RaveCast: Your original Baltimore Ravens Podcast!

Welcome to the Ravecast for the first time in two weeks.

Sorry for the lack of updating and I could give you some excuses, but I'd really rather

just stay consistent in updating the podcast.

By the way, thanks for tuning into the original Baltimore Ravens podcast.

I've noticed that we have some competition, if there is such a thing in the world of podcasting,

but you're listening to the original, the first and the number one source of Ravens

news from now on, of course.

So I'm Zach Wilt and we're going to cover the defeat to the Bengals in this edition

and keep next Friday open for the preview edition for the Ravens game on Sunday.

So why not?

Let's get into it right now.

So we're starting to see.

What I've been talking about weeks back here on the Ravecast and of course,

they'll be saving the rest of the season for a draft choice.

I've addressed this question in email a number of times.

I don't know if I've directly addressed it, but I've said keep waiting, keep waiting.

And now I'm pretty much going to say that this is the time for that.

We're seeing fans really are accepting the losing because it's their way of getting a good draft choice.

I can see that.

I think there's four teams as far as I know, four teams in front of the Ravens for a draft choice.

And though I hate to see my team lose and deal with the comments made by friends,

the rest of the season looks to be pretty much a test for Kyle Bowler,

seeing if Kyle can get his act together.

So by the way, we're recording this podcast on Tuesday and being Baltimore fans,

we should just mention that the Colts beat the Steelers last.

Sunday, extending their streak to 11-0.

And I battled it out with someone today because, you know, even though I'm from Baltimore,

as most people are, I'm just anti-Colts and it just kills me to see that,

even though they face the rival Steelers.

And someone that I know from South Carolina who likes the Colts,

which I don't even get anyway, was dogging me about, you know, the Ravens.

And so I told this person that,

even if the Colts finish undefeated in the regular season,

I look forward to them blowing it in the playoffs like they always do.

So I'm pretty much just hoping that they're going to do that this year

because I'd hate to see them pull out a victory after my harsh comments to her.

But we'll see how it goes.

But that seems to be the way they do it, and it's usually against the Patriots.

But I was reminded that they beat the Patriots this year.

But we'll see.

The playoffs are always different.

So anyway, I'm sorry.

Back to the Ravens.

I got totally distracted on that.

But like I said, I really think it's a test for Kyle Buller.

And quite honestly, I really don't even know what they're testing him over anyway.

I could have told you what I said when he walked on the field a year ago.

I mean, I think it still stands today.

But for some reason, the coaches must be seeing something to keep him around for this long.

And I really, I think, you know, I have that think that I've yet to seen what they've seen.

But I believe that.

I have seen it.

And I did see it partially in this game.

And it just frustrates me for him to flip-flop back and forth like that.

But the other good news coming out of this game is that we've seen Jamal Lewis with a great improvement.

Not only did I see it, but, you know, Brian Billick saw it also.

He commented.

I really comprehend, given the critiques that go on about Kyle.

But I'll throw it out there to you.

We...

If anybody had any doubt...

Not that they did...

I don't think anybody has ever questioned that.

About Kyle Bowler's physical toughness.

They had to put that aside after the Pittsburgh game.

The way he came back and responded under those circumstances yesterday,

I don't know that anybody can question his mental toughness.

Now, whether that all adds up to being a good quarterback, that's what we will work through.

But those are two pretty good attributes.

And I don't know that anybody can legitimately question those as if Kyle is or is not a good quarterback,

it won't be because of a lack of those two things.

I think we have seen that.

And by going at it the way we did, we're going to answer some other questions,

hopefully over the next five games, that we can hopefully at the end of five games and say,

Nope, we're going to check off a box in each of these situations.

And hopefully enough boxes are checked off by the time we get to the end.

So that's great.

But we do need to improve also.

So, well, I'd like to say that if Jamal sticks around, which I'm worried about,

but either way, we need to improve on the offensive line,

who seems to be getting older and getting hurt.

Also, I wouldn't mind seeing the secondary get a couple of fresh blood in there.

They're also getting up there in age.

And what about...

What about the man himself, Brian Billick?

I've certainly questioned his authority this year, and well, so have a lot of other fans.

But I think you'll see him around next year.

I honestly do.

I couldn't see Mr. Ravens himself, Brian Billick, get sent away.

That's my opinion.

Others disagree.

So, okay, that's enough of the future,

even though it's really something I'm looking forward to.

But let's take a look at this game in the review edition of today's Ravecast.

And I think we pretty much saw...

We saw the worst and the best of Kyle Bowler on Sunday

with his butterfingers and lack of leadership on offense

and then his 20-point burst coming out.

And if I made this podcast during the third quarter,

at the beginning of the third quarter probably,

I could have stopped by saying we saw the worst of Kyle Bowler.

But the thing that still leaves me baffled about the team

is the 20-point burst that I was talking about,

which ended up being too late.

But it still...

It still leaves me wondering, you know,

what else is out there for the Ravens?

And I've been saying all along that even though they struggled,

this team drives me crazy because we've seen their ability.

I mean, we saw them pull together two weeks ago against Pittsburgh,

a team who crushed them four weeks before.

