If you're stopping by here and wondering why there is nothing new up on the blog anymore, it's because this isn't the blog anymore. The Schmuck Stops Here has moved to a diffferent web address, so you have to go to your favorites menu -- if that's where you clicked on this site -- and delete the link. Then go here:

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/schmuck-blog/

Then click on Add to Favorites. It'll be nice to have you back.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Just baseball, Just football, News of the day, Schmuck being Schmuck, Shameless plug
        

The San Francisco 49ers and New Orleans Saints just put on a show for the ages. The Saints rallied from a mistake-riddled first half and an early 17-point deficit to take the lead late in the fourth quarter, and then the two teams traded lightning touchdown drives until the 49ers won the game on a terrific throw and catch from Alex Smith to former Maryland star Vernon Davis with nine seconds left.

Simply amazing. The two teams scored four touchdowns in the final four minutes, and it looked like the Saints were going to pull it out when Drew Brees hit Jimmy Graham for 66 yards and his second touchdown of the game with 1:48 to go. But Smith connected with Davis for 47 yards to get into field goal range and then took one shot for the win.

Don't know about you, but it was one of the greatest playoff games I've ever seen and I've seen a lot of them. I'd like to think the Patriots/Broncos game tonight will deliver some drama, but it doesn't look like it's shaping up that way.

Oh well, the Ravens probably will have to go through Foxboro to get to Indianapolis, but they've beaten the Pats there in in the playoffs before.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 8:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Just football
        

Everybody -- including me -- wanted the Ravens to play the Texans this Sunday in the first home playoff game of the John Harbaugh era, but if you think that this is a walkover matchup for the Ravens, think again.

The Texans have a lot going for them, including -- not except for -- rookie quarterback T.J. Yates. While everybody has been swooning over Tim Tebow the last few weeks, Houston's third-string quarterback has held things together and kept the Texans on track for an upper-half seed in the postseason.

He looked pretty good against the Bengals and he's got Arian Foster to keep the pressure off him. The Texans could jump up and bite the Ravens in the tail-feather area if Joe Flacco spends too much time going downfield on third and short and wastes a bunch of possessions.

Don't misunderstand. Given the choice among the available opponents going into this past weekend, I chose the Texans, but only because I never imagined that Tebow and the Broncos ewould be available. Certainly, I'd rather have Denver coming here and the Patriots playing the Bengals, but the planets are only going to line up so much and then it's up to the Ravens to just win.

Will they? I would think so. They're 8-0 at home this year and Harbaugh is undefeated after his four regular-season bye weeks. They beat the Texans by 15 points at home earlier this season, and that was when Matt Schaub was healthy. Yes, they should win, but that doesn't mean they will, so let's hold the Tom Brady talk until after the game.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)
Categories: Just football
        

My gut tells me that the Cincinnati Bengals can take the Texans on the road this weekend, but I think it would help the Ravens' chances of reaching the Super Bowl if Houston was the first team to visit M&T Bank Stadium for a playoff game during the John Harbaugh era.

That's open to debate, of course. The Steelers likely will show up here if the Bengals win, and I know a lot of fans think this would be a great time to catch them. The Steelers are very banged up and will be playing with a gimpy Ben Roethlisberger and without Rashard Mendenhall, so they might not even get past the Broncos. If they do, however, I'd like to see them face the Patriots and give both of those teams a chance to punch themselves out before the AFC championship game.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 1:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Just football
        

It's almost hard to believe that the 2011 regular season has come down to this, since there were several seemingly golden opportunities for the Ravens to lock up a high playoff seed a lot earlier.

No use crying about it. The Ravens have not played well on the road and need a victory over the Bengals on Sunday to finish with a .500 record away from M&T Bank Stadium. That will be no small feat with all the issues that John Harbaugh and the Ravens staff have had to deal with the past week or two, but I do believe the Ravens are the better team, so I'm still picking them to win.

The case can be made that the Bengals have more to play for, but I'm not buying that. Obviously, the Bengals want to get to the playoffs, but they aren't a real Super Bowl contender. If they get in, they'll have to win three straight playoff games on the road, which is asking way too much of a team that hasn't beaten anybody of consequence this year.

The Ravens could face the same fate if they don't beat the Bengals, but they are an experienced playoff team that has beaten a lot of good teams on the road in the regular and postseason over the past four seasons.

If the Ravens win, however, they will be in position for a very strong Super Bowl bid. I think that should give them the edge in the motivation department.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 1:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Just football
        

Clearly, no one is feeling terribly apprehensive about today's game against the Cleveland Browns, who will be starting Seneca Wallace at quarterback and playing for absolutely nothing on a day they'd rather be home with their families.

This ought to be an episode of "Fear Factor" for them, because the Ravens are still smarting from last week's embarrassing loss to the San Diego Chargers and are going to be very motivated to put on a big offensive and defensive show.

The spread on this game is almost two touchdowns and it's still pretty attractive. I'll be very surprised if the Browns score a touchdown today. I won't be surprised if they don't score at all. The only way this is a game is if the Ravens get into the egg nog too early.

So, go ahead, enjoy this Christmas treat, because the angst will return in earnest on Monday when the Ravens start preparing to play the Bengals in Cincinnati in the final game of the regular season. That's no gimme, and it might just determine whether the Ravens have a real chance to reach the Super Bowl.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 8:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Just football
        

It was a sloppy game that featured five turnovers (by both teams) and an off-side penalty on Army that iced the game for the Midshipman, but in this rivalry, a win is a win. The Midshipman took advantage of those mistakes and two late field goals by kicker Jon Teague to defeat the Black Knights for the 10th consecutive time.

What a finish for Teague, who had suffered through a very frustrating season that featured more special teams breakdowns and blocked kicks than he'd prefer to remember. I'll be weighing in on his big day in my column for the Web site and the Sunday print edition.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 5:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Just football
        

Army's Black Knights appeared to be falling out of the 112th Army-Navy Game in the second quarter, but they rallied for two touchdowns to tie the game at 14-14 going into intermission. The Midshipmen have answered back at the start of the second half, taking advantage of a 48-yard kickoff return by Alexander Teich to score on their first possession.

Kriss Proctor went in from two yards out for his second touchdown of the game to give Navy a 21-14 lead, but this game seems to be building up to an exciting finish. Army quarterback Trent Steelman just threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Malcolm Brown to tie the game.

That was just the second completed pass of the game.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 4:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Just football
        

Navy quarterback Kriss Proctor just scored on a keeper play to get the Mids on the scoreboard first. It took most of the first quarter for anyone to score, because Navy fumbled the ball deep in Army territory to end a sustained drive. The Black Knights returned the favor a few minutes later and Navy pounded the ball in with about a minute left in the quarter.

Meanwhile, President Barack Obama made an appearance in the CBS broadcast booth. Obama is spending the first half of the game on the Navy side of the field. He will switch to the Army side at halftime.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 3:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Just football
        

Even though this is the 112th edition of the Army-Navy Game, it's hard not to get pumped up about it when you witness the pageantry -- from the morning march on by the Corps of Cadets and Brigade of Midshipmen to the moment when the President of the United States marches to the middle of the field to toss the coin.

For the record, Army called "tails" and it was tails. Navy, wearing blue jerseys and white helmets decorated with a gold anchor, kicked off.

President Obama and Vice President Joseph Biden were joined on the field by Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and other Washington dignitaries. No doubt, the Cadets and Mids were eager for the game to begin, since they have been in their seats in the 36-degree cold.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 2:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Just football
        

On a personal level, I think it's great that there's an NFL game on Thursday night's during the second half of the regular season. I'm a big football fan and really haven't gotten excited about Thursday night primetime since George Clooney left "ER," so it works for me even if it apparently doesn't work very well on either a commercial or competitive level.

Sure, the Thanksgiving night game was great because it was a terrific matchup between the Ravens and 49ers, but the idea of certain teams being taken out of their regular routines in the heat of a playoff race just doesn't seem right. Throw in that a lot of the games aren't very good -- because you've got teams working on short prep weeks -- and you can make a pretty good case that it damages the integrity of the overall competition.

This year, in particular, the difference between the offensive performances of Thursday night teams vs. teams playing on Sunday or Monday is stark, particularly in the first half of those games. The first five games played on Thursday (not counting Opening Night) have featured an average of 11.6 total points in the first half, which is about half the first-half average (22.0) for teams playing on Sunday over the course of Weeks 2 through 11.

Obviously, I left out the opening Thursday game and the first slate of Sunday games, since I'm making a point about the short rest, which wouldn't apply in those cases.

That's a pretty dramatic difference. You can give some credit to the solid defensive performance of the Ravens and Packers on Thanksgiving Day, but it's pretty clear that teams playing on three days rest are a little slower off the ball. The 49ers and Lions are two of the highest-scoring teams in the NFL, and they combined for three points in the first two quarters on Thursday.

True, it's a small sample, and the first-half performance of teams last year was much closer to the overall average, but I'm wondering if the whole NFL Network thing is worth the trouble, especially when the league is having trouble selling the commercial spots for those games. If that wasn't the case, I don't think you'd get to see that "Top Five Plays" promo every 10 minutes throughout the broadcast.

I like my highlights at halftime, thank you.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)
Categories: Just football
        

If you've been reading my column, you know that no one has harped more about the Ravens' problems against struggling teams more than I have, but I'm going to go out on a limb and predict that it won't be a problem any more.

Here's why: The Ravens suffered their apparent letdowns at a point in the season when they were going back and forth between high-intensity games against really good teams (and winning most of them convincingly) and seemingly less-significant games against teams that they were expected to beat. It's on them that they didn't beat some of those teams, because they'd be sitting pretty in the AFC home-field derby right now if they had won even one of the three games they lost, but the past is the past.

The difference now is multi-fold:

1. The Ravens will have plenty of time to moderate their emotions after their uplifting Thursday night victory over the 49ers. Ten days between games is almost like coming off a bye week, which will help the Ravens get healthy and mentally refreshed.

2. There are no more of those super-intensity games until the season finale against the Bengals on the road, and who knows if that one will still be significant. If the Ravens take care of business in Cleveland, that will be the end of the emotional roller coaster. They'll just need to remain on an even keel to get through the games they are supposed to win.

3. There can be no doubt in any corner of the lockerroom that the Ravens have no margin for error the rest of the way if they want to be playing home games in the postseason. Every game is a must-win game, and the Ravens have won every game they've felt that way about this year.

Been wrong before, of course, but I can't see the Browns making a dent in the Ravens defense this weekend. The key for the Ravens is pretty simple. Don't turn the ball over and the rest will take care of itself.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 12:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Just football
        

If you haven't already, you can check out my take on the Harbaugh hype surrounding Thursday night's game between the Ravens and 49ers right here. If you're still reading, here are a few more thoughts on the game.

I'm picking the Ravens, because I think AFC teams are generally better than NFC teams (except the Packers, of course) and because every intangible involved in this game seems to be working in favor of the Ravens.

They might be harried by the compressed work week, but what they are going through is nothing compared to the Niners, who have one less day because they have to fly coast-to-coast in the wrong direction and will have to deal with jet lag for the second time in three weeks.

The last time I looked, the Ravens were listed as a 3 1/2-point favorite, which sounds about right. The oddsmakers are basically saying that home-field advantage will be the deciding factor, but I'm not convinced these are equivalent teams in spite of the 49ers' glitzy 9-1 record. The Ravens have the better defense and have played a tougher schedule, which is a good thing considering how they have played this year against their lesser opponents.

My prediction: Ravens 27, 49ers 16.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 5:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Just football
        

If you want my take on the Ray Lewis injury situation, I'll have a column posted on the Web site a little later today, but I still had more to say when I ran out of room in tomorrow's paper, so here goes.

I'm going against the odds and the experts in guessing that Ray will show up on the field tomorrow. If you're able to read between the lines of the John Harbaugh quotes that have been published or blogged, it certainly sounds like Ray will be inactive, but we're talking about Ray Lewis and he may have something to say about that on Sunday morning.

Whether he should play is another matter, and a complicated one. He clearly is the spiritual and motivational leader of the team, but that didn't count for all that much last week against the Seattle Seahawks. I don't know when exactly he suffered the toe injury, but he didn't look very mobile and the Seahawks took advantage of that on at least one key play late in the game.

Everybody loves the Ray-Ray intro dance and everybody puts a lot of stock in Ray's pre-game Sunday-cone-to-meeting speech to his teammates, but we've come to a point in this strange season when you have to ask whether it is making any difference. Ray has made that speech three times before games in which the Ravens didn't look particularly imspired against lesser opponents, so there's room to wonder if the message is still getting through.

However, his contribution on the field -- when healthy -- is without question. Even at 36, he leads the Ravens in tackles and (like Cal Ripken in his later years) is able to make up for whatever physical ability he has lost to age with his terrific instincts and vast knowledge of defensive football.

I'm guessing he'll thumb his nose at Father Time for at least one more season, but it's hard to speculate on what he'll be able to over the next few weeks. We'll obviously have a better idea tomorrow.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 12:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Just football
        

If anyone can figure out why the Ravens haven't showed up for three very winnable games that could have helped them put a stranglehold on home-field advantage for the playoffs, please write. John Harbaugh has tried to chalk it up to bad execution (which is certainly part of it), but we've reached the point where it's fair to connect the dots and wonder why his team seems to let down whenever there's an opportunity to put some frosting on the cake.

I'll be back in town today after a fairly lengthy trip west, which included a visit to the West Wing, the Ravens hangout in Hollywood that we featured on a WBAL program last season. The gang was all there, including several people I recognized from home and several people who recognized me.

Former Ravens.com guy Mike Duffy was in the house. He's working in the music business now. Also spent some time watching the game with Connor Byrne, the son of Ravens vice president Kevin Byrne. Except for the outcome, Mrs. Lincoln, it was a great experience and I'm looking forward to going back the next time I'm on the West Coast on an NFL Sunday. Here's a photo of the group taken before the stark realization that the Ravens were about to make another bad team look good.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 3:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)
Categories: Just football
        

Let's not get too up or too down about Sunday's squeaky Ravens victory over the Arizona Cardinals. The first half was awful and the second half was fairly impressive, under the circumstances, but none of it applies to Sunday's game against the rival Steelers.

The one thing that's really disconcerting is that the Ravens' offensive struggles of last Monday night carried right through two more quarters yesterday. Not because it reflects a poor offensive scheme, but because the club's halftime epiphany -- articulated by just about everyone after the game -- was necessary after what happened against the Jaguars.

That's why I cling to the belief that the issue is more a matter of mental preparation on the offensive side of the ball, even if everyone at The Castle scoffs at the notion. And that's why I think you'll see a much different team in the Steelers game, which contains no aspect that would allow anyone to let down or lose focus in any way.

The Steelers may win the game, but I'm guessing you'll see a Ravens offense that knows exactly what it wants to do and executes better than it has the past two weeks, even though it will be facing one of the best defensive units in the league.

Sound crazy? Welcome to the NFL.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 9:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Just football
        

For the record, I think the Ravens will cruise to victory today over the Arizona Cardinals, but they will be swimming against a red tide this week. Just look at what has happened over the past 48 hours:

The St. Louis Cardinals staged a pair of amazing comebacks in Game 6 of the World Series and went on to win Game 7 on Friday night.

The Stanford Cardinal needed a last-gasp comeback in regulation and three overtimes to to defeat Southern California at the Los Angeles Coliseum and remain undefeated.

And, the Louisville Cardinals scored a 27-10 victory over Syracuse on Saturday in a Big East showdown that ended a four-game road winning streak for the Orange.

Hmmmm.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Just football
        

Oh, what a night. The Monday Night Football crew spent the pregame show trying to decide if the Ravens were the best team in the AFC or a flawed offensive unit in need of more spark from quarterback Joe Flacco. Unfortunately, the Ravens and Flacco weighed in on the wrong side of that argument.

Head coach John Harbaugh will try to explain what happened at his second-day news briefing this afternoon. He'll have had time to look at the film and break down what broke down. I'm guessing everything.

Let us count the ways. Ray Rice couldn't hold onto the ball. Flacco couldn't find any receivers -- though I'm pretty sure the Ravens have some. Brendan Ayanbadejo got thrown out of the game for swinging at Jacksonville tackle Guy Whimper. He was provoked, but it was right after the Ravens stopped the Jags on third down at the 7 yardline, so you've got to show some poise there.

There was a point in the game when Flacco had a pass knocked back to him and caught it, which gave him more receptions than the Ravens had first downs in the first half. Billy Cundiff missed his only field goal attempt, which was a very tough try but might have changed the game if he had made it.

The thing that has me scratching my head the most, however, is the fact that Rice had just eight carries in the game. He clearly was in the penalty box for a series after his second fumble, and the offense steered away from him the rest of the way, which is a curious thing to do to your go-to guy. By contrast, Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew fumbled three or four times (depending on whether you count the one that didn't count), but the Jags just kept riding him all the way to a 105-yard evening.

Still, I'm going to ignore the handful of comments here from anguished fans insisting the Ravens will never win with Harbaugh and Flacco. Get a grip. The Ravens are 4-2 and have hammered the Steelers, Jets and Texans.

Clearly, their problem right now is getting mentally prepared to play mediocre teams, something they had better figure out since there are a lot of them remaining on their schedule.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)
Categories: Just football
        

When the Ravens stumbled against Tennessee, it was almost understandable, but what is happening in Jacksonville is -- quite frankly -- an embarrassment. They've delivered one of the worst offensive performances in the history of the team and they've made every mistake known to a football team to get in position for a very damaging and discouraging defeat.

There have been some strange plays -- including a terrible personal foul call on Bernard Pollard -- but there will be no excuses after this one. The Ravens stunk it up for 55 minutes and will have a lot of soul searching to do this week.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Just football
        

Seemed like everybody on the ESPN pregame show was talking about what Joe Flacco needs to do to become a great quarterback. I'm not saying he's Aaron Rodgers, but what does the guy have to do to get some national respect.

Flacco has taken the Ravens into the playoffs all three of his previous seasons. He took them to the AFC title game as a rookie. He has won four playoff games on the road. He has won more road games than any other NFL quarterback over the past three-plus years. In other words, he just wins.

There have been some times when it hasn't been pretty, but the end justifies the means. Just ask everybody gushing about Tim Tebow after yesterday's game in which he played terrible until the last few minutes of regulation.

Instant update: So far, Flacco isn't exactly lighting it up. The Ravens are 12 minutes into the first quarter and still don't have a first down.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 8:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Just football
        

If you think the Ravens are going to run over the Houston Texans today at M&T Bank Stadium, you're probably going to be disappointed. And, if you think Joe Flacco is going to throw for 400 yards to make everyone forget his unimpressive performance against the Jets two weeks ago, you've also got another thing coming. At least that's my pregame opinion.

I'm betting the Ravens focus on one thing coming off the bye week against a quality team that will be playing without two of it's very best players. They will focus on execution and balance to assure that they don't get ambushed like they did against the Titans a few weeks ago.

Look for them to open with a nicely scripted drive that includes a little bit of everything. Look for them to press the run harder if it's there in the first half. Look for Flacco to work the middle a little more and go downfield a little less, because the Ravens need to move the ball consistently and -- their great defense not withstanding -- they will need to put 20-plus point on the board to win.

The reason I believe they won't try to establish a quick-strike offense should be pretty obvoius. Cam Cameron will be looking to get Flacco back into a good rhythm and head coach John Harbaugh will be looking to manage the game in a way that reduces the possibility of Texans quarterback Matt Schaub getting on a roll. Remember, the Ravens have some soft spots right now, too, but I don't see this as a nail-biter.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Just football
        

Seems like only yesterday that we were awaiting the return of receiver Derrick Mason to M&T Bank Stadium for the game between the Ravens and the Jets. Now, it looks like Mason will play in consecutive games at M&T -- consecutive for us, not him.

Mason reportedly has been traded to the Houston Texans to fill the void left when top receiver Andre Johnson went down with a severe hamstring injury. It's a little surprising that the Jets were so quick to get rid of him, though he probably ruffled some feathers when he complained publicly about the Jets offensive issues.

It looks like a good move for Mason. The Jets were considered a Super Bowl contender when he signed with them, but their postseason hopes hit a rough patch with a string of losses to the Raiders, Ravens and Patriots. The Texans are in better shape in the standings (3-2), but their nice start has been stunted by the loss of Johnson and a season-ending injury to defensive star Mario Willliams.

Still, the Texans remain in decent position to reach the playoffs from the AFC South with the Colts in crisis and a remaining schedule that is not particularly challenging. Mason will certainly help add some continuity to Matt Schaub's passing attack and help the Texans battle with the Tennessee Titans for divisional supremacy.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Just football
        

Still trying to digest what happened to the Maryland Terrapins this afternoon. New coach Randy Edsall said that his team lacked intensity and will, so I'll have to take him at his word. The Terps also lacked just about everything else it takes to win a game against a decent team -- and Temple has become a very decent team over the past few seasons.

