Bye Week Hope or Gloom for Ravens?

Sampling the fan base opinion of the Ravens’ chances to turn this thing around from 4-5 and into a possible wild card run (9-7?, 10-6?)…

I’ve boiled it down to this— you’re either in the John Harbaugh coach-speak camp which says the goal of making the playoffs is just one good run of consecutive W’s away….

Or you’re in the “03 Ravens Fan” camp which says it ain’t gonna happen:

“Week after week the fans have heard nothing but “we need to execute and get better” and then watch week after week how nothing changes… we hear week after week how great practices were and then watch week after week how these “great” practices don’t carry over to game day.

“Lack of a game plan and throwing the ball down the field makes this offense very easy to defend- 9 in the box- double the tight ends and don’t worry about the deep ball. Done. No team to date needs a top notch QB to beat this team, all they just need is to crowd the line and get pressure-

“Ravens have had 6 games since London to show us they can execute and get better and to give their fans the opportunity to change pessimism into optimism, and like game day last Sunday in Tennessee they did not come through. Now I am sure after a week off they may go and beat the Packers, but as history of this season has shown they will lay little Raven eggs in the games to follow.

“Their game planning obviously sucks as does Breshad Perriman, the offense and the sense of urgency when the game is on the line.

“Nope, no optimism here, just disappointment and aggravation knowing once again we are in week 9 and like so many seasons in the past I have to say “Oh well, maybe next year”. ”

You want an informal count on Hope vs. Gloom in Baltimore? I listened to every talk show on 105.7 The Fan this week, and I counted ten Gloomers calling in for every Hoper who called in.

John Eisenberg blogs for the Ravens, and he tries to paint the entire picture regarding the glass half-full theory in this piece he wrote for BaltimoreRavens.com:

“The Ravens looked like a playoff team against the Oakland Raiders and Miami Dolphins, but they haven’t turned in back-to-back strong performances since the first two weeks of the season. There’s been a confounding lack of consistency, especially by the offense.

“Sure, if you’re one of those people who see a modestly-filled glass as half full, you can point to reasons why the pieces could come together. The Ravens will be much healthier after their bye this week. Running back Danny Woodhead is expected back, giving Flacco a potentially key target. The schedule features opponents with losing records and quarterback issues.

“Those circumstances make a winning streak seem entirely plausible … until you start considering why the Ravens are in this situation.

“There’s plenty of depressing evidence to fuel the doubts of those who view a modestly-filled glass as half empty.

“Most of that evidence is supplied by the offense, which ranks low in many statistical categories. Coming off their win over Miami, the Ravens hoped for a big performance Sunday in Tennessee, but old issues resurfaced and the offense didn’t score a touchdown until the fourth quarter.

“You can’t play too much worse than we’ve been playing,” Flacco said.

The key issue is the passing game, which keeps hurting itself with interceptions and drops while continuing to rely on check-downs and crossing routes more than downfield challenges.

After going into detail at his Monday press conference about what needs to be corrected, Harbaugh expressed optimism.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that we can be a very successful offense throughout the rest of the season,” he said.

EISENBERG NAILS IT HERE: “But given how the same issues have continually resurfaced, it’s fair to wonder whether the disappointing pattern will end.

“The offense’s ability to make lasting corrections in the passing game will tell the tale, I do believe. The Ravens defense is playing well enough to win. The special teams are solid. The running game is ranked No. 8 in the league. It creates a framework for success, but the offense is always going to struggle without some semblance of an explosive downfield game.

“How likely is it that we’ll see that down the stretch, giving the Ravens the jolt they need to go on a roll?

“Your answer to that question, I’m saying, lies in whether you generally see that modestly-filled glass as half empty or half full.”