There's no show on Earth quite like the one Terrell Suggs puts on before he meets the media after a Ravens game. But yesterday, after his great three-sack, three-forced-fumble performance in the Ravens' 24-10 demolition of the Indianapolis Colts, Suggs was at his zaniest.

The guy came bouncing out of the showers like he was ready to play another 60 minutes of football.

He shouted something to a teammate -- loudly and hysterically profanely -- about a hip-hop song. He shouted to another to make sure the guy gave him his cell phone number before he left. Then he wandered into the knot of media types interviewing Torrey Smith and pretended to be fascinated with the pearls of wisdom emanating from the rookie wide receiver.

Finally, he made his way to his locker, where a large group of reporters waited for him. And as soon as he got there, he grabbed the cell of another teammate and loudly announced: "I don't want to tell you my number. Lemme punch it in so these (very bad hyphenated word, often used to describe the media) don't call me."

And at this point, clad only in a towel, Suggs turned to the assembled media and announced he wouldn't be talking until he got dressed.

Since Suggs, like his idol Ray Lewis, tends to dress like something out of "Guys and Dolls," complete with sharp-looking pin-striped suits and fedoras, waiting for him to dress tends to take a while.

But with suit jacket on and tie perfectly knotted, Suggs was ready to hold court.

To his credit, Suggs deflected a lot of the praise thrown his way by reporters and credited the terrific all-around performance by the Ravens defense.

He talked about whether he was having a career year ("I don't know. It only counts if we get to Indy and the confetti drops.")

He talked about the energy level at M&T Bank Stadium during the game. ("You see when we're out there having fun and M&T is rocking, we're a very tough team to beat.")

 And he talked about building momentum for the playoffs. Because perhaps more than anyone else in the Ravens locker room, Suggs focuses on the importance of the Ravens keeping their eyes on the Super Bowl prize and not being satisfied with late-season wins.

"We just have to keep it rolling because, as you've all seen through the years, championship teams, they don't settle for what's happening right now," Suggs said. "Every week, they try to get better, and they try to continue to go and find ways to get on a roll, like we're doing.

"We're doing a lot of things good. but we have to correct things and get better at the things we're not doing so well. We've still got work to do. ... We're still not satisfied. This team is hungry."

And a few minutes later, with a final trademark salute, Suggs was gone, slipping out a side door, presumably headed to a post-game celebration of some sort.

It's the best post-game locker room show in the NFL. And it never disappoints.

Getty photo of Terrell Suggs by Larry French / Dec. 11, 2011

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 11:40 AM in Ravens | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Please, can we stop this dog-and-pony show with Ray Lewis?

News flash: the Ravens' All-Universe middle linebacker won't suit up against the Indy Colts Sunday. You know that (OK, most of you.) I know that. The American people know that.

But for weeks now, the Ravens have played this little head-game with the media over Lewis and his turf toe. We ask the same questions at the Castle every week: is the injury improving? What's his status? Will he play this week?

But from the Castle, you get more disinformation than the Kremlin sent out at the height of the Cold War.

Every week, John Harbaugh says the same thing. Ray's making progress. We don't know exactly how close he is to coming back. It'll be a game-time decision as to whether he plays.

Naturally, we media saps dutifully report this, even when Ray hasn't practiced in what seems like an eternity. And every week, we look like chumps. Every week, instead of seeing no. 52 in the lineup, we see him on the sidelines, waving a towel and cheering on his team.

Enough with this nonsense. He'll play when he plays. It won't be this week because the Ravens don't need him. They should beat the Colts by at least three touchdowns. The Indy team bus will be warming up at halftime for the trip back to BWI-Marshall.

OK, I get why the Ravens wouldn't want to let a quality opponent know Lewis' status. The Ravens want every edge they can get. If the 49ers or the Bengals have to spend time game-planning to face no. 52, that's just fine with Harbaugh and his coaching staff.

But is all this secrecy over Ray's status necessary when the Ravens are playing back-to-back crappy teams like the Cleveland Browns and the Colts?

I don't think so.

Let's all agree that Ray-Ray probably returns a week from Sunday for a key game against the Chargers in San Diego, when the Ravens might actually need him.

And let's not worry about the big guy 'til then.

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 12:03 PM in Ravens | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Here's something that has to hearten the Ravens after they watched Torrey Smith light up the Cincinnati Bengals in Baltimore's 31-24 win Sunday: the kid has only just begun to scratch the surface of his enormous potential.

His day against the Bengals was huge: six catches for 165 yards and a touchdown, a career high in catches and receiving yards. And his 590 receiving yards in 10 games is a new Ravens rookie record.

Will he lose his trademark dreadlocks after Bengals corner Adam Jones tackled him from behind by his hair and nearly pulled his head off?

Smith says no, although I have a feeling Ravens coach John Harbaugh may try to talk him into visiting a barber soon.

But dreads or no dreads, it's been a joy to watch Smith improve by leaps and bounds this season.

"Looking at film from when I first came into camp to now, it's a big difference," he said after the game yesterday. "(Wide receivers coach Jim Hostler) and Anquan (Boldin), they would talk a lot to me about technique and just preaching that I can run ... I am able to get open fast and separate, and that's pretty much credit to Coach Hostler."

He's nowhere near a finished product, however.

The Ravens will tell you his route-running needs to be crisper. And they'd like him to focus more on catching with his hands than using his body to trap the ball against his chest.

But those are technique issues that can be practiced and refined over time.

What you can't teach a rookie wide receiver is speed. And not only does Smith's blazing speed give the Ravens a legitimate home-run threat down the field, it opens up the middle as opposing corners and safeties play deeper to keep Smith from flying by.

Which he's done. Quite a few times.

"My receivers coach ... is always like 'You don't understand how rare it is to get behind someone.' So when it happens, you have to take advantage of it."

The Ravens plan on doing just that the rest of the way. For a team bent on going to the Super Bowl, Smith is improving by leaps and bounds at exactly the right time.

McClatchy-Tribune photo of Torrey Smith by Doug Kapustin / Nov. 20, 2011

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 10:56 AM in Ravens | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

In the NFL, the big lie is that a win is a win is a win.

But how big was the Ravens' 23-20 victory over the Steelers in the boiling cauldron of noise that was Heinz Field on Sunday night? 

Let's put it this way: According to those who were there, the post-game celebration behind closed doors in the Ravens locker room was loud enough to be heard in Wyoming.

And I've never seen John Harbaugh so amped after a game. Same goes for Joe Flacco, who, after most wins, tends to have the demeanor of the BGE guy who's just arrived at your house to check the meter.

Let's take Harbaugh first.

 How about that delirious combination bearhug and tackle the Ravens coach laid on Ozzie Newsome right after the game? The one that landed him on the floor and apparently opened a cut on his chin? The one that had players like Marshall Yanda grinning madly from ear-to-ear? (If you haven't seen it, you can check it out here.)

And how about the giddy remarks to the media in which a beaming Harbaugh channeled Teddy Roosevelt with that business about: "It's the man who's in the arena, whose face is covered with blood, sweat and guts, etc."?

That was beautiful. Even more beautiful was Harbaugh's dedicating the win to Ravens fans who, he correctly surmised, "jumped off their couch" when Joe Flacco found Torrey Smith in the end zone with the game-wining touchdown.

It was great to see him so emotional. You don't often see NFL coaches so honestly jubilant after a win.

It was great to see Flacco so animated in his post-game remarks, too.

Flacco hates introspection. He hates being asked about his feelings -- on the football field or off it. But he must have sensed that he had just passed a significant trial by fire with a win over Ben Roethlisberger and the tough Steelers on their home field and in front of their hostile fans. I've never heard that kind of excitement in his voice.

Good for Harbaugh and Flacco. And good for the rest of the Ravens, too, especially Terrell Suggs and Ray Lewis, who made it a point to defend Flacco against all the criticism he had taken from the fans and media in recent weeks. 

It was one of the most touching post-game scenes Ravens fans have seen in years.

No matter how the rest of the season goes, that scene was fun to watch.

US Presswire photo

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 1:36 PM in Ravens | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

I was asked the million-dollar question this morning on 105.7 The Fan's "Norris and Davis Show": which Ravens team is more indicative of what we have here in Baltimore right now.

Is it the team that stumbled on offense in the first half of Sunday's 30-27 win over Arizona, the team with a porous offensive line that couldn't protect Joe Flacco, turned the ball over, picked up stupid penalties and generally looked lost for 30 minutes?

Or is it the team that looked rejuvenated in the second half, the team that finally blocked for Flacco, the team that got its up-tempo offense going and moved the ball downfield with short passes, relying on a great individual performance by Anquan Boldin and tough running by Ray Rice?

I'm going with door No. 2. And that's the team that better show up Sunday night at Heinz Field if the Ravens want to avoid a humiliating loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers that could seriously affect their hopes of winning the AFC North.

The Ravens will be working all week on ways to avoid getting off to another sluggish start. On the surface, you'd think there would be no need for this.

After all, it's Ravens-Steelers, probably the best rivalry in the NFL, a game that brings its own sense of urgency with two teams that basically can't stand each other.

Then again, look what happened to the Steelers in the 35-7 beat-down they suffered at M&T Bank Stadium in the first game of the season.

Sure, the Ravens obviously played well and delivered the proverbial "punch to the mouth" early. But it was just as obvious that the Steelers came out flat and listless -- in all phases of the game.

How do you do that? How do you come out that uninspired for the season-opening game against your fierce division rivals?

 Who knows? The stunned Steelers were asked that very same question in the funereal atmosphere of their locker room after the game. And none of them had any real answers.

 Still, I don't expect the Ravens to come out flat for the third game in a row, dating back to that 12-7 debacle in Jacksonville. Again, they'll be working all week on ways to avoid such a start. And one way to do that is to go up-tempo on offense from the beginning, something that Ravens coaches have hinted might be in this week's playbook.

It'll be tough enough for the Ravens to win in the snarling, hostile atmosphere of Heinz Field, even with a good start. With a bad start, it'll be all but impossible.

The Steelers are on a roll. They've won four straight games. And they're coming off a terrific win over the New England Patriots, a win in which Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger threw for 365 yards and two touchdowns and the Pats were held to just 213 yards of total offense.

The rap against the Steelers was that they were too old and too slow. And they looked that way when the Ravens smacked them around in the first game.

But they don't look that way any more.

The Ravens better be ready from the get-go Sunday night. Or else they'll be in for a long, painful night. 