If you're interested in my take on the situation, why don't you click here and read my column off the game.

Now I've got to rest up for the Ravens game tomorrow by watching the season premier of Saturday Night Live with Alec Baldwin, who -- I have to admit -- I'm glad didn't keep his promise and move out of the country after George W. Bush was elected to a second term.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Just football
        

These aren't your father's Temple Owls, but nobody expected them to come into Byrd Stadium and score four touchdowns before the Terps had four first downs. Temple had a 28-0 lead with nine minutes to go in the first half, then added a special insult when the Owls stopped the Terps on fourth and short at Temple's 10 yard line.

It has been a team collapse, featuring a sporadic offensive attack, a porous defense and a pair of special teams breakdowns. Other than that, everything is going great.

If you're hoping for a comeback like the one the Terps almost pulled off against West Virginia, don't hold your breath. Temple may not be a Top 25 team, but the Owls can pound the ball in the second half and eat up the clock if the Terps offense finally wakes up.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 1:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Just football
        

Everybody and his brother is calling what happened to the Ravens on Sunday a "letdown," which probably seems like an obvious conclusion to reach when you compare their performance with the one that had people crowning them Super Bowl champs after the Pittsburgh game last week.

If the fact that they didn't play anywhere near as well as they did against the Steelers constitutes a letdown, then who can argue? But if you give a little credit to the Titans coaching staff for completely disrupting the newlook Ravens offense and you give Matt Hasselbeck a little love for the way he picked apart the Ravens secondary and somehow neutralized the Ravens rush, then it's more of a beatdown than a letdown.

The Ravens did not rise to the emotional level of the Steelers game because it would have been impossible to replicate the intensity of their home opener against their chief division rival for a road game against a far less talented team. That's not an excuse -- they should have been able to beat the Titans anyway -- but it is a fact that should quell any talk of some motivational deficiency.

That doesn't mean it wasn't a shocking loss in the aftermath of such a satisfying and lopsided victory over the Steelers. It just means that anybody can be beaten by a team that executes its gameplan better.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 12:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Just football
        

The Ravens said all the right things after they thoroughly spanked the Pittsburgh Steelers. They said that it's only one game and they've got 15 more. (True) They said the Steelers are a great team and they will be back.(True) They said they still have a lot of things they can improve on going into their first road game at Tennessee. (True).

Nobody wanted to say that they really, really enjoyed putting a complete beatdown on their chief rival and wiping away the memory of last year's second-half collapse in the playoffs.

It wouldn't have been the end of the world if they had lost the game and they didn't punch their ticket to the playoffs by winning it. But they did exorcise some demons and they did store up a big, giant acorn in heaven by getting the first one against the Steelers by a very lopsided score.

And the Steelers felt it big-time.

"We got whipped in every facet of the game,'' said Steelers safety Ryan Clark. "They were the more physical team...the more aggressive team. They were the team more technically sound. They were the better football team. They made tackles. They were much more physical than we were."

Pretty much sums it up.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 4:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
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It's not even the fourth quarter, and I'm already taking it all back. This is the biggest game of the season for the Ravens, who are manhandling the Steelers at M&T Bank Stadium. Who would have imagined that the season opener would be so lopsided? Joe Flacco has been superb. Ray Rice has been terrific. The young tight ends have made a big difference. And, I think most importantly, the offensive line looked like the real thing.

Now, we can stop all that talk about Flacco never beating Ben Roethlisberger and the Ravens can move into Week 2 at Tennessee with some serious swagger. Can't wait to see where they are in the next ESPN Power Rankings. I'm guessing No. 3.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 3:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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I'm pretty sure we're all in agreement that we would rather have the games between the Ravens and Steelers take place later in the season, but nobody will be complaining if the Ravens make good on the oddsmakers opinion that they are three points better than the Steelers.

Of course, that basically accounts for the home-field advantage and there has been enough change in the Ravens roster to make it impossible to predict what might happen today. These games are almost always decided by three points or so, but I'm guessing there will be some air between these teams today. It's the opener and just about anything can happen.

I have to take issue with the notion that this is a must-win. Of course, any head-to-head matchup with your top divisional rival is extremely important, particularly because of the prevalence of tiebreaker situations at the end of the regular season, but there are 15 games to go after this and too much can happen -- to both teams -- to put any special significance on this particular matchup between them. If anything, this might be the one situation where you could make the opposite case.

Of course, if the Ravens win -- my prediction is Ravens, 19-16 -- I'll start printing Super Bowl tickets right after the game.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 12:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Just football
        

If you haven't already, take a moment to read the two-story package that Jamison Hensley and I teamed up on to analyze the NFL's new kickoff rules. It's at the top of the sports front in the print edition, but you can read my column right here and Jamison's news analysis right here.

We appreciate your business.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
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What a terrific public sendoff for Baltimore Colts Hall of Famer John Mackey. The public memorial service that was held at the Cathredral of Mary Our Queen on North Calvert Street featured eulogies and readings by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, NFLPA chief DeMaurice Smith, Hall of Famer Floyd Little, teammate-turned-minister Joe Ehrmann as well as Mackey's wife (Sylvia) and son (Kevin).

It was pretty cool to hear Goodell (who we all agree is a huge upgrade over former commish Paul Tagliabue) applaud Mackey for his pioneering work as the first president of the NFL players union.

Here's a VIP partial guest list, though I'm sure I'm leaving a lot of people out: Art Donovan, Lenny Moore, Bill Curry, former union director Ed Garvey, Bruce Laird, Tom Matte, Toni Linhart, Sam Havrilak, Marty Domres, Maxie Baughan, Brig Owens and Don McCauley, among others. The Ravens were represented by owner Steve Bisciotti, president Dick Cass and another of the greatest tight ends to ever play the game – general manager Ozzie Newsome. Former NBA star and current Detroit mayor Dave Bing, who met Mackey when bother were at Syracuse, also was among the special guests in attendance.

If you hang around the Web site long enough, you'll be able to read my column on the memorial service, which will be posted soon. If not, drag yourself out of bed in the morning and read it in the Sunday print edition. Don't make me come over to your house and read it to you personally.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 4:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Just football
        

Who knows how much Thursday night's ragged performance by the Ravens factored into the deal today to acquire Buffalo Bills receiver Lee Evans...and who cares. Evans figures to have a very positive effect on the Ravens offensive attack if he stays healthy, and he probably will, considering that he has missed only three games due to injury over the course of his eight-year career.

Evans suffered an ankle injury in December last year and missed the Bills' final three games of the season, so his career-low 37 receptions are deceptive. He averaged just under three receptions per game, which would project to about 46 over a full season. He totaled 578 receiving yards, which would project to about 710 over 16 games.

Those projections would be pretty much in line with his non-peak seasons. He caught 82 passes for 1,292 in 2006 and caught 63 passes for 1,017 yards in 2008, but has averaged 46 catches over the other six seasons. His 15.6 yards per catch last year were right in line with his career average (15.7), so there's no indication that he's slowing down significantly as he enters his 30s.

In other words, the numbers confirm that it was a pretty good deal. Now, everyone is going to resume clamoring for GM Ozzie Newsome to address the offensive line.

Stay tuned.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 6:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
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Which figures to be more interesting -- the first Ravens preseason game of 2011 or the series finale between the Orioles and Chicago White Sox. If I'm voting with my feet, I guess I've already picked the O's.

How can that be?

Well, the first of four preseason games generally features the frontline offensive players for about two possessions. If you want to see the new fullback, for instance, try not to blink.

The Orioles aren't playing for anything, but there's still some intrigue tonight. I'm here to see if Chris Tillman can continue to move in the right direction. He's coming off one of his best efforts of the season and is displaying the velocity that made him one of the top pitching prospects in baseball when the Orioles acquired him from the Seattle Mariners.

I guess you might also be wondering if there's going to be any fallout from the chirping between Adam Jones and White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen, but manager Buck Showalter didn't seem too concerned.

"Whatevber he did with Jonesy last night,'' Showalter said, "I hope he does it again."

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 5:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Just baseball, Just football
        

If you haven't checked out my Ravens column yet, you can take a look at my take on the coaching style of John Harbaugh right here.

There has been a lot of talk about the way Harbaugh's reputation as a taskmaster may affect the Ravens' ability to attract (and keep) free agents, but I'm not buying it. If players are going elsewhere because they think they're going to have more fun in practice, then let them go.

I've spent a lot of my career covering teams with tough, no-nonsense coaches and managers, and most of those teams did very well. Gene Mauch wasn't beloved in the clubhouse, but he helped transform a long-suffering Angels organization into a winning franchise in the 1980s. The Rams and Redskins thrived under George Allen, who was a tough customer. Don Shula, who started his great NFL coaching career with the Colts, was no creampuff.

Harbaugh has gotten very good results in his first three seasons as Ravens head coach. That's all that matters.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Just football
        

Not surprisingly, there were a lot of No. 86 jerseys in the stands and concourses of M&T Bank Stadium. Those jersey's aren't cheap, but Frank Short of Brooklyn Park said that the price of his Heap jersey had nothing to do with it.

"I've got lots of jerseys,'' he said. " The reason why I'm wearing is it, 10 years is a long time for a tight end to stay with one team. It's to honor him, and I'll also be wearing it to the opening game."

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
Categories: Just football
        

The fans are still pouring into M&T Bank Stadium as the Ravens begin their only public workout of training camp. the lower bowl of the stadium is filling up and the team is hoping for a crowd of about 25,000. Still no word on whether it will make sense -- from a security standpoint -- to hold a mass autograph session at the end of practice.

Meanwhile, the team is choreographing the practice to make it as entertaining as possible for the fans. WBAL play-by-play guy Jerry Sandusky is on the sidelines calling the action over the PA system along with broadcast partners Stan White and Qadry Ismail.

Outside in the parking lots, fans spent the morning "cold tailgating." Cooking was not permitted, for logistical reasons, but the workout gave fans a chance to "walk through" their regular season tailgating routine.

It's not particularly surprising that fans would get up early on a Saturday to watch practice in the absence of a normal Westminster training camp. Even though there was no real delay in the opening of camps, the lockout created the feeling among fans that they were being denied football, perhaps creating an added sense of urgency about the new season.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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Did anyone seriously think we'd get through a week of the NFL preseason without a few Brett Favre comeback rumors? I didn't think so.

Farve, as far as we know, has no intention of coming out of retirement again, but that didn't keep Miami Dolphins coach Tony Sparano from leaving the door open when he was asked whether Favre might be a solution to his quarterback problems.

Sparano said he wouldn't rule out anything when he was asked about Favre, whose name also came up in Philadelphia (for about a millisecond) recently. Agent Bus Cook continues to insist that Favre is retired, and I think we ought to believe him this time, but this definitely isn't the last you're going to hear about him.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 3:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
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The Ravens originally were scheduled to take the field at The Castle at 1:30 for today's first full-squad practice, but the process of recertifying the players union and voting to approve the new collective bargaining agreement has dragged into the afternoon.

Looks like practice will start after 4 p.m. and end sometime before dark. Don't know why you would care one way or the other -- since there is no public access to practice until Saturday's workout at M&T Bank Stadium -- but I just thought I'd give you an update.

When the CBA is finalized, all of the players who signed free agent contracts will be able to start practicing. The rookies and players already under contract have been on the field for a week.

The only news so far today is the signing of safety Bernard Pollard, who agreed to a two-year deal, but that was no surprise after Pollard tipped off a Houston radio station on Wednesday.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 3:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
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While the Orioles are on the road, I've been spending some quality time over at The Castle watching Ravens training camp. My column on new defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano is in today's print edition, but you can also read it right here.

Though I lot of people are comparing Pagano to Rex Ryan, I think he's probably somewhere between Rex and Greg Mattison on the coaching spectrum. Look for him to shoot from the hip more than Mattison, but not quite as much as Rex.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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It was great to get out and watch a Ravens practice this afternoon, though it would have been greater if it had taken place somewhere like San Diego. The temperature wasn't bad, but the humidity was as thick as a phonebook, which might explain why No. 2 draft pick Torrey Smith was battling calf cramps throughout the opening workout. Terrell Suggs also was hobbling with what appears to be a minor hamstring strain.

The local colleges were well-represented in the rookie receiving corps, with Smith and LaQuan Williams from Maryland and Hakeem Moore from Towson. The only other local player is veteran cornerback Domonique Foxworth.

The Ravens announced the signing of 26 undrafted free agents today. Only a couple -- Williams and Moore -- are likely to be familiar names around here. If you want proof that the Ravens scouting department throws out a wide net and is truly objective, consider that the 26 players come from 24 different college programs. The only colleges to have two players on the list were Hawaii and Auburn.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 2:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Just football
        

Since I couldn't make up my mind about what to write for my Tuesday column, I went ahead and wrote two of them. The second one -- examining the decision to release Derrick Mason, Todd Heap, Kelly Gregg and Willis McGahee -- is up now on the Web site and you can read it by clicking right here.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
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The NFL lockout is over and the Ravens players are filtering into to The Castle today in preparation for the start of training camp. So, if you click right here, you can have my instant take on the return of football to Baltimore. I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 1:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Just football
        

If my fairly extensive experience covering the baseball labor wars of the past three decades allow me any instinct about the NFL dispute at all, let me give you football fans a piece of advice. The guys and gals from ESPN, Fox Sports, NFL.com and all the other print, television and internet reporters are working very hard to give you a feel for what's going on at the super-secret negotiating site outside Washington, D.C., but they are filtering countless small fragments of information that may or may not fit together to give a true sense of where the negotiations stand.

One day, you're hearing that there appears to be some kind of progress. The next, you're reading -- as in the story you can jump to right here -- that the talks "almost blew up."

Here's what everybody knows. The soft deadline for starting the season on time is about Aug. 10, so it seems unlikely that either side is going to make any dramatic concessions on June 15. Maybe the NFL players union and the owners are more reasonable than the people who blew up the 1994 baseball postseason (I certainly hope so), but even the unnamed sources who are expressing optimism are saying that they wouldn't expect an agreement for another month.

In the meantime, I'll bet you my Orioles playoff tickets that there will be at least a couple of occasions where news outlets jump the gun with a piece of information that seems to indicate an agreement is at hand, so don't believe everything you read.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 6:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Just football
        

Ravens player rep Derrick Mason was asked after Tuesday's unsanctioned players workout at Johnny Unitas Stadium whether he agreed with Ray Lewis's controversial contention that a lengthy NFL labor stoppage might cause an increase in street crime.

If you didn't see the ESPN interview, here's what Lewis said: "Do this research. If we don't have a season. Watch how much evil, which we call crime, how much crime picks up, if you take away our game...There's nothing else to do."

Mason tried not to cast himself in opposition to Lewis when he was asked for his reaction, but he obviously could not help himself.

"I respect anybody's opinion,'' he said. "Ray's a passionate guy, and of anybody I respect him as a football player and a person. But I'm not naive or arrogant enough to think what I do is going to affect John Doe or Mary Sue when they are at home or out there walking the street. I'm not going to be that arrogant.

"My life and what I do doesn't necessarily affect someone else on an everyday basis. They might get disappointed because we're not playing on Sunday, but for them to go out and change their whole lifestyle based on what I do. That's pure arrogance, I think. I'm not going to think that. But you respect everybody's opinion. If he felt that way, he felt that way for a reason."

Associated Press file photo

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (32)
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No doubt, Ozzie Newsome woke up this morning still irritated that he doesn't have an extra fourth-round pick in this week's NFL draft, but the Ravens probably should just be happy the aborted trade didn't cost them the player they wanted.

Newsome, who's better that this kind of thing than just about anybody, had a deal done with the Chicago Bears that would have given the Ravens an extra pick and almost certainly would have resulted in them still getting cornerback Jimmy Smith. The Bears apparently got their man, too, but the communications breakdown apparently was not intentional.

I'm not sure all's well that ends well, because the Ravens made the deal in good faith and probably deserve that draft choice, but it could have been a huge embarrassment if the Kansas City Chiefs had swooped in and picked Smith with the 26th pick.

No doubt, the Ravens would have drafted Muhammad Wilkerson or Cameron Heywood and acted like he was their first choice all along, but we now know that was not the case. Coach John Harbaugh said afterward that Smith was their clear choice and they wanted him badly.

Of course, I thought they should have gone for a pass rusher like Heywood or Wilkerson, but maybe they'll still be able to get a quality guy in tonight's second round.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (10)
Categories: Just football
        

My latest column on the upcoming NFL draft is up on the Web site and will be in the print edition tomorrow morning. I'm making my case that the Ravens need to tap one of the deepest areas in the first round and bring home a quality pass rusher to help Terrell Suggs and Co. put more pressure on the AFC's top quarterbacks. You can read it right here right now.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Just football
        

The NFL just released the 2011 regular season schedule and the Ravens open at home against the evil Steelers, which will be their third meaningful game against Pittsburgh in their last eight games (including playoffs). It might be even more meaningful, however, if the lockout clips off the first game of the season and it has to be moved to the end of the schedule.

I suspected that might be the reason for the imediate showdown, but a quick scan of the other schedules did not reveal a pattern of divisional season openers. If such a conspiracy was in play, you'd think the Jets would open against the Patriots and the Cowboys would open against the Giants or Eagles.

There are some interesting openers. The Saints will play the NFL champion Packers in the Thursday night opener; the Giants will travel to Washington; and the Jets will open against the Cowboys on Sunday Night Football.

I'm pretty sure the season will start on time, anyway. Based on my experience covering many baseball negotiations, I suspect the NFL labor dispute will get settled about a week after training camps are supposed to open.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 7:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (16)
Categories: Just football
        

Once again, the Ravens have scheduled their annual cheerleader tryouts while I'm out of town, which I'm starting to think is not an accident. I'm guessing they're afraid I'll upstage everybody with my amazing agility and pep.

Meanwhile, they don't even make Nestor try out anymore.

Here's the Ravens news release with the details:

Baltimore Ravens Cheerleader Tryouts This Weekend

The Baltimore Ravens will host auditions for their 2011 cheerleading squad on Saturday, March 5 and Sunday, March 6 at the Downtown Athletic Club. Saturday registration will be held between 9:30-10:45 a.m., and material will be taught from 10:45 a.m.–12:00 p.m. Tryouts will begin at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday and run from 11:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. on Sunday.

“Entering our 14th cheerleading season, we are excited,” said Ravens director of cheerleading Tina Galdieri. “Cheerleading tryouts are not only a time when new people can step up and join our team, but veterans are also expected to improve their skills to remain on the team. As a coach, it is always inspirational to see people work hard in order to achieve their goals. We look forward to seeing even more talented athletes this year who will strive to become a part of the Ravens’ organization.”

Approximately 150-200 male and female hopefuls will participate in open tryouts with 60 making the final squad. All participants, as well as coach Galdieri (prior to 10:45 a.m.), will be available for interviews on Saturday and prior to 11:30 a.m. on Sunday.

Additionally, tryouts for the Playmakers squad will be held on Sunday, March 6 at the Downtown Athletic Club.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 4:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Just football
        

With Steve Bisciotti, Dick Cass, Ozzie Newsome and John Harbaugh on the dais and dozens of reporters firing questions, there was a lot of ground covered during the course of the Ravens' season wrapup news conference.

One of the headlines to come out of it will surely be Cass's announcement that the Ravens will not -- as they usually do every other year -- raise season ticket prices this year. Cass cited the uncertainty about the labor situation and also said that season ticket funds will not be used for club operations during a potential work stoppage. The money will be kept separate and fans will get it back with interest for any games not played because of a strike or lockout.

Cass also said that, unlike some NFL clubs, the Ravens will not lay off any employees in the event of a work stoppage. Employees may, however, have some pay reduction associated with a work stoppage, but will get any reduction refunded if the full season is played.

There were no great revelations about the labor situation, because Bisciotti and his fellow owners are under something of a gag order.

"I want to keep my money,'' Bisciotti laughed, "and Roger (Goodell) wants to take my money."

On the personnel front, Bisciotti made it clear that he would give Harbaugh a contract extension, probably finalizing it in the next couple of weeks. Newsome confirmed that Haloti Ngata's free agent status is a top priority, but the labor uncertainty may make it difficult to get a deal done before a decision is made by the NFL whether to lock the players out in March.

If you want to hear from the brain trust on Joe Flacco's progress this season, you'll have to wait a few hours for Jamison Hensley's story on the subject. The Sun had its entire football staff mobilized for the news conference, so look for several stories on the state of the franchise in the print edition and here on the Web site.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 3:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Just football
        

The Ravens will hold their year-end news conference today at The Castle, so we'll get to hear what Steve Bisciotti, Ozzie Newsome, Dick Cass and coach John Harbaugh have to say about the way the 2010 season transpired.

I'm guessing they'll say what everyone is thinking. The Ravens were a couple of turnovers removed from the Super Bowl, which means that they're not going to overreact to one very wrenching loss in Pittsburgh.

