Ball or Nuthin' » Ravens

Who’s Going to Super Bowl XLVI??

T Lamont — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 01:19:32 +0000

Based on expectations alone, one conference’s top teams lived up to the hype, while the other conference has yielded some pleasant surprises.

Which AFC team is going to follow through on those lofty projections? And which roster will continue to be a stunning success from the NFC?

Let’s look at some of the determining factors of tomorrow’s conference title tilts:

Baltimore Ravens at New England Patriots

Defensive Pressure- Obviously, the outcome of this game will depend heavily upon the defensive pressure that Baltimore is able to get against Tom Brady. No matter how good a team’s coverage is, Brady will eventually pick any set of linebackers, defensive backs and safeties as easy as McGyver would disarm an explosive. So, the Ravens will need to mix up their pash rushes, conjure up different stunts and blitz packages to keep New England’s offensive line guessing.

Joe Flacco- Which Flacco will show up? Will it be the cool and confident one who lets the game come to him? Or will it be the one who feels as if he has to prove that he belongs in the elite category of quarterbacks? Will the media focus on the comments that others have made about him force him to attempt to step out of his game? This is undoubtedly Flacco’s time to shine, but he has to realize that his star illuminates differently than does, Tom Brady’s, for example.

Ray Rice- Rice, the unquestioned offensive MVP for the Ravens, averages 18 rushes and 5 receptions per game. Baltimore needs to execute its game plan through Rice, thus minimizing the number of possessions in this game. John Harbaugh should shoot for 25+ rushes for Rice, and focus on time of possession.

The Ravens' game plan should include a heavy dose of Ray Rice.

The Tight End Tandem- For the Patriots, Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski would be part of the recipe for a successful afternoon. If these guys end up with big numbers on Sunday, it will more than likely be a sign that Baltimore was not able to contain Brady’s most dangerous weapons – as well as his easiest targets.

Nitty Gritty:We all know the tale of the tape with this matchup. It’s going to pit New England’s dynamic air attack…

- 32.1 points per game (3rd in NFL)
- 428 yards per game (2nd)
- 5257 passing yards (2nd)

…against Baltimore’s intimidating defense:

- 48 sacks (3rd in NFL)
- 16.6 points allowed per game (3rd)
- 289 yards allowed per game (3rd)

This will clearly be a matchup of tempo, but even more importantly, one of maturity. If Flacco can maintain his composure, Baltimore could score its most meaningful victory (outside of its 2000 Super Bowl season) in franchise history.

But given the stage, there will be limited room for error. And this scenario is not one that would favor this particular group of Ravens over this particular group of Patriots.

For that reason, as well as the others pointed out above, my vote goes with New England.

New York Giants at San Francisco 49ers

Frank Gore vs ???- The Niners are a team that makes one thing clear: they are going to rush the football. Whether they rush it efficiently or not is not as important (to them) as is the fact that they set up a situation for Alex Smith to thrive in. Frank Gore is noted as one of the game’s toughest runners, and he has no counterpart in this key NFC Championship contest. It’s going to be interesting to see if the Giants are able to sustain drives, and who, if anyone, they will elect to be the featured back in tomorrow’s game.

Eli vs. the Niners Defense- San Francisco has a fast, aggressive, and perhaps more importantly, smart defense. They adapt well to the tendencies of their opponents, and would seemingly feast upon the unbalanced nature of the New York offense. The Niners lead the league in turnover margin (+28), so a one-dimensional offense could be in for a rude awakening against such a talented unit. The Giants have made it through two teams that have not played opportunistically on defense this season, and Manning’s decision-making will get thoroughly tested on Sunday. The younger Manning has improved his interception rate over last season, when he tossed a career-high 25, and his statistics (including his best-ever passing yards total) compare favorably to any of his previous seven NFL campaigns.

The Victor Cruz Experience- How much salsa dancing will Giants receiver Victor Cruz do on Sunday? Cruz has been a staple on the highlight reels this season due to his spectacular grabs. However, Cruz has been especially deadly for his creative abilities after the catch and consistently looks to get as many YAC as he can. But Cruz will have to be sure to watch the ball into his hands, as there have been occasions when he was clearly focused on what he would do after he caught the pass – only to see the ball on the ground. These opportunities cannot be missed versus the Niners. His abilities will need to blend with receiving stud Hakeem Nicks and deep ball threat Mario Manningham to provide the pass-happy Giants offense with multiple timely targets.

