It is with great sadness that I have to write this farewell post to the readers of the Ebony Bird. I’ve had a great time being a lead writer in the Fan-Sided family of NFL blogs, but my other blogging pursuits and other personal endeavors are pulling me away from doing a great job here.
So, its time to leave and give a more deserving writer a spot.
I’ll still be covering the Ravens over at my other spot, www.stetsports.com, and the live blog will still be in effect as time permits. But I encourage you to keep up with the Fan-Sided [...]

Week 12 of the 2008 NFL regular season was all about expectations. The Baltimore Ravens exceeded them on offense and defense, the Cleveland Browns failed to meet them, the Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers met them just as we thought they would.
Expect greatness in the AFC North breakdown.
Baltimore Ravens (7-4):
Looking Back: You would have expected a defensive battle between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Baltimore Ravens, and for a while, that’s exactly what we got. But then Andy Reid got the bright idea that Donovan McNabb wasn’t good enough to start the second half, and a six-pack of whoop-ass got [...]

As if you weren’t hype enough for the Redskins and Ravens on Dec. 7, the NFL has announced that the game has been flex scheduled to be broadcast in the 8:15 national prime time slot.
So that’s all it takes to get the Ravens on national TV? A thumping of an NFC team and a benching of a franchise quarterback? Well, now that we have the formula, it’s a sure bet that this Sunday’s game against the Bengals will be too close for comfort.
They have no franchise quarterback to bench and they aren’t in the NFC.
Oh well, at least the cheerleaders [...]

If I used profanity, and were a less cultured sports fan, I’d probably use this space to refer to Philadelphia Eagles fans with a verb that rhymes with ‘pluck.’ But while I don’t subscribe to such clownish behavior, I fully and whole heartedly endorse it.
With that in mind, let the countdown begin to the Philly invasion of Charm City.
Ravens fans are a rather tame bunch. They don’t thrive on the suffering of opponents or their fan base. Yes, they want them to lose badly and possibly sustain injury in the process, but you aren’t likely to brawl with a Ravens [...]

(Jarrett Carter writes for The Ebony Bird, which is FSB’s Ravens blog. Representing the rest of the AFC North are Dawg Pound Daily, Nice Pick Cowher and Stripe Hype.)
Week 11 of the 2008 NFL regular season was all about fear. The Baltimore Ravens defense ran up against a scary-looking Giants running game, the Cleveland Browns showed up and played a close Monday nighter against the Buffalo Bills, the Cincinnati Bengals were to scared to lose…or win, and the Pittsburgh Steelers should be scared of referees.
But fear not, its just the AFC North breakdown.
Baltimore Ravens (6-4):
Looking Back: In the Ravens first [...]

Samari Rolle might want to look away. I apologize profusely for all of the profanity, but if you turn the sound down, you get the intended message of the post.

You could classify the Ravens chances against the New York Giants as slightly below upset, and well above ‘no chance in hell.’ Both teams have a propensity to do things they aren’t built to do. The Giants, under Tom Coughlin, aren’t built to play down to competition. But in three games against the AFC North, the Giants have played it close in two wins against the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals, and choked it against the Cleveland Browns.
On the Ravens side, they appear to be so maniacal about stopping the run, they give up big plays in the passing game. [...]

Dawan Landry has been placed on IR and will be out for the remainder of the season. It’s a big blow to a young player who was making a great name for himself until he suffered a spinal cord concussion in a September game against the Cleveland Browns.
For the Ravens’ secondary, Landry is the second member of the unit to be placed on the IR, following a recent announcement that Chris McAlister would also miss the duration of the season. Fortunately, free agent pick up Jim Leonhard has played beautifully in his spot, and has been a special teams standout [...]

I just don’t see it.
Yeah, some people in the local media are calling 10 wins and a playoff appearance for the Baltimore Ravens. But for a team that has NEVER had an offense to speak of, calling this season a lock for the playoffs is like calling Florida before 95 percent of precincts have reported.
You just can’t do it.
The Ravens have run off an impressive streak, bested only by the undefeated Tennessee Titans and the reigning Super Bowl champion New York Giants. But a streak of wins against the Miami Dolphins, Oakland Raiders, Cleveland Browns and Houston Texans isn’t exactly [...]