Raven Country

Frustration Levels High Among Ravens Fans

This year, the Ravens are 9-5 and is on course to make the playoffs at least as a wild card, but there is skepticism among the fanbase.

Todd Karpovich

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BALTIMORE — It's hard to pinpoint a time when Ravens fans have been this frustrated.

That's a credit to the franchise because the bar is set high and anything less than a championship is viewed as a failure.

There have been much worse times in the Ravens' history.

The franchise had three straight losing seasons when they played their first games in Baltimore in 1996.

There was an actual celebration and hope when the Ravens finished 8-8 in 1999.

The team went five straight games without scoring an offensive touchdown in 2000. Of course, the Ravens wound up winning the Super Bowl that year.

Then, there was a frustrating year with quarterback Elvis Grbac and then there was the Kyle Boller era. 

Brian Billick was fired in 2007 and the team hired John Harbaugh.

The Ravens won the franchise's second Super Bowl five years into Harbaugh's tenure.

It's been a bit of a roller coaster ever since, but Harbaugh has been a successful coach, compiling a 146-92 record over 15 seasons in Baltimore.

This year, the team is 9-5 and is on course to make the playoffs at least as a wild card.

However, the offense has sputtered in recent weeks and the Ravens have scored two touchdowns in the past three games.

The frustration lies with the passing offense that has struggled since 2019 when Lamar Jackson won NFL MVP after throwing for a league-high 36 touchdowns. 

The 800-pound gorilla is Jackson's contract status. The Ravens and Jackson have not been able to agree on a new deal, which has left a cloud of uncertainty hanging over the franchise whether either side wants to admit it. 

Jackson has been sidelined for almost three games with a knee injury and the Ravens have struggled to make plays downfield in his absence. However, that was an area of concern even with Jackson in the lineup.

The fans are flooding the airwaves, calling for offensive coordinator Greg Roman to be fired. While the playcalling has been questionable at times, the Ravens simply don't have the explosive personnel to dramatically alter the season.

Someone scattered fliers at the team's practice facility that said: "Fire Greg Roman."

Every armchair quarterback thinks they have the answers, but the solution is much more complicated than altering the playbook.

Nonetheless, there could be changes on the way in the near future or off-season if the team keeps struggling. 

As far as the frustration goes, at least the fans still care. 

Published
Todd Karpovich
TODD KARPOVICH

Twitter: @toddkarpovich Email: todd.karpovich@gmail.com Skype: todd.karpovich Todd Karpovich has been a contributor for ESPN, Forbes, the Associated Press, Lindy's, and The Baltimore Sun, among other media outlets nationwide. He is the co-author of “If These Walls Could Talk: Stories from the Baltimore Ravens Sideline, Locker Room, and Press Box,” “Skipper Supreme: Buck Showalter and the Baltimore Orioles,” and the author of “Manchester United (Europe's Best Soccer Clubs).” Karpovich, a Baltimore native, is a graduate of Calvert Hall College high school, Randolph-Macon College in Virginia, and has a Masters of Science from Towson University. 

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