WELL, YOU CAN’T SAY YOU WERE SURPRISED LAST WEEK.

As much as we were hoping for a win last week against Seattle, deep down you knew it was a long shot. What we all thought could happen did happen our first blowout lose. Losing by 29 points on top of all the Seahawk fans in our house. It was not easy to sit in our home stadium and hear the huge chant of SEA-HAWKS, SEA-HAWKS. I have not lived through something like that since the early days when the Steelers would come to town. Just think the Steelers come here next week, not looking forward to that, but that is exactly what we must do, look to the future.

Last week was not a pretty picture showing a lot of areas we must improve on. The secondary looked old and slow as the Seahawks receives ran by our defenders catching five touchdown passes. We started a QB that had only been with the team for two weeks. The pass rush was nonexistent giving Russell Wilson way too much time to throw the ball. Our Oline had Jimmy Clausen running for his life and our running backs not running at all. I could not believe when I looked at the game stats that we only ran for 28 yards. I knew it was bad but I didn’t think it was that bad. I could go on and on but I am going to stop there, I am getting too depressed.

So, if you didn’t know it I am sad to inform you the Ravens with a record of 4-9 have been eliminated from the playoff race. Very sad news I know, but just wait till next year. We will get better. Quoting John Harbaugh, “This week we start working for next year”. So, as Ravens fans what do we do? We get excited–excited about the future of our young players. How will they play the next three weeks against some very good teams fighting for a playoff spots? We play the Steelers next week. Did I just call them very good? No way! No matter how good they are, I will never admit it. We could be watching next year’s starters as rookies WR 83 Daniel Brown and WR 81 Kaelin Clay (who has done very well returning kicks this year) get more playing time or even start their first NFL game. We should be excited for and curious about our young players. Santa brought us an early present this week a new Quarterback in Ryan Mallett. I think he will wear number 7. I’m not sure, it’s not listed on the Ravens web site so if you see a guy you don’t recognize throwing the ball it might be Ryan Mallett. With no real match ups to watch against the…. oh yeah, we play the Chiefs this week and they probably will win. So look for the numbers you have not seen on the field before and see how they play because you could be looking at the Ravens future.

Enjoy the game for what it is, just a game and remember the real things in life are what we celebrate this Christmas week. As we gather with family and friends reflect on how blessed we are to be surrounded by the people who love us. And for living in a town with an NFL team.
GO Ravens!!!

WEEK FIFTEEN RUNDOWN: Remember this is what we want to happen to help the Ravens, not necessarily what we think will happen. Don’t bet the farm on my picks

Thursday Night
8:30
Rams beat the Buccaneers 31-23
Or should I say Mustard beat Ketchup. Did you see those uniforms? They were just awful! And just think, someone got paid a lot of money to design the uniforms. I would love to have a job like that where you get paid money to be so wrong.

Saturday Night
8:25
YES! Christmas comes early this year with football on Saturday
Cowboys over Jets
NFC vs. AFC
The Cowboys have the same record as we do 4-9 and still could win their division with three games to go, they are only two games back. The Jets at 8-5 are playing to keep the Wildcard stop they have.

Sunday
1:00
RAVENS over Chiefs
The Chiefs come to M&T with the other AFC Wildcard spot and they will be playing hard to keep it. Can I say I am sort of rooting for the Chiefs because if the Jets and Chiefs both win the Steelers stay one game out of the playoffs? So perhaps, I will not be too sad if we lose knowing we helped keep the Steelers out of the Playoffs. A Ravens win next week against the Steelers would not be too bad either.

Panthers over Giants
So, am I a closet band wagon Cam Newton fan? Maybe I am. Cam has his Panthers undefeated with a 13-0 record on his way to be the NFC MVP. You go, Cam!

Titans over Patriots
The Patriots have won their division and suddenly Tom Brady has an undisclosed illness and may not play this week. I know what that illness is– it’s called Toms not going to come out and play if he can’t have the toys he wants to play with. Since Gronk is not playing, Tom is not going to play either. Or maybe Tom is afraid of getting killed because this Oline is really bad and can’t protect him. So, let the backup QB come in and get killed while Tom rests up for the playoffs.

Redskins over Bills
NFC vs AFC
With the short holiday work week coming up, if the Redskins lose and get knocked out of their division leading spot, no one in DC will show up for work the whole week. I need purchase orders and checks signed to keep my guys busy through the holidays. Go Redskins!

Texans over Colts
Both teams are 6-7 and a loss this week would eliminate either team from the playoffs. Just rooting against the Colts! Sorry, Chuck, maybe your can be our D coordinator next year.

Jaguars over Falcons
The Falcons have been falling apart and at 6-7 are out of the playoffs. Isn’t that a shame?

Bears over Vikings
Both NFC teams
We are rooting against the Vikings, so they stay behind the Packer in the NFC North division.

Packers over Raiders
NFC vs AFC
Packers could win their division with a Packer win and a Vikings loss. GO PACK GO!!

4:05
Seahawks over Browns
Let’s see if Johnny football can score more than six points against Seattle’s defense. We wish a very Merry Christmas to our special intention in Seattle.

4:25
Bengals over 49ers… no 49ers over Bengals… NO, NO, NO, Bengals over 49ers
If the Bengals lose the Steelers could win our division and I just could not live with myself if I rooted against the Bengals.

Chargers over Dolphins
Both teams are out of the playoffs but the Charges at 3-10 have a better draft pick then we do so we want them to win at home. Remember we are looking toward next year.

Broncos over Steelers
Of course!! Looking for a early Christmas present by having the Steelers eliminated from the playoffs.