Baltimore Sun photo of Joe Flacco by Christopher T. Assaf / Sept. 11, 2011

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 9:13 AM in Ravens | Permalink | Comments (16)
        

 Ray Rice sported fashionable hip-hop shades, diamond earrings and a wide smile as he left the Ravens locker room Sunday after their narrow 30-27 win over the Arizona Cardinals.

But a few moments earlier, when asked about the boos that rained down on the Ravens during their dismal first half, the tough, little running back wore a pained expression.

"The boos?" said Rice, who had another strong all-around performance with 18 carries for 63 yards and three touchdowns, in addition to catching seven passes for 36 yards. "Those are our fans. I mean, it's tough. I'll be honest. It's tough when you hear boos. But at the same time, those are the people that want us to do well. So I'm not gonna hold it against them for booing. We weren't executing.

"You know, we haven't had a drive in a while," he continued. "(The fans) had to get over Monday (and the Ravens awful 12-7 loss to Jacksonville.) So when you see the boos, you know where it's coming from. It's not like they don't want us to do well.

 "So, yeah, it was tough. But at the same time, we held our head high, and the boos turned into some cheers in the second half."

 Ray Lewis, the great Ravens linebacker, is more inured to booing, this being his 16th season in the NFL. But he took an equally philosophical  stance on Ravens' fans expressing their displeasure over the team's early poor play, which included turnovers and poor execution on offense in the first half.

"They are the same fans that are going to switch around and start cheering as soon as put some points on the board," Lewis said. "And it happened.

 "You have to truly respect them for saying 'This ain't what we're used to' and it's not. For us to come out and give the ball away and let a team get up on us, that's just not us. For them to show their displeasure, that's OK.

 "We're man enough to come back and say: 'We know how to come back and get you back in the game.' That's to drive and create spots and put points on the board, and we did that."

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 10:35 AM in Ravens | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

I think we can all agree on this: from week to week, NFL teams are the most over-scrutinized, over-analyzed and over-criticized of any sport in this country -- maybe any sport anywhere. Which is why Ravens fans shouldn't make a big deal -- or even a little deal -- over Terrell Suggs' remarks after the Ravens' 12-7 loss to Jacksonville that Ray Rice and Anquan Boldin didn't get the ball enough.

It doesn't signal dissension on the team. It doesn't signal a big divide between the offense and defense. It doesn't signal simmering resentment of offensive coordinator Cam Cameron and his play-calling.

It was simply this: a lone player expressing frustration in the moments after a tough loss. Which only happens after, oh, every single game in the NFL.

It's always a little tense in the losing locker room after a game. Players are exhausted and hurting. They're still adrenalized, just starting to come down from the high of the game. They're still replaying the game in their mind, still mentally beating themselves up for their mistakes.

 And it was in just such an emotional atmosphere that Suggs said he was "baffled" that Rice only got eight carries against the Jaguars and Boldin didn't get more touches.

Yesterday out at the Castle, the Ravens outside linebacker met the media and tried to put some perspective on his remarks.

"We were just frustrated," he said. "We have to do the things that we win with. We have a pretty good chance of winning when those guys (Rice and Boldin) touch the ball. That's all I really meant by it. You all can take it however the way you all want to."

 OK, sounds innocent enough three days later.

 But naturally, in the over-heated, 24/7 media climate in which we find ourselves, Sizzle's post-game quotes quickly ricocheted all over the country. And they were dissected by the pundits and the talking heads, who tend to parse these sorts of remarks the way NSA analysts parse the computer "chatter" of Middle East terrorist organizations.

As we saw from Suggs yesterday, it was all much ado about nothing.

The Ravens aren't coming apart. The team isn't split into warring, sniping factions.

Well, except during the locker room corn-hole tournaments.

That's when things can get ugly.

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 12:54 PM in Ravens | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

It's been a fun couple of years for the New York Jets. Rex Ryan, their head coach, keeps yapping, sucking all the air out of the room and keeping his players and the notoriously prickly Big Apple media entertained. And his team keeps winning, having appeared in two straight AFC Championship games to become the toast of football fans in an area once dominated by the now less-than-scintillating Giants.

But with the 2-1 Jets coming off a disheartening 34-24 loss to the Oakland Raiders and preparing to face the Ravens Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium, Big Rex is now taking heat from an unexpected source: Jets legend and Hall of Famer Joe Namath.

In an interview with a New York radio station Monday, Broadway Joe basically ripped Ryan for telling his players how great they are, saying this distracted them from focusing on the constant need to improve in the NFL.

"It's rather alarming," Namath said. "It starts at the top. Coach Rex Ryan, he's been doing a great job, getting us to two conference championship games. But there's one thing about the athlete: you keep telling him how good he is, he's going to start believing it, to the point that he may not be preparing quite the way he should."

Well.

As you might imagine, Ryan was less than thrilled to hear he was being criticized by a member of the Jets "family."

And he basically told Namath to go pound sand.

"The great thing is, I'm confident with our football team," Ryan responded, according to news reports. "There's no question about it. I've never gone into a game I didn't think I would win. I'm not going to change who I am because Joe Namath said something. Namath can come in here, and if he can still throw, we'll have him as a backup quarterback.

"But you know what? He doesn't know our team. He's on the outside. Even though he's a Jet, and once you're a Jet you're always a Jet, but he's on the outside. He's not in these meetings. I think if he was, he'd be shocked at the preparation."

Understand, this little dust-up with Namath isn't going to distract Ryan and the Jets as they get ready for the Ravens. Ryan has taken plenty of shots in his two years in New York and basically shrugged them all off.

But it's indicative of the kind of potential distractions a head coach has to deal with in the media capital of the free world. Little things become big things in that kind of pressurized environment. And soon enough, even a harmless -- if impolitic -- comment by a legendary quarterback gets blown out of proportion.

John Harbaugh ought to get down on his knees every day and be thankful he coaches in Baltimore, where the much-smaller media pool is far less critical.

If he wants to know how good he has it, all he'd have to do is sit in when Ryan talks to reporters after a loss.

It might really open his eyes.

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 10:47 AM in Ravens | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

As if we needed more proof that a picture's worth a thousand words: check out the great Ravens photo by The Baltimore Sun's Ken Lam that ran on page two of Monday's print edition and in a photo gallery on the paper's web site.

A jubilant Cam Cameron and a grinning Joe Flacco are shown ready to high-five Torrey Smith as he comes to the sidelines after his third touchdown reception in the Ravens' 37-7 blowout of the St. Louis Rams Sunday.

As Flacco says in that cheesy (pun intended) Pizza Hut commercial of is: "That's powerful stuff, man!"

Lam's photo is powerful, and it works on so many levels.

It shows a classic scene of NFL exhulatation as an offensive coordinator, a quarterback and a wide receiver bask in the glow -- however momentary -- of a job well done.

But it also captures a subtle sense of redemption for all three men pictured.

 All three were being savaged by radio talk-show callers and Internet critics after the Ravens' listless 26-13 loss to the Tennessee Titans one week earlier.

Cameron, as usual, was getting beat up for his alleged conservative play-calling. Flacco was ripped for having a bad game, missing receivers and seeming confused at times at the line of scrimmage. And Smith, the rookie out of Maryland taken in the second round of this year's NFL draft, was already being accused of being a bust who couldn't get open, couldn't hold onto the ball and couldn't grasp the offense, among other things.

But against St. Louis, Cameron drew up a game plan that helped the Ravens rack up 553 yards of total offense. Flacco passed for a career-high 389 yards. And three of those passes were caught for touchdowns by the fleet Smith, who became the first rookie in NFL history to catch three touchdowns passes in a quarter.

It's all there in Lam's photo. The old cliche is right: every picture tells a story. With his camera, Lam told it better than anyone.

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 12:01 PM in Ravens | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

For a big, tough dude, Haloti Ngata is surprisingly gentle and soft-spoken off the field. He's also funny as hell in a wry, deadpan kind of way -- even a day after the Ravens made him richer than his wildest dreams, with a five-year, $61 million contract.

Asked about his teammates' reaction to his whopping new contract, and whether any of them had hit him up for a loan, Ngata paused for a second, the timing of a natural-born comedian.

They he delivered the punch-line.

"Nobody asked me for a loan," he said, "they just asked me to give them money. There's no loan in it."

The line brought down the house -- you don't often hear a lot of laughter when the Ravens meet the news media Wednesdays at the Castle. And Ngata made it clear he was joking.

But the fact is, getting a huge, well-publicized contract exposes NFL players to all sorts of unwanted requests for money from friends, family, teammates and even total strangers.

It's like what happens when people win these mega-millions lottery jackpots: Suddenly, everyone they know has their hand out.

But unlike with big lottery winners, who can simply take the money and disappear to a new life on some distant island, an All-Pro defensive tackle like Ngata can't exactly go underground to escape the opportunistic weasels trying to glom onto him.

He's sort of expected to show up for work every Sunday for the next five years to justify that huge payday.

Ngata seems like a solid, level-headed guy. You don't picture him ending up like former Ravens cornerback Chris McAlister, who signed a seven-year, $55 million contract with the team in 2004 and now says he's so broke he's living with his parents and can't pay child support to his ex-wife.

But a fabulously-wealthy NFL superstar will always attract con artists and others with bad intentions. I hope Ngata's not a soft touch, because he's going to hear all sorts of sob stories from people trying to get him to part with his money.

They won't be asking for loans, either.

Baltimore Sun photo by Kevin Richardson

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 10:39 AM in Ravens | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

The Baltimore Sun had it right with this morning's "Titanic Letdown" headline on the front of the sports section, no matter what John Harbaugh says.

The Ravens played with nowhere near the intensity they needed to beat the Tennessee Titans Sunday, and the result was an ugly 26-13 loss.

Harbaugh arrogantly dismissed the idea last week that his team could suffer any sort of letdown against the Titans after their emotional win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 1. And the Ravens' coach upbraided a reporter who brought up the subject by saying: "I'm embarrassed for you when you even say that. There's no such thing as that in the National Football League."

Oh yes there is.

Teams suffer letdowns in all sports. It's human nature. Athletes get sky-high to play certain teams, especially when they recognize an enormous challenge in front of them. And they come out emotionally flat to play other teams, often when they think they'll just breeze to a win.

Obviously, there's tremendous parity in the NFL. And pro football players understand that the old line about on any given Sunday, any team can beat any other team is not just empty talk. But that doesn't mean teams can't have emotional letdowns on any given Sunday, either.

