Baltimore Sports Post

#Ravens at #Steelers Preview

flyskimmy — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 20:32:28 +0000

This is my realistic preview of the Ravens (5-2) @ Steelers (6-2) game obviously from the perspective of a Ravens fan. This rivalry game is always great, but the story-lines coming in will make this matchup even better. The Steelers are hot and have some scores to settle after their week 1 debacle against the Ravens, while the Ravens are in turmoil and still need to prove they can win on the road against the Steelers with Ben at the helm before they can take another step to getting that Steelers monkey off their backs.

Defense:

I think the Ravens will get pressure on Ben, but the Steelers have always found ways to overcome their offensive line issues particularly against the Ravens. Suggs has had some of his best games against the Steelers, but the Steelers still somehow manage to get some big strikes downfield when Ben gets away and ad-libs. The Ravens defense has to do everything in it’s power to prevent the Steelers from getting up by 14+ if they hope to have an opportunity to attack the weak Steelers offensive line. The Ravens will have their hands full dealing with the Steelers young/fast receiving corps, but the best way to negate them is with constant pressure. If the Ravens give up some big plays early Pagno might be forced to dial back the pressure packages to try to prevent the big play and the big deficit, and if that happens the game might already be lost. IMO, the Ravens defense will make some plays, but the Steelers offense will also make their share.

Offense:

I hope the Ravens have learned some lessons about what their strengths and weaknesses are the past few weeks. The end of the Jags game and the last 33 (or so) minutes of the Cardinals game they seemed to get into a rhythm with the shotgun and a quick passing game. The way that the Ravens o-line has played lately it seems like the only way for the offense to function is to use this new strategy. I’m not sure if it will work against the Steelers, but it sure seems like the best option. Going into the lion’s den without Flacco’s two former security blankets it is imperative that he gets into a rhythm early with Boldin and Dickson (his new security blankets).

I know my post sounds like doom and gloom, but I don’t think this game is a blowout either way. My guess is it will either be a low scoring win for the Steelers or a high scoring win for the Ravens. When I say high scoring I mean more scoring than what is typical for a Ravens/Steelers game… something like 27-24.

Roster Outlook – Cut Predictions

flyskimmy — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 15:16:52 +0000

The key battles are LB, 3rd RB and 6th WR. The Ravens are hoping to hold onto their developmental projects like Ramon Harewood and Michael Macadoo, but still maintain their quality depth. The outstanding play of WR LaQuan Williams and the injury to QB Tyrod Taylor have made the decisions even more difficult for the Ravens.

Summarizing what I think will happen:

The Ravens will be eagerly awaiting the results of tests on Tyrod Taylor’s left (non-throwing) shoulder to determine which direction to go with backup QB. They will probably sign a QB after shuffling some players around.
They will keep LaQuan Williams as a possible punt returner.
Marcus Smith will make the team and primarily to contribute on special teams.
Jalen Parmele will get cut with Allen winning the 3rd running back spot.
Gooden, Phillips and Burgess all get cut.
The Ravens gamble and try to slip Michael Macadoo onto the practice squad.
CB C. Brown makes the roster, but could eventually get cut a few days later after the dust settles and then stashed on the practice squad. This could make room for a backup QB if necessary.
Some shenanigans involving players being stashed on IR could happen (maybe Harewood and/or Boren).
Foxworth makes the team despite all of the calls for him to be cut by fans during the preseason. My guess is the team puts him on the shelf for a few weeks until he’s 100% healthy.

