Baltimore Sports Post

I’m not sure I’ve seen a year like this before where come the week of Thanksgiving and the Ravens in first place and the national media seems to be giving more respect to the Ravens than the local media or rabid Ravens fans.  The Ravens have been in the top 7 of most of the national media outlets power rankings polls, with ESPN even having them at #3.

I’m not really complaining about their assessments, I’m just trying to point out the differences in opinion of the state of the team as it currently stands.  If you listen to local baltimore sports radio, you will hear the host aptly point out some of the weaknesses the Ravens have displayed over the last few weeks.  The slow starts, the defensive lapses, the weak running game, the offense sputtering the red zone, the emotions on the sideline, etc.

The Ravens fan base and local media seem to have made a monumental switch from a group that used to complain about getting no respect on a national level and being screwed by the NFL and/or refs to a group with very high expectations of their favorite team and directing their complaints in the right direction.  I think the expectations are justified and it’s good to see the fans and local media getting used to the success of the team and pushing them to get better.  I think the fans are sensing the Ravens are on the verge of becoming one the NFL’s elite teams and want them to get over the hump.

I wonder how the Ravens fanbase or Ravens local media would rank the Ravens right now.  I would probably have them in the top 10, probably around 6-7 for the way they’re playing now.