CAROLINA PANTHERS 27, BALTIMORE RAVENS 21 September 2, 2010 Ugly, ugly, ugly. "It's clear the fans don't want four preseason games. It's clear the players don't want four preseason games. They tell me that all the time. You ask them that question and they'll tell you. And we really don't need it to make the game better.” You’re telling me. In June, when NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell made these remarks about the inferior quality of preseason football, he must have been gazing into his crystal ball, anticipating Thursday night’s 27-21 St. Louis Rams victory over a horrid Baltimore Ravens squad.   It was a nightmarishly bad exhibition of football by the Ravens, which did little to answer questions about the final make up of the 2010 roster.  Few players did enough in this final preseason “tune-up” to prove they belong on among the final 53.   Instead, the game quickly became a final preseason “tune-out” for...

BALTIMORE RAVENS  24, NEW YORK GIANTS 10 AUGUST 28, 2010 The Baltimore Ravens shook off early cobwebs and began to dominate the visiting New York Giants to pick up their seventh consecutive preseason win.  In fact, the Ravens defense very nearly extended to 12 quarters their preseason streak of holding opposing offenses without a touchdown.  However, with just a few diehard fans still lingering inside M&T Bank Stadium, the Giants finally pushed the ball across the goal line in the games’ final seconds to make their 24-10 loss to the Ravens more respectable. As they watched most of the second half from the sidelines the Ravens starters on both sides of the ball looked extremely pleased with their all-around efforts, and the results.  But it was not all good news for the offense after the revelation that Donte’ Stallworth will miss the first two months of the regular season with a broken foot.  The player he has been battling for the third ...

AUGUST 21 2009 BALTIMORE RAVENS 23, WASHINGTON REDSKINS 3 It’s not that the Ravens starters on offense were all that bad. They weren’t.  But they did look disjointed, fumbling and sputtering their way through a largely un-eventful first half of play. With the new-look Ravens offense held in check by the Washington Redskins, and their own miscues, it was left to the back ups, the defense, and the special teams units to secure a 23-3 win at FedEx Field in Landover. There is a sense about this offense of waiting to uncork the obvious talents now stocked at every position.  And maybe that is the problem for coordinator Cam Cameron.  Given so many “weapons” to finally work with, Cameron’s offense has displayed a near-schizophrenic sense of identity.  End-around, two tight-end sets, four wide, screen pass, deep ball, quarterback option. The offense had its moments, but very little flow which is perhaps understandable in a preseason game...

BALTIMORE RAVENS 17, CAROLINA PANTHERS 12 August 12, 2010 Ravens battle weather, inconsistency; begin preseason with a win. Mixed weather and mixed results. That’s how things went for the Baltimore Ravens in their preseason opener, a 17-12 win over the visiting Carolina Panthers. Generations of Baltimoreans have come to expect humid August days followed by stormy evenings and Thursday was no exception as the clouds opened up in the second half, bringing rain and sloppy play. Conditions compounded the coaching staff’s challenge of evaluating the talent at the back end of the roster.  In fact, the results were just as predictable as the weather, with Carolina picking up two Ravens second-half fumbles that lead to ten of their twelve points. Despite the miscues, the Ravens were able to show progress in two of the most talked-about areas of concern last season. On offense, the revamped passing attack shined, with stout pass protection from the starters, and the d...

  INDIANAPOLIS 20, BALTIMORE RAVENS 3 January 16, 2010   It just wasn’t meant to be.  Whatever could go wrong did, and even some things that went right went wrong for the Ravens, as their season came to a grinding halt with a 20-3 loss in Indianapolis.   A week ago in the Wild Card round of the playoffs, the Ravens confounded the critics by traveling to Foxboro and destroying the Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and the Patriots’ mystic.  The contest was not even close.   On a short week’s rest, they traveled to Indianapolis to test a team many critics had their doubts about.  The Ravens came in as the “hot” team after dismantling the overrated Patriots, and the Colts were thought to be a rusty club that would not be ready for the Ravens intensity.   But ready they were, matching Baltimore’s defensive intensity and keeping the Ravens offense off balance throughout a first half that looked...