That's the right answer, but there's a lot to talk about going forward. The uncertain labor situation makes it hard to predict what will happen over the next few months, but the Ravens have a long list of unrestricted free agents to ponder -- starting, of course, with All-Pro defensive lineman Haloti Ngata.

It was very encouraging to see Haloti at yesterday's news conference to introduce new D-coordinator Chuck Pagano. Ngata was asked about his situation going forward and he didn't play agent games.

"I don't want to go anywhere else,'' he said.

The Ravens will get that one done just as soon as they know the lay of the land.

It's possible the team will have some coaching announcements to make today, but any speculation that Cam Cameron is in trouble is probably wishful thinking on the part of those fans who think he was the reason the Ravens did not live up to their on-paper offensive potential. Cam apparently isn't going anywhere.

The coaching staff, minus Greg Mattison, will stay largely intact. Most of the marquee players on the roster will be back, too, if there's a 2011 season, but this team needs something to elevate the offense to a level where it can overcome mistakes and close out games consistently. I'll be curious to hear what the braintrust thinks.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (15)
Categories: Just football
        

Is it just me, or did the victory by the New York Jets today make it feel like the Ravens blew the Steelers game all over again?

It's one thing to lose and have to go to Foxborough to face the team with the best record in the AFC, though I thought the Ravens had proven they could beat the Pats. It's quite another to know that a merely adequate second-half performance against the Steelers would have brought the AFC Championship Game to M&T Bank Stadium, where the Ravens would have been favored to take the final step to the Super Bowl.

I wrote a whole column for Saturday's paper saying that the Steelers game was all or nothing...that if the Ravens won they'd keep winning right on through Dallas and bring home the Lombardi Trophy. I still can't prove it, but I was right and that makes the whole weekend even harder to stomach for devastated Ravens fans.

I'm happy for Rex Ryan, but this just ain't right.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 9:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (60)
Categories: Just football
        

Seriously, that's what I thought when I woke up this morning and started remembering everything that led to the Ravens' ignominious come-from-ahead loss to the evil Steelers.

Following the game, I heard a lot of people saying that they felt pretty safe at halftime, and why not? The Ravens had dominated the first half after the Steelers scored that tainted first touchdown -- much like the Ravens came back from the first touchdown by the Chiefs last weekend.

Myself? I didn't feel safe at all at that point, because the Steelers were getting the ball to start the second half and if they could drive the field, they would be back in a one-score game. When I started feeling like it was in the bag was right after the Ravens stopped Ben Roethlisberger on third down on that first possession.

The Steelers had used up some time to start the third quarter and they were giving the ball back. I actually articulated in my mind at that point -- and I'm sure many of you did the same thing -- that the only thing that could stop the Ravens was a string of turnovers, which just didn't seem possible after the way they had won the turnover battle in Kansas City and during yesterday's first half.

Obviously, I was right and wrong at the same time. They Ravens did turn the ball over in rapid-fire fashion, and they did it with a look of panic that told me where this thing was going. All it needed was an extra push from the officials, who were simply awful both ways for much of the game.

Let's not throw this all on Joe Flacco. Just about everybody on the offense who is supposed to makes plays -- at some juncture -- failed to make a play that good playoff teams make. Flacco certainly failed to hold things together. Anquon Boldin and T.J. Houshmandzadeh dropped passes in very key situations. Ray Rice had his first fumble in forever to start the snowball rolling downhill.

And I'm not letting the coaching staff off the hook on either side of the ball. I don't know why Flacco was going long downfield to Todd Heap at a time when the Ravens were still ahead and really just needed to re-establish possession and find some offensive rhythm. I also don't know why the defense decided to drop into total pass coverage on that key third-and-19 throw that put the Steelers in the red zone at the end.

You can say all you want that the guy shouldn't have gotten behind the coverage, but if you're willing to let Ben Roethlisberger stand in the pocket as long as he wants, he's going to make a big play. That's what he does, just as he did in the second regular-season meeting under similar defensive circumstances. I guess those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it, but this is getting ridiculous.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (22)
Categories: Just football
        

While we're all getting worked up about the Ravens/Steelers game, I think it's only fair to ramp up the rhetoric even further. I'm not particularly confident the Ravens will win in Pittsburgh this weekend -- and I did not go with the home pick just to be popular -- but I do think that they can win the Super Bowl this weekend.

I really do.

I believe that the Ravens would win a hypothetical road matchup against the Patriots next weekend and definitely would dispatch Rex Ryan and the Jets at M&T Bank Stadium. I'm also confident they can beat anybody in the NFC in the Super Bowl.

So it comes down to one game at Heinz Field.

Since some people bristle when I pick the opposing team to win, let me repeat that it is not because I want the opposing team to win. I make my picks based on my knowledge of the two teams and the circumstances surrounding the matchup.

If it is any consolation, I've been pretty awful in the Staff Picks competition this year, so my decision to pick the Squealers might just give the Ravens the karmic boost they need to move on to the AFC title game.

You're thoughts?

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 4:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (33)
Categories: Just football
        

The Ravens were just being difficult today. I wrote a column saying they would take it down to the final minutes like usual, so -- of course -- they blow out the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium just to make me look bad.

Let that be a lesson to you.

What an impressive victory, particularly after they fell behind early and turned the ball over a couple of times. They flat-out bullied the Chiefs and answered a lot of the tough questions that have been flying around about the offense. Now it's on to Pittsburgh for Saturday's divisional rubber game for the right to play in the AFC title game. Can't wait.

Also, congratulations to Todd Heap, who had one of the best games of his career. Let me know if anybody still thinks he's soft.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 4:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)
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Well, as far as I'm concerned, What's Important Now is that you click on my column right here or go to today's print edition to get my take on the Ravens as they head into today's playoff opener against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium.

I think the Ravens will win. My prediction in the paper was a 27-24 victory. But I'm not overwhelmingly confident, and I'm guessing that my mindset has been affected a bit by the way the Seattle Seahawks handled the New Orleans Saints yesterday. Once again, proof that anybody can beat anybody in the NFL, especially if they're at home.

I've only been to Arrowhead once in my life, and my impression of it was that it's not as hostile a place as Heinz Field or some of the other places the Ravens play in more regularly. I don't think that, or the weather, will be major factors in the game. I believe it will come down to which team can execute its offense. That would appear to favor the Ravens going in, because they have the better run defense, but we'll know soon enough.

My column basically calls on Ravens fans to let go of their preconceived -- as in preseason -- notions about the team and embrace it for what it is. You're not going to be able to book that bus to Pittsburgh until the last two minutes of today's game, so fasten those seat belts and get ready for another bumpy ride.

As always, I welcome your thoughts.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 12:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Just football
        

If you didn't see me around yesterday, it wasn't because I was lying around ignoring the blog. The Schmuck still stops here, but Monday was a pretty busy day for the Baltimore Sun Sports department.

We had to dig up the latest developments on the Alfredo Simon case -- and Dan Connolly and Nick Madigan are doing a great job of that -- and there were the other small matters of the University of Maryland introducing the new Terps head football coach and the Ravens beginning to prepare for Sunday's playoff game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Which is why I actually had two columns in today's print edition. Check out my take on the Randy Edsall hiring right here, and -- if you're not tired after that -- you can read my column here on why the Ravens caught a big break when they drew the Chiefs in the Wild Card round.

It isn't easy to be such a tireless workhorse, but I make up for it with my modest and humble nature.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (13)
Categories: Just baseball, Just football, News of the day
        

When the University of Maryland introduces new football coach Randy Edsall at a news conference today, there are still going to be a lot of Terp fans scratching their heads.

That's not because there's anything wrong with Edsall. There isn't. He's a good coach with a solid reputation who has done a terrific job of bringing the Connecticut program into the national spotlight.

Still, there was a certain profile that everybody assumed would be in play during the coaching search, and Edsall doesn't quite fit it. He's more like a fresher, younger Ralph Friedgen than the hard-charging, win-or-else type coach that everybody assumed athletic director Kevin Anderson was looking for when he made the controversial decision to replace Fridge.

This, to me, is some evidence that the decision was based more on the image of the program than the actual nuts and bolts necessary to take it to an elite level. If so, Edsall was the right choice, but it's hard to make the case that -- on the basis of pure coaching ability -- he's a dynamic upgrade over Friedgen.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (33)
Categories: Just football
        

What a shocking way to start the new year. Orioles reliever Alfredo Simon has been named as the chief suspect by police in his native Dominican Republic after a 25-year-old man was shot to death and the man's brother was wounded on New Year's Eve.

Here's the Associated Press report, but there isn't much detail yet.

Simon, who is being sought by police, reportedly has denied involvement in the incident to an Orioles official in the Dominican Republic.

Don't really know what to say at this point. For Alfredo's sake, I hope this is a case of mistaken identity, but this is a tragic story no matter who is the culprit. I'm guessing the Orioles will withhold anything but a perfunctory "no comment" until they get more information.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (13)
Categories: Just football, News of the day
        

While you're hunkered down in your living room or braving the 50-degree temperature at M&T Bank Stadium, I'm going to head down to Fedex Field for the 4:15 game between the Redskins and New York Giants.

I'm neither a Redskins nor a Giants fan, but Orioles reporter Jeff Zrebiec is from New Jersey, so I'm going to humor him and join him to see if the Giants can get past the 'Skins and keep hope alive for an NFC wild card berth. It'll be a serious scoreboard watch situation for Tom Coughlin, whose job may depend on whether the Bears can go into Lambeau Field and beat the Packers. The way the inconsistent Giants have played in the second half of the season, I'm not sure that will even matter.

Ravens fans will be doing essentially the same thing at 1 p.m. today. I'm pretty confident they'll dispense with the Bengals, but that won't matter unless the Cleveland Browns pull a huge upset against the Steelers in Cleveland. The Ravens will keep the fifth playoff seed regardless of today's game if the Steelers win, since they beat the Jets head to head.

The Browns will be sufficiently motivated, and they have victories this year over the Saints and Patriots, so a win today is not out of the question.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Just football
        

If you read me regularly or listen to me talking sports on WBAL, you know that I've been highly critical of the NCAA and the bowl selection system -- particularly in regard to the way Maryland was dropped to the bottom of the bowl pecking order in the ACC.

My feelings haven't changed, but I'll have to admit that the soft matchup for Maryland created a nice opportunity for Ralph Friedgen to go out on a very high note. The Terps started off a little slow, but they took the ECU defense apart in the second half on the way to a very lopsided victory.

So, Friedgen gets to go out holding a trophy after a nine-win turnaround season. Guess that's about as good as it gets under the circumstances.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 5:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (18)
Categories: Just football
        

Da'Rel Scott just broke off a 91-yard touchdown run -- on the heels of a 61-yard TD sprint near the end of the third quarter -- and is closing in on a 200-yard day. He has 193 yards in just 13 carries. What a great way to wrap up his Terps career.

The Terps are now doing what everybody thought they might do to ECU's unheralded defense. There are 11 minutes left to play and Maryland now leads 44-13.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 5:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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Redshirt freshman D.J. Adams just landed in the end zone for his third touchdown of the game and now has 10 touchdowns this season, which is a pretty impressive total when you consider that he has carried the ball just 65 times this season. He came into the game with just 204 yards on 54 attempts.

The touchdown was set up by Davin Meggett's 31-yard catch and run on a swing pass from Danny O'Brien.

Late in the third: Maryland 30, ECU 10.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 5:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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The Terps kicked off to open the second half, but just four plays later, they were on the ECU 2 yard line, thanks to an interception and 35-yard return by David Mackal. D.J. Adams took it the final two yards for his second touchdown of the game.

This is starting to feel like a blowout.

It's Maryland 23, East Carolina 3 with about 12 minutes left in the third quarter.

Instant update: Or maybe not. The Pirates just took advantage of a long punt return and a great thrown and catch from Dominique Davis to Lance Lewis for ECU's first touchdown. It's now, 23-10 with just under 10 minutes left in the third quarter.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 4:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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The Military Bowl hasn't been a total offensive showcase for the Terps, but they are very much in control of the game heading toward intermission. D.J. Adams just scored on a one-yard blast to give the Terps a 16-3 lead with 2.57 to go in the first half. The score was set up by a 44-yard run by Davin Meggett.

The Terps have left a few points on the field, but they've achieved almost perfect offensive balance. O'Brien has thrown for 103 yards and Meggett, Adams and Da'Rel Scott have rushed for a total of 99.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 3:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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Maryland quarterback Danny O'Brien came out flinging in the first quarter, but his attempt to overfly the Pirates defense on the first offensive play of the game didn't stay up in the air quite long enough and was intercepted.

The second time was the charm. He delivered a perfect ball to receiver Kevin Dorsey on a third-down play for a 45-yard touchdown. O'Brien also drove the Terps deep into ECU territory on their next possession, but came up empty when kicker Travis Baltz missed on a 25-yard field goal attempt.

It was the second hiccup by the kicking team. The Pirates blocked the extra point attempt after the touchdown.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 3:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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This is set up to be a major showcase for freshman quarterback Danny O'Brien, who is coming off that great game against a North Carolina State defense that just suffocated No. 22 West Virginia on Tuesday in the Champs Sports Bowl.

This ECU team isn't in the same universe as NC State. The Pirates are ranked last in Division 1A in total defense, so it'll be a major surprise if they throw a serious roadblock in front of O'Brien and the Terps offense. ECU will score some points, however, so O'Brien will need to be on his game.

The oddsmakers and betting public certainly think it will be a high-scoring affair. The over/under number is 69, which is the second-highest of the remaining bowl games, behind only the BCS title game between Oregon and Auburn (74). In other words, this might not be a great matchup, but it's probably going to be fun to watch.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 1:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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Just arrived at RFK Stadium to prepare for today's Military Bowl between the Maryland Terrapins and East Carolina Pirates, and you couldn't ask for a much better day for a college football game.

You could ask for a better stadium and you could ask for a better matchup, I suppose, but that can't be helped. The Terps deserved to be higher in the bowl pecking order -- by virtue of their record, not their fan support -- but they probably couldn't have picked a better matchup to allow Ralph Friedgen to go out on a high note.

No, I'm not assuming a Terps victory. The bowl season has already produced a few unexpected results. But the Pirates don't play a lot of defense and the Terps probably will be able to move the ball pretty well against them.

I'm guessing the players will be fired up to give Fridge a big send-off, and I think he deserves that. He oversaw a major uptick in the program when he arrived here a decade ago and he also brought the Terps back from last year's 2-10 trainwreck to make a legitimate run at first place in the ACC Atlantic Division.

I've already weighed in on the decision to replace him. I think the whole thing went down awkwardly, but I can't argue with the need to move the program in a new direction. Ralph deserved better but, as a practical matter, it would have been hard for AD Kevin Anderson to justify giving him a long-term extension.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
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I don't know about you, but I woke up this morning thinking about what a great guy Peyton Hillis is, and how Colt McCoy is such a nice young fellow, and how Josh Cribbs is just a fine human being.

The Browns made a few mistakes yesterday -- well, more than a few -- but they deserve a lot of credit for getting so fired up for a game that really didn't mean anything to them. That showed character.

That's why I'm not giving up on their game next week against the Steelers. Eric Mangini has stuck it to the Patriots this year and the Browns have also beaten the Saints. I think the Browns would love to knock the Steelers into next week, and I don't think it's entirely out of the question.

Of course, if you're a Ravens fan, you're wishing your biggest wish, because the alternative is a first-round playoff game for the Ravens in Indianapolis. In that case, they would have been better off finishing behind the Jets in the playoff seedings and heading off to Kansas City for the wild card round.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 9:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (26)
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First of all, let me wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a happy holiday season. I got a lump of coal this morning, but with energy prices what they are, I will be able to trade it for something really nice.

I'm going to spend the day remembering the reason for the season, which apparently is to watch five consecutive NBA games. If that doesn't float your boat, you can take a look at my colunn in today's print edition, in which I implore Santa to fix college football -- since the NCAA apparently can't. Of course, you can also read it right here.

I'm pretty sure we're not going to get any Orioles news today, so Wayne, I think you should take the day off and try to get into the spirit of the season. No matter how much the Orioles have disappointed you, I think you owe it to yourself (and maybe your employer) to pursue some other interests before your head explodes.

Nobody is being played. Everybody here knows what they're getting with the Orioles organization, but a lot of fans still find a way to be hopeful because that's they way they're made. They choose not be be miserable, so if they can't hack the inability of the O's to sign the best free agents, they refocus on some other aspect of their lives.. I believe you could learn something from them.

I don't say that to be nasty and I certainly am not saying that your criticisms and gripes are not legitimate, they're just redundant and give the impression that you're somehow superior to everybody else because of your insight and outrage. I hope you -- and everybody else -- has a very happy day today.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (57)
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Hate to blow my own horn, but I was one of the few people saying the Ravens defense would come up big today. I realize the Saints scored 24 points, but when it counted, the Ravens stuffed the Saints deep in their own territory a couple of times. It was a big win at a time when the Ravens needed one, and it was the 60-minute performance everyone -- at least around here -- wanted to see.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 4:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)
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The Ravens are giving the defending Super Bowl champions a lesson in offensive football, mixing the run and the pass very efficiently on the way to a 21-7 lead in the second quarter. Ray Rice has been all over the place, scoring on a 10-yard run and catching a 17-yard TD pass from Joe Flacco.

The last touchdown was set up by a nice punt return by Lardarius Webb to start the possession in Saints territory.

Of course, it's still the first half and the Saints are one of the most explosive teams in the NFL. There's also the small matter of the way the Ravens played with a big lead against the Houston Texans in the second half, so we'll just have to wait and see what happens, but the offense has been executing very well and the defense has held Drew Brees in check so far.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 2:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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The Ravens didn't exactly get off to an auspicious start, going three and out on their first possession before falling behind on a touchdown pass from Drew Brees to tight end Jimmy Graham, but their second possession was much more impressive.

They ran right at the Saints and moved the ball down the field to set up a nice third-down throw to rookie Ed Dickson on a tight-end delay for Dickson's first NFL TD.

Ravens 7, Saints 7. The Ravens defense has stopped the Saints quickly on two of three New Orleans possessions, which is a pretty good sign, but not as good as the ability of Ray Rice and Willis McGahee to move the chains on the ground. That shortens the game and keeps Brees off the field, which should be Job One.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 1:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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Though a lot of you have already done so, I would encourage everyone to take a look at my column on the unfortunate Ralph Friedgen situation. It's a shame that his career as Maryland football coach came down to this.

Don't misunderstand, I'm not dismissing the notion that a new high-profile coach might take the Terps up a level, but what happened in this situation shows a lack of appreciation for the way Fridge took the Terps to a whole new level of national respectability when he arrived here 10 years ago. Maryland hasn't been an ACC dynasty since then, but the Terps have gotten seven bowl invitations in 10 years.

To be fair, I didn't put the hammer down on Steve Bisciotti for doing essentially the same thing to Brian Billick, giving him a vote of confidence and then deciding to fire him anyway after the 2007 season, but it was a much different situation. Billick was coming off a very disappointing season and Bisciotti still had to pay him for the next three seasons at $5 million per year.

By the way, Brian is scheduled to be the FOX analyst for today's game between the Saints and Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium. It will be only the second time he has been back to M&T to do a FOX broadcast.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 8:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)
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Do you remember how much abuse I took at the beginning of the NFL season for my prediction in the Sun's preseason football preview section that the San Diego Chargers would win the Super Bowl? And that was before their first-half collapse that almost took them out of playoff contention.

Obviously, I'm some kind of prognostication prodigy, because the Chargers are building momentum for the playoffs and are starting to look like a very formidable contender for the Super Bowl title.

I know, there are some people who are shaking their heads and saying that this is just typical Chargers football. Slow start. Fast finish. Quick postseason exit. Maybe so, but there's something about this Chargers team that makes me think this year might be different.

For one thing, it's still a team with some talent in reserve. There are some quality players -- like tight end Antonio Gates -- who aren't even in the picture right now, and receiver Vincent Jackson has hit stride with a fury. Phillip Rivers hooked up with him three times for touchdowns last night against the San Francisco 49ers and that was before the Chargers shut down the offense early in the fourth quarter.

The 49ers are no great shakes, but the Chargers defense ran off seven straight scoreless quarters before San Francisco scored a meaningless TD last night. Everything seems to be falling in place, though there's still the small matter of overtaking the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC West.

Details. The Chargers will win their last two road games against the lowly Bengals and Broncos, leaving the Chiefs needing to win their last three games to hold them off for the division title. That's not going to happen, and the Chargers will either get to the playoffs on the division tiebreaker (if the Chiefs lose to Oakland), the common opponent tiebreaker (if the Chiefs lose to the Rams this weekend) or the conference record tiebreaker (if the Chiefs lose to the Titans next week).

The Chargers also have a chance to overtake the Jets for the last wild card spot if they can win out and the Jets lose two of their last three, which is possible with road games remaining against the Steelers and Bears.

