Author Archives: Gordon McGuinness

About Gordon McGuinness

Gordon McGuinness

Gordon was born and raised in Scotland and only happened upon football by chance when channel surfing one night. Like all good love stories, it was love at first sight. Living so far away, he only manages to make one game a season, catching the rest on television or online. Happy to admit that his love of football is an obsession, it lead him to Pro Football Focus where he contributes as an analyst and the writer of the Secret Superstar weekly feature. You can find him on twitter @PFF_Gordon

Michael Huff – At his best, a very good player

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michael-huff
After my last look at a recent addition by the Ravens earned me a fair amount of backlash, I decided to dig a little deeper into a move I absolutely love. When the team brought Michael Huff on board, I liked the signing for two reasons: firstly, at this stage in their careers, I think he represents an upgrade over Ed Reed at free safety. And secondly, he’s good enough to cover at cornerback should the need arise through injury. 2011 was the last time he spent a full season … Continue reading →

Anonymous Elvis – Why Dumervil isn’t as great as you think

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dum58
Russell Street Report’s own Derek Arnold has been kind enough to point out that I’m not exactly the biggest fan of the Elvis Dumervil signing. So, before I tell you all exactly why I’m not a big fan, I’ll give you my positive spin on the move. Dumervil has put up impressive numbers throughout his career in Denver. Over at Pro Football Focus we have credited the Ravens’ newest pass rushing option with 48 sacks since 2008 – impressive considering he missed all of 2010, giving him an average of … Continue reading →

Has the rest of the AFC north passed the Ravens?

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Troy Polamalu, Joe Flacco
While every Ravens fan either jumps off the nearest cliff, or uses the phrase “In Ozzie We Trust” after the free agent exodus in Baltimore, it’s important to take stock of what the team’s fellow AFC North rivals have been up to in the offseason. Have they made significant enough gains to pose a threat to the Ravens winning the AFC North for the third straight season? Or have they lost players that are going to hurt them in 2013 and beyond? Ravens fans, it’s time to get to know … Continue reading →

Ravens’ offseason defensive line needs

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codybengals
As I said in my article looking at the team’s offensive line heading into 2013 last week, despite winning a Super Bowl, this is a Ravens team which is plenty of areas they can, and need to, upgrade if they want to successfully defend the Lombardi Trophy. After looking at that offensive line, let’s switch to the opposite side of the trenches, where perhaps the team’s biggest defensive need is lurking right in the middle of the line. Hands up in you think it’s acceptable for a man Terrence Cody’s … Continue reading →

Ravens’ offseason offensive line needs

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osemelebryant
When you’ve just won the Super Bowl, it’s easy to rest on your laurels safe in the knowledge that you’re the best team in football. They don’t say that the letters NFL stand for Not For Long for no reason however, and the Ravens are a team with plenty of needs as we head into the offseason. There’s no point discussing quarterback as one; whatever your opinion of Joe Flacco is, he turned it on in the playoffs and won a Super Bowl – he’s going nowhere. But what about … Continue reading →

No questioning “elite-ness” of Ravens offense

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ravensohuddle
The “In Thing” right now is once again the debate over whether or not Joe Flacco is “Elite.”It’s understandable that it’s been brought back to the forefront given his play in the postseason to lead the Ravens to the Super Bowl. Make no mistake about it, that’s exactly what he has done. He’s played better in the postseason than we’ve seen him do before, making big plays and limiting mistakes on the road to New Orleans. Sometimes however, it’s not just about the quarterback. Sometimes it’s worth taking a step … Continue reading →

Turning the Corner – Ravens CBs have stepped up since Webb’s injury

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coreygraham24
When the Ravens take the field at Gillette Stadium on Sunday, they do so against, in my opinion, the toughest quarterback and offensive scheme for opposing cornerbacks to deal with. That’s not to say that I necessarily think Tom Brady is the best quarterback in the league, rather that all the complexities of the Patriots offense and the weapons available at his disposal make it tough to defend. That got me thinking back to the point I really started to worry about the Ravens season. It wasn’t when Ray Lewis … Continue reading →

