Taking Charge

The Ravens overcame the Chargers and their 474 total yards to win 31-26 in San Diego yesterday to improve to 2-0.

It was a win that had me sitting on the edge of my seat for most of the second half, and one that despite the win, has me worried going forward.

Let's start with the 474 yards allowed, 421 of which came on the arm of Chargers QB Philip Rivers. If the Ravens defense did one good thing yesterday (besides the final play of the game), they limited the Chargers to just 53 yards rushing, which is why the Chargers had to rely on Rivers to win the game. And he almost did. Rivers routinely exposed the Ravens' secondary and their lack of effective pass rush gave Rivers enough time to pick the Ravens secondary apart.

Don't get me wrong. The Ravens defense stepped up when it mattered most, especially on the final play of the game. The Chargers had the ball on the Ravens 15 yard line and needed a touchdown to win the game. It was 4th and 2. Rivers handed off to Sproles and Ray Lewis came through the line untouched to demolish Sproles for a 5 yard loss. (Yahoo! Sports is saying it could be Lewis' best play of his career. I disagree.) The secondary also came up with some great defensive plays to bat away balls that would have put the Chargers in a better position to win the game, avoiding pass interference calls in the process.

But going forward, the Ravens are going to have to address their weaknesses on defense. Despite allowing only 188 yards to the Chiefs last weekend, they did allow them to drive 80 yards for a touchdown at one point in the game. And yesterday, their lack of pressure (2 sacks) on Rivers almost cost them the game.

Thankfully, the offense stepped up to the plate for the second week in a row. Whereas the Chargers relied on explosive big plays to stay in the game, the Ravens stayed with what works best for them -- ball control -- and used it effectively.

For most of the game, the Chargers' depleted defensive line were unable to stop the Ravens running game, which resulted in 130 yards rushing offense. Willis McGahee is starting to take over as the go-to guy for the Ravens, and his 73 yards on 15 rushes and 2 touchdowns is proof of that. Ray Rice also ran effectively, 36 yards on 8 rushes, and helped on screens, catching 5 balls for 46 yards.

Joe Flacco had a workmanlike afternoon, and ended up with 190 yards passing, 2 touchdowns and an interception. He spread the ball around well, and Kelley Washington lead the Ravens in receiving yards, with 58 yards and a touchdown that came on a blown assignment. Derrick Mason caught 3 passes for 31 yards, and came up big on a drive before halftime. And Todd Heap caught his second TD in as many weeks, becoming a bigger part of the Ravens offense than he was a year ago.

True, the Ravens offense did enough to win the game, but they came up short with 25 minutes left to play in the game. After a Rivers INT lead to the Washington TD with 10 minutes left in the 3rd quarter, the Ravens' next 3 drives only resulted in a Steve Hauschka field goal.

Thankfully it was enough.

All things considered, this was a huge win for the Ravens and one that can set the tone for this season. But the Ravens will have to study the game film and try to fix what went wrong. Yes, they won, but they allowed 474 total yards of offense, which cannot be ignored. And with good offensive teams like the Patriots, Vikings, Colts, Packers awaiting the Ravens this year, they might find themselves in trouble during those games.

But don't let me spoil this victory. In the end the Ravens came up big and won. And that's all that matters.

The Ravens host the Cleveland Browns next week at 1 p.m. in the first AFC North divisional game of the season.

Chief Rocka

The Ravens opened up the 2009 season with an impressive showing by the offense. They racked up a total of 501 yards, a franchise record, en route to their 38-24 win over the Kansas City Chiefs.

It was much closer than the score would indicate, as two key turnovers lead to Chief touchdowns, the first coming on a blocked Sam Koch punt deep in Ravens territory and the second being set up by a Joe Flacco interception by Derrick Johnson who returned it 70 yards.

The Ravens trailed early in the 3rd quarter, 17-14, and at one point the game was tied at 24. But the Ravens closed it out with 3 scores in the 4th quarter to put the game away, and while the end result was a win with a seemingly strong 14 point margin, the game was a lot closer than most Ravens fans would have liked.