Sunday Night
8:30
Cardinals vs. Eagles you Pick’em
Both NFC teams looking for a playoff spot. This could be a good game to stay up and watch.

Monday Night
8:30
Saints over Lions
Both NFC teams with nothing to play for but next year. Rooting for the Lions who have a better draft pick than we do.

Enjoy the games and Happy Holidays

GO RAVENS!!!

And that’s just the View from 151

O NO, NOT AGAIN! ANOTHER LOSS BY TWO POINTS!

So last week we get settled in our easy chair, or as plenty of Ravens fans did, traveled to Miami to watch what we hope is going to be a Ravens win against a very beatable Dolphins team. What do we see is another game where the Referees play a huge roll in the outcome of the game. You know my motto: if you score enough points you take the Refs out of the Game. But that’s hard to do when the referees are taking points off the board. The touchdown pass to Rookie Daniel Brown was nullified by a bogus offensive pass interference call denying the Rookie his first NFL touchdown and the Ravens points that truly could have won the game. Wait a minute, who the heck is Daniel Brown? Once again I had to pull up the team roster to see who number 83 was. Daniel Brown is a Rookie out of James Madison (a real football powerhouse- NOT) listed as a wide receiver 6-5 tall and 225 pounds. That’s not a wide receiver, that’s a tight end. Perhaps he can play both positions. Here is another young player to keep an eye on if he lasts another week. As of Saturday morning, he is still listed on the team roster. Good luck, kid.

Getting back to last week the only real bright spot was the defense holding the Dolphins to only 15 points. Do the math. Yes, that means we only scored 13 so let’s move on to the 2016 Draft. What did I say?  I meant to say,  move on to the Seahawks.
The Seahawks come to Baltimore this week on a roll. They won their last three games and are fighting for a wildcard spot. The Ravens could be starting a quarterback who has only been with the team for two weeks. Jimmy Clausen may start in place of a banged up Matt Schaub. Jimmy may be our best bet this week since he gained experience against the Seahawks when he played them week 3 this year. Jimmy threw for a whopping 63 yards and no touchdowns but no interceptions.
Once again the Ravens injury report is as long as War and Peace. It would be easier to tell you who is not on the report. John Harbaugh and the offensive coaching staff will need to work a Christmas miracle against the #2 rank Seattle defense. Every aspect of our offense has been effected by injuries. The QB is third string, the O line will have 3 replacements including Richard Gordon (who?) is listed at tight end, we are starting two rookies at running back, and the wide receivers, well, we have none. So there is your Ravens starting offense. This could be ugly. One nice thing is that we don’t have to worry about another two point loss. Vegas has us listed as a 10-1/2 point underdog. On the other hand, our defense could have a good day against the Seahawks without their starting running back Marshawn Lynch. If we can contain their QB Russell Wilson and make him throw out of the pocket, we may have a chance. Okay,  a guy can dream can’t I?

Looking on the bright side the weather will be great and we are not playing at 8:30 at night. So enjoy the game and root for the young players to step up. We could be watching future Baltimore Ravens. Get loud Baltimore! They are going to need our help.
WEEK FOURTEEN RUNDOWN: Remember this is what we want to happen to help the Ravens, not necessarily what we think will happen. Don’t bet the farm on my picks

Thursday
8:30
Cardinals 23 Vikings 20
The week as started out in our favor, since we root against the Vikings.

Sunday
1:00

RAVENS over Seahawks
Jimmy Clausen may be our best bet this week with our banged up offensive line. He is more mobile and may be able to keep from getting hurt. That could be interesting with Schaub hurt, who backs up Clausen? Perhaps  Justin Tucker: he sings, does commercials, why not quarter back? Look for Daniel Brown he could have a good day. Happy to hear the good news out of Seattle.
GO RAVENS!!!

Eagles over Bills
NFC vs AFC
The Eagles are fighting for first place in the lousy NFC East. Remember, we still can get a Wildcard spot and the Bills are ahead of us. Okay, this will be the only time I say that but it’s true we are not eliminated yet.

49ers over Browns
NFC vs AFC
Johnny Football will be starting for the Browns who have the worst record in the NFL against the last place 49ers. At least we can say the Ravens are not in last place.

Rams over Lions
Both NFC teams and have 4-8 records so we are rooting for the home team Rams.

Titans over Jets
Rooting against the Jets since, they are ahead of us in the wildcard race. I know, I know I told you I wouldn’t say that again but it’s true! With the Ravens at 4-8 we are still in the AFC Wildcard race.

Bengals over Steelers
A Bengals win would eliminate the Steelers from winning our division. Putting the Ravens in position to be spoilers against the Steelers eliminating them from the playoffs when we play them at home week 16. That could be the highlight of our season.

Colts over Jaguars
Rooting for the Colts to win their division and rooting against the Jaguars to put them behind us in, well, you know why.

Chargers over Chiefs
Well, you know why.

Redskins over Bears
The Redskins are in first place. WHAT? That’s right, at 5-7 the Redskins are in first place of the NFC East. On Friday Congress passed a bill that keeps the Federal Government open for 5 more days that’s almost as ludicrous as an NFL team being in first place with a 5-7 record. Just think, we would only be one game out of first place if we played in the NFC East.

Panthers over Falcons
The Panthers are still undefeated and will remain undefeated after beating up on Matt Ryan and the Falcons.

Buccaneers over Saints
The Bucs rookie QB Jameis Winston is hot and could be the real thing. Jameis could make the Buccaneers relevant in the years to come.

4:05
Broncos over Raiders
Rooting against the Raiders since yadda, yadda, yadda…..

4:25

Cowboys at Packers  You Pick ‘Em
Both NFC teams. The Cowboys at 4-8 are fighting for first place in the NFC East while the Packers are fighting to stay in first place in the NFC North. This could be a good game.

