Defensive coordinator Rex Ryan was in quite the good mood today after practice despite the prospect of trying to keep the New England Patriots’ top-ranked offense under wraps.

Ryan, who talks to the media once a week, began his session by answering team spokesman Kevin Byrne’s question of whether he was limping. “No, I’m pimpin’,” Ryan said without hesitation.

When asked if he relished the challenge of trying to contain a Patriots offense that averages more than 40 points a game, Ryan replied, “Not really,” before launching into a longer, more serious answer.

Ryan was then asked about having a defense that may be its healthiest (sans defensive end Trevor Pryce) since the season opener. “I know last night that Green Bay, they had to do without one of their corners and a pass rusher. Try doing it for nine weeks, and maybe I’ll feel a little sorrier for you.”

Finally, Ryan talked about tight end Benjamin Watson, who tends to get lost in the shuffle that is Randy Moss, Wes Welker and Donte Stallworth. “They’ve got another weapon there, don’t they? Yeah, but I think he only runs a 4.5, though. So we’re not as worried about him as we are the other ones.”

Posted by Edward Lee at 3:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

How the Ravens have fared on Monday night and against the New England Patriots:

--QB Kyle Boller has a quarterback rating of 97.2 in four Monday Night Football games. He has completed 57.6 percent of his throws for four touchdowns and one interceptions.

--WR Derrick Mason has the third-most receptions (76) on Monday Night Football among active receivers. In three games against New England, Mason has averaged five catches for 64.3 yards.

--TE Todd Heap has averaged 3.7 catches for 40.2 yards in seven Monday Night Football games. He has scored four touchdowns.

--K Matt Stover is 11-for-14 on field goals in eight games against New England.

--CB Samari Rolle has made five of his 28 career interceptions on Monday Night Football. He has two interceptions as a Raven on Monday Night Football.

Posted by Jack Gibbons at 12:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
                    

Center Mike Flynn said he has identified the mastermind behind the production of T-shirts bearing the words “The Mike Flynn Farewell Tour.”

The long-sleeved black T-shirts list every game and date this season, and the “MF” initials look eerily like the “VH” symbol for Van Halen, which – perhaps not coincidentally – is one of Flynn’s favorite bands. A shirt was hung in each player’s locker about two weeks ago.

“I know who did it, and that person knows that he did a bad deed,” said Flynn, who declined to name the culprit. “It was funny. The guys are funny. It was good for a joke and everything. Usually, when you dish it out, you’ve got to expect some punishment back. I accept my punishment. They got me, and the guy who I know did it, I give him a hard time, too. So I guess what goes around, comes around.”

Few players would discuss the shirts, much less venture a guess on the creative mind behind the project. Defensive tackle Justin Bannan said, “I think I know who made them, but I can’t tell you.”

Added fullback Justin Green: “I don’t know, but it’s a good-looking shirt. I’ll always take a free shirt.”

Posted by Edward Lee at 11:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

A transcript of Ravens quarterback Kyle Boller with the local media:

On the Patriots’ defense: “They’re a really good defense. They have a lot of name guys. I think they have some great corners. Obviously, the names speak for themselves. They got ‘AD’ [Adalius Thomas] now and he’s just a heck of an athlete. [I] was with him for four years, so I’m very familiar with him. But they’re a great defense.”

On if it helps knowing what Thomas likes to do on the field: “A little bit. I kind of miss his voice in the locker room, so I’m sure he’ll be talking out on the field. But he’s a great player, just a guy you’ve always got to be accountable for where he’s at. He can be on one side and next thing you know, he’s all the way on the other.”

On if he feels like he needs to go into the game with a shootout mentality: “Well, you can look at it that way. But the main thing is when we have the ball, we have to put together some really nice drives. The longer that we have the ball, we keep their offense off the field. So we’ve got to really just do a great job of just executing and converting on third down and keeping ourselves out of long third downs so that we can continue to put together some long drives.”

