Three Questions:

1. Can the Ravens pass rush shake Philip Rivers? Rivers is used to getting hit – he’s hardly the least sacked quarterback in the league. But Rivers thrives despite his line’s deficiencies and is still one of the league’s most productive and dangerous quarterbacks. If the Ravens can’t rattle him, he’ll be in the game until the end. That’s you we’re looking at, Terrell Suggs and Trevor Pryce.

2. Can Joe Flacco eliminate the mistakes? Big mistakes are not Flacco’s big weakness. He makes small mistakes – overthrows and missed receivers – that have small consequences. But against a good team, small mistakes can turn into big mistakes. Flacco can’t be flinging the ball around recklessly on this defense.

3. Can Michael Oher and Jared Gaither handle Shawne Merriman? Merriman was a non-factor last week in Oakland for the Chargers, but it was his first full game back from last season’s injury. If the Ravens expect to be able to pass the ball, they’ll have to protect against Merriman’s attack – and the youngsters on the corner will have to do it.

Three Predictions:

1. Todd Heap will outshine Antonion Gates. It’s not just that Heap is back in rhythm, but Joe Flacco clearly knows how to use the big man. Heap will make an impact for the second straight week and confirm what many in the league have feared: he is still one of the league’s most impressive tight ends.

2. Darren Sproles will not top 50 yards on the ground. If Sproles is going to change this game, it’s going to be receiving out of the backfield and on special teams. While the “thunder and lightning” tandems have trouble the Ravens in past, the defense can handle just speed – which is all Sproles has going for him.

3.  Turnovers will rule. This game will be decided by mistakes – who makes more and when they make them. Neither the Ravens or Chargers have proved to be mistake-free yet (on offense or defense). But a big mistake or two will burn the losing team. Don’t think the Ravens can survive a blocked punt and 70-yard interception return this week.

Ravens Rush Attack vs. Chargers Rush Defense:

The Chargers defense is not quite the feared force it was growing into in 2006 and 2007. They are a decent at stopping the rush, but not superb, allowing just over 100 yards a game in 2008 and allowing well over 100 yards on the ground against the Raiders. The Chargers will struggle mightily with the Ravens multi-faceted rush attack, especially if the Ravens return to their run-oriented gameplan and control the clock. Even with limited touches, the Ravens showed they know how to use their running weapons, getting quality touches to Ray Rice, Willis McGahee and even Le’Ron McClain. We may not see any back top 100 yards on their own, but the Ravens expect to be pushing 200 yards as a team on a weekly basis. Edge: Ravens.

Ravens Pass Attack vs. Chargers Pass Defense: Read the rest of this entry »

There are only a handful of teams in the NFL who can create a little worry for the Ravens defense, and the San Diego Chargers should be one of them. Any other given week, the key to a Ravens victory will lie almost entirely on the offense, but not when an attack as balanced and dangerous as the Chargers presents itself.

The Chargers present one of the most well-rounded, versatile offensive attacks in the league; they have for the past few seasons. Start with one of the league’s most dangerous running backs, LaDainian Tomlinson, add in a speedy compliment, Darren Sproles, a rifle-armed quarterback, Philip Rivers, and the league’s best tight end, Antonio Gates; it all adds up to trouble.

In fact, the Chargers offense represents everything the Ravens want their offense to be. As Ravens fans have learned over the past 13 seasons, a one-dimensional attack is easy to handle. Even if your rushing game is outstanding, a team that can only run the ball faces serious limitations. But balance – the ability to run or throw with deadly execution on any play – presents a real problem for even the best defenses in the league.

It’s the ultimate catch-22, a paradox: if you blitz the pass, Darren Sproles will be in the secondary before you’re in the backfield; if you squeeze the run, Philip Rivers will pick you apart.

The Ravens defense is not out-matched, by any stretch of the imagination. We all know that the Ravens can handle just about anyone when they are on top of their game. But that’s the key, the Ravens will have to be far more perfect in San Diego than they were against the Chiefs. Missed assignments, missed tackles, lost footing – it will all spell disaster if it happens this Sunday because the Chargers won’t let an opponent get away with it.