BALTIMORE RAVENS 21, OAKLAND RAIDERS 13 January 3, 2010   Game Conditions: Sunny Skies, Temp 54 degrees, Wind wnw 6 mph   For the second time in two seasons head coach John Harbaugh is taking his Ravens to the playoffs after beating the Oakland Raiders 21-13, in a play-in game of sorts.    The win gave the Ravens a 4-0 record this season against the AFC-West and it ran their record to an impressive 12-0 all-time under Harbaugh against teams with losing records.   That’s not to say their win against the Raiders came easily.   In the first half the two teams were nearly perfect polar opposites.  Offensively the Ravens were led by dominating line play and the hard running of Willis McGahee, tallying 139 yards and 2 touchdowns on the ground. Joe Flacco was efficient but quiet in completing nine of thirteen throws for 89 yards.     Meanwhile, the Raiders could do nothing on the ground, gaining ...

PITTSBURGH STEELERS 23, BALTIMORE RAVENS 20 December 27, 2009   Ravens versus Steelers: the tradition continues.  Another hard fought, close game.  Another loss at Heinz Field, where the Ravens have won just once in ten consecutive tries.   Sunday’s game presented the Ravens with numerous chances to pull ahead and exit Pittsburgh with a win.  But they did all the little things wrong, repeatedly committing mistakes that breathed fresh life into the Steelers chances for victory.   After the loss, Ravens players and coaches seemed anxious to explain-away the miscues and move onto next week’s contest in Oakland, where they will need to secure a win to sneak into the playoffs.   Afterwards, coach John Harbaugh explained it this way to the assembled media, “You guys can go to penalties if you want, you can put your finger at whatever you want. We’re going to play our hearts out every single week…. You ...

BALTIMORE RAVENS 31 CHICAGO BEARS 7 December 20, 2009   While Mother Nature was dumping nearly two feet of snow on the Baltimore area this weekend, questions swirled over the Chicago Bears’ travel plans. Would the Bears even make to town before a kickoff that had already been pushed to the later 4:15 p.m. time slot?   Their plane finally did land in Baltimore late Saturday night. But after watching the Ravens trounce the Bears 31-7 it may be accurate to say the Bears never really showed up.    Yes, the Ravens got another much-needed win to catapult themselves into leading contention for the fifth seed in the AFC Playoff race.   But they didn’t get much of a contest.    The Bears were dreadful. Six-turnovers dreadful.   In Chicagoland, the goat mantle continues to rest on the shoulders of quarterback Jay Cutler who was intercepted on his team's first two possessions and then added a third pick in th...

Quarterback: B-plus   Joe Flacco was efficient and managed the game well on a rainy day where he wasn’t asked to carry the offense, spending the majority of the time handing off to Ray Rice. He committed no turnovers, completing 13 of 20 passes for 230 yards and one touchdown for a 120.8 passer rating against the NFL’s worst pass defense.   Running back: A-plus   Ray Rice had an electrifying performance, rushing for a career-high 166 yards on just 13 carries. That included a 59-yard touchdown run. He now has 1,041 rushing yards for the season. He also caught four passes for 53 yards, pushing his receiving total to 68 catches for 652 yards. The Ravens rushed for five touchdowns and 308 yards.   Receiver: B   Playing without starter Mark Clayton due to a knee injury, the Ravens were productive and consistent. Veteran wide receiver Derrick Mason caught five passes for 94 yards, including a 62-yard touchdown where he bounced off a hard hit an...

GREEN BAY PACKERS 27, BALTIMORE RAVENS 14 DECEMBER 7, 2009   A week ago we asked the question, which Ravens team do you believe in?   Are they a quality team that can fight back and beat the Super Bowl champs? Or are they a bad team that can nearly let a third string quarterback beat them in a must-win home game?   After watching the Ravens travel to Lambeau Field Monday night and flounder on national television in a 27-14 loss, the answer is entirely unsatisfying.  The answer is: neither.    They most certainly are not a good team right now.  Nor are they are they really a bad team.  They are, blah.  And at 6-6 they are at a crossroads.  They are an uninspiring, uninspired team that is badly in need of direction and a strong identity.   What is their identity?  They are certainly not the smash-mouth, risk-taking defense of days gone by.  Nor are they the ball-protecting, down-hill rushin...