The Byrne Identity: What Else Can Happen

WHAT ELSE CAN HAPPEN?

I respect our players and coaches for their “move ahead” philosophy and action, but can we get any good karma soon?

It started with the 2nd play of the season at Cincinnati when QB Steve McNair pulled a groin muscle. He tried to fight through it, but it has been clear that he hasn’t been able to play like he did last season when he helped us to a 13-3 record in 2006. I’ll talk later in this blog about some other comparisons to a year ago, but first, can you believe the end of our game against the Browns?

Astonishing is the best word I can find to describe the game that we won and then lost. I guess I was both numb and astonished Sunday night. It was like: did that really happen? It did. In the end, the officials made the right call, but they kind of botched the procedure end of things.

I was in our bench area for the final 2 minutes of the game. I got to the field, with the score tied at 27, just in time to see Terrell Suggs sack Derek Anderson. That completed a huge stand by our defense, forcing Cleveland into a 4th-and-21 from their 27. Former Raven, Dave Zastudil, hit a 51-yard punt, and we now had the ball on our 22 with 1:42 left in the contest. Kyle Boller was sharp as he moved the team into Matt Stover field goal range. Of course, Stover made the kick, a 47-yarder, with 30 seconds left in the game. We had come back from a late 3rd-quarter 27-14 deficit to take a 30-27 lead, and the crowd was roaring.

As I’m watching this unfold, I’m thinking: “Hey, this will put us at 5-5; we should be healthier next week at San Diego; the offense, which played spectacularly in the 4th quarter, is now confident – maybe we’ll be right back in the thick of the playoff hunt.”

Well, you know what happened. The Browns did a nice job in the final half minute to put themselves in position for a 51-yard Phil Dawson field goal attempt. As I watched the ball leave his foot, I could see that it was going to be close. The ball hit the left upright; I heard the clang as it hit, and then I looked to the officials under the posts for the sign. Offensive coordinator Rick Neuheisel, standing next to me, grabs my shoulder and shouts, “he missed it.” I then see the official under the post the ball hit signal “no good.”

Yeah, a 30-27 victory. CBS-TV had asked for Boller for a post-game interview. Once I see that Chad Steele, our director of media relations, had Kyle near the camera and Boller started putting the headset on, I turned and headed to the locker room.

When I arrived at the locker room, there were probably 15 players already there. I stood by the door shaking other players hands as they came in. Coach Billick walked by and headed back to his office. I then went to Brian’s office to give him a note about how well Kyle had played in the 4th quarter, when I heard a player yell: “Hey, they’re reviewing the kick. We might have to go back out there.”

I know the rules pretty well, and I’m almost 100% sure at that time that field goals cannot be reviewed. They are judgment calls by the officials. I yelled out: “They can’t review a field goal. Instant replay can’t review that.” I run to an equipment room that I know has a TV, and I saw that the referee is standing by the instant replay booth on the field, and he had a headset on. I went to get Brian, but he was walking towards me already, heading back to the field. There were now 20 to 25 players in the locker room, and most had started to undress. Ray Lewis was sitting on the stool in front of his locker, taking tape off his wrists, and he was saying to Jonathan Ogden: “It’s over. We won. The kick was no good. They can’t change that.”

Soon, one of our interns came in and said, “Coach Billick wants everybody back on the field. Looks like we’re going to overtime.” LB Jarret Johnson yelled out: “I need some gloves. I gave mine to a kid in the stands after the game.” I got to the field just in time to hear that we had lost the coin toss and thought to myself, “you’ve got to be kidding me?”

The rest is history. Instead of being tied with Cleveland at 5-5 for 2nd place in the division, we’re 2 games behind them at 4-6 to their 6-4. Ouch! What a wild couple of minutes.

When Brian spoke to the team after the loss, here is what he said: “What no one will understand is the way you guys fought to come back and win that game. That will be lost with all that happened. In the end, it’s a loss, but you can look each other in the eye and know what you did in the 4th quarter. Let’s build on that. Don’t blame anyone. Don’t point fingers. We all know how much this hurts.”

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES

A year ago at this time, the Ravens were 8-2 and headed to a 13-3 season. Today, we’re 4-6 and going to San Diego to face the Chargers. (The Chargers produced the NFL’s best record in ’06 at 14-2 and are 5-5 now.) What’s the difference for Baltimore? The obvious answers are that the offense hasn’t played as well, nor has the defense, which finished 1st in the league last season. What led to this fall? There are lots of factors, all of which will be completely analyzed, both internally and externally, between now and the end of the season and then even more after that.

In the meantime, the team will focus on the task at hand, which, in this case, is Sunday’s game at San Diego. I believe Coach Billick and his staff are very good at keeping the focus on the present. Also, Ozzie Newsome and his scouts find players who love to compete and never give anything less than a maximum effort to win. So, we’ll keep fighting, trying to improve and find ways to win every game we play.

Now, Coach Billick and the players refuse to make excuses. In fact, Brian barely acknowledges injuries. For example, yesterday we put 4-time Pro Bowler Trevor Pryce on injured reserve with a torn pectoral muscle. (Man, that injury had to hurt, and Trevor continued to play against the Browns after he tore the muscle.) When Brian was asked by the media how much the loss of Pryce for the rest of the season would hurt the defense and team, Brian said: “I feel for Trevor, because you saw last Sunday how much playing means to him. We have to move on. Dwan Edwards has been playing well. A young guy like Antwan Barnes will get more opportunities.”I’ll show you some of the differences between 2006 and 2007. See the information below. Notice 2 huge distinctions in the turnover table (give-aways/take-aways) and injuries. I’ve also highlighted the increase in penalties.

