If you've been living under a rock, I'll break the story: former Cardinals wide receiver Anquan Boldin has been traded to the Baltimore Ravens, along with a fifth round pick, for a third and fourth rounder. The deal helps both teams. Esentially, Boldin is traded for the third, while the Ravens give the Cardinals their fourth round draft pick, with the Cards giving the Ravens their fifth. For the last two years, Boldin has been subject to much speculation. Since getting drafted by the Cardinals in 2003, he's been one of the best receivers of the decade, averaging 84 catches, 1,075 yards, and six touchdowns a season. What makes that even more impressive is that outside of 2004 and 2007, two years in which he suffered injuries, forcing him out of a combined 12 starts, he's had 1,000 [...] Continue reading →

They say a picture tells a thousand words. But see this letter: U. That, in it self, reminds anybody of Johnny Unitas. The ‘U’ looks like the Colts logo, and the epitome of an old Baltimore Colt is Johnny Unitas. He’s the ultimate innovator of the passing game, and was a pocket passer before the NFL was made of pocket passers, which it is today. Football, I think, nowadays, isn’t nearly as pure as it should be. Quarterbacks get babied, and defensive players are discriminated, on most occasions, for purely doing their jobs. However, in the 50’s, 60’s, and even through the 90’s, football was football, plain and simple. To play during the 50’s, you had to be tough – even if you were a quarterback. The way I look at it, in any sport, there are greats, there are Hall of [...] Continue reading →

Obviously, the Baltimore Ravens are a team who have been very good in their 15-year franchise history, specifically in the last two years, when they have shown everyone their present and future. Over the last few seasons, they have filled needs at quarterback and offensive line. They now have one of the brightest young players in the league in Joe Flacco, along with running back Ray Rice. The offensive line is one of the best, as well, led by rookie right tackle Michael Oher, who, as coach John Harbaugh put it, "exceeded all expectations". And, as usual, the defense was amongst the best this season, finishing third despite changing from Rex Ryan, a brash, aggressive defensive coordinator to Greg Mattison, a quiet, simple, and more conservative coach. It's no secret that the Ravens [...] Continue reading →

Today, there's some big news for the Baltimore Ravens. First off, the team hired former New England Patriots defensive coordinator Dean Pees to replace Vic Fangio as linebackers coach. Fangio has been the man in charge of an elite linebacking core for two seasons, and reports say he is "no longer with the team." Pees seemed excited to now be a Raven. "It's a privilege and an honor to be a part of an organization like the Ravens," he said. "I'm very anxious and excited for the opportunity to work with Coach Harbaugh and also [defensive coordinator] Greg Mattison, with whom I have coached. I think this is a tremendous opportunity and something that my family and I are very excited about. I can't wait to get to work." But that's not the only coaching change the Ravens are on the cusp [...] Continue reading →

Coming off an absolutely embarrassing loss to the Indianapolis Colts in the divisional round of the 2009 playoffs, it’s hard for the Ravens to look at this in an upbeat way – and they probably shouldn’t. After a wonderful first drive, the Baltimore Ravens were unable to get anything done. Quarterback Joe Flacco wasn’t bad considering the circumstances, going 20-of-35 with 189 yards and a pair of late interceptions. Ray Rice managed to average five yards a carry, with 67 yards on 13 attempts, but if you watched the game, it would become obvious to you that Rice didn’t have the same impact he normally does. The receivers and tight ends dropped passes – five of them, in fact. Derrick Mason was very good on the first drive, with three catches for 55 yards. In the next three [...] Continue reading →

Today, the All Pro team was announced, and five Ravens made it. LB Ray Lewis made first team, his ninth, and four Ravens made second team - RB Ray Rice, FB Le'Ron McClain, DE Haloti Ngata, and S Ed Reed. With Lewis making the All-Pro team again, he now has eight first-team All Pro bids, and still stands as one of the most accomplished defensive players ever, with over 1,700 tackles, 36.5 sacks, 28 interceptions, 11 Pro Bowls, two Defensive Player of the Awards, and a Super Bowl MVP. Pretty good, if you ask me. He finished this season with 134 tackles, three sacks, two forced fumbles, Pro Bowl and All-Pro bids - at a cool 34 years of age. Ray Rice wowed fans, players, and coaches alike with his elusiveness and ability to hurt defenses in a variety of ways. Last year, he had [...] Continue reading →

Ravens QB Joe Flacco vs. Patriots DB's Brandon Meriweather, Brandon McGowan, Jonathan Wilhite, Darius Butler: Ravens fans have been bothered by Joe Flacco - for some reason - because of his "struggles". However, he has set franchise records in several categories, and has still managed to win. In fact, if the receivers catch a pair of easy passes and Steve Hauschka makes a field goal, Joe is a 12-win quarterback. On the year, he finished with 3,613 yards, 21 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. He had more yards, a better rating, more touchdowns, and the same amount of interceptions as last season. The Patriots defensive backs are young. They have a fine young safety in Brandon Meriweather, and young corners like Leigh Bodden, Jonathan Wilhite, and Darius Butler. In the [...] Continue reading →

With a big win over the Oakland Raiders, the Ravens are in the 2009 NFL Playoffs, the second time they've been in under quarterback Joe Flacco in as many years. In the win, the Ravens were basically saved by backup running back Willis McGahee, who ran for 167 yards and three touchdowns, and also rookie linebacker Dannell Ellerbe, who had an interception and a fumble recovery. Joe Flacco didn't have the opportunity to do much. First of all, they only threw the ball 19 times, and he had 11 completions for 102 yards. More importantly, however, he didn't throw any interceptions or fumble in the face of pressure - which is something he faced from the Raiders pass-rush all day long. Now that the season is over and they're headed to the playoffs, it's time to give out cumulative regular season [...] Continue reading →

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past year, you’d know that the Baltimore Ravens main need is at wide receiver. They’re set everywhere else, really. They have their franchise quarterback, an excellent running game and offensive line, and an always suffocating defense. At times, however, they’ve been hurt because they don’t really have a playmaking receiver. For example, in week four, drops by Mark Clayton and Derrick Mason wrecked a late, promising drive in a 27-21 defeat. Against Pittsburgh, the Ravens penalties were devastating, but the penalties wouldn’t have mattered had Derrick Mason caught an easy touchdown pass. Had he caught it, Ravens win the game, 27-23. Unfortunately, he didn’t, and the Ravens lost by a 23-20 tally. So, those are two games in [...] Continue reading →

It only took 12 years, but it looks like the Baltimore Ravens have found their quarterback of the future. From 1996 to 2007, the Ravens had one of the most pedestrian passing offenses in football, marshaled by "genius" Matt Cavanaugh. Ironically, Brian Billick, the head coach from '99-'07, was the mastermind behind an explosive 1998 Vikings offense, but the Ravens never were able to pass the ball for extreme success. During those years, the quarterbacks differed. In 1996 and 1997, the Ravens had Vinny Testaverde, who actually excelled in Baltimore, but for no longer than two seasons, and his second season was a mere footnote in comparison to his first. In 1998, the leader was Jim Harbaugh, not to be confused with current Ravens head coach John Harbaugh. Jim finished his lone season with [...] Continue reading →