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As ExtremeRavens continues to celebrate it’s fifth birthday, Dan and I have decided to add a little spice to our blog. We’re looking for a person to make the 500th comment here at One Winning Drive. Comments can’t be fluff, must be relevant to the blog entry and (of course) can’t be spam. So, who’s gonna win this very easy contest? It’s up to you! And to make things interesting, the winner will be entered into a second contest where the winner could score tickets to a 2010 Ravens game!

In response to Tim’s comment… we aren’t particularly close. Under 100 total comments at present. But that will only change one way. And keep in mind, this contest is to get actual responses. We know you all read this blog, and we want to hear your thoughts and feedback on what we’re writing. The contest is enticing you to do so.

Best of luck!

When Baltimore’s 1300 AM became a totally ESPN radio station (it was once a blend of ESPN radio content and local sportscasters), it seemed to signal a shift in the legitimacy of sports talk in Baltimore. The availability of ESPN’s full lineup (from Mike & Mike to Scott Van Pelt) provides the city with a national view of sports, something that was severely lacking in this town.

One of my main complaints with the former 1300 AM was the onslaught of commercials.  Obviously, the ads are needed to bring in revenue to the station, but at times these commercial breaks lasted a good five minutes. That’s a long time when there are no visuals (like on television) to help break up the monotony of sound. Unfortunately, since the station’s switch, the ad  blitzkrieg has seemingly taken a turn for the worst.

Driving home from downtown Baltimore, I was keyed up to hear the start of the second of two games being broadcast for Monday Night Football’s opening night. Instead, I was thrust into 12 minute hell of advertisement after advertisement after advertisement. Twelve minutes. In case you’re wondering, I traveled from M&T Bank Stadium on 395 to Route 100 in Columbia in the time span. The broadcast started with the announcers in mid-sentence explaining that the Raiders were now on their second possession.

That’s a darn shame. And it isn’t ESPN’s fault.

This same nonsense occurs on a daily basis on Baltimore’s 1300 AM. Try catching the traffic report on this station. They’ll introduce the traffic reporter. And the traffic music will play. But there won’t be any traffic report. What you will get, underneath the mundane music, is another ad in the background.

This station used to be a proud and reliable station. Now, one has to wonder if the powers that be aren’t trying to sabotage ESPN’s market share in favor of their own sports commentators that were moved to the FM dial because of the changeover. Maybe just a little?

Let’s start the way we have to…What a season. What a freaking season. We might not be happy to say it today, but Ravens fans cannot walk away from the run these Ravens made with any regrets.

But that is plenty of sappiness. Real football talk to follow.

The Ravens were simply one-upped tonight. They were in this game until the bitter end—six minutes to play, even—and it is hard to complain about a game that stayed so close for so long. A game that was winnable in so many ways until that six minute mark.

The Blame Game

Darren Stone: 40 Percent. Steep, I know, but deserving. Stone cost the Ravens upwards of 30 yards of field position on the most crucial drive of the game. Instead of starting near their own 45 yard line, the Ravens started all the way at their own 14. And instead of needing to game between 20 and 30 yards to get into field goal range, they suddenly needed more than 50 yards.

It changed everything. All because Stone wanted to get a lick in that didn’t faze his man anyway. When the Ravens hit the field, Flacco and the entire unit were pressured to pass and get big yardage. And that pressure is a big part of why Troy Polamalu wound up in the end zone just minutes later. Read the rest of this entry »

David Steele wrote a column today saying that the Ravens may have finally lost their underdog status, the status that has defined this team for its entire existence. But less than 24 hours after learning that the Ravens division rival Pittsburgh Steelers will be the foe in the AFC Championship, I have yet to see the tide change much for the Ravens in the national media—or at least with ESPN.

In John Clayton’s early analysis of the matchup, the focus is almost entirely on the Steelers. His questions are fair; the answers are loaded. According to Clayton, the Steelers have more to prove, the Steelers have the difference maker in Willie Parker, the Steelers have the edge in the series—and we’re not just talking records—and his bottom line: You have to put your money on the Steelers.

In his early analysis, ESPN’s AFC North blogger James Walker is heavy on Steelers talk as well. Walker has done a fabulous job all season and it’s nice of both teams to repay him with such success in the postseason. But still, the talk is leaning slightly to the Steelers.

But perhaps most disrespectful to the Ravens has to be the analysis in last night’s SportsCenter Special Report with analysts Merril Hoge and Cris Carter. Cris Carter who has gone a pathetic 1-7 in his postseason picks so far this year (his only correct pick was the Steelers last night).

Steele might be right. The tide might be turning for the Ravens. But the early analysis is all Steelers and its getting to be frustrating. I don’t want or need or expect the Ravens to be favored. I don’t even want the experts to be picking the Ravens: I like my inferiority complex just the size it is.

But it would be nice if, based on their comments, we could walk away with at least the notion that some of these guys have watched the Ravens play more than once.

Let me poke a few holes while I have the chance. Read the rest of this entry »