8:30
Patriots over Texans
Rooting against the Texans who… you know. The Patriots are as banged up as the Ravens. Tom Brady may have Gronk back but he will be their only reliable receiver and their O line is terrible against JJ Watt. Brady could get Killed.

Monday Night

8:30
Giants over Dolphins
Rooting against the Dolphins and you know why.

On Sunday the Sun will be shining, the temperature will be 70, the beer will be cold, grills will be hot, and the Ravens are playing in Baltimore what more could you want in life. (I asked Santa for a Super Bowl win)

Enjoy the games and get loud Baltimore!!!

GO RAVENS!!!!

And that’s just the View from 151

WEEK 13

No give up in this team, young and old alike are playing to the bitter end literally. Last week’s win on the road came down to a Browns last second field goal attempt to win the game. When Brent Urban, in his first NFL game, pushed the Browns line back enough to get his hand up and deflect the ball across the field to Will Hill, a 5th year vet, who grabbed the ball and ran it back 60 yards for the game winning touchdown with no time left on the clock. WOW, for a game that was slated to be a dud turned out to be one of the best games of the season. Both the Browns and the Ravens had something to prove last week and they did. The Browns proved they truly are the worst team in the NFL and the Ravens proved they will not quit.

The Ravens go to Miami this week not for vacation but to play the 4-7 Dolphins. I have been talking about rooting for the Dolphins in weeks past because we play them Week 13. Well, it’s Week 13 and we need to take care of business by beating the Dolphins this week. There is no doubt we can win this game. The Dolphins fired their head coach 4 weeks ago and fired their offensive coordinator this week.  Against the Dolphins, we can go old school and run the ball on the road.  Buck Allen and Terrance West both ran well last week but it was against the Browns.  Was last week a good test?  We will find out this week. Miami’s top free agent signing this year was Ndamukong Suh. ( and we thought Haloti Ngata was hard to spell) Suh was going to be the big run stopper Miami needed. Well that hasn’t happened. The Dolphins are ranked 27th against the run.  The real test this week is our banged up offensive line against Suh.  Can we protect Matt Schaub and open up holes for our running game?  A sad note- Steve Smith is still our leading receiver and he has been on IR for four weeks. But this week we can and will run the ball.

Disclaimer: These are not predictions but how we want the games to go to favor the Ravens. Don’t bet the farm on these choices.

Thursday 8:25pm
Packers 27, Lions 23
This was a great game. Go Pack Go!

Sunday
1:00pm
Ravens over Dolphins
Matt Schaub will need to protect the ball with no interceptions this week.  Left tackle Eugene Monroe is listed as doubtful on the injury report. So our probable starting offensive line will be, Hurst, Osemele, Urschel, Yanda, and Wagner, a good group that will be the key to winning this game.  Watch the Oline this week and we will know what the outcome of the game will be.  A win!!  We are not out of the playoff race yet.
GO RAVENS!!!!

Giants over Jets
NFC vs AFC The Giants have the last defense in the NFL and the Jets have the 3rd best defense. What do you think will happen? We are still rooting for the Giants to help the Ravens

Rams over Cardinals
Both NFC teams rooting for the home team.

Buccaneers over Falcons
The Buccaneers and Jameis Winston have been winning big of late. A Falcon’s lose could put them out of the playoff hunt. Wouldn’t that be a shame? Poor Matt Ryan out of the playoffs again.

Seahawks over Vikings
Seahawks got a big win last week against the Steelers. Thank you very much! Seahawks go on the road with momentum building. The Vikings have been struggling and should be no match for the surging Seahawks.  Thinking of our special intention in Seattle.

Bears over 49ers
Both NFC team rooting for the home team.  The 49ers are 3-8 how does it feel to be without Jim Harbaugh?

Titans over Jaguars
The Jags have the same record as us, this would put them one game behind.  The Titans only have two wins.

Bills over Texans
It’s getting harder to pick the games- both teams are ahead of us in the wildcard race. The Texans are two games ahead and the Bills are one.  So lets root for the Bills to bring the Texans down to one game ahead.

Bengals over Browns
The stick a fork in them Browns are done!  With one more win the Bengals could just about eliminate the Steelers from winning the Division. And that would be a good thing.

4:05 pm
Raiders over Chiefs
This game has the same scenario as the Bills Texans game so we are rooting for the Chiefs who are two games ahead of us to lose in Oakland.

Chargers over Broncos
Rooting for the home team.  The Broncos almost have the AFC West won and the Chargers are no threat to the Ravens.

4:25pm
Eagles over Patriots
AFC vs NFC, The Patriots got their first loss last week and Bill Belichick was not happy.  Belicheck would really pissed off if they lost to the Eagles. Wouldn’t that be great?!

Panthers over Saints
Both NFC teams
Since the Patriots have one loss that leave the Panthers as the only undefeated team.  I would much rather see Cam Newton go undefeated than Tom Brady.

8:30pm
Colts over Steelers
Both teams are 6-5 but the Colts are first in their division so are not in the wildcard race at this point.  I really didn’t need to say all that we just want the Steelers to lose.  Watching the Steelers on prime time gives me heartburn so I may go to bed and wait until the morning to see who wins.

Monday
8:30pm
Cowboys at Redskins: You Pick ‘em
If I told you the Redskins were 5-6, would think they were in first place of the NFC East? Well, they are.  If only we could play in that division, we would only be one game out of first.  The Cowboys lost Tony Romo for the rest of the season last week.  But Dallas’s defense will keep them in the game.  The last three Monday Night games have come down to the very last minute and this week could be the same.  I see the loss of sleep in my future.  Stay up and watch this game. 