The Ravens looked unfocused and out of sync -- even listless -- on their very first offensive series against the Titans, and they looked the same way at the end of the game. When a team is trailing late in the game and the offense shows no sense of urgency as it breaks the huddle and saunters to the line of scrimmage, you've got a problem if you're the head coach.

Call it what you want, John Harbaugh. But for most of us who watched that ugly performance by the Ravens in Nashville yesterday, it sure looked like a letdown. 

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 11:41 AM in Ravens | Permalink | Comments (9)
        

It's hard to overstate how important new left tackle Bryant McKinnie was in the Ravens 35-7 beatdown of the Steelers Sunday.

Normally I don't focus on a particular offensive lineman when I'm watching an NFL game. Unless you wear a headset and hold a laminated playsheet in front of your mouth on Sundays in the fall, who does?

About the only time I find offensive linemen fascinating is during meals, because the amount of food these guys inhale is other-wordly.

Having said that, I watched McKinnie a lot during the Ravens win, mainly to see if the big guy was going to collapse with exhaustion from not being in tip-top shape when the Ravens first signed him a few weeks ago.

Instead, he looked solid, even spectacular at times.

Some early observations: maybe he's listed at 6-foot-8 and 360 pounds in your program, but he seems even bigger than that. He's the size of a redwood tree. That 360-pound listing, in particular, needs adjusting. Upward.

 If you saw him in the locker room after Sunday's game with his shirt off, you knew he wasn't living on Diet Cokes and salads since his release by the Minnesota Vikings. Not with that gut.

But he's also way quicker than you'd think, too.

 On the Ravens' first play from scrimmage, a 36-yard run by Ray Rice that set the tone for the entire afternoon, McKinnie fired off the line and obliterated two Steelers (linebackers James Farrior and James Harrison).

 This was the kind of play that gets coaches hooting and high-fiving each other and replaying it over and over again when they break down game film.

John Harbaugh couldn't stop talking about McKinnie and his upside in his post-game remarks.

"We've seen it in practice and he's a very mobile, athletic guy," the Ravens coach said. "I only think he's going to get better. He really wants to do well. He's a very motivated guy. He's a very smart guy. He's very determined.

"I think he wants to be an important cog in this football team. And he's only going to get better, because he's going to get in better shape, and he's really a hard-working guy."

Whew. And that was even before Harbaugh saw the game film.

Yeah, I think the Ravens like their new left tackle just fine so far.

Baltimore Sun photo of Bryant McKinnie by Christopher T. Assaf / Sept. 11, 2011

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 10:51 AM in Ravens | Permalink | Comments (30)
        

At the very least, the Ravens just made themselves a more interesting team by agreeing to a deal with running back Ricky Williams. And if the former Heisman Trophy winner and world-class enigma can regain the form he showed with the Miami Dolphins two years ago (rushing for 1,121 yards and 11 touchdowns), he'll make the Ravens a better team, too.

 Me, I love the signing.

 If he has anything left in the gas tank at age 34 -- remember, this is a guy with 11 years in the NFL, playing a position where the average career is about three years -- he'll give the Ravens another rushing threat now that Willis McGahee is gone.

As for his off-the-field issues, they seem to be a thing of the past for Williams, who used to refer to himself sardonically as "the poster boy of marijuana."

He tested positive for marijuana in 2004 and retired, then returned to the Dolphins in 2005 to rush for 743 yards and six touchdowns.

But in 2006, he was suspended again when the NFL announced he had violated its drug policy for the fourth time.

Williams then embarked on what he called an "on-going spiritual journey" that took him all over the globe as he studied yoga, acupuncture and holistic medicine in India, Fiji and Australia, among other places.

After that, however, he vowed to concentrate on football.

Now he's a Raven. An eclectic Raven at that. I can't wait to see if he chats up his new teammates about his interests in Bob Marley, Hindu philosophy, Greek mythology and astrology.

Maybe he'll start by talking about his affinity for Prometheus with Terrell Suggs.

T-Sizzle should be up for that, right? 

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 2:07 PM in Ravens | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

Poor Rex Ryan. If the New York Jets coach would only come out of his shell once in a while.

Now the leader of the Jets' three-ring circus is sporting a brand new tattoo on one leg. And it's not exactly a tiny, unobtrusive tat, either.

No, this is one of those tattoos you can see from the International Space Station, an elaborate affair that takes up most of his lower leg and features random Chinese lettering or dragons or -- well, I'm not exactly sure what the hell it is.

But it looks like the sort of thing you'd find on a disaffected 16-year-old skateboarder, not a fleshy, middle-aged coach who has taken his team to the AFC title game in his first two seasons in the Big Apple.

Continue reading "Rex Ryan still the shy, retiring type" »

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 9:09 AM in Ravens | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

If you were a media person in this town who covered the Ravens, the news that the team was preparing to release Derrick Mason was at once sobering and sad.

Mason, the Ravens' veteran wide receiver, was the go-to guy for quotes for so many of us in this business. He was charming, accessible and articulate. Best of all, he enjoyed the give-and-take with the media and knew what we needed from him to do our jobs.

Anyone with a media credential looking to take the pulse of the Ravens locker room always made it a point to swing by the locker of no. 85.

There's a chance the Ravens could re-sign Mason, their all-time leader in pass receptions, at a reduced salary. I still think there's a role for him on this team. He's still an excellant possession receiver. He still runs the 15-yard comeback route as well as anyone in the NFL.

And from all indications, Mason would love to remain with the Ravens. The 15-year-veteran sounded positively wistful in radio interviews he did Monday night with WBAL-Radio and 105.7 The Fan. He said all the right things about understanding the cold, cruel business of pro football, but that his heart was still with the Ravens and that he hoped something could be worked out contractually.

I hope he comes back, too. I loved watching the guy play. I loved his passion for the game, and his unbridled love for his teammates. And I loved talking with Derrick Mason, too, whether it was for another column or whether we were just shooting the breeze.

In a locker room full of wary players often reluctant to share their thoughts with anyone carrying a notepad or a microphone, Mason was always a breath of fresh air.

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 9:53 AM in Ravens | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

Ben Roethlisberger had the big, splashy NFL superstar wedding last weekend you expected him to have.

The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback and Ashley Harlan were married in a tony Pittsburgh suburb amid the requisite tight security, with guests being whisked around in limos the size of bullet trains with tinted windows, and everyone connected with the wedding taking the oath of omerta not to reveal details to the media. 

Just last year, of course, Roethlisberger was the poster boy for goonish behavior toward women, especially during the early-morning hours in small-town college bars.

If your 21-year-old daughter was in the joint and Roethlisberger and his beered-up pals swaggered in, you hoped she'd have enough sense to quickly finish her drink and head for the door.

But now Big Ben is married, which could go a long way toward rehabilitating his image -- at least if the two lovebirds stay together for longer than a cup of coffee.

Although much of the guest list was hush-hush, the Associated Press reported that James Harrison was present, which you'd imagine would make for some uncomfortable moments at the reception, especially when the open bar got going and the night wore on.

You'll recall that Harrison, the fierce Steelers linebacker, took some shots at Big Ben in a recent Men's Journal article, dissing him for throwing a couple of picks against the Green Bay Packers in the Steelers' February loss to the Green Bay Packers.

"Hey, at least throw a pick on their side of the field instead of asking the D to bail you out again," Harrison was quoted as saying about his quarterback. "Or hand the ball off and stop trying to act like Peyton Manning. You ain't that and you know it, man. You just get paid like he does."

Hoo, boy. Someone got up on the wrong side of the bed that day.

Harrison back-tracked (a little) when the article came out, using the time-honored excuse about his quotes being taken out of context, not truly indicative of how he felt about Roethlisberger, etc.

But no one was really buying that. And yet somehow Harrison STILL made it Big Ben and Ashley's nuptials, which might be one of the biggest upsets of the NFL off-season so far. 

If that doesn't indicate Roethlisberger is a forgiving man, nothing does.

Getty photos of Ben Roethlisberger and James Harrison

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 11:14 AM in Ravens | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

If "boring" were a foreign language, Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco would speak it fluently. In fact, if "boring" were a science, Flacco would not only have his PhD, he would be invited to travel around the country and give lectures in a dull monotone that would quickly put everyone to sleep.

This might seem like a shot at him, a dig at his character, but it's actually a compliment. In an era where any six-second quote, or soundbite, can send Twitter into a bloodthirsty frenzy of manufactured outrage, Flacco might be one of the most disciplined athletes in the entire NFL when it comes to being interviewed.

Like a seasoned politician, he almost never answers hypothetical questions. He rarely bites when someone goes fishing for a personal anecdote, and he won't play along when an interviewer tries to lead him down an obvious path. He's not a jerk about it. He's very polite, aside from a few eye rolls. He simply doesn't care if he come across as uninteresting. When the cameras are off and the notebooks are put away, he has a dry sense of humor and a fairly quick wit. But put him in front of reporters, or in a Pizza Hut commercial, and he is a virtuoso in the art of blandness. He's a blank canvas that actually repels paint.

Or, at least all that was true prior to this offseason.

The fact that Flacco has been so brilliantly boring for most of his career has made this offseason all the more fascinating. First, he wasn't shy about the fact that he was mad the Ravens decided to part ways with quarterback coach Jim Zorn, then there was the reveal at a charity event that he is a little annoyed the Ravens haven't signed him to a contract extension yet, and recently he felt compelled to respond to digs taken at him by Dhani Jones and LaMarr Woodley. It's been a bizarre offseason, in many respects, for the Ravens signal caller, especially when the most interesting off-the-field thing he'd done previously was shave lines into his head to look like a cast member from Jersey Shore for the Ravens Halloween party.

What's equally interesting, though, is how passionate people seem to be this offseason arguing Flacco's extremes. He's either a brilliant quarterback who isn't receiving the proper amount of respect, or he's a stiff and robotic game-manager who cannot win the big game or read a complicated defense. Barely a week has gone by since the lockout began that we haven't had someone -- be it a national pundit or a player like Jones -- arguing one extreme or the other.

Ravens fans seem equally divided.

Continue reading "The Never-Ending Search for the Truth About Joe Flacco" »

Posted by Kevin Van Valkenburg at 1:30 PM in Ravens | Permalink | Comments (13)
        

Over at my buddy Matt Vensel's terrific blog, Baltimore Sports Blitz, they're wrestling with this question today: should the Ravens try to sign Plaxico Burress?