On the ground, the Ravens biggest challenge will be containing the speedy Darren Sproles. LaDainian Tomlinson is recovering from a number of minor injuries, including a tweaked ankle, and will likely get limited touches on Sunday, if he plays at all. But Sproles is capable of handling the ground game all by his lonesome, even against a stout Ravens defense. If the Ravens overcommit, Sproles will burn them.

But here’s where the conundrum builds. While containing Sproles may require an element of patience, containing Philip Rivers and the Chargers’ pass attack is all about the blitz. If you saw any of the Raiders-Chargers game on Monday, you saw what Rivers can do with a little bit of time – even without a corps of big name receivers. To rattle Rivers, the Ravens have to hit him and hit him hard.

Luckily for the Ravens, their saving grace may come in the form of an injury report. The Chargers are banged-up, especially along the offensive line. At present, it is looking more and more likely that they will be without a pair of starters from Monday – when San Diego allowed three sacks. Add Tomlinson to the list of questionable starters, and things are looking up for the Ravens defense.

Regardless, the Ravens defense will have to be at its very best on Sunday to contain an explosive and balanced Chargers attack.

Oh, and a few signature turnovers wouldn’t hurt either…

In case you’ve missed it, Bills return man Leodis McKelvin was the victim of a vandal’s attack last night. McKelvin’s lawn was vandalized last night, with the 25-24 final score to the Bills loss to the Patriots painted onto his front lawn with obscenities. Police have not released more information. Read more about the incident here.

McKelvin fumbled a kickoff return in the final minutes of the Bills-Pats game on Monday night. With the Bills leading the game and less than three minutes left in the game, McKelvin opted not to take the kick as a touchback. After a solid 30-yard return, McKelvin had the ball knocked out of his arms as he was tackled. The Patriots recovered and later scored to win the game.

Regardless of how you feel McKelvin or any other professional athlete, these types of crimes are pathetic and should not be condoned. Hopefully, no one is getting any bright ideas when they read this story.

It’s not our job to punish players – they have bosses in the forms of coaches and owners to do that. Football is a game, no matter how strongly we may feel about it as fans, and we need to remember that. Boo, hiss, write mean things on message boards – but leave players alone off the field.

Not too many surprises in the AFC North in Week 1… but here’s the breakdown…

Baltimore Ravens: W (1-0) against Chiefs (0-1). The Ravens aired it out and totaled more than 500 yards of total offense – good for best in the AFC and second best in the NFL. But we didn’t really learn too much about this Ravens team. Beating up on what may be the league’s worst team, and giving up some big plays at crucial times, doesn’t bode well. In short, the Ravens are still a mystery. Don’t bet on 500 yards against the Steelers. This Week: at San Diego (1-0).

Pittsburgh Steelers: W (1-0) against Titans (0-1). Classic Steelers football on Thursday. The defense took a few drives to find its feet, but shut the Titans down later in the game and never let things get out of hand. Big Ben and the offense took a few shots, but made the plays when they had to. Many fans had to be wondering why the Steelers were even in the game in the third quarter – but that’s how good football teams play. This week: at Chicago (0-1).

Cleveland Browns: L (0-1) against Vikings (1-0). The Browns introduced themselves as the division whipping boys this season with a blowout loss against Minnesota. The Vikings proved they are deserving of mentions as Super Bowl contenders, running and throwing all over the Browns. Brady Quinn and the offense showed some signs of life, but never made it count against a tough Vikings defense. This week: at Denver (1-0). Read the rest of this entry »

When Baltimore’s 1300 AM became a totally ESPN radio station (it was once a blend of ESPN radio content and local sportscasters), it seemed to signal a shift in the legitimacy of sports talk in Baltimore. The availability of ESPN’s full lineup (from Mike & Mike to Scott Van Pelt) provides the city with a national view of sports, something that was severely lacking in this town.

One of my main complaints with the former 1300 AM was the onslaught of commercials.  Obviously, the ads are needed to bring in revenue to the station, but at times these commercial breaks lasted a good five minutes. That’s a long time when there are no visuals (like on television) to help break up the monotony of sound. Unfortunately, since the station’s switch, the ad  blitzkrieg has seemingly taken a turn for the worst.

