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Damn right you can’t complain. Not only did your guys make a man of Chad Pennington, you also embarassed my beloved Patriots right out of the playoffs with that freaky-ass week 3 win.
Grrr…just wait until Franchise Cassel meets you in Foxborough next year!
Brady should be back by next season and Franchise Cassell will have his ass glued to the bench. Tom Brady is a machine. Cassell is a mortal surrounded by a very solid well coached team. As a Dol Fan I would love to see Tom kick back and relax for another year, but as a football fan I am eager to see him work his magic on the field again.
By the way, Professor, did you see the fantastic Gregg Easterbrook’s take on the game? Here it is:
Baltimore at Miami Analysis: Coming in, Chad Pennington had thrown just one interception in his previous five games, yet he threw four picks in this game. Known as a quarterback who’s careful with the ball, Pennington seemed to toss caution to the wind — the first three interceptions were thrown just as Pennington was about to be hammered by a pass-rusher. In all three cases he should have pulled the ball down and taken the sack; a sack is much more preferable than a turnover. But the Dolphins’ season was already a success. If the Marine Mammals ran out of gas against a better team, their faithful have no reason to complain. If you’d told a Miami fan last summer that the Dolphins would make the playoffs and then falter, that fan would have replied, “You’re nuts. I will be real happy with six wins.”
Baltimore has a spectacular defensive unit, and it showed Sunday. Often the Ravens fielded only two down linemen, with huge nose tackle Haloti Ngata lined up as a linebacker. Usually he rushed, and you wouldn’t want to jump in this guy’s way when he’s running at full speed. (Ngata did seem to tire in the fourth quarter — the Titans will notice that on film, so Ngata may be back in his regular position Saturday.) Baltimore loves to overload blitz — Tennessee offensive line, get ready for that tactic. As for Ed Reed, ay caramba! Often he lined up a full 20 yards deep, as if he expected to receive a punt. Most safeties that deep would just be wasted, but Reed’s instincts are so good that he can read the play and get into the action from that depth. On the fourth Baltimore interception, Miami had the ball on the Ravens’ 20. Reed and fellow safety Jim Leonard both lined up 20 yards deep, both at the goal line, and Reed read a Miami curl pattern so quickly he was able to hustle into the action and make the pick. If I was tasked to choose the 2008 Tuesday Morning Quarterback Non-QB Non-RB NFL MVP — and I guess I am — I’d be thinking seriously about Ed Reed.
Note to Baltimore’s coaches: The Miami defense really isn’t that great, but it gave you a good game. The Ravens gained only 286 yards on offense; a defensive touchdown and four drives that started in Miami territory (thanks to the Ravens’ defense) were the keys to Baltimore’s points. Baltimore and Miami came into their meeting with the highest trick-play percentages in the NFL, yet trick plays accomplished nothing for either team. Miami called a halfback pass and Ricky Williams decided not to throw the ball; Miami called an end-around that led to a 19-yard loss and the end of its comeback attempt; Baltimore called a Wildcat set with Troy Smith at quarterback on a third-and-4 and he failed to gain a first down. Tennessee’s defense is head-and-shoulders better than Miami’s, just in case you don’t already know. With the Baltimore offense playing vanilla at Miami, Tuesday Morning Quarterback expects an avalanche of trick plays from the Ravens at Long Playing Field.
I love Easterbrook…
Cheers,
Os.
