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It won't be surprising if the Ravens don't start offensive linemen Keydrick Vincent and Jonathan Ogden against Buffalo. Both of their replacements, guard Chris Chester and tackle Adam Terry, have played well in their spots, and it would give both players at least three weeks to heal. In the case of Ogden, he would have had almost four weeks. Buffalo has a small and weak front seven. The Ravens shouldn't have a tough time pushing them around.
Ravens receiver Derrick Mason is a great competitor, but he also has a history of complaining when he isn't getting a lot of passes thrown his way. Mason has only 63 receptions for 720 yards and two touchdowns this season. He hasn't caught a touchdown pass in four games.
Mason had only two catches for 10 yards against Pittsburgh Sunday and he threw the ball up in the air in frustration after catching a short hitch pass.
Mason wants some love.
"Anyone that's been in the league for a long time would want to be more involved in the offense, but when you're not, you've just got to keep moving on," Mason told a room of reporters Wednesday. "Hopefully, one day, you will feel appreciated, whether that's with the current team you're at or someplace else."
Wow, and I actually thought the Ravens were having a great season ...
Any chance of the Bills upsetting the Ravens ended last Sunday when they were knocked out of the playoff race. Most teams in this situation can't wait for the season to end. They usually play hard for a half and then go home. As for the Ravens, they haven't lost a game this season when they were expected to win by a decent margin. In past seasons, the Ravens have played down to the competition. That hasn't happened this year, and it won't happen Sunday.
The Ravens have to make a decision on running back Jamal Lewis during the offseason, and there is speculation that team officials might offer him a one-year deal. Lewis collected a $5 million signing bonus during the offseason and made $1 million in base salary in 2006. If the Ravens pick up his option in 2007, they will have to pay him a $5 million roster bonus before March and another $5 million in base salary in 2007.
Lewis isn't worth that kind of money. The Ravens might try to re-sign him to a one-year deal worth $3 million. Team officials have to decide if they want a back and a running game that averages about 70 to 80 yards per game, and if that is effective enough to complement the passing game.
Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome was asked yesterday about his favorite draft and favorite draft pick in Baltimore. As usual, Newsome wouldn't bite but he did take special pride in the 1999 draft.
"When you look back, it's hard not to look at the first draft because we took two Hall of Fame players with our first two picks," said Newsome of Jonathan Ogden and Ray Lewis. "But in 1999, we had only four picks and three of those guys, Chris McAlister, Brandon Stokley and Edwin Mulitalo, became starters."
One of the reasons the Ravens have had success on the offensive line despite injuries is because they have two coaches at the position. Chris Foerster does most of the work with the first team while Greg Roman works extensively with the others. Few teams have two offensive line coaches. The Ravens signed Roman in March to work with the younger linemen. The Ravens had two offensive line coaches when they were in Cleveland, and it gave them a chance to develop starters like guard Wally Williams and tackle Orlando Brown. It usually takes three or four years to develop good offensive linemen. The Ravens pace is quicker.
Ravens head coach Brian Billick used to have a provision in his contract that if the Ravens made the playoffs, he received a $1 million bonus. Of course, that motivated Billick and he made sure his coaches knew about the clause. And when the Ravens didn't make the playoffs, Billick also used to let his coaches know about it as well. The man probably had a Merry Christmas.
The second year left offensive tackle did a nice job filling in for Jonathan Ogden. Steelers outside linebacker Joey Porter didn't have a sack or a hurry. Terry, though, has to improve his run blocking. He was decent at the point of attack, but failed to finish off the block. He has a tendency to get too high, and lose leverage. He has several illegal procedure penalties, but that could be expected starting on the road for the first time this season.
It's official. Ravens Pro Bowl left offensive tackle Jonathan Ogden will not play against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers are drawing straws and fighting to see who gets to go against replacement Adam Terry. Hopefully, Terry will perform better than he did during training camp and in the pre-season.
Nope, we're not talking about John Unitas, but the Ravens. They are ranked No. 19 in total offense in the league, up 10 spots from when head coach Brian Billick replaced Jim Fassel as the play-caller. How much Billick can squeeze out of this offense will determine how far the Ravens go into the postseason. If they climb about four or five more spots, look out. They'll be as balanced as they've ever been.