Can Cruz continue his dancing around the vaunted San Francisco defense?

Jim Harbaugh- The rookie head coach deserves his own spotlight in this process. Harbaugh has his team fully drinking the Kool-Aid, and they totally believe in his system – and, just as significantly, in him. The Niners approach has maximized their talent by basing their offense off of the run, and getting big hitters through play action – to leverage the skills of Vernon Davis – because their opponents must respect Gore. On defense, they use the instincts and abilities of Patrick Willis to aggressively pursue the ball while other defenders can focus on their assignments. Harbaugh has effectively used the resources that have toiled in mediocrity over the past few seasons.

Nitty Gritty:The Niners have been a very disciplined team on both sides of the ball, thus contributing to their extremely high turnover margin. After dominating their NFC West division and validating that with a huge win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in primetime, San Fran began to turn a few heads. But with New Orleans being one of the NFL hottest teams, no one really saw their NFC Divisional round victory coming. They’ll have a much tougher time sneaking up on the Giants, who fought to get into the postseason and have played the underdog role in their first two contests. New York’s win in Green Bay proved that the Giants are not fazed by the stature of the venue, and that the supposed quality of the opponent will not affect what they are trying to accomplish.

With that in mind - and seemingly against all the quantifiable knowledge -I’m going with an encore of Super Bowl XLII…Patriots and Giants.

Torrey Smith, Ravens Have the Last Laugh

T Lamont — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 06:05:24 +0000

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Entering the fourth quarter, the Baltimore Ravens were in familiar position.

They were leading the Pittsburgh Steelers in Heinz Field, on the brink of falling victim to another comeback from the yellow and gold.

But on Sunday night, it was Baltimore who had the last laugh, as the Ravens rallied to defeat their nemesis, 23-20, sweeping the season series with the Steelers.

After convincing the world that they were finally ready to emerge as a legit Super Bowl contender following their Week 1 blowout of Pittsburgh, the Ravens countered with some performances which questioned their status as one of the NFL’s elite teams. Specifically, Baltimore struggled in road losses to Tennessee and Jacksonville, as well as producing a horrendous half of football at home against Arizona just last week. But after the lopsided outcome from the first battle between these two arch rivals, everyone – certainly Pittsburgh – was waiting for this rematch.

The Ravens held a 16-6 edge in the thirs quarter, when the roof began to cave in. The Steelers drove 80 yards to cut the lead down to three. Baltimore promptly began to move the ball into Pitt territory, when Joe Flacco was drilled James Harrison, forcing fumble which was recovered by William Gay.

Predictably, the home team parlayed this turnover into a 25-yard touchdown connection between Ben Roethlisberger and Mike Wallace, giving the Steelers a 4-point advantage. The Ravens received the ball, and were quickly dismissed by the Steeler defense with a three-and-out possession.

Torrey Smith and the Raves overcame some struggles to sweep the Steelers.

But what happened next was far from what we are accustomer to seeing.

The Ravens marched 92 yards down the gridiron to win the game. And the final touchdown landed into the hands of a player who was about to be labeled as a goat just a few minutes earlier.

Torrey Smith’s perseverance was symbolic of Baltimore’s fighting spirit tonight. Smith was flagged for a holding penalty early in the contest, and it cost his team a score. And on the final, decisive – and eventual game-winning – drive Smith dropped a ball that was clearly catchable in the end zone…one that would have saved Ravens fans lots of indigestion.

But four plays later, the Maryland product fought through a pass interference from Gay, and secured a 25-yard pass that stunned the Pittsburgh faithful and provided John Harbaugh with an unusually favorable script ending.

While there remains a ton of football to be played, this win means a lot for the victors. Tied atop the AFC North with Cincinnati, the Ravens are in full control of the playoff fate. They’ve already cleared the hurdle of the Steelers, and they have two contests to come against the Bengals.

And now, with the weaker half of its schedule left, a more dangerous challenge will surface for Baltimore – - playing with the consistency and sense of urgency that one would expect from one of the league’s best teams.

NFL Week 2 – T Lamont’s Thoughts and Rants

T Lamont — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 04:25:20 +0000

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Week 2 in the NFL is always one filled with loads of intrigue.