I'm sorry, two weeks before.

And I just wondered what this year would have looked like

if we would have seen the Ravens that showed up two weeks ago

to square off against their AFC North rival.

It just frustrates me.

It just frustrates me to have to deal with that.

Well, that's what we all have to deal with, being Ravens fans.

So Bowler even admitted it.

He said that I needed to play better in the first half.

That was a direct quote from him.

In the first half, he was 4-15 with 37 yards out.

But he fought through it.

And, you know, I think we even saw what the coaches saw in the last 20 minutes,

which is a frustrating time to see it.

When it was too late for the Ravens.

When, in the last 20 minutes, Bowler went 14 for 17 with 174 yards and three touchdowns.

You know, where has that been?

Why haven't we seen that before?

So, it's frustrating to see it.

But also, at the same time, it's a good thing to see.

And Billick finally came through and said that, you know,

this is what he's been looking for.

He said it here.

First.

First and foremost, always, the NFL dictates accountability.

And we lost.

Lost the game.

No excuses for that.

The mistakes are obvious.

You can't look at injury.

You can't say, well, this happened, that happened.

This guy was down.

You had to do that.

It's unforgiving in that way.

We lost.

So now we're sitting here at 3-8.

Having said that, and I don't know that anybody outside of that room can really appreciate it,

but the way the guys responded to their circumstances.

Could not ask more.

Individually and collectively.

It is.

It is a loss.

Make no mistake.

Everybody clear on that?

I'm not making excuses.

It's a loss.

A loss in the NFL costs you.

And it costs us.

Okay?

I'm talking about a team now, emotionally, that's fighting through its circumstances.

And I couldn't be prouder than what they did.

We lost the game.

Does everybody understand that?

I'm not making an excuse or trying to dismiss it.

We sure about that?

Okay?

But in that context, I'm proud of the way these guys fought back through it.

Questions?

What do you think?

The difference was, once it got to 34-0, did it come?

Well, given the third quarter, the difference was we stopped getting in our own way.

You know, we started executing.

You know, obviously, it got a little dicey out there, defensively,

given who was up and who was down and what we had to do to manufacture what we did.

And so that was interesting, to say the least.

What was it?

Chris' hamstring, he worked through it all week long.

And this is not a game to play unless you're on top of your game, particularly at that position.

And I just don't think Chris could open it up into the gear he needed to hold up

and to leave him out there in that situation was going to be tough.

Chester wasn't going to score loves to below?

No, we had hoped the foot would come along, and it just didn't.

He didn't practice all week, basically, and we were hoping game time he'd be okay,

but it just wasn't good enough to go.

What about Kyle?

Like the team.

First half, boy, you can't make mistakes like that.

But the way he responded, we grew.

He grew individually, we grew as a team.

Hard to understand that, given the fact that we lost and looked so bad to start.

But where we came from that point, all you can do is handle how you go forward.

Where we went forward from that point, I'm encouraged.

Okay, let's get to tomorrow.

So the Ravens did show us something that got us excited during this game,

and I was really waiting for that, and they really did it near the end of the game.

But, I mean, we're still missing Ed Reed.

Ray Lewis and Will Demps, so we still have some more to look forward to.

So I really, I want to, I don't want to deeply dissect this game, as I haven't.

This is actually wrapping it up.

I probably, I probably won't do this for the remainder of the season,

just because I think the future of this team is just that, in the future.

And now, I'd like to see the Ravens use this season to get their veterans cured,

to test Bowler, improve on their injuries,

and some of the holes that they have on their team.

And one of the most important things I think that the Ravens need to do

that they have not been doing lately is to make Jamal Lewis feel at home.

I would hate to see him go because of some of the comments I've seen in the papers

and some of the bad press he's been getting.

So I think we should make him feel at home.

And he had an excellent game, so it would be nice to see him pull through again.

So that's the review edition of the Ravecast.

Sorry for the lack of updating in recent weeks.

And we'll keep it updated for you as we come up.

So thanks for listening to the original Baltimore Ravens podcast,

and we'll see you Friday for the preview edition.

So the Ravens did show us something that got us excited during this game,

and I was really waiting for that, and they really did it near the end of the game.

But, I mean, we're still missing Ed Reed, Ray Lewis, and Wilt Demps,

so we still have some more to look forward to.

So I really don't want to deeply dissect this game, as I haven't.

This is actually wrapping it up.

I probably won't do this for the remainder of the season

just because I think the future of this team is just that, in the future.

And now I'd like to see the Ravens use this season to get their veterans cured,

succeed, to test Bowler, improve on their injuries

and some of the holes that they have on their team.

And one of the most important things I think that the Ravens need to do

that they have not been doing lately is to make Jamal Lewis feel at home.

I would hate to see him go because of some of the comments I've seen in the papers

and some of the bad press he's been getting.

So I think we should make him feel at home.

And he had an excellent game, so it would be nice to see him pull through again.

So that's the review.

That's the review edition of the Ravecast.

Sorry for the lack of updating in recent weeks.

And we'll keep it updated for you as we come up.

So thanks for listening to the original Baltimore Ravens podcast.

And we'll see you Friday for the preview edition.