I don't know the answer to that one. But I know this: the Ravens should definitely take a long look at the former New York Giants and Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver. Because lots of other NFL teams will, now that he's been released from the slammer after serving 20 months on gun charges.

 And the way the Ravens offense struggled last season, anyone who can help them go downfield and stretch defenses is someone they should consider. They'll try out your grandma is she can get separation downfield.

 Ravens coach John Harbaugh is already on record as saying the team would consider Burress -- and why shouldn't they?

 He's 6-foot-5 and 232 pounds -- at least he's was before all that starchy prison chow -- the prototypical big, strong receiver the Ravens lack right now.

Just four years ago, he caught 70 passes for 1025 yards and 12 touchdowns. The year before, he caught 63 passes for 988 yards and 10 TD's. And the year before that, he caught 76 passes for 1214 yards and 7 TD's.

Burress' agent, Drew Rosenhaus told the New York Daily News there are "multiple teams interested in signing him." But apparently the Giants aren't one of them.

Which may have been why, when Burress was released from the Oneida Correctional Facility in upstate New York this morning, he was wearing a Phillies cap.

 NFL tea-leaf readers say this could be a signal that Burress is interested in signing with the Philadelphia Eagles. Or it could just be that it was the first cap he stuck on his head as he left his jail cell.

 Who knows what kind of a player Burress is after nearly two years in the joint? And maybe you have to question the intelligence of a guy who accidentally shoots himself when the gun he's carrying falls out of the  waistband of his sweats and discharges.

But the Ravens are OK with giving players with sketchy pasts a second chance, as we know from their signing of troubled WR Donte Stallworth last year.

One thing's for sure: if he has anything left, the 33-year-old Burress will be playing in the NFL this season -- if ANYONE'S playing in the NFL this season.

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 11:32 AM in Ravens | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Good for Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti. I wish more NFL owners -- and players, too -- would admit that this unseemly contract dispute between the owners and the players makes both sides look arrogant and clueless.

In a recent wide-ranging interview with Sun Ravens reporter Jamison Hensley, which you can read here, Bisciotti said of the standoff: "I'm embarrassed that we're fighting over money, just like you would be embarrassed if you and your wife were fighting over money in public. It's an embarrassing topic to have to get into."

Amen.

As the NFL owners gather in a posh New Orleans hotel this week for the annual league meetings, you wonder if any of them have any idea that food prices for the average American are soaring, gas prices are nudging up to $4 a gallon, college tuition is through the roof and unemployment is still rampant?

And that most U.S. workers are so terrified of losing their jobs that they can't begin to understand a bunch of billionaire NFL owners and millionaire players bickering over how to divvy up $9 billion in annual revenues?

At least one of them -- Bisciotti -- had the good sense to say he's mortified that this sordid financial squabble is taking place when so many people are struggling.

I always liked the guy. I like him even more now.

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 10:38 AM in Ravens | Permalink | Comments (9)
        

I see that there's now talk that the NFL Players Association would like top prospects to not attend the draft in April, as a show of solidarity with the league's current players.

Good luck with that plan.

Isn't it the dream of every blue-chip player to be seen on national TV on draft night, surrounded by his family (and entourage) as he talks unceasingly on his cell and waits to find out which team drafts him?

Hasn't each and every one of these guys always imagined the moment when he dons the hat of his new team and walks across the stage to shake commissioner Roger Goodell's hand?

And you're going to take that away from them to make some sort of point about union brotherhood among millionaire pro football players?

Again, good luck with that. I don't see it happening.

These top prospects have worked too hard -- all their lives -- for their moment in the draft spotlight. I can't imagine them giving it up now.

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 11:10 AM in Ravens | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

Beards -- you love 'em or you hate 'em.

Joe Flacco's got one going now, a scruffy, brown growth that either makes him look tough and swashbuckling or like one of those Amish guys in the ads for electric heaters, depending on your point of view.

As you may know, the Ravens' quarterback broke it out right before his team's final regular-season game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

"Really, I usually get it to a week's length and then I cut it off for the game," he said that week. "But a couple (teammates) said I should probably try to keep it, and I said 'All right, why not?'"

 Sure enough, the beard became an  immediate hit with a certain segment of Ravens fans. Some even grew their own beards in his honor, splashing the news all over their Facebook pages.

 And now the Flacco beard will get even more scrutiny after his terrific performance (25-of-34 passing for 265 yards and two touchdowns) in the Ravens dominating 30-7 playoff win over the Kansas City Chiefs Sunday.

 The TV announcers at Arrowhead Stadium said Flacco "looks like Grizzly Adams with that beard."

 But that's become a cliche, and it's far too facile a cliche to use with Flacco, who's not exactly known for bringing attention to himself.

Plus he's probably too young to know that Grizzly Adams was a legendary mountaineer and grizzly bear tamer in the Old West in the late 1800's, forever immortalized in a corny TV show in the mid-70's starring Dan Haggerty.

The last time a beard in professional sports got this much attention was during the baseball playoffs last fall, when San Francisco closer Brian Wilson took the mound with a luxurious beard that he dyed jet black.

 The beard made Wilson look like a cross between a young Fidel Castro and Joaquin Phoenix the night he gave that bizarre interview to David Letterman.

 But Wilson is a nut, an out-sized flamboyant personality who needs attention the way the rest of us need oxygen.

 How else to explain all his histrionics whenever he closed a game, the crazy, samurai-like crossing of his arms that he said was an homage to the MMA fight game, his Christian faith and the memory of his father?

 Whew. Flacco's personality is about as different from Wilson's as it gets. Flacco didn't grow a beard for attention. He grew it because he was too lazy to shave and his teammates liked the look.

 And now he's stuck with it. Because how can you shave off a playoff beard when it's brought you so much good luck?

Answer: you can't.

 If the Ravens so much as see Flacco reaching for a razor now, they'll kill him.

But let us know what you think.

That sound you heard was probably Grizzly Adams rolling over in his grave.

Photo credits: US Presswire, Baltimore Sun

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 10:43 AM in Ravens | Permalink | Comments (46)
        

Say what you will about Michael Oher, the Ravens' massive and still-developing left tackle.

Yes, he picks up too many penalties. Yes, he's had problems with his footwork and been beaten by too many lesser pass rushers this season.

 And, yes, he loses his poise on occasion, which can cost the Ravens in big games like yesterday's 30-7 playoff thumping of the Kansas City Chiefs.

But I love the guy's fire. And his fierce loyalty to his teammates.

Oher is the first player to jump in an opponent's face when one of his Ravens teammates is abused -- and the rest of the Ravens love him for that.

Time and again yesterday, especially late in the game when the Chiefs were losing their composure and cheap-shotting the Ravens, it was Oher who was the first to wade into the melee to protect a teammate.

NFL players love to talk about having each others' backs. Oher makes it clear he has his teammates' backs on every play.

When you play a violent game in an angry, hostile environment, how can you not love a guy like that?

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 9:50 AM in Ravens | Permalink | Comments (23)
        

The Ravens are an amazing study in calm as they go about preparing for Sunday's playoff game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

The daily cornhole games in the middle of the locker room feature the usual hilarious trash-talking and bet-making.

 Veterans like Derrick Mason, Ray Lewis and Anquan Boldin circulate around the room ragging each other, cracking jokes and keeping everyone loose.

 John Harbaugh and his coaching staff deal affably and politely with the media, adhering to the unspoken code of all NFL coaches, which is to say a lot and reveal absolutely nothing when the TV cameras and microphones are switched on.

 Practices are spirited, but not crazy-intense. Meetings are brief and business-like. The players go back to their homes and families at the end of the day just like millions of other American workers. 

This is what being in the playoffs three years in a row can do for a team. The Ravens know exactly how to prepare for a big game, which is essentially the same way they prepare for every game, with the exact same diligence and routine, said Harbaugh.

"We're a football team," he says. "We like routine."

 Joe Flacco, the laid-back quarterback, talked yesterday about how spoiled the Ravens are, in the sense that given all their recent success and their 12-4 record this season, they now expect to be in the playoffs every year.

But then he says something that reveals the mindset of this veteran team, and the key to this serene scene at the Castle all week.

"When the whistle blows," Flacco says of Sunday's meeting with the Chiefs, "it's just another football game."

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 12:43 PM in Ravens | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Ray Rice was about to begin his post-game remarks after the Ravens' big 30-24 win over the New Orleans Saints Sunday when a handful of reporters began trickling out, headed to the team's locker room for more quotes.

"Hey, where you going?" the Ravens running back asked playfully. "I'm getting ready to speak!"

 This is part of the beauty of Ray Rice these days: no one in the NFL is having more fun than this guy.

 You can see it in everything he does: the smash-mouth style with which he runs the ball, the obvious joy he takes in his day-to-day interactions with his teammates, even the funny -- and often-hilarious -- banter he engages in with the media jackals.

 Rice was in a great mood after the Saints game, and no wonder. What a day the little man -- and I use that term with all due respect -- had.

Thirty-one carries for 153 yards and a touchdown. Five catches for 80 yards and another score. He ran hard every time he touched the ball, showed great hands on his receptions and his cutbacks were uncanny.

But maybe what you admire most about the guy is his humility. Over and over, he gave credit to his teammates -- especially the offensive line -- for his career day. And he spoke with obvious feeling about the passionate speech All-Galaxy middle linebacker Ray Lewis had given at the team's hotel the previous night, a speech, Rice said, that was all about the concept of sacrifice for one's team.

 A few minutes later, Rice wrapped up his remarks, but not before saying he planned to sign the turf shoes he wore against the Saints and give them to his mother as a Christmas gift.

Just what every mom wants to see under the tree Christmas morning -- a smelly pair of shoes her kid wore in a football game.

But I have a feeling the shoes will be a big hit because the gift comes from Ray Rice's heart. And he showed plenty of that yesterday.

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 9:52 AM in Ravens | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

Sorry, but I'm not joining the doom-and-gloomers piling on the Ravens after their dramatic 34-28 overtime win over the Houston Texans Monday night.

No, it wasn't a work of art. Not when your defense blows a 21-point lead in the second half and is sucking wind at the end of the game. Not when your offense looks lost and manages only 61 total yards of offense in the second half.

And, yes, there are legitimate concerns about how well this team will do in the playoffs, how deep a run it'll make.

But for all that, the Ravens are 9-4 with three games left. They won a crucial game on the road, in front of 71,000 screaming, hostile fans, which is never easy to do in the NFL.