In a nutshell, it tells us whether we can believe what happened in Week 1. We either get filled with hope, saddled with pessimism, or swallowed into mediocrity when it comes to our teams. We do have to remember that, after today, only 12.5% of the season will have been played – so there’s time for change. But for teams that get off to a 2-0 start, they have managed to make the postseason 64% of the time. And that’s more than enough reason for fans in Washington, Buffalo, Detroit and Houston to dream big.

Here’s what’s on my mind after Sunday’s Week 2 games:

Detroit is the NFL’s wave of excitement right now. After handling Tamp Bay in their opener, the Lions obliterated a surprisingly weak-looking Kansas City, who somehow appeared to be sorrier than they did last week. Matt Stafford is doing what Detroit hoped he would, and the defense is vastly improved from its previously porous nature. Next week, Detroit will go on the road to face a desperate Vikings team, whose hopes of any optimism in 2011 are quickly taking a turn for the worse.

I was watching the Redskins-Cardinals game this afternoon, and was completely in awe of Kevin Kolb. He clearly has a bond with his teammates, and it showed convincingly after one particular play that put Arizona in position to win its first two games (but, of course, they ended up losing in Washington). On 1st and 15 with Washington lined up in a clear blitz, Kolb displayed his toughness. While he knew that London Fletcher was providing major heat from his backside, the Cardinals QB hung in the pocket and threw a strike to Larry Fitzgerald, who got behind the continuously-gambling DeAngelo Hall for a 73-yard touchdown. Kolb got his bell rung, but upon finding out about the score, found the awareness to celebrate the moment by chest-bumping his peers.

Kolb made a huge, game-changing play under pressure on Sunday.

Ryan Fitzpatrick, the second best quarterback in the AFC East? Two starts, two wins, seven TDs, no INTs. We know who’s the best, and everyone else is a distant second – including Mark Sanchez. The Jets quarterback has played favorably in the early going, but Fitzpatrick has been the unquestionable force behind the Bills’ 2-0 beginning – and did it again today, snatching a victory from the jaws of defeat in today’s 38-35 decision over Oakland.

In the past, Baltimore has been known to play up and down to its competition. After such a commanding beatdown of the AFC North kingpin Pittsburgh Steelers last week, the Ravens ate crow against the Titans. Matt Hasselbeck threw for 358 yards, exposing the injuries that have crept up to cripple the Ravens defense. Looks like the division is up for grabs again…

I’ve never been too high nor too low on Tony Romo. Last week, it seemed as if I had more Facebook friends who were Dallas fans than I realized, because my feed was bombarded with Romo-bashing status updates. I haven’t taken a peek at my feed today, so I should see nothing but positive vibes based on what Romo did today. It would have been easy to roll over and play dead after hurting his ribs early versus the Niners, but Romo reached back, sucked it up, and led the Cowboys to an overtime win on the road.

If I’m Arian Foster, I’m not as comfortable as I was at the start of the season. Foster suffered another setback as he left today’s game with a hamstring injury. Ben Tate has proven that he can handle the full-time running back responsibilities (back-to-back 100+ yard games), and the Texans have not missed a beat with Foster watching the action…

It’s Week 2, and the Eagles’ protection (or lack thereof) has already caused Vick to suffer what will probably be the first of (at least) a few dings this season. With Vince Young looking clueless on the sidelines, Mike Kafka handled himself well (7-9, 72 yards) when a dropped pass ended what could have been a game-winning touchdown drive. However, the Eagles’ “Super Bowl or bust” mantra will go up in smoke fats within #7 behind center. Double tight ends and and two backs. Philadelphia, you need to do whatever you can to protect your $100 million man.

NFL Week 1 – T Lamont’s Thoughts and Rants

T Lamont — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 04:04:45 +0000

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After a thrilling season opener, the rest of the National Football’s week one matchups came through with a bang. And what better way to celebrate and remember the losses and heroes a decade ago than in all of the stadiums where the ‘new national pasttime’ is played.

But having opening Sunday fall on the date of such a memorable tragedy is only one of the reasons that this NFL debut was so heavily anticipated. First, there’s the appreciation that professional football is actually being played – after a work stoppage threatened to have everyone looking for sporting alternatives this autumn. Of course, there’s the personnel changes including everything from the prediction of a ‘dream team’ to the concern surrounding the untimely absence of a 4-time MVP.