The team has not quit so we can’t quiet on them.

GO RAVENS!!!!

Just the View from 151.

YES, WE HAVE PLENTY TO BE THANKFUL FOR!
As I sit in front of my computer (I am first thankful for spell check as I put two Ls in thankful) early Thanksgiving morning long before the delicious aroma of the turkey in the oven and the loud laughter and political banter of family and friends there are plenty of things I give thanks for. First and foremost the family and friends we have who are there to help in a moments of need and to whom who we graciously return the favor. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Enough of that emotional stuff, this is a football blog so let’s be thankful for football. There will always be a 12 year long black hole in my life– the time between when the Baltimore Colts left and the Ravens arrived in town. A lot of us know what it’s like not to have a hometown team to root for. So this year has not turned out like we wanted it to but we have Ravens football and I am thankful.
We won last week!!! What? Justin Forsett broke his arm and will be out for the rest of the season. We won last week!!! What?  Joe Flacco blow his knee out and will be out for maybe a year including into next season. No, No, say it ain’t so Joe. Yes, last week we won the battle but we may have lost the war. With two more starters going on IR, hence forth formally known throughout the league as Injured Ravens not Injured Reserve. Man, that guy is tough.  Joe stayed on the field for two plays after he injured his knee. With the View from 151, we had no clue Joe was hurt. All we saw was Joe communicating with the sideline and allowing the clock to run down to two seconds so Justin Tucker could come in and kick the winning field goal with no time left. That is just what happened. We won the game.

This team has no give up in it. John Harbaugh has a team of second stringers, young and old, who are playing like a Raven. John’s job has not been easy this year when the next man up may not be anywhere close to having the talent of the player he is replacing. But that being said the replacement players make up a team we can be proud of and thankful for.
18 Ravens on IR -That will be why we remember this season.

I am very, very thankful I don’t live in Cleveland. We play the Browns in Cleveland on Monday night. The Browns are who we thought they were, a disaster. They are one game behind us and they have most of their starting players on the field. Johnny football is benched again for off the field activities during the Bye week. Can’t they get that guy a handler? This truly could be one of the worst  rated Monday Night game of the year. No Joe Flacco and no Johnny football. Matt Schaub and Josh McCown will start as quarterbacks. Look for Buck Allen to have a good night. Last week our defense stopped the Rams rookie RB Gurley holding him to only 66 yards and ending his 4 game streak of 100 yards per game. The Browns can’t run the ball and will not run against our defensive front four. The Browns have the 31st worst rushing offense and the 30th worst rushing defense. Can you say,”Hand the ball to Buck Allen”? The nice part about a game with a lot of running is the game will be short and we get to go to bed earlier. The Browns beat us at home week 5 and we will return the favor Monday night.
Happy Thanksgiving,  everyone. Don’t eat too much and enjoy the games.

WEEK ELEVEN RUNDOWN: Remember this is what we want to happen to help the Ravens, not necessarily what we think will happen. Don’t bet the farm on my picks

Thursday Thanksgiving
12:30

Eagles over Lions
The Chip Kelly experiment is officially over and the Lions have shocked the world by beating the Packers in Green Bay and the Raiders the last two weeks. But we are rooting for our Eagle fan friends.

4:30
Cowboys over Panthers
Grab a plate of food and settle in this could be a great game. Tony Romo came back last week and won. Cam Newton is undefeated but will get his first loss in Dallas.

8:30
Packers over Bears
The Packers are back on top of the NFC North and they know how to play on Thanksgiving. The Bears give up a lot of points, look for Aaron Rodgers to have a big night.

Sunday
1:00

Saints over Texans
NFC vs AFC- We need the Saints to beat the Texans so we can move up in the Wildcard standings. Yes, we are still in the Wildcard race and I won’t give up until the fat lady sings.

Bengals over Rams
Even though this is a NFC vs AFC game we are rooting for the AFC team. The Steelers are in second place in our AFC North only two games behind the Bengals. We definitely don’t want the Steelers to win the division.

Vikings over Falcons
Could you imagine if Matt Ryan blew out his knee? He would be laid out on the field crying like a baby and would need the ambulance to cart him off. Matt Ryan is no Joe Flacco.

Redskins over Giants
The Redskins bounce back from the Panthers beat down last week. Eli Manning is no Cam Newton. Eli will be stopped by the Redskins defense.

Buccaneers over Colts
The Bucs QB Jameis Winston threw for 5 touchdowns last week and will stay on a roll against the Colts defense.
Bills vs Chiefs

You pick’em-Both AFC teams at 5-5
Rex is ticked off about the loss to the Patriots last week and will take it out on the Chiefs.

Titans over Raiders
The Raiders are ahead of us in the Wildcard standings.

Chargers over Jaguars
The Jags are also ahead of us in the Wildcard standings.

Dolphins over Jets
We play the Dolphins next so scout this game.

4:05
49ers over Cardinals
Both NFC teams, rooting for the home team.

4:30
Seahawks over Steelers
The Steelers travel to the west coast just to lose to the Seahawks. Happy Thanksgiving to our special intention in Seattle.

Sunday Night
8:30
Patriots over Broncos
Still rooting for the Patriots to win, go undefeated in the regular season and lose in the first playoff game. Sweet!

Monday Night

RAVENS over Browns
The Ravens defense is coming off the best game of the season and will play like the Ravens of old against the Browns shutting down Josh McCown. Matt Schaub will manage the game with short passes and handing off to Buck Allen. The Ravens will win two in a row.

