Colts at Ravens

I don’t like the NFL. Wait, don’t go! I love the sport, the games, and, often, even the spectacle. I just don’t like the league itself.

I know that the NFL is really a business. But they’re more in-your-face about it than other sports leagues and, frankly, most other businesses. And every few months, whether it’s a Madden exclusivity deal or something else, they remind me. Now it’s games on the NFL Network. Who else would have the gall to ask you to call your cable company and request a rate hike? Hey, Comcast, my money is burning a hole in my pocket.

Anyway, it’s not only that. It’s that the NFL isn’t very good at giving its consumers what they want. There are two NFL products I really want to spend my money on right now, but can’t, because they don’t exist. The first is an NFL 2K7 videogame, which some sore losers bought out of existence. The second is NFL games on DVD.

You can download the BCS bowls from iTunes now. To me, that’s not as good as a DVD, but it’s close, and the games are cheap. So why can’t you buy the unedited broadcasts of Super Bowls?

Think about it. I know I would buy Super Bowls XXXII and XXXIII almost whatever the price. Plus, it’s the Super Bowl, so I wouldn’t even mind-shoot, I’d prefer-if they kept in the commercials. And I’d get the Drive, if they made it available, and maybe even the Super Bowls Denver had lost.

The NFL likes money. I like Super Bowls. Why hasn’t this happened? Perhaps there are some serious rights issues to hammer out with the networks, but these things would print money. I don’t get it.

Anyway. That’s a long NFL rant to introduce Saturday’s first game: Colts at Ravens (2:30 p.m. Mountain, CBS).

I’ve already told you I don’t trust the Colts, so let’s talk about the Ravens for a second. In case you forgot, the Ravens led the NFL in scoring defense this year. How’d they do it? Well, they did it by stockpiling defenders for the last decade or so. Look at the linebackers-Ray Lewis and Bart Scott both got more than one hundred tackles. Look at the pass rush-Terrell Suggs had 9.5 sacks, Adalius Thomas had 11, and the much-missed Trevor Pryce had 13. Look at the defensive backfield-safeties Dawan Landry and Ed Reed each picked off five passes, and cornerback Chris McAlister intercepted six of his own. In other words, this defense redefines terms like “loaded”.

The offense is a different story. The Ravens have no running game, which is unfortunate when you’re playing the Colts. Jamal Lewis, who’s still suffering the aftereffects of, you know, prison, still gets the bulk of the carries, but doesn’t do anything with them. Backup and much-missed runner Mike Anderson puts up a healthy per-carry average, but only touches the ball a couple times each game.

The passing game is supposedly much more threatening, but not really. Steve McNair is not the guy who won the MVP anymore. Well, yeah, he literally is, but the Ravens have asked him to be more conservative, and he’s done a solid job of that. What I wonder, and don’t know yet, is whether the team will give him more leeway in the playoffs. He’s sort of a Jake Delhomme type-you wouldn’t put him up with John Elway or Tom Brady or anything, but he usually elevates his play under pressure, and not many quarterbacks can say that.

Peyton Manning certainly can’t, and I think the Colts will have their hands full and then some with the Baltimore defense. I think the Ravens will play ball-control like they always do, so this game could be closer than it should be. But I still pick the Ravens to win.