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	<title>One Winning Drive &#187; Confidence</title>
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		<title>Is Comfort a Good Thing?</title>
		<link>http://onewinningdrive.com/2009/09/29/is-comfort-a-good-thing_43/</link>
		<comments>http://onewinningdrive.com/2009/09/29/is-comfort-a-good-thing_43/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 29 Sep 2009 17:30:01 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Dan McGrain</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Baltimore Ravens]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Commentary]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Recaps]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[2009]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Analysis]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cleveland Browns]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Confidence]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[New England Patriots]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[NFL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Win]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blogs.extremeravens.com/ravens/blog/2009/09/29/is-comfort-a-good-thing_43/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Watching the Ravens against the Browns on Sunday, I felt something I haven&#8217;t truly felt watching the Ravens in a long time. It didn&#8217;t entirely strike me as I was watching the game, but I certainly realized as I reflected a bit on the trouncing of the Browns. There was never a moment, not even [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Watching the Ravens against the Browns on Sunday, I felt something I haven&#8217;t truly felt watching the Ravens in a long time. It didn&#8217;t entirely strike me as I was watching the game, but I certainly realized as I reflected a bit on the trouncing of the Browns.</p>
<p>There was never a moment, not even an instant, during that game where I thought this Ravens team would not complete the blowout. There wasn&#8217;t even a fleeting thought in the back of my head that it could even be a close game. It simply didn&#8217;t exist.</p>
<p>And looking back on the game, the Ravens seem to have been filled with the same emotion.</p>
<p>They were relaxed; they were just playing football. And playing it well.</p>
<p><img src="http://a.espncdn.com/media/apphoto/c7fe4c7d-c8b5-4289-925c-cf4c3c3b00b5.jpg" height="291" width="391" /></p>
<p>It&#8217;s an indescribably weird feeling. There is supposed to be some kind of drama, some kind of suspense, in football. There are supposed to be big plays on both sides and &#8220;What if&#8230;&#8221; moments.  There&#8217;s supposed to be that any given Sunday, any given play mentality. But it simply didn&#8217;t exist.</p>
<p>Both on offense and on defense, the Ravens looked like a team in absolute control. Not necessarily in control of the Browns, but in control of what they were going to do. It wasn&#8217;t so much swagger, as we saw in 2000 under Billick. It was that subtle, simple, understated confidence in their ability &#8211; their ability to drive 90 yards on 16 plays or drive 70 yards on just three plays, their ability to make a stop on 4th and goal or their ability to make an interception at any moment.</p>
<p>But comfortable can be a bad thing sometimes. We&#8217;ve seen the Ravens get complacent before &#8211; we&#8217;ve seen them give up little plays expecting to make big plays. We&#8217;ve seen them settle for a run expecting the defense to pick up the slack.</p>
<p>Personally, I don&#8217;t see that with this Ravens team. I see their comfort as having a soothing effect, relieving the anxiety that &#8220;the only way to win is to be perfect.&#8221; In reality, there&#8217;s not a lot you can do about how the other team is going to perform &#8211; you can only impact how you are going to perform.</p>
<p>So what do you think? Are you seeing the same thing? Are you worried that this team might get too comfortable, too confident? Is it giving you hope or worry with a big game in New England on the docket?</p>
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