Happy Thanksgiving and enjoy the games.
GO RAVENS!!!!
And that’s just the view from 151

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

REEEEEEEED!!! (Thanks Mike,  you gave me the opening line)

NO,  NO, calm down- the Ravens haven’t signed Ed Reed but he is in town. Ed has been spreading Thanksgiving cheer around Baltimore and will be inducted into the Ring of Honor this Sunday. So, this year has not panned out like we wanted it to but this week we can dwell in the past of Super Bowls won and ball hawking secondaries lead by Ed Reed. Thanks for the memories, Ed.

Sorry I am late again this week. Go figure,  it’s 32 degrees outside and people want heat. If you didn’t wait to the last minute maybe I could get the blog out on time. But for those how are holding out until Thanksgiving to turn the heat on I say keep the faith and may the lower energy bills be with you. I must admit I was weak and succumbed to the whining and complaining. So stay strong and tell them to put a sweater on.

Have you noticed I have been delaying mentioning anything about last week’s loss to the Jags. Well, it’s because I just can’t bring myself to face the reality that we are 2-7. It took me until Tuesday to get out of my seat at M&T. The ushers knew and they just left me there. The cleaning crew cleaned around me. It’s amazing,  the leftover food you can find. We have the same record as the Lions and that’s just embarrassing. But hold your head high and know we don’t have the worst record— that belongs to the Browns and that brings a little smile to my face.

Let’s accentuate the positive from last week our young tightends were great. Two rookies and a second year player make up our tightend corps and they have been carrying the offense. The coaches have adjusted the offense to more two tightend sets and also three tightend sets. As they say, find a way to put your best players on the field and this year it’s our tightends. They lead the team in receptions and touchdowns. The next man up plan has not worked this season with wide receivers who can’t run the correct routes and when they do they don’t get any separation. Joe has lost confidence in our receivers. He often. on third down, needs to check down, away from the wide receivers, to the tight ends, who may not have a designated route with the yards needed to get the first down.  The defense gave up way too many yards to a second year quarterback last week. We only gave up 13 points in the first three quarters but in the dreaded fourth quarter the defense gave up 9 points and in the end and I mean the very end with no time left, the stupid penalty get us again and we lose the game by 2 points. I will add, if we score enough points you take the Refs out of the game so we can move on about the non call on the last play of the game.

So, we are 2-7, where do we go from here? Off to week 11,  of course. Okay, we put players on IR– blab blah blah– you know the drill. We play the Rams at M&T. It might be a week where our secondary may not look so bad since the Rams have the worst passing game in the NFL. The Rams  benched their starting quarterback Nick Foles for backup Case Keenum. Let’s hope we can contain this backup QB. Our real worry this week is the Rams running game. They have first round pick rookie RB Todd Gurley who could be the rookie of the year unlike first round pick Perryman who was put on IR this week. The Rams also have WR Tavon Austin a local guy out of Dunbar HS who is their leading receiver. Hopefully,  not this week. Joe and our offense will have a tough time against the Rams defense, who are ranked in the top ten. They are the only reason the Rams have 4 wins. We have a local, too.  RB Terrance West from Towson University was moved up from the practice squad. Look for #27 Terrance West not  Ray Rice. Perhaps the number will be good luck. I think it’s going to be another close game but since it is at home,  you and I can make the difference by GETTING LOUD BALTIMORE!!! Enjoy the game.

We need to win this game to stay ahead of the Browns. Thanksgiving is on Thursday and I can’t spend another couple of days at the Stadium, I have cooking to do.
WEEK ELEVEN RUNDOWN: Remember this is what we want to happen to help the Ravens, not necessarily what we think will happen. Don’t bet the farm on my picks

Thursday night:
8:30

Jaguars beat the Titans 19-13
Thanks to us giving the Jags a win last week they have back to back wins for the first time in it seems like 50 years.

Sunday
1:00

RAVENS over Rams
Did you scout the Rams last week like I told you to? They looked awful against the Bears. We should be able to do the same this week. We will stack the box and stop the Rams running game. Nobody has quit on this team because John Harbaugh won’t let them, this week we will make plays and win the game it’s as simple as that.

Lions over Raiders
NFC vs AFC The Lions beat the Packers in a stunner.  Haloti was a beast and will stop the Raiders this week.

Falcons over Colts
The Colts are coming off their bye but they have been just a mess of a team. Andrew Luck is really banged up. We will see if the Bye helped. Did you notice I didn’t say anything nice about Matt Ryan and the Falcons?

Eagles over Buccaneers
Another struggling team goes with the backup QB. The Eagles will start backup QB Mark Sanchez for injured/benched QB Sam Bradford. Will RGIII be in Philly next year?

Bears over Broncos
Have we seen Peyton Manning on the field for the last time? Two weeks ago, Peyton coming off the Bye looked like a new man, but last week he had the worst game of his career and was benched in the fourth quarter. QB Brock Osweiler, you almost have to root for a guy with a name like that, but we’re not rooting for the Bronco’s as this is an NFC vs AFC match up. We are rooting for the home team Bears and Mount St. Joe grad CB Kyle Fuller.

Texans over Jets
The Jets at 5-4 will not win their division so they are a bigger wildcard threat then the 4-5 Texans. That right I said “Wildcard”. We are still in this race.

Redskins over Panthers.
The Redskins are not likely to win this game in Carolina but Cam Newton is likely to do another dance in the end zone. Keep dancing, Cam.

Cowboys over Dolphins
Tony Romo comes back from missing seven weeks with a broken collar bone. The Cowboys are 2-7, do the math how many wins do the Cowboys have without Romo. This week will make the first time this season Tony Romo and Dez Bryant will be on the field together. The warm weather of Miami may be good for Romo’s collar bone.

