Devastated….that’s an understatement to how the city of Baltimore feels after a loss to the New England Patriots. I’ve never seen the city of Baltimore look so dreary. This article is about the positives that came out of Sunday’s crushing defeat, but first, I’d like to clear up some things.
It was neither Billy Cundiff’s fault, nor Lee Evans’ fault that the Ravens lost that game, we win as a team, we lose as a team. Many people have been saying disgusting things about the two of them, and should be ashamed of what they’ve done. I’ve also heard individuals say Lee Evans’ catch should have been reviewed. To clear this up I’ve found a quote on NFL.com that offers a resolution to this problem.
Michael Signora, NFL vice president of football communications, had this to say. ” The ruling on the field of an incomplete pass was confirmed by the Instant Replay assistant, correctly, and as a result, there was no need to stop the game,” Signora wrote. “… The receiver did not get his second foot down in the end zone with possession, and as a result, it was an incomplete pass.”
Now that all that’s cleared up, I’d like to get to the positive part. Joe Flacco has finally established himself as franchise quarterback. He has shown he can play in the toughest of environments, and most importantly, win. To add to the positives, it looks like the Ravens have finally found a shutdown corner, in Lardarius Webb. Webb has stepped up in the biggest of moments to make spectacular plays. I will remind you that Joe Flacco, Ray Rice, Ben Grubbs, and Lardarius Webb are all eligible to become free agents. Here is how I look at it, the Ravens aren’t going to be able to sign all four, therefore you have to franchise Ray Rice, and give Lardarius Webb and Joe Flacco the big bucks. That being said, you’re going to have to let Grubbs go into free agency. If the Ravens don’t have confidence in Jah Reid (Remember he’s just a guy), and Andre Gurode, you will probably see them draft a lineman with their first round pick, but if they are comfortable with the offensive line without Grubbs, look for them to draft a linebacker, possibly Dont’a Hightower out of Alabama.
Oh…and Ray Lewis announced he will return to the Ravens, I have yet to figure out if that’s a good thing or a bad thing…