I think second-year offensive tackle Adam Terry will do a respectable job Sunday against the Steelers if starter Jonathan Ogden can't play because of a toe injury. Terry is soft, but mechanically sound. The biggest concern is that Terry will be matched up against outside linebacker Joey Porter. There is little doubt that Porter will take a couple of cheap shots at quarterback Steve McNair. With Ogden in the lineup during the Ravens' 27-0 win Nov. 26, Porter never got within a sniff of McNair. This time, McNair will be fair game with playoff time closing in.
Middle linebacker Ray Lewis downplayed the news that he didn't make the AFC Pro Bowl squad, but we all know better. Lewis is a great competitor and he strives to be the best. According to some people who know him fairly well, Lewis has undergone the full gamut of emotions -- from disappointment to bitterness. He still believes he is the best middle linebacker in the game.
It will be interesting to see how he plays Sunday. He might take some of that frustration out on the Steelers.
The Ravens have a lot of confidence and believe they can beat any team in the NFL. But the team they fear the most is the Bengals. Quietly inside, they give the Ravens the jitters. The Ravens don't match up well with Cincinnati's offense (receivers), and the Bengals have enough patience and skill to complete a lot of those short, underneath passes. Bengals coach Marvin Lewis knows Brian Billick's offense well, and he took it apart earlier in the season. The Ravens would rather face any other team in the playoffs instead of the Bengals.
There were really no surprises here except that middle linebacker Ray Lewis was left off the team. He didn't earn a spot, but name recognition usually is worth another year or two for a top-caliber player on the downside. Jonathan Odgen deserved the recognition because he has re-established himself as one of the top (if not the best) left tackles in the league. Both Terrell Suggs and Adalius Thomas earned their spots. Suggs has gotten better every year, and is actually starting to whip up on some of the better tackles in the league.
Neither Ed Reed or Chris McAlister deserved to be on the team. Both are living on past reputations even though McAlister has played reasonably well for most of the season. Reed has been a no-show for most of the year. Bart Scott should have been on the team, but this is his first year getting any recognition at all. If he plays well next season, he'll get named to the team. Defensive end Trevor Pryce was slighted, but he started off slow. The rest earned what they got.
It's amazing that anyone thought the Ravens would have 12 players named. Where do we get that kind of stuff from?
Pro Bowl teams are expected to be announced later today, but one general manager in the AFC said that Ravens linebacker Bart Scott not only deserves to be on the team, but also should be the league's defensive player of the year. I'd have to chew on that one for a while, but at least Scott is getting noticed around the league. It has gotten to the point where you could debate if Ray Lewis might be the third best linebacker on the squad, behind Scott and Adalius Thomas. This group just might be the best in the NFL.
Jamal had 109 yards rushing, including a long run of 52 yards, but it was painful watching him trying to accelerate and break away against the Browns. Mike Anderson is a capable backup, but the Ravens are going to miss Musa Smith, who was put on injured reserve Sunday. Neither Lewis or Anderson has had the kind of explosion Smith showed this season.
There is no way all the guys The Sun mentioned this morning are going to make the Pro Bowl team. It's ridiculous to think that way. The guys I think should make it just on outstanding play alone are linebackers Bart Scott, Adalius Thomas, left offensive tackle Jonathan Ogden and either defensive end Terrell Suggs or end/tackle Trevor Pryce. Scott may not make it because he talks quite a lot which makes him unpopular among other players in the NFL, and Thomas may not make it because he plays so many positions.
DT Kelly Gregg deserves some recognition, but his lack of notoriety and pass rusher abilities might force him to become an alternate. Other alternate possibilities are TE Todd Heap and place kicker Matt Stover. Of course, linebacker Ray Lewis, cornerback Chris McAlister and safety Ed Reed might make the squad simply on name recognition even though McAlister is the only one of the three to play near a Pro Bowl level.