Thankfully, Flacco's interception was his only mistake of the day. He had a career game, going 26-43 for 307 passing yards, with 3 TD's and 1 INT. He spread the ball around the field nicely, resulting in Mark Clayton and Todd Heap each having more than 70 yards receiving and a TD. Ray Rice lead the rushing attack with 108 yards, and added another 12 receiving for 120 total yards of offense. Willis McGahee also had a great game, rushing 10 times for 44 yards and a score and hauling in 4 passes for 31 yards including a TD.

The defense played well, allowing only 188 total yards of offense and can only be held responsible for one of the Cheifs 3 touchdowns on the day. The one TD the Chiefs did score was impressive though. Starting at their own 20 yard line, the Chiefs marched down the field almost at will, driving 80 yards in 6 plays and picking on cornerback Fabian Washington for most of the drive. But the Ravens sacked Chiefs QB Brodie Croyle 3 times during the game, 2 of which came from Jared Johnson, and took RB Larry Johnson completely out of the game, 11 carries, 20 yards rushing.

Disappointingly, the Ravens committed 8 penalties for a whopping 65 yards, something that is somewhat out of character for a John Harbaugh coached Ravens team.

Looking forward to San Diego, the Ravens will have to protect the ball better and play a more disciplined game to beat the Chargers. That said, the Ravens did pretty much everything else about as well as they could have.

It just goes to show you how turnovers can change even the most lopsided of games.

P.S. I hope Ben, Katie, Jay and Jaime all enjoy San Diego and may the Ravens treat you to a win. Enjoy the cruise.

2009 Predictions

Well, it's just a few days before the start of the 2009 season, so you know what that means: prediction time.

Looking back at 2008, I couldn't have been more wrong. I predicted the Ravens would go 3-13, but they exceeded everyone's expectations and came just a few plays short of making the Super Bowl. So needless to say, my expectations going into 2009 are going to be high. Especially after watching the first team breeze through the preseason with a 4-0 record.

One thing that troubles me is that the Ravens face a second-place schedule that is much harder than the Steelers' first-place schedule since the Dolphins and Titans each finished in first place in 2008 while the Patriots and the Colts each took second.

But, if you want to be the best, you've got to beat the best. So here goes:

Kansas City -- The Chiefs look to be in for another year of rebuilding. They traded for Matt Cassel, who led the Patriots to a 11-5 record last year in the absence of Tom Brady, but they still missed the playoffs. Cassel is hurt, but Tyler Thigpen passed for 18 TD's a year ago before going down with an injury. WR DeWayne Bowe is a threat, but the Chiefs traded away TE Tony Gonzalez last season. They still have RB Larry Johnson, but their defense is in shambles. The Ravens should be able to control the tempo of the game from the kickoff, and I don't expect anything resembling a close game unless Joe Flacco and the Ravens commit several turnovers, most of them coming deep in their own territory. I've got the Ravens starting the 2009 season in a big way, winning 30-3.

@ San Diego -- The Chargers miraculously came back from a horrible 4-8 start to the 2008 season by winning their final 4 games and winning the division before making a little noise in the playoffs, when they knocked off the Colts in the first round. Philip Rivers has established himself as an elite QB and their defense is strong. They still have RB Ladanian Tomlinson, TE Antonio Gates and WR Vincent Jackson is becoming a beast. This is going to be a very hard game for the Ravens to win, and ultimately, I don't think they will. I've got some friends traveling to San Diego for this game and I'm afraid they'll be in for a letdown. Ravens lose, 24-18.

Cleveland -- The Browns looked to be a strong contender for the division in 2008 after they finished 10-6 in 2007, but they fell apart. Derek Anderson reverted back to his turnover-machine self and was eventually benched in favor of Brady Quinn, who played only 2 games before being injured. Meanwhile, WR Braylon Edwards couldn't catch the ball after putting up a epic 2007 season. The Browns are still a mess, even under strict-HC Eric Mangini. They might be a little more disciplined this season, but they don't have enough talent to hang with the Ravens. Ravens win, 28-12.

@ New England -- All you need to know is Tom Brady is back after the Patriots still went 11-5 without him in 2008. The game is in New England. The Ravens will have to play perfect to win, and I don't think they will. Ravens lose, 20-10.