On if he feels like the Ravens need to play a perfect game: “Yeah, I mean, you’ve got to give them a lot of credit. They’ve played very, very well. The main thing is, we’re going to have to make some plays also. We’re going to have some opportunities, and we've got to have some guys make some great plays, have the ball bounce our way a couple times. That’s the main thing. We’ve got to go out there and just execute and, like I said, establish some really good drives. Get those six-, seven-minute drives and 10, 12 plays and ultimately put points up.”

On what he took from the Eagles game: “They had a lot of big plays. They brought some pressure against the Eagles and AJ [Feeley] did a good job of staying in there and giving his receivers a chance to make plays, and they did that. They were pretty aggressive, but like the tape showed, when they had the chances to make plays, they did that. That’s why it was a close game.”

On if he can ever remember playing a game as a 20-point underdog: “No, I can’t. As a player, you don’t really think about that. You just think about the task at hand: that’s playing a great football team. It’s an opportunity, it’s a challenge, and anytime you get a chance to step out on the football field, hopefully you can take advantage of that.”

On what makes Tom Brady as good as he is: “He’s just very fluid, very smooth. He really understands the offense and where he wants to go with the ball. He stands in there, can go through his reads. But he has that confidence. He’s been in big games and he’s played in a lot of games where he just has it down. He knows it inside-out, and I just continue to watch how smooth he plays.”

On if the Ravens view this as their Super Bowl: “Sure. Every Sunday [is] with where we’re at in our season right now. We have a great opportunity to go out there and play the best team in the NFL. So if you can’t get fired up for that and get ready for that, I don’t know what’s going to get you going. We have a great opportunity to go out there and play the Patriots, and hopefully come away with a win. Just go out there and compete and have fun.”

On playing on Monday night: “I love playing at night, for one, and then obviously, it’s always cool to play on Monday Night Football. I look forward to that, and just being out there with my guys.”

On if he can sense a mood change in the team this week: “Sure. I think, especially after last week and prior weeks, we’re just excited to get back out there. We want to get this thing going in the right direction. The Patriots happen to be the team that we play next. We know the type of team that we can be, and we’ve got to just go out there and continue to execute and just get that confidence going and get this thing going in the right direction, because we know that we can do that. So, I look forward to Monday night.”

Posted by Jamison Hensley at 9:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
                    

Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis did not answer questions about the Patriots game, saying he is too distraught over the passing of Redskins safety Sean Taylor. Although Lewis and Taylor never played together, both attended the University of Miami.

In his only comments to the media, Lewis said: "I understand the magnitude of this game with the Patriots coming in. But the bottom line is I was more than a friend to Sean Taylor. I was someone he definitely looked up to. It’s unfortunate that situations happen like this. But when they do happen, some things pull you away from everything else that everybody wants you to worry about. This right here is life and it doesn’t change. Once it’s gone, it’s gone. For me, as a man, there is a lot that I’m going through right now, that I have to ask God for my strength and my faith to keep pushing on through life and keep encouraging young men to do the right things here and there.

"To think of anything else really outside of trying find a way to really deal with my personal feelings would be very selfish of me to even try to comment on anything without trying to create something that I would be making up. As a man, I would ask for your guys' sympathy just to understand that it’s a very challenging time. Not just for me but for the University of Miami family. You don’t lose a 24-year-old kid with that much promise in life. It makes you take a step back. For me, it made me take a huge, huge step back to ask God: ‘What is it that you want me to do and stop being selfish about?’ If anything, the game is going to take care of itself. I’m just going to get through this week and hopefully help a lot of my teammates get through this week as well as a lot of Hurricane family and we’re just going to go from there."

Posted by Jamison Hensley at 3:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
                    

Maybe the Ravens should put some extra security around safety Ed Reed on Monday night.

On Wednesday, Patriots coach Bill Belichick couldn’t stop raving about Reed.

“Ed Reed is an awesome football player,” Belichick said. “To me, he’s one of the best football players in the league. He’s really, really good, as good as anybody I’ve ever seen.”

Asked about Belichick’s affection for Reed, New England quarterback Tom Brady joked that the coach was going to adopt Ed Reed.