There are games that can define a season for every football team, critical games in which everything is going against you, nothing seems to be working, frustration and maybe even despair seems to emanate from your sideline like a toxic cloud.

 The Ravens had one of those games last night -- at least in the second half.

 But you hang in there and hang in there and hang in there. You take the body blows, one after another and another.

 And then, with your proverbial backs against the wall and all the momentum with the other team and 71,000 of their fans howling in anticipation of a win, someone on your team rises to the occasion.

 Someone like Josh Wilson makes a big-play, jumps a route and picks off a pass for the game-winning touchdown.

 And you walk off the field with a win.

 Maybe you're not exhilarated. Maybe you're more drained and relieved than anything else. Maybe your coaches huddle on the flight back home with cold beers and worried looks and murmur: "Man, we have a LOT to work on."

 But you're 9-4. You're still in the thick of the playoff chase with three games left.

 Things could be a lot worse.

Photo of Ray Lewis by US PRESSWIRE

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 10:36 AM in Ravens | Permalink | Comments (30)
        

Ben Roethlisberger's 9-yard scoring pass to Isaac Redmond has silenced the crowd of 71,000 shoe-horned into the Bank.

The Steelers lead 13-10 with 2:35 remaining in the game.

 Except for isolated pockets of Steelers fans, the place is deathly quiet.

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 10:57 PM in Ravens | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Ben Roethlisberger bristles when the media refers to his scrambling plays as "schoolyard."

But the Steelers latest score -- a 19-yard field goal by Shaun Suisham to cut the Ravens lead to 10-6- was set up by the veteran quarterback improvisation on the run once again.

It was vintage Big Ben, eluding the blitz by Ravens safety Haruki Nakamura, scrambling to his right and hitting wideout Emmanuel Sanders with a bullet on the 2-yard line.

The Steelers offense went backwards from there. But it proved that even with a bum foot encased in reams of tape, Roethlisberger is a load to bring down. 

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 10:38 PM in Ravens | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

 Joe Flacco's 14-yard run up the middle kept the 13-play, 60-yard drive alive that led to Billy Cundiff's 24-yard field goal and a 10-3 Ravens lead with 7:13 left in the third quarter.

And Flacco culminated that burst -- if that word can ever be used in connection with the Ravens' less-than-fleet QB -- with a pretty, feet-first slide that would be the envy of one of the Orioles.

The Steelers look bruised and battered. But the Ravens offensive line is giving Flacco time to throw. And that's made all the difference on the scoreboard so far. 

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 10:25 PM in Ravens | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Ben Roethlisberger looks like a train hit him. But even his biggest detractors don't doubt he's a warrior.

The Steelers quarterback has flecks of blood all over the front of his jersey, a bruise on his face, and his nose looks like he went 10 rounds with the heavyweight version of Manny Pacquiao.

But he's staying strong in the pocket and he just ledt the Steelers on an 8-play, 53-yard drive capped by Shaun Suisham's 45-yard field goal to cut the Ravens lead to 7-3 early in the third quarter.

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 9:45 PM in Ravens | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

If you've been worried about where Donte Stallworth has been, we have a sighting.

The veteran wide receiver, who's had a non-existent role in the offense the past few weeks, just hauled in a 67-yard bomb from Joe Flacco down the right sideline, giving the Ravens the ball at the Steelers 27-yard line.

He was wide open on the play and would likely have scored if Flacco's pass hadn't hung up in the wind.

But the drive stalled and Sam Koch just punted from the Ravens 26. The Steelers Antwaan Randle El made the fair catch.

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 9:23 PM in Ravens | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

It's not often you see it, but John Harbaugh has been exhorting the fans to make noise in the waning minutes of the first quarter,

With the Ravens ahead 7-0, the Ravens coach began shouting and windmilling his arms, with the crowd responding with a loud roar. Several of the Ravens assistant coaches have been calling on the crowd to make noise, too.

Guess the noise level isn't the same when 71,000 fans are bundled up in winter gear, including gloves and mittens, to ward off the 20-degree temperatures. 

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 9:07 PM in Ravens | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

It took a few minutes for Joe Flacco to feel comfortable, but he's obviously found his stride.

His 14-yard touchdown pass to a wide open Anquan Boldin has the Ravens leading the Steelers, 7-0 with 1:59 remaining in the first quarter.

Flacco was 6-for-6 on the 10-play, 92-yard scoring drive. And that included a gutsy bomb to Boldin from the Ravens own 3-yard line which gave Baltimore the ball at the Steelers 36. It was Boldin's longest catch of the season.   

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 8:50 PM in Ravens | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

The Ravens suffered a huge blow on their very first offensive play when Pro Bowl tight end Todd Heap suffered a hamstring injury.

It was just announced that he's out for the game.

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 8:45 PM in Ravens | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

This much is clear in the opening minutes of the Ravens showdown with the Pittsburgh Steelers at M&T Bank Stadium: Ben Roethlisberger won't be doing a whole lot of running out of the pocket in this game.

The Steelers veteran quarterback has his right foot heavily taped. It's also encased in some sort of protective shoe. All week the rumor was that his foot was broken, even though the Steelers took great pains to deny that.

But whatever the extend of the injury, he's not moving well and is limping on and on

off the field. He also took a shot to the nose from Haloti Ngata when he was sacked. Could be a long night for Big Ben.

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 7:49 PM in Ravens | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

We're now past the midway-point of the 2010 season, and it seems like an appropriate time to evaluate and rank the 32 NFL head coaches. In our fantasy football driven culture, we rank players all the time, debating Manning vs. Brady and Andre Johnson vs. Randy Moss, but rarely do we take a chance to examine how the coaches stack up against one another. Here is a completely subjective, admittedly unscientific ranking (with commentary) of all 32 coaches, based on how I see them right now. Instead of trying to weigh their entire body of work, I'm ranking them based on how good they are RIGHT NOW. Who would you want guiding your team going forward, for the next several years? Where did we go wrong? What did we get right? Feel free to weigh in below. -- Kevin Van Valkenburg

Continue reading "Ranking the 32 NFL head coaches" »

Posted by Kevin Van Valkenburg at 3:08 PM in Ravens | Permalink | Comments (37)
        

Let's get a forensics team on this one right away. OK, never mind. It's probably not that important.

But it's safe to say the only people who know for sure whether Ravens fullback Le'Ron McClain spit in the face of Miami Dolphins linebacker Channing Crowder Sunday are McClain, Crowder and any teammates lucky enough -- if that's the phrase -- to see saliva spray from one player to the other.

 I know, I know . . . is this a grown-up conversation we're having in the Toy Dept today or what?

 To recap: in the aftermath of the Ravens 26-10 beatdown of the Dolphins, Crowder said McClain spit on him during a timeout late in the third quarter.

 McClain, summoning just the right amount of righteous indignation, said initially in the post-game locker room that he didn't do it and would never do something like that and how could you even think that of him.

But then he seemed to, um, backpedal a little.

"We were right in each other's face, but I didn't spit on him," McClain said. Pause.  "I sure wasn't trying, if I did."

Was McClain talking with his fingers crossed behind his back? Would he swear to that on a stack of bibles? Maybe we'll never know.

The referees obviously didn't see him spit, since they didn't flag him for it. But on the replay, it looked as if McClain's head snapped forward at one point in the classic motion of, well, a spitter.

 The spitee -- Crowder, in this case -- angered the Ravens by walking through their huddle to call the time-out, never a wise thing to do. (They might also have been ticked with Crowder for calling their 36-year-old wide receiver, Derrick Mason, "the old guy" earlier in the week.)

 I suppose you could chalk up the whole thing to the rush of testosterone in the heat of battle, or whatever other tired metaphor you care to use.

 And who knows if the NFL will be handing down any fines if they decide to look into the incident more closely?

 But one thing's for sure: neither of these teams will be forgetting "Spitgate" anytime soon.

 That's the kind of thing that can carry over to the next time the two teams meet.

 "If (NFL commissioner Roger) Goodell doesn't do anything and we see (McClain), he's going down," Dolphins linebacker Karlos Dansby was quoted as saying in the Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel. "We'll see him on the street and we'll handle it like men. One way or another, we'll get it done."

 But hopefully without spitting on each other. 

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 1:00 PM in Ravens | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

So there you are in the Ravens media room at the Castle Tuesday morning, just trying to get a couple of quotes for a sleepy bye week column, when this tall guy steps up to the microphone.

He looks vaguely familiar, almost like the team's starting quarterback, that Joe Flacco guy.

 But instead of Flacco's usual disheveled haircut, which generally looks like it was combed with salad tongs, this guy at the mic has a spiky, gelled 'do with lines etched on the side and some other crazy pattern cut into the back of his head.

 And wonder of wonders, it actually turns out to be -- yes! -- the real Joe Flacco. Whose hair is now styled in the manner of Michael "the Situation" Sorrentino of the MTV series "Jersey Shore" complete with -- stay with me here -- an etching of the state of New Jersey on the back.

Flacco told reporters he changed his look for the Ravens Halloween party. And if that's the case, the Ravens ought to throw one of those parties more often, because he actually looks good with his new 'do.

Flacco said he'll let the whole thing grow out eventually. And you don't figure Joe Cool -- yes, the nickname is ironic -- for the type of guy who's going to be gelling and sculpting his hair every day.

 But the stripes will be there for a while -- there's no getting around that. And the whole look has already unsettled a few people at the Castle.

"The coaches don't know what to make of it," Flacco said with a small smile.

Neither did the media, Joe. But it's not a bad look for you. And it sure livened things up at an otherwise dull bye-week presser. 

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 12:35 PM in Ravens | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

I watched the Ravens' 23-20 loss to the Patriots in a bowling alley bar in western Massachusetts, where I had gone to see my nephew play football for Williams College (a 41-17 winner over Middlebury College) the day before.

There were seven big-screen TVs in the bar showing seven different NFL games. Naturally, Ravens-Pats attracted the bulk of the attention, with the two dozen or so patrons gathered at the bar agreeing with each other on the following points throughout the first three quarters: 

a) The Patriots were getting hosed by the officials on nearly every play, because the officials were always out to get the Pats.

b) The Patriots play-calling was so wimpy and vanilla that it was an absolute disgrace to the game of football.

c) If the Patriots continued to play as badly as they were playing, they would not win another game all season and would be lucky to beat a good high school team -- and then only if the high school team didn't play its starters.

But then the mood changed as the Patriots rallied in the fourth quarter, with quarterback Tom Brady directing scoring drives of 60 and 80 yards to tie the game and send it into overtime.

