no matter how good the team is overall.
Yeah the combination of Lewis and Zimmer are perfect for a team in this division. I personally still don't think they are good enough to go all the way yet. There's a good chance that would be different if Atkins and Hall were healthy, though.