Monthly Archives: October 2008
Ravens Crush The Raiders 29-10
The Ravens built up a quick 19 point lead in the first half and cruised to a blowout 29-10 victory over the hapless Oakland Raiders. The defense was relentless, the offense was imaginative and the special teams played a big roll in what was probably the most complete game the Ravens have played in all phases so far this season.
Cam Cameron broke out some trickery with Troy Smith lining up in the same backfield as Joe Flacco. They ran an option type play that was successful, used some of the en vogue spread/wildcat type plays and engineered a little smoke and mirrors in pulling off a long pass from Smith to Flacco. Ray Rice, who has been playing a larger role in the offense lately, had a very good all around game contributing both in rushing and receiving. He also showed some dependability in converting several important first downs to keep drives alive.
Rex Ryan had some added incentive to have a good showing against his twin brother Rob Ryan the defensive coordinator of the Raiders and his defensive players did not let him down. They flustered young JaMarcus Russel all game long registering 4 sacks and many hurries/hits. They even started off the games scoring in sacking Russel in the end zone for a two point safety. Although the banged up secondary played another solid game, like Miami the previous week the Raiders were able to move the ball through the air in the second half. The Ravens maintained their #2 overall defensive rank now allowing a measly 242 yards per game.
Next week the Ravens play the division rival Browns in Cleveland. Cleveland has been up and down so far this season looking like world beaters one week and door-mats the next. The Browns always get up Ravens games and the Ravens always seem to come out flat when playing in Cleveland so I expect a pretty entertaining game next week between the 4-3 Ravens and the 3-4 Browns.
Terps Beat Pack 27-24
The Terps got a tough game from the bad luck NC State Wolfpack, but pulled out the win on the final drive winning 27-24. The win helps the Terps keep pace with Florida State at 3-1 in the ACC Atlantic division. The Terps were finally able to follow up and beat a team they should beat after beating a ranked team the week before. Things don’t get much easier for the Terps as they will play the Virginia Tech Hokies (a team they’ve had trouble with in recent years) in a Thursday night primetime game November 6th. The Terps have beaten three teams ranked in the top 25, but the Terps will get a taste of being the hunted since they are ranked #25 in this weeks poll for the first time since 2006.
Colts Pick Apart Ravens 31-3
The Indianapolis Colts routed the Ravens 31-3 winning their first game at the new Lucas Oil Stadium. The Colts were in control of the game from the start as they toyed with the Ravens on offense, defense and special teams. The Ravens appeared to be lethargic and uninspired while the Colts played fast and pumped up. The Ravens have never beaten the Colts in Indianapolis and this is the Colts sixth straight victory over the Ravens overall.
The lopsided loss was not an aberration if you consider the Ravens performance against high powered offenses in recent years like the Colts and Bengals (even the Browns in 2007). On defense the Ravens rely on pressure and their aggressive defensive backs to make plays while the Colts offense is designed to take advantage of pressure and defensive backs that jump routes. Maybe The Ravens need to go into games against teams like the Colts with a different gameplan, because it seems like they just wait for the Ravens to do their thing and then the Colts do their thing… then game over.
Refs Call Dooms Ravens
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I saw the picture below posted in the Baltimore Sun and I have to note it here. In the latter part of the 4th quarter on 3rd and 10 to go, the Ravens were called for roughing the passer which turned out to be a very controversial call. The call was made because of contact to the QB’s head, but Terrell Suggs says he hit Kerry Collins’ arm and shoulder and missed his head (see picture).
There also was a false start called on the play and the referee said that they were trying to blow the play dead. From my vantage point in the end zone I could see the flag thrown from the Ravens sideline that ended up being the false start flag, but I saw no official on the field blowing the play dead. I couldn’t hear anything at the moment because it was very very loud in the stadium before and during that play.
Titans Steal One From Ravens 13-10
The Ravens lost another heartbreaker this week at home against the hated Tennessee Titans 13-10. Two tough physical games back to back ending in losses are tough, but the Ravens are now 2-2 facing 5 out of their next 6 games on the road starting with the Indianapolis Colts who have had their number in recent years. The Ravens need to bounce back and start this rough stretch on the winning side if they want to have a chance to compete in the AFC this year. In the AFC North race, The Ravens are still alone in second place and essentially two games back of the 4-1 Steelers.
Halfway Point in College Football
Most teams have played six games which would put them halfway through their seasons and at least a few games into their conference schedules. The SEC, Big 12 and Big 10 appear to be in the running for the championship with Oklahoma, Missouri and Texas the class of the Big 12, Penn State leading the Big 10, and Alabama and LSU in control of the SEC. The ACC, PAC 10, and Big East all appear to be out of the running, but there are plenty of games to be played to widdle down the list and possibly bring back some of those one-loss teams from those conferences back into the picture. There are also some Non-BCS teams that could finish undefeated like BYU, Utah and Boise State, but the question is if they’ll be ranked high enough to be in consideration for the championship game.
Terps Spanked By Cavs 31-0
The Terps took their show on the road in the ACC with high expectations for the season and were promptly routed by the Virginia Cavaliers 31-0 in Charlottesville, VA. Worries before the game were that the Terps were going into the classic trap game against the rival Cavs, because the Terps were 4-1 coming off a stunning win against the Clemson Tigers in Death Valley and the Cavs were 1-3 coming off an equally stunning loss at Duke. Give credit to the Cavs for coming to play against a regional and conference rival, exploiting the same issues that have dogged the Terps defense all season, and shutting down the Terps powerful offense which had been bailing them out. The Terps have a week off to prepare for Wake Forest at home, and who knows which Terps team will show up for that pivotal game.
Baltimore Sports Post 