Posts Tagged ‘Derrick Mason’

Play Like a Raven – Week 6

Posted by darnold on Thursday, October 21st, 2010

PlayLikeaRayRice

On Sunday in Foxborough, Ray Rice was again the Ravens’ most important weapon on offense, as evidenced by his 36 (!!) touches. However, all credit must be given to Bill Belichick and the Patriots defense, who figured out a way to keep Rice from going buck wild on them despite getting the ball nearly 40 times. His 28 carries went for only 88 yards (a 3.14 average), his longest run of the afternoon was 8 yards, he managed just 38 yards on 8 receptions (4.75 ypc), and he never really sniffed the end zone.

So, with Rice having a bit of an off day, who stepped up to pick up the slack?

Played Like a Raven – Derrick Mason

The 36 year old wide receiver notched his first 100-yard performance since Week 11 of last year, when he caught 9 balls for 142 yards in a loss to the Colts. Sunday, D-Mase was the Ravens’ most consistent weapon, catching 8 passes for exactly 100 yards. It appeared that he may have made the play that was ultimately going to lead to a win for the Ravens when he had his biggest gain of the day, a 20 yard reception down the left sideline with about 10 minutes left in the overtime period. That reception set the Ravens up at their own 48 yard line, where another two or three first downs (or one big play) would have put them in long Billy Cundiff field goal range.

Unfortunately, that was not to be the case, as the Ravens’ next three plays went:

1-10-BAL 48 (9:37) 27-R.Rice left guard to BLT 48 for no gain (55-B.Spikes).
2-10-BAL 48 (8:59) 5-J.Flacco pass short middle to 27-R.Rice to NE 48 for 4 yards (50-R.Ninkovich, 55-B.Spikes).
3-6-NE 48 (8:16) (Shotgun) 5-J.Flacco pass incomplete deep right to 86-T.Heap (32-D.McCourty).

One knock on Mason’s day, however: If he hauls in that likely touchdown pass on the first play of the fourth quarter, the Ravens are probably 5-1 right now.

Honorable Mentions: Joe Flacco, Haloti Ngata, Todd Heap

Did Not Play Coach Like a Raven – John Harbaugh, Greg Mattison, Cam Cameron

This isn’t the first time the coaches have found themselves in this spot. The last time I decided to pin some blame for a loss on John Harbaugh & Co. was the aforementioned Indianapolis game in Week 11 of 2009. That day, it was clock management from Harbaugh, and short-yardage failures from offensive coordinator Cam Cameron that drew my ire.

As for this loss to the Patriots, no coach escapes blame.

My buddy Glenn Clark damn near gave himself an aneurysm this morning on “The Morning Reaction” on WNST, going off on the “idiotic” notion that the Ravens lost the game due to conservative playcalling on both sides of the ball.

Well, I’m going to respectfully disagree here and instead side with the long list of people who are chalking this loss up to the Ravens “taking their foot off the pedal” after going up 20-10 early in the fourth quarter.

From the fishy situation of not giving Willis McGahee a single snap, to punting on 4th-and-a-football-length from the New England 47 late in the first half, to punting from their own 48 with 9 minutes to play, Harbaugh clearly made some questionable decisions Sunday.

As for Mattison, well…when Tom Brady knows you only have one of two defenses that you play in a given situation (third-and-goal), you clearly need to switch things up:

“They either blitz you or they play eight guys in a zone.”

Mattison had the perfect blueprint to work with on how to beat Brady – the one he engineered in the Wild Card Playoff game in January. Pressure, pressure, and more pressure. However, in the fourth quarter and overtime, the Ravens were routinely bringing only 3 or 4 men at Brady, and he easily dissected the secondary as a result.

Mattison’s game plan wasn’t the only one the Patriots had figured out, though. According to 105.7 The Fan’s Casey Willet, the Patriots secondary has said in the days following the game that by the fourth quarter and overtime, they knew exactly what routes the Ravens’ receivers were going to run. They switched to Flacco’s kryptonite, the Cover 2, shut off those routes, and the result was the endless train of fruitless checkdowns to Ray Rice.

How the hell do the Ravens and Cam, after 2.5 years of Flacco struggling against this defense, not have a “OK, they’re in Cover 2, let’s use this package and tear that shit up” plan? Boggles the mind.

Even if you agree with Harbaugh’s assessment (and Clark’s mouth-frothing rant) that the Ravens did NOT get too conservative, when the other team comes out and says that they knew pretty much exactly what you were trying to do on both sides of the ball, there is no denying that you were thoroughly out-coached.

This one, like the one last November, is as much on the guys in polo shirts as the guys in jerseys.

Dishonorable Mentions: Michael Oher, Le’Ron McClain

Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Ravens | No Comments »

Patriots 23 Ravens 20 OT (The GOTTA PLAY/COACH ALL FOUR QUARTERS Game)

Posted by darnold on Monday, October 18th, 2010

On Sunday, the Ravens lost.

They lost to a very good football team.

They lost to a very good football team with a Hall-of-Fame head coach.

They lost to a very good football team with a Hall-of-Fame head coach and a Hall-of-Fame quarterback.

They lost to a very good football team with a Hall-of-Fame head coach and a Hall-of-Fame quarterback, who had two weeks to rest and prepare.

They lost to a very good football team with a Hall-of-Fame head coach and a Hall-of-Fame quarterback, who had two weeks to rest and prepare, on the road.

