The Baltimore Ravens are a stable franchise. They have kept the core pieces in place for a long time. So what? Who cares? This team isn’t heading in the right direction and it hasn’t been for years.
I just got back home to Maryland, and as reality starts creeping back in, so does the frustration I have for the purple and black. Nashville was such a good time that I almost forgot that the Ravens offense was completely incompetent. The incredible live music and the sweet nectar of adult beverages almost made me forget that the defense generated almost no pass rush. It didn’t really hit me until the long drive home on Monday, that the Baltimore Ravens are awful and they haven’t been great in a long time.
The last time the Ravens were in the playoffs was 2014. They missed the playoffs in 2013, 2015 and 2016. It is incredibly possible that the 2017 team (which faces an easy overall schedule) will miss the playoffs too. The offense is almost completely void of talent. The defense has talent that isn’t coming to fruition.
The coaching staff is clueless and they continue to do the same things over and over. How many times can Marty Mornhinweg call plays short of the sticks on third downs, before enough is enough? How many times can Dean Pees let a quarterback just sit in the pocket and make plays until John Harbaugh loses it?
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The Ravens have stability. I grant you that every day of the week. I’m just at the point where I don’t care. I don’t care that the grass isn’t necessarily greener on the other side. I don’t care that starting over is hard. It boils down to a very simple truth. If the Ravens don’t change, they will get the same results.
If the Ravens ignore offensive weapons in the NFL Draft, they will never be able to compete for championships in the NFL. When you are more predictable than an episode of Chopped, you have to mix it up.
The Whole Thing Has To Change
The Ravens don’t just have a couple fixable problems. This is a franchise that is infected from top to bottom. Ozzie Newsome has a great resume and should always be thought of as one of the best general managers the game has ever seen. That doesn’t mean it isn’t time for a change. John Harbaugh has been a great coach, but he isn’t getting great results right now. The entire franchise needs a fresh start. Whether or not the problems fall on Harbaugh, he’s allowing a garbage product to be put on display weekly.
When the Ravens lost to the Bears, I was so ready for that fresh start. I wanted a top 10 pick. I wanted a new coach and a quarterback of the future to groom under Flacco. When the Ravens beat the Dolphins completely into submission I fell for it. My name is Chris and I’m a sucker. I keep getting lured into believing that everything is going to be okay. Nothing has changed in years and the Super Bowl happened five years ago.
Newsome has completely ignored the offensive side of the football in the NFL Draft. Breshad Perriman was his one stab at giving the offense a star, and that didn’t work out at all. While the defense has been built up, Newsome has let Dean Pees waste his efforts. John Harbaugh picks offensive coordinators the way Ozzie Newsome picks wide receivers. What do they do, put a blindfold on and pick names out of a hat?
The Bottom Line:
The Ravens have stability but that isn’t something to be admired right now. When you read the resume of Harbaugh and Newsome, you can be impressed. When you watch this team on Sundays though, how can you keep giving them credit for their past glory? At what point is this tired game of staying the same not acceptable?
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When you have spoiled milk, you buy a new jug of milk. That’s what you would do, and it’s what I would do. The Ravens simply continue to drink the milk in their refrigerator. It doesn’t matter how smelly, sour and curdled it is. The Ravens just haven’t had enough it seems.