And by the time New England kicker Stephen Gostkowski hit a 35-yard field goal with 1:56 remaining in OT to win the game, the consensus among the Patriots fans was this:

a) Thankfully, the plucky Pats had overcome the ineptitude of the referees, who STILL had it in for the home team and always would, no question about that.

b) The Patriots play-calling had been daring and innovative throughout the game, as it always is under coach Bill Belichick.

c) The Patriots were just about a lock to go to the Super Bowl and win the darned thing again.

Fans are fans, no matter where you go.

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 12:09 PM in Ravens | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

Well, that didn't take long.

 Remember all the talk from the Ravens before the start of the season about being comfortable in the role of prime Super Bowl contenders?

 Look what's happening now.

 Now that they've run their record to 4-1, tied with the New York Jets for best in the AFC and with the Jets, Chicago Bears and Atlanta Falcons for best in the NFL, the accolades are pouring in.

And now the Ravens have a different message for all the media pundits: stop saying nice things about us.

"We know how bogus it is," coach John Harbaugh said at his news conference yesterday. "It means absolutely nothing."

Then he added: "Anytime they're saying nice things about you, we're very wary. We like it when you don't say nice things about us. We like to read that." 

"We don't care if we're considered the best team in football," said wide receiver Derrick Mason. "If you want to call us the best team in the league, so be it. We know we have a long way to go."

OK, fellas, whatever you say.

But it's a little late for the Ravens to go back to their favorite role of gritty underdog.

And it's WAY too late to break out the preferred rhetoric of just about every NFL team at one point or another during the season: "No one gave us a chance to go all the way. No one believed in us except the 45 guys in this locker room."

No, at 4-1 in the standings, the Ravens are pretty much where many experts said they'd be.

So far, their season's been a success. And they're getting a ton of respect from everyone around the league.

Now they'll just have to deal with it.

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 11:50 AM in Ravens | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Take a look -- and I mean a good look -- at the great photo by Ken Lam on the front page of today's Sun sports section.

See that wild-eyed guy wearing the no. 5 uniform who's thrusting his fist in the air and whooping  with joy at Pittsburgh's Heinz Field?

The guy who has tight end Todd Heap and running back Ray Rice running toward him to celebrate?

Yes, that's Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco, who's just thrown the game-winning touchdown pass to T.J. Houshmandzadeh in Baltimore's 17-14 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday.

The same Flacco who's been accused of being too laid back, too unemotional, not fiery enough to be a great NFL quarterback.

Lam's terrific photo puts a lie to those charges, and shows just how intense and competitive Flacco really is.

Yes, he's Joe Cool most of the time, which is what you want from a quarterback who operates in the pressurized environs of the NFL.

But let's not hear any more about the guy being some kind of bloodless animatronic signal-caller who never shows his emotions.

He showed plenty of emotion in the Ravens third win of the season, and his performance (24-of-37 passing for 256 yards and one touchdown) against a top-tier NFL defense was one of the best of his career.

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 10:34 AM in Ravens | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

Poll: Do you care if your athletes are good off the field?

When I was a kid, it mattered very much to me that my sports heroes were not only gifted performers, but also that they were, for the most part, genuinely nice people. I liked Magic Johnson in part because he smiled so much. Because he seemed friendly and big-hearted, which was sort of an idealized version of myself -- a 6-foot-9 point guard with uncanny court vision and a genuine joie de vivre about playing professional basketball.

There was a certain naivety to that approach, I realize now. I suppose it didn't matter whether or not Magic was a good guy, just that he entertained me as a basketball fan and was successful doing it. But I've never completely abandoned that sentiment. In general, I'm still drawn to athletes who are thoughtful, worldly, introspective and kind. It's still a bit of a projection on my part. I tend to think of myself in those terms (rightly or wrongly), and so when I recognize them in a professional athlete, I'm more inclined to pull for them or follow their career.

These thoughts were bouncing around in my head this morning after I saw the unexpected (but not entirely surprising) news that the Ravens decided to cut defensive lineman Trevor Pryce, one of my favorite Ravens because he is wise beyond the gridiron. (I wrote a story last year about his budding career as a screenwriter, and when he does speak with the media, he's one of the most honest quotes in the locker room.) It seems likely that Pryce will be re-signed to the team in a week (the Ravens aren't even cleaning out his locker) but you never know in the NFL. When you're not the player you once were (and I think Pryce would not object to that statement) nothing is certain about the turn your career will take.

Continue reading "Does it matter to you if an athlete is a nice guy? " »

Posted by Kevin Van Valkenburg at 1:04 PM in Ravens | Permalink | Comments (19)
        

Some members of the New York Jets and their coaching staff may feel more than a little  distracted going into tonight's big game against the Ravens.

According to media reports in New York, the Jets are being investigated for harassing Ines Sainz, a reporter for Mexico's TV Azteca. Ms. Sainz is also apparently a bit of a looker, as she's a former Miss Spain.

Her allegations of harassment, which the NFL is investigating, center on her visit to the Jets training facility in Florham Park on Saturday.

According to the New York Daily News -- you can read the full article by reporter Gary Myers here -- Sainz reported being the recipient of "catcalls, whistling and extended stares by the players."

She also alleges that defensive backs coach Dennis Thurman "was intentionally overthrowing his players in an interception drill so the ball would land at Sainz' feet," the News reported.

Hoo, boy. Just what the Jets need.

And this distraction doesn't even involved Rex Ryan's big mouth.

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 11:12 AM in Ravens | Permalink | Comments (8)
        

Let's just come out and say it: maybe the Ravens caught a break today in the aftermath of Tom Brady's mysterious early-morning car crash up in Boston.

The New England Patriots quarterback apparently walked away from the wreck involving his Audi sedan and a passenger van with nothing more than a few shards of glass in his hair.

In fact, he was feeling so chipper than he was filmed laughing and joking at practice, no small feat after the high-impact accident that witnesses reported "sounded like thunder."

And how is that a break for the Ravens? Because their AFC North rivals, the Cincinnati Bengals, play the Patriots Sunday at Gillette Stadium.

And a healthy Tom Brady calling signals -- even if he's still picking glass out of that thick mop at kickoff  -- makes it that much harder for the Bengals to win.

There are few organizations on earth more secretive than Bill Belichick's Patriots -- maybe the NSA and that outfit in Langley, Va., qualify.

So not much is known about the circumstances behind Brady's accident, except that it was serious enough that a man in the van had to be extricated from the wreck using the Jaws of Life.

But Brady? He showed up at practice without any visible abrasions and told his teammates he felt fine.

We'll see how he plays Sunday and whether he suffers from any lingering symptoms.

Right now, if I were the Bengals, I wouldn't count on it.

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 4:13 PM in Ravens | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Great headline in the New York Daily News Wednesday: "Darrelle Revis expects Ravens to invade Revis Island."

The gist of the blog post by News sportswriter Manish Mehta was that Revis, the Jets' All-Pro cornerback who's just back from a 36-day training camp holdout, expects the Ravens to try to pick on him Monday night when the two teams open their season at the New Meadowlands Stadium.

"I think they're going to come after me," the Daily News quotes him as saying. "Just because I haven't been in camp. I haven't been playing football for a while. I'm sure that's in their game plan.

"They shied away last year from me. I don't know what's in their game plan. I don't know if they're going to attack me or not. In my mind, I think they are going to attack me just because I haven't played football . . . They know the player I am and they know I can cover. I'm sure they're going to come at me anyway they can."

The article, which you can read here, indicated that Revis has looked sharp in his first drills with the Jets.

It also features an obligatory quote from Rex Ryan, the ever-shy Jets coach, who said he didn't think the Ravens would target Revis.

Ryan also felt compelled to address Ravens running back Le'Ron McClain's comment that he was "glad they got (Revis) back, so there won't be no excuses now."

"I don't know what's wrong with 'Ron," the Daily News quotes Ryan as saying. "He said something about, well, there's no excuses . . . He must have us confused with somebody else . . . We don't make excuses. All we do is produce. That's what we plan on doing Monday night." 

It's only Wednesday and the trash-talking is getting hot and heavy. Another reason why you gotta love the NFL.

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 10:03 AM in Ravens | Permalink | Comments (8)
        

You gotta feel for Demetrius Williams. Unless you're so frustrated with the Ravens' injury-prone  wide receiver that the very mention of his name makes you scream.

Just look at the situation he finds himself in now.

It's the last week of pre-season games. Williams was on the bubble to make this team. And now, after Saturday's 24-10 Ravens win over the New York Giants, two of the wideouts ahead of him on the depth chart -- Donte Stallworth (broken foot) and Mark Clayton (concussion) -- are sidelined.

Should be a perfect opportunity for Williams to step up and show what he can do, right?

 A perfect opportunity to string together a series of good, solid practices to catch the coaches' eyes and maybe shine in Thursday's last pre-season game against the St. Louis Rams, too?

Except . . . there's just one problem.

Williams is hurt. His sprained ankle is still bothering him. According to Ed Lee's post at the Ravens Insider blog -- you can read it here -- Williams was noticeably favoring the ankle when he emerged from the locker room for the start of morning practice today.

And Lee also noted that Williams ran at about half-speed in the positional drills.

Hmm, half-speed. Doesn't seem like a great way to get yourself noticed when, all around you, they're dropping like flies at your position.

Understand, this is not to question Williams' heart or dedication. When you're injured, you're injured.

 It's just that this guy is running out of opportunities to stick with the Ravens. And he's already got the rep of a guy who's failed to make the most of those opportunities in the past.

 Here's hoping the ankle gets better soon -- at least for his sake, if not for the Ravens.

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 12:01 PM in Ravens | Permalink | Comments (7)
        

The offensive fireworks in the Ravens-Giants game have ground to a halt, Unfortunately, the same thing can't be said for Sun columnist Peter Schmuck's appetite.

Apparently, the guy's anticipating a famine any day now.

Here he had lost 28 pounds since the beginning of the summer on a new high-protein diet.

But in the last two hours alone, I've seen him destroy hamburgers, nachos, chocolate chip cookies and a chicken cheesesteak sandwich.

The only remotely healthy food the guy ingested was a lone onion on the hamburger. 

And some guacamole on the nachos.

I've never seen anything like it. And I hope I never see anything like it again.

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 9:43 PM in Ravens, Ravens | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

The offensive fireworks in the Ravens-Giants game have ground to a halt, Unfortunately, the same thing can't be said for Sun columnist Peter Schmuck's appetite.