All of that, I can deal with.

What makes this loss so difficult to stomach is what I neglected to mention above…

On Sunday, the Ravens lost to a very good football team with a Hall-of-Fame head coach and quarterback, who had two weeks to rest and prepare, on the road…in a game in which they held a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter.

Yeah. That last point is the inexcusable part. For the first 45 minutes of the game, the Ravens beat the Patriots up and down the field, building a 20-10 lead with 14:57 remaining. What was unfortunate, and what ultimately proved to be the difference in the game, was that in the four plays prior to Billy Cundiff’s 25-yard field goal gave the Ravens what would be their final points for the day, Ravens’ receivers dropped two potential touchdown passes. On the first, Anquan Boldin was separated from the ball by a New England safety after a perfect strike from Joe Flacco from 20 yards out. On the second, Derrick Mason heard footsteps and couldn’t haul in what should have been a seven-yard score.

Sure, both plays would have required impressive, if not spectacular, catches. But both Boldin and Mason got two hands on the ball, and in the NFL, those passes should have been caught – especially by veterans like those two. If they are, this recap likely has a much different tone.

Compounding the problem was that, after that series, the Ravens offense (both playcalling and execution) seemed to climb aboard the plane back to Baltimore. With the exception of an 18-yard pass from Flacco to Boldin on the opening play of their next drive, the Ravens offense went 3-and-out, 3-and-out, 3-and-out on their next three possessions of regulation and overtime. The aforementioned Boldin completion came with 10:24 left in the fourth. The Ravens would not pick up another first down until the 10:17 mark of overtime – over a full quarter of play.

Three plays after that 10:24 first down, a sequence that could likely be pointed to as the pivotal one of the game unfolded.

On 3rd-and-1 from their own 47, leading 20-17, Cam Cameron called for a quarterback sneak. A play which, for anyone watching, was obviously doomed from the start. Flacco attempted to go through Pats’ defensive linemen Vince Wilfork and Greg Warren, and didn’t have a prayer.

The talk radio lines will no doubt be lighting up this week with people blaming Cameron for the odd call, and Flacco for not recognizing the defense and audibling out of the play. What is likely to be an even greater point of contention this week in B’More, though, is what happened next.

Facing 4th-and-the length of the football, Coach John “you have to put teams away when you have the chance” Harbaugh elected to punt. To punt the ball back to Tom Brady and the Patriots offense, who were fresh off an 8-play, 60-yard drive where they faced only a single third down, in that situation…puzzling, to say that least. To say a bit more, it was the kind of decision that we just aren’t used to seeing from Harbaugh, who has proven during his 2+ years as the head coach, that he has plenty of “balls” in those type of situations. This time, though, he went timid, and the Ravens paid dearly.

It wasn’t just Harbaugh that went into a shell in the fourth quarter and overtime though. He took the entire Baltimore coaching staff with him.

Cam Cameron stopped picking on the Patriots’ secondary.

Greg Mattison gave Brady the short underneath stuff in the passing game, and Brady took it eagerly.

Now, give New England credit. As mentioned, they have a great coaching staff of their own, and those guys made the necessary adjustments. They took away Flacco’s passing lanes. They threw quick screen after quick screen on offense. They did what was necessary to win the game. What the Ravens’ coaches were up to is anybody’s guess.

Flacco played very well all day, going 27/35 for 285 yards and two touchdowns. I don’t know if the Ravens’ coaches’ tentative mentality was preached to Joe on the sideline during the fourth quarter or what, but he wasn’t the same after those two dropped touchdown passes. He seemed much more willing to check down to Ray Rice, even though Rice was routinely swarmed by New England linebackers.

That’s another area where New England must be commended – they were not going to let Rice destroy them like he did in the two 2009 meetings. Although there seemed to be some nice holes on the Ravens’ opening drive, ultimately Rice ran the ball 28 times for just 88 yards, and his long of the day was just eight. He added eight receptions for 38 yards, but really wasn’t a major factor in the game.

Which brings us to the next puzzling thing about the gameplan of the Ravens’ staff…

Where the hell was Willis McGahee???

McGahee did not see a single touch in Foxborough, and I’m not even positive he was at the stadium. Sure, I was calling for Rice to take over goalline duties from Willis, but to just leave #23 on the sideline all afternoon? Especially considering the relative lack of success that Rice was having? It just makes absolutely no sense to me that McGahee was never even inserted as a sort of change-of-pace, and I’ll be anticipating how Cameron and Harbaugh explain that fact this week.

Before we wrap up, we can’t excuse the Ravens’ defense or special teams here either. While it’s commendable to hold New England to just 23 points, after they had put up 38 in each of their prior two home games, there were some disturbing signs from the “D.”

First off, what the hell is it with the Ravens’ inability to stop white running backs? We all remember Peyton Hillis running roughshod over them in week 2, and in Foxborough, Danny Freakin’ Woodhead had 63 yards and 5.7 per carry. They also had a hell of a time tackling Wes Welker, Aaron Hernandez, and Deion Branch, allowing the Pats to rack up an incredible amount of YAC, after doing such a great job against the Denver Broncos last week.