One thing I find interesting traveling around to other stadiums is that fans at M&T Bank Stadium will boo Kyle Boller, Jamal Lewis or even Brian Billick in the first half, but will turn up the intensity as far as cheering their team in the second. Kansas City fans booed their Chiefs in the first half Sunday and were really subdued in the second half. It was as if they had given up. Baltimore fans always seem to turn it up a notch, especially at the beginning of the second half. They don't care what the score is or what the hell happened in the first half. Everything starts all over again in the second.
Wide receiver Derrick Mason is listed as questionable for Sunday's game because of leg problems, but he'll be on the field against the Browns. After chatting with Mason for about 10 minutes Wednesday, he is ready to go and make that final push toward the playoffs. Actually, the Ravens came out of the Chiefs game reasonably healthy. And why not? The Chiefs didn't hit anybody.
There have been times this season when the Browns look like a real NFL team, but they are two or three years away. Their game Sunday against the Ravens looks like a real sleeper. If Derek Anderson starts at quarterback, this game might be over at halftime. Actually, it might be over after the flip of the coin. It's bad enough that the Browns are bad on their own, but this is the time of the season when the good teams really separate themselves from the inferior ones.
Ravens head coach Brian Billick took his team out to practice twice last week despite the cold and windy conditions. It's a good thing because these are the same exact conditions here in Kansas City today. Billick apparently learned his lesson from last season when he would practice inside to avoid poor conditions, whether it was too hot or too cold. Let's see, training camp was a little tougher than a year ago. Billick is communicating better with his players.
Hmmm....Who said old dogs can't learn new tricks?
It will be interesting to see how the Ravens hold up against the Chiefs' running game. In the past couple of seasons, the Ravens have wilted against powerful running teams late in the season. Not only do the Chiefs have running back Larry Johnson, but they also have three excellent interior linemen in guards Brian Waters, Will Shields and center Casey Wiegmann. The Ravens aren't that big up front, but they do run extremely well. It will be worth watching.
The Ravens really had no other choice than to have Mark Clayton return punts if they want to be serious contenders. The offense has improved in recent weeks, but not enough to give the Ravens the balance they need. Clayton could provide a spark for an offense that is limited because of its offensive line and running back situations. As we saw in Cincy, the Ravens, like most other teams, don't have the personnel to mount a lot of long drives. The offense has been helped in recent weeks by long punt returns and turnovers forced by the defense. The only question is what took Brian Billick so long to decide on Clayton. He should have become the returner against the Bengals once B.J. Sams was injured.
I have no problem with Ravens head coach Brian Billick beginning team drills and preparation for the Kansas City game on Wednesday. The Ravens needed the rest -- it sure looked that way last Thursday against the Bengals. I did have a problem with him giving the team days off before the Bengals game. The Ravens had just come off a big game against the Steelers, and they should have continued to work because they had extended layoff time after the Cincy game. Instead, there was no intensity. Meanwhile, the Bengals did the complete opposite and they were ready to play.
Ravens head coach Brian Billick has opened up the competition for the right guard position. Rookie Chris Chester would have been the starter Sunday against Kansas City if he had played well against the Bengals, but he struggled. The Ravens would have liked to have seen Chester succeed, especially the scouts and members of the pro personnel staff. Chester has potential, but the experience of a veteran like Keydrick Vincent helps at this point in the season. There isn't much different between the two, except Chester runs better and Vincent has more power. Both are liabilities in pass protection, but competition will bring out the best in both players.
The Ravens definitely needed the extra days off. They looked like a tired football team against the Bengals Thursday night. There is a concern that fatigue will be a major issue for the Ravens late in the season because they have quite a few veteran players. This team got tired early in the season and the bye helped them to re-energize. These couple of days now will help as well. It appears vital for the Ravens to get a first-round bye in the playoffs. They have not held up well after playing five or six games in a row.
Jamal Lewis had a couple of big runs against the Bengals, but he never got untracked. There weren't a lot of running lanes, but Lewis also missed some of them. He seems to be more effective running inside the tackles with quick hitters where he can get into the hole with his shoulder pads square. There is still some hesitation, and it's probably a combination of injuries over the years and a lack of confidence in his offensive line. Once he gets through the line of scrimmage, he is still a force and a bull to bring down. The Ravens really have no outside threat with Lewis.
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