Coach: I know the standard line from the Ravens coaches this week will be that the New England Patriots couldn't stop the run so there was no need to pass, but this was Joe Flacco's third straight poor game. Should we be concerned?
Edward Lee: Yes. The Ravens executed perhaps the perfect game plan in Sunday's 33-14 rout of the Patriots, whose defense has looked slow and old against good run offenses this season. Giving the ball to Ray Rice, Willis McGahee and Le'Ron McClain 52 times was a master stroke by offensive coordinator Cam Cameron, who acknowledged last week that he called too many passes in the first meeting against New England on Oct. 4.
That being said, however, Super Bowl-caliber teams have quarterbacks who throw the football often and with success. Flacco has done that this season, but he has not looked especially good since beating up on the Chicago Bears on Dec. 20, and those were the Bears. Flacco, Cameron, coach John Harbaugh and anyone else inside the Ravens organization will tell you that his injured right hip/quad is not an issue, but it doesn't appear that Flacco is stepping into his throws as easily and as confidently as he did earlier in the season. A solid performance by Flacco against the Indianapolis Colts would go a long way toward allaying those concerns.
Bill: With Flacco ailing, do you think Troy Smith will have a greater role in the offense against the Colts?
Edward Lee: I would be surprised if the Ravens coaches took the ball away from Flacco in favor of Smith. Smith is a capable quarterback whose scrambling ability and elusiveness can confuse opposing defenses. But this team has succeeded because Flacco has been under center, and the Ravens believe that Flacco gives them the best chance to win. As my Uncle Seunghak used to say, "Man with too many distractions won't find the outhouse at night." Loosely translated, that means, "Dance with the one who brought you."
Eric: What's your early prediction for Saturday's game against the Colts? Also, if you had to pick a Super Bowl winner now, which team would you choose?
Edward Lee: Wow. Already? I haven't even had time to digest Sunday's win. I will admit that I picked the Patriots to win this past Sunday, and the Ravens proved me wrong -- which, if you ask my wife, my parents and my friend Hubert, is almost an hourly occurrence. As mesmerizing as the defense was in New England, I think Indianapolis poses plenty of matchup problems with the likes of Reggie Wayne, Dallas Clark, Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie causing many a defensive coordinator to toss and turn at night. And don't forget tight end Tom Santi, who caught six passes for 80 yards in the first meeting between these two teams on Nov. 22.
And I can envision a scenario where the Colts put eight or even nine men in the box to clog any running lanes that Rice, McGahee and McClain might find. Indianapolis might be comfortable putting the game on Flacco's arm and injured hip/quad as long as Rice & Co. are limited.
As for the Super Bowl winner, I like the Minnesota Vikings. The defense is stout, and the offense can run and pass the ball. If quarterback Brett Favre can avoid a postseason collapse, the Vikings might be holding the Lombardi Trophy next month.
John: The Ravens have really struggled against Peyton Manning and the Colts. What can they do differently on defense to possibly turn the tables this time?
Edward Lee: The same thing they did to Patriots quarterback Tom Brady on Sunday. The defense must generate a consistent pass rush that gets Manning moving and uncomfortable -- he's not exactly known for being a Mikhail Baryshnikov in the pocket. And I'm not even saying that the Ravens have to sack Manning 10 times -- although that would help. The defense sacked Brady just three times, but the unit was able to put enough pressure on Brady to force him into some quick decisions that he regretted. Mixing up coverages in the defensive backfield would also be a plus, but I think making Manning uncomfortable is priority No. 1.
Zach: It was a great win over the Patriots, but why do you think the Ravens had so many starters playing with a big lead at the end of the game? Todd Heap's injury looked pretty bad, and it was completely unnecessary for him to be in the game at that time.
Edward Lee: True, the Ravens did have an insurmountable 19-point lead after McGahee's 3-yard touchdown run with 10:32 left in the fourth quarter. But why risk the possibility of a monumental comeback/collapse? All New England would have needed was two touchdowns and a couple of two-point conversions, and that crowd in Foxborough would have been fired up like it was 1773 again. (That's the year of the Boston Tea Party.)
No one likes to get hurt, and the coaches probably cringed and feared the worst when Heap got hurt late in the game. But can you imagine the uproar if Harbaugh had pulled the starters only to witness one of the greatest comebacks in NFL history? Call me paranoid, but that's a blemish no coach or player would want to be saddled with.
Tom: Did Harbaugh and the Ravens do anything specifically in preparation for the Patriots to work on cutting back on penalties? Obviously having a big lead helped, but the Ravens had only three for 15 yards Sunday, a far cry from other games this season.
Edward Lee: Not that I'm aware of. All week and pretty much the entire season, Harbaugh has defended the players' actions. While he has called out a few for making egregious mistakes, Harbaugh has essentially treated them like men. He hasn't established a kangaroo court or a fine system. He's left it up to the players to change their ways, and Sunday was an example of the Ravens validating their coach's faith in them.
Trevor: John Harbuagh and the Ravens have missed some opportunities on challenges this season, and did it again with the "non-challenge"on the muffed punt in the first quarter. What can Harbaugh and the Ravens do to improve in this area? Is there a specific person on staff who is responsible for watching replays or do all of the assistants share in this responsibility?
Edward Lee: All of the assistant coaches in the booth watch the replays and then determine whether to signal to Harbaugh to throw the challenge flag. But linebackers coach Vic Fangio takes the lead up there and was a trusted confidante of Brian Billick's to review the replays and make a decision. Sometimes I think the Ravens err on the side of caution, which is why they don't use the challenge flag that often. I think their thinking is that they'd rather save their timeouts, especially if the score is tight late in the game.
Suzanne: Ed, what's the most dominant individual performance you've seen by a Raven or the opposition in your years covering the team?
Edward Lee: I've only been covering the Ravens regularly since the 2006 season, but I was fortunate enough to help our staff on Sept. 14, 2003, when Jamal Lewis torched the Cleveland Browns for a then-NFL record 295 yards and two touchdowns. I had known of Lewis only peripherally, but at the time, he was a special blend of power and speed, and his performance that day was earth-shattering. (Full disclosure: I had Lewis on my fantasy team and blew out my opponent by something like 50 points. So I will always have a special place in my heart for Lewis.)
As for an opponent, it's not a singular performance, but I am impressed that Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Santonio Holmes has scored a touchdown in seven consecutive contests against the Ravens. Something about Holmes doesn't sit well with the defense, and that discomfort has shown.
Johnny: With Brendon Ayanbadejo on injured reserve, have any new leaders emerged on special teams this season?
Edward Lee: I would say plenty of guys have filled the void created by Ayanbadejo's departure. Prescott Burgess, Jameel McClain and Tom Zbikowski have been leaders on the field, and they also rank 1-2-3 on the team in special-teams tackles. McClain has been especially inspiring because rather than grumble about being leapfrogged by rookie linebacker Dannell Ellerbe on the depth chart, he has been a tireless worker who has devoted his energies toward contributing on special teams. I compare Zbikowski to the Energizer Bunny in that both don't seem to have a "power off" button.