Tearing down the Lore of Luck

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lucksack
When the Ravens take the field against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, they do so against an offensive rookie of the year candidate in the first overall pick from this year’s draft, Andrew Luck. That he’s a candidate for the award however, doesn’t mean that he’s actually a worthy winner and, while he may become a great NFL quarterback in time, his play just now has enough flaws that the Ravens can capitalize on this Sunday. There are plenty of stats that people point to when looking to highlight Luck’s … Continue reading →

Time for less Suggs, more Upshaw and Kruger?

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krugersuggs
Given that he’s the reigning Defensive Player of the Year – at least until Von Miller, J.J. Watt or Geno Atkins is crowned this postseason – I’m sure what I’m about to say won’t be well received by everyone. However as we head towards the postseason and the Ravens try to position themselves for a run at the Lombardi Trophy, one thing is becoming glaringly obvious with each passing week: Terrell Suggs isn’t effective in his current role. Now, let’s put that into context. This is a guy who has … Continue reading →

Two plays that doomed the Ravens

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joederp
As every Ravens fan tries to come to terms with a third straight loss, and the second straight at M&T Bank Stadium, there seems to be plenty of blame to go around. The offensive line, an undermanned defense, the quarterback, the head coach, the new offensive coordinator, the old offensive coordinator, probably Billy Cundiff and Lee Evans too. And while it’s true that it was a performance that left a lot to be desired all around, particularly on offensive where the team seemed to be trying to store up on … Continue reading →

Joe Flacco: Elite? Awful? Actually, somewhere in the middle

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Every Sunday the debate seems to go back and forth on twitter amongst Ravens fans about Joe Flacco. On one side you’ve got those who believe Joe is an elite quarterback, or in the very least a very good one and on the other, those who seem to think he isn’t good enough and won’t ever be. So after a brief conversation with someone earlier today it got me thinking; Why does he have to be either very good or very bad? What if he’s somewhere in the middle? And … Continue reading →

To win in Pittsburgh, Ravens should “Run Ray Rice Right”

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As we head into what is sure to be another night of smash mouth football when the Ravens go to Pittsburgh on Sunday night, I have what I think is the perfect battle plan. It’s a pretty simple plan but to make it even catchier I’ve used some alliteration. Are you ready? Here it is, for the Ravens to have success on offense on Sunday, they need to Run Ray Rice Right. It sounds simple, and in truth it is, but there’s more than one reason for that. Reason one … Continue reading →

A closer look at Sam Koch’s first career touchdown

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Punter Sam Koch’s seven yard touchdown run on Sunday prompted plenty of questions: Should the Ravens have run up the score like that? Should they have saved that play for a bigger game and a bigger situation? Both valid questions and, given that there were still over twenty minutes left in the game, I have no problem with the Ravens running that play to ice the game for good. Besides, after the fake on the extra point a year ago, I somehow don’t see the Steelers falling for it next … Continue reading →

Could Jah Reid step in as a blocking tight end?

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Do you ever sit watching a game of football and find yourself asking the question, “Why don’t the Ravens try that?!” Well, if my twitter timeline is to be believed during non-Ravens prime time games, I think the answer is a resounding yes. That’s the situation I found myself in on Sunday night as I sat down to work my way through the game between the Detroit Lions and the Jacksonville Jaguars for Pro Football Focus. However, before I get into what I saw that caught my attention, let’s first … Continue reading →

Ravens defense looks to gain an edge…or two

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NFL: Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens
The struggles of the Ravens run defense this season have perplexed many around the league. What happened to make this once vaunted unit suddenly easier to run through than a hot knife through butter? Did Ray Lewis’ play really just drop off as suddenly as that? Or has the shift of focus to the offensive side of the ball left a once proud unit devoid of fresh talent? After his injury, I was convinced that losing Ray Lewis wasn’t as big a loss at it would have been in the … Continue reading →