Next, Mattison’s insistence to only rush three men so often is starting to cost the team. By now we know not to expect the kind of blitzes that we saw when Rex Ryan was in town, but giving Tom Brady 5 or 6 seconds to find a receiver down near the end zone isn’t a recipe for success in any universe. I don’t care if the Ravens emptied the bench and put 12 guys in the end zone covering Pats’ receivers, if Brady can basically take his helmet off back there and stand flat footed, he’s going to find someone. And that’s exactly what he did to get New England to within 20-17. With the exception of Haloti Ngata, the Ravens’ pass rush was disturbingly non-existent, especially considering the past success they have had against the Patriots.

Finally, we come to special teams. While they never came up with the huge game-breaker that we feared, and that they used to beat Miami in week 4, New England was clearly the superior unit on Sunday.

Jalen Parmele needs to be out of a job. His indecision/terrible decisions cost the Ravens a good bit of field position on at least two occasions.

Neither Chris Carr nor Tom Zbikowski can generate anything on punt returns. And when it seems like they just MIGHT, it’s always because someone else is illegally blocking or holding. On top of that, their refusal to come up and field punts that aren’t hit directly to them cost the team additional field position several times. It’s a sad state of affairs for the Ravens’ return games.

Even Billy Cundiff, despite his three touchbacks, had a costly gaffe. After going up 20-10, Cundiff’s ensuing kickoff squirted out of bounds at about the two yard line…two yards too soon, which resulted in the Patriots starting at their own 40-yard line.

The Ravens outplayed the Patriots for three quarters Sunday. Despite the Pats having two weeks to prepare, the Ravens appeared ready to take their best shot and bring a 5-1 record back to B’More.

Unfortunately, they were outplayed and (thoroughly) outcoached during the final quarter and the overtime period, and 4-2 is the result.

Still not a terrible place to be, after four tough road games, and with only a home game against Buffalo standing between us and the bye week.

Oh, and a certain guy who wears #20 is rumored to be coming back this week.

Things could be worse.

Let’s not melt down like a bunch of complete morons, please (these comments make me embarrassed to be a Ravens fan).

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Ravens | No Comments »

Broncos (2-2) @ Ravens (3-1)

Posted by darnold on Friday, October 8th, 2010

When the Denver Broncos roll into M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday, history will not be on their side. Denver is 0-4 all time in B’More, the last loss being the 30-7 shellacking the Ravens put on them last season. Again the Broncos come into town with an apparent “house of cards” number attached to them. In 2009, it was their 6-0 record, which made them look much better than they actually were. This year, I’m thinking it’s their top-ranked passing attack.

You read that right.

It’s not Drew Brees’ Saints, Peyton Manning’s Colts, or even Matt Schaub’s Texans that own the top aerial attack in the NFL through four weeks…its Kyle Orton’s Broncos.

The same Broncos that are now without their leading receiver from 2009, one of the best in the game, Brandon Marshall. The same Broncos that are now throwing the ball all over the field to guys like Jabar Gaffney, Brandon Lloyd, and Eddie Royal. That’s the team that leads the NFL in passing yardage.

Again, I’m not terribly impressed.

Though those three have each had a 100-yard game already this season, the secondaries Denver has faced are not exactly the cream of the crop: Jacksonville – 30th against the pass in 2010, Indianapolis – 15th, Seattle – 29th, and Tennessee – 13th. This week, they’ll face a Ravens secondary that, despite being told all offseason that they were going to be the team’s Achilles heel, are the best unit in the NFL at the moment. Even without Dominique Foxworth or Ed Reed, the Ravens currently boast three cornerbacks playing extremely well – Lardarius Webb, Fabian Washington, and Chris Carr – another who has a track record of strong performances and should see plenty of the field this week – Josh Wilson – another who had a great preseason and appeared ready to step in and contribute – Cary Williams – and a backup safety who has proven that he can come in and cover one-on-one in a pinch – Haruki Nakamura. The Broncos don’t have a true #1 wideout, as Orton has shown that he can spread the ball around very evenly, but that could play right into the hands of the Ravens, who have 5 or 6 players who can adequately cover, despite not having a big-name “shut down” cornerback.

I could be way off base here (wouldn’t be the first time, won’t be the last), but it just looks like a good matchup for B’More to me.

Another thing – the reason the Broncos have had to fling it around so much is that they cannot run it. At all. At 55 yards per game, the Broncos own the NFL’s worst rushing attack by more than 10 yards per game (The 31st ranked team, The Bears, average 68.8 ypg.) Their #1 running back, second year player Knowshon Moreno, has missed the team’s last two games with a hamstring injury. Moreno practiced Wednesday, but not Thursday, and will be, at best, considered questionable for Sunday (though if you tell him Ed Reed isn’t playing, that may change to probable.) Filling in for Moreno has been former Patriots’ first round pick (and eventual bust) Lawrence Moroney. Moroney, though, has just 29 yards on 23 carries (not a typo) through his two starts.

Moreno, Maroney, whatever. It doesn’t matter – this game proves a great opportunity for the Ravens’ run defense to move up from their slightly misleading 23rd overall rank.

