It's Been a Long Time Comin'...

...but I feel another post is in order. All I've been doing over my winter break (which is five weeks long) is sitting on the couch watching ESPN (and the occasional "King of Queens" or "Everybody Loves Raymond" episode), reading espn.com, and checking the baltimoresun.com's sports page. I have had so many opinions over this break about the local (and national) sports scene, yet have only been able to talk them out to a couple people and my toilet (sad, but true). I figured that coming back to this blog is long overdue.

So, before we completely put the Ravens on the backburner for a few months after their 20-3 loss to the Indianapolis Colts last night, let me back up two people who have been garnering a lot of criticism over the past few days, John Harbaugh and Joe Flacco. Yes, Harbaugh and Flacco were far from perfect this season, but there is no reason for local fans to be calling for their heads after this combo has gotten to the playoffs for a second straight season.

Let's start with John Harbaugh. Harbaugh has his issues, but nothing is poor about his 20-12 regular season record and 3-2 playoff record in his first two seasons as head coach. He turned a seemingly hopeless team two seasons ago into a team who can easily be a playoff contender for three straight years. If the Ravens make the playoffs next season, it will be the first time in their brief history that they will have gotten to the playoffs in three consecutive seasons, something that isn't accomplished by too many teams. Yes, Harbaugh had major clock management issues, problems with when and when not to throw the challenge flag, and difficulties controlling the team's discipline on a regular basis, all things that need fixing next season, but I'm not gonna ask for a new coach after what he has accomplished in his first two seasons. This was a good learning experience for Harbaugh as a head coach, and usually when people use the term "learning experience", it's in lieu of a horrific season; in this case, Harbaugh learned, and made it to the divisional round of the playoffs.

Now to quarterback Joe Flacco, who is receiving a lot of criticism for his play down the stretch. He came into this season with high expectations, and had a great start, but then injuries (?) and anxiousness slowed him down and led to a "sophomore slump", so to speak. Not many quarterbacks lead their team to the playoffs when having a "sophomore slump", and his numbers were statistically better than they were last season. However, people became concerned with his play down the stretch, and there was no fear on the message boards to rip him apart after yesterday's game against the Colts. I was concerned with his play, too. By the end of the season, he was nervous under pressure, taking a sack as opposed to trying to get the ball off. I was hoping for improvement in the playoffs, but he looked nervous yesterday, looking to throw to Derrick Mason and if he couldn't find him, immediately looking to throw to Ray Rice.

Message to Joe Flacco: there are other receivers on the field; let's not try to get too predictable out there. But I don't understand why everyone is all of a sudden jumping on the Joe Flacco-bashing bandwagon. Like Harbaugh, Flacco has led his team to two straight playoff seasons in his first two years. He's young, and he has time to improve. We saw how good he can be when receivers get open early on this season. He'll be fine. The Ravens "fans" who are bashing Flacco and Harbaugh and asking for them to be traded and fired, respectively, need to look at the bigger picture here, and the bigger picture is this: 23-14 record, including playoffs, in their first two seasons. Yes, there is much room for improvement, but come on, don't let the frustration of the Orioles carry over to football.

So, overall, another successful season for the Ravens. Granted, it wasn't what we all may have expected going in, but with all the inconsistencies throughout the season, the Ravens made their second straight playoff run, the first time since the 2000 and 2001 seasons that that has happened. Can't wait for next year, but I'll be able to say goodbye to Ravens football without a tear; I had to endure a 2-10 Terps football year on top of this, so I'll welcome college basketball and, dare I say it, baseball with open arms.

Speaking of the Orioles and Terps, more on them in later posts.

And, before I go, I'd just like to say that I was one of the few who was right about the Dallas Cowboys. Everyone, for no reason than other that they're "America's Team", just decided that the Cowboys were the team to beat in the NFC. I said to my toilet, "I'm not quite convinced about the Cowboys. I just don't know if Romo's got it against this Vikings defense." Sure enough, as I write this, the Vikings just beat the Cowboys 34-3 (I predicted the Vikings to win 27-23). So, I'd like all three of you who read this blog post to bow down to me and worship me as the best NFL picker in the United States! Oh wait, my toilet just reminded me that I picked the Ravens to win this weekend...and that I predicted before this season that the Patriots and Packers would meet in the Super Bowl. Ouch.