“It’s going to be Ed Belichick,” Brady said.

On Thursday, a reporter asked Belichick about Brady’s comment and how he might even kidnap Reed onto the Patriots plane after the game.

“I think Tom’s stretching it a little bit there,” Belichick said. “We can’t do that. We can’t do that.”

Posted by Jamison Hensley at 3:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
                    

Bill Belichick will take his New England Patriots to M&T Bank Stadium Monday night to play the Ravens. His only previous trip there was for last spring's NCAA lacrosse Final Four.

"It was awesome being there last year, watching Hopkins win the national championship,'' Belichick said during his teleconference with reporters in Owings Mills. "That was a great experience. It's a lot different than the old Memorial Stadium.''

Belichick spent many nights there, too, growing up in Annapolis while his late father, Steve, coached at Navy.

"I don't need to tell you that Memorial Stadium will always hold a special place for me because that's where I did start,'' Belichick said, speaking of his coaching career that began with the Colts. "Even as a kid, going up to watch the Orioles and Colts play, when I was young. You kind of get weaned onto those two sports and that sticks with you for a lifetime."

And this trip?

"It will be good to come back, but on the other hand, it's really a business trip, and we're coming down there for one reason, and that's to try to play our best against the Ravens,'' Belichick said. "That will be a handful. We know that.''

Posted by Don Markus at 1:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
                    

Here is where the Ravens stack up in the NFL’s weekly rankings compiled by the league.

Total offense
This week: 24th (294.6 yards per game)
Last week: 23rd (303.1)

Rushing offense
This week: 19th (98.5 yards per game)
Last week: 18th (102.8)

Passing offense
This week: 21st (196.1 yards per game)
Last week: 21st (200.3)

First downs
This week: 20th (17.9 per game)
Last week: 22nd (17.8)

Third down offense
This week: 25th (59 of 161, 36.7 percent)
Last week: 25th (54 of 149, 36.2 percent)

Red zone offense
This week: 30th (11 of 30, 36.7 percent)
Last week: 32nd (9 of 28, 32.1 percent)

Points scored
This week: Tied for 25th (16.5 per game)
Last week: 26th (16.8)

Total defense
This week: 4th (291.4 yards per game)
Last week: 6th (287.3)

Rushing defense
This week: 3rd (77.9 yards per game)
Last week: 2nd (78.0)

Passing defense
This week: 15th (213.5 yards per game)
Last week: 13th (209.3)

First downs
This week: 2nd (15.0 per game)
Last week: 2nd (14.7)

Third down defense
This week: 6th (57 of 159, 35.8 percent)
Last week: Tied for 5th (50 of 144, 34.7 percent)

Red zone defense
This week: 1st (12 of 35, 34.3 percent)
Last week: 2nd (11 of 33, 33.3 percent)

Points allowed
This week: Tied for 15th (22.1 per game)
Last week: 14th (21.1)

Turnover differential
This week: 32nd (-11 on 17 takeaways and 28 giveaways)
Last week: Tied for 29th (-9 on 17 takeaways and 26 giveaways)

Posted by Edward Lee at 1:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
                    

What does the coach of a 4-7 team on a franchise-record five-game losing streak say to put a positive spin going into arguably the toughest game of the season Monday night against the unbeaten New England Patriots?

If you're Brian Billick, there's talking up Jonathan Ogden and not talking down anybody.

On whether Ogden is going to bounce back or continue to struggle, as appeared to be the case in trying to contain Shawne Merriman and other members of the San Diego Chargers Sunday:

"I think J.O. is playing well. Obviously it's taken a while to get into that rhythm, given that he's missed half the season. He's still one of the best tackles in the league, in my opinion. Where he's at physically ... you'd have to talk to J.O. about that. But he looks like he's playing pretty well to me. That was a stiff challenge the other day.''

