Ravens v. Rams News & Notes
Baltimore has won 13 of its past 14 games vs. teams from the NFC, with the only defeat coming against the Packers two weeks ago. The Ravens lead the all-time series, 5-2, against the Rams, winning four straight. Under Coach Harbaugh, Baltimore is 3-0 vs. the Rams.
The Ravens are (3-0) all-time in January home games, beating Minnesota (2001 season), Miami (2004 season) and Cincinnati (2010 season). The Ravens have played 10 January games in franchise history, with seven of those occurring on the road.
The Last Time They Met: Ravens at Rams, November 25, 2019
In honor of it being Rams week for the Ravens, here’s Lamar Jackson dicing up the Los Angeles defense as he completed 15-of-20 passes for 169 yards and five touchdowns on Monday Night Football in 2019
Baltimore would win the game 45-6 pic.twitter.com/5rkVS4giwO
— Kevin Oestreicher (@koestreicher34) December 28, 2021
LB Patrick Queen needs three more tackles to reach 200 for his career. With 3 more tackles and 1 TFL, the 2020 first-round draft pick would join Devin White, Demario Davis and Roquan Smith as the NFL’s only defenders to produce at least 200 tackles and 20 TFL since the start of last season.
Only four Ravens players have started every game for the injury-plagued team this season:
• OLB Tyus Bowser
• LB Patrick Queen
• T Alejandro Villanueva
• G Kevin Zeitler
WR Marquise Brown needs 47 receiving yards to to reach 1,000 in 2021. If he hits the milestone, Brown and TE Mark Andrews (1,187) would become the second Ravens tandem to reach 1,000 receiving yards in the same season (1996: Michael Jackson – 1,201 & Derrick Alexander – 1,099).
Ravens to Rams Connections
• The Ravens acquired CB Marcus Peters (IR) in a trade with the Rams on Oct. 15, 2019, in exchange for LB Kenny Young and a draft pick. Peters joined the Rams in 2018, totaling 4 INTs for 139 yards, 53 tackles and 11 PD in 21 games.
• Ravens WR Sammy Watkins posted 593 yards and led Los Angeles with 8 receiving TDs on 39 receptions in his only season with the Rams (2017).
• Rams CB Darious Williams began his career as an undrafted rookie free agent with the Ravens in 2018. He appeared in three games for Baltimore, seeing action on special teams, before being waived on Oct. 7, 2018. Williams had 4 INTs in 2020 but has yet to intercept a pass in 2021 in 12 games.
At the center of the big news out of Ravens headquarters on Wednesday was quarterback Lamar Jackson who returned to practice. Other than his presence on the field, the most notable takeaway by reporters on the scene, focused upon Lamar’s mobility, or lack thereof. He participated in passing drills from a standstill position as shown in the video below. When he walked around, reporters claimed he moved gingerly with a noticeable limp.
Lamar Jackson took deeper drop-backs than these, but you can tell he felt more comfortable throwing quick hitters with his upper body than from his base. pic.twitter.com/w5A6sO4TTa
— Jonas Shaffer (@jonas_shaffer) December 29, 2021
A few thoughts on this…
First, I don’t think that the team’s doctors would put Lamar on the field if they thought his injury might worsen. Secondly, that field is not a sight for sore eyes (yes, I get that it’s Bermuda grass, yada, yada). But lastly, and perhaps most interestingly, is the fact that the Ravens even allowed this footage to be shot. Let me paint the picture…
The Ravens have arguably the best public relations staff in the business. They represent the team to the public in a carefully constructed way. Inherent in their well-crafted messages lie the intentions of John Harbaugh and his staff. Harbaugh as you know, is extremely tight-lipped about injuries. He’s extremely tight-lipped about any information pertaining to personnel and strategy.
You may recall all of the coach-speak during the past two weeks about Lamar’s availability. John intended to create the impression that Lamar could go against the Packers and subsequently the Bengals because he wanted his opponent to prepare accordingly. If they plant that seed of possibility into the minds of opposing coaches, those coaches have to prepare their players. The players process the information. The more info they are forced to absorb, the more they think. The more they think, the slower they play.
At the end of the day, this gamesmanship of sorts might not have any effect whatsoever. But at the very least, it does force the opponent to put in the time – time that could be spent preparing in other ways.