Here is my updated roster prediction (starters in bold):

OFFENSE – 25:

QB – 2 : Flacco, Taylor
RB – 3 : Rice, R. Williams, Allen
FB – 1 : Leach
WR – 7 : Boldin, Evans, D. Reed, T. Smith, T. Doss, M. Smith, L. Williams
TE – 3 : Dickson, Pitta, Wilson
OL – 9 : McKinnie, Grubbs, Birk, Yanda, Oher, LaVoir, J. Reid, Harewood, Mattison

DEFENSE/ST – 28:

CB – 6 : C. Williams, J. Smith, Foxworth, Carr, Webb, C. Brown
S – 4 : E. Reed, Zbikowski, Pollard, Nakamura
LB – 8 : R. Lewis, Suggs, J. Johnson, McClain, Ellerbe, Kruger, Kindle, Ayanbadejo
DL – 7 : Ngata, Cody, Redding, A. Jones, McKinney, Divens, McPhee
ST – 3 : Cundiff, Koch, M. Cox

BUBBLE:

LB Burgess, LB Gooden, LB Phillips, WR J. Hardy, TE Drew, RB Parmele

PRACTICE SQUAD:

S Silva, RB Berry, C Barnes, LB McClellan, DE/OLB McAdoo, QB Cantwell

Roster Outlook – Preseason Game 4

flyskimmy — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 15:50:29 +0000

Here is my updated roster prediction going into the final preseason game against the Falcons (starters in bold):

OFFENSE – 25:

QB – 2 : Flacco, Taylor
RB – 4 : Rice, R. Williams, Parmele, Allen
FB – 1 : Leach
WR – 6 : Boldin, Evans, D. Reed, T. Smith, T. Doss, M. Smith
TE – 3 : Dickson, Pitta, Wilson
OL – 9 : McKinnie, Grubbs, Birk, Yanda, Oher, LaVoir, J. Reid, Harewood, Mattison

DEFENSE/ST – 28:

CB – 6 : C. Williams, J. Smith, Foxworth, Carr, Webb, C. Brown
S – 4 : E. Reed, Zbikowski, Pollard, Nakamura
LB – 8 : R. Lewis, Suggs, J. Johnson, McClain, Ellerbe, Kruger, Kindle, Ayanbadejo
DL – 7 : Ngata, Cody, Redding, A. Jones, McKinney, Divens, McPhee
ST – 3 : Cundiff, Koch, M. Cox

Bubble : LB Burgess, LB Gooden, LB Phillips, WR J. Hardy, QB Cantwell, TE Drew
Practice Squad: WR L. Williams, S Silva, RB Berry, C Barnes, LB McClellan, DE/OLB McAdoo

Some interesting battles are starting to emerge going into the final preseason game:

The bottom few linebackers like Gooden, Phillips and Burgess are battling for a spot and it’ll be interesting to see who sticks considering the new kickoff rules. I have Ayanbadejo making the team right now, but all of these guys figure to get a long look this week.

The battle for starting positions at SS still might be up for grabs. Zbikowski seems like he has the upper hand right now, but Pollard and Nakamura are still really pushing him and might have carved out a spot for themselves in certain packages anyway.

LaQuan Williams is making things interesting for the wide receiver corps. Marcus Smith has been a solid contributor on special teams for a while, but hasn’t gotten much of a look at all at WR this preseason. LaQuan has been one of the UDFA stars of camp thus far showing the ability to return kicks and punts and contribute on offense. If he shows he can also cover kicks as a gunner he could push another player off the team at WR or another position.

Roster Outlook – Preseason Game 3

flyskimmy — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 14:32:36 +0000

Here is my updated roster prediction going into the third preseason game against the Redskins:

OFFENSE:

QB – 3 : Flacco, Taylor
RB – 4 : Rice, R. Williams, Parmele, Allen
FB – 1 : Leach
WR – 6 : Boldin, Evans, D. Reed, T. Smith, T. Doss, M. Smith
TE – 3 : Dickson, Pitta, Wilson
OL – 9 : Oher, Grubbs, Birk, Yanda, McKinnie, J. Reid, Cousins, Harewood, Mattison

DEFENSE/ST:

CB – 6 : C. Williams, Foxworth, J. Smith, Carr, Webb, C. Brown
S – 4 : E. Reed, Zbikowski, Pollard, Nakamura
LB – 8 : R. Lewis, Suggs, J. Johnson, McClain, Ellerbe, Kruger, Gooden, Kindle, Ayanbadejo
DL – 7 : Ngata, Cody, Redding, A. Jones, McKinney, Divens, McPhee
ST – 3 : Cundiff, Koch, M. Cox