On dealing with the disappointment:

"It's not a loss of confidence as much as it is a degree of frustration, and actually not even with the players. The instincts of every good coach that I've been around is, 'What can I do differently? They really do. They feel as though 'it's my fault,' the coach saying that. I feel the same way -- offense, defense, special teams, whatever. It's constantly, 'What did I not do this week that I could have done to prevent whatever happened, in terms of focus and practice and meetings, meetings with the coaches and bringing that extra degree of preparation?'''

That's about as close as Billick will come to taking the blame.

There was one piece of news to come out of today's news conference. Billick said that linebacker Jarret Johnson has a fractured thumb, and his status for Monday night's game against the Patriots is up in the air. Johnson got a lot of attention before the season as the only new starter on defense, and with Adalius Thomas coming to town with the Patriots, he would receive a lot more of the spotlight if he were healthy.

"If anybody can play with that kind of pain, it would be Jarret,'' Billick said. "Not too many guys are tougher. But obviously we have to see how the week progresses and see exactly what they can do with it.''

Thomas is talking with the Baltimore media on Wednesday.

Posted by Don Markus at 6:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
                    

Until Sunday night's 31-28 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles, the New England Patriots seemed to reside on a different planet than the rest of the NFL, and they were -- and still are -- light years removed from the Ravens. But Patriots coach Bill Belichick addressed some issues regarding the Ravens at his news conference today in Foxboro, Mass. Here are a couple of snippets from what Belichick said.

On whether he expects teams such as the Ravens to play the Patriots with similar schemes as the ones used by the Eagles:

"I don’t know, you’d have to talk to those teams. I don’t know what they’re going to do. All I know is what we’re going to try to do, and that’s prepare for Baltimore, study them, get to know them. It’s a team we haven’t played in awhile. Learn their personnel, learn their schemes and be ready to play down there Monday night. What they’re going to do, you’d have to talk to them.

On Belichick's apparent nonchalance about winning the division already:

"We’re happy to win. I said that last night. That’s one of our goals. We won it, and we’re happy that we won it. You’d certainly rather win it than not win it, you know? But right now that’s done. It’s over with, so we’re going to go play Baltimore. That’s the next step. That’s what we do next, so we’ll get ready for that and we’ll go do it."

On how he will look at the Ravens' 4-7 record and their five-game losing streak:

"Records don’t mean anything. Records don’t mean anything. The only thing that matters on Monday night is how well they play and how well we play. That’ll determine who wins that game. Not who won last week’s game or the week before or what anybody’s records were. You want to go back to the Miami game from ’04? We’re 12-1, they’re 2-11. The records don’t mean anything. The only thing that matters is how you play. And coach."

Posted by Don Markus at 4:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
                    

Looks like the youth movement is under way along the Ravens' offensive line. The team replaced 25-year-old Adam Terry at right tackle with 22-year-old Marshal Yanda at the start of today’s contest against the San Diego Chargers.

On Thursday, the team reported that Terry -- who had started four games each at left and right tackle this season -- had an ankle injury and listed him as probable for today’s game. Privately, however, there were grumblings that Yanda, a third-round pick in April’s NFL draft, had proven himself as a more capable right tackle than Terry.

I guess the only thing left to ponder is when Chris Chester will replace Mike Flynn at center and if the team will pull the trigger and replace cornerstone Jonathan Ogden with Terry at left tackle. Ogden, by the way, was beaten by Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman, who sacked and stripped quarterback Kyle Boller in the first half.

Other notes:

• Boller’s fixation with wide receiver Derrick Mason was bordering on ridiculous as eight of the quarterback’s first 10 passes were directed at Mason, the team’s leading receiver. But Boller’s last pass was pretty as he lofted a 23-yarder to Mason, who nestled himself into a pocket between the cornerback and safety along the right sideline at the Chargers' 1-yard line. Running back Willis McGahee scored his team-leading seventh touchdown a play later.

• It’s difficult to determine who was at fault on Antonio Gates’ 35-yard touchdown catch, but linebackers Jarret Johnson and Bart Scott appeared to be having an animated talk after the score. One of them probably was expecting the other to shadow Gates.