Cincinnati - The Bengals could be a sleeper team this season, with Carson Palmer (somewhat) healthy and their defense coming on as one of the better defenses in the AFC. But their offense and defensive lines are still weak and it shouldn't be long until Palmer is injured again. He might not even be healthy by week 4. Put me down for a Ravens win, 27-13.

@ Minnesota -- Unless you've been under a rock for the past month, Brett Favre is now a Viking. Whether that scares you or not depends on how you think the 39-year-old veteran can perform at this stage in his career. The Vikes still have the best running attack with RM Adrian Peterson and had the best run defense in the NFL in '08, but Favre doesn't make them much better than they were a year ago. It's going to be a tough game for the Ravens to win, but if they can contain the Vikings running attack, they can win. Ravens win, 23-17.

BYE

Denver -- The Broncos are starting to fall apart. They traded loud-mouth QB Jay Cutler to the Bears and got Kyle Orton in return and Brandon Marshall is a powder-keg. Their once-fearsome running attack is now populated by a slew of RB's who scare no one. The Broncos defense was ranked 30th last year, and didn't get much better. The Ravens should soundly beat the Broncos at home, 34-13.

@ Cincinnatti -- Besides the blowout the Ravens handed the Bengals in Cincy last year (I was there with friends), the Bengals have played the Ravens tough at home in the recent past. This game will depend on the health of Carson Palmer more than anything. That said, I still think the Ravens should come away with a victory, 27-20.

@ Cleveland -- Like Cincy, the Browns always give the Ravens fits at home. And the Ravens needed a huge comeback last season to beat the Browns in Cleveland. I don't think they'll need one this year. Ravens win, 34-16.

Indianapolis -- Oh boy. If there is any other team in the NFL I hate almost as much as I hate the Steelers, it's the Colts. After they inched their way past the Ravens in the 2006 playoffs, I have loathed them. Then there is the whole "they used to play in Baltimore" thing. Put simply, the Colts have owned the Ravens since 2001, regardless of whether the games have been played in Baltimore or Indianapolis. But I think this could finally be the year we beat the Colts. For one, the Colts are under a new head coach (Jim Caldewell) after Tony Dungy retired last season, and Peyton Manning will be without WR Marvin Harrison for the first time in his career. I am sure Reggie Wayne and Anthony Gonzalez will be a nice WR tandem, but if ever there was a time for the Colts' offense to slow down somewhat, it's now. Plus, Joseph Addai became a disappointment last season, prompting the Colts to draft rookie RB Donald Brown. Safety Bob Sanders (the Colts version of Ed Reed) has been hampered with injuries his whole career and is already slated to miss the first 4 games of the 2009 season. And without Sanders, the Colts defense is vulnerable. If the Ravens can finally get after Manning, it could be a long day for the Colts. Finally. Ravens win, 28-24.

Pittsburgh -- What a nice 2-game combo this is, huh? The Steelers beat the Ravens 3 times last season en route to winning their 6th Super Bowl in franchise history. Blah, blah, blah. The Ravens finally get the Steelers at home during a prime-time game and if they are going to beat the Steelers any time soon, it's going to be at home. Since these games are so late in the season it's hard to predict what each team will look like by then after injuries, but I still think the Ravens will pull out at least one win against the Steelers in '09. Ravens win, 17-13.

@ Green Bay -- Aaron Rogers established himself as a top-QB last year, and he looks to continue his roll in 2009. That said, the Packers defense is still a question mark and playing in Lambeau Field is not the dreaded task it has been in the past. Ravens win, 30-24.

Detroit -- The Lions didn't win at all in 2008, but they should have at least 1 win by the time they come to Baltimore. Top draft pick Matt Stafford has been pegged QB#1 in Detroit and Calvin Johnson is one of the league's best wideouts, but the Lions are still in shambles. Ravens win 44-10.

Chicago -- The Bears got QB Jay Cutler from the Broncos during the offseason and that move alone makes them a more dangerous offense. However, their WR's are questionable and their defense is not what it once was. But second-year RB Matt Forte looks to be a large part of their offense again, like he was in '08. I am glad the Ravens are playing the Bears at home, because I don't know if the Ravens could pull this one out in Solider Field. Ravens win, 20-13.

