About Carey Stevenson

Carey is a driven sports enthusiast from Norfolk, Virginia. He's looked upon by all his friends and family as an advisor, provider of on the spot scouting reports and the occasional dusting off of the old crystal ball. He is a loyal and devoted Ravens fan that spends countless hours in his war room/bedroom going over tape, scouting reports and potential free agents as if he's actually the one making draft and game day decisions. He's a sports management major that looks forward to the day that he may actually be called upon to make some of the decisions he analyzes as if life depended on it. He is a critical yet rational thinker that is always in search of more knowledge about the game.

A Golden Opportunity Stares Down a Few Ravens

Posted on May 6, 2013 by Carey Stevenson

The 2013 NFL draft came and went with no significant additions made to the wide receiver or tight end positions. It was a bit of a shock considering most of the draft prognosticators, fans and even the organization itself hinted to those being positions that would be addressed. Take former Raven Anquan Boldin out of the equation and there isn’t a ton of production at that position. In fact there’s hardly any. The tight end position still lacks a legitimate blocker and currently is occupied by two pending free agents … Continue reading →

Rediscovering Defensive Dominance

Posted on April 24, 2013 by Carey Stevenson

Smart, mentally tough, humble…three words that describe last year’s Ravens’ defense. With players like Ray Lewis and Ed Reed on the field there isn’t much they haven’t seen from an offense. The defense as a whole wasn’t nearly as dominate as we are accustomed to but when it counted they made stops and made people earn yardage the hard way. There were grumblings about defensive coordinator Dean Pees lack of aggression, while they were warranted at times he did a good job balancing things out. The defense was just too banged up and lacking … Continue reading →

State of the Ravens – Reading between the lines

Posted on February 12, 2013 by Carey Stevenson

Nothing about this year’s State of the Ravens press conference was supposed to be surprising. I expected a lot of smiles, jokes, and plenty of acknowledgement of who made this championship season possible. The presser lived up to my expectations with one slight curveball that might give insight to the plans of the team this offseason. Ozzie Newsome revealed that the team had no plans to restructure any contracts, calling such a moves a “last resort.” Since the championship-clenching win fans all over have opined about moves to open up … Continue reading →

Time for the Ravens to rebuild their defense

Posted on October 18, 2012 by Carey Stevenson

The Ravens defense has been uncharacteristically vulnerable this season. No longer are teams afraid to lineup and run the ball at their front 7, and teams are aware of the weak links to attack in passing game. Without reigning defensive player of the year Terrell Suggs to start the season, teams haven’t had to shift their protection to compensate. To add insult to injury the team must finish the season without standout cornerback Lardarius Webb and face of the franchise, linebacker Ray Lewis. Even without Suggs nobody could have seen … Continue reading →

Under the radar camp battles

Posted on July 26, 2012 by Carey Stevenson

Earlier this week, Aaron Wilson took a look at some of the key battles to watch as the Ravens take the field for training camp in Owings Mills. While kicker, defensive end, left guard, etc. are sure to grab the headlines, there are several other less-talked-about competitions for Ravens fans to keep an eye on. Kick returner Jacoby Jones vs. Asa Jackson vs. David Reed Jones has been a strong kick and punt return over his career but only returned punts last year. Jackson averaged 25.8 yards per kick return last … Continue reading →

Ravens could be playing musical chairs on draft night

Posted on April 26, 2012 by Carey Stevenson

The draft is upon us and some teams have made it crystal clear what they plan on doing when the proceedings start Thursday night. Others have been quiet and very reluctant to disclose much about their plans. You even have some teams that can’t stop talking about their plans in an attempt to drum up interest in their pick. The Ravens? Well they fall somewhere in between. They haven’t been shy about what their needs are but there remains a lot of if’s going into the 29th selection this tonight. … Continue reading →

Roster Overview: Ravens Team Needs

Posted on February 15, 2012 by Carey Stevenson

Inside Linebacker: The Ravens haven’t used a high draft pick at this position since their very first draft. To their credit they haven’t had to with all the success they’ve had in the later rounds and with undrafted free agents. However the position is now in a bit of a transition. Ray Lewis is still playing at a high level but at 37 its time to at least start grooming his heir. Jameel McClain and Brendan Ayanbadejo are unrestricted free agents and Dannell Ellerbe is a restricted free agent. Guard/Center: … Continue reading →