Shameless plug alert: If you don't have anything better to do this afternoon, join me at noon for "The Week In Review" on WBAL (1090 AM) and WBAL.com.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 7:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (15)
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Listening to the Ravens blow another game to the Steelers at 5:30 in the morning -- Italian time -- is even more painful than usual, so I should withhold judgment until I've had more time to pause and reflect.

But I won't. The Ravens did more to accomplish less than any team that has a right to consider itself a deep-playoff contender.

They were in position to take a big lead early inside the Steelers 30-yard line after Joe Flacco's second big pass play, and somehow marched backward out of field goal range.

They were looking at second and 5 with three minutes or so left in the game and Flacco ends up naked in front of Troy Polamalu when a two-yard run by Willis McGahee would have shaved down the clock a little further and kept them -- at the very least -- in position to back the Steelers up in their own territory for the final minute or two of the game.

They lose 11 yards on a Donte Stallworth reverse that just wasn't necessary. They committed a series of penalties that made it look in the first half like they were not ready for prime time.

I know. I know. It's easy to second-guess them after a tough loss, but lets face it. This isn't a team that can take control of a game and hold onto it. This is a team that could have beaten New England if it was confident enough in its offensive line to get a half yard on fourth down. This is a team that couldn't hold a 10-point lead against the Buffalo Bills. This is a team that still finds the most discouraging ways to screw up drives and lose big games.

This game was probably the difference between having home games in the postseason or spending the playoffs on the road for the third straight year, and they fumbled it away.

You have to have a killer instinct to win the Super Bowl, and -- it should be obvious by now -- the Ravens don't.

Sad but true.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (21)
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...you better not do what the Romans do if you're a Ravens fan, because the Romans don't even know the Ravens exist. If you want to monitor the Ravens/Steelers game, not only do you have to stay up until 2:20 a.m. for kickoff, you've also got to buy the NFL.com audio package to listen to Jerry Sandusky and Co. call the game.

I haven't done that yet, because I'm not sure I can stay awake. I've been eating pasta at every meal to maintain my strength, but I'm still fading as the clock gets ready to strike one and I've got to be up for a 7:15 tour of the Vatican City.

I'm right in the middle of my Roman holiday, which included a tour of The Coliseum on Sunday afternoon. It wasn't really called The Coliseum back when the lions played there. It was called the Flavian Amphitheatre, but I guess that was too hard to remember during the dark ages and everybody just started calling it the Coliseum.

Very impressive. I've also spent time in Florence, Siena and Assisi over the past week reliving the Renaissance. Apparently, that Michelangelo fellow had a great deal of time on his hands.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 6:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
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If you thought that the Ravens' performance today was unimpressive, John Harbaugh and Ray Lewis don't want to hear it. The team is 8-3 and headed into a big showdown with the Steelers here next week, which is all that matters niow.

"For us to be 8-3 and to be fighting next week for the division, that's a huge, huge thing,'' Lewis said. "It's a beautiful thing to be playing for the division next week at home."

I suppose if Ravens fans are apprehensive about the pending arrival of Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers, they should take some solace in the performance of the Steelers in Buffalo today. They should have lost the game -- which would have smoothed the road to the playoffs for the Ravens considerably -- but the Bills basically choked on a couple of occasions where they could have put the game away.

Oh well. It was always going to come down to next Sunday...and I bet you can't wait.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 8:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (100)
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The officials called back that terrific catch and run by Ray Rice because of a supposed block in the back by Anquon Boldin, but the replay showed it didn't happen. He reached out for the defender, who fell to the ground and jumped up gesturing for a flag. Obviously, it was a pretty good acting job, but a disgraceful performance by the official, who called something he could not have seen and negated the most exciting play of the game.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 6:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
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The thing the Ravens don't need right now are any significant injuries heading into next week's showdown with the Pittsburgh Steelers, so what happens?

Michael Oher gets his leg rolled up and leaves the game limping noticeably and Dawan Landry suffered a concussion making a big hit on Bucs running back Carnell Williams. The team announced that Oher suffered a knee sprain and is probable to return to today's game. We'll wait and see.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 6:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
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Joe Flacco just hit Todd Heap with a 65-yard touchdown pass to give the Ravens a 10-7 lead near the end of the first half.

It was a momentous play, since it was the longest play from scrimmage for the Ravens this year...the longest catch of Heap's career...and the 52nd touchdown pass of Flacco's career, which moves him to the top of the Ravens' all-time list in that department. He was tied with Vinny Testaverde at 51.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 5:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
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The Ravens are finally on the move as they move into the second quarter of today's game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but they sputtered again at the outset. The Buccaneers haven't done a thing offensively -- which is consistent with their performance against the other three winning teams they've faced this year -- but the Ravens need to make it clear right now that this is not going to be a game.

Now that the Steelers have survived a scary day in Buffalo -- thank you Stevie Johnson -- the Ravens much hold serve here to set up next week's showdown.

Instant update: Joe Flacco just got sacked and the Ravens had to settle for a 45-yard field goal by Billy Cundiff. Sorry, that's not good enough.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 4:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
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I'm totally stunned by Boise State's loss to No. 19 Nevada late last night, and maybe it was my fault. I was watching the game, but went to bed when the Broncos took a 24-7 lead late into the third quarter.

I fully expected to wake up to a 38-7 victory that jumped them over TCU and into position to play in the BCS title game if either Oregon or Auburn stumble. Now, though I can't harp on the big-conference conspiracy to keep them out of the title game, I can start harping on the big-conference conspiracy to keep them out of a BCS bowl game.

Spare me. Boise State won 24 straight games, beat Oregon and TCU last year, and finally loses on the road against a Top 20 team because the Bronco's kicker missed what amounted to an extra-point-distance field goal, and they drop from possibly playing in the BCS title game to settling for the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl.

Meanwhile, Alabama has lost three games and just blew a 24-point lead yesterday against Auburn, but the Tide will definitely play in a better bowl than Boise St.

It's playoff time.

If you get a chance, check out my column in today's print edition of the Sun, or click right here to read it on the Web site.

Shameless radio plug: I'll be whining about Boise State today from noon to 3 on "Sportsline" (WBAL 1090 and WBAL.com). Of course, I'll also be whining about the Orioles coming up short on free agent Victor Martinez and looking ahead to tomorrow's game between the Ravens and surprising Tampa Bay Buccaneers. I'll be taking calls all afternoon, so you're welcome to join in the conversation.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (13)
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Ignore the 30-16 final, because it might give you the impression that Florida State clearly outplayed Maryland tonight at Byrd Stadium. The Terps were their own worst enemy at times, but kept their wits about them and were in position to stage a last-minute drive that ended on a fourth-down pick six for the Seminoles.

This was really a one-score game that was decided by turnover ratio and a couple of defensive breakdowns by the Terps that led to big, damaging plays, but Maryland fans need not despair. The Terps have bounced back dramatically from last year's 2-10 collapse and still have a chance to finish with eight wins if they can knock North Carolina State out of the title game with a victory at Byrd Stadium

Head coach Ralph Friedgen clearly was disappointed, but not in his players.

“I’m proud of them,’’ Friedgen said afterward. “The biggest thing that could go wrong (four turnovers) went wrong and we didn’t flinch…They were planning on winning that game right until the end. I’m pretty proud to be their coach.

“I think that tells you what kind of people we have here. They’re disappointed because they didn’t get what they were coming after.”

The Terps rushed the ball very effectively and outgained the Seminoles by 78 yards (432-354). Redshirt freshman QB Danny O'Brien made a few mistakes, but it's obvious that he's going to be a major offensive cornerstone for the Terps for the next three years.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 12:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)
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The Maryland Terrapins have made a series of fundamental mistakes and execution errors in the first half tonight, but somehow have managed to keep the game pretty much under control midway through the second quarter.

They gave up a 70-yard touchdown on a defensive breakdown and ceded another three points on a fumbled pitch in the first quarter, but young quarterback Danny O'Brien has kept his poise and kept the offense moving. The Terps defense has rebounded to make some big plays and hold the Seminoles in check.

In short, this thing could go either way.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 9:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
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The Maryland Terrapins are about 90 minutes from kickoff at Capital One Field, where they can move one step closer to the ACC title game with a victory over the Florida State Seminoles. It's no longshot, but the Seminoles will enter the game as about a 4-point favorite.

The oddsmakers have set the over/under at 52 1/2, which means they are basically predicting this will be a 28-24 Florida State victory.

The Terps have been moving the ball well and playing some opportunistic defense. If they can hold onto the ball, they'll have a pretty good chance of advancing into a decisive game against North Carolina State next week for the Atlantic division berth in the ACC Championsip Game.

I haven't done a lot of college football since I started doing the blog, but I'm pretty excited to be at Byrd Stadium tonight.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 6:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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If you haven't already, check out my latest "News item" column in today's print edition or on the Web site right here. The beauty of the News item/My take format is that I have you a whole bunch of reasons to disagree with me on a variety of subjects, so go to town.

If you want a preview of tomorrow's column, I'll be headed to Byrd Stadium for the blackout. The Terps can move one step closer to the ACC title game with a victory over Florida State tonight. That's going to be tough, but who would have thought three months ago that it would even be an issue.

While I'm shamelessly plugging myself, I'd also like you to join me for "Sportsline" on WBAL (1090 AM) and WBAL.com today at noon. I'll be talking Orioles, Ravens and Terps and taking a ton of phone calls.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)
Categories: Just baseball, Just football
        

I'm baaacccck...and you should be very afraid. It's time to get cracking on the baseball offseason -- the Florida Marlins certainly have -- but first I need you to read my first column since I returned from California and Las Vegas.

I take a look at how crazy the NFL has been the past few weeks and try to make some sense of the Super Bowl pecking order. Take a look at it right here and tell me what you think.
I've been resting the past few weeks, but I'm refreshed and almost ready to do battle on the comment board again, so gird your loins.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 7:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (14)
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Normally, I'm not an instant replay basher, but Sunday night's game between the Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers highlighted a problem with the NFL replay system that really must be corrected to maintain the credibility of the sport.

Everybody knows that there is some homecooking built into the replay protocol, but it shouldn't be allowed to change the outcome of the game the way it did on Sunday night. The Packers got a phony touchdown when Andrew Quarless landed out of the end zone and bobbled a touchdown pass out of the sight of the officials.

NBC went to a commercial quickly after the touchdown and didn't show a definitive replay until after the commercial break. The Packers lined up and kicked the extra point before the Vikings could challenge the play. If the roles had been reversed, the replay would have gone up on the scoreboard to alert the home team.

OK, so the system gave the Packers at least the difference between a touchdown and a field goal (four points) in a four-point game, but that's just part of the problem. The Vikings also had two disputed plays in the end zone, but the Packers had sufficient time to challenge and two touchdowns were overturned. One of them was clearly the right call. No problem with that. The other was a great catch by Visanthe Shiancoe that was overturned because the officials claimed that the ground helped him catch the ball.

Personally, I don't think there was compelling evidence to overturn the play. The guy had possession all the way and simply landed on the ball. The announcers opined that it might have moved in his hands slightly. I couldn't see that, so I have trouble thinking it was obvious enough on replay to take away a great play. That was another four points, since the Vikings kicked a field goal instead.

If you want to go outside the confines of last night's game, you don't have to go far. The Miami Dolphins feel they got a win stolen from them yesterday because of a poorly administered replay on that goal line fumble by Ben Roethlisberger.

There is no perfect system, of course, but it should not be this imperfect and -- in this case -- so favor the home team that it decides a very high-profile game. The point of the replay system is to get plays right, not to create a whole new dimension of home-field gamesmanship.

I don't have that much sympathy for Brett Favre, whose selfish I'm-going-to-make-a-big-play-no-matter-what-the-risk style of quarterbacking both kept the Vikings in the game and ultimately took them out of it. I know it's being reported that he was playing on a damaged ankle, but that doesn't change the fact that his gunslinger mentality is a two-edged sword that ultimately cut the wrong way on Monday night.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 2:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (25)
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The good news is that Ed Reed is on a rampage. He has forced a fumble and intercepted two passes in his first game back from hip surgery, returning the second interception to the Bills' 9-yard line before the Ravens fumbled the ball right back.

The bad news is that he looked gimpy after breaking up a pass play right before the interception and he was slow to get up after being up-ended at the end of his exciting return. He came off the field with minor assistance, but has returned to the defensive backfield.

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Posted by Peter Schmuck at 3:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
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The Bills just went 91 yards in 11 plays to take a 17-3 lead on another touchdown pass by Ryan Fitzpatrick, and the boo birds have surfaced. The Ravens are in the midst of a textbook letdown and they need to recover right now or this could be a very deflating afternoon.

I'm trying to figure out how the Ravens have 49 yards on five rushing attempts and they have only five rushing attempts halfway into the second quarter.

Guess they want to prove to everyone that they aren't too conservative.

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Posted by Peter Schmuck at 2:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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The Ravens obviously have decided to keep us in suspense for awhile. The defense allowed the Bills to drive down the field for a touchdown on their second possession and Josh Wilson just fumbled away the kickoff deep in Baltimore territory.

Fasten your seatbelts.

It's going to be a bumpy ride.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 1:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
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Ed Reed didn't exactly tiptoe back into the defensive lineup after coming off the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list. He started the game and he was the guy who blasted receiver Roscoe Parrish and knocked the ball loose for a huge loss.

Scoring update: The Ravens moved the ball pretty well on their second possession and have taken a 3-0 lead on a 41-yard field goal by Billy Cundiff.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 1:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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Not this time. Joe Flacco threw on each of the Ravens' first three offensive plays today, completing one of them for a short gain before handing the ball over to the Bills. Don't know if Cam Cameron and Flacco were trying to make some kind of point, but the Bills secondary was not listening.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 1:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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It makes me all warm and fuzzy to watch Navy delivering a brutal beating to Notre Dame at the new Meadowlands Stadium. The Mids just scored again to take a 35-10 lead over the fightless Irish.

This has nothing to do with my former status as a USC fan, though I'm sure there are some residual anti-Irish feelings swimming around in my subconscious. I'm just happy to see Navy nailing down their third victory over ND in the last four years after going four decades without a single in in the historic series.

Ricky Dobbs looks very much like the Heisman Trophy candidate he was supposed to be before he got banged up and the Mids got off to a slow start this season. He's got three rushing touchdowns and Alexander Teich has just shredded the middle of the Notre Dame defense.

Today's plug: The noon game pre-empted my WBAL radio show, so you'll have to settle for my Saturday "New Item" column, which you can read right here. I'll also have an Orioles column up a little later today and in tomorrow's print edition.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 2:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Just football
        

Just so you don't think that I've been loafing the past few weeks, take a look at my lengthy interview with Brian Billick. It just went up on the Web site this morning -- so you can read it right here -- and it will be part of our 10th Anniversary Super Bowl Commemorative section in Friday's print edition.

I hope you enjoy it. Billick delivers some interesting insights that you may not have heard before and lets us see the 2000-2001 postseason through his eyes.

Here's a quick excerpt in which Billick talks about one of his most memorable moments of that championship season:

There are so many of them. There's one that comes to mind. I knew how good this defense was. We're playing the Cleveland Browns, and they're terrible. And we were all about shutouts. This team wanted to break the all-time shutout record. I forget what it was. We had like six or something [actually four], and we were going for it. We're playing Cleveland, and the guys all week thought, "This is one we're going to get," and then Cleveland comes out on the opening drive and goes 86 yards to score. We're down 7-0. At home. So I'm walking down toward the defense, they're going to come off and I'm going to do my coaching thing, and Ray -- I remember like yesterday -- Ray and Rod Woodson are coming off the field and look at me and go, "Don't say a thing." Basically saying: "We got this. Don't say a word." So I make an immediate left turn to the Gatorade, figuring: "OK, you got it. I'm out." You'd have to check the exact number. We gave up 86 yards in that first drive, and we gave up like 112 yards on the day. The rest of the day, they were pissed off. The ability to crank up to that level, that they could hold themselves accountable and knew that they were that good -- that's when I realized, wow, this is a special, special group.

Of course, I only had a small part in the special Super Bowl retrospective, so you'll want to read all the stories and take a happy trip down memory lane. You can even read Ken Murray's original game story from Tampa if you click here.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 2:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Just football
        

My latest column -- on the NFL's expressed intention to crack down on intentional helmet-to-helmet hits -- is up on the Web site right here and also is part of a package on the league's evolving policy regarding player safety.

If you haven't already, you also will want to click on this story by my Sun colleague, Ken Murray, who reacted to Tuesday's news and delivers a very well-researched and well-reported analysis of the league's attempt to get a handle on dangerous hits and their effect on the victimized players.

While I'm plugging everything in sight, you can get another side of the story at Ravens Insider from Kevin Van Valkenburg, who thinks it is going to be very hard to enforce an effective ban on violent helmet hits.

When you get done, let me know what you think?

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)
Categories: Just football
        

This won't go down as the most devastating loss in Ravens history. It's just a disappointment after the way they played through the first three quarters. It probably came down to one bad defensive call in regulation, when the Ravens did not attempt to pressure Tom Brady on that third down play that went for a touchdown to Deion Branch.

If the Ravens had forced the issue and prevented that strike, the Patriots would have had to kick a field goal and then would have had to go down the field and score a touchdown to send the game into overtime.

The Ravens had a 10-point lead with one of the best defenses in the NFL, but credit Tom Brady for waking up down the stretch and making several big throws when it counted.

The thing that was most frustrating to watch, however, was the lack of offensive movement in overtime. The Ravens were on the road and there were times when they looked like they were playing for the tie.

By the way, the oddsmakers apparently are pretty smart, since they posted the Patriots as a three-point favorite.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 4:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
Categories: Just football
        

What is it about regular season games against the Patriots. It seems that every one of them comes down to some stupid mind cramp on the part of the Ravens. This time, it was LeRon McClain getting baited into a personal foul after the second down of the Ravens last possession.

Okay, I can't say it was decisive. The Ravens had done little with any of their possessions after the third quarter and they still would have had a third and long, but it affected the field position and, well, it was dumb. Simple as that.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 4:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
Categories: Just football
        

It's easy to say now that the Patriots are driving the field, but the decision to punt at midfield on fourth and a half yard was too conservative for my taste. The Patriots already had shown they could move the ball and the punt surrendered what little momentum the Ravens still had in the game.

The decision only emboldened the Pats, had just scored on a clutch third-down pass from Tom Brady to Deion Branch.

So, here we are at the two-minute warning with the Patriots knocking at the door. Let's see what happens.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 3:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Just football
        

So far, offensive coordinator Cam Cameron and quarterback Joe Flacco have done an outstanding job of mixing up the offensive gameplan and using every weapon at their disposal. Even Todd Heap, who took that cheap helmet shot earlier in the game and appeared to be done for the day, came back and made a big catch over the middle. If anybody ever says the word "soft" about him around me, I'm going to head butt you with my giant melon so you'll know what it feels like.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 3:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Just football, Just football
        

So far, offensive coordinator Cam Cameron and quarterback Joe Flacco have done an outstanding job of mixing up the offensive gameplan and using every weapon at their disposal. Even Todd Heap, who took that cheap helmet shot earlier in the game and appeared to be done for the day, came back and made a big catch over the middle. If anybody ever says the word "soft" about him around me, I'm going to head butt you with my giant melon so you'll know what it feels like.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 3:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Just football, Just football
        

Though you could take issue with the Jalen Parmele's decision to run the kickoff out of the end zone -- and the procedure penalty that forced the Ravens to start at their 7-yard line -- the Ravens' first drive was impressive, even if they did end up settling for a field goal. They held the ball for more than eight minutes and drove a total of 86 yards before Billy Cundiff converted an easy kick to give them the lead.

Nice start.

Can't ask for too much more than that.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 1:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Just football
        

Sorry, but I just got back from a couple of days off and spent the day putting together a Ravens column for tomorrow's print edition. Of course, you can take a look at it right now if you click here.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 12:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Just football
        

The Denver Broncos aren't one of the top five teams in the NFL, so I'm not going to pass off today's game as some kind of final referendum on the quality of the Ravens, but it was an important victory for a variety of reasons.

First and foremost, it was a win that preserved the momentum and credibility that they carried out of Pittsburgh last week. But I thought going in -- and I said it in my most recent column -- that it was also important to dominate a decent team to reinforce the nationwide opinion that the Ravens are one of the top three games in the league.

Don't think you can argue that right now. They beat the Jets (who are getting similar props) and the Steelers on the road and they would have beaten the Bengals in Cincinnati if they could have held onto a couple of interceptions. Mind you, there are no invincible teams in the NFL. There really is tremendous parity. But the Ravens have made a big statement over the past two weeks and now we'll see if it will extend to New England next Sunday.

The only blemishes on this victory were the opening red zone snafu and the two deep passes to Brandon Lloyd that kept it from being a total blowout. Still, the only place it wasn't a blowout was on the scoreboard. The Broncos were overmatched.

