Nevermore

All are shouting hosannahs because the Baltimore Ravens have won impressively the last several weeks.  You read it here first. There is no way the Ravens will win the superbowl, nor do I believe will they even get to the game despite all the gushing.

No pro team wins a superbowl with a college offense. The Ravens offense is a read option offense that works well with a running quarterback--IN COLLEGE. It is true that the Ravens have an exceptionally athletic quarterback, but he is only an average passer.  A good defensive team will stop him like the 49ers essentially stopped him last weekend.

The Patriots, my team, are unlikely candidates for a superbowl victory either, since they have no offense to speak of and Tom Brady, to date at least, is spending too much time squawking at his receivers and not enough time looking inside.  It would not surprise me if the Patriots win only two of their remaining four games.  But should the Patriots play the Ravens in a playoff game. Quoth the Raven.

You will see teams, and the Patriots would be one of them, just making sure that every time Jackson runs with the ball he gets walloped.  All it will take is one good zetz that slows him down and their offense is shot.  Once defenses do not need to worry about Jackson as a runner there will be no balm in Gilead.

I don't know if the Bills will beat the Ravens next week, but after Cleveland, Buffalo, and Pittsburgh (three of the four teams that play the Ravens during the remaining regular season) get done, Jackson will not be a jolly runner anymore. He'll take a couple of shots and will be gun shy.  I saw yesterday that after a zetz he does not run on a subsequent play.

It may not be the Patriots, but it will not be the Ravens either.

Ravens fans: Quoth Zaremba, by way of Poe

Other friends have flown before.   

Quaff oh quaff,
but there'll be no kind nepenthe in the post season.
In January it will be

Nevermore.