That time of Year

It's here, that time of the year. That time of the year hard hitting gets harder. That time of year running gets harder, passing gets harder. It's harder to breath, it's harder to concentrate. Harder to play loose, to stop thinking. The time of the year defense takes over. It's the PLAYOFFS and they are here for the Baltimore Ravens. I can't say I thought they‘d be here, but here they are, and boy does it feel good. A quick few things: What a turnaround. Flacco, what can be said... one word or 500 can't sum him up better than WOW. Clayton likes his new QB. Ed Reed has taken over the NFL the last half of the season. Just allow yourself to wonder for a minute about next year: A healthier and saveier O-line. Gregg & Landry healthy, maybe a new wide-out and corner. The near future looks bright. But that's the problem nothing is ever enough for Fans, Media, Ownership, Players or anyone. We, as a people, are always looking at what's next, what's coming, how about the future. How about enjoying the moment. Being thankful you have a team and an ownership group / front office that truly understand how to get things done. Enjoy this team that has true leaders on and off the field. They aren’t the Jets or Cowboys that’s for sure. It's just a nice football thing they have going in the Charm City, I hope all the Fans appreciate what they have, because it could be much much worse.


Glenn Younes
Sirius XM Satellite Radio

BIG D!

In a city called Dallas the Big D of the Ravens proved too much for the Cowboys. Yes, the story was the two huge 4th quarter runs from Willis McGahee and LeRon McClain respectively to put the game away, but once again this Ravens Run Defense held another team under 100 yards. The Cowboys, in the last ever regular season home game at the famed Texas Stadium, were held to 92 yards on the ground and oh yeah don't forget about the two interceptions from the league leader Ed Reed ( tied with Griffin and Polamalu at 7). Sure the "Boys" scored with relative ease in the 4th during a frantic comeback attempt while running the hurry up but the D from big D was not up to the task of holding down Flacco and the Ravens now potent point scoring attack. Did anyone think this season would go this well? Not me, but what do I know? Talking with Ed [Reed] after week 15 and a very tough Pittsburgh loss he told me he thought the exact opposite, saying loudly "I did, we did, we have a good team". And you know what, he really believes that, he has to and he thought that before the season, halfway through and of course now. Winners think they can and will always win. Not winning isn't something that even crosses their mind. It's something I often joke about but it's true. Some people are born awesome, they can't help it or turn it off, it's just how they're built. I'm not talking about athleticism, talent, size, speed or any of that. I'm talking about the IT that winners have and the others don't. What makes this Ravens team good is that they have more people with IT than not and with that comes bounces, more wins than losses and... the feeling. The feeling that things will go your way. The feeling that no matter what you're in control. The feeling of knowing after all the ups and downs, you'll be on top. Like Ed said to me and I to him "we are the company we keep", and that is no more apparent than in pro sports. Winning begets winning and losing, losing. The latter this Ravens team does not even let enter into their minds. Having the chance to talk and be friends with Ed is a very cool thing. Not because he's ED REED, but because I get a peek into the mind of a born winner. It's a very interesting thing to listen to and dissect how those type people think. Sometimes I feel like I'm one of those people. Then I think either we all are, or could be, it's just a matter of trying. That of course is just blind optimism, as some people just can't get out of their own way. We call those people losers, and on Saturday 12-20-08 the last regular season game ever at Texas Stadium that's what we called the Dallas Cowboys. LOSERS.


Glenn Younes
Sirius XM Satellite Radio

After Further Review

What is replay really good for, to make us feel good about ourselves? To give us a sense of security, a false one, but the feeling nonetheless? I really think that’s the only reason, to make us feel warm and fuzzy. Not to get it right because far too often “they” don’t. The refs, the coaches, it’s a joke how often the lot of them are wrong. I frequently kid around w/ my friend about how we get it right at home 85% -95% of the time. The rules are easy: wait until you see the replay a few times from a few angles, cross check the results (an 8 year old can see) from the replays just seen with the call on the field, if they match up it stands, if it’s obvious one way or another it goes that way, other than that it stays how it was called. It’s simple and easy with little to no error, but like arguing with a woman it will probably go nowhere. See, if you add logic and common sense, it just gums up the works. I’m not sure the football watching public would be so irate if the mistakes the NFL elite made were actual mistakes instead of stupid, unexplainable screw-ups. And why we’re at it take that Broncos / Chargers call from the beginning of the season , the Refs should never have the power to blow something like that dead. That has to be looked at in the off-season, which I think it will be. Hello NFL wake up you are starting to ruin the league. The Ravens / Steelers TD in week 15 was really a very bad bad overturn because it just was not overwhelmingly a TD, but it’s far from the worst call we’ve seen in the past several years. NFL get with it, replay as it is in its current form is not working. Oh yeah and a word to all NFL teams, a simple TIVO or DVR in the booth would help you tremendously. How teams get it wrong so often is truly beyond me. But it’s a catch 22 because when conventional wisdom says no way will it get overturned a team takes a flyer, and what do the refs do every now and again… you guessed it, they give hope and overturn a call that had no business being overturned. Which then leads to plenty more bad challenges, longer games, angry fans and stupid officials making more mistakes because they have more chances to show their intelligence, or lack thereof.