Sunday
4:05
Chargers over Chiefs
The Chiefs are 4-5 and ahead of us in the wildcard. We have the same record as the Chargers but since we beat them week 8, we hold the tie breaker.

Sunday
4:25
Packers over Vikings
The Packers are coming off a devastating loss to the Lions last week and play another divisional team this week. The Packers are one game behind the Vikings and cannot afford to go two games back.

Seahawks over 49ers
Both teams are struggling but we are rooting for the home team, Seahawks. Hoping our special intention in Seattle has a great Thanksgiving.

Sunday Night
8:30
Cardinals over Bengals
The Bengals got their first loss last week. Does that mean we have a chance to win the division yes it does!! No, not really but we can dream, can’t we?
Monday Night
8:30pm

Patriots over Bills
Rex hates the Patriots because he just can’t beat them. Last week,Rex had a few tricks up his sleeve but it’s going to take more than tricks this week. I am now rooting for the Patriots to go undefeated in the Regular season and lose their first playoff game.

Bye week for
Brown, Saints, Steelers, Giants

This Ravens team has seen adversity with all the injuries but no one has given up we have not heard one word of dissension out of the locker room. This is a team to keep cheering for.

GO RAVENS!!!!

And that’s just the view from 151

GO RAVENS!!!!

 A TIME FOR REFLECTION AND ANTICIPATION

It’s been a busy work week for me hence the late edition of the view. In real life there are no Bye weeks but let’s hope the team took some time off from football to rest and prepare for what could be a much easier second half of the season. In comparison to the first half of the season, the second half should be much easier. We play 5 of 8 games at home, no more West Coast trips, only one of the remaining eight games are we playing a team with a winning record (Bengals), and we play the Steelers at home.

So far this season we have endured one of those so-close-yet-so-far years. Although we have been competitive in every game the Ravens are 2-6, a record we have never seen before. Yet I have seen no let down in how the team has prepared, played and reacted to game. Not only has the team and coaches stayed positive and motivated, so have the fans. At the game last week you heard the usual jackass screaming for the backup quarterback but not one boo did I hear. Last week I was and am proud to be a Ravens fan. There is no quit in this team, there has been not squabbling on the sideline or in the locker room, no player or coach going on a tirade about bad refs or one unit blaming the other for why we can’t hold a lead in the fourth quarter. As a team, they have played their best and nobody and I mean nobody has given up including me! So I am proud of how the Ravens and the fans have shown the football world that you can have a 2-6 record and still hold your head high and say that’s my team and I like my guys!

The team photo above shows the team when they broke training camp and the players circled in red who are not playing due to being on injured reserve, the physically unable to perform list, or are not even on the team anymore. This is why the young players need to capitalize on their playing time and show us if they want to be and can be a Raven going forward.

We still have a chance of making the playoffs so I will remain delusionaly optimistic and believe we can until the numbers tell me otherwise. We will go over the numbers in a couple weeks. But in the meantime the team needs to step up, and take advantage of the easier schedule.
WEEK NINE RUNDOWN: Remember this is what we want to happen to help the Ravens, not necessarily what we think will happen. Don’t bet the farm on my picks

Thursday night:
8:30

Bengals 31 over Browns 10.

Sunday
1:00

Packers over Panthers
The Packers and Aaron Rodgers are coming off a bad loss to the Broncos last Sunday night. A lot of the football talk this week has been about the young gun Cam Newton’s MVP chances and not about the game of Aaron Rodgers. So Aaron will come out and show us who is the real MVP candidate. This could be a good game.

Redskins over Patriots
I am sick and tired of the Tom Brady love fest, Tom Brady’s the best, Tom Brady’s undefeated, ENOUGH!!! Please, Please Redskins can you play the best games of your lives and beat the Patriots, PLEASE?!!

Saints over Titans
NFC vs AFC– rooting against the Titans so we can truly write them off for the season.

Dolphins over Bills
Both teams are a game ahead of us in the Wildcard standings so we are rooting against the Bills since we can beat the Dolphins when we play them week 13.

Rams over Vikings
Both NFC teams, we play the Rams week 11 so we don’t want them desperate for a win and we just don’t like the Vikings.

Jaguars over Jets
We play the Jags next week so we don’t want them mad and the Jets have a better wildcard record then we do.

Raiders over Steelers
OF COURSE! Although this could have been a tricky game to pick if it was later in the season since we could be battling ether team for a wildcard spot. Rooting against the Steelers is always a good thing.

Sunday
4:05

Buccaneers over Giants
Both NFC teams, a Giant loss will help our Cowboy, Redskin, and Eagle fan friends.

49ers over Falcons
This doesn’t mean anything for the Ravens but we are rooting for the home team 49ers who are just a mess and against Matt Ryan.

Sunday
4:25

Broncos over Colts
The Colts are leading the AFC south with a 3-5 record. So we are rooting against the Colts and their lousy record.

Sunday Night
8:30

Cowboys over Eagles
Sorry Eagle fans. I just can’t believe how close the NFC East is. If the Giants lose, and the Cowboys and Redskins win, every team in the division would be within one game-last place to first place. Both teams really need a win so this could be a good and close game.

Monday Night
8:30pm

Bears over Chargers
NFC vs AFC-We beat the Chargers last week and they will be looking for a win at home but we are rooting for the Bears.
Bye week :RAVENS, Lions, Texans, Chiefs, Seahawks

Enjoy the Bye Week

And that’s just the view from151.

GO RAVENS!!!!

Finally, the Bye Week.