Now that Denver has spent all week looking at film trying to figure out how to block Haloti Ngata (hint: give it up; can’t be done.), there should be plenty of opportunities for guys like Cory Redding (who missed the Pittsburgh game due to a concussion), Kelly Gregg, and Brandon McKinney to make a few plays. Unfortunately, just as one lineman comes back, another goes out. Paul Kruger suffered a sprained MCL in Pittsburgh, and will miss 2-4 weeks. It’s a shame, as Kruger (if you excuse his penalties as a symptom of rust) showed some things last week, pressuring Charlie Batch several times and recording what would have been a sack-fumble were the play not negated for offsetting penalties. As long as those forementioned D-linemen, along with linebackers Terrell Suggs and Jarret Johnson, can find ways to get pressure on Orton, it should be a very long day for the Broncos’ offense.

As for the other side of the ball, we’ve heard this week that Ray Rice is ready to reclaim his starring role in the Ravens’ offense, after a disappointing first four weeks for Mighty Mouse. Denver, though, is not likely to be the team that he breaks out against. After allowing Maurice Jones-Drew 98 yards on the ground in Week 1, the Broncos have buckled down. In Week 2, Justin Forsett of Seattle had just 44 yards, though he did average a hefty 5.5 ypc. In Week 3, Joseph Addai of Indy managed just 29 yards and a 2.2 average. And, most impressively, they held Chris “I’m going to run for 2500 yards this year” Johnson of the Titans to a measly 53 yards on 19 carries last week. While Ravens fans are clamoring for a more balanced offense, and more touches for Rice, Denver just looks much more vulnerable against the pass.

And so, we could very well be in for another week of 200+ yards and multiple touchdowns from Joe Flacco like we saw the last time the Ravens played at home. Last year against Denver, Flacco was 20/25 (80%) for 175 yards and 1 score. While Denver may elect to put their best cornerback, Champ Bailey, on Anquan Boldin all day long, Flacco is showing more and more comfort with T.J. Houshmandzadeh, and should have all the confidence in the world in T.J. after last week. Throw Derrick Mason, Flacco’s all-time favorite target and the Ravens’ leading receiver in Pittsburgh a week ago, into the mix, along with Todd Heap and Rice out of the backfield, and the Ravens should have plenty of success moving the ball through the air even if “Q” has another relatively quiet afternoon.

The guys on the NFL Network’s great program, Playbook, were discussing how they feel the Ravens’ offense will “break out” against the Broncos. They pointed to Flacco’s 5-0 lifetime record against the AFC West, and predicted a big day from Anquan Boldin, while also forecasting that the Ravens will shut down the Broncs’ high-flying offense.

Some are making a big deal about the fact that the Ravens are just 1-3 in their last 4 games coming after a win over Pittsburgh. That’s a combination of emotional letdown and physical beatdown after those intense rivalry matches, but let’s remember – fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it – this is just the second such occurrence during the Harbaugh/Flacco era, as last week was just their second victory against Pittsburgh. Flacco said this week that, if the Ravens can’t put the emotion of last week behind them and move forward quickly, then they aren’t the team that they think they are.

The Ravens have a history of slapping around the Broncos, a team that our favorite columnist Mike Preston likes to describe as “soft,” when they come to town, and this week should be no different.

This assertion still applies.

Ravens 27 Broncos 13

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Posted in Ravens | No Comments »

Bengals 15 Ravens 10 (The BENGALS’ DBs CAN CATCH BETTER THAN OURS CAN Game)

Posted by darnold on Monday, September 20th, 2010

Damn Bengals. They seem to have perfected this whole “beat the Ravens by only kicking field goals” thing.

In an effort to avoid wrapping my laptop’s power cord around my neck, or just throwing the whole thing through the television, let’s first take a look at the positives from Sunday’s game. Trust me, there actually were a few.

  1. The Ravens’ much talked-about (in a “they’ll be the weak link this season” way) defense has yet to allow a touchdown in 2010 in 8 quarters of play.
  2. The secondary in particular played well, holding Carson Palmer to just a 45% completion percentage and 167 yards. Now, if they could only catch…
  3. Lardarius Webb made his first appearance of 2010, and contributed to the aforementioned strong play of the secondary.
  4. Ray Rice looked strong after being bottled up by the New York Jets, picking up 87 yards on 16 carries (5.4 average) and 30 yards on 4 receptions (7.5). He also had a key block on Joe Flacco’s lone touchdown pass of the day.
  5. Cedric Benson, who gashed the Ravens for 227 yards in the two games last year, was held to just 78 yards on 23 carries.
  6. From a “big picture” perspective, most of the AFC is 1-1 along with the Ravens. Only Houston, Miami, the not-really-for-real-at-all Kansas City Chiefs, and those who shall not be named are 2-0.
  7. There are still 14 games to play.

Reluctantly moving on to address the REST of Sunday’s action…

On the Ravens second play of their second drive, a 2nd-and-10 from their own 28, Flacco dropped back, scrambled around in the pocket a bit, and ended up diving forward for a 2-yard gain, barely avoiding the sack. On the replay though, when analyst Rich Gannon was trying to describe how well covered the Ravens’ receivers were…there he was: Anquan Boldin, streaking down the right sideline, nary a Bengal within 15 yards of him, hand waving frantically in the air calling for the ball. Of all the terrible plays that Joe made Sunday, THIS play may be the one that makes him slink lowest in his seat when the team reviews film this week. If Joe even LOOKS to his right at any point during the play, he would have had the easiest 70-yard touchdown throw of his career. Instead, the Ravens would punt two plays later, and the play was an ominous harbinger of plenty more terrible things to come for #5 and the B’More offense.