• I thought Ravens fans were fickle, but Chargers fans take the cake. After running back LaDainian Tomlinson took a handoff for a gain of zero yards, boos rained down from every area of Qualcomm Stadium. While that might sound innocuous, it was only the second play of the Chargers' possession. Unofficially, the fans have booed the offense seven times.

• The offense has been unable to capitalize on a couple of gift calls by the officials. Quentin Jammer’s supposed pass interference was a mystery since Jammer didn’t appear to touch wide receiver Devard Darling and Boller’s pass was uncatchable. Antonio Cromartie’s illegal contact of Mason had a little more merit, but there have been more egregious calls that have gone unwhistled. Both penalties, however, led to Sam Koch punts.

Posted by Edward Lee at 5:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
                    

It's hard to tell the Ravens and San Diego Chargers apart these days. Except for the fact that the 4-6 Ravens have eliminated themselves from realistic playoff contention and the 5-5 Chargers are fortunate to be playing in a terrible division, they are basically having the same nightmare season.

Compare what was said from both camps this week, and you get the idea that misery loves company. Here's a snippet of what was said, and what they really were thinking.

Norv Turner on the Ravens-Chargers matchup: “You’ve got two teams that have a lot of very good football players, who’ve had great success at different times. When you get teams like that together, it gets very, very competitive and very physical. I expect it to be a very hard-fought game.”

What he was thinking: "I'm glad I'm not the only coach with an underachieving team."

Brian Billick on whether former commissioner Pete Rozelle's vision of parity is evident with the way some teams on top -- the Chargers and Ravens being high up on the list -- have faltered: "You see it every year. It's kind of what makes our league exciting and different from year to year. It's more fun when you're on the flip side of it. In the old days, you were good for a long time. When you were bad, you were bad for a long time. It took a lot to dig your way out.''

What he was thinking: "I heard Home Depot had a sale on shovels.''

Turner on the Ravens’ run defense: “The Ravens are obviously one of the best run defenses in the league that you’re going to see. Statistically, that’s proven out. It’s a combination. A lot of teams, when you play them, they play the run well because they’ve got everyone loaded up in there. That’s not the case with Baltimore. They’re able to play the run with their front seven and still play coverage. That makes it that much more challenging.”

What he was thinking: "If I don't give the ball 40 times to LaDainian Tomlinson and wear those suckers out, fire me now.''

Kyle Boller on being able to get his second straight week of practice as the starting quarterback: "It's awesome to get the reps with the guys and the receivers, talking with your offensive line. So each week I think it becomes a little bit easier to kind of get back in that role.''

What he was thinking: "I'm running out of excuses for being so erratic.''

Philip Rivers on the Ravens being a dangerous team: “There’s no question. You almost have to blind yourself to the record in this league each week. We found that out. The team’s record doesn’t tell their capabilities, or how good they can be, or how good they are. This team was 4-2 a couple of weeks ago, and battling the North division right there at the top. They’ve gone on a little skid. Well, we were expected to be a lot more and we’re right here. Again, they’ve got the same players as – what’d they go last year, 13-3? We’ve got the same players that went 14-2, but for some reason, neither of us are getting the win and loss record we had hoped for. That’s why I said, you’re going to have two teams that are a little upset on Sunday, and really hungry for a win. It should be a heck of a game.”

What he was thinking: "They were 4-2?"

Posted by Don Markus at 11:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

Transcript of Ravens cornerback Samari Rolle with the Baltimore media (Rolle revealed Wednesday that the illness he has been struggling with this season is epilepsy):

On how he feels coming back to play: “I’m feeling very good, more so emotionally. I just want to thank everybody that knew I had epilepsy but didn’t come out and say anything about it and respecting me and my family. I appreciate that a great deal. The hardest part was going to games and [seeing] the fans. I heard all kinds of rumors about what I have. It’s just been hard on my wife and my family, and I’m just happy to be back playing.”