The Patriots will be a tall order. They are the fourth likely playoff team (though the Bengals are no longer one) the Ravens will face on the road in six weeks. That's why this has been the toughest stretch of the season. Now, they can end up no worse than 4-2, which would be okay if they weren't already 4-1.

I know one thing. They won't be going into Foxboro scared. They dominated the Patriots at Gillette Stadium in last year's playoff game, and you could make the case that they are a much better team now than they were then.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 9:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Just football
        

Apparently, screwing up the first drive just got the Ravens offense and defense even more fired up. Joe Flacco led the Ravens on long touchdown drives on their next two possessions to take a 14-0 lead early in the second quarter and Kyle Orton has not been able to get the Broncos offense in gear.

It kind of reminded me of that scene in "Blazing Saddles" when Gene Wilder warns everyone about Mongo.

"If you shoot him, you'll only make him mad."

Better news: Ray Rice looks like his old self. He has run the ball very effectively and elusively, though I'm hoping he saves his best for the first offensive play against the Patriots next week in Foxborough.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 1:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Just football
        

The Ravens looked like they were going to waltz right through the Denver Broncos defense on their first possession of the game after Joe Flacco's 58-yard completion to Ed Dickson and a couple of succeeding quarterback keepers. Then it got ugly.

The Ravens appeared to score on a six-yard QB draw -- one official signaled touchdown -- but ended up with the ball spoted at the one. Then Willis McGahee stutter-stepped to a pair of no gains and the Ravens tried to pull a rabbit out of their playbook on fourth down.

Now don't misunderstand. If the Ravens had run another running play or a quick pass and come up empty, I've got no problem with that. That would still have left the Broncos sitting at their own goal line. But the Ravens inserted Haloti Ngata in as an eligible receiver and tried to run a pass play to him in the left flat. Somehow, the play deteriorated into a 14-yard sack and Ngata limped off the field.

It was a ridiculous outcome. The Broncos were bailed out of both a red zone situation and field position hell because the Ravens got a little full of themselves. Time will tell whether they will live to regret it.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 1:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Just football
        

Former Ravens defensive end Trevor Pryce explained this week that it was the charisma of Jets coach Rex Ryan that convinced him to sign with the Jets instead of waiting to rejoin the Ravens this week.

“It’s a thing where you’ve got to say, ‘OK, who has it and who doesn’t?’, Pryce said on ESPN Radio New York "Rex has it. He has something about him. There’s a difference in him as a head coach, you don’t see him as much, whereas as a coordinator, you’re around him for eight hours a day. As a head coach I see him 10 minutes in the hallway. … But some people just have that effect on other people. It’s said that those people often become President.”

Wow, Rex for president? I'd vote for him just to count the bleeps during his inaugural address.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 3:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
Categories: Just football
        

I'm going to agree with Kevin Cowherd on this, which is an upset in itself. The notion that the Ravens might let down at home against the Broncos is silly. Maybe if it were a road game, where they didn't have the crowd behind then, it might be harder to bounce back with another intense performance, but I think Joe Flacco and Company are going to want to put some real points on the board and increase the momentum heading into the Patriots game next week.

Sweet. Randy Moss won't be in New England by then.

If you want to read Kevin's column -- which he was nice enough to do on one of my column days because I was on a nother assignment -- check it out right here.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Just football
        

There are so many report cards in today's Baltimore Sun, I feel like I'm back in school. Jeff Zrebiec put a letter grade on each of the players who appeared in uniform for the Orioles this year, and you can see if you agree with him right here. Mike Preston also delivered a report card on the Ravens through the first quarter of the season, which you can read here.

Confidential to Brian M: That B- is from Jeff Zrebiec, not me.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 8:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (10)
Categories: Just baseball, Just football
        

Joe Flacco grew up today. He floated a fourth-down pass at a critical moment in the Red Zone on the Ravens second-to-last possession, but kept his wits about him and staged a one-minute game-winning drive that ended with a great touchdown strike to T.J. Houshmandzadeh.

Better still, the Ravens nailed it down with an acrobatic interception by Ray Lewis in the waning seconds.

If you're a Ravens fan, it truly doesn't get any better than this. Enjoy.

And, yes, I picked the Steelers to score the three-point win, so go to town. I'm going to enjoy every bit of the abuse I'm about to take.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 3:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (37)
Categories: Just football
        

The head-to-head hit James Harrison put on Willie McGehee was a brutal example of the intensity of this game. It also is going to change the game, since it looks like Willis suffered a consussion that could knock him out for the rest of the game.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 2:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Just football
        

Like everybody else, I'm very surprised at the amount of offense that has been produced in the first half, most of it by the Ravens. Joe Flacco has been cool as a cucumber (never understood that expression) and he has gotten just about everybody involved.

Don't be too disappointed in the final possession. Michael Oher got called for that obvious hold, but it may have been the right thing to do. The last thing the Ravens want is Flacco getting blindsided in the Red Zone and risking a turnover.

I'll take 10-7 and the ball coming out of halftime.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 2:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Just football
        

I'm pretty sure everyone will agree that the way Joe Flacco moved the offense first two Ravens possessions was quite a revelation. Did anyone suspect he Flacco might be able to carve up the Steelers secondary the way he did, even weathering a big hit-and-drop by Todd Heap?

I'm going to pat myself on the back a little here. I said in my Saturday column that the Ravens might be better served by turning to tough-running Willis McGehee instead of forcing too much out of a banged-up Ray Rice. McGahee has been very effective so far, and his touchdown run was a thing of beauty.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 1:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Just football
        

Maybe the Ravens didn't light up the Cleveland Browns the way they were expected to, but you can make the case that the outcome was encouraging because it was such a departure from the previous norm.

The Ravens defense had not allowed a touchdown in two games against two more respected offensive teams, but allowed a pair of them to the Browns and allowed unheralded Peyton Hillis (22 carries, 144 yards) to run wild against them. The offense rebounded from a disturbing first possession to move the ball effectively, and Joe Flacco hooked up with Anquon Boldin three times for touchdowns.

"It (the defense) was pretty streaky,'' said linebacker Jaret Johnson, "and it was pretty disappointing to allow a team to come out and pound the ball like that. All in all, we played well in the fourth quarter and we got them stopped when we had to."

Haloti Ngata admitted that he was disappointed in the defensive effort, even though the final result was better than last week, when the Ravens did not allow a touchdown to the Cincinnati Bengals and still lost.

"When you go two weeks in a row without letting two good offenses score -- not that we weren't playing another good offense -- we just felt like we're better than that,'' he said.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 4:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Just football
        

Anquon Boldin's touchdown catch was the 600th reception of his career, and he's the fastest receiver to get to 600 in the history of the NFL. This is his 98th NFL game. The fastest guy to get to that point was Marvin Harrison, who did it in his 102nd game.

More importantly, the catch capped an 85-yard drive during which Joe Flacco looked like he was back in rhythm. The offense went three and out on the Ravens' first possession and Flacco threw an ill-advised sideline pass that was nearly intercepted and likely would have gone for a Browns touchdown if T.J. Ward hadn't let it slip through his fingers.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 1:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Just football, Just football
        

Anquon Boldin's touchdown catch was the 600th reception of his career, and he's the fastest receiver to get to 600 in the history of the NFL. This is his 98th NFL game. The fastest guy to get to that point was Marvin Harrison, who did it in his 102nd game.

More importantly, the catch capped an 85-yard drive during which Joe Flacco looked like he was back in rhythm. The offense went three and out on the Ravens' first possession and Flacco threw an ill-advised sideline pass that was nearly intercepted and likely would have gone for a Browns touchdown if T.J. Ward hadn't let it slip through his fingers.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 1:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Just football, Just football
        

There's even some intrigue in the inactive list. Rookie DT Terrence Cody, who garnered praise all week for his work in practice, again is on the list, even though he was not listed on any of the injury reports leading up to the game. All indications were that he would play, and this would seem like the perfect game to tune him up before the Ravens go against the Pittsburgh running attack next week.

No other big surprises. Here's the Ravens list:

WR Donte Stallworth
CB Prince Miller
LBTavares Gooden
DT Arthur Jones
DT Terrence Cody
T Jared Gaither
DT Lamar Divens
DE Paul Kruger

The Browns are decimated. They'll be without veteran quarterback Jake Delhomme and nose tackle Shaun Rogers.

Here are the rest of their inactives:

WR Carlton Mitchell
RB Jerome Harrison
LB Marcus Benard
OL Steve Vallos
OL Brian Robiske

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 12:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Just football
        

If you haven't already, check out my latest column on the Ravens right here. I offer a slightly more angst-ridden reaction to the loss in Cincinnati and point out why I think some concern -- though not panic -- is warranted even at this very early stage in the season.

Let me know what you think.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 1:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (22)
Categories: Just football
        

Let's be careful of our wording. Ravens coach John Harbaugh was fined $15,000 by the NFL for making contact with an official while he was arguing one of the ridiculous calls that helped undermine his team on Sunday. He did not "hit" the guy in the sense of trying to inflict pain. He was just overly demonstrative in his argument reached out and tapped Ron Marinucci on the chest.

That said, the fine was appropriate. Harbaugh knows you can't do that and he already has made it clear that he crossed the line.

Even though it wasn't a malicious act, I'd like to point out that the hit Harbaugh put on Marinucci was still far more egregious than the personal foul called on Terrell Suggs at that pivotal moment in Sunday's game. That was a legit sack and wasn't close to being a personal foul.

Shameless plug: The Ravens said Harbaugh will address the situation with the media tomorrow, but just in case, you might want to tune in to "The John Harbaugh Show" tonight at six on WBAL (1090 AM) and WBAL.com. I'll be joining Brett Hollander for "Sportsline" at seven.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 5:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (18)
Categories: Just football
        

I'm starting to wonder why the Ravens are giving the Bengals defense so much credit. They've driven into Cincinnati territory twice and partied like it's 1999 when they got into a third and short situation.

I've got to say, when its third and two or three inside the Bengals' 40, what's wrong with trying to pound the ball a couple of times. That third down pass attempt to Willis McGahee into double coverage was a very low-percentage play. I guess I'm more confident in Willis than anybody else, because I think he can get you three yards on two carries.

This isn't the Jets offense. If you keep giving the Bengals the ball, they'll keep moving it and kicking field goals, which may be enough if you don't ramp this Ravens offense up a little bit. Joe Flacco just doesn't look very sharp.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 1:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)
Categories: Just football
        

I'm taking some heat for picking the Bengals today, and I understand that it might seem odd to the home crowd, so I'll explain this again like I do every year. My prediction is what my head is telling me is going to happen, not my heart, and I'm not alone. Five of the seven Sun prognosticators think the Ravens are going to come up a little bit short at Paul Brown Stadium.

When we do the staff predictions at The Sun, we're supposed to be as objective as we can. It's not a matter of supporting the home team. I hope the Ravens prove me wrong. I'll be pulling for them to do that. I just think the short week and the Bengals' vertical passing game will be a little too much for the Ravens today. I hope we can still be friends.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Just football
        

Ravens coach John Harbaugh is not about excuses, as he has shown throughout his two-plus years in Baltimore, and he isn't letting his players use the short practice week as an emotional crutch going into this Sunday's game at Cincinnati.

"It does throw you off a little bit,'' he said. "Sleepwise, we haven't had a lot of that. but we knew that. It wasn't like it caught us by surprise, and all of the sudden they moved the game up a day. We knew we had a 5 1/2-day window. We had a lot of time going into it. We know the Bengals, we've been preparing for them all along. We had to add one more (piece of) information that we had in the game into this preparation and then just tie everything together as quick as we could A lot of that work had already been done."

Harbaugh did say that he was surprised to see the Bengals manhandled the way they were by the Patriots for a big chunk of Sunday's game in Foxboro.

"Very surprised -- obviously impressed with the Patriots,'' he said. But the Bengals will get back to being the Bengals. They'll get back to what they did last year. THey're the defending division champions. They earned it last year. They swept the division. They handed it to us twice in convincing fashion and that's the team we expect to see on Sunday."

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 5:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
Categories: Just football
        

The upcoming matchup against the Bengals in Cincinnati is tough to figure. I believe the Ravens are the superior team, but it's very tough to go on the road again after a Monday night road game.

Watched both the Ravens and Bengals openers very closely and think the game is too close to call. The Bengals have a quality quarterback and two of the best receivers in the history of the sport, and they are smarting after the way the Patriots manhandled them in the first half of Sunday's game.

The Ravens defense looked outstanding against the Jets, but will it be able to muster the same energy and intensity after losing a day and a half of prep and recover time? I'm a little worried,

Rosy scenario: The Ravens will come alive against a Bengals defense that was carved up by Tom Brady and the Pats; the Bengals running game will be a no-show like Week 1; and Terrell Owens will get into a fist fight with the offensive coordinator just before kickoff. Don't laugh, it took T.O. less than a game to get into it on the sidelines with head coach Marvin Lewis.

Not-so-rosy scenario: Carson Palmer will be sharper in Week 2 after needing a half to get the offense started against New England. If the weary Ravens can't put pressure on him, he'll connect with T.O. and Chad Ochocinco on the intermediate routs all day long and it will be tough for the Ravens offense to keep up.

Still, wouldn't it be fun if the Ravens were able to spoil two home openers in six days?

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 12:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)
Categories: Just football
        

I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it any more. My new favorite team -- the Boise State Broncos -- continue to be the victim of a nationwide conspiracy to underplay their accomplishments. It's right there in black and white in this week's media poll, under the headline in our print edition that reads "Gap between top 2, Boise St. widens."

Why am I mad? It's not because I necessarily think that Boise State would beat Alabama or Ohio State on a neutral field -- or a neutral-colored field for that matter. It's because there is such a glaring double standard when it comes to evaluating the teams that aren't traditional BCS powerhouses.

Boise State traveled to the East Coast to play Virginia Tech in Week One, but got relatively little love from the media and coaches voting in the two college football polls, I guess because Alabama scored such an impressive win over San Jose State and Ohio State had its way with Marshall.

So what happens this week? Boise has a bye and the top two teams play well against representative opponents and the Broncos lose seven of their eight first-place votes. They'll probably drop out of the Top 10 entirely when Alabama gets done with Duke and Ohio State emerges the victor in that scintillating in-state rivalry game against Ohio this week.

While the Buckeyes open with three creampuffs at home during the first four weeks of the season, Boise opened with a very legit victory over a Virginia Tech team that was ranked 10th in the nation going into the game at Fedex Field. That victory has been devalued by voters, however, because VTech suffered a stunning upset this past weekend against James Madison, which was supposed to be one of the Hokies' creampuff opponents.

Here's my gripe. If the voters want to act like Virginia Tech, in retrospect, wasn't really the 10th-best team in the nation, well, who's fault was that? Who put the Hokies in that position? The fact is that Boise State accepted a coast-to-coast road game against a traditional East Coast powerhouse team and pulled out a hard-fought victory. If you want to know how hard it is to do that, ask a very highly-rated Cal team how it felt to get upset by Maryland a couple of years ago at Byrd Stadium.

The rap on Boise St. is always the same. Soft conference. Nobody on the schedule. Never mind that no big-conference school in its right mind would sign a home-and-home contract to play every other year on the field of blue.

The voters look at the schedule and see that Boise's second game is against Wyoming and the best team remaining on the schedule is Fresno State, which took Cincinnati for an ugly ride a couple of weeks ago. Fair enough, but I don't think the first nine games of the Ohio State schedule is anything to write home about, either.

This doesn't mean a thing, but here's a trivia question for you: Which team is scheduled to play the most Top 10 teams during the upcoming regular season -- Alabama, Ohio State or Wyoming?

Like I said, this doesn't mean anything in the greater scheme of things, but it's still an interesting bit of information. Wyoming scheduled three Top 10 teams this year, which is more than both Alabama and Ohio State combined (2). They both have one on their schedule, just like Boise State.

I really don't know whether Boise State can compete with the Crimson Tide or the Buckeyes, but if the Broncos run the table and end up watching the BCS title game from home while a one-loss team plays for all the marbles, it will be more proof that the fix was in right from the start.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (17)
Categories: Just football
        

I was just leafing through the Sun's NFL Preview Section and one of the so-called experts picked San Diego Chargers coach Norv Turner to be NFL Coach of the Year in the staff predictions section, which has me channeling tennis great John McEnroe:

Are you kidding me?

Norv Turner?

The same guy has the San Diego Chargers winning the Super Bowl this year, beating the Colts in the AFC Championship Game and the Packers for the Lombardi Trophy.

Are you serious?

Who is this baffoon and why doesn't he know that Norv Turner teams always choke in the playoffs?

I don't want to single the guy out, but maybe he figures that Norv has the smoothest road to the postseason. The Chargers are a pretty much a lock to win that division and probably will get a bye into the second round. There's some logic there, but the guy obviously is smoking something pretty good.

Shameless plug: Pick up the NFL Preview, if only to read my "Get Real" column about the Ravens and a great cover package by Ken Murray, You can read me right here or you can click on Ken's look at the most dynamic offensive moves of the offseason here.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (17)
Categories: Just football
        

...it was a pretty good sports day for local fans. The Orioles beat the Yankees in the afternoon -- thanks in part to a terrific performance by the bullpen -- and Maryland's victory over Navy at M&T Bank Stadium hopefully kicks off an annual rivalry between the two highest-profile local football programs.

It wasn't the prettiest football game you ever saw, but any game that comes down to a fourth-down at the 1-yard line and a huge goal line stop is a pretty good game. Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo probably doesn't feel that way right now, but the Midshipmen always do themselves proud.

Let's not get too carried away with the implications of the Maryland victory. Ralph Friedgen needs to build on this game and make the most of a fairly soft early schedule to position the Terps for a bowl run. It's going to be a tall order, but Maryland did display a versatile running attack today. They just need Jamarr Robinson and the passing attack to blossom over the next few weeks.

Hey, it's college football season. Life is beautiful.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 9:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (19)
Categories: Just football
        

Well, I called this game right and Bob called it wrong. My life is complete.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 7:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (24)
Categories: Just football
        

If you're rooting for Navy today, you could make the case that the Mids should already be 21 points ahead. They have stalled near the goal line three times -- twice turning the ball over and once letting the clock run out at the end of the half -- but seem poised to take control of this game in the fourth quarter.

The Terps, who moved the ball so easily in their first three possessions, have lost their offensive rhythm and are fortunate to still be in the game at this point. But the momentum has changed hands a couple of times today and it could change hands again.

Interesting game. Not a great game, but an intriguing matchup.

Instant update: Jeez, I barely had time to post that item before Navy came up short on third down and Tony Logan almost ran the ensuing punt back to the Navy 16. That might have been the quick momentum change I was talking about, but the Terps fumbled the ball right back on their first play of the possession.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 6:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (18)
Categories: Just football
        

The Maryland Terrapins offense was having its way with Navy, so much so that the Terps scored twice in the first half on long drives without every putting the ball in the air.

So what happens on the third posession? Maryland quarterback Jamarr Robinson sprinted 27 yards to put the Terps deep in Navy territory, then tried to get the rest all in one chunk with his first pass of the day. Emmett Merchant intercepted near the goal line and ran the ball back to the 31.

Stuff happens, but when you enter the second half averaging more than 10 yards per rush and nothing has happened to make you think you can't keep doing that, you'd think the Terps would have kept grinding until Navy forced them to do otherwise.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 4:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Just football
        

It all happened so fast that this is going to sound like 20-20 hindsight, but I was complaining right before kickoff about the decision by Navy to defer their first possession to the start of the second half.

I realize that Ken Niumatalolo routinely chooses to defer wen the Mids win the coin toss, but this particular situation begged for them to take the ball and put Maryland instantly on the defensive. It's a hot and muggy afternoon and Navy is the ultimate ball control team, so why not put the Maryland defense on the field right away and keep it out there as long as possible.

Also, defering puts you in a position to play catchup all day long in a shootout, which this game promises to be. Obviously, it's easy to say after the Terrapins marched right down to score a touchdown on their first possessionl, but if you've read this blog during the Ravens games, you know my philosophy on this already.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 4:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
Categories: Just football
        

The line hasn't changed much on today's game between the Midshipmen of Navy and the underdog Maryland Terrapins. The oddsmakers have had Navy posted as a six-to-seven-point favorite for the past couple of weeks, and the line was hanging tough at 6 1/2 this morning (according to the Bodog internet betting site).

The over/under is 49, which means the Vegas types basically are saying that Navy is going to win this game by a theoretical score of 28-21. If I were a betting man, I would have to take Maryland here, because that's too big of a spread for Navy against an ACC opponent that has had several weeks to prepare for the triple-option offense.

Of course, I'm not a sports bettor, and even if I were I might feel unpatriotic betting against the Mids, but I'm not above making a prediction. I'm still puffed up about making the right call on Billy Cundiff, so I'm going with the underdog again. Maryland wins, 31-24.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 12:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
Categories: Just football
        

For once, I guessed right. Billy Cundiff reportedly has held onto his job as the Ravens placekicker, beating out veteran Shayne Graham -- almost certainly because he displayed a much stronger leg on kickoffs.

