For Ravens, Six Turnovers and Five Field Goals Equal One Win

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: October 15, 2007
It was a rout waiting to happen: the St. Louis Rams, without a win and with a depleted offense, against a Baltimore Ravens defense eager to prove it is still the best in the N.F.L.
Bullying the backup quarterback Gus Frerotte into six turnovers yesterday, the Ravens delivered in a 22-3 victory against the visiting Rams.
Playing for the injured Marc Bulger, Frerotte was forced to operate behind a depleted offensive line and with a receiving corps missing the injured Isaac Bruce and Dante Hall. Frerotte threw a career-high five interceptions and lost a fumble as the Ravens (4-2) cruised to their most lopsided victory of the season.
“We knew they was wounded,” Baltimore defensive end Terrell Suggs said. “We smelled blood and we went after it.”
Suggs had one of the Ravens’ four sacks, and Baltimore’s five interceptions tied a team record. After limiting San Francisco to a touchdown in a 9-7 victory last week, the Ravens topped that by holding the Rams to a field goal.
Frerotte left the game with a little more than a minute left after being hit throwing a pass. “It was a long day,” he said.
Matt Stover kicked five field goals and Willis McGahee had a 6-yard touchdown run for the Ravens. It was the first time this season Baltimore won by more than 7 points.

'McBoller' tag team at QB clicks for Baltimore

By Jim Corbett, USA TODAY
BALTIMORE — Steve McNair and Kyle Boller provided a twist on the two-back backfield trend with their Week 3 quarterback tag team.
The McBoller double team proved to be a winning one in the Baltimore Ravens' 26-23 win Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals.
Ravens coach Brian Billick says he has a reliable quarterback contingency. There is no hint of any quarterback controversy considering Boller embraces his role as McNair's backup. He credits the 13th-year veteran with helping him grow in confidence, which he exhibited in playing a key role in back-to-back wins for the 2-1 Ravens.

UPDATES

Ray Lewis does not have a triceps tear. The injury appears to be a strain. He will be a gametime decision for the Jets game.
B. J. Sams was placed on the IR list and Corey Ross was activated from the practice squad.

The Injury Report...

The worst injury suffered on Monday night was not to the Baltimore football team or the Cincinnati football team. It was to Monday Night Football. ES… nay, I won’t even advertise for those tools. As my friends on Fox Sports Radio refer to them, the four letter network has turned, what was once seemed to be a reverent honor, into a jumbling mess of graphics and idiotic sports casters. Being chosen to be nationally televised on Monday night was like being put on a pedestal. Now it is like being featured in a WWE event. The only legitimate sportscaster that they have is Mike Torico. Kornheiser needs to keeps his nonsensical rants and mindless arguments on his little TV set being buffered by Michael Wilbon. His unadulterated love for the sideshow that is Chad Johnson is disgusting. Now I will even give Jaws a pass under the John Madden clause, but how is he any better than Joe Theismann?

Now that I have that off of my chest (See photo below), Let’s get to the Raven’s injuries.
Steve McFumble…er…McNair seemingly has a strained or pulled groin. We probably will hear more on that today. Boller didn’t look bad considering the ok performance by the O line. Maybe we will see some of Troy Smith at full speed. Ray Lewis will undergo an MRI this morning to see if his triceps is strained or torn. B.J. Sams is out for the season with a torn ACL which is really unfortunate for him because he really showed some promise with a tight return game. Fortunately for the Ravens, they have some depth at that position considering Ed Reed’s runback for a TD. Last year, Cory Ross did a decent job covering for him, not to mention that the Ravens drafted the fastest legs in the draft under Yamon Figurs. John Ogden’s toe has become a serious injury and he is out indefinitely. Adam Terry moving over and Marshall Yanda jumping in seems to be a viable solution. Todd Heap’s backup Daniel Wilcox is out with a right ankle sprain (he just recovered from the left ankle sprain in preseason) but Quinn Sypnewski has potential too. I think that’s all but that’s enough.

Monday Night Coverage Recap

Ravens vs. Bengals Recap

Oh. My. God. Where do you begin? I don't think as a fan I can endure an entire season of games like that. On paper, according to all of recorded history, a team doesn’t have an opportunity to win a game with 6 turnovers. The Ravens did, and that is a positive. They also played through numerous injuries and saw guys step up and fill the holes, and that is a positive. It the end, it wasn’t enough, but don’t have a short memory – two years ago, we would have lost 27-6.