THURSDAY

8:25pm

Bengals over Browns

Although we have not officially conceded the division to Cincinnati, we are rooting against the Browns so we will no longer be the last in the division. In our humble opinion, Johnny Football is a member of the Not Ready for Prime Time Players as he will bumble, stumble and fumble his way through this game. Andy Dalton will be able to throw at will against Cleveland’s defense. You can go to bed early tonight because this game will be settled by halftime.

This report is coming to you from our Bye Week location at a Tiki Bar in Cancun. Check back with us on Saturday for the full report on Sunday and Monday’s games.

That’s just the View from 151.

Go Ravens!

WEEK 8 AND WE ARE 1-6 HOW CAN I PUT A POSITIVE SPIN ON THAT. IT’S NOT GOING TO BE EASY BUT I CAN.
It’s 11:30 last Monday night I have a 6:00 AM meeting in downtown Washington DC the next morning, the Ravens are 8 points down, first and goal on the 9 yard line with less than a minute to go in regulation. Well, you know what happens and I was so worked up I couldn’t get to sleep until after 2:00 AM. The Positive spin is that I did not go to bed at half time because the Ravens were in this game until the very end. The national predictions were the Ravens would be blown out by the Cardinals and that didn’t happen. The Ravens showed up with a banged up team of second stringers and played an entertaining game. We had several bad calls go against us. First, John Urschel reported in as an eligible receiver seen by everyone in the entire country but one person. the referee, who penalized us for illegal formation. (By the way, wasn’t that a great catch for a offensive lineman?) Next, Brandon Williams had stopped Chris Johnson of all forward progress and the refs let the play continue, which led to Johnson gaining another 25 yards. If a Raven had jumped into that pile while Williams had Johnson stopped, undoubtedly there would have been an unnecessary roughness flag thrown. But, as I always say, if you score enough points, you take the referees out of the game. We didn’t score enough points to win last week but we played a hell of a game on the road against a very good team.

Nobody wants to watch their team lose. Still, I can stand behind my Ravens and say that, while we may not be winning, we have been in every game. Not one player quit last week, and we played hard till the very end and that is worth losing sleep over. (If you were wondering, I had a very successful meeting Tuesday morning)

Week 8 already, the season is flying by. We play the Chargers at home this week. Half way through the season and we are only playing our third home game. How does that happen? The Chargers and Phillip Rivers travel cross country and bring the #1 pass offense in the NFL to challenge our secondary. That doesn’t sound good but, if you look at the Chargers’ record, they are only 2-5. They pass the ball a lot but can’t win games. The Chargers have one of the worst running games and that makes them one dimensional. This allows Elvis Dumervil and our defense to rush a quarterback who had his eighth child this week, so you know he needs sleep. Phillip Rivers now has eight kids. One more kid and he could run full offensive practice in his living room. The Ravens will stop the Chargers’ run game, allowing us to drop linebackers into pass coverage and get a couple of turnovers or even a pick 6. Joe and the offense will be able to run the ball and control the clock, keeping Phillip Rivers on the bench where he can catch up on this sleep. The Ravens will get their second win of the season to make the upcoming bye week a little nicer.

WEEK EIGHT RUNDOWN: Remember- this is what we want to happen to help the Ravens, not necessarily what we think will happen. So don’t bet the farm on my picks.

Thursday night
8:25

Dolphins over Patriots
We should be rooting for the Patriots but, I just couldn’t bring myself to say that. The Patriots are undefeated and have the second worst run offense in the league. But, they also have the second best pass offense – who said being one dimensional was a bad thing?

Sunday
9:30

Lions over Chiefs
NFC vs AFC Another London game, the leaves can wait until next week.
1:00

RAVENS over Chargers
The Ravens need a win at home and we need to help, so get behind our guys and show your Ravens spirit by getting loud and absolutely no booing! They are playing hard and deserve our support. It will be interesting to see what lineup John Harbaugh puts on the field. Look for the defense to step it up and stop Phillip Rivers. Have a great tailgate and enjoy the game.

Buccaneers over Falcons
The Falcons only scored 10 points last week and won their game. We score more points and Matt Ryan still looks like the hero, that’s just not fair.

Cardinals over Browns
We are still looking up at the Browns in the standings. The Cardinals should definitely win this game.

Rams over 49ers
Both NFC teams, so rooting for the home team.

Saints over Giants
Both NFC teams, so rooting for the home team. This will help our Cowboy and Eagle fan friends.

Bears over Vikings
Rooting against the Vikings. Rooting for the home team Bears and Kyle Fuller who went to Mt. Saint Joe High School.

Bengals over Steelers
Normally, this would be a hard call but not this year. The Bengals are so far ahead in the division. Realistically, we can’t catch them so, we are rooting against the Steelers. Now that’s not that hard to do is it?

Titans over Texans
The Texans have a better record than the Ravens but that includes most of the league. We have a shot at catching up with the Texans at 2-5.

4:05

Raiders over Jets
The Raiders at 3-3 and the Jets at 4-2 both have records we would love to have. We are rooting for the home team.

4:25

Cowboys over Seahawks
The Cowboys are missing Tony Romo and have not won without him. The Seahawks are struggling. Russell Wilson has not looked like a Super bowl quarterback. Rooting for the Cowboys and for our special intention in Seattle.

Sunday night
8:30

Packers over Broncos
NFC vs AFC, Both teams are undefeated. How can elderly Peyton Manning have one of the worst offenses in the league and still be undefeated? It’s not fair. But they will lose this week and it will be all downhill for the Broncos the rest of the season.
GO PACK GO!!!

Monday night
8:30

Panthers over Colts
Cam Newton is truly playing like Superman with a 6-0 record.

Bye week for
Bills, Jaguars, Eagles, Redskins

We really need to win this week!

And that’s just the view from151.

