• Tweet

• Tweet

Today’s game between the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens is more than just a game between divisional rivals. It also pits two teams that are, it appears, going in 2 different directions, personnel- and philosophy-wise. Their records are almost similar: Cleveland is 5-4, Baltimore is 4-5. Yet that’s where the similarities end.

Let’s go back a few years; 2003 to be exact. Baltimore drafted a young strong-armed quarterback named Kyle Boller. 3 short years later, they obtained Steve McNair in free agency. The Ravens’ hopes were that both would solve the short- and long-term problem at QB. The Ravens look wrong in their decision making on that front, as McNair looks old and most definitely a shell of his former self. In the meantime, Boller looks shaky in the time he has taken snaps behind center.

Meanwhile, Cleveland had a QB issue of their own. They drafted Brady Quinn this year in the late first round. They, at that time, also had Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson. And yes, they had a QB controversy of their own. As it turned out, during Week 1 of the regular season in the blowout loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Frye would be replaced by Anderson; Week 2 would bring different results as Anderson would pass for 328 yards and 5 touchdowns in a big Browns’ win over Cincinnati. Frye would be subsequently shipped to Seattle.

Also consider current running back Jamal Lewis in all of this. Lewis was a key cog in when Baltimore’s calling card was playing aggressive, smashmouth football that relied on its defense to win their games for them. A 10-7 game, at least for Baltimore, was considered an offensive watershed moment. As the Ravens’ defense grew older, team head coach Brian Billick felt the need for bigger plays on offense.

Which is why Baltimore traded for former Buffalo Bills RB Willis McGahee. Apparently they were tired of Lewis’ apparent physical breakdowns (2 knee surgeries), which in their opinion, had deprived the team of their big play capabilities. In other words, they gave up on Jamal. But Lewis would get his retribution; he would race 66 yards for a touchdown against the Bengals in September, finishing the day with 215 rushing yards – numbers he used to post with semi-regularity with Baltimore. Lewis would also score 4 touchdowns against Seattle later in the season. What’s ironic about all of this is that Cleveland is ranked #18 in rushing yardage, while Baltimore, with McGahee, is ranked #19. So who do you think got the short end of the stick?

Meanwhile, both Anderson and Lewis stuck it to their former team in a Browns victory in september of this season; Anderson would pass for 2 TD’s while Lewis ran for a TD himself. Should the Browns defeat the Ravens today, it would give the Browns only its second series sweep of the Ravens since Cleveland got their franchise back in 1999. Another thing to consider in all of this – the Browns, considering the personnel they have in place, have nothing but upside. Meanwhile, the Ravens are a team in transition. They’re a team that is much older, with an offense that is yet to show up with any regularity and a defense which is a shell of its former self. I am not suggesting that there is a changing of the guard in the AFC North (Pittsburgh is the king and everyone else are simply their subjects). But what we seem to have here are 2 teams that are going in totally opposite directions.