The most unexpected news of the day was the trade that sent linebacker Antwan Barnes to the Philadelphia Eagles for an undisclosed 2011 draft pick.

Still waiting to hear the fate of quarterback Troy Smith, who may be the odd man out in the roster crunch if Ozzie Newsome and the coaching staff are comfortable going into the season without a third QB. We'll know for sure a little later today.

To keep up with the latest developments today, visit our Ravens Insider blog throughout the afternoon and evening.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 3:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
Categories: Just football
        

Don't think I'm alone in thinking that the most important moment of last night's preseason game between the Ravens and Rams came after linebacker Danell Ellerbe returned an interception for a touchdown and stopped at the goal line for a little unsportsmanlike conduct.

Surprisingly, he didn't draw a penalty flag for taunting or excessive celebration, but I've got to wonder what was going through his mind when he saw head coach John Harbaugh sprinting down the sidelines at full speed with a look on his face that you don't normally see during a touchdown celebration.

Harbaugh grabbed Ellerbe by the jersey and gave him a very public tongue-lashing for everybody -- the fans, his teammates and a Baltimore TV audience -- to see.

"That was classless,'' Harbaugh said at halftime. "We don't play that way."

Obviously, Ellerbe got the message, but it wasn't just for him. And Ellerbe was, in a sense, the perfect guy to help Harbaugh remind everyone what kind of demeanor he expects a Raven to display on the football field. Ellerbe isn't in danger of getting cut and he's not one of the team's cornerstone stars. I don't doubt Harbaugh would have reprimanded anyone in that situation, but it clearly had more impact because it was a player who still is at a point in his career where he had better pay attention.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 6:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)
Categories: Just football
        

Join me at 5:15 when I join Keith Mills for the Ravens pregame show on WBAL (1090 AM) and WBAL.com. We'll be breaking down the roster heading toward the final cut and warming you up for tonight's final preseason game against the Rams in St. Louis.

The fourth preseason game doesn't usually feature a tremendous amount of intrigue, but there are some interesting subplots. The fight for the extra receiver spots will be front and center, and No. 3 quarterback Troy Smith is expected to play most or all of the game.

Maybe most important of the final roster battles is between placekickers Billy Cundiff and Shayne Graham, who are making it very difficult for the coaching staff to separate them. Cundiff is the incumbent, but the fact that the Ravens brought the experienced Graham in to challenge him for the job may be an indication that the team will lean toward him if the competition remains close after tonight.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 4:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Just football, Shameless plug
        

The Ravens pretty much dominated the first half and Joe Flacco drove for two scores, but John Harbaugh still expressed dissatisfaction with the final minutes, when an interception allowed the Giants to salvage a field goal as time expired.

"I was disappointed with the way we handled the end of the first half,'' he said. "We can't do that. The Giants ran on us early, and we have to tackle better. They do havev two very good backs and one of the best lines. They deserve some credit, too."

Personally, I was disappointed with the way I handled halftime. I downed my fourth big cookie of the evening and had a chicken cheese steak, which would have been fine if I hadn't stopped at Bella Roma for a couple of slices on the way to the game. I'm not saying the big diet is over, but my self-discipline is in full retreat.

The worst part was the disapproving comments from Cowherd, who apparently is some kind of nutritional guru. I don't know why he's acting so high and mighty. Somebody ate all the Peanut M&M's and it wasn't me.

Instant update: Now that the first teams are off the field, I'm out of here. The Orioles are in progress from Anaheim and I want to get back to my basement in time for the middle innings. Hey, nobody said my life was going to be easy.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 9:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
Categories: Just football
        

Reciever Mark Clayton just took a nasty helmet-to-helmet hit from Antrel Rolle and suffered a mild concussion. The Ravens announced that his return to the game is doubtful, but it's fair to say that it is virtually certain that he is done for the night. He didn't figure to be in the game much longer anyway.

The penalty helped the Ravens score their second touchdown, but look for Rolle to also get a bill from the NFL office for spearing a defenseless receiver.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 8:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Just football
        

Once again, my football acumen comes into question. I was sure coming into this game -- and I said it today on the WBAL radio show -- that the Ravens would stay conservative in the first half of tonight's preseason game against the Giants.

I was even more convinced of that after Joe Flacco got sacked twice in his first five offensive plays, but Flacco opened up the passing game at that point and drove right down the field to set up a short kick by Billy Cundiff. The Ravens continued to go vertical on their third possession and drove for their first touchdown of the game.

Ravens 10, Giants 0.

If you were fretting about the sketchy performance of the first-team offense last week at Fedex Field, you've got to be feeling a lot better tonight.

Instant update: In the first half, Flacco completed 20 of 32 passes for 220 yards and two touchdowns. He threw one interception in the final seconds of the first half.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 8:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Just football
        

If you were concerned about Joe Flacco's safety in the pocket after the Ravens allowed six sacks in the first preseason game against the Carolina Panthers, you can resume worrying about it tonight.

Flacco was sacked twice in the Ravens' first five offensive plays, the first time by Justin Tuck and the second by Rocky Bernard. The Panthers also sacked Flacco twice early in the first game, but he went largely untouched last week against the Redskins.

The Ravens went three and out in their first possession, but Flacco opened things up the second time he got the ball, bouncing up from the Tuck sack to drive the offense to the 6-yard line before settling for a 25-yard field goal by Billy Cundiff.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 7:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Just football
        

If you've been reading my columns or listening to me on the radio, you probably know that I'm four-square against the expansion of the NFL regular season schedule to 18 games, but I just ran into an argument in favor of it that is hard to dispute:

Tonight's Week 3 preseason game between the Cleveland Browns and Detroit Lions at full regular season price.

Enough said.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 4:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Just football
        

It's been a busy weekend, and I haven't had a lot of time to put stuff up here, but I never miss an opportunity to deliver a shameless plug, so -- if you haven't already -- take a look at my column about last night's game against the Redskins at Fedex Field.

Obviously, it's in the print edition today, but if you don't have one handy, you can read it right here.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 3:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Just football
        

The Ravens have been running a poll at baltimoreravens.com to find out if Ravens fans would favor a return to the old Baltimore Colts fight song with new Baltimore Ravens lyrics. So for, fans are favoring the new version of the old standard over the current Ravens fight song by a margin of 77 percent to 23 percent (with more than 6,000 votes recorded).

Looks like you've made up your minds.

The Ravens have tried to be very sensitive to the feelings of long-time Baltimore football fans, some of whom might be offended by an attempt to use a piece of the storied history of the old Colts to fire up Ravens fans. I'm sure there will be some ruffled feathers -- there always are -- but I'm pretty sure the vast majority of local football fans will embrace the new/old song.

I'm probably the wrong guy to offer an opinion either way, since I did not live in the Baltimore area when the Colts were here, but if it were up to me, I'd leave well enough alone. There is an old wound there that has never really healed, and I'm not sure that reminding fans of it at the start of every home game is a great idea.

There's already a pretty good debate going on about this on the Sun message boards, but I'd still like to hear what you think. I'm trying to decide whether to write a column on the subject for Sunday and you thoughts might help.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 5:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (34)
Categories: Just football
        

The Brett Favre saga is starting to play like that Monty Python routine where the guy keeps insisting "I'm not quite dead." Brett, despite reports to the contrary on Tuesday, remains undecided about his future and the Minnesota Vikings remain in limbo a week into training camp.

To be fair, they don't seem to mind. They'll be thrilled If he shows up after Dr. James Andrews examines his surgically-repaired ankle next week, and that's how this figures to play out. Favre is going to conveniently miss a chunk of camp -- as any veteran player in his position would -- and then make another grand entrance.

No one should have a problem with that. I enjoy poking at him here and in my "Week in Review" column every Saturday, but I'd love to see him make one more playoff run.

Or two.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 6:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (16)
Categories: Just football
        

The suspense continues to build at Ravens training camp, where veteran wideout Derrick Mason had to be helped off the field with a twisted right ankle. It doesn't appear to be a serious setback, but the Ravens will just have to wait and see.

If there is a bright side to this particular injury -- regardless of the severity -- it is that the Ravens have decidedly more depth at wide receiver this year with the addition of veterans Anquon Boldin and Donte Stallworth and rookie David Reed. If Mason misses a lot of time, it could create more reps for Demetrius Williams, who may need to move up the depth chart at least on slot to make the team.

There is a wide range of possibility here for Mason. If it's a garden-variety ankle sprain, he shouldn't be out for more than a week or two. If it's a high ankle sprain, that's a much more time-consuming injury.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 12:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Just football
        

Since M&T Bank will be the site of this year's "Crab Bowl Classic" between Maryland and Navy, the Ravens hosted the coaching staff from each team at today's practice and the two head coaches met the media on the field at McDaniel College.

Obviously, they're both excited about the game on Sept. 6, which will be the first time these teams have met since that heart-stopping game in 2005 when a missed tackle cost Navy a chance to score a major upset.

To some degree, the shoe is on the other foot this year, since it is Navy that will come into the game with the higher national profile.

"We're looking for a great game,'' said Ralph Friedgen. "It's a great challenge. They are one of the best teams in the country."

Both Friedgen and Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo said they would favor this game being an annual event.

"I think it's huge, especially for us,'' said Fridge. "Navy has a big rivalry with Army. To have this in-state rivalry, I think it helps the whole state. Having it in Baltimore just accentuates that."

"We need to play more,'' said Niumatalolo. "We've got two great institutions so close together. We're looking forward to it. Maryland is looking forward to it. Ralph is looking forward to it."

The game is part of an ESPN doubleheader that also features the opener between Boise State and Virginia Tech at FedEx Stadium.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 12:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Just football
        

The Orioles are just about to get underway, but you've still got time to take a look at my latest "News item" column on the Web site. It'll also be in tomorrow's print edition if you don't like to take your eyes off the blog for even a few minutes.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 8:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)
Categories: Just football
        

If you get a chance, take a look at Ed Lee's recent post on Ravens Insider about the Ravens' reaction to the controversy that developed when Cowboys rookie Dez Bryant refused to carry a teammate's shoulder pads in from practice.

The Ravens that Lee interviewed on the subject all seemed to think that Bryant probably overreacted to a very common practice during the early days of training camp. Rookies are asked to do things for veterans as a show of respect and an indication that they know their place in the team's pecking order.

Fair enough. I know from personal experience that kind of thing doesn't fly in your average workplace. Jeff Zrebiec got all indignant when I told him that -- as a show of humility and respect -- he should come over and mow my lawn every week during his first summer on the Orioles beat. This new generation just doesn't get it.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 1:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (38)
Categories: Just football, Just football
        

If you get a chance, take a look at Ed Lee's recent post on Ravens Insider about the Ravens' reaction to the controversy that developed when Cowboys rookie Dez Bryant refused to carry a teammate's shoulder pads in from practice.

The Ravens that Lee interviewed on the subject all seemed to think that Bryant probably overreacted to a very common practice during the early days of training camp. Rookies are asked to do things for veterans as a show of respect and an indication that they know their place in the team's pecking order.

Fair enough. I know from personal experience that kind of thing doesn't fly in your average workplace. Jeff Zrebiec got all indignant when I told him that -- as a show of humility and respect -- he should come over and mow my lawn every week during his first summer on the Orioles beat. This new generation just doesn't get it.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 1:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (38)
Categories: Just football, Just football
        

The World Cup final has begun, but that doesn't mean you can't walk and chew gum at the same time by checking out my latest column, which asks this important question:

Will LeBron James permanently dethrone Art Modell as the King of Pain in Cleveland? The early returns say yes, but it might be a different story over the long run.

Check out the print edition of The Sun today or go over to the Baltimore Sun main Web site to get both my opinion on the subject and Art's.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 2:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
Categories: Just football
        

I've been so tuned into the daily travails of the Orioles that I almost forgot the Ravens were holding their final OTA for veteran players today, but I rushed over there to watch practice and poke around the lockerroom.

The vets have 47 days "off" between now and the opening of training camp in Westminster, so coach John Harbaugh bid them farewell and reminded them of their responsibility to act responsibly during their down time.

What did he tell them?

"Take care of yourself. Be smart. Take care of your body. Do things that make your family proud and make your organization proud."

The practice ended with a rousing competition between placekicker candidates Billy Cundiff and Shayne Graham that ended with the players cheering as both kickers worked their way up to 60 yards and both made that kick.

The Ravens still can work with the rookies next week, but veteran players are not even allowed to show up at the facility to use the weight room until the following week because of the restriction placed on the team by the NFL.

Obviously, the term "off" is relative. The players do have a workout and conditioning regimen that they follow during the six weeks plus they will not be required to be at the facility, and the players that live in the area will spend a lot of time here.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 12:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
Categories: Just football
        

Ravens coach John Harbaugh dropped by the press room earlier today for a casual conversation with reporters during the fourth round of the draft. He, like everyone else in the Ravens braintrust, has been immersed in the team's draft machinations for days, but he took some time to give the writers and broadcasters some perspective on the final day.

That's one of Harbaugh's real strengths. When he's in the middle of game prep, he isn't going to let anything mess with his focus. But when he has a moment to let his hair down, he's a charmer.

Here's the thing that impressed me most about him today. Even though the discussion was about the draft and the outlook for the Ravens -- and all of us were thinking entirely about football -- he made a point to ask me how Dave Trembley is holding up. I doubt Harbaugh has ever been associated with a team off to as bad a start as the Orioles, but he clearly sympathizes with a fellow coach who has had fortune turn against him in so many ways.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 8:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (20)
Categories: Just football
        

Ozzie Newsome and Eric DeCosta just finished their post-draft news conference, and tried to allay concerns about top pick Sergio Kindle. Newsome said that Kindle could speak for himself about a couple of off-the-field incidents over the past three years -- which he did during his conference call -- and Ozzie denied that there is any concern that Kindle's knee could require more surgery that might cost him his rookie season.

Newsome said at the outset that the Ravens were very pleased with all three players they acquired -- Kindle, run-stopping defensive lineman Terrence Cody and tight end Ed Dickson.

"At the top of our list were five players,'' Newsome said. "We got three of those five players. We not only got players we like, we filled some needs. We wanted to get younger on defense. We needed a pass rusher. Sergio can do that. We wanted somebody to stop the run. That's what Cody can do. We only had two tight ends on the roster."

DeCosta kept it simple.

"We got guys we wouldn't want to play against,'' he said.

When the draft resumes tomorrow morning, the Ravens have four picks remaining in the final rounds.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 8:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (38)
Categories: Just football
        

Linebacker Sergio Kindle just talked with the Ravens reporters on a conference call and tried to explain a recent automobile incident in which he drove into a building.

"That was just some texting and driving,'' he said.

Guess the Maryland legislature passed those cell phone laws just in time.

Kindle also explained that his 2007 DWI was a stupid decision to get into his car after several drinks.

"I feel things happen for a reason,'' he said. "I think I've learned from those mistakes...I think those incidents made me smarter."

Some teams were concerned about the condition of one of his knees, which may explain why he slipped well into the second round. He has had several medical procedures on the knee in question, and was not particularly direct when he was asked whether he might need more work on it.

"When I get there, I'll let them take a look at it,'' he said. "I feel I can go practice right now."

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 7:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (15)
Categories: Just football
        

When the Rams took Indiana offensive tackle Rodger Saffold with the first pick of the second round, it probably didn't impact the Ravens' plans for the 43rd pick, but the Vikings used the second pick of the round to take Virginia cornerback Chris Cook, a player who is thought to have been on the Ravens' list.

The early consensus in the Sun war room has the Ravens looking at Alabama nose tackle Terence Cody, because the Ravens have had so much success with second round picks with the surname Cody.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 6:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Just football
        

I'm sure that a lot of Ravens fans were disappointed that Ozzie Newsome chose to give up the first-round pick for a boatload of draft picks, but they're probably going to feel a lot better when the names start popping up Friday night and Saturday.

Ozzie and Eric DeCosta wanted to regain some draft position lost in the Anquan Boldin deal, and they succeeded in recovering some middle-round picks that improved their original position in those rounds. They'll have seven picks over the next two days, barring a deal to move up from the 43rd pick in the second round.

Obviously, there were some players taken just ahead of No. 25 who would have been attractive, but once they were gone, the Denver deal made sense, especially with the Ravens finding themselves in an auction situation that late in the first round.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (38)
Categories: Just football
        

It wasn't as crazy as last year, when the Oakland Raiders selected Maryland receiver Darius Heyward-Bey with the seventh pick overall, but they again went with a counter-intuitive choice in inside linebacker Rolando McClain with the eighth overall pick. He figured to go no earlier than 11th and could have gone in the middle of the round.

That doesn't make it a bad pick, but you have to figure -- like last year -- that the Raiders could have picked up a late pick by trading down several slots and probably still getting McClain. That said, the conventional wisdom on the Raiders this year was that they would go with one of the top offensive or defensive tackles.

Too early to tell whether the ripples from that choice could impact the Ravens late in the first round, but the draft has already taken a couple of unexpected turns, so that's certainly possible.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 8:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
Categories: Just football
        

Since our Ravens beat writer Jamison Hensley is too humble to blow his own horn on the Ravens Insider blog, I'm going to have to do it for him. His mock draft is perfect through the first six picks. If you want to play along with Jamison, you can find his draft predictions right here.

This reminds me of last year, when Sun football writer Ken Murray's first round mock turned out to be far more accurate than any of the big name television draft gurus. In short, our guys are pretty good.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 8:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Just football
        

Just arrived at The Castle in Owings Mills for the NFL Draft, which will start in about 40 minutes. Barring an unforeseen trade up, the Ravens won't pick until late tonight -- probably around 11 p.m. -- but there's plenty of intrigue to keep everybody interested until then.

The ESPN guys are obsessing right now about Tim Tebow, who may or may not go in the first round. Jon Gruden, who worked with Tebow on his mechanics after his disappointing performance at the Senior Bowl, thinks that he can be a very successful NFL quarterback. Steve Young, a fellow left-hander, also was touting Tebow as a late first-round pick. Guess we'll find out soon enough.

The Ravens could go in a number of directions, of course, so it's just about anybody's guess who they'll take with the 25th pick in the first round. Everybody's got an opinion, so I'll give you mine. I think Ozzie Newsome will trade back a handful of slots and take Penn State defensive end Jared Odrick.

What's your guess?

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 6:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Just football
        

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has socked Ben Roethlisberger with a six-game suspension for his involvement in two tawdry sex scandals, though he apparently will be able to serve only four games if he keeps his nose (and his other appendages) clean. I guess that makes sense, though I felt Goodell should have been even tougher with Roethlisberger because of his stature in the league.

I realize that Big Ben wasn't charged with a crime in either case, but he certainly tarnished the image of the Steelers and the NFL with his scummy behavior, so I was hoping that he would be suspended for half the season without parole.

You're going to have to trust me that I'm wasn't hoping for that because it would benefit the Ravens. The four-game suspension will turn out to be will benefit them anyway, since they are scheduled to play Pittsburgh in Week 4.

Goodell basically cut the baby in half. There was speculation that he could have imposed anywhere from two to eight games. He obviously wanted to send a strong message to Roethlisberger, but he didn't want to completely change the balance of power in the AFC. I'm sure some people don't think that's important, but if he had banned Ben for half a season or more, he would have been severely punishing everyone else on the Steelers roster, too.

Associated press photo

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 2:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (64)
Categories: Just football
        

Since we had a night game last night at Ed Smith Stadium, we really only had time to read the headlines about the deal that brought Anquan Boldin to the Ravens. Clearly, these are exciting times at The Castle.

It looks like Ozzie Newsome just got tired of everyone telling him he had to fix the receiver corps. The acquistion of Boldin and Donte Stallworth give the Ravens a much more dangerous passing game and should help Joe Flacco take another big developmental step. The Ravens seem determined to be a perenniel playoff team and Super Bowl contender. What more could their fans ask?

Well, I suppose they could ask for Brandon Marshall, but I agree with Mike Preston that it makes far more sense to give up later-round picks for Boldin than to take yourself out of the front end of a draft for Marshall -- who has some issues that could come back to haunt the franchise.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (15)
Categories: Just football
        

When I read Kevin Van Valkenburg's report from the NFL combine that John Harbaugh has opened the door to the "return" of Terrell Owens to the Ravens, I almost spit out my granola.

OK, it was three Egg McMuffins, but who's counting. The possibility of the Ravens making another run at T.O. is almost too delicious to contemplate -- at least from the perspective of a sports columnist and a blogger. If that really happened, I might actually set up a cot next to his locker and just live there all season.

I'm not holding my breath. Ravens fans remember what happened when the Ravens traded for T.O. a few years ago. He made such a stink about not wanting to play in Baltimore that the trade ended up being rescinded. I'd like to think this is a forgiving town, but who are we kidding?