With all the talk about the Ravens’ new offense and all its fancy toys, they have now managed just 20 points in two games. Granted, those 20 points were against the #1 and #4 defenses in the NFL in 2009. However, the degree of ineptitude that Cam Cameron and his charges showed against Cincinnati was far higher than even the most pessimistic Ravens fan could have predicted. Flacco was horrific against the Bengals in 2009, throwing four picks in two games. After one game against them in 2010, he has already matched that interception total, and it’s easy to just say that Cincy has Flacco’s number. Joe has played far worse against the Bengals in his career than he has against the Pittsburgh Steelers, and Sunday he appeared to be playing scared and timid right from the start.

In fact, I’d have never thought I would grimace and say “ew” so many times in one game watching Joe Flacco. His mechanics are dreadful – his signature move now seems to be what I’ve deemed the “back-foot floater,” a pass that he throws high in the air while leaning back, hoping his target can run under it. So far this year though, he has not shown near the level of “touch” needed to consistently complete these kinds of passes. I hated on Mike Preston earlier this week for saying that Flacco needs to step up in the pocket more like a Brady, Manning, or Elway, but I couldn’t agree more with the spirit of the argument (I just thought it was funny how he pulled a few Hall of Fame names out of his hat). Joe DOES need to step up and put some zip on the ball. We’ve seen him do it before, so I’m as confused as the rest of you at his seeming regression.

In both games so far in 2010, there has been one play where you can see Joe just get fed up and step into a throw and put it right on his receivers’ chest, giving them no choice but to catch it – against the Jets, it was a sideline out to Derrick Mason; against Cincy, he slammed the ball into Anquan Boldin’s chest on a play where he lined up in the slot.

Where are those passes the rest of the time?

What the hell is up with this new back-foot floater?

Can I get a Ra-Ven? (Get it…”can I get an amen?” No? Ok, fine.)

Staying on Joe for a minute: Another wildly exasperating facet of his play so far this season is that he is seemingly completely unwilling to audible at the line of scrimmage. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t think I’ve seen him check out of one play in the two games to date. In New York is one thing, but the Cincinnati crowd isn’t exactly known around the league for being one of the loudest; there is no noise-related excuse for never changing the play. It’s especially maddening when the Ravens have some sort of slow-developing running play called, and the opposing defense walks 7 or 8 guys to to the line of scrimmage – that play is dead in the water. Still, Joe makes no effort to change the play. We saw him do it a couple of times in the preseason (think of the touchdown pass to Boldin in the Giants game), so why has it suddenly stopped? I’m not suggesting Joe needs to be Peyton Manning up there, diagnosing every defensive player’s assignment, along with his fears, goals, and ambitions…but a check-off here and there would be a sight for sore eyes.

Its all a bit too disappointing to delve into too deeply. I’m much more inclined to chalk it up to a combination of factors, including the short week, consecutive road games, Cincy “having his number,” poor offensive line play, and the failure of the Ravens’ receivers to create separation (the aforementioned Boldin play notwithstanding) or haul in catches that we’ve seen them make a hundred times before (seriously…anybody else get the feeling the T.J. Houshmandzadeh is still a closet Bengals fan?) Let’s all cross our fingers that a full week of preparation, along with a home game against a sorry Cleveland team, will be just what the doctor ordered to heal up our sputtering offense and suddenly shaky quarterback situation.

Moving on from Flacco, but sticking with the offense in general…

Cam Cameron needs to stop buying into the hype about his offense. I don’t know if its a symptom of trying to keep all of the receivers happy or what, but on a day where his quarterback is having the worst game of his young career, and his running back is ripping off over 5 yards a carry in a 1-score game…man, come ON. RUN THE DAMN BALL. Rice had only 16 carries. Willis McGahee had three. Le’Ron McClain had ONE.

I completely understand that the days of the “three-headed-monster” in the Ravens’ backfield are pretty much over, even if I don’t 100% agree with it. The Ravens have these highly paid guys on the outside and a young quarterback who they are trying to develop, but sometimes the game has to dictate what you’re doing as an offense. Especially with a makeshift offensive line that is struggling mightily to pass protect, while at the same time showing that they can open holes in the running game. Moving the ball through the air against the Bengals wasn’t happening, and the Ravens were never down by more than 6 points, so the fact that Rice had only 8 carries per half is absolutely criminal.

Ray Lewis (among others) have already addressed the bogus officiating calls that cost the Ravens 6 points, so I won’t get into it. Fact is, the key play of the game yesterday wasn’t any of Flacco’s four picks, nor was it either of those two costly penalties. It was the kickoff return by Bernard Scott with just under 6 minutes remaining. The Ravens had just taken a 10-9 lead, but the 60-yard kickoff return set the Bengals up in near field goal range to start the drive. It was a hugely deflating letdown from a unit that had been solid all day, with Billy Cundiff’s two kickoffs to that point both resulting in touchbacks.

The Ravens now have a full week of preparation for their home opener against the Browns. Identifying and correcting the plethora of offensive mistakes we witnessed on Sunday will be tantamount to not only a victory against Cleveland, but absolutely critical if this team has any hope to realize the lofty goals they have set for themselves in 2010.

