Author Archives: Bo Smolka, CSNbaltimore.com

About Bo Smolka, CSNbaltimore.com

Bo Smolka, CSNbaltimore.com

Ravens correspondent for ComcastSportsNet, freelance author and writer, and full-time life coach with a client list of two (Matt and Katie). Bo was a Sports Copy Editor for the Baltimore Sun from 2005-08 and is a graduate of Bucknell University.

Help wanted: Defensive leaders

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Suggs v Giants
When Ray Lewis went down last season with his triceps injury, veteran safety Ed Reed became the de factor leader of the defense. Now both are gone. So who steps up into that leadership role? Terrell Suggs, who was drafted in 2003, is now the longest-tenured player on the team. Jameel McClain, assuming he returns healthy from the spinal injury that sidelined him at the end of last season, would be a natural leader in the middle of the Ravens 3-4 defense. But defensive coordinator Dean Pees, speaking at the end of the OTA session last … Continue reading →

Flacco caps strong postseason run with a ring

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Flacco Super Bowl
NEW ORLEANS — The questions about whether Joe Flacco is an elite quarterback have followed him like a relentless pass rusher for years. Players and coaches have repeatedly defended him in public and in private against criticism they fail to understand. Flacco might have silenced his final critics here on Sunday, as he delivered his fourth straight superb performance of this postseason to lead the Ravens to a 34-31 win over the 49ers for the second Super Bowl title in franchise history. Flacco finished 22 for 33 for 287 yards … Continue reading →

Guarded optimism if Yanda can’t play

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Yanda Close up
The Ravens’ injury bug, which has decimated the defense for most of the season, has reached across the line of scrimmage now, hitting right guard Marshal Yanda. He sustained an ankle injury against the Redskins last week and is not expected to play on Sunday against Denver. That could be a major factor against a Broncos defense that ranks fourth in the league in total defense and is tied for second in sacks (39). The Ravens have been hit by a rash of injuries this year — beginning in the … Continue reading →

Graham, Inhedigbo experience Ravens v Steelers rivalry

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Corey Graham and James Ihedigbo have plenty of NFL games to their credit, but neither of them had ever played in a Ravens-Steelers game before. Both thrived in the atmosphere and made critical plays that helped carry the Ravens to a bruising, 13-10 win at raucuous Heinz Field on Sunday night. Graham, a free agent acquisition in the offseason seen primarily as a special teams ace, was making his first start at cornerback for the Ravens in place of injured Jimmy Smith. He had several huge plays, including a leaping … Continue reading →

Ravens ready to send McKinnie out west?

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Mckinnie practice
Ravens offensive tackle Bryant McKinnie, who endured a tumultuous training camp that ended with him losing his starting job, is the subject of trade rumors on the eve of the NFL trading deadline. McKinnie, 33, is apparently drawing interest from the Arizona Cardinals, who have lost four in a row after a 4-0 start and have allowed a league-high 39 sacks. “McKinnie’s the odd man out in the Baltimore tackle rotation …” writes Sports Illustrated’s Peter King. “But he’d be a good temporary Band-Aid for the reeling Cardinals, who I … Continue reading →

Harbaugh: Ravens strong in second half of season

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harbsfist
Coach John Harbaugh and the Ravens returned to work Monday, not allowing Hurricane Sandy to cut too badly into the team’s preparation for the game at Cleveland on Sunday. The Ravens held an indoor workout at their Owings Mills facility in the morning, and Harbaugh said virtually everybody was able to juggle flights or otherwise make it back to Owings Mills after being given a few days off during the Ravens bye week. Harbaugh also said the bye week afforded the coaches plenty of time for self-evaluation after the Ravens’ 43-13 loss … Continue reading →

Alarming drop off has Ravens’ psyche reeling

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Kruger and Jones
Ravens defensive coordinator Dean Pees told the team’s official video show earlier this week that the Ravens reeling defense is “painful,” and that could mean literally and figuratively. The Ravens are the walking wounded, and their psyche has taken a pounding, too, as the Ravens have made a precipitous drop toward the bottom of most NFL defensive rankings. Pees has tried to stay positive about it all, and really, what else can he do? Even before his defense had taken a snap in training camp, it had lost the reigning … Continue reading →

Pees: Defensive play “makes me sick”

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Dean Pees
On Wednesday, Ravens safety Bernard Pollard tried to deflect criticism for the Ravens’ subpar defensive play away from defensive coordinator Dean Pees, saying, in part,  “Don’t blame the coach. Don’t blame the coach, because the coach doesn’t play.” The next day, Pees pointed a finger squarely at himself, saying the coaches bear responsibility for lapses in fundamentals and overall defensive play recently that “makes me sick.” The Ravens have surrendered more than 200 rushing yards in back-to-back games for the first time in franchise history and rank 26th in the … Continue reading →

Previewing the Ravens’ October schedule

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boldintexans
The Ravens survived their opening-month grind of four games in 18 days, emerging with a 3-1 record and a spot atop the AFC North. October shouldn’t be nearly as grueling for the Ravens, who play just three times this month, although one of them could be a preview of the AFC Championship Game. They figure to be favored in two of those games, but after that opening month that featured three nationally televised games from M&T Bank Stadium, the Ravens are home only once in October. The Ravens will enjoy … Continue reading →

Ravens have moved past AFC Championship Game

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AFC Championship - Baltimore Ravens v New England Patriots
Rematch? What rematch? Ravens fans might be viewing Sunday night’s game against New England at M&T Bank Stadium as a rematch of last year’s AFC Championship Game — which the Ravens lost in gut-wrenching fashion after Lee Evans failed to hold on to a potential game-winning touchdown pass and Billy Cundiff shanked a 32-yard field-goal attempt to tie — but the Ravens don’t see it that way. “Win, lose or draw, you let it go and you move on,” linebacker Ray Lewis said on Wednesday. “This year, we have a … Continue reading →

