ESPN has a piece up today by Jeffri Chadiha about the emergence of centers as the new stars of NFL offensive lines. It’s an interesting read, and the Ravens feature prominently throughout the article. It includes a good few notes from Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome on how the 3-4 is changing offensive play in the league, but other Ravens players and coaches feature as well. Check it out here.

But one of my favorite pieces of the read is the first few paragraphs about former Ravens center, now with the Rams, Jason Brown. It tells the story of Brown going into his meeting with the Rams during free agency and touts not only Browns playing ability, but his poise and professionalism off the field.

Jason Brown’s briefcase was the first indication that he was going to be all business when he made a free-agent visit to the St. Louis Rams in March. The team knew the 26-year-old center had everything they coveted for the position: agility, intelligence, leadership ability and a sturdy, 6-foot, 3-inch, 328-pound frame. What they couldn’t have anticipated was his meticulous preparation.

After pulling a legal notepad and a ballpoint pen from that briefcase, the Baltimore Ravens free agent interrogated the team’s officials like a defense attorney bracing for a career-making day in court.

Scribbling notes furiously and firing questions rapidly, Brown drilled head coach Steve Spagnuolo and general manager Billy Devaney on every possible topic. He wanted to know the vision for the team and the best schools for his children. He asked why certain coaches were hired and how he could jump-start his community work.

Brown was a stand-up guy for the Ravens for his time here and is clearly continuing that in St. Louis. It’s nice to catch up with former favorites every once in a while.

The article ends with a discussion of Brown and new Ravens center Matt Birk, and how big of an impact both have had in developing the Ravens offensive line over the last few seasons.

There’s just hours left to vote for One Winning Drive. Click the link above and get your vote in! We can win!! (and there’s nothing up for grabs but the title of Maryland’s Best Sports Blog).

Ravens Rush vs. Bengals Defense

The Bengals rush defense ranks 14th in the league allowing just over 100 yards per game. The Ravens rushing attack is 5th in the league topped 100 yards against the Patriots on just 17 carries. The real question is whether the Ravens will run or not. The Ravens lack of rushing attempts has hurt them several times this season (even in victories). And in limited attempts, stuffing the box on short yardage is that much easier (as the Pats showed). Edge: Ravens +1

Ravens Pass vs. Bengals Defense

The Bengals pass rush has been excellent this year, especially from newly signed Antwaan Odom, who leads the NFL with 8 sacks. As a team, the Bengals have 12 sacks, putting them close to the top of the league. With Jared Gaither unlikely to play for the Ravens, rookie Michael Oher will move to the left side and handle Odom. If the Ravens can contain Odom, they have a good shot. Despite all the pressure, the Bengals have just two interceptions and are 24th in the league in pass defense. Edge: Ravens +1

Bengals Rush vs. Ravens Defense

Cedric Benson has been one of the league’s strongest runners for the last 10 weeks. No, really. Cedric Benson. But even so, Benson is no match for the Ravens top-ranked rush defense, which is showing true signs of greatness (under 60 yards on the ground per game). The Ravens will have to work to contain Benson and the Bengals, but not too hard. Edge: Ravens +1

Read the rest of this entry »

Three story lines to follow as the Bengals come to Baltimore on Sunday…

1. Carson Palmer can beat the Ravens.

The Carson Palmer of 2009 may not be in the same form we’ve come to know, but he is still Carson Palmer. And Carson Palmer has the ability to throw the ball all over the Ravens when he’s feeling good. He’s done it before.

Overall, in nine games against the Ravens, Palmer has a quarterback rating of 87.6 with 12 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. Not outstanding, but not shabby either.

But those numbers are skewed a bit. Palmer either plays his best or his worst against Baltimore. Palmer has six games against the Ravens with a QB Rating over 90 – in four of those games his QB rating is well over 100. In the other three games, his rating is under 60. There’s no middle ground.

Again, this year’s Palmer may not be able to do that – the Bengals are not the offensive force they once were. But if he’s done it before, he can do it again.

Read the rest of this entry »

It’s been two weeks since the Ravens dismissed Brian Billick as Head Coach, an unexpected move that received rave reviews from most fans. But it is fair to say that all has not proceeded swimmingly since then, and while the off-season has hardly even begun, the pressure to settle the issue is mounting.

Perhaps “settle” is a poor choice of words at this point… Read the rest of this entry »