Apparently, the guy's anticipating a famine any day now.

Here he had lost 28 pounds since the beginning of the summer on a new high-protein diet.

But in the last two hours alone, I've seen him destroy hamburgers, nachos, chocolate chip cookies and a chicken cheesesteak sandwich.

The only remotely healthy food the guy ingested was a lone onion on the hamburger. 

And some guacamole on the nachos.

I've never seen anything like it. And I hope I never see anything like it again.

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 9:43 PM in Ravens, Ravens | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco had a terrific first half against the New York Giants., who trail the Ravens 17-3 at the intermission.

Flacco comp[leted 20-of-32 passes for 220 yards and two touchdowns, one to Todd Heap and one to Anquan Boldin.

And the Ravens dominated the first-half offensive stats, with 17 first downs to just 5 for the Giants and 243 total nets yards to 110 for the Giants.

And Flacco and the first-team offense have returned for the start of the third quarter, giving them another opportunity to pad their stats even further.

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 8:43 PM in Ravens | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

The Ravens have a 17-0 lead over the New York Giants with 3:52 left in the second quarter, and quarterback Joe Flacco continues to look impressive.

The Ravens latest scoring drive covered 10 plays and 77 yards, and culminated in a 13-yard scoring pass from Flacco to tight end Todd Heap.

 As he did in the previous Ravens scoring drive, Flacco was 6-for-7 passing for 64 yards.

 We'll see if he takes any snaps in the third quarter. But Ravens offensive coordinator Cam Cameron has got to be happy with Flacco's play tonight.

The third-year quarterback looks energetic with his footwork and crisp with his passing while simultaneously appearing relaxed in the pocket.

Great job by the offensive line so far, too.

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 8:35 PM in Ravens | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Quarterback Joe Flacco comleted 6-of-7 passes for 67 yards on the Ravebs first drive of the second quarter, which culminated in a 9-yard scoring pass from Flacco to Anquan Boldin for a 10-0 Ravens lead over the New York Giants.

The TD pass wasn't Flacco's finest, as he threw it behind Boldin, who had to stop for an instant to gather it in.

 But it was a touchdown pass in the red zone and the Ravens will gladly take it.

The 11-play, 85-yard drive took 4:31 seconds as Flacco spread the ball around liberally, with a 12-yard pass to Boldin, a 20-yard strike to Mark Clayton, an 11-yard pass to Derrick Mason and a 12-yard pass off a designed screen to Ray Rice.

The Ravens coaches looked pleased as the offense came off the field before Billy Cundiff's point after. So, offensively, things are already going far better than they did in the win over the Redskins last week, when theO looked anemic at times.

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 8:05 PM in Ravens | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Billy Cundiff's 25-yard field goal with 7:46 remaining has given the Ravens a 3-0 lead over the New York Giants n their third pre-season game at M&T Bank Stadium.

The Ravens finally got their offense going on the 13-play, 62-yard drive highlighted by a 22-yard pass from quarterback Joe Flacco to Anquan Boldin, a 9-yard Flacco pass to Derrick Mason, a 10-yard scramble by Flacco up the middle and a 12-yard pass from Flacco to Todd Heap.

It's early, but at least the Ravens mixed it up and moved the ball downfield, although the emphasis in this game was to score touchdowns in the red zone and not settle for field goals.

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 7:08 PM in Ravens | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

We might as well get this out of the way now.

A few readers have e-mailed to ask whether a quarterback controversy could be brewing with the Ravens.

Is it possible, they want to know, that Marc Bulger could take over for Joe Flacco if he (Bulger) continues to play well?

". . . I can feel everyone's lack of confidence in Joe Flacco relative to their excitement when Bulger comes in," one reader wrote. "Everything about Bulger seems to communicate that he is in command, whereas Flacco seems -- seems -- tentative."

"Flacco seems too laid back to be our quarterback," another reader said. "Bulger just looks like a winner out there."

Naturally, I have contacted the authorities about these readers. And I hope each and every one of them is tracked down and dealt with, so they cause no further trouble.

But in case there are any others out there wondering the same thing, let me say this -- again: Joe Flacco has taken the Ravens to the playoffs in each of his first two seasons in Baltimore.

He is the starting quarterback. And he'll continue to be the starting quarterback unless he gets hurt.

It's that simple.

Sure, few things in life are simple. But that one is.

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 11:46 AM in Ravens | Permalink | Comments (31)
        

Loved -- yes, I mean LOVED -- the way Cam Cameron fell on his sword yesterday when discussing the Ravens so-so offensive performance in their 17-12 win over the Carolina Panthers Thursday night.

In his remarks to the media, the shrewd offensive coordinator blamed himself for poor play-calling against the Panthers, especially in the second half, when the Ravens O managed only seven points.

"Give Cam Cameron an F in the second half and give anybody who played in the second half a passing grade," he said. ". . . We're going to improve in the second half of these pre-season games.. . . I failed  miserably giving those guys a chance the other night."

He went on and on for so long, I thought he was going to take the blame for everything from the war in Afghanistan to the weak job market, too.

But what I loved about Cameron's remarks was this: they highlighted the urgency the Ravens feel about improving their offense this season.

Cameron -- and every other coach on this team -- knows the front office did a masterful job in the off-season acquiring players to put more points on the scoreboard.

The Ravens brought in big-play wide receivers Anquan Boldin and Donte Stallworth and a quality backup quarterback, Marc Bulger, via the free agent market. They drafted couple of big, strong  tight ends in Ed Dickson and Dennis Pita. And in Ray Rice, Willis McGahee and Le'Ron McClain, they have an excellant trio of running backs.

So now it's on Cam Cameron -- and head coach John Harbaugh, too -- to make all this talent translate into a more dynamic and prolific offense.

It didn't happen against the Panthers. But I love the fact that Cameron acknowledged the offensive malaise and took full blame for it.

That's a good step forward for the Ravens, who are always preaching accountability.

 One man on that team was definitely accountable yesterday.

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 10:27 AM in Ravens | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Oh, you gotta love this town.

I say that because something interesting is happening on the radio sports-talk shows today: Ravens fans are furiously down-playing the team's chances of going all the way this season.

Yes, the fact that so many NFL pundits are picking the Ravens to go to the Super Bowl is apparently freaking out some Ravens fans.

As we all know, Ravens fans are much happier being the underdog, rather than the favorite.

They love feeding off the idea that the entire NFL is out to get the Ravens, that the referees are out to hose them, and that the national media gives them no respect.

But now with so many NFL experts singing the Ravens' praises, Ravens fans apparently feel it'll somehow jinx the team this fall.

Hence, the concerted effort to take to the air-waves today and tell the world -- and other Ravens fans: 'Hey, our team's not that good, we're being ranked too high, let the Ravens play a few games before we anoint them as a Super Bowl-bound team.'

What's the old line about not being able to handle prosperity?

Hell, it was probably written by a Ravens fan.

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 1:47 PM in Ravens | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

I see the radio sports-talk shows are buzzing about Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco's comments regarding the team's newly-signed backup QB, Marc Bulger.

The comments -- which you can read here -- were made the other day to Sun beat reporter and Ravens Insider blogger Jamison Hensley.

And they seemed to suggest a certain, oh, wariness on the part of Flacco as to how Bulger's presence will affect the chemistry between the quarterbacks who will be with the team when the season opens.

Me, I didn't read the comments as even being remotely a shot at Bulger.

 The only reason they were noteworthy at all is because Flacco is generally so guarded about expressing his opinions in the first place.

In this case, I think he was simply expressing the reality that one of last year's backup QB's, Troy Smith or John Beck, will be cut at some point to make room for Bulger.

 And that the cozy (it seems) relationship between Flacco, Smith and Beck will be affected in some way by the move.

Big deal.

But that's what happens when a famously-reticent team leader on the Ravens lets down his guard a little and speaks from the heart. It goes viral and spreads across Ravens Nation in a heartbeat.

No wonder so many big-time athletes often feel the best thing they can say to the media is: "No comment."

Some days, it probably is.

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 12:47 PM in Ravens | Permalink | Comments (16)
        

Is it me or is anyone else just as baffled at Ed Reed's request for a new contract?

As spelled out in Jamison Hensley's recent story, which you can read here, the Ravens veteran safety has three years remaining on a six-year contract extension he signed in 2006.

He's coming off hip surgery and may not be ready to go by the start of the regular season, admitting in a recent interview on 105.7 The Fan's "Norris and Davis Show" that "it could be October, November and December" before he's ready to play.

Not only that, but he has some kind of nerve impingement that has bothered him for a couple of years.

Oh, did I mention he's 31 years old? With a body that's been beaten up by eight punishing seasons in the NFL?

You know how they say timing is everything in life?

Is this really the right time for Reed to be talking about a new deal?

God bless him if he can get it. But to me, he's up for the Chutzpah of the Year award.

If he pulls this one off, there might be a dozen other Ravens vets lined up outside Ozzie Newsome's door the next day, looking to renegotiate. 

I can't wait to see how this plays out.

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 12:33 PM in Ravens | Permalink | Comments (23)
        

Back the ambulances up to the stadium tunnels. Put the team orthopedic surgeons on standby. Get ready to have players limping in and out of trainer's room 24 hours a day.

If the NFL is serious about expanding the regular season to 18 games in 2012, you're going to have even more players injured and sidelined than you do now.

This might be one of the worst ideas the NFL has ever had -- maybe even worse than charging fans full prices for pre-season games.

I'm with Ray Lewis on this one.

 "If fans want to show their love, they should let everyone know that we are not machines," Lewis said on the NFL Player's Association's web site. ". . . I know our fans may not like pre-season games and I don't like all of them, but swapping two pre-season games for two end-of-season games -- when players already play hurt -- comes at a huge cost for the player and the team."

 And I'm with Bart Scott on this, too.

The New York Jets linebacker and former Raven told the New York Daily News: "It's hard to ask players to play an extra game. Guys barely make it through the season, anyway."

Look, the NFL pre-season is too long -- everyone agrees with that. It's totally unnecessary -- players work on their conditioning and technique year-round and don't need all that time to get ready for the season.

But adding two more games where the stakes are high and everyone on the field is going all out just adds to the injury rate, which is already sky-high in pro football.

This is a bad idea -- even if the league decides to pay the players more money for the extra games.

If the NFL players cave in on this one, they'll have only themselves to blame.

Especially if, God forbid, they suffer a career-ending injury.

