[TLO]

This poor delusional bastard

I run the risk of being critiqued for possibly jinxing the team with such predictions. I really don't think I have that power. Conversely, I do believe in the power of positive thinking, so the more of us who believe....well, why not?

But this is reality, as is 3 and 0, and it's time for the critics to stop with the, "another easy team" stuff. Heck, The Ravens were supposed to beat Detroit, but not with a record setting field goal. But just like us of late...they won. Place the "W" beside their name and move on.

But I am excited about this next game. It's time to beat someone "good" and turn the Broncos conversation into a discussion of power ranking. In fact, a Ravens victory puts us top 10 for sure. And in my books, 4 and 0 would make me a believer in the playoffs this year. You see, some folks will spend weeks talking about the team having an easy schedule and so forth, but I want to remind everyone that this is not the 5 and 11 team from last season. At some point, other than injury misfortune, people will realize that this is a different team than last year. I know, it's hard to make that break in logic for some, but once you turf the 5 and 11 storyline you realize that this group is better and is more confident in itself. And Bridgewater is the deserving and rightful leader.

The Ravens in fact are not a great team. They have been decimated by injury, and I am not even sure what to make of their RB situation, from week to week. We all know that a strong D can minimize Jackson's overall impact. Hey, the guy can be great at times, and has an arm. But by restricting him, we really squeeze them tight. Their D is not as powerful as we have been accustomed to over the years. In 3 games they have just 3 sacks, 2 interceptions, 1 forced fumble, and have allowed 85 points, 7th worst in the league, They have a combined for and against of 82/85 (points), which is so so. Having said that, I do not want them to be ever considered as another easy victory, because you can't win with some analytical types. They are still a good team, and this is far too early to think otherwise. And if anyone thinks I am not expecting Jackson to be dynamic, well, lets just say the guy still worries me.

Anyway, it's ok to believe and even be confident, early in the season. Even a loss would not be tragic, and unless The Broncs looked non competitive, I would still predict a decent year. And I won't go on and on about Bridgewater, but he is who he is, and at times, even more. He's still a starter in my books. He's not an elite QB, but he is smart and quite athletic. I think he's a better fit for this team than I did a few months back. BTW, just 3 games, but he has a rate of 116.4, a 76.8% completion rate and 0 pics. I like those numbers....

So if you want to be excited about this team, even get a little Orange coloured glasses/drinking the juice goofy, go for it. You've waited a long time, and who cares, it's your team. But in my opinion, facts alone tell me this team is pretty good.

Whoooooooops.