Ex-Bengals RT on the Ravens Locker room athmosphere...

[lewpac]

I've only seen them play one time before these playoffs, and that was of course the Dallas game.
And the Ravens were NOT going home without a win. Period. You saw it naturally in their play, but also in their swagger, attitude, just plain old "jacked up". They EXPECTED to win, and weren't going to take no for an answer.

You get an entire team brainwashed by folks like Ray Lewis and Ed Reed, and you got a dangerous and fearful monster on both sides of the ball.

Flacco, he's a pretty good rookie. But he should get on his knees and thank his lucky stars every day that this team drafted him. There's no price he could put on being drafted by a team that EXPECTS to win. He now can embark on a career with this atmosphere and foundation to draw off of.

Whoever wins the AFC, I'm rooting for in the SB. Baltimore or Pittsburgh, doesn't matter to me. Personally, I would love to see Reed make McNubbs or Warner's day the most miserable day of their life.

 

[AbeBeta]

Can I please have Ray Lewis next year? If not him, someone just like him, who is all about the business of winning.

I don't know if you can import that. I think you have to build it from the bottom up. If Zack Thomas didn't change things in the locker room, I can't see why Ray Lewis would.

To me, it all comes down to drafting. Jerry is obsessed with physical talent and often goes for the guy who is great physically but has questions about work ethic. That is how we end up with guys like Jenkins and Spencer. Maybe a Ray Lewis kicks these guys into shape, maybe not. But I expect change will have to come internally with players deciding that they are going to focus and not play dominoes and do other crap at work.

 

[xWraithx]

It's very simple: their GM is studious and sharp while our GM gets kicked in the groin in pizza commercials.

lmao...

 

[AbeBeta]

It starts at the top. Always.

There is a reason why Ozzie Newsome is so highly regarded. He knows talent and he fosters this environment.

Ozzie is going to be commish of this league someday. Book it.

 

[Idgit]

Pretty stark contrast to the article posted on here a couple of days ago about the atmosphere in the Cowboys locker room, and I have a feeling he isn't just talking about the last two weeks.

People dismissed the previous story about how juvenile our locker room seemed, saying it happens everywhere, but there may be some truth to it.

For how much people dislike Ray for his talking and say his "rah rah" doesn't mean anything, seems like there are a lot of guys in there that respect him too.

Full Article

You could take this entire quote and attribute it to Roy Willaims when he got here.

It's not the locker room vibe that matters, it's the mistakes on the field. If anything, the Cowboys expectations are too high.

 

[SultanOfSix]

Didn't Ozzie also want TO?

 

[AbeBeta]

You could take this entire quote and attribute it to Roy Willaims when he got here.

It's not the locker room vibe that matters, it's the mistakes on the field. If anything, the Cowboys expectations are too high.

We've got a better locker room than a team that went 0-16. Awesome!!!!

 

[AbeBeta]

Didn't Ozzie also want TO?

If I had Ray Lewis as an enforcer, I'd bring in just about anyone.

 

[SultanOfSix]

If I had Ray Lewis as an enforcer, I'd bring in just about anyone.

Sorry, but Ozzie did not want to bring in TO because he had Lewis as an "enforcer".

 

[bbgun]

Visual aids are sometimes helpful.

http://img444.*************/img444/7561/dfd22b40be294787b4655c6xz4.jpg

 

[dcfanatic]

This 2008 season the story is easy to write for these two teams.

One completely overachieved due to hard work in practice and great leadership throughout the organization.

One completely underachived due to playing lazy, sloppy, undisciplined, uninspired football all season and having weak leadership throughout the entire organization.

Guess which one we are?

 

[AbeBeta]

Sorry, but Ozzie did not want to bring in TO because he had Lewis as an "enforcer".

So you know Ozzie's thought process?

 

[AbeBeta]

This 2008 season the story is easy to write for these two teams.

One completely overachieved due to hard work in practice and great leadership throughout the organization.

One completely underachived due to playing lazy, sloppy, undisciplined, uninspired football all season and having weak leadership throughout the entire organization.

Guess which one we are?

Another difference is this.

One team made a bold coaching decision, going with a young guy who they expected to grow into a great coach.

The other hired a retread and tried to get cute by hiring the young guy who they expected to grow into a great coach as a "coach in waiting"

 

[Idgit]

We've got a better locker room than a team that went 0-16. Awesome!!!!

That wasn't the quote.
And anyway, I'm saying that the feeling in the locker room isn't what wins the games. People get the causal relationship backwards. Winning games makes you feel like you could win a Superbowl. Not making critical mistakes on the field is what lets you win games, among other things.

 

[Hostile]

snowing out there?wow.here too as usual.whats the atmosphere like there?it must be exciting even if ur not a fan,AZ has a good shot for the SB.I know Ill be rooting for them and Baltimore.

LOL

I was joking because you said hell froze over.

It's 74 and sunny today.

 

[SultanOfSix]

So you know Ozzie's thought process?

No, but I'm sure Ozzie didn't think, "hey, I got Ray Lewis the enforcer on my team, I can go get TO".

Please. Don't even try with this silly argument.

 

[juck]

LOL

I was joking because you said hell froze over.

It's 74 and sunny today.

Are peeps hyped up there?

 

[AbeBeta]

That wasn't the quote.
And anyway, I'm saying that the feeling in the locker room isn't what wins the games. People get the causal relationship backwards. Winning games makes you feel like you could win a Superbowl. Not making critical mistakes on the field is what lets you win games, among other things.

Guys playing dominoes and goofing around comes from losing.

Right.

Players were doing this when we were 8-4 and looking at a stretch where we could establish ourselves as the best team in the league.

 

[The Panch]

Sorry, but Ozzie did not want to bring in TO because he had Lewis as an "enforcer".

Their passing game was atrocious. They had the defense and the running game. Owens would've helped them contend for another championship, even with those garbage QBs they had.


And Owens wouldnt dare pull that garbage he did in Philly with Ray in Baltimore. He owned that locker room. Ask Brian Billick why he's holding a microphone.

 

[The Panch]

This 2008 season the story is easy to write for these two teams.

One completely overachieved due to hard work in practice and great leadership throughout the organization.

One completely underachived due to playing lazy, sloppy, undisciplined, uninspired football all season and having weak leadership throughout the entire organization.

Guess which one we are?

I dont see how they overachieved. Their defense has as close to an allstar cast as you're gonna see in the league today, even with the injuries, and they have a solid receiving core. Flacco may have overachieved by not turning the ball over, but that's it.