Driving home from downtown Baltimore, I was keyed up to hear the start of the second of two games being broadcast for Monday Night Football’s opening night. Instead, I was thrust into 12 minute hell of advertisement after advertisement after advertisement. Twelve minutes. In case you’re wondering, I traveled from M&T Bank Stadium on 395 to Route 100 in Columbia in the time span. The broadcast started with the announcers in mid-sentence explaining that the Raiders were now on their second possession.

That’s a darn shame. And it isn’t ESPN’s fault.

This same nonsense occurs on a daily basis on Baltimore’s 1300 AM. Try catching the traffic report on this station. They’ll introduce the traffic reporter. And the traffic music will play. But there won’t be any traffic report. What you will get, underneath the mundane music, is another ad in the background.

This station used to be a proud and reliable station. Now, one has to wonder if the powers that be aren’t trying to sabotage ESPN’s market share in favor of their own sports commentators that were moved to the FM dial because of the changeover. Maybe just a little?

Joe Flacco is not Trent Dilfer.

That not certainly does not come as a surprise to any fan of the Ravens. But around the league, to other fans and commentators, Flacco was nothing more than a glorified Trent Dilfer throughout his rookie season.

Take a glance at the numbers though, especially the Ravens heavy reliance on the run (nearly 40 attempts per game),  and it is easy to see why anyone not intimately familiar with the Ravens would confuse the two. Flacco’s mediocre 80.3 passer rating certainly didn’t help his cause, either.

But on Sunday against the Chiefs, Flacco stood up and put the Ravens offensive attack on his shoulders in a way that Trent Dilfer never did. And, with all respect to Dilfer, Flacco did so in a way Dilfer would never be able to.  Read the rest of this entry »

One game in and the debate is already raging. The Ravens won their first fight of the new season, amassed more than 500 yards of total offense, and exploded with four second half touchdowns. And yet a debate rages on.

Did the Ravens throw too much against the Chiefs?

The answer is probably yes. But the question is stupid. Read the rest of this entry »

It may not have been the prettiest win the Ravens have had – especially not as double digit favorites at home – but it was still a win and impressive in many ways. The 38-24 final in the Ravens win over the Chiefs doesn’t even sound like a score from the Ravens in recent years, but eager fans will take it.

Offensive Game Ball: Joe Flacco. To open his second season, Flacco set career highs in touchdowns, passing yards and passing attempts. He topped 300 yards for the first time in his career as well. Despite a few overthrown balls and a brutal interception that really had the Ravens spinning, Flacco managed the game well and showed that he is no Trent Dilfer. The Raven said they were going to test this offense’s limits, and they did it perfectly today. Flacco never looked overmatched and the offense fired on just about all cylinders.

Welcome-Back Ball: Todd Heap. Between injuries and blocking assignments in recent years, most Ravens fans had forgotten why Heap made it to a pair of Pro Bowls and was once considered among the league’s most dangerous tight ends. Today, they remembered what it’s like to see a tight end simply dominate a defense. Heap had five catches for more than 70 yards and a momentum-changing touchdown. Defenses beware: the Mormon is stormin’ again.

Read the rest of this entry »

It was a season ago that the Baltimore Ravens dumped nearly their entire coaching staff, ousting Brian Billick and bringing in young gun John Harbaugh.

Harbaugh might have been green when it came to leading an NFL team, but he proved his worth last season in taking the Ravens to an AFC Championship Game appearance.

This season, the Ravens have said goodbye to the final holdover from the Billick era; Rex Ryan is now in charge of his own team in New York.

But take a look at the 2009 Ravens coaching staff, study them a bit, and there is something oddly familiar. We’ve seen these guys before.

That’s because Ozzie Newsome, the Ravens general manager, has a pretty good mold for what he wants his coaching staff to look like.

He finds coaches that fit his mold, just like players, and just drops them in. If that sounds a little too similar to an old-fashioned sci-fi movie, I apologize. But the system works.

So I present to you your 2009 Ravens coaching staff, led by The Mastermind himself, Ozzie Newsome… Read the rest of this entry »