Bubble : LB Burgess, LB Phillips, WR J. Hardy, WR J. Harper, RB M. Lawrence, QB Cantwell, TE Drew
Practice Squad: WR L. Williams, S Silva, RB Berry, C Bartholomew, C Barnes, DE McClellan, DE/OLB McAdoo

I moved Cantwell and Drew to the bubble list and added McKinnie as a tackle and Wilson at TE (he played early against the Chiefs). I also made some changes to reflect a better idea of where players stand on the depth chart. I don’t think the Ravens will go into the season with just two QB’s, so I’m starting to think a couple linebackers and/or D-linemen might be in jeopardy of being cut (Gooden, Burgess, Ayanbadejo, Divens, McKinney). I suppose it’s also growing more and more possible as time goes on that Birk starts the season on PUP.

Roster Outlook – Preseason Game 2

flyskimmy — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 15:58:26 +0000

Here is my updated roster prediction going into the second preseason game against the Chiefs:

OFFENSE:

QB – 3 : Flacco, Taylor, Cantwell
RB – 4 : Rice, R. Williams, Parmele, Allen
FB – 1 : Leach
WR – 6 : Boldin, Evans, T. Smith, T. Doss, M. Smith, D. Reed
TE – 3 : Dickson, Pitta, Drew
OL – 8 : Oher, Grubbs, Birk, Yanda, J. Reid, Cousins, Harewood, Mattison

DEFENSE/ST:

CB – 6 : Foxworth, J. Smith, Carr, Webb, C. Williams, C. Brown
S – 4 : E. Reed, Zbikowski, Pollard, Nakamura
LB – 8 : R. Lewis, Suggs, J. Johnson, McClain, Gooden, Kruger, Ellerbe, Kindle, Ayanbadejo
DL – 7 : Ngata, Cody, Redding, A. Jones, McKinney, Divens, McPhee
ST – 3 : Cundiff, Koch, M. Cox

Bubble : LB Burgess, LB Phillips, DT Talavou, WR J. Hardy, WR J. Harper, RB M. Lawrence,
Practice Squad: WR L. Williams, S Silva, RB Berry, C Bartholomew, C Barnes, DE McClellan

I think the Ravens (like many other teams) will cut down on the special teams aces. They will probably concentrate on keeping the punt team gunners and put less emphasis on the kick coverage/return guys. This could mean that some of the linebackers that usually stick with the team are not going to be retained this year.

#Ravens Offense Ugly Against #Eagles. Trade For Lee Evans.

flyskimmy — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 19:15:55 +0000

Last night the Ravens offense was downright ugly. The offensive line and the wide receivers units had especially bad performances which short circuited any promising drives for the Ravens starting with the first stringers and continuing throughout the game with the third string units.

Rookie wide receiver Torrey Smith had a tough night. At times he broke open behind the Eagles defense flashing the speed that helped him get drafted in the 2nd round of the 2011 NFL draft, but for most of the rest of the game he seemed lost/confused. On on play he stumbled coming out of his break which caused an interception. He has only practiced with the Ravens for two weeks, so he’s probably still thinking out there instead of reacting. In response the Ravens traded for wide receiver Lee Evans, who adds the speed element the team needed with the veteran experience that should help settle the offense.

The offensive line in general and in particular veteran backup O’Neil Cousins also had a rough nights for the Ravens in the loss to the Eagles. At the start of camp Cousins had initially been tabbed as the starter at right tackle while the coaches continue to evaluate rookie Jah Reid. Couple that with Michael Oher still looking shakey at left tackle, and it could spell disaster for the Ravens. They should consider brining in a proven vet tackle to at least to solidify one side of the line so that they can provide TE/RB blocking help to the tackle on the other side. Bryant Mckinnie who was cut by the Vikings comes to mind, but the Ravens may be waiting until camp ends to see who gets cut.