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Ravens | No Comments »

Eleven Ravens on Scouts, Inc.’s “Top 200″

Posted by darnold on Thursday, August 26th, 2010

ESPN’s Scouts, Inc. has released their annual player rankings (subscription required) for the 2010 NFL season, and this year the Baltimore Ravens boast 11 players in the Top 200. Not bad considering that, statistically, each team could expect about 6 players on the list, all things equal. Of course, we know that all things (ahem, Detroit Lions) are not equal in the NFL.

Here are the 11 Ravens on the list, along with their ranking (on a scale of 1-100) and overall ranking listed in parenthesis.

  1. Ed Reed (91, 14T)
  2. Haloti Ngata (89, 22T)
  3. Terrell Suggs (85, 51T)
  4. Jared Gaither (84, 70T)
  5. Kelly Gregg (83, 84T)
  6. Ray Rice (83, 84T)
  7. Ben Grubbs (82, 99T)
  8. Derrick Mason (82, 99T)
  9. Anquan Boldin (81, 112T)
  10. Joe Flacco (81, 112T)
  11. Ray Lewis (81, 112T)

In the AFC North, the Steelers tie the Ravens with 11 players. Interestingly, last year’s division champions, the Cincinnati Bengals, have only 8 players on the list. The Cleveland Browns have just 4 players in the Top 200, but boast the highest ranked player in the AFC North – tackle Joe Thomas at 93.

The Scouts give a more detailed take on each player as well.

Ed Reed

Reed was banged up some in 2009 and missed four regular-season games. Reed has rare instincts that enable him to be around the ball often. He has elite range and is one of the few backend defenders whom quarterbacks truly fear. Reed is a game-changer from his deep center-field position and allows the Ravens to be very aggressive with their schemes. Not only is he a supreme ball hawk with rare anticipation and ball skills, he is an extremely dangerous weapon with the ball in his hands and is an immediate threat to score. He is also a superb kick- and punt-blocker when used in that capacity. Reed has been a mainstay in the Ravens’ secondary and there is a noticeable drop-off when he is not in the lineup.

Haloti Ngata

Ngata was banged up some in 2009, which hindered his progress. He is a massive, incredibly strong interior defender. Ngata also has rare athletic ability, quickness and closing burst for such a huge force in the middle of the defensive line. He is extremely versatile and can shoot gaps while holding the point and absorbing double teams. He can also effectively line up in many spots along the defensive line. Ngata isn’t a force in rushing the passer, and must expand his pass-rush package. Ngata can be an elite player with more consistent play.

Terrell Suggs

Suggs was banged up some in 2009 (Editors Note: Noticing a pattern here?! Wow.)and missed some time. He has been one of Baltimore’s more consistent defenders over his seven seasons in the league. Suggs has excellent quickness and speed off the edge with enough burst to close in on the quarterback. He understands leverage and how to get his opponent off-balance as a pass-rusher. He uses his hands well to disengage as a run defender and work the edge of blockers. He is a versatile player who can effectively drop into coverage and is best in underneath zone schemes. He isn’t extremely fast in pure man coverage and is rarely used in that way. Suggs is an instinctive player who reacts quickly as plays unfold, which enables him to be active to the pile. He is a tough, hard-nosed player who wins with effort, intelligence and athleticism.

Jared Gaither

Gaither was banged up during the 2009 season (Ed: Of course) but continued to progress on the left side of the line. He is a young left tackle who has tremendous size, particularly with his extreme height and overall length, to man the blind side. However, there are times when his high center of gravity works against him. Gaither remains a work in progress as a pass-blocker but is a punishing finisher in Baltimore’s power-running game. His hand placement and understanding of what it takes to be a successful left tackle has improved over the past two seasons. He is best when he engages defenders early in the play as quick counter moves still give him problems. His length and height makes it tough for him to maintain great pad level at times and more consistency in this area will improve his overall play. Gaither is a player who has a great upside and all the tools to continue to develop as a left tackle.

Kelly Gregg

With another productive season in 2009, Gregg continued to be a force in the middle of the Ravens’ defense. Gregg is an 11-year veteran who appears to have not lost quickness or power. He is built low to the ground and very powerful. He is an exceptional hands player who competes with excellent overall aggression. His motor never stops and his hustle can be infectious. Gregg consistently wins one-on-one matchups and can handle a double team while also making plays in the backfield. Although he offers little as a pass-rusher and rarely disrupts passing lanes or bats down passes, Gregg is the type of player who would make any defense better regardless of the scheme.

Ray Rice

Rice was the engine that made the Ravens’ offense run in 2009. He is a short, well-built back with deceptive strength and athleticism. Rice runs with a low center of gravity and has a powerful lower body. He has slightly above-average speed, but he can threaten the corner and is capable of breaking longer runs. Rice also shows very good balance and good hands as a receiver out of the backfield. He has excellent instincts with the ball in his hands and, despite not having elite speed, he can pick up yards in chunks. Rice has been a pleasant surprise for the Ravens’ staff and should continue to be productive in 2010.

Ben Grubbs

Grubbs has been a mainstay on the Ravens’ offensive line since he entered the league in 2007. He is one of the best young guards in the league and has shown marked improvement since his rookie season. He is powerful and athletic. He can move big-bodied defensive tackles off the ball in one-on-one situations and can pull or combo block to the second level. Grubbs can anchor versus powerful bull rushers, using good body positioning as well as effective hand use. He is not a liability in space and also can recover laterally when initially beaten off the snap. Grubbs has heavy hands and can stun his opponent. He has a good ability to finish plays.