@ Pittsburgh -- The Ravens aren't going to sweep the Steelers, unless I am dreaming, so I just have to put this down as a loss on principle. Ravens lose, 17-14.

@ Oakland -- The Ravens close out the season with 2 road games, including this trip to the west coast. With the way the Raiders offseason has been going, it's questionable if they will even exist come week 17. But if they are, it won't be pretty. The Raiders do have some good parts, including CB Nnamdi Asomugha, RB Darren McFadden, Justin Fargas, and rookie WR Darrius Heyward-Bey. I also think QB JaMarcus Russell could be poised for somewhat of a breakout year after performing well in his last few games of the 2008 season, but there are too many problems that run too deep in Oakland. Plus the Ravens should be extra-motivated to win this game, since they could be fighting for the division title or possible home field advantage. Ravens win 27-10

Ravens Record: 13-3

Is there a ton of homerism in that prediction? You bet. I am thinking that a 11-5 record is a more realistic possibility,with losses coming against the Colts and Vikings, but I figured I'd reverse my 2008 prediction for continuity.

I just hope I'm not as off on this prediction as I was on that one.

Ravens over Panthers

The Ravens continued to roll in the preseason, improving to 3-0 with an impressive 17-13 win over the Carolina Panthers on Saturday night.

Take from a 3-0 preseason record what you will, but one thing is for sure, the offense looks like it's coming together in year 2 of Joe Flacco as QB and Cam Cameron as offensive coordinator.

Things got off to a shaky start, however, as the Ravens drove to the 1-yard line in their first possession of the game, thanks to several Flacco passes of 10+ yards to Derrick Mason and Kelley Washington, only to be backed up by consecutive penalties. And when they couldn't get into the endzone, Steve Hauschka missed a 27-yard field goal, leaving the kicking situation up in the air.

On the Panther's second drive, the Ravens demonstrated their "bend don't breal" defense, allowing the Panthers to drive downfield almost at will before being bottled up at the Ravens' 20-yard line. John Kasay kicked a FG to make the score 3-0 Panthers.

Then the Ravens picked right back up where they left off on their scoreless drive. Starting on their own 20-yard line, the Ravens gave the Panthers a steady dose of Ray Rice before Flacco connected with Washington again, this time for a 42-yard gain. Then after more Rice, Flacco threw a perfect TD pass to Todd Heap.

The next Panthers drive was a 3-and-out.

On the next Ravens drive, the Ravens previewed what we could be seeing a lot in 2009, Ray Rice as a receiver. He caught passes of 15 and 14 yards to kick off the drive, which eventually ended in a Willis McGahee TD run.

Before the starters left the game in the 3rd quarter, Flacco did drive the Ravens down for another Hauschka field goal attempt, which he did make this time. But when it was all said and done, the Ravens offense looked well-oiled and ready to steamroll their way over Kansas City's non-existent defense in week 1.

Flacco finished with 247 yards passing, 1 TD, 0 INT and a 115.3 QB rating.
Rice finished with 32 rushing yards and 67 receiving yards.
Mason finished with 71 receiving yards.
And Washington had 66 receiving yards.

And there you have it. Cam Cameron isn't afraid to call passing plays and Joe Flacco isn't afraid to spread the ball around the field to different receivers. I only hope they continue to pass as often as they have this preseason when the regular season begins.

Let's unleash Flacco on the NFL.

Keep in mind, this is all happening without Mark Clayton, who has yet to play a down in the preseason. When he comes back, it will be just another target for Flacco to work into this exciting offense. And Todd Heap, who'd been bothered with injuries and then had been busy blocking when healthy, finally factored into the offense again, hauling in that TD pass and then making a great catch, going up for the ball and then taking a tough shot before falling to the ground awkwardly in a now typical Heap fashion. He finished with 35 receiving yards and a TD.