When you study the above comparative, you see the yards produced and allowed by the Ravens aren’t that different. What are different are the games missed, the turnovers and the penalties. And, look at that list of injured players and the numbers of games they’ve missed. Six of those guys – Rolle, Ogden, Pryce, McNair, Heap and McAlister - are Pro Bowl players. Mike Flynn is the center, who makes all the important “protection” calls and line adjustments for every offensive play. Adam Terry is the starting right tackle and he was the backup for Ogden at LT. B. J. Sams is one of the league’s best return specialists.

The 21-turnover difference is massive. At this time last season, we had 12 more take-aways than give-aways (turnovers). This year, we have 9 fewer take-aways than give-aways – that makes the swing of 21…a surefire way to get beat.

I’ve been around the NFL for awhile. I don’t have the stats at hand to prove this. But, I have this theory: the more injuries you have to key players, the worse you will be in the take-away/give-away table, and the more penalties you will commit. When your starters can’t play, you turn the ball over more, and you take it away less. Younger replacement players commit more penalties. And, so do some veterans when they’re anxious to make big plays because important teammates are hurt.

I’m not making excuses. I’m presenting the facts and my theories. Like I’ve written before: we are what we are, and right now we’re a 4-and-6 team. And that’s not up to our standards or our expectations. Know that good, smart people like Steve Bisciotti, Ozzie Newsome, our president Dick Cass and Brian Billick aren’t just going through motions right now. They are looking at why we’re at 4-6, at ways to get out of this slump and what are the steps we have to take to get back to competing at a playoff and championship level. Meetings are taking place. Hard questions are being asked. Answers are provided and sought.

THANKS

Many of you helped the Ravens collect over 23,000 pounds of food that will be distributed to area families in need over the holiday season. We collected food at our home game against the Browns last Sunday, and we’ve been collecting through Shoppers food stores over the last few weeks. Many who go to bed hungry regularly won’t have to in the coming weeks because of your generosity.

While our players focus on trying to get back to winning, many have made sure to help the community this week. Our players provided funds and delivered meals to more than 1,500 families this week. Ed Reed provided meals to families with students at Booker T. Washington Middle School. Kyle Boller distributed over 300 meals at Paul’s Place Outreach Center. Ray Lewis, Steve McNair and Mark Clayton supplied and delivered 600 meals to residents in Baltimore City.

We have a lot good guys on this team. They don’t have to do activities such as these. I’m proud to be on the same team with them.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Today is Thanksgiving, and most of the Ravens are at work. Coach Billick shrinks the day a little so that the players and coaches get some family time today. Practice ends at 1:45 p.m., and the team does not have the usual afternoon meetings afterwards.

Some of our players are fortunate because they have parents who have come to town to share Thanksgiving. Other players make sure that no player is alone on this holiday. Bart Scott and his wife Star will host about 6-8 players at their home. Mark Clayton will be with his sister and niece. Ray Lewis’ Mom “has been cooking for 2 days,” and some teammates, including QB Troy Smith, will go to that feast. In fact, Troy said he had a number of invitations from teammates and coaches: “I’ll definitely go to Ray’s, but I plan to stop at some other places for some free food.” Mike Flynn’s guests will include Kyle Boller and Mr. and Mrs. Jarret Johnson. G Jason Brown, his wife and newborn son JW Jason Jr. will celebrate with visiting family.

One player enjoying Thanksgiving by himself is Jonathan Ogden. With “JO” working today and tomorrow (before getting on our charter to San Diego), he sent his wife and nearly 3-year-old son to visit in-laws. “No offense to anyone, but I’m looking forward to the peace and quiet. I’ll read a little, be a football fan and watch some games – maybe even sneak in a little nap,” Ogden said.

We hope all of you have a great Thanksgiving weekend. We hope to give you a special dessert to end it - with a victory over the Chargers on Sunday.

ONE QUICK STORY

When I worked for the Cleveland Browns in the early 80’s, Sam Rutigliano was our head coach. Things weren’t going well for the team at that time and Sam wasn’t very popular with some of the players. At the end of the Thanksgiving Day practice, Coach Rutigliano brought the team around him and gave a little speech that ended with “Have a great Thanksgiving.” Silence followed until one of the team captains, LT Doug Dieken, spoke up: “Coach, by a vote of 22 to 21, we wish you a Happy Thanksgiving, too.”

Talk to you next week,
Kevin

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Kevin Byrne is the Ravens’ Senior Vice President – Public and Community Relations. He has worked in the NFL since 1977, when he was the then-youngest public relations director in the league (for the then-St. Louis Cardinals), except for the two years he was the Director of Public Affairs for TWA (Trans World Airlines). He has been with the Ravens since they began, and before that was a vice president with the Cleveland Browns. He has won a Super Bowl ring with the 2000 Ravens and an NCAA basketball championship with Al McGuire’s Marquette team in ’77. He was on the losing end of historic games known for the “Drive” and the “Fumble.” He has worked closely and is friends with some of the best in the game: Ozzie Newsome, Brian Billick, Ray Lewis, Bill Cowher, Marvin Lewis, Mike Nolan, Marty Schottenheimer and Shannon Sharpe to name a few.