First, let me touch on the coverage: Tony Kornheiser LOVES Chad Johnson. And Chad, is this the "safe" celebration? It took 10 minutes to develop! It was a full two drives later for the joke to go down. We tune in to watch a football game, not a stand up act. ESPN just continues the tradition of monkeying around with the MNF lineup to find the “perfect mix” (remember Dennis Miller?). It still doesn’t work.

Let’s break down position by position, starting with what was one of the great surprises of the night.

Running Backs: Willis McGahee turned in a solid performance for his first game. He already looks to be a reliable threat coming out of the backfield, both for the running game and the passing game. McNair seemed very comfortable going to him as a check down, and he runs the out pattern very well, which fits into the Ravens scheme. As the season progresses, look for the Ravens to run more east to west with McGahee as everyone becomes more comfortable with the team. It is too early and would be unfair to make comparisons with McGahee (77 yards on 19 carries) and Lewis (35 yards on 11 carries), but McGahee looks like he will fit in just fine.

Quarterbacks: 4 turnovers. McNair took the blame. “Even though we were in the ballgame the last few minutes, it’s uncalled for and unacceptable this offense and it all starts with me. I got to protect the ball and give my team a chance”. McNair was not sharp, but he is also better then he played last night.

Offensive Line: The line had trouble all night protecting the quarterback. This in part, led to six turnovers. McNair was hit, rushed, and hurried all night. When Ogden left due to problems with his toe, that did not help. It seemed though that the line improved and settled down as the night went on, which is a good sign. The younger guys have to step up.

Defensive Line: The D Line turned in another solid but unspectacular evening. As with the Offensive line, they seemed to settle down as the game went on, turning in some really solid stands late in the game.

Linebackers: The linebackers, as they do most games were solid as the fans have come to expect. Johnson did a good job showing speed in pursuit and getting to Carson Palmer, making us forget that Thomas fellow that went to New England.

Secondary: Cincinnati is a difficult team to defend. They have more then one legitimate deep threats and Palmer can get the ball downfield. The secondary did a great job, especially in the second half limiting the touches of #84 and #85.

Receivers: This is one area where the fans saw bolder play calling then the Ravens have done in the past. It didn’t always work out, but hopefully that doesn’t keep Billick from going to the air in the future. Mason had a solid outing, Williams needs to hold onto the ball.

Officiating: As a Ravens fan, I am admittedly biased. But there were some obvious questionable calls. Even if you take out the Heap play at the end of the game, the game did not seem to be called “evenly” if you will. It was hard to see sometimes with the fascination of the cameras with the guys in the booth, but Cinci’s secondary was very physical, especially on Williams.

Veteran players play through adversity, good players have a short memory. The Ravens have to shake this off and respond.

Ravens at Jets. Sunday at 4:15 pm.

Gearing Up...

After enjoying a large majority of games on Sunday afternoon, I finally got my football fix. Thanks to DirecTV’s Sunday Ticket and my local sports bar’s 50 TV’s, I had the unequivocal privilege of watching most of the games on TV. It was like sensory overload. Within moments I saw 5 teams kick off in five different cities. I love technology. I paid most attention to the Atlanta Minnesota game, while keeping a close eye on the Cleveland Pittsburgh game, got to watch those division boys.

For Atlanta, it’s going to be a long year. I am guessing 4 and 12. I thought for sure that the Vikings were going to be one of those four. Still, I am expecting Harrington and crew to put something together. As far as the Vikings are concerned, Jackson and Peterson both looked good enough to keep hope alive and the strong Minnesota defense held Harrington to only three points.

I can’t say I watched much else than the score in Cleveland. But 34-7 pretty much tells the tale. Either Cleveland sucks or Pittsburgh is scary good. Or it could be a combination of the two. Derek Anderson showed that his not being a starter may have been a mistake, and Jamal Lewis did what Jamal Lewis does. Hit the hole hard and drop the ball. That was all I saw of him I should say.

As the Raven’s gear up for Cincinnati, I am wondering if they will click. All of the teams in the NFL have talent, whether or not they click together is the question. On paper many of the teams that lost on Sunday looked as if they should have done better, but the many variables of an NFL game are what makes it so interesting. So what Raven team will we see tonight? I guess that depends on which Bengals team shows up. GO RAVENS!!

Jamal Out, McGahee In

The Ravens answered any questions about their open running back spot Thursday, acquiring Willis McGahee via trade with the Buffalo Bills. Baltimore sent three draft picks - two this year and one in 2008 - to the Bills for the highly-regarded fifth-year running back.
-BaltimoreRavens.com

The word on the street is that the Ravens give up a round three pick and a round seven pick as well as a third round pick in the '08 draft. This allows for what is rumored to be a 7 yr 40 million dollar contract. From what is going around, McGahee seems to match if not exceed Jamal's stats in all catagories.