Well, each week, we’ll take a glance at some of my random thoughts from the week’s contests. Let’s get started with Week 1:

- I don’t think I’ve ever experienced a moment as spine-tingling as I did when I listened to the sailor that sung the Star Spangled Banner at the start of the Eagles-Rams game. My wife and I were about to do some odd chore (I can’t recall what) when we overheard the gentleman hurling out operatic notes. We immediately jetted back to the television and stood with our mouths open as we listened. Amazing.

- As for the Eagles-Rams game, I have to give credit to the Eagles offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg. Philly obviously has supreme talent at the skill positions, but the cynics continue to focus on the extremely weak offensive line – and how that weakness will be the team’s eventual downfall. Now, I know today’s game was only against St. Louis, but Mornhinweg showed that he is going to do his best to keep Michael Vick from being a sitting duck. On nearly every offensive play – whether run or pass – the line pulled or the the pocket moved, in a clear attempt to negate any defensive momentum that the Rams could gain. Surely, the Eagles need to upgrade their linemen, but at this point they have to get the best out of what they have.

After committing five turnovers, Big Ben already has his sights set on his next game against Baltimore.

- Where do you start with the Steelers-Ravens? Seven turnovers – five from Ben Roethlisberger. Giving up 170 yards rushing to Ray Rice and Ricky Williams. This is the most lopsided contest that I can recall in some time between these two. As Baltimore sprinted out to a 14-0 first quarter advantage, all I could remember was last year’s playoff debacle. But the Ravens kept the pressure on, and Pittsburgh never saw the light of day. John Harbaugh’s group sent its message, and the Steelers already have the night of November 6 circled on their calendar.

- Atlanta, what happened? After last season’s 13-3 regular season mark, big things were expected from the Falcons. They ran into a sizzling Aaron Rodgers in last year’s Divisional Playoff round, and they were history. But they were supposed to build on their unexpected success, and the predictable Chicago Bears were supposed to be their first victim in the 2011 campaign. A quick look at the box score shows Matt Ryan putting up a 31-47, 319 yard game, and Michael Turner collected 100 yards on the ground. That would normally be the recipe for success, but the Falcons couldn’t finish anything today against the Bears. Chicago used turnovers and a ‘bend but don’t break’ defense to put the contest out of reach. The Falcons now face the real possibility of getting out of the box with an 0-2 start as they face Vick-adelphia on Sunday night.

- Welcome back Plaxico. It was good to see Plax catch a much needed 26-yard touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter as the Jets tried to slice into a 14-point deficit against the Cowboys. Minutes before, Burress laid out Mike Jenkins to give Santonio Holmes more running room on a key play to extend the drive. And in classic Plaxico-style, the camera caught him mouthing off about the block on the sidelines.

- 41 points for the Buffalo Bills – and none of them came directly from a Chiefs defensive turnover. I don’t think anyone saw this coming, especially Kansas City. The Chiefs were a dominant running team last season, posting two big-time rushers in Thomas Jones (896 yards) and Jamaal Charles (1,467 yards). Although the Chiefs average six yards per rush today, they simply couldn’t keep the chains moving. They only converted 23% (3 of 13) of their third downs. In addition, Matt Cassel completed 22 passes for 119 yards. That almost seems like a misprint, but KC’s leading receiver was Steve Breaston with 26 yards. But back to the Bills – Ryan Fitzpatrick threw for four scores and Fred Jackson gained 5.5 yards per carry.

- Kickoff returners were certainly trying to prove their worth in Week 1. There was a concern the kickoff return specialists would possibly have their value lessened by the league’s mandate to have kickers tee it up from the 35-yard line. To my count, there were three kickoffs returned for TDs this week – Randall Cobb (Green Bay), Ted Ginn, Jr. (San Francisco) and Percy Harvin (Minnesota) – so there will still be opportunities. Touchbacks will be up, but I saw more returners running the rock out when they were seven, eight, or even nine yards deep in the end zone. In prior years, these would be labeled as poor decisions. So…what do you label them now that the kicking team is five yards closer to you than they were before?