Now, back to Wednesday’s practice…
The media is only given a short window to observe during in-season Ravens practices. The team’s PR Staff instructs the media how long they can stay, what they can’t report during the sessions and what they can shoot from a photo and video perspective. How the PR Staff handles all of this is heavily influenced by Harbaugh. Who can blame him, right?
So given his M.O., I was surprised to see that John and the Ravens allowed the footage of Lamar practicing to leak out. If Lamar can’t run on Sunday, advantage Rams. Perhaps that influences their preparation. If Lamar can run on Sunday and the Rams prepare as if he can’t, advantage Ravens. If there is no video made available, the Rams don’t know that Lamar is limping. Or could this all be part of a ruse to lure the Rams to sleep?
Like EA Sports, it’s all in the game(smanship)!
Playoffs?
If you want to punch your postseason ticket, eventually you’re going to have to win some games. ~ Captain Obvious
The Ravens have slipped from a record of (8-3) to (8-7) and now they are in a position where they’ll need some help if they are going to make a postseason push. In a nutshell, if the Ravens want to get out of a place where they’ll need a ton of help from others, they must win out and finish (10-7). A loss Sunday to the Rams doesn’t eliminate them, but it does call to mind the win probability of Lloyd Christmas.
Should the Ravens win out and the Dolphins and Raiders lose a game, they’ll earn a wildcard spot. Also, if the Bengals lose out, a (10-7) Ravens team would win the AFC North.
* Home team in CAPS
Tanking
Some fans have opined on forums and social media, that the Ravens should tank the balance of the season in order to improve their draft capital for the 2022 NFL Draft. RSR’s Adam Bonaccorsi opined on this silly notion earlier this week. Adam’s opinions on the topic show that tanking realistically won’t elevate the Ravens draft position all the much.
But besides that, intentionally losing game sabotages the Ravens winning culture. How do you ask players playing for their next contract to tank? What does it say about your organization and to players who might consider NFL employment in Baltimore?
Really, if you sincerely think tanking is the answer, you’ve essentially tanked as a fan. As the late Raiders owner Al Davis always said, “Just win baby!”
John Madden
Speaking of the Raiders, my earliest recollections of former Raiders head coach John Madden were during the early 70’s when the Oakland Raiders and the Pittsburgh Steelers had a fierce rivalry. Who could forget the Immaculate Reception game on December 23, 1972 and Madden, in his unique animated way, protesting the legality of Franco Harris’ catch.
I always liked Madden. He was the co-author of the origins of Raiders Nation. His charisma pulled you in, ingenuously inviting you to stay. When he moved on to broadcasting, those charismatic ways became even more evident. His big personality fit like a glove behind the mic and soon we were entertained regularly with his enthusiastic expressions, his original style with the Telestrator and his insightfulness that allowed even the most astute of fans to learn something with each telecast. He was pioneering and attracted emulators.
John’s leading-edge achievements didn’t stop in the broadcasting booth. He aligned with EA Sports to create a cultural phenomenon – Madden. Those games, played by multi-millions for decades, have become an institution of sorts. The argument has been made that Madden’s impact upon the NFL is among the greats. Some will even go so far to say that his accomplishments as a coach, a TV analyst and an NFL entrepreneur, place him atop the league’s Mt. Rushmore when considering the game’s biggest contributors to the landscape of the National Football League.
The things I’ll remember most about John:
• Animated Head Coach of the Oakland Raiders
• Unique, Entertaining, Informative Analyst
• The Perfect Sidekick to Pat Summeral
• Miller Lite Commercials
• BOOM
• Telestrator Entertainment
• Madden Cruiser
• Turdunken ~ a chicken inside a duck inside a turkey
• Chicken Legs on Thanksgiving
• The All-Madden Team
• Madden Games
• That Voice
John Madden will be missed dearly. But his contributions to the game will echo in eternity.
The quintessential John Madden clip, from 35 years ago next month, moments before the Giants were going to win Super Bowl XXI. Madden, the first to use the telestrator, took to diagramming the Gatorade bathpic.twitter.com/kKrPVr1kvu
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) December 29, 2021
COVID Conspiracy?
This week Tony Jefferson was randomly selected to take the COVID test, despite being vaccinated. The question was posed to me, “Why can Jefferson be randomly selected yet at the same time Bengals head coach Zac Taylor can emphatically say that QB Joe Burrow will not be affected by COVID this week?”