Upon further review…

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celekpollard
It’s time for our weekly trip under the replay hood to see how our predictions turned out for the Ravens-Eagles game. We can only hope that each week they turn out better than the work of the replacement officials. 1. The Eagles will not score on their opening possession. CORRECT. Bernard Pollard bailed us out here. The Eagles marched all the way to the Ravens’ 12-yard line with alarming ease to begin the game, but Pollard’s diving interception in the end zone on a pass Michael Vick shouldn’t have thrown killed … Continue reading →

Media predictions for Ravens-Eagles

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leseanmccoy
Despite a nationally televised mauling of the Bengals on Monday night, the Ravens appear to be  a slight underdog as they hit the road for the first time this season and travel up Interstate 95 to face the Eagles. Most national media, though, were impressed enough by what they saw from the Ravens on Monday to give them the nod on Sunday. Here is how several national experts see the game:     Albert Breer, NFL.com: Ravens 28, Eagles 24 "Great as Joe Flacco looked on Monday, the challenge is different this week, … Continue reading →

The view from Cincinnati after the Ravens’ huge win

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andyouch
Here is what some media covering the Bengals had to say about the Ravens’ 44-13 season-opening win over Cincinnati at M&T Bank Stadium on Monday night:  Paul Daugherty, Cincinnati Enquirer "The Bengals were entirely forgettable Monday night. … The prime-time footlights favored the Ravens. They blinded the Bengals. Bengals 13, Ravens 44 was an embarrassment. Flat out. … This could have been a chance to turn some national heads, away from the division-darling Ravens and their anointed "elite" QB, Joe Flacco, and toward the team in Flyover Country. Instead, it … Continue reading →

Test starts up front for Ravens

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ravensoline
The Ravens and their somewhat new-look, sugar-huddle, hurry-up offense will get its official unveiling Monday night at M&T Bank Stadium in the season opener. And while no one is saying how much the Ravens will run the hurry-up offense — "There will be times that, obviously, we’re going to huddle. I think everybody knows that," offensive coordinator Cam Cameron said on Friday — one thing is clear: The offense will be tested by a tough Bengals defensive line.  "They are a very sound defensive front," center Matt Birk said. "Every … Continue reading →

10 predictions for tonight’s Ravens-Bengals game

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ricefrombengals
FIRST AND 10: Ten Predictions About Tonight’s Game  1. Ray Rice will get his 20 touches. Much has been made of the Ravens’ new-look, hurry-up offense. But this offense still revolves around Ray Rice, and he will get his hands on the ball, either as a rusher or as a receiver. Over the past two years (including playoffs), the Ravens are 21-2 when Rice has at least 20 touches, 5-8 when he does not. 2. Joe Flacco will complete at least 60 percent of his passes. Flacco is coming off … Continue reading →

Ravens offensive line still not straightened out

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oher
The Bryant McKinnie saga that played out Tuesday at the Under Armour Performance Center and across the Twitterverse — is the left tackle on the team or isn’t he? — underscored what has been one pretty constant storyline throughout training camp: The Ravens offensive line remains a pretty substantial question mark. McKinnie, at 6-foot-8 and 354 pounds (officially), just happens to be the largest of them. Remember, this line returned four starters from last year. Find a replacement for the departed Ben Grubbs — admittedly a sizable task — and … Continue reading →

ESPN’s Mike & Mike Morning show segment “Two-A-Days” looks at the Ravens

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flaccotrainingcamp
ESPN’s Mike & Mike morning show has been examining every NFL team as part of its “Two-A-Days” feature leading up to the regular season. Friday, it was the Ravens’ turn. The crew came up with five questions about the Ravens, which Mike Greenberg said came “agonizingly short” last season. “Shoulda been there,” Mike Golic added. Referring to the end of the AFC Championship Game, he said, “(Joe) Flacco couldn’t put the ball in any better spot for a receiver in the end zone. They should have been in the Super … Continue reading →

Do Ravens have kickoffs covered?

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brendonayan
The Ravens last year allowed 29.2 yards per kickoff return, which ranked second-worst in the league. That couldn’t have sat well with coach John Harbaugh, who cut his teeth as a special teams coach. The Ravens made a concerted effort in the off-season to bolster special teams play, re-signing de facto special teams captain Brendon Ayanbadejo as a free agent and bringing in former Bears defensive back Corey Graham, who like Ayanbadejo has made the Pro Bowl for his special teams play.  “We weren’t as good (on kick coverage) as … Continue reading →

Bubble Watch – Offense

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painter
The Ravens trimmed their roster from 90 to 75 this week, and although the decision to cut kicker Billy Cundiff certainly caused some pain at the Under Armour Performance Center, the easy part of cut-down week is now over. Most of the other 14 moves made so far were fairly predictable,  and some of them, such as putting Terrell Suggs on the Physically-Unable-To-Perform list, were foregone conclusions. Now the real teeth-gnashing begins. By Friday night, the Ravens must further trim the roster down to the final total of 53. (Although the … Continue reading →

Joe Flacco: A man in command

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09000d5d82b3ecf0_gallery_600
Maybe it’s the hurry-up offense. Maybe it’s new quarterbacks coach Jim Caldwell. Maybe it’s the motivation of a contract year. Heck, maybe it’s being a new father. Whatever the reason, Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco has been in a groove this preseason, throwing balls with conviction and with confidence and taking command of this offense as perhaps never before. “You just go by what you see in practice every day,” Harbaugh said last week. “(Flacco) has stepped it up. He is playing better. Every day in practice shows it. … He … Continue reading →