Derrick Mason

Mason had arguable his best season as a pro in 2009. He is the consummate pro and remains one of the most reliable wide receivers in the game today. Mason catches just about everything thrown to him and has superb natural hands. His route-running skills are even better with very fluid movement skills and a good burst out of his breaks. However, Mason is not a big-play guy and doesn’t stretch the field. He is more agile and quick than fast, but also is a top-notch student of the game who takes his craft very seriously. His size is a bit of a problem and he isn’t a physical presence with the ball in his hands. Mason is more crafty than athletic but still has enough talent to be productive as a No. 2 receiver in the Ravens’ offense.

Anquan Boldin

Boldin was an excellent offseason acquisition for the Ravens. He is a great combination of size, hands and toughness. Boldin is a very strong receiver who is able to use his body to get separation coming out of his stems. He does an outstanding job of making plays in the short-to-intermediate passing game because of his good acceleration into routes, toughness in traffic and ability to excel after the catch. He is a very good route-runner who can line up in multiple positions and cause matchup problems for defenses. Boldin should give the Ravens another dimension in the passing game but he isn’t an explosive deep threat to stretch the field.

Joe Flacco

Flacco made marked improvements in his second year in the league. He has elite arm strength and can threaten the entire field. He has excellent size and the ability to clearly scan the entire field. Flacco could add more bulk to better handle the rigors of playing the position at this level. He is a surprising athlete who can make plays with his feet and throw well on the move. His vision and ability to read coverages have improved, which makes him a more efficient passer. Flacco has a ton of upside and should continue to improve in 2010 with the coaching staff giving him an expanded playbook. Flacco has the benefit of a stingy defense and an effective ground game. Both will only aid his progress.

Ray Lewis

Lewis, entering his 15th year, is coming off another extremely productive season. He has diminishing skills, but his experience, toughness and instincts enable him to be a force in the middle of the Ravens’ defense. He is a powerfully built player with outstanding tackling power between the tackles. His ability to wrap up and tackle with jolting force is still evident. He has excellent instincts and vision to react quickly to the run and pass. He has outstanding football intelligence and is able to make all the checks and adjustments needed in the complex Ravens scheme. He uses his hands to work through trash and has natural power to run through blockers. Lewis is a crafty veteran who takes great angles in pursuit and maintains leverage on the ball carrier. He is a solid pass defender primarily because of excellent anticipation and route recognition. Lewis has been remarkably durable over his career, but he clearly is on the backside of his career.

Scouts, Inc. rounds out the Ravens’ roster as follows:

  1. Matt Birk 76
  2. Le’Ron McClain 74
  3. Michael Oher 74
  4. Willis McGahee 72
  5. Todd Heap 71
  6. Fabian Washington 69
  7. Marc Bulger 69
  8. Lardarius Webb 69
  9. Jarrett Johnson 69
  10. Dominique Foxworth 67
  11. Mark Clayton 67
  12. Trevor Pryce 67
  13. Marshal Yanda 66
  14. Shayne Graham 65
  15. Troy Smith 65


Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Ravens | No Comments »

Overrated/Underrated Ravens, according to Pete Prisco

Posted by darnold on Friday, May 28th, 2010

Let me start with this disclaimer: Underrated/Overrated lists are, themselves, pretty stupid and ENTIRELY overrated. But just for fun…

In an article yesterday on CBS, Pete Prisco opined on the most overrated and underrated players on every NFL team.

For the Ravens, he had this to say:

Overrated: WR Anquan Boldin. He’s a good player, but not a great one. The Ravens will find out he isn’t a No. 1 receiver. He can’t beat corners deep.

Underrated: G Marshal Yanda. On one of the best lines in the NFL, he had the best season in 2009. He is a mauler who keys the run game. It might be Pro Bowl time for him in 2010.

Now, if you’ve been reading Prisco over the last couple months, you’ll know that he has been beating the “Boldin isn’t a #1″ drum ad nauseum since the Ravens picked him up. His reasons have ranged from “Kurt Warner made him good,” to “Larry Fitzgerald drew all the double teams,” to now, “he can’t beat corners deep.” We get it, Pete. You don’t like Boldin as a number 1. But shouldn’t you at least, oh, I dunno, let the man PLAY A GAME in purple before declaring him overrated? You know what the Cardinals lacked that the Ravens have in spades? A RUNNING GAME. An ingredient that everyone universally agrees can help out a passing game. With Ray Rice in the backfield, that extra defender that opposing defenses have to keep in the box has basically the same effect as having to double Fitzgerald on the other side, no?

I’m not saying that Prisco is dead wrong about Boldin – time may prove him correct. It just seems way premature to call Boldin overrated at this point.

Especially when there are a few other Ravens who could be argued as “overrated” based on their actual performances in Charm City. Personally, were I to choose the most overrated Raven, I’d probably go with Terrell Suggs, based solely on last season’s performance, and with the full confidence that he’ll prove me wrong in 2010.

Now, as far as “overrated by himself,” I think we all know who that would go to:

Photobucket

As far as Yanda, it’s good to see a national guy giving Marshal some credit. I think, however, its a stretch to say he had the best season of anybody on the Ravens’ line. There were some games where all 3 of those inside guys (Yanda, Birk, and Grubbs) struggled mightily. When you consider that he had to play both tackle positions, and did so very well, Michael Oher probably had the “best” season of the Ravens’ offensive linemen in 2009.