Hypothetical scenario: If T.O. could guarantee that he'd catch 50 balls next year and make two game-winning plays, would you want him?

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (43)
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Clearly, Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti is a proponent of the NFL salary cap, and took a light-hearted shot at the Yankees during today's big news conference for their inability to totally dominate Major League Baseball with their huge revenue and payroll advantage over the other 29 teams.

"It certainly doesn't show up in the standings," Bisciotti said. "If I'm a Yankees fan, I'm upset we're not winning 130 games with the roster that they have and the money that they pay out. I think it's a disgrace they only beat the average team by 10 games in the standings with three times the money. I'd fire that GM. You don't need a GM. All you have to do is buy the last Cy Young Award winner every year."

That left me with no choice but to ask him afterward if he thought baseball should impose an NFL-style salary cap, something the baseball owners have wanted to do for decades, but have never been able to overcome union opposition.

"I think the genie's out of the bottle,'' Bisciotti said, pointing out that the huge value of the Yankees franchise is based on the current economic system and nobody is going to impose a new system that might damage the value of the top revenue-producing teams. "There's just no way of solving it."

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 4:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (66)
Categories: Just baseball, Just football
        

The Ravens braintrust took questions for 50 minutes this afternoon, but it's not like Ozzie Newsome was going to tell everyone who he might take in the upcoming draft. He reaffirmed his philosophy going forward -- basically saying that he is open to any possibility that would improve the team -- and owner Steve Bisciotti reaffirmed his confidence in the ability of his front office to take the Ravens to the next level.

Bisciotti and team president Dick Cass tried to explain the labor situation without running afoul of a partial league gag order on public statements about the negotiations. The team continues to go on the assumption that 2010 will be an uncapped year, and both Bisciotti and Newsome said they had no major reservations about working within that temporary framework.

Stay tuned for my favorite highlight.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 4:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Just football
        

The Ravens will hold their annual news conference featuring owner Steve Bisciotti, president Dick Cass, general manager Ozzie Newsome and head coach John Harbaugh over at The Castle at 2 p.m. The region's best pro football reporting team will bring you full coverage in The Sun and at baltimoresun.com, including instant analysis at Ravens Insider. I'll be there, too, but I don't want to get in anybody's way.

By the way, you can hear the Q&A session live on WBAL and WBAL.com, or you can watch it live on the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 1:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Just football
        

The Ravens did not comment last night when news leaked out that they had hired former Patriots defensive coordinator Dean Pees to replace Vic Fangio as John Harbaugh's new linebackers coach, but the team just put out a release officially announcing the move.

Here's a quick excerpt from the news release:

“I’ve know Dean for 27 years, and he’s our type of coach – energetic, hard-working and innovative,” Harbaugh stated. “He has worked with all three levels of defense – defensive line, linebackers and secondary. His experience and wealth of knowledge speak for themselves. Dean has also earned respect from his players and fellow coaches because he has been a coordinator. He’ll help our linebackers complement the guys up front and in the back end. He’ll fit in with us well, and we’re excited to get him.”

The Patriots’ defense allowed less than 20 points per game in every season under Pees’ guidance. In 2009, New England ranked 11th in the NFL in total defense (320.2 yards per game) and fifth in scoring defense (17.8 points per game). In 2008, the Patriots surrendered 19.3 points per game and earned an 11-5 record despite using 22 different starters on defense. Pees' 2008 unit ranked second in the NFL, allowing just 309.9 yards a contest.

The release also said that Fangio was no longer in the organization and would have an announcement about his future in football soon.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 12:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Just football
        

During his season-ending media conference today, John Harbaugh conceded the possibility that Matt Stover could be back in a Ravens uniform next season.

"Matt coming back?" Harbaugh said. "Sure, that's a possibility."

What he was saying, however, was that the Ravens would not be so stubborn as to rule that out if Stover turned out to be the team's best option at placekicker next year. He stood by the original decision to move past Stover and go with a single kickoff/field goal specialist this past season.

Still, it could be quite a reunion year in Baltimore if the Ravens bring back Stover and the Orioles bring back Miguel Tejada and Erik Bedard. I'm getting all misty just thinking about it.

Sun file photo by Lloyd Fox

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (10)
Categories: Just football
        

Now that the Ravens are left to focus on the 2010 season, it's becoming pretty obvious that Ozzie Newsome has one of his more problematic offseasons ahead. The uncertain receiver situation -- just about everybody is a free agent of some kind -- and the uncertain labor situation could combine to make it very difficult to significantly upgrade the offense and the secondary.

Of course, all that was just a preamble to another column plug. I weigh in on the Ravens upcoming "Season of Uncertainty" in today's column in the print edition. Or you can read it right here right now.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 9:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Just football
        

Spent a big chunk of the day over at The Castle, where the Ravens were cleaning out their lockers and heading home for the offseason. Most of the players had something to say on the way out the door, and you can check out the Web site for all the stories and blog entries that Jamison Hensley, Ken Murray and Ed Lee generated over the course of the day.

Sometime tonight, you can also get my take on the somewhat somber morning. I talked to Joe Flacco, Mark Clayton and Dominique Foxworth for my column, which will appear in tomorrow's print edition.

Everybody wants to know whether Derrick Mason and Ed Reed will be back for training camp in late July, but no firm answer was forthcoming from either player. Lardarius Webb was in locker room and said he'll be around the whole offseason rehabbing to get ready for 2010. But it was too early for anybody to feel much like talking about next year. There's obviously plenty of time for that.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 6:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (30)
Categories: Just football
        

First off, let's stipulate that the Ravens had a very successful season and that the John Harbaugh/Joe Flacco era is off to a real good start. That way, I can do a little bit of nit-picking about last night's extremely disappointing playoff loss to the Indianapolis Colts.

The Ravens got beaten pretty handily. The Colts had an answer for pretty much everything they wanted to do, but it might have been a different game if the Ravens had been able to stay within one score at the end of the first half. The reason they didn't was because they took only about 20 seconds off the clock when they got the ball back inside the two-minute warning.

When they needed to force the Colts to -- at the very least -- use their remaining timeouts, Flacco threw a pair of incompletions that gave Peyton Manning way too much time to double the Colts' lead at intermission. Guess I don't have to tell you that clock management is something that has been an issue at several junctures this season.

I'm not going to harp about the pass interference penalties, though I thought the first one should have been called illegal contact. The second one, which negated Ed Reed's second interception and a big runback that might have helped the Ravens get back in the game, was legit, but it wasn't unforgiveable because it came when the Ravens had to start gambling at a time Manning was pretty much doing whatever he wanted in the short and intermediate routes.

Tough night, but it illustrated again what the Ravens need to do to be the Colts. They still need a slam-dunk wideout and a lot of help in the secondary. They're also going to need to beef up the pass rush. None of that is breaking news.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (63)
Categories: Just football
        

If you're so inclined, you can read my column on Colts quarterback Peyton Manning in tomorrow's print edition or look at it right here and get bonus footage of John Harbaugh's 5:30 p.m. podium session on the same Web page.

Let me know what you think.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 2:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (11)
Categories: Just football
        

Give Tom Brady credit. He didn't blame anybody else for the way the Patriots performed against the Ravens, today, and he gave the Ravens their due for coming up here and getting the job done.

He even gave the Gillette Stadium crowd a pass for booing him and the team as the Pats collapsed in the first quarter.

"I'd have been booing us, too, the way we played. "That's their right. We just didn't play well and you've got to give those guys a lot of credit. They played well in all phases and really took it to us."

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 7:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (21)
Categories: Just football
        

I've got my faults, but I'm no liar. I said that if I was wrong with my prediction that the New England Patriots would defeat the Ravens today, I'd publicly scourge myself and beg for your forgiveness.

Of course, I was always banking on you being in a forgiving mood, since everybody (who is over 21) is probably all liquored up after that resounding Ravens victory. I'm happy to see the Ravens move on for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that this is a very dead time to be a Baltimore sports columnist if there is no local involvement in the NFL postseason.

Now, I've got a dilemma. Considering that I picked the Ravens to beat the Steelers and they lost, then picked the Ravens to lose today and they won, I'm thinking I almost have to pick the Colts next week or risk being viewed as a jinx. I'm going to have to conjure on that one for awhile.

Any advice?

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 6:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (36)
Categories: Just football
        

This game has never been close, but the Ravens have had so much trouble finishing in big games against elite teams, that Willis McGahee's touchdown with 10:32 left in the fourth quarter had to evoke a huge sigh of relief for Ravens fans watching here and at home.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 2:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (14)
Categories: Just football
        

The Ravens spent way too much time in the final minutes of the second quarter trying to reinstill hope in the Patriots, who were beaten and on the verge of giving up when they got that gift touchdown.

Of course, the Ravens have gotten several gifts, so you can't complain, but you still had to sweat out the final minute or two of the half with them getting the ball inside the 10-yard line. So far, however, the offensive line has done a great job of creating an environment where Ray Rice, Willis McGahee and LeRon McClain can grind out first downs -- particularly the two that grinded the last two minutes off the clock.

It would be a whole different game at 24-14 with the Patriots getting the ball to start the second half, but Tom Brady has had very little success moving the Pats offense to this point.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 2:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Just football
        

The Ravens gave the ball back to the Patriots on a botched punt return and Tom Brady has hooked up with Julian Edelman on a six-yard touchdown pass to make it 24-7, but the Ravens may be second-guessing themselves twice on the offending play. The punt glanced off the back of Tom Zbikowski and appeared to be recovered on the run by Kyle Arrington as he was knocked out of bounds.

Trouble was, Arrington never had complete possession of the ball and coughed it up when he landed out of bounds, but the Ravens did not challenge the play. The replays showed that the ball was never completely secure in Arrington's hands even before he went out of bounds.

The lack of a challenge was reminiscent of another missed opportunity earlier this year at Heinz Field -- the apparent touchdown pass to Derrick Mason that was ruled incomplete and also went unchallenged because it happened so far away from the Ravens coaching staff.

Now, the Ravens have turned the ball over again, so I guess we'll have some suspense before this is over.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 1:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Just football
        

Guess we're going to find out how well the Ravens play from ahead. LeRon McClain's one-yard touchdown run gave the Ravens a 14-0 lead and Ray Lewis just dropped Tom Brady hard for the Ravens' second sack in the first five minutes of the game.

Get this:At 8:58 of the first quarter -- after Chris Carr returned a punt to the Patriots 42-yard line -- the sellout crowd has started to boo the Patriots.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 1:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Just football
        

See what happens when you have the ball first. The Ravens accepted the opening kickoff for only the third time in 17 games and started on offense for only the second time this year, and they were up a touchdown before Joe Flacco could say "My hip is starting to feel better."

Ray Rice took the first handoff of the game and sprinted 83 yards for a touchdown. It was the longest run of his career and the second-longest run from scrimmage in NFL playoff history. The record is held by Fred Taylor, who had a 90-yard run for Jacksonville against the Miami Dolphins in 1999.

Instant update: Tom Brady was just sacked by Terrell Suggs and fumbled the ball at the 17 yard line. Suggs also recovered the ball for the Ravens.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 1:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Just football
        

If you're wondering and don't know how to get to weather.com, the temperature right now at Gillette Stadium is 20 degrees with a wind chill that makes it feel like eight degrees. In other words, it's wicked cold by Baltimore standards.

Of course, it's a balmy 68 degrees in the press box, so I don't think the weather will be a factor for Team Sun, which includes Jamison Hensley, Mike Preston, Ken Murray, Brent Jones and yours truly. I'm sure our photographers -- Gene Sweeney, Jr. and Lloyd Fox -- might have a different opinion of the working conditions, but they were the ones who decided to become photographers instead of good-looking, erudite sportswriters, so I have little sympathy for them.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Just football
        

For all of you who were either concerned about or upset with my decision to pick the Patriots to win tomorrow's game at Gillette Stadium, I have some good news. I was absolutely certain the Cincinnati Bengals would handle the New York Jets today, and I'm now 0-1 in my Wild Card picks.

Hey, if I could pick football games, I'd be in Vegas lying next to one of those fancy swimming pools on The Strip letting supermodels feed me fresh fruit. So, maybe I'm on a reverse role and the Ravens will have no trouble with Tom Brady and the Pats.

Congrats to Rex Ryan, who tried to tell everyone how good his team was, and Mark Sanchez, who played a near-perfect game to knock the AFC North champions out of the playoffs. I feel bad for Marvin Lewis, but both Rex and Marvin are good guys and one of them was going to be disappointed.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 7:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)
Categories: Just football
        

If you read the headline on today's column -- which you can read right here -- you probably think I'm totally dismissing the possibility that the Ravens will be playing the Colts next week in the second round of the NFL playoffs.

I'm not really that negative about their chances of beating Tom Brady and the Patriots tomorrow. I did pick the Patriots to win, because I think that's what is most likely to happen, but the path to a victory for the Ravens is pretty simple. Put pressure on Brady and play mistake-free football. That's quite possible, but I still think the odds are slightly against them.

Just got into Providence and the weather is pretty similar to what I left in Baltimore. It might be a few degrees colder in Foxboro than in Baltimore, but I don't think the weather will be a deciding factor. If anything, it might be an advantage for the Ravens, if you can imagine what it might feel like to be stiff-armed by Willis McGahee on a 20-degree afternoon.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 4:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
Categories: Just football
        

If you checked out our staff predictions on the Web site or in today's print edition, you'll probably notice that I picked the Patriots to win Sunday's playoff game at Gillette Stadium, but don't take it personally.

The betting line has been narrowing gradually and New England is now only a three-point favorite to advance into a Divisional Round game against the Indianapolis Colts. That means the Ravens and Patriots are pretty much equal from a talent standpoint, so it's probably going to come down to whether the Ravens can keep their heads about them in that pressure-packed environment.

If they do, I'll happily admit my poor judgment in picking against them, but I'm going to need more proof than the Raiders victory to believe that the Ravens have solved their on-field discipline issues.

I'm heading north to see for myself. Talk amongst yourselves.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 3:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (21)
Categories: Just football
        

During today's John Harbaugh news conference, I asked the coach whether he was concerned that the officials will do even more to protect Patriots quarterback Tom Brady this week, considering the reports that he's playing with three broken ribs. Here's his answer:

"I can't imagine the officials are going to take anything like that into account,'' he said. "We're going to play by the rules."

Harbaugh also answered a question -- posed by another media member -- about the way the Ravens might approach Brady knowing he is not 100 percent.

"We're not going to target a guy's injuries, per se, but we're going to try and hit the quarterback,'' Harbaugh said. "Our guys are just going to try and get to him and sack him."

I don't share Harbaugh's confidence that there won't be a big halo around Brady on Sunday. Why would this game be any different than any other? Along that line, I thought you might enjoy the accompanying doctored photo, which is going around the internet right now.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 4:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (12)
Categories: Just football
        

During one of the halftime shows yesterday, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell talked about the importance of "integrity" and his desire to come up with a way to "incentivize" teams to play hard in late-season games that may have more meaning to an opponent or a team waiting elsewhere for the outcome of a the playoff seeding.

It was some nice lip service, but all you had to do was watch the first half of last night's Sunday Night Football broadcast to see how shamelessly a team can manipulate the playoff picture.

The Cincinnati Bengals insisted they would play to win last night, but they didn't even show up. There were so many missed tackles and dropped passes that you had to wonder if they were doing it on purpose. The Bengals players clearly avoided contact in some situations, particularly on one "wildcat" play by the Jets in which a Cincinnati defensive back all but backed away from a hit as Jets wide receiver Brad Smith passed by. On a third-quarter punt return, some Bengals special teams players simply stood and watched the Jets return man run between them.

It might not seem like a big deal, but there's a team in Houston that played pretty hard to overcome a 14-point deficit to beat the Patriots and keep their playoff hopes alive on Sunday. I think their fans have a right to expect that every NFL team makes a legitimate attempt to defeat its opponent. Otherwise, all that nice talk about integrity is just a bunch of corporate nonsense.

If you're willing to give the Bengals the benefit of the doubt here, you might consider the difference in time of possession in the first half -- 24:50 for the Jets and 5:10 for the Bengals. That doesn't happen by accident.

I think you'll have a better sense of what I'm talking about when the Jets and Bengals play next week and the Bengals win easily. Just a hunch.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 7:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (57)
Categories: Just football
        

The Ravens and their fans obviously will take that 21-13 victory over the Oakland Raiders, which was workmanlike and did not feature a lot of stupid mistakes, so you have to consider it progress. There was one pass interference penalty on Chris Carr, but you couldn't fault his effort on the bang-bang play. I've seen a lot worse not called against the guys who have been trying to beat up Derrick Mason all season.

If Job One was to win the game and Job Two was to avoid those self-destructive penalties, mission accomplished.

That said, it was far from an impressive victory in a game the Ravens had to win to reach the playoffs and needed to win cleanly and convincingly to carry any momentum into the postseason. They have gotten it done against losing teams throughout the John Harbaugh era, but this was a lot more suspenseful than it should have been.

Flacco did not look particularly sharp and the Ravens clearly were forced to refocus on the running game to grind out this must-win victory. Now, it's off to New England, where they came up just short in a regular-season game at Gillette Stadium in October.

Clearly, the Ravens secondary remains suspect, which means there will be a lot of focus on whether Wes Welker will be able to play for the Patriots next week.

"We're in the dance,'' Ray Lewis could be seen telling his teammates on the sidelines as the final minute wound down.

That's true, but the Ravens probably will need to make more strides this week if they want to put on their dancing shoes more than once this month.

Bottom line: Harbaugh and Flacco have reached the playoffs in their first two seasons with the Ravens, so it's not like anybody has a right to complain about where the team is at this point. But it's fair to wonder if the Ravens' inability to dominate the Raiders -- even on the road -- is a bad sign as they head out on the road in the playoffs.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 7:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (62)
Categories: Just football
        

It took a catalytic moment from the Ravens defense to get the Ravens moving back in the right direction after being shut out in the third quarter. Dannell Ellerbe's interception and long return gave Joe Flacco a short field and led to Willis McGahee's third touchdown of the game.

The Ravens still are having trouble covering the Raiders receivers, but Jarret Johnson hit JeMarcus Russell right as he was throwing the pass that was picked off. The McAfee Coliseum crowd has begun booing Russell, who Raider Nation feels has cost the team a chance to be in the playoffs.

It certainly didn't help his standing with Raiders fans that coach Tom Cable endorsed that concept during a news conference last week.

Instant update: Ellerbe just recovered a fumble by Russell to end a promising Raiders drive.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 6:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (14)
Categories: Just football
        

Maybe I'm imagining things, but Joe Flacco doesn't look right to me. I don't know if the Raiders have put together a great scheme against him or what, but he doesn't seem to have much of a feel for the offense -- or the ball -- though the early minutes of the third quarter. I thought there would be some suspense, but I think the Ravens need to get something established on their next possession or there are going to be some tight players in the fourth quarter.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 6:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)
Categories: Just football
        

The Ravens get the ball first in the third quarter and they are the best team in the NFL coming out of intermission, but this game should not be this close, and that missed field goal at the end of the half gave me a shiver.

Of course, after watching East Carolina lose a bowl game on Saturday in which the Pirates kicker missed three straight field goals in the final minutes of the game -- all under 40 yards -- I guess anything's possible.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 5:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Just football
        

The good news is, the Ravens defensive line is getting good push and putting pressure on Raiders quarterback Charlie Frye. The bad news is, the Ravens secondary seems determined to leave him at least one open receiver if he can keep his feet long enough to release the ball for a short or intermediate gain.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 5:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Just football
        

I've been using the same word all week to describe what kind of performance the Ravens need to win today and head into the playoffs with both momentum and the feeling that they can overcome their penalty problems.

That word is workmanlike.

So far, so good.

The Ravens didn't do much with their first possession, but they stopped the Raiders twice and just plowed through the Oakland defense on an 80-yard drive to take the early lead on a short run by Willis McGahee.

Long way to go, but the Ravens seem to have their heads screwed on straight today, which is a very good sign.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 4:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Just football
        

This is one time I had no problem with the Ravens' decision to defer after winning the coin flip. The Raiders are playing with a journeyman backup quarterback, so you want to pin them back and take your chances with your defense.

To the Raiders' credit, they did move the ball well enough to set the Ravens back at their own 20 yard line for their first possession.

Interesting stat that may not mean a thing: The Ravens offensive unit has only taken the field first in one out of their 16 regular season games. They received the opening kickoff twice, but fumbled it away against the Patriots in New England.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 4:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Just football
        

Well, I do, but the final week of the NFL regular season brings together a lot of teams with a lot of different motivations. Some teams are motivated to end on a strong note. Some are motivated to go home for a long vacation. Some are just trying to get into the postseason without anybody important getting hurt.

Commissioner Roger Goodell was just interviewed on the CBS broadcast and said he is looking at ways to add incentive for teams to be more competitive in the final weeks of the season when it might make more sense to call off your dogs to call off your dogs. Don't know how you would do that, but I'm all for it.