Ravens need to be bold in 2012 NFL Draft

Posted on February 11, 2012 by Carey Stevenson

Another season in the books and the Ravens fell just short of their ultimate goal. The consensus top needs are along the offensive line at left guard and center because of the uncertainty at those spots. Left tackle because the incumbent Bryant McKinnie is under contract for only one more year and we all witnessed his increasing trouble versus the speed rush. And let’s not forget that Hall of Famer Ray Lewis can’t play forever and the inside backer position is very thin at this point. That said, GM Ozzie … Continue reading →

Armchair Observations

Posted on October 25, 2011 by Carey Stevenson

Too much Laquan Williams? I understand he carries more value because he can cover kicks as well as return kicks but he’s done absolutely nothing as a 3rd Wr. Now that there’s depth in the return game with a healthy David Reed and the signing of Bryan McCann why not give Tandon Doss a shot? Or more snaps for Pitta whose size and hands could be a welcome sight for a floundering pass offense. What Danny Gorrer’s emergence could mean for the cornerback position in the future. Gorrer has been … Continue reading →

Efficiency is key for Ravens

Posted on October 19, 2011 by Carey Stevenson

Why one word stands between the Ravens and the Lombardi trophy Efficiency-in general describes the extent to which time or effort is well used for the intended task or purpose. The Ravens passing game so far this season has been anything but. I expected some struggles but not with the E word, at least not to this extent. Flacco has an unprecedented amount of control and the team has shown an increased confidence in him throwing down the field. Through 5 games he’s thrown 31 passes over 20 yards. He … Continue reading →

Ravens Preseason Preview

Posted on August 11, 2011 by Carey Stevenson

The Ravens are heading into a season of unexpected change. They’re banking on some young players to take the next step and in some cases their first step. Positions like Wide Receiver, Right Tackle, Strong Safety and Cornerback have young players jockeying for position. Is this young, more athletic group of Ravens better then last year? We are extremely close to finding out. Storylines… Are the young Ravens pass catchers ready to contribute to a team with Super Bowl aspirations? What will John Harbaugh’s influence on the offense be? … Continue reading →

It’s time to let the young Ravens fly!

Posted on August 2, 2011 by Carey Stevenson

The Ravens will likely enter the 2011 season with a lot less experience than last year. Attempts to spark the passing offense by signing TJ Houshmandzadeh and Donte Stallworth didn’t pan out as hoped. For what they lose in experience they significantly gain from an athleticism standpoint with this group. Separating from coverage seemed to be a problem last season for the receiving corps and the offense on whole lacked a player that could go up and get the ball last year, save Anquan Boldin. The Ravens could take a … Continue reading →

Ravens to turn up pass rush in 2011

Posted on June 30, 2011 by Carey Stevenson

The Ravens pass rush from a year ago was anemic to say the least. Last year’s team was tied for 27th in the league with only 27 sacks – besting only the Jaguars (26), Bucs (26) and Broncos (23). There were lulls in aggression, predictability, space eaters plodding around trying to get penetration, and two recent 2nd round picks chipping in with next to nothing. That said, the 2011 Baltimore Ravens squad already has the look of a team that can bounce back and answer its pass rush critics and … Continue reading →

Backfield in Motion

Posted on May 31, 2011 by Carey Stevenson

The Ravens find themselves in a peculiar position heading into the 2011 season. They must improve an underwhelming running game that averaged 3.8 yards per carry last season good for a league ranking of 28. Surprisingly a large chunk of blame for a relatively inept rushing attack is tied directly to a lack of physicality. The line just wasn’t able to impose their will on opponents they way they had in the past. We even saw a failed late year attempt to jolt the waning physicality by inserting Oniel Cousins … Continue reading →

Who’s at Safety?

Posted on May 21, 2011 by Carey Stevenson

The safety position has some interesting questions going into the 2011 season, whenever that starts. At free safety we have Ed Reed. He missed the first 6 games recovering from offseason hip surgery, but made an impact with 8 interceptions in 10 games. He also had just as many winces and limps as he had game changing plays. Being a year further removed from that surgery will certainly help but a contingency plan wouldn’t hurt. At the strong safety position we ended the season with free agent Dawan Landry. Landry … Continue reading →

David Reed flying under the radar

Posted on May 14, 2011 by Carey Stevenson

If you watch football like I do you’ve noticed a trend that you’d think had no chance of lasting become even more prevalent. A modern day first round wide receiver has to be over 6 feet tall and must run a certain 40 time – basically he has to pass the eyeball test. Yet how is it Sunday after Sunday we see mid round receivers who are small and quicker rather than fast continue to win? And why didn’t we see that activity in Baltimore? Enter David Reed. Mention his … Continue reading →