On why he decided to disclose his diagnosis of epilepsy now: “Because it’s under control now, that’s the main thing. Now I’m not scared. It happened right before the Arizona game – the first two seizures. I didn’t know if I could play, if I’d be all right or anything. And, then I got on the medicine and I played [against] St. Louis and Buffalo and I felt fine. But, emotionally, I practiced for Pittsburgh and that Friday morning I had another seizure. I [thought], ‘Man, what’s the problem.’ [Now] the medicine, everything is taken care of. You don’t realize how much you miss your teammates and Rex [Ryan] and D.T. [Dennis Thurman] and those guys – just missing it. This is what I love to do.”

On whether it crossed his mind he would never play football again: “Yes, it did. The first [seizure] was the scariest one because half my tongue was off and I drove to work and didn’t know I’d had a seizure. It was very scary. But, the organization has been very helpful. Coach Billick has done a great job never disclosing anything. Bill [Tessendorf] has sent me to the best doctors. I’m thankful that I was here.”

On what he has learned about epilepsy: “That you can help. There are a lot of people out there I plan on helping. And, you can do what you do. I thought at first I would never be able to play [again]. In my locker today, I walked in and [read] that [Pittsburgh’s] Alan Faneca has had epilepsy since he was 15. He’s probably the best guard in football. So, I feel very good. Knowing what I know now and with the way last year was for me, I’m not ending my career like that. That’s what I’m most proud of.”

On his excitement to get back on the field: “Very excited. The season hasn’t gone how we wanted it and most people are asking, ‘Why are you coming back, you’re 4-6?’ But, these are my teammates and I love playing and it’s time to come back. I can play, I can continue to play and I will do so as long as I’m healthy.”

On what the support of the Ravens’ organization and his teammates has meant to him this season: “[It’s meant] that you’re more than a football player to the organization. You’re an individual and you’re a person, first and foremost. They did everything they could. They told me I didn’t even have to come back and play if I didn’t want to, and I really appreciated that. It’s just time to turn things around.”

On what he would like his role to be in promoting epilepsy awareness: “Anything is possible. The people from my foundation right now are finding people we can contact just to get something going and let those people know it doesn’t stop you. It sucks not being able to drive right now, but besides that everything’s good.”

On describing the physical symptoms of a seizure: “You don’t remember the seizure. All I remember is with the few I’ve had my tongue has been cut and I had terrible headaches after. People said I had memory loss. The problem was I couldn’t play because the medicine was the wrong medicine [for me]. Once I got that out of my system, everything’s good. I know I can play because I played [against] St. Louis and Buffalo on the medicine, so I’m ready to go.”

On whether his energy level is still 100 percent: “I think so. We’ll see Sunday.”

On whether he remembers experiencing smaller seizures in the past before this year: “I was having minor ones and didn’t even know it at the time. [For] about two, two and a half, years, I was having minor seizures and didn’t know it. So, I’m glad that the Ravens took care of it as soon as they found it and I’m still here.”

On how difficult it was for him to keep his illness private with all the speculation in the media: “That was [hard]. I really appreciate you all that knew [and were] not disclosing it. That meant a lot to me and my family.”

On the challenge of finding the proper medication that would leave him seizure-free and also allow him to play: “It was very hard. For two weeks, the first time, I couldn’t do anything because they didn’t know about the medicine. I was scared before the St. Louis game because I didn’t know the [side] effects; I didn’t know how I’d do or anything. Emotionally, I was more hurt before the Pittsburgh game because I’d done everything to get back and thought I was there and then I had another seizure and [the doctors told me] you’re not playing until we get it figured out. Now, I’m just happy to be normal again and to be a part of the team like everyone else.”

Posted by Jamison Hensley at 9:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
                    

--QB Kyle Boller has played San Diego just once, which came during his 2003 rookie season. He completed 12 of 21 passes for 98 yards and a touchdown.

--WR Derrick Mason has averaged 5.6 receptions for 49.6 yards in three games against San Diego. He has scored one touchdown against the Chargers.

--TE Todd Heap has averaged 4.5 catches for 55 yards in two games against the Chargers. He has scored a touchdown in each of those games.