- Way to go, Cam Newton. The number one draft pick showed us all that he can get it done through the air (422 yards passing), and that he’s not just the stereotypical dual threat quarterback that almost everyone wanted to label him as. The Heisman winner played great, and, perhaps his most significant accomplishment was developing a rhythm with superstar receiver Steve Smith. Newton has the potential to make the coaches look good, but they’ll need to help themselves, too. DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart - both above average backs that competitors would be pleased to have – combined to rush the ball 19 times on Sunday. Regardless of how brilliant Newton is, Carolina will have a hard to winning any game will that type of unbalanced playcalling.

Despite the Panthers' loss, Newton shined on Sunday afternoon.

- The Colts got trounced by the Texans. If I recall correctly, Indy fell to the Texans early last year as well – with Peyton Manning on the field. Kerry Collins didn’t do much today, and one positive (probably the only one) was that he didn’t commit any turnovers. Houston scored 34 points in the first half, and appeared to call off the dogs a bit in the second half. Even a 4-time MVP would have had an extremely difficult time making up for his team’s poor defensive effort. The Texans pounded out 167 yards on the ground and managed 8.7 yards per pass play. Yes, Indy is in deep trouble without Manning – and I mean ‘the Colts won win 5 games’ type of trouble. But on this day, to put it bluntly, Manning would have needed to play on defense as well.

- Hats off to the team from the nation’s capital. After allowing Eli Manning to connect with Hakeem Nicks on a deep busted-play (which set up a TD run), the Redskins marched by down the field and had their drive stalled inside field goal range. However, when the 39-yarder sailed wide, the usual visions of underachievement could have easily entered their heads. But Washington didn’t stop fighting and secured an important divisional win that could give them the confidence that they need to be the second-best team in the NFC East.

Ravens Dominate Jets Despite Close Score

T Lamont — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 03:06:47 +0000

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Normally, one team is not able to look totally dominant in a one-point game. But tonight was the absolute exception to that.

In the season-opening edition of Monday Night Football, the Baltimore Ravens controlled the New York Jets, 10-9, in one of the most lopsided one-point decisions that you’ll ever witness.

The first half saw neither team able to gain a discernible advantage. Two Ravens turnovers allowed the New York Jets kicker Nick Folk to connect on two field goals. The positioning of the turnovers allowed the to score despite only moving the ball a combined 28 yards on those two possessions.

At the close of the first half, Baltimore was able to recover a fumble by Jets running back Shonn Greene – putting them in New York territory. Baltimore was able to sustain a 11 play, 44 yard drive that was capped by a tough 1-yard TD run by Willis McGahee. The drive was kept alive because of multiple penalties committed by the Jets secondary. Cornerback Antonio Cromartie and rookie safety Kyle Wilson committed pass interference penalties with resulted in first downs for the Ravens. Baltimore exchanged three points for seven after Braylon Edwards was called for running into place kicked Billy Cundiff.

Baltimore converted a field goal in the third quarter, and New York added their own in the fourth. But throughout the second half, the Jets offensive misery continued.

And as the game progressed, the Ravens continued to attack the Jets inconsistent secondary – namely Cromartie and Wilson. They used their experienced receiving corp of Anquan Boldin, Derrick Mason and the newly acquired T.J. Houshmandzadeh to create mismatches that turned into first down conversions – either by completed passes or penalties.

To sum it up, let’s take a look at the statistical imbalance that existed in this game:

After Sanchez's dismal showing, he won't be the only Jet scratching his head tonight.

First Downs: Baltimore – 20; New York – 6

Total Net Yards: Baltimore – 282; New York – 176

Penalties: Baltimore – 5 for 38 yards; New York – 14 for 125 yards

The Jets couldn’t gain yards. The New York passing was non-existent for the majority of the contest. Mark Sanchez rarely looked down the field. And when he did, it was for a split second, and then he would check down to one of his backs. Hence, Sanchez was a subpar 10-21 for only 74 yards.

With such a terrible passing game, the running game was also not able to gain any momentum. The Jets managed 116 yards in that category, but it couldn’t carry them to keep the chains moving. In fact, their six first downs were tied for the lowest in team history. Their passing yards (60) and number of offensive plays from scrimmage (44) were their worst totals in several years. To top it off, their 125 penalty yards were the most in over 20 years.

If the Jets are still a Super Bowl favorite – as many have touted them to be – they have a lot of work to do between now and then.

And, oh yeah, somebody tell Rex Ryan that the Jets aren’t leading the league in wins.