Corvus Corax

The Playoff Stars are Beginning to Align For the Ravens Recently I had the opportunity to be the guest speaker for Ravens Nest 1 in Bel Air, MD. Among the things we discussed were the similarities of Ravens’ playoff teams of the past. Clearly there’s a style of play, a pattern of success that aligns with the franchise’s battle tested credos and philosophies about winning football. And this edition of the Ravens, just feels right. It feels like things are aligning.

Since he arrived, Todd Monken has been the target of criticism. After all, isn’t it a rite of passage for Baltimoreans to criticize their team’s offensive coordinators? This is year 2 for Monken in Baltimore. Year 1 ended in a rather unsavory way. The aftermath of the Ravens loss to the Chiefs at M&T Bank Stadium during the AFC Championship Game left a bitter, bitter taste in the mouths of Ravens fans. The offensive game plan was a disaster and consequently, the team failed.

We’ve seen it happen in sports before. A player gets the yips. Hoops players suddenly can’t hit a free throw. A second baseman can’t throw to first. A golfer develops a case of the shanks. It happens to even the most accomplished professional athletes and when it does, it creeps into their heads, weighs on their minds and erodes confidence. Enter Justin Tucker. For Tucker, the first four weeks of the season were a struggle.