The defense collected 2 sacks, and pressured Jake Delhomme well, but rookie RB Mike Goodson rushed well against the Ravens, one week after Jets RB Leon Washington carved up the Ravens pretty nicely too. However, Terrell Suggs has yet to play in the preseason, so hopefully the Ravens will be able to contain opposing RB's better than they have in the last 2 preseason games.

But all in all, it was an impressive showing by the offense, which might actually be asked to do more than kill the clock in 2009. And by the looks of it, they are chomping at the bit to do so.

Ravens win game 2

The Ravens scraped by the New York Jets in game 2 of the preseason, 24-23.

The first team looked solid, especially the defense, frustrating Jets rookie QB Mark Sanchez early on in the game. His first pass attempt was an interception by Haloti Ngata for a TD, and Sanchez took a nasty shot from Ray Lewis on the play.

The offense sputtered early on, but eventually got going, thanks to Joe Flacco. Flacco completed only 44% of his passes, but ended up with 120 passing yards after finding a rhythm with Derrick Mason (who else?), who caught 3 passes for 68 yards, including a 43 yard bomb that set up a Ray Rice touchdown on a nifty trick play where Flacco faked a quick throw, only to tuck the ball and then hand it off behind his back to Rice for he score.

On the ground the Ravens only rushed for 73 yards. Rice started with the first team and lead the way with 29 yards on 8 rushes and the TD. By the time Willis McGahee came into the game most of the starters were gone and the Jets had no problem shutting him down (23 yards on 8 attempts) and none of the other Ravens backs rushed for more than 10 yards.

The Ravens had only 56 offensive plays the entire game.

While the first team scored 21 points before halftime, 2 of the touchdowns came on defensive TD's, so it looks like the defense is still carrying this team, but you can come away impressed with the offense once they got clicking.

Needless to say, once the starters were removed, the game slowed down to a crawl.

Troy Smith looked unlike himself, staying in the pocket too long and making bad decisions, one of which ended up in an interception. He ended up 4 of 9 with 84 yards and 1 INT. On the other side of the ball, the Ravens couldn't stop Jets RB Leon Washington, who racked up 48 yards on 8 attempts. He also caught 2 passes for 35 yards and a TD.

The Ravens only gained 248 yards as a team, but the offense was finding its comfort zone around the time the starters were removed from the game. It would have been nice to see the second and third string players fare better, as we like to believe that the Ravens are extremely deep, but at least they held on to the lead and won the game, even though no one will remember the win in a couple weeks.

All in all it was typical pre-season football. Pretty boring. Still 2 more to go.

The Ravens travel to Carolina to take on the Panthers this Saturday at 8 p.m.

Impressive Shutout Win

The Ravens blanked the Washington Redskins last night, 23-0, in the first preseason game of 2009. It took the team a while to get going, but once they did -- even after the first team came off the field -- they got going.

All 3 QB's (Joe Flacco, Troy Smith and former Dolphins QB, John Beck) each threw for over 100 yards. Smith threw for 200 and a TD.

Flacco started the game and played the entire first quarter and finished the drive into the second, going 9 for 15 for 103 yards. He hit Ray Rice on a screen for a large gain of 34 yards which eventually lead to a Steve Hauschka field goal. Then on the next drive, Flacco connected with Kelley Washington for consecutive 15 and 16 yard gains, which eventually lead to another Hauschka field goal to make the score 6-0.

Most of the second half involved the Ravens and Redskins trading punts, but Troy Smith did hit L.J. Smith (former Eagles TE) for a nice 35 yard gain. The Ravens eventually punted.

Toward the end of the first half, the Redskins put together a nice drive that took almost 6 minutes off the clock. But after a Redskins fumble at the Ravens 35-yard line, the Ravens recovered with 1:12 left. It was the perfect time to execute the hurry-up offense, and the Ravens did. Troy Smith chipped his way down the field with passes of 14, 14 and 13 yards before capping off the drive with a 19-yard touchdown to Justin Harper with 5 seconds left.

Harper had a tough time getting going, having dropped his first 2 or 3 passes, but his touchdown catch was pretty, and his final line of 4 receptions for 57 yards was second only to Jayson Foster, who racked up 79 yards receiving on 3 receptions. Harper has been the guy to watch in training camp, and with Mark Clayton nursing a torn hamstring, Harper could be the one to step up and fill in. And he eventually got around to impressing fans last night.