--K Matt Stover has averaged 1.5 field goals in eight meetings with the Chargers. He is perfect on all 12 field goals against San Diego.

--LB Ray Lewis has averaged 16 tackles in five games against the Chargers. He also has knocked down three passes against San Diego.

Posted by Jamison Hensley at 9:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
                    

Here is where the Ravens stack up in the NFL’s weekly rankings compiled by the league.

Total offense
This week: 23rd (303.1 yards per game)
Last week: 23rd (295.9)

Rushing offense
This week: 18th (102.8 yards per game)
Last week: 19th (100.0)

Passing offense
This week: 21st (200.3 yards per game)
Last week: 21st (195.9)

First downs
This week: 22nd (17.8 per game)
Last week: 23rd (17.2)

Third down offense
This week: 25th (54 of 149, 36.2 percent)
Last week: 24th (52 of 137, 38.0 percent)

Red zone offense
This week: 32nd (9 of 28, 32.1 percent)
Last week: 31st (8 of 25, 32.0 percent)

Points scored
This week: 26th (16.8 per game)
Last week: 28th (15.3)

Total defense
This week: 6th (287.3 yards per game)
Last week: 5th (277.0)

Rushing defense
This week: 2nd (78.0 yards per game)
Last week: 2nd (73.7)

Passing defense
This week: 13th (209.3 yards per game)
Last week: 12th (203.3)

First downs
This week: 2nd (14.7 per game)
Last week: 2nd (13.9)

Third down defense
This week: Tied for 5th (50 of 144, 34.7 percent)
Last week: 5th (45 of 129, 34.9 percent)

Red zone defense
This week: 2nd (11 of 33, 33.3 percent)
Last week: 2nd (9 of 27, 33.3 percent)

Points allowed
This week: 14th (21.1 per game)
Last week: 11th (19.8)

Turnover differential
This week: Tied for 29th (-9 on 17 take-aways and 26 give-aways)
Last week: Tied for 24th (-7 on 15 take-aways and 22 give-aways)

Posted by Edward Lee at 11:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
                    

Perhaps the most telling moment of the Ray Lewis Show tonight occurred when a caller asked the eight-time Pro Bowl linebacker to comment on coach Brian Billick’s decision to call two passing plays when the offense needed just one yard to get a first down on its final drive of the game -- which also would have taken more time off the clock.

Before Lewis could speak, co-host Anita Marks threw out a block that Jonathan Ogden might have been proud of.

“I’m going to have Ray Lewis plead the Fifth here because we don’t need his comments all over SportsCenter, all over NFL Live, all over the NFL Network,” Marks interceded. “We’ve been here, we’ve been down this path again. Déjà vu. Got the free T-shirt. We don’t need it again. Second-and-one, third-and-one, you’d hope by now that Brian would at least run the ball once. He didn’t. I’ll say it. I don’t think they’ll put my comments on SportsCenter and the NFL Network.”

Earlier, Lewis protested the way officials reversed their initial ruling on Cleveland Browns kicker Phil Dawson’s game-tying field goal at the end of regulation.

“I know officials make mistakes – don’t get me wrong – but I’ve never seen a mistake made and then the final score of the game … it said final score. That means it’s final. So if a mistake was made, that’s like going back and trying to re-correct every other play that was ever made. You made a mistake, and I just think it was bad to have it like that. The game is over, and everybody has run off the field and then you come back and on a play that was not reviewable. I don’t know if a lot of people know that, but a field goal is not reviewable. So for them to come back and change that, wow.”

Later, Lewis expressed his pride with the team’s character.

“When you’re in that game the way you’re in that game and with all of the things that went down, I think the greatest thing you come out of there with is a pat on your young guys’ backs, especially [quarterback] Kyle [Boller] and especially [wide receiver Devard] Darling, and saying, ‘You know what? The next man stepped up no matter what. No matter our record, we went out there and we played yesterday.’ I’m proud of my team. I’m not proud of what happened in the outcome.”