In other words, why can’t Burrow be randomly selected? Is there some conspiracy at play whereby star quarterbacks are treated differently? How else could Taylor be so confident that Burrow would not be randomly chosen? So I did a little digging…
The NFL and the NFLPA reached agreement where there are a certain number of random tests given per team. That number could include players, coaches or front office officials. Apparently it’s very random with no rhyme or reason behind who they choose. Jefferson drew the short straw. As for Burrow, perhaps Taylor knew that the Bengals had reached their limit on random tests?
But in reality, the world may never know…
GAMEDAY: Ravens v. Rams
• Current Line: Rams – 3 ½
• Forecast: Considerably cloudy with morning rain followed by a passing afternoon shower; temps at 60 degrees, with an 82% chance of precipitation and average winds of 5 mph.
• Officiating Crew Chief: Bill Vinovich
• FOX Broadcast Team: Kevin Burkhardt (play-by-play) – Greg Olsen (analyst) – Pam Oliver (sideline)
Battle Plans
To get you set for Sunday’s action, listen into Battle Plans as Dev Panchwagh and I along with very capable assistance from James Ogden, discuss the few positives we can glean from the debacle against the Bengals in Week 16. Plus we drill down into the Rams strengths and weaknesses to determine what the Ravens can exploit in order to advance to (9-7) on the season.
On This Day in History
In 1968 Led Zeppelin was recorded live for the very first time.
“Within a year, they’d be big. Within two, they’d be huge. And within three, they’d be the biggest band in the world. But on December 30, 1968, the quartet of British rockers preparing for their fifth-ever gig in the United States were using propane heaters to keep themselves and their equipment warm while they waited to go on as the opening act for Vanilla Fudge at a concert in a frigid college gymnasium in Washington State.” ~ History Channel
My Single Friend
My Single Friend was at a grocery store in Ocean City where he purchased a 12-pack of Guinness. He was just in front of a girl at a socially-distanced checkout counter.
Girl: “I see you drink beer?”
MSF: “Yes.”
Girl: “How many beers a day?”
MSF: “Probably 3, but usually at a bar.”
Girl: “How much do you pay per beer at a bar?”
MSF: “$5.00.”
Girl: “And how long have you been drinking?”
MSF: “About 30 years, I suppose.”
Girl: “So a beer costs $5 and you have 3 beers a day which puts your spending each month at $450. In one year, it would be approximately $5,400 …correct?”
MSF: “Yes, that sounds right.”
Girl: “If in 1 year you spend $5,400, not accounting for inflation, the past 30 years puts your spending at about $162,000, correct?”
MSF: ” I will trust your math.”
Girl: “Do you know that if you didn’t drink so much beer, that money could have been put in a step-up interest savings account and after accounting for compound interest for the past 30 years, you could have now bought a Ferrari?”
MSF: “Do you drink beer?”
Girl: “I do not!”
MSF: “Where’s your Ferrari?”
Ram On
Undoubtedly, it’s the unabashed Beatles fanatic within me that inspires thoughts of Paul McCartney’s 1971 album Ram whenever the Ravens take on the Rams. If you’ve never listened to the album, do yourself a favor and spend some time with it. For my money, it’s McCartney’s best work outside of The Beatles, including Band on The Run. Here’s a rocker from the record called, “Smile Away”.
Music Fanimal
I certainly hope that you all had a blessed and joyous Christmas and that you are still celebrating the coming with friends and family. While putting together this article, still enveloped in the seasonal spirit, I thought back to an interview I did with Dennis Shocket, the front man for local bands like Starbelly and The 1974.
During our sit down and to commemorate The Season, Dennis performed an original called “Dear Mother Christmas”. It’s a story about the guilt felt by Santa Claus, who once again is forced to leave his loving wife behind, Dear Mother Christmas, on Christmas Eve to travel the world bearing gifts. Santa returns home after a very Hard Day’s Night, to the warmth of his home and the love of his devoted wife. I’m pretty sure you will enjoy Dennis’ work here.
Happy New Year
We are tremendously grateful to all of you who take time out of your day to visit RSR. We don’t take your patronage lightly and with each new day, we’ll do our collective best to make the trip here worth your while.
Together, we wind down another year and look ahead with optimism towards 2022. I know I speak for our entire staff in wishing you peace, prosperity, good health and dreams realized in the coming year. And of course, more winning football from The Baltimore Ravens.