My choice for most underrated Raven?

Photobucket

A scroll further down the list makes me forgive Prisco for his excessive and unfounded Boldin-hate though. Behold:

Pittsburgh Steelers

Overrated: S Troy Polamalu. Yes, he has been hurt. But that helps bring down his rating. Even when he has been on the field, he hasn’t been as good as his reputation.

Oooooh, I love it. That glorified linebacker, bouncy little sprite Polamalu is, of course, extremely overrated. But who amongst us non towel-waving morons didn’t know that?

Photobucket

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Ravens | No Comments »

Anquan Boldin: Raven

Posted by darnold on Friday, March 5th, 2010

YouTube Preview Image

Breaking news late this afternoon has the Ravens trading their 3rd and 4th-round draft picks in this year’s Draft to the Arizona Cardinals for wide receiver Anquan Boldin and a 5th round pick. Adam Schefter of ESPN has reported that the Ravens and Boldin have already agreed on a new 4-year deal for $28 million dollars.

Anquan Boldin. A name that has been tossed around in Baltimore for what seems like forever. Now, finally, it is a reality. Entering this offseason, wide receiver was at the top of the Ravens’ list of priorities, as it seemingly has been since Michael Jackson and Derrick Alexander departed Charm City. They started to address the issue last month with the signing of Donte Stallworth – but they obviously weren’t finished their work just by signing a guy who hasn’t played since 2008, and only caught 17 balls that year. Many of the mock drafts had the Ravens picking a wide receiver in April, whether Brandon Lafell, Arrelious Benn, or Golden Tate. Last week some had the Ravens VERY interested in (ugh) T.O., and rumors this week had them looking into Texans’ free agent WR Kevin Walter. Then there were the omnipresent rumblings about Bronco Brandon Marshall.

Early this afternoon, I saw Aaron Wilson of the Carroll County Times was reporting that the Patriots were the leaders in the clubhouse in the Boldin sweepstakes, with the Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs out of the running. Wilson’s source proved to be mistaken over the next couple hours though, as many, including Wilson, began tweeting that the Pats had ducked out, and the Ravens were now the favorites to land Boldin.

Personally, I believed that Boldin would wind up wearing another shade of red in 2010, in Kansas City. With a bidding war supposedly going on in the desert, I definitely expected it to take AT LEAST a second round pick to acquire Boldin. If this was the case, I figured that Ozzie would go ahead and give up the chase.

Obviously, I was sorely mistaken. Why Kansas City and New England, if they were indeed interested, would not be willing to give up a 3rd and 4th-round pick, as the Ravens were, is beyond me. Whatever. Their loss. Let’s look at what the Ravens have gained.

Boldin’s Bio:

Boldin

Photo: Associated Press

Name: Anquan Kenmile Boldin
DOB: 10/3/80 (29 years old)
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 217 lb
College: Florida State Seminoles
Drafted: 2003 Round 2 (#54 overall) by the Arizona Cardinals

Career stats, from NFL.com:

Boldin Stats

One concern with Boldin is regarding his health. As you can see above, he has played in all 16 games just twice in his seven year career. It is not a matter of toughness, that’s for sure. In 2008, Boldin’s face EXPLODED in a game against the New York Jets. He needed surgery to repair the bones in his face, but missed only TWO games. No, Boldin’s problem is that he is, perhaps, TOO tough, if anything. He is a guy that seeks out contact, and prefers to be the one delivering the blow if he finds a defender in his way. As a result, he takes a lot of hits, and gets tweaked fairly often as a result.

The other concern some Ravens fans will voice is that Boldin is not the big deep threat that the Ravens really need. While this is true – Boldin is more of a yards-after-the-catch guy (one of the best in the NFL, mind you) – if Stallworth can regain the form that he showed several years ago, he and Boldin could be a very well-matched complimentary pair, with Stallworth providing the vertical threat and Boldin catching balls underneath and racking up the YAC. Throw in the fact that this now frees the Ravens up even more with their 1st-round pick this April – perhaps to draft a pass-catching tight end such as Oklahoma’s Jermaine Grisham – and Joe Flacco could suddenly be a very happy man.

And let’s not forget Derrick Mason. Mason, as long as he doesn’t let his “I’m not the number 1 anymore? Forget that!” diva side get the better of him, and resigns in Baltimore, the Ravens’ overall WR corps will be quite formidable.

Those of you that still aren’t convinced that the Boldin move makes the Ravens an instantly better team – I ask you to simply think back to 2007, when Arizona came to M&T Bank Stadium. The Ravens took a 20-3 halftime lead, and appeared to be on their way to an easy victory. The Cardinals, though, stormed back and nearly won the game – it took a 46-yard field goal from Matt Stover as time expired to preserve the 26-23 win. The main culprit in the Cardinals’ furious comeback was Mr. Boldin, who had 14 catches for 181 yards and 2 touchdowns. Number 81 still has the ability to take over a game, in 2010, like he did in 2007.

I get the feeling that someone, somewhere, is VERY happy about this move…..

Anita Marshall

Also, Boldin once did this….

YouTube Preview Image

which I wouldn’t be sad at all to see him repeat in Pittsburgh one day.

Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Ravens | 3 Comments »