NFL Preview - Waiting All Week

I've been waiting all day for Sunday Night 
 The tough get rough in a primetime fight 
 The last one standing gets to turn out the lights 
 ‘Cause I been waiting all day for Sunday Night      Faith Hill has never spoken truer words (certainly not in her multiple wedding vows.) That’s right; we will be waiting all day for Sunday Night. In fact, we’ve been waiting all week. Sunday Night is always “Football Night in America,” but this week, it is Football Night in Baltimore. The Ravens have been waiting longer than all of us. They’ve been waiting since 2005 for a primetime win. And finally, I think it’s safe to say their chances are good.      We’ll begin by recollecting how close they came last year to beating the New England Patriots on Monday Night Football. We remember Bart Scott’s valiant tossing of the referee’s flag into the stands (on Facebook, Bart’s now known as “Greatest Penalty Offender Ever,” a title with which I completely agree. And I’m a Patriots fan.) We also remember their embarrassing loss to the Bengals, and the record number of penalties they racked up (disclaimer: some of those penalties were not legitimate.) And of course we all remember earlier this season, when the refs and the Steelers stole yet another primetime victory from us. Maybe we should have expected it from the Steelers and their smack talking wide receiver Hines Ward. And wait, did I mention that Plaxico Burress played for them? We had that game won, and maybe if the referees hadn’t been as partial to the Steelers as Dick Vitale is to Duke, or if Jarrett Johnson had a better temper, we would have won. I believe we did win in the way that the Ravens played better.      Saying this, I think the Ravens are ready for the eyes of the world to, once again, look to Baltimore. It’s been far too long since everybody talked about our great city (the Phelps-mania has died down considerably, despite his recent Sportsman of the Year award.) Like a whole three months. Since like, August. And the Ravens barely get the respect they deserve. They have the best defense in the National Football League (ignore the rankings; they’re stupid and misrepresentative.) Baltimore has a great tradition of football, and we currently have so many Pro-Bowlers and future Hall-of-Famers that I cannot even list them all. Every week, we go out there and play an entertaining game. Often, we display great skill and passion. So why do we have the worst commentators on CBS’s Sunday crew? Week in and week out, Shannon and Boomer, and Bill, and John, every broadcaster and host on every network, ignores the Baltimore Ravens. And I’d like to think they’re going to be very sorry about this, very soon.      I’m sorry, Boomer Esiason, but when was the last time you saw a wide receiver make catches like Mark Clayton, and throw 32-yard touchdown passes? Or an offensive genius like Cam Cameron put in two quarterbacks with some regularity, and never run out of crafty plays. Now, I’ll admit, being cynical as I am, I have been the first to criticize the Ravens’ lackluster plays, or question coaching or quarterback decisions. But I have never lost sight of the fact that the Baltimore Ravens are a force to be reckoned with. We may have injury problems, and may even lack the depth of some other teams, but our veterans, and our rookies show up, every Sunday, ready to play big and make a difference. Samari Rolle and Ed Reed. Haloti Ngata and Joe Flacco. Not to mention, I think Ray Lewis is the greatest leader in the NFL, and perhaps the most recognizable representation of a single franchise (espesh now that Mr. Favre has jumped a train straight out of Wisconsin.) So you should at least talk about the Ravens for the sake of mentioning him, right?      With this said and done, let’s move to the game. I’m sure the Ravens will speak for themselves tomorrow night, but I’ll put in my two-sense for now. Both teams have good defenses. Clearly. But here’s the thing; the Ravens’ defense is superior to that of the Redskins. And their defense will probably be tired out, because we own when it comes to time of possession. Secondly, we have the momentum; the Redskins don’t. It helped that we got to play the Bengals last week, but even so we shut TJ Houshmandzadeh and Chad Johnson/ Mr. H.O.F./ Ocho Cinco/ Mucho Stinko down, in a performance nearly as dominant as USC’s over Notre Dame. Clinton Portis had a terrible week, and has slowed down in general recently. He is also questionable for tomorrow night, so without him, where are the big individual threats? Jason Campbell? Oh I would not expect that. Campbell was sacked four times last week by a defense not nearly as overpowering as ours.       We will, however have to watch out for the Redskins’ defensive backfield. But we have a pretty strong and versatile running game in our new “three-headed dog.” I am concerned about Joe Flacco. Sometimes it’s like he can’t hear me or something when I tell him to get rid of the ball. He’s impressed us with his mobility, but he has to remember he’s not Michael Vick! (That’s probably a good thing; I bet Flacco’s a good dog owner.) Point is, if he’s in trouble, and out of the pocket, THROW THE BALL. Not to a defender, but throw it away. Don’t go down slow-motion AND give up a turnover. Speaking of, Ray Rice and LeRon McClain better watch their handle of the ball. We aren’t going to get away with sloppiness this week. But if we are able to do these two things, I think we can win this. Let’s go and prove me right (for once?)