No franchise tag for Thomas

The Ravens have decided against franchising Thomas. He will enter free agency March 2nd. The team says they will still try and sign him. Full story from the Sun HERE

Several teams are expected to show interest in Thomas, including the San Francisco 49ers, New England Patriots, Cleveland Browns and Green Bay Packers -- all of whom have more salary cap room than the Ravens and can offer Thomas substantially more in a long-term contract.

Thomas is likely looking at a contract that includes at least a $12 million signing bonus.

Thomas Update

Adalius Thomas' agent Bus Cook has said he has had no contact with the Ravens (remember the deadline to franchise is Thursday). Many media outlets are projecting he is heading fast for free agency.

Chargers do what??

A Ravens defense not under Rex Ryan would be considerably more boring. Losing him would have been a loss for the team. That being said, he is a strong head coaching candidate, and is sure to move up soon.

ON to the Chargers - in a surprising move (for some) they hired Norv Turner. Hmmm. He is a combined 58-82-1 in 9 seasons as a head coach. In some circles, he is seen much more like Marty then the new breed of coaches we are seeing take the helm the past two or three seasons.

Chargers interview Rex Ryan

Baltimore Sun story HERE

Mark your Calender Kids! 2007 League Schedule Here!

Feb 21-27 Scouting Combine
Feb 22 Deadline to designate franchise and transition players
March 1 Deadline for submission of offers to free agents (from their club)
Also a deadline for something else complicated
March 2 Veteran free agency signing period begins
March 2 Trading period begins
April 20 Signing period for restricted free agents ends
April 28-29 NFL Draft
Late July Training camp begins
August 9-13 First preseason weekend
August 28 Roster cut to 75
Sept 1 Roster cut to 53
Sept 6-10 2007 Kickoff Weekend

The Rumor Mill

Whew! The offseason is almost as exciting as the regular season. For a weak free agent market, there is still plenty of things flying around. March 2nd is the deadline. The Ravens can franchise him this Thursday. Here are a few:

1. Gridiron Fans says the Packers are going after Adalius Thomas and Randy Moss. They said Thomas is their number one target. Story HERE
   
2. Rotoworld says Thomas may go to New England. HERE
3. RealFootball365 has a nice article on Mughelli and how he could generate some interest HERE
   

New QB?? Are you kidding me?

Mike Preston in a recent post for the Baltimore Sun thinks the Ravens should look for a young quarterback to bring in to "learn from McNair and push Boller". I couldn't disagree more. The Ravens are carrying two quarterbacks now, and it has been the source of much discussion about whether Boller can run the team. Billick, in the recent press conference said

Obviously, it's a tough experience for a guy that has been a starter to then sit in the role that he did, and I think he was magnificent at it,

- Sitting on the bench?? Preston stops short of saying whether he thinks Boller is the answer, but does fairly point out that having a young QB would help keep the Ravens from doing what they did with Boller, i.e. putting him on the field before he was ready. I would counter with two questions - Is Boller ready now? yet? but also look at some of the young quaterbacks that can hack it - like Vince Young.

The Ravens made a solid choice in getting McNair, they have also worked hard on bringing along the receiving corps, and bringing some young guys in to bolster the offensive line. It looks like this year they will need to search for an answer in the backfield, but make a quarterback the priority? I would need more convincing on that one.

Offseason Predictions

I am reading a lot of these predictions, what will the Ravens do kind of things. One positive is that the Ravens do not have a lot of players they are unsure about - Depending on how you rank them, Lewis and Thomas are the "big names". Ogden is considering retirement, but that is a personal decision.

Everyone is predicting Lewis will be out. Most are predicting Thomas gets the franchise tag. Based on what is common, it would be in the best interest of the team to give him a contract before the season (anyone Jamal running at less then 100% so he doesn't get injured?). Players just don't give it their all when they get franchised.

Lewis is due a large bonus next month, so expect a decision on his future to come over the next few weeks. Musa Smith and Mughelli are both free agents, and the team is sending mixed signals about Mike Anderson. The possibility exists that the Ravens could start an entire new backfield next season.

Derrick Mason publicly complained at the end of the season, but it looks like the team is willing to work with him, and Newsome said he "has a future with the team".

There are other Ravens with uncertain futures, as previously posted too.

