James Harrison whining again...

Now I know that James Harrison may have some legitimate complaints against the NFL about the penalties he has been seeing as well as the fines, but let's call it what it is. He is using tackling methods that the league deems no longer legal (this has happened before, facemask anyone?), and the league is punishing him for it. Of course he is whining about, who likes change.

But this week he is crying some more...

"Harrison was said to have accused Ravens offensive lineman Chris Chester of intentionally trying to injure him on an extra point attempt in Sunday night's game.

"Of course it was deliberate," Harrison reportedly said. "There's no way that happens on an extra point because [offensive linemen] don't shoot out. It's obvious it was blatant. It was on purpose."

This is from a Huffington Post article shown here.

This reminds me of the Boy Who Cried Wolf. He has bitched and bitched and now no one cares what he is whining about. I find it ironic that he complains that he can't hit like he used to and now is complaining about how people hit him. As Rodney Harrison said on SNF a few weeks ago, the rest of the league has figured it out, and he will, too...eventually.

Very average QB

Joe Flacco has been exciting to watch at times this year, but he has also been downright awful at times. I thought I would look at some stats to see where he fell across the league. The results aren’t overwhelming, they weren’t underwhelming. I guess they were just…whelming.

He is 13^th overall at yards per game with 2132. Bested by the likes of Henne and McNabb (Really? I thought better) but barely beating the likes of Favre (more impressive last season) and Sanchize.

At 18^th in completion percentage (there were several ties), he wallows in the company of Kitna, Cutler, and Freeman.

At only 21^st in pass attempts, I would say that is more a stat about the play calling, or perhaps the success of the running game. That’s in the company of Favre and Rothlisberger, yes the guy suspended the first four games. Perhaps he deserves the ball more.

Some other interesting stats:
10^th – Touchdowns – 16
15^th – Interceptions – 7
10^th – 1^st Downs – 110 (tie with Matt Ryan)
9^th – 1^st Percentage – 37% (Better than Eli, VY, Brees, Brady, and Vick)
26^th – 40+ yd passes (This frustrates me the most, lousy stat considering the WR’s but you have heard that from me before)
14^th – Sacks – 16
16^th – QB Rating – 90.1

All things considered, these stats aren’t alarming. In a year where standouts simply don’t exist, average is good.

Perhaps my frustrations aren't allowing me to clearly elaborate on the issues facing this Ravens team. Drew Forrestor at WNST did a very good job summing things up here. Here are a few clear excerpts.

First and foremost is this club’s growing lack of energy and production in the first half of road games. Over the last 10 away games, the Ravens have put up ZERO points in five of them. In those 10 games, Joe Flacco and Company have produced a total of 51 first-half points. 51. For those without the great math skills that I acquired at Glen Burnie HS, that’s 5.1 points-per-half.

You can’t win football games when you average 5.1 points in the first half.

And last but not least, let’s look at our wonderful secondary. It’s not so wonderful. Hell, the Ravens could have used Ike Taylor of the Steelers last night and that’s really digging through the bottom of the barrel. If you want to go through the secondary, man-by-man, you’ll find one common theme. All of the cornerbacks are just “OK”. Nothing more, nothing less.

Now let's hope Harbs and Co. can give us some answers.

Just a few quick hits...

From

Late For Work 11/12: Has The Defense Lost Its Swagger?

Quick Hits

• untouchablejay4 (Suggs): im sorry ya’ll. we let one get away!
• RavensInsider: Michael Oher: ‘This has got to be the worst one. We got to get back to work next week.’
• SI_PeterKing: RT @RickyT105: Any more idiots want to say the Ravens are a super bowl contender? … Yes. "The Ravens are a Super Bowl contender.”
• Holding an opposing view, Yahoo!Sports’ Jason Cole wrote, "At this rate – and with this pass defense – it’s hard envisioning [the Ravens in the Super Bowl]."
• Roddy White caught 12 passes in the Falcons’ win on Thursday night. It was White’s third game with 10 or more receptions this season and the sixth such game of his NFL career, which has been spent entirely with Atlanta. (Elias Sports Bureau)
• James Walker said, "Cornerback was a weakness many anticipated for Baltimore entering the season. That wasn’t the case early, but it’s certainly true now." (ESPN)
• Pete Priscoe gave the Ravens a C minus for their losing effort at the Georgia Dome. Meanwhile, the Falcons get an A minus. (CBSSports.com)
• The parallel careers of Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco finally intersected, and both played like franchise quarterbacks. ButRound 1 went to Ryan…barely, says Bill Trocchi. [SI.com]

Baltimore Ravens Vs. Atlanta Falcons

The Baltimore Ravens displayed some very frightening issues last night in regards to them being a Super bowl contender.

Why is Flacco taking so long to get the ball out to the receivers? Can the receivers not get open? With Boldin, Mason, Housch, and Stallworth, I seriously doubt it, but without watching film, how can we know? Is it an issue with Flacco not getting his reads done quickly enough? This is a distinct possibility. It seems that since the hiring of Jim Zorn, Flacco’s performance has taken a step backward. It could be coincidence, but I doubt it. Nothing Zorn has done has really impressed me and I don’t see the advantage to having him there. Is Flacco just not capable? I don't know. He has shown much potential, but it is time for that potential to pay off.

Perhaps the line is not protecting well enough. With the likes of Grubbs, Oher, Birk, and company, it doesn’t seem to be the issue. They aren’t the masterful run defense they once were. The question is are they not staving off the d-line long enough or is Flacco taking too long. Only time will tell.

Josh Wilson is a healthy addition to the secondary. A couple years under the tutelage of Mr. Ed Reed and he will be killer. A little height addition in that secondary would help, but I will take what I can get.

The ref’s made some questionable calls, but that can happen in any game. Letting the game be that close is what caused the loss. I don’t buy into the short week issues because they both had the same rest.

Overall, I think there are issues, but one loss does not a season make, or break for that matter. They lost to a good team with a better QB in a hostile environment. Good thing next week is a bye week. Well they have some 10 days off and then play the Panthers, so it might as well be.

Go Ravens!

BTW...we are back

BaltimoreRavenstalk.blogspot.com is once again going live with fact and opinion. And we will do our best to keep up with posting.

Not fact...just opinion.

I'm disgusted. I'm disgusted that the Ravens have 3 pro bowl WR's and they couldn't move the ball let alone score any points in the Ravens loss to the Patriots on Sunday. I'm disgusted by the play calling of Cam Cameron and Greg Mattison. Where's the aggression that led this crew to defensive dominance? Where are the big balls downfield to said pro bowl caliber WR's? Where are the punt returns for touchdowns or at least short field. The Ravens are a team with swagger. Too bad they aren't winning with dominance to back it up. Am I the only one feeling disappointed with the peformance of this team? Bisciotti wants a ring now. I bet he's a bit concerned too.

The Ravens can beat the teams they are supposed to, but they also need to beat a few teams that they are not expected too. And with each additional one of those losses, the credibility in the big games goes out the window.

As I sit back and watch teams like the Jets and the Steelers dominate with defense and win with offense, I can't help but wonder why the Ravens can't do the same thing. I want to root for a dominate team again. Get it together guys.