Posted by Edward Lee at 10:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (15)
                    

Selected quotes from Ravens coach Brian Billick's Monday news conference.

On injuries:

"The biggest concern right now is Trevor Pryce. They are doing all the imaging right now to find out. It’s a pectoral muscle, (either) strained (or) torn. We’ll find out. The prognosis right now isn’t very good. Outside of that we’re in pretty decent shape."

On the field goal by Cleveland’s Phil Dawson at the end of regulation that was initially ruled no good:

“I think it’s prudent the processes we go through in the NFL are in effect. We’ll lodge the normal concerns we have, not only with the way the end of game was administered, but a couple of calls leading up to that and let the appropriate people handle it. For us, it’s a matter of moving on. [It was] very disappointing, surely as unique a circumstance that I have ever been a part of. There’s nothing I can add in terms of what they did, what did they see, what actually happened, what should have been done. I’ll let the officials communicate that as I’m sure they will.”

On whether any realistic chance of the playoffs have disappeared for the 4-6 Ravens:

“It’s gotten away only in a sense that we’re certainly not where we want to be. You hold on to whatever competitive perspective you choose, individually and collectively, you’ve got to take the mentality that we’ll run the table with six wins. You have to do that. Unrealistic? Sure, like any team, but you have to take that attitude. Then you find out after San Diego where we are after that.’’

On the offense in the second half:

“We have to look at the things we did in the second half, whether by circumstances or by how we chose to attack it. We did some awfully good things. Some subtle things we did in the second half that we did in the first half, which are encouraging. And that’s what we’re going to have to look at. The things that Kyle (Boller) did well, and we have to enhance on that. Willis (McGahee) ran very, very well. Certain styles of things Willis continues to do very, very well and we’ve got to tap into."

On whether the Ravens were emotionally ready to play overtime after thinking they had won in regulation:

“They had to be. When you’ve lost, supposedly, and now you’re given a chance to say, ‘You got a shot’ That’s a wholly different mindset than (when) you’ve won -- ‘Oh no, no, no, we’ve got to do it again.’ Now that can’t be an excuse. They’ve got to be able to go back on the field and perform as well. They deserve the credit they get for winning the game. There’s a huge difference between the mindset. In all the years I’ve done this, we’ve talked in training camp (about) preparing your team for the inevitable things that happen: the loss of a key player, the rash of injuries, the change at the quarterback position, the losing streak, the winning streak, all those things you cover in training camp. I was remiss in covering what we do when we’ve won a game, go in the locker room and are told to come back out and play again. That’s not one scenario I’ve covered. I don’t know if I had them adequately prepared for that.’’

On not running the clock down past 26 seconds before allowing Matt Stover to kick the go-ahead field goal:

“We were on the 30 on a cold damp night, we have a lot of faith in Matt Stover. We were trying to get the yardage and we had a little out route that kind of got away from us. Had we completed that, the idea was by the nature of the route, if caught, would have bought us another five, six, seven yards and gotten out of bounds and allowed us another call if we chose to. Didn’t turn out that way and fortunately Matt came in and hit it. You’ve got to hope that you can cover kicks well enough and make that a longer field that it doesn’t allow a team to come back. Obviously we didn’t get that done.’’

Posted by Don Markus at 4:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
                    

Late in the game, the Ravens faced a third-and-one at the Browns' 29, I believe, with 34 seconds remaining. Of course, Kyle Boller threw that ugly incomplete pass in the left flat. If the Ravens had run the ball, they might have gotten the first down. If not, then they let the clock run down and send Matt Stover out to kick the game-winning field goal.

Cleveland had timeouts remaining, and they could have used one, but you want to force the Browns to use one. It's all part of the strategy. Instead, Cleveland got the ball back with 26 seconds left in regulation and the Browns went down to tie the game in regulation, and then win it in overtime.

There have been three games the Ravens could have won this season but lost because of poor clock management or play-calling. The other two were the games against Cincinnati (Sept. 10) and Buffalo.

Posted by Mike Preston at 3:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)