Gotta give the Dolphins and Steelers credit. They both look very motivated, even though it'll take quite a few strange bounces around the rest of the AFC to get either of those teams intos the playoffs.

I'll be blogging football throughout the day, particularly during the Ravens' late-afternoon game against the Oakland Raiders. Hope you'll join in the conversation. I'll try to answer a few baseball posts, too, but this is a pretty important day for local football fans, so the Ravens obviously will be my major focus.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 1:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (15)
Categories: Just football
        

If you haven't already, you can check out my latest "News item" column by clicking here. I'm pretty confident the Ravens will beat the Raiders to advance into the postseason on Sunday, and so are the oddsmakers who have made them a 10 1/2 point favorite, but I'll be back soon with a Sunday column that explains why winning really isn't the only thing that matters this weekend.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (24)
Categories: Just football, Schmuck being Schmuck
        

Believe it or not, I actually have more confidence in the Ravens in the aftermath of Sunday's mind-boggling performance in Pittsburgh. If you're interested in the logic behind that, check out today's column in the print edition or you can read it right right here.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)
Categories: Just football
        

Here is the list of Ravens who were chosen for this year's Pro Bowl, according to WBAL and WBAL-TV's Gerry Sandusky, who announced them tonight on the John Harbaugh Show:

Ray Lewis

Ray Rice

Ed Reed

Haloti Ngata

LeRon McClain

Ben Grubbs (1st alternate)

Terrell Suggs (2nd alternate)

Matt Birk (2nd alternate)

Tom Zbikowski (3rd alternate)

Schmuck plug: If you want to talk about the Ravens, join me and Jonathan Ogden on Sportsline on WBAL (1090 AM) and WBAL.com tonight at 7.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 6:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (21)
Categories: Just football
        

Nobody listened to me when I said last week that the Ravens/Steelers game was not a win-or-else situation. If everybody had been paying attention the past month or so, you would have known that the Miami Dolphins would step aside at their pivotal moment. Everybody else has.

That's only small consolation, because real Ravens fans probably cared as much about beating the Steelers at Heinz Field as clinching that playoff berth. But it didn't happen, so you'll have to move on, as John Harbaugh said about a hundred times in his postgame news conference.

I hope the Ravens forget this game in a hurry, but I hope they remember that a little self-discipline goes a long way. I saw Kelley Washington's quote about how the DB wasn't in range of Willie McGahee when Kelley's holding penalty caused one of two touchdowns to be called back. If he really knew that at the time, he might have wanted to let go of the guy's jersey. I mean, when your opponent is waving at the official and pointing at your clenched hand and the play is way past you, you might want to just let go. And don't even get me started with Terrell Suggs.

Stupid stuff loses football games and the Ravens lead the NFL in stupid stuff just about every year.

The good news: If the Ravens beat the Raiders on Sunday -- which will be no small task -- the Pittsburgh loss will have relatively little effect on their postseason potential. The way the dominoes have been falling, the Jets will probably lose to the Bengals on Sunday night and the Ravens will get the fifth seed anyway.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (42)
Categories: Just football
        

The game ended when Tom Zibkowski intercepted Ben Roethlisberger and returned the ball to a place where the Ravens would have had a great opportunity to score, but the officials called Frank Walker for illegal contact even though Big Ben had scrambled out of the hold of Trevor Pryce and appeared to be out of the pocket.

You could lip read John Harbaugh, who was yelling at the officials to "read the rules,'' but that was that. The Steelers were able to kneel it out at that point.

If that was all that happened, maybe you could pin this one on the officials, but the Ravens ran up triple digits in penalty yards and most of the time, the replays confirmed the penalties, which confirmed that the Ravens remain a very undisciplined team.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 4:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (61)
Categories: Just football
        

Well, I wanted to see Joe Flacco win a head-to-head battle with a premier quarterback, and now he's going to get his chance. He'll get the ball with five minutes or so left and needing to get at least a field goal to give the Ravens a chance to win this game and -- I'm pretty sure -- lock up a playoff slot.

Let's see what happens.

Instant update: Oh well. If you run on second and long and don't get any yardage, you put yourself in a box. Twice they've taken themselves out of field goal range with poor execution since getting back into the game. That's how you lose to a good team on the road.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 3:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)
Categories: Just football
        

It's starting to look like the only team that can stop the Ravens from winning this game is the Ravens. That's two touchdowns negated by penalties that probably would not have had an impact on the outcome of either play. Willis McGahee blew threw that hole on the left side and was more than five yards from where Kelley Washington was clearly holding the jersey of the Pittsburgh defender.

Now, Derrick Mason just dropped a ball in the end zone that was just too easy and Joe Flacco just had to burn another time out because the Ravens got to the line late. This has got a chance to turn into a very discouraging finish -- or am I just being negative?

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 3:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (20)
Categories: Just football
        

The Ravens lead the NFL in third quarter scoring, and they showed why by streaking back into this game with 10 unanswered points. Could have been 14 if not for a block in the back by Terrell Suggs on the interception return by Dominique Foxworth. Still, you've got to be very impressed with the way Joe Flacco and the Ravens offense have responded to the challenge of being down by double digits coming into the second half.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 3:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Just football
        

It's hard to believe that the Ravens have put themselves into the situation they are in at the end of the first half. If they don't get overanxious and jump offsides inside the Steelers' five, there's no way Ben Roethlisberger risks that long pass that put the Steelers into position to score one of the most disturbing one-minute-wonder touchdowns you're going to see.

The two big plays both exposed the Ravens secondary. Frank Walker was out-classed on the long third-down pass and Dwan Landry overplayed Santonio Holmes off the blitz to surrender the touchdown.

Now, somebody is going to have to explain to me why the Ravens keep calling time outs deep in their own territory and then running the ball. What, are they trying to see if they can fumble it away and give up another score?

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 2:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
Categories: Just football
        

The Ravens defense has stopped the Steelers twice in the early minutes of the first quarter, but they'll still need to shore some things up if they want to keep Ben Roethlisberger under wraps. The Steelers have failed to convert on three pass plays already where the receiver was open -- most notably the quick pass over the middle to Rashard Mendenhall that should given Pittsburgh a touchdown off the turnover.

Considering the circumstances, being down 3-0 right now isn't half bad.

Instant update: 3-3 isn't bad at this point either, but that miscommunication between Joe Flacco and Demetrius Williams on that third-and-2 pass near the goal line may come back to haunt the Ravens.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 1:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Just football
        

Maybe I'm just stupid -- which my wife insists is the most likely scenario in virtually every situation -- because I continue to disagree with John Harbaugh and his brothers in the NFL coaching community about the wisdom of kicking off if you win the coin toss.

There was a time long ago when everybody wanted the ball first. Now, it seems, almost everybody -- including the Ravens -- wants it to start the second half. I think that's crazy and I've been beating this drum since the Ravens deferred and handed the ball to Peyton Manning first in the game against the Colts at M&T Bank Stadium.

Here are some facts that may or may not be relevant to this debate. The Ravens have kicked off in 12 of their 14 games and they are 7-5 in those 12, which would seem to slightly reinforce the prevailing philosophy that it's better to take the ball second. Of course, it's a stretch to derive a cause-and-effect relationship from the first play of every game and it's hard to conclude anything from the fact that the Ravens are just barely above .500 -- since that's consistent with their overall record -- so I'll conveniently dismiss that statistic because it doesn't support my argument.

Let's instead take a look at the nine games the Ravens have played so far against teams that are either already headed for the playoffs or still have a chance to get there. In those games, the Ravens are 3-6 and the offensive unit has started with the ball exactly zero times. The only time in those nine games that the Ravens accepted the opening kickoff was in New England and they fumbled it away, allowing the Patriots to start on offense first.

In those nine games, by the way, the opposing offense scored before the Ravens offense seven times, though the Ravens did score first in one of those games on a second-quarter interception return. On the road, the opposing offense scored first every time.

Like I said in the previous post, if the Ravens win the toss and defer to Ben Roethlisberger today, I'm going to kick the TV and go to a movie.

Instant update: My television is safe, but I don't know if the same goes for the Ravens. The Steelers won the toss and elected to receive.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 12:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Just football
        

The big showdown with the Steelers is just a couple of hours away and my mind is swimming, so I thought I'd post a few early thoughts while I psych up for the game:

-- If the Ravens win the toss and defer possession to the second half, I'm going to kick my TV, which could damage thousands of those little mirrors that make DLP so crystal clear.

-- This game is not about the two defenses, for a change. It's about the two offenses. The Ravens need to score 26 points to win. They need to get to it right away.

-- Oh, just remembered. I'll be on the Ravens pregame show on WBAL (1090 AM and WBAL.com) at noon with Keith Mills, Pete Gilbert and Jamison Hensley. If I win the toss and defer, feel free to kick your radio.

-- This doesn't have a thing to do with the game today, but I hope Urban Meyer is okay.

-- If you get a chance, read my column on Joe Flacco in today's print edition or check it out on the Web site right here.

-- There sure are a lot of plugs on this site.

-- Is it just me, or does it feel like all the end-of-the-decade lists are a year early. When I count to 10, I don't usually start with zero.

-- The Orioles' 30-3 loss to the Texas Rangers on Aug. 22, 2007 is listed among the "Honorable Mentions" on our list of the 10 top sports stories of the past 10 years. Don't know what's so honorable about that.

-- USC beat Boston College last night in the Emerald Bowl and even I didn't care.

-- Just 105 minutes to kickoff...pass it on.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)
Categories: Just football
        

Stand by for my Sunday column, which will be up on the Web site soon and in the print edition in the morning. In a sense, I'm calling out Joe Flacco, but in a good way. I know he's done as much or more than anyone could have expected from a guy in only his second year as an NFL quarterback, but I'm looking for him to take another step forward in tomorrow's showdown with the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field.

The one thing Joe Cool has yet to do is prove he can go toe-to-toe with the elite quarterbacks in the game on a consistent basis. Of course, no one could reasonable expect him to do that in his rookie season -- or his second season, for that matter -- but as Year Two winds down, he has a chance to make a big statement against Ben Roethlisberger and solidify the Ravens' playoff standing in the process.

And it's not just about Flacco. The Ravens have not scored a big win against a playoff-caliber team on the road since Week 2 in San Diego. This would be a good way to warm up for what figures to be a postseason spent entirely on the road.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 9:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
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It's amazing how much talk radio you can listen to while you're sitting in holiday traffic, and it's amazing to me how fatalistic everybody seems to be about Sunday's game in Pittsburgh. I've heard caller after caller bemoan how the Ravens are going to get smoked at Heinz Field and knocked out of the playoffs.

Of course, that's possible. The Steelers, despite their recent five-game losing streak, are a good team and they certainly had the Ravens' number last year. Heinz Field is always a difficult place to play and the Ravens are pretty banged up, though that isn't unusual for anyone at this point in the regular season. And, if you want a truly objective opinion, the oddsmakers posted the Ravens as a slight underdog.

All that said, I'm going with the Ravens this week. The Steelers needed a miraculous comeback on Sunday to end that long losing streak and they're plenty banged up, too. They're still alive in the playoff hunt, but only mathematically. Even if they go 9-7, they need the Ravens to lose to the Raiders next week (and a lot of other dominoes to fall in place) to stay in play.

The Steelers are a 2 1/2-point favorite, but keep in mind that the betting line is impacted by the geography of the game and the breath of the respective fan bases. If you figure that home-field advantage is worth about three points, the oddsmakers were saying that the Ravens are a slightly better team on paper...and that was before factoring in a much larger national following for the Steelers, which also helps drive the betting line toward Pittsburgh.

Maybe I'm nuts, but In think the Ravens make a very positive statement on Sunday and head into the playoffs on a roll.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (37)
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If the Ravens can sweep the home-and-home series against the Steelers with a victory at Heinz Field on Sunday, they'll all but lock up a playoff berth, but the notion that it is a must-win situation is just not accurate...unless you're talking about the Steelers.

The Ravens need to win for a lot of reasons, but they would not be eliminated from playoff consideration if Ben Roethlisberger jacks up another huge game like he did on the way to last Sunday's miraculous victory over the Green Bay Packers.

The only other 8-6 team in the AFC wild card hunt is the Broncos, who also face a tough road game (Philadelphia) this weekend. There are six teams with 7-7 records, and only two of them -- the Dolphins and Texans -- will be playing each other, so there are too many scenarios to reasonably contemplate.

Of course, the best way to reduce the variables is to win out. Both the Ravens and Broncos make the playoffs if they win their final two regular season games. But both are listed by the oddsmakers as underdogs this week.

It's been almost surreal the way the Ravens' wild card competitors have been falling by the wayside over the past three weeks, and that could continue in Week 16. Only two of the 7-7 teams (in addition to the Steelers) are posted as favorites. Is that parity or parody?

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 7:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (15)
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Not exactly sure what to make of the Ravens' lopsided victory, since the Bears did everything in their power to get themselves blown out, but back-to-back blowouts certain should make for a confident team heading into Pittsburgh next week.

The victory put the Ravens in very good position to claim one of the AFC wild card berths, though there still are a lot of teams still in range. Beating the Steelers again probably would lock it up.

Joe Flacco looked very confident from the moment he stepped onto the field, and coach John Harbaugh has to be happy with the way Demetrius Williams has stepped up with Mark Clayton and Kelley Washington inactive. Williams battled through two defenders to make the spectacular touchdown catch that put the Ravens in control of the game.

Throw in the big performances by Todd Heap and Ray Rice and the Ravens suddenly are on a very encouraging late-season roll.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 7:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (21)
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The Ravens appeared to be short in the receiver department with Mark Clayton and Kelley Washington inactive, but Demetrius Williams has stepped up to fill the void. He battled two defenders to catch a long touchdown pass that gave the Ravens a 21-7 lead and Derrick Mason just caught another one to capitalize after Bears return man Johnny Knox fumbled on the kickoff.

Joe Flacco has now thrown four touchdown passes to set a career high. His previous high was three against the Kansas City Chiefs in this year's regular season opener here at M&T.

Instant update: The Bears just turned the ball over for the fourth time in the game. Running back Matt Forte fumbled deep in Chicago territory and Haloti Ngata recovered to give the Ravens the ball just outside the red zone, setting up a 40-yard field goal by Billy Cundiff. It's all Ravens right now.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 5:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
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The Ravens defense made a big stand at the goal line to keep the Bears off the scoreboard, but the Ravens were content to run the ball three times and punt out of the end zone.

So what happened? Their conservatism came right back to haunt them in the form of a 49-yard punt return by Earl Bennett for a touchdown.

Come on, if you thought the Ravens would walk through the Bears today, you haven't been paying attention. Nothing has come easy this year for the Ravens, except against the Browns and the Lions.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 5:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
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It's great to see Todd Heap playing a huge role in this game. Joe Flacco hit him over the middle for the first Ravens score and went right back to him in the right side of the end zone to roll up a quick 14-0 lead. Heap also had a great diving catch at the sideline during the second touchdown drive.

So far, the Ravens have not missed Kelley Washington and Mark Clayton, who were both listed as inactive before the game.

Flacco is 4 for 5 for 56 yards and Heap's three catches have been good for 41 of those yards, but running back Ray Rice has been the driving force in the Ravens offense through the first quarter. He already has 77 yards on six carries.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 4:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
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By the time the Ravens lined up for the opening kickoff at M&T Bank Stadium, two more of their wild card rivals had fallen in dynamic fashion. The Atlanta Falcons came back in the final minutes to knock off the Jets and the Tennessee Titans staved off a huge comeback to defeat the Miami Dolphins in overtime.

The Ravens still have plenty of work to do to get to the postseason, but the path has gotten a lot clearer over the past few weeks. It's uncanny how the other playoff teams have stepped aside one by one.

Right now, the Ravens just need to get it done today against the Bears and they'll be in excellent shape going into the final two weeks of the regular schedule.

Instant update: They're off to a great start. Dominique Foxworth intercepted Jay Cutler on the Bears first possession and the Ravens marched right in to score on a pass from Joe Flacco to Todd Heap.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 4:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
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Commissioner Roger Goodell sent out new league guidelines aimed at protecting players who suffer concussions -- which you can read here -- and they call for some concrete changes in the way teams handle concussed players. The new policy, however, does not set a minimum period of inactivity for any player who has been diagnosed with a concussion.

I'm pretty sure league officials will say the decision to add an independent neurologist or neurosurgeon to the medical staff of each team with the power to keep injured players off the field puts the decision in the right hands, but it really doesn't. The evaluation of a concussion requires input from the player involved -- who is the only one who knows if he has a persistent headache or is experiencing dizziness -- so the new policy still leaves open the possibility of a player hiding the effects of the injury to stay on the field.

That's why Goodell should have mandated a minimum two-week sideline period for anyone diagnosed with a significant concussion. It wouldn't be great for business, but it would have been the right thing to do.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 12:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
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Can't say I'm surprised that Maryland athletic director Debbie Yow informed Ralph Friedgen that he will be returning for his 10th season as Terps football coach, considering all the factors that argued against a decision to replace him.

There was all that money that Fridge was guaranteed, of course, plus the amount Maryland would have to pony up to get a new coach. There also was the history involved. Friedgen took the Maryland football program to a new level when he got here and had a very good overall record before you factor in the 2-10 finish of the young, injury-riddled 2009 team.

It was an agonizing decision for Yow, whose own legacy is also on the line here, but I think she made the right decision. Based on the various non-scientific internet polls I've been checking out, I think the majority of Terp fans agree. Here's Jeff Barker's updated story.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (18)
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Sometime today, you're probably going to find out the fate of Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen, who has been meeting with Athletic Director Debbie Yow over the past 48 hours. I'm guessing Fridge stays, under some new conditions, but that's just a guess and the the rumor mill has been churning in both directions.

My opinion: I would give him one more year to turn things around. He's got a young team and a decent influx of new talent, and I don't know if you can overlook what he did for the program when he got here. But I'm slow on the trigger when it comes to firing managers and coaches, because I think that's often -- but not always -- a simplistic substitute for the hard work of fixing systemic problems.

While Friedgen was twisting in the wind, Notre Dame surprised no one by firing Charlie Weis, who became the latest coach to wilt under the weight of a program that can no longer live up to its tradition. Maybe the next guy will be different. Did I see Brian Billick's name being thrown around?

The other big college football coaching story is breaking in Florida, where there is intense speculation that 80-year-old Florida State coaching legend Bobby Bowden will announce his retirement today. He's had a great career -- one of the greatest, in fact -- but 80 probably is enough.

While we're on the subject of job changes, here's Jeff Zrebiec's story confirming that Orioles executive Wayne Krivsky, who is special assistant to Andy MacPhail, has left the team to take a similar position with the New York Mets. No early word on how or if the O's will re-fill that position.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)
Categories: Just baseball, Just football
        

It was a huge victory, no matter what the circumstances involving the opposing team. Though I don't doubt a healthy Ben Roethlisberger would have affected the way the game played out, that doesn't necessarily mean that the Ravens would not have beaten the Steelers. There's just no way to know that. They might have done better for all anyone can say for sure.

I know that I had already picked the Ravens to win (and by more than they did) before it was announced that he would not play, but -- to be fair -- I was factoring in the fact that he was banged up into my prediction.

Now, the focus shifts to the Green Bay Packers, who will have a healthy big-play quarterback waiting for the Ravens at Lambeau Field. To win, the Ravens have to continue to get well on defense and get more efficient in the secondary. It's going to be tough, but I believe a win in Green Bay would put them in pretty good position to make the playoffs even with a loss at Pittsburgh if they take care of business with the lesser teams left on their schedule.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 1:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (16)
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John Harbaugh and his team made one thing clear after the game. They didn't want to hear about how they won because the Pittsburgh Steelers were without superstar quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and defensive star Troy Polamalu.

"First of all, what a game,'' Harbaugh said. "We've had a few of these this year. We've had a few where we've walked in here, been in this kind of football game, and they're not perfect, and they don't lay out exactly the way you might plan them, and we come up on the short end. I was proud of them in those other situations when we didn't win, and I'm proud of them in in this situation when we did win. Maybe just a little bit more, I'm proud, to be honest with you."

There's probably someone out there who could make the case that this should have been a much easier win for a quality contending team, considering what Harbaugh and Company didn't want to consider about the relative strength of the Steelers. Ray Lewis didn't want to hear that either.

"I think it's huge,'' he said. "This is a team that beat us three times last year. We were close but we didn't get it done...When it came down to the end, every conversation was about "Let's finish," and we did that."

The game ebbed and flowed in the final minutes of regulation and in overtime, and there were a number of occasions when the Ravens were well aware that their playoff hopes were hanging over a precipice.

"We understood the situation,'' said receiver Mark Clayton. "We know what it is. Right now, it'a one play at a time and one game at a time. We needed a play and thank God we got one and were able to capitalize on it."

Sun photo by Kenneth K. Lam

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 12:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (18)
Categories: Just football