GO RAVENS!!!!

WITH A 1-5 RECORD IT’S SAFE TO SAY WE’RE NOT WINNING THE DIVISION.

The Ravens traveled to San Francisco last week and lost to the 49ers. Another tough day for our secondary, giving up big plays to former Ravens, Anquon Boldin and Torrey Smith. Steve Smith dropped a couple passes in the end zone that a healthy Steve Smith normally catches. Joe had two interceptions. Enough said about the bad things we all know the result of the poor performance we saw last week.

The bright spot from last week is the medical staff did not cart anybody off the field. The Ravens are fighting off the injury bug with a lot of nagging injuries but nothing season ending. Wednesday’s practice had a new face- Dennis Pitta was on the field for the first time this year. I know Dennis has been working hard to get back on the field and play but this may all be for show to see what he can do next year. I can’t imagine Dennis playing this year after two years in a row with the same serious injury but he needs to give it a try and see if football is in his future. Good luck, Dennis. Good news: Webb, Canty, Waller, Smith Sr., and Dumervil all practiced Wednesday. The bad news, and you knew there would be bad news, several prayers did not practice Wednesday including Justin Forsett, Maxx Williams, Yanda, Kendrick Lewis, Terrence Brooks, Asa Jackson, and Lawrance Guy  who were all no shows for practice. The good part about playing on Monday night is we get one more day to heal up and the injury report doesn’t come out until late Thursday. So look out for who is and who is not playing.

Something is wrong here… I am missing a paragraph! This is where I usually introduce the new guys the Ravens have picked up to replace the guys going on the injured reserve list. No need to this week. Can you believe it? No new players!  We have the same roster as last week for the first time all season. Is that a good sign? Who knows, but I do know the Coaches are working overtime shuffling the players around to put the best squads on the field.

At this point in the season and with our record, things could get interesting on how the coaches, players and the front office react. The coaches need to work with their squads and put together the best combination of players. Look for different players in different positions. As players get moved around to cover for injured team mates, will we see a let down of intensity? Will the players get frustrated and not play every down at 110%? If so, how will the Ozzie react? He could make a trade, the dead line is November 3. The Ravens don’t normally make late season trades but this is not a normal Ravens Season. John Harbaugh needs to keep this team together and motivated to work and play hard. If we keep losing… No, No, No, I don’t want to think about what could happen. (We get the first pick in the 2016 draft, just kidding)

O, yeah, I almost forgot, we go to Arizona to play the Cardinals on Monday night this week. The Cardinal are really good, the Ravens not so much. We can be optimistically delusional and think we can win this one so I will— we can win this game. We have been close in every game this season but have not been able to hold on to leads in the 4th quarters. This week our secondary will have huge challenge trying to stop the Cardinals passing attack but with Webb back maybe this unit will show up and play well. We can run against the Cardinals. If we protect and control the ball we will win this game.

GO RAVENS!!!

WEEK SEVEN RUNDOWN: Remember- this is what we want to happen to help the Ravens not necessarily what we think will happen. So don’t bet the farm on my picks.

Thursday night
8:25

Seahawks over 49ers
The 49ers offense looked good against the Ravens defense last week but not this week. Seattle has perhaps the best defense in the NFL. Rooting for the Seahawks and our special intention in Seattle.

Sunday
9:30 am

Jaguars over Bills
Get up early for another Sunday morning game in London. Isn’t life great football from 9 AM to Midnight? Rex Ryan in London. I can’t believe they let him in the country. This may not be a very good game but it sure beats raking leaves.

1:00 pm

Redskins over Buccaneers
Work was busy this week so we need the Redskins to win at home to keep boosting the local economy.

Titans over Falcons
Rooting for an AFC team over an NFC team this time since the Titans are going no where and Matt Ryan is looking to good. He’s making Joe look bad.

Saints over Colts
NFC vs AFC take the over on this game, neither defense is very good so Drew Brees and Andrew Luck could have monster passing yards.

Lions over Vikings
Rooting for the home team Lions and Haloti Ngata over the Vikings who we just don’t like.

Chiefs over Steelers
The Steelers could be starting their third string quarterback this week if Vick and his bad hamstring can’t play. AAAHHH, what a shame.

Rams over Browns
Can you believe it? The Browns are not in last place, oh wait, that’s because we are. What’s this world coming to?

Texans vs Dolphins, you pick’em
It really is an ugly picture when you can’t pick a 2-4 team because the Ravens are looking up at them in the standings.

Jets over Patriots
I just want the Patriots to lose.

4:05 pm

Charges over Raiders
We play the Charges at M&T Stadium next week and I don’t want them coming to Baltimore after losing this week. Statistically the Chargers have the best passing game in the NFL. Scout this game to see what our secondary will be up against.

4:25 pm
Cowboys over Giants
Coming off their bye, the Cowboys travel to New Jersey where they need to beat the Giants to keep pace in a division that could be won by an 8-8 team. The cowboys will be starting a new quarterback Matt Cassel this week. They are just trying to hang on until Tony Romo and Dez Bryant come back from injuries.

Sunday night
8:30 pm

Eagles over Panthers
This could be a crazy game to watch. The Panthers are undefeated and the Eagles are coming off a great win over the Giants last Monday night. Rooting for our Eagles fan friends.

Monday night
8:30

RAVENS over Cardinals
Joe and the team will need to bring their A game this week against the Cardinals. The Cardinals are a very good 4-2 team with both a solid defense and offense. They don’t have any weaknesses. Can we shine in the prime time spotlight of Monday Night Football? I think we can!

And that is just the View from 151!

GO RAVENS!!!
Bye week for Bears, Bengals, Broncos, and Packers