The one problem holding the team back, and forcing them to "look young" is their salary cap issues. They will almost have to restructure some of the veterans to be able to keep some of the young rising stars like Thomas. This will also keep them from getting too wild in the free agent market.

Ravens increase ticket prices.

So that is how much 13 wins costs??

Club seats will increase by $25 per game ($250 for the season for the eight regular-season games and two preseason games), lower-level seats by $20 and upper-level seats by $10.

The average ticket will cost $82.14, up from last season's price of $66.14

Source Baltimore Sun HERE

Extreme Ravens End of Season review

Tim over at Extreme Ravens has an excellent in depth review of the Ravens roster issues. This is the kind of article I wish I had time to write. Nice Work. He also projects the release of Jamal Lewis.

See it HERE

Ravens Management Talks

In the yearly end of the season conference, Biscotti, Billick, and Newsome talked about the Ravens past and future.

From a fans perspective, it was some different talk then we have heard before. At the risk of sounding like I am dissecting Alan Greenspan, Biscotti said some interesting things:

"We've got a lot of young guys on this roster, so I think that we're prepared to try and build this team and not take those big shots," stated Bisciotti, who recently completed his seventh year involved with the franchise. "That Super Bowl and trying to repeat [as] Super Bowl [champions] was very unique, it was my first couple of years here. I don't think we need to do that."

He was referring to a quote he made earlier in the conference regarding how the team built a "Super Bowl Team" in 2001 and mortgaged the next few years for it. Reading between the lines though, I wonder how that feeling (building vs. buying big names) will carry over into the talks that the Ravens will be conducting with the free agents.

It seems safe to assume Billick has corrected the path he was on, going from 6-10 to 13-3.

The two most notable players up for free agency are Adalius Thomas and Jamal Lewis. Talks haven't begun with either player. Lewis recently came out and said bone spurs slowed him down in 2006. He has battled injuries among other things for many of the past few years, and it will be interesting to see which direction the Ravens will go with him. There has been speculation the team may franchise Thomas, but that is just speculation at this point.

Jonathon Ogden has considered retirement, while Jarrett Johnson, Tony Pashos, and Mughelli may try free agency.

We will see how it goes, and I will keep you updated here.

Article HERE

Ray Lewis pulls out of Pro Bowl, Scott in

Ray Lewis took himself out of the Pro Bowl due to an injury sustained during the Colts game. He will be replaced by Bart Scott. Article HERE

The Ravens will have six players at the game; Reed, Ogden, Thomas, Suggs, McCallister and Scott.

The End.

I am on a self imposed media blackout. I didn't watch the post game, I haven't watched ESPN, I haven't looked at the paper. This is the playoffs, and half of the teams go home each week. 50%.

In the end, the defense upheld its tradition, and upheld its reputation. Unfortunately, the offense upheld its tradition also.

I may take a week or so off. I want the dust to settle. I want the emotions to settle down. I don't want to write about so and so being mad about such and such. Cock and reload. Time to prepare for next season.

The Other Team..

Not Ravens news, but congratulations to Cal Ripken on getting elected to the Hall of Fame.

Ripken was picked by 537 voters, appearing on 98.5 percent of ballots, falling just short of the record percentage of 98.84 set by Tom Seaver when he was selected on 425 of 430 ballots in 1992. Gwynn was just behind with 532 votes, 97.6 percent.

Source HERE

Here Comes the Playoffs

Well, they are finally here. The Ravens finished 13 - 3 which secures them 2nd spot in the AFC, and a first round bye. The Ravens will play the top seeded winner from the Wild Card games this weekend. San Diego plays the lower seed winner.

Games this weekend:
Saturday - Kansas City at Indy 4:30 & Dallas at Seattle 8:00 pm
Sunday - Jets at Patriots 1:00 pm & Giants at Philly 4:30 pm

One thing that strikes me this season vs. previous years, is the strength of play overall in the NFL this year. Last year, The top four teams in the AFC were New England (10-6), Cinci/Pittsburgh (11-5), Indy (14-2) and Denver 13-3. In the NFC, short of Seattle (13-3), all of the division winners were 11-5

This year, All of the AFC division winners have 4 losses or less. The Patriots are on a 3 game win streak, Baltimore is on a 4 game win streak, and the Chargers are on a whopping 10 game win streak.

The last few weeks have really shown some cracks on some teams, especially the Bears. They seem in a state of flux, which is not where you want to be come playoff time. The quarterback position, despite attempts from the front office to say it is "normal" seems to be up in the air, with the staff and fans second guessing Grossman at the first signs of weakness.

Happy Watching