The running game took second fiddle to the passing attack, with Cam Cameron utilizing the pass to get a better look at his unknown wide-receivers. However, Willis McGahee looked fresh, and busted a highlight-worthy 16 yard run in the second quarter, dodging several tacklers. He only rushed 4 times but ended up with 26 yards. Ray Rice rushed for 22 yards, but his 38 yards receiving (including the big 34 yard catch) proved that he will be a pass-catching threat out of the backfield this season. Cedric Peerman rushed twice for 9 yards and a TD. But undrafted RB Matt Lawrence racked up the most yards on the ground, 36 on 9 carries, all of them coming against the 3rd string defense.

The defense played as well as a defense can play in a shutout. They stifled the Redskins first team offense, pressuring Redskins QB Jason Campbell, and stuffing the run. The Skins were without Clinton Portis and Santana Moss, but it was still nice to see the Ravens defense shut them down completely. Tavares Gooden lead the team with 5 tackles, and looks to be a potential breakout player on the defense in 2008 after Bart Scott followed former defensive coordinator Rex Ryan to the Jets. The Ravens also collected 3 sacks on the night.

One of the few roster battles this preseason is between the two kickers, Hauschka and Graham Gano, one of whom will eventually take over the kicking duties following the departure of Matt Stover. Hauschka made 2 field goals, the first 21 yards and the second 37, and Gano kicked a 39 yarder, but missed a 28-yarder late in the game. They each made an extra point. Hauschka has been with the team since last year, filling in as the long-yardage FG kicker and kickoff specialist, but played only one year of D-1 college football. Gano, however, kicked for Florida State and won the Lou Groza award for his 2008 season. He can also punt. The battle between the two kickers, will be the one to watch for the remainder of the preseason.

However, the impressive shutout win was not without injuries. WR Marcus Smith, who the Ravens hoped would step up in his second season after not catching a pass during his 2008 rookie campaign, injured his Achilles tendon and looks to be out for the season. John Beck hurt his throwing shoulder when a Redskins player ran into him and had to leave the game in the 4th quarter. It is unknown what the severity of Beck's injury will be.

Preseason or not, the Ravens looked like they were in mid-season form. They racked up over 500 yards of offense, and it seemed like whoever was on the field, the Ravens could do no wrong. Granted, the Redskins were without some key players, but it was nice to see the Ravens on the good end of a 23-0 game rather than the bad end.

The Ravens take on their former defensive coordinator Rex Ryan, now head coach of the New York Jets, next Monday, August 24th.

He's back!

Derrick Mason ended his "retirement" this weekend, and reported to training camp in Westminster, MD.

Mason has been dealing with some "personal issues", most likely stemming from former Titans and Ravens teammate Steve McNair, who was murdered in July. Mason announced his retirement a few days following the funeral.

It's also possible Mason was using the retirement as leverage to get an extension, as 2009 is the last year on his contract. But as Mason showed up at camp over the weekend he stated his intention to "finish this thing". Whether he is talking about his contract or a Super Bowl win is up to you.

Having Mason back allows the Ravens and their fans to take a deep sigh of relief. Without Mason, the WR corps looked like a rudderless ship. Mark Clayton is better suited as a deep-threat #2 WR, not the ball-controlling #1 that Mason is and has been throughout his career. And the remaining WR's in camp have only a handful of NFL games between them.

Without Mason, the Ravens were relying on the planets to align to get production from the WR's they had. With Mason back, they have a veteran leader, someone with great route-running skills and good hands. And Joe Flacco has his security blanket back.

However, the Ravens should still be looking for ways to improve the passing game. Having Mason back puts the Ravens back where they were at the end of 2008, which was still a game short of the Super Bowl and 0-3 against the Steelers.

But Mason takes away the desperation of having to make a move, like trading for Brandon Marshall or signing a troubled player like Plaxico Burress. Luckily, the Ravens were never actually considering making either move.

At any rate, welcome back, Derrick!