When Dennis Pitta broke his hand not even a week into training camp, many were concerned about his being ready for the regular season. Now that the Ravens are heading into their third game, Pitta leads the team in receiving and is clearly a favorite target for Joe Flacco – which isn’t necessarily a good thing. During the first series of the second half in Philadelphia, Flacco threw to Pitta while he was being triple covered by Eagles’ defenders. The pass was intercepted by DeMeco Ryans, ending a drive on … Continue reading →

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 →

There’s not much that can be said to ease the pain after your team loses. However, watching the villainous Patriots go down in a similar fashion to the way the Ravens did in the AFC Championship last year is a bit satisfying. Sunday in New England, Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski had an opportunity to win the game for the Patriots after they had struggled against the Arizona Cardinals all day. However, the usually reliable Gostkowski missed the field goal wide left, sealing the victory for the now 2-0 Cardinals. The … Continue reading →

A staple of Cam Cameron’s offense has been using end-arounds and reverses to keep the defense off-guard. While they’ve had moderate success during the past few seasons, I expect to see more and more of them used this season. An end-around is a misdirection running play in which a receiver crosses the backfield to receive a handoff from the quarterback. It is usually successful when used after a fake handoff to the running back as backside defenders tend to over-commit to this fake, lose contain, and allow the receiver to … Continue reading →

Vonta Leach has become one of the most important players on the Baltimore Ravens roster. Playing a position that is overlooked by many, Leach has been able to make a huge impact on offense in ways other than just blocking from his fullback spot. Number 44 is by far the best blocking fullback in the league, routinely blowing linebackers out of running lanes to pave the way for Ray Rice. Leach has been doing this season after season during his career, but hasn’t contributed a lot by any other means … Continue reading →

It probably wasn’t until the famed “Fu Manchu” mustache revolution that swept through Baltimore after the Ravens’ Thanksgiving 2011 matchup against the 49ers that many realized that Joe Flacco and Dennis Pitta spend a lot of time together. Perhaps too much time. The evidence? One night they decided to grow hideous mustaches, mustaches that Flacco deemed “ugly” and “almost offensive” after his post game press conference. Since then, many people have seen the Flaccos (Joe and Dana) and the Pittas (Dennis and Mataya) enjoying various things around Baltimore that most … Continue reading →

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 →

What’s better than having a good tight end? Having two good tight ends!  And that’s just what Baltimore has in Dennis Pitta and Ed Dickson. There were plenty of positives to take away from the Ravens’ week one domination over the Bengals on Monday Night, including the team giving fans the chance to exhale after not knowing what to expect without reigning defensive player of the year Terrell Suggs and a large infusion of youth in various offensive and defensive positions. Throw in some question marks with the no huddle … Continue reading →

After the Ravens went deep for a 52-yard pass on their first play from scrimmage, they continued to sprinkle in some unpredictability with reverses.That came on the Ravens’ second series, and it almost led to a fumble as Anquan Boldin botched the handoff to Jacoby Jones. The result: A 10-yard loss. While all the talk surrounding the Ravens’ 44-13 win vs. the Cincinnati Bengals in the opener was about the hurry-up offense, overlooked was that they took a lot of chances. Later in that same drive, there was a fourth-and-1 … Continue reading →

In the aftermath of Joe Flacco’s performance Monday night, coach John Harbaugh uttered three simple words.  No, it wasn’t “I love you,” but given the 44-13 spanking that Flacco gave to the AFC North rival Cincinnati Bengals in the season opener that would’ve been close. Instead, with a huge smile, Harbaugh said this: “Pay the man.” The room broke out in laughter, but who could argue against him?  Flacco, who is in the fifth and final year of a contract that will pay him about $6.7 million this season, played … Continue reading →

Though Bill Belichick attended high school in Annapolis, he isn’t scheduled to fly back into town for a reunion with friends and family for more than a week. Belichick’s New England Patriots will face the Ravens next Sunday night in a rematch of the AFC Championship game. Belichick is notorious for trying to gain the upper hand after the famed “Spygate” incident, but he’s also taken many creative approaches that lie within the rulebook to gain the upper hand. After not making the Ravens 53-man roster during training camp, safety … Continue reading →

Opposing the Eagles in their season opener at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia has become quite the harbinger of future success. In fact, the past three teams to square off against the Eagles in their first home contest have not only won the game, but they’ve also won the Super Bowl that same season. It all started in 2009 as Marques Colston and the New Orleans Saints handed the Eagles a 48-22 loss. Colston torched the Eagles defense on eight catches, totaling 98 yards and finding the end zone twice. … Continue reading →

Ed Reed is my favorite NFL player. Much more significantly, he is also now the NFL’s all-time leader in interception return yardage, with 1,497. This milestone had been a long time coming for Reed. After closing to within 20 yards of former leader Rod Woodson (1,483) with 25 return yards in week 1 against Pittsburgh last year, Reed picked up only one interception over the duration of the 2011 regular season -an end-of-half end zone pick of the Bengals’ Andy Dalton, on which he was unable to add any return … Continue reading →

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 →

The times, they are a-changin’ in Baltimore, as the Ravens offense begins to dominate national headlines this morning. Sure, the defense looked good. Ray Lewis led the team in tackles and Ed Reed returned an interception for a touchdown – nothing new to see here. The most glaring change was the Ravens’ high scoring offense. In his fifth season, Joe Flacco has been given the keys and appears to be a great driver. Last night, Flacco and the Ravens offense looked like Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts of years … Continue reading →