Glenn Younes
Sirius XM Satellite Radio

Rav-Skins - Gone in 317 Secs

The Ravens Hosting the Redskins… The Battle of the Beltway…. White Collar Washington vs. Blue Collar Baltimore… All the hype in the world for this game, between two teams so close but so far away and it was all gone in three hundred and seventeen seconds. Or for those of you with out a calculator 5 minutes and 17 seconds. Two words: ED REED. I try not to go crazy about Ed just to keep it balanced but how can anyone not give credit where credit is due. Ed ended the game after his forced fumble, fumble recovery and fumble return for a touchdown with just 5:17 gone in the game, and oh by the way, on one play. 14-0 thanks and good night, and since we're counting don’t forget the interception on the Redskins first possession to set Flacco & co. to go up 7-0. The NFL has rules and the game had to be played out, they couldn't just give Baltimore a W and everyone go home. So Ed decides to take matters in his own hands and end it a bit early with his second interception on the night with just under 2 minutes to go. In the last three weeks Mr. Reed, as he should be called, has 4 interceptions, two touchdowns, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery… TWO GAMES (Philly and Wash) that’s a career for 99.9% of DB’s in the league. Ok so enough of the Ed talk I, like many, could go on all day but this time better than ever to explain the vast difference between these two cities, teams etc.

CITY:
Washington = White Collar, Government, transient, not a lot of locals, business, money, power.

Baltimore = Blue collar, family owned, local people & history, sense of community.

OWNER:
Dan Snyder = Hidden, meddling, over spends / under produces, PR before football.

Steve Biscotti = Open, delegates, Football is most important, gets it.

STADIUM:
Fed Ex Field = way too big, middle of no where, worst parking in NFL, analog video with SMALL screens, little to no replay, out of town scores few and far between, terrible traffic -one way in one way out.

M&T Bank Stadium = just the right size, middle of the city, park at local business /stadium lots/ Camden Yards / light rail / city bus / cabs, HUGE HD video screens, lots of replays, split screens for reviews, out of town scores scroll all game long, tons of arteries in and out.

Front Office:

Vinny and the Gents = Bunch of yes men looking to keep there jobs by NOT rocking the boat. No plan and nothing in site. Buy Hi Sell Low.

Ozzie Newsome = Simply one of the best in the NFL. Gets value at almost every position, finds huge play makers, has a system, minimizes mistakes and builds every year no matter what.

Each team does what only a hand full of others in the league do, the difference is that the Ravens do it right and the Redskins do it wrong.

Glenn Younes
Sirius XM Satellite Radio

BENGALS = THE WORST

Is it really worth banging on the Bengals anymore than the Ravens did Sunday.... Answer: Not really but I do want t0 bang on the front office, owners and really the entire franchise. Why in the world is this Chad Johnson mess still going on? I had the chance to have dinner w/ Chad and some other NFL players in January 2008 and he said then what he told the entire football world. He did not want to play for the Bengals and the Bengals did not want him. Not an exact quote but you get the gist. So with that said why did they not move him. The Redskins, among other teams, offered pretty good compensation for Johnson yet nothing. Lets take this out of football and into the real world. Why would a company force an employee, who they don't want and doesn't want them, to continue to stay when that employee has value on the open market. Why not cut ties and move on. Instead the Bengals played the stubborn role, would not budge and played the wrong PR game. What a joke, that's why they are how they are and will never change until they clean house. People give Chad "Ocho Cinco" Johnson a hard time, say he's a diva, a distraction etc... but he knew things were going bad in Cincinnati and asked privately to be moved. When told NO he asked publicly, they still said no and now we continue to deal with this. The Bengals are a joke from top to bottom and it shows on the field each and every game. Good luck Randy Lerner you'll need it.

Glenn Younes
Sirius XM Satellite Radio