Roster Outlook – Preseason Game 1

flyskimmy — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 20:41:03 +0000

Below is how I see the Ravens roster going into the first preseason game against the Eagles. So far I have 51 players I think are on the team (of course that could change):

OFFENSE:

QB – 3 : Flacco, Taylor, Cantwell
RB – 4 : Rice, R. Williams, Parmele, Allen
FB – 1 : Leach
WR – 5 : Boldin, T. Smith, T. Doss, M. Smith, D. Reed
TE – 3 : Dickson, Pitta, Drew
OL – 8 : Oher, Grubbs, Birk, Yanda, J. Reid, Cousins, Harewood, Bartholomew

DEFENSE/ST:

CB – 6 : Foxworth, Carr, Webb, J. Smith, C. Williams, C. Brown
S – 4 : E. Reed, Zbikowski, Pollard, Nakamura
LB – 8 : R. Lewis, Suggs, J. Johnson, McClain, Gooden, Kindle, Kruger, Ellerbe, Ayanbadejo
DL – 6 : Ngata, Cody, Redding, A. Jones, McKinney, Divens
ST – 3 : Cundiff, Koch, M. Cox

Bubble : Burgess, Phillips, Talavou, Silva, J. Hardy, J. Harper, L. Williams, M. Lawrence, Mattison, Barnes

Ravens Offseason Moves: Method to Their Madness?

flyskimmy — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 20:07:13 +0000

The makeup of the Ravens roster going into their first preseason game is concerning to many Ravens faithful. The cuts of four veterans Mason, Heap, McGahee and Gregg and loss of several other players via free agency has some fans even questioning the wisdom of Ozzie Newsome and the Ravens front office considering the only unrestricted free agents the Ravens retained were Marshall Yanda and Chris Carr.

With compensation shifting from younger players to veterans in the new CBA, some teams will be relying on their ability to draft well to stay younger and cheaper, while other teams will choose to spend their money on proven players rather than newly drafted players. The Ravens appear to be attempting to get younger and cheaper relying on their stellar draft record and building for the future. Some teams like the Eagles, Panthers and Bucs already had low payrolls in the old system and decided to add some veteran pieces by signing players to make their teams better in a buyers market. Other teams like the Jets are adding veteran pieces to short contracts in order to help get them over the hump.

Like the NFL draft it will take a couple of years for judgments to be made on which teams made the right and wrong moves, but the Ravens are clearly making an effort to get younger and preserve cap room to retain young players like Joe Flacco and Ray Rice in upcoming years when they will become free agents.

This season in particular will be interesting, because players moving to new teams will only have a month of practice to be ready for the season on their new teams. Rookies in particular could have a hard time getting up to speed on their new teams. On the otherhand, rookies that do see immediate playing time may actually benefit from the short preparation by avoiding the “rookie wall” the befalls most rookies come November and December.

Woohoo the #NFL Lockout Over!

flyskimmy — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 19:38:53 +0000

Thank goodness sanity prevails. The NFL lockout is over! Now for the chaos of free agency, trades and eventually training camp. This should keep me interested until it’s time for preseason games and eventually the impending week 1 grudge match game against the Steelers at M&T.

#Orioles Bergesen Notches First Win With Complete Game 6-0 Shut-Out of #Rays

flyskimmy — Sat, 14 May 2011 23:33:49 +0000

Brad Bergesen pitched his best game of the year and got 6 runs of support to notch his first win and the first shut-out of the Rays this season. When Bergesen has confidence and gets on a roll he has proven to be a pretty dependable pitcher, but on the other hand when he’s bad he tends to be really bad. He’s like the pitching version of Luke Scott. The Rays have been the hottest team in the AL since the O’s swept them to start the season and rocked Bergesen a week ago for 5 earned runs in 4 2/3 innings.

With this excellent outing it also completed a string of 5 straight quality starts by the entire starting 5 of the staff. You have to wonder if Tillman and Bergesen are looking over their shoulders at the impending return of Brian Matusz.