Derrick Mason retires

[Finnegans Wake]

Fucco is fucked.

[pensodyssey]

Fucco is fucked.

Flacco is miles ahead of Ben at this stage in his career.  He hands off to McClain and Rice much, much better than Ben did to FWP and #36.

I'd rank the top 10 qb's in this order:

0.  Tom Brady.  So good, he supercedes numerical categorization.

1.  Eli Manning.  Finally living up to that #1 overall.  Clutch player in clutch situations who gets no help from his o-line or running game.

1a. Peyton Manning.  No explanation necessary, only thing between him and like, 5 or 6 Lomabardis is Tom Brady.

2.  Philip Rivers.  No denying his competitiveness.  Once played a playoff game with a blown acl, and was born missing the nerves that connect the mouth to the brain.

3.  Jay Cutler.  That Chicago O is damn scary now.

3a.  Kyle Orton.  He was traded for Cutler, he must be just as good.  Q.E.D.

4.  Tony Romo.  People keep talking about him choking, but how many times has Roethlisberger been asked to hold?  Romo was good enough to be on the field for those extra downs so no matter what he does, he's better.

5.  Matt Ryan.  No one ever thought he'd be the player Vick was.

5a and b.  Matt Stafford and Whatshisname Sanchez.  See above, Orton, K..  If Ryan was a #1, and so were these guys, they must be just as good.  Q.E.D.

[SCacalaki]

They're getting nervous in Baltimore

[Merman1983]

Good riddance you pain in the ass.

[DCSteelers]

I cheered my ass off when I saw that announcement.  That dude has been nothing but a thorn in the Steelers side in the last 12 years.

I concur that it's a serious blow to the Ratties O.

[Finnegans Wake]

If this was all it took, some bitch shoulda shot McNair for us years ago.

In all seriousness, who they got?  Mason's their Ward.  Imagine if Hines retired in 2005, what that would have done to Ben...  Mark Clayton?  695 yards last year.  Has never cracked 1000.  And it goes downhill from there: Demetrius Williams, Kelley Washington, Yamon Figurs, Marcus Smith... 

Why the fuck they didn't draft a WR is beyond me.  Drafting Oher was a no-brainer, and I think Paul Kruger in R2 was smart.  From there on, they had plentiful options at WR.  Dumbfucks.

[Finnegans Wake]

PFT is reporting he changed his mind.

We'll see.

[pensodyssey]

PFT is reporting he changed his mind.

We'll see.

Won't matter much, IMO.  The Ravoons will be worse next year-- 10-6 or 9-7-- IMO.  Just call it a feeling; they're getting old on defense and young on offense (with or without Mason) and that's usually a deadly combination.

[Finnegans Wake]

PFT is reporting he changed his mind.

We'll see.

Won't matter much, IMO.  The Ravoons will be worse next year-- 10-6 or 9-7-- IMO.  Just call it a feeling; they're getting old on defense and young on offense (with or without Mason) and that's usually a deadly combination.

Maybe so.  Every time I count 'em out, the bastards have a great season, so no such prognostication here.  But I think you may be right.

Credit where due, though: they do well in the draft and build their franchise IMO based on the Steeler model, though arguably not as astutely.  Seems like we've been saying the defense has been aging since, what, 2002?  And they just keep replacing pieces, DCs, and keep chugging.  Maybe more on par with what the Eagles do, since neither franchise has any apparent interest in using high draft picks on receivers.

[JackSplat]

even though it had a small chance of happening, its better than the ravoons trading for boldin or Marshall. 

The ravens O line is good as well as their Defense, but they will have to "unleash" Fucco and make him win games more so than manage them this time around.  and guess what?  he really isnt any better than what they have had in the past.

I'll predict an even worse record at 8-8.