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 10:29 AM in Ravens | Permalink | Comments (17)
        

Ravens fans: looking for a little red meat to start the weekend?

If so, you may want to check out the excellant Sports Illustrated cover story on Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's travails by veteran sportswriter Jack McCallum, which you can read here.

The title alone will be like an early Christmas present for Steelers haters: "The Hangover: An NFL Superstar's Repulsive Behavior, the Ultimate Expression of Athletic Entitlement Run Amok, Has Forced Even the Most Diehard Fans to Question Their Team and Their Football Faith -- And Made a Small Town in Georgia Wish He'd Never Paid a Visit."

What's most striking about the piece is how Steelers fans have grown weary of Big Ben's antics  after the latest sexual-assault accusation against him, this one by a 20-year-old college student, who says he forced himself upon her in the restroom of a bar in Milledgeville, Ga.

 McCallum cites one example after another of Roethlisberger's arrogance, sense of entitlement and demeaning treatment of women in recent years, painting a damning portrait of an out-of-control ego in a superstar quarterback that's been grating on the blue-collar sensibilities of the Steel City for years.

 "Cynics will no doubt assume that Roethlisberger can reclaim the city, possibly with a few touchdown passes, perhaps with a strong playoff game, probably with an AFC championship and certainly with a third Lombardi Trophy," McCallum writes. "Sports fans are too fickle, too in the moment, for us not to believe that success wouldn't have them climbing back in the Big Ben bus.

 "But make no mistake, this schism between superstar and town is a serious one."

 And this is a seriously great read. You won't want to miss it. 

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 10:53 AM in Ravens | Permalink | Comments (13)
        

I don't know about you, but I love watching Rex Ryan coach.

Did you catch his sideline act during the Jets 17-14 upset of the Chargers yesterday? The Jets coach -- and former Ravens defensive coordinator -- was his usual exuberant self, breaking out in a radiant smile and pumping his fist whenever his team got a first down, pounding his players on their helmets and shoulder pads and yelling "Now that's football!" whenever they made a big play.

 No wonder the guy was so beloved by the Ravens -- he radiates enthusiasm for the game and for his team.

 NFL coaches, as we all know too well, tend to be a humorless lot. Their default expression during a big game tends to range from a scowl to an irritated sneer -- that is, when they deign to show any emotion at all.

But not Rex Ryan. He's a joy to watch. I'm pulling for his team in next week's AFC championship game against the Colts. The game needs him to stick around this season for as long as possible. 

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 8:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)
        

Go ahead and tell me your fondest memory of the Ravens 33-14 beatdown of the New England Patriots Sunday.

Was it Ray Rice's electrifying 83-yard TD run 17 seconds into the game, the equivalent of the Ravens slapping their business card on the table and proclaiming "We're ready to go to work?"

 Was it the Terrell Suggs strip of quarterback Tom Brady that set up the second touchdown? Was it Ed Reed's interception and another crazy lateral to Dawan Landry that led to another score?

 I'll tell you mine: John Harbaugh taking a victory lap and high-fiving the ectsatic Ravens fans who ringed the lower bowl of Gillette Stadium.

 Harbaugh's face radiated pure joy, and his decision to share that joy with the fans who help pay his salary and his players' salaries was the right one.

It demonstrated once again that he's not a coach all caught up in himself, in X's and O's, in wins and losses, to the exclusion of everything else.

The game is still about people: those who play it and those who watch it.

Harbaugh's gesture was a wonderful finishing touch on a great win for the Ravens.

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 7:54 AM in Ravens | Permalink | Comments (7)
        

We're still five days from Ravens-Patriots in the first round of the NFL playoffs and the story lines are forming like an MTV reality series:

Will Patriots quarterback Tom Brady get special treatment from the refs? Will the Ravens get flagged for unnecessary roughness every time they breathe on the guy, never mind hit him?

Will Bill Belichick get all sorts of breaks from the officials, too, just because he's Bill Belichick, winner of three Super Bowls as coach of the Patriots, the yoda of the gridiron, the Albert Einstein of the chalkboard and the most brilliant mind in pro football coaching today? 

Will the NFL pundits -- Sports Illustrated's Peter King, NBC analysts Tony Dungy and Rodney Harrison, etc. -- ever stop dissing the Ravens' playoff chances?

What's the central theme here?

Right, nobody likes the Ravens. The Ravens will get shafted at Gillette Stadium this Sunday. They're going into a bar fight with one arm tied behind their backs.

I don't see any of the bad stuff happening.

In fact, I think the Ravens have an excellent chance to knock off the Patriots. No Wes Welker, Tom Brady struggling lately, the Patriots' shaky defense against the run, a Ravens strength -- all of it points to the Ravens having a good day and coming out with a win. 

But we love drama in this town. We love the whole us-against-them mindset. It's been around forever.

Way longer than "Jersey Shore."

I love this town

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 7:58 AM in Ravens, Today's Special | Permalink | Comments (9)
        

Think the kicking game might be a subject of conversation when the Ravens coaching staff meets today at the Castle to start game-planning for the New England Patriots?

Yeah, I think so, too. The kicking game is always important in the NFL. And it becomes doubly-important when the playoffs roll around. And right now the Ravens kicking game is very suspect, to say the least.

Long-snapper Matt Katula, who's been playing hurt, has been all over the place with his snaps, which you already know if you watched the Ravens 21-13 win over the Oakland Raiders Sunday.

His snaps were wild on both of Billy Cundiff's missed field goal attempts, from 37 yards in the second quarter and 51 yards late in the fourth quarter.

I thought John Harbaugh's head was going to explode after both misses -- at one point,TV cameras captured the Ravens head coach looking disgusted and screaming "Bad snap! Bad snap!"

In any event, the Ravens better find a solution to this problem, pronto.

If Katula is too hurt to make good snaps, they better find someone who can do the job.

That's all Cundiff needs: to be worried about the snap as he lines up for a field goal with the game on the line.

 And with Wes Welker hurt and the Patriots suddenly looking very beatable, next Sunday's game could very well come down to a last-second field goal.

Sure, the guy has played hurt The guy has played hurt

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 1:40 PM in Ravens | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

If you weren't fired up about the Ravens chances of going deep into the playoffs, did the sight of Wes Welker crumpled on the turf of Reliant Stadium during yesterday's 34-27 Houston Texans win over the New England Patriots change your mind?

The Ravens play the Patriots at 1 p.m. Sunday in the first round of the playoffs, and losing Welker will be a huge blow for the Patriots.

The guy had 123 catches and was the Patriots go-to receiver all season long, especially over the middle. He was tough as nails. Now it's being reported he suffered a torn ACL AND MCL when he tried to cut in the first quarter and landed awkwardly on his left leg.

Welker's mom and dad were quoted as saying they felt "sick" about their son's injury. But probably not as sick as Bill Belichick and the rest of the Patriots feel having to face the Ravens without one of their key weapons on offense.

Let's face it, the Patriots weren't the Patriots of old this season. Quarterback Tom Brady looked ordinary at times. Without a running game, the team struggled for offensive consistency all season long. And the Pats defense was shaky on occasion, especially their secondary.

New England was vulnerable going into the playoffs, even with everyone healthy. Now it looks as if the Pats have lost their best pass-catcher.

If ever there was a reason for Ravens fans to jump on the bandwagon and think about a serious playoff run for their team, Welker's injury is it.

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 7:28 AM in Ravens | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

Sighs of relief and shots of Purple Jesus all around.

Your Ravens are in the playoffs for the second consecutive year.

Boy, that John Harbaugh is one heck of a coach (if you were here last week, you’ve gotta be chuckling about that).

Anyway, it wasn’t pretty. But the Ravens beat the Raiders in Oakland, 21-13. And now the Ravens are back in the postseason.

Kevin is our winner of the free bar tab for the week with a 24-13 prediction. This might be No. 2 for Kevin this year, though it might have been Kevin in Iraq who won in the past. The mind is slipping now that I am 40 (and the work ethic really has slipped, because I am not looking it up. We‘ll use the honor system).

Cali Chris (20-16) and Bob M (20-17) get a chip tossed their way. And I just had a field goal going the wrong way in my 24-10 prediction. So the barkeep is backed up one on the barkeep.

No one, by the way, had Willis McGahee running for 167 yards and three scores or Dannell Ellerbee with a pick and a fumble recovery. And you guys call yourselves educated fans?

OK, we’ll get into the playoff match-up later this week. Right now, I just want to know if what you saw Sunday in Oakland encouraged or discouraged you about the Ravens’ playoff chances.

On one hand, the resurgence of McGahee sure was refreshing. But there’s also concern that Raiders QB Charlie Frye, who had to leave due to injury, looked pretty good against the Ravens’ secondary (18 for 25 for 180 yards and a TD).

And my guess is the next few QBs the Ravens might have to face are a tad better than Frye, starting with some cagey vet up in the Boston area. But they did win on the road when they had to -- and that says something.

So making the playoffs was the goal, but the Ravens’ performance against the Raiders didn’t inspire a whole lot of confidence for the second season in my opinion. But I could be wrong here.

Daily Think Special: Did the Ravens' performance in Oakland encourage or discourage you for the postseason?

Posted by Dan Connolly at 8:41 PM in Connolly's Corner Sports Bar, Ravens, Today's Special | Permalink | Comments (25)
        

He didn't wear a red cape and goofy tights, but Willis McGahee was definitely the Ravens Superman in their 21-13 win over the Oakland Raiders Sunday, a win that propels them into the playoffs, where they'll face the new England Patriots either next Saturday or Sunday.

 The Ravens didn't pass too well against the Raiders, but, boy, did they run the ball well, with McGahee rushing for 167 yards and three TD's and the Ravens grinding out 243 yards on the ground.

And McGahee's thrilling 77-yard TD run in the second quarter might have been the team's most exciting play of the season, punctuated by a stiff-arm that left Raiders free safety Hiram Eugene sprawled on the turf.

 Ravens fans might have wondered where McGahee's been in the second half of the season.

But they have to be glad he finally showed up big-time when the Ravens needed him most. 

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 6:40 PM in Ravens | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

The Ravens went 3-and-out in their three possessions of the third quarter, leading to a snooze-fest broken only by Sebastian Janikowski's 39-yard FG that trimmed the Ravens lead to 14-13.

Good thing JaMarcus Russell self-imploded again, throwing a pick returned by Dannnell Ellerbe that led to another Willis McGahee TD run, this one a 1-yarder.

It's 21-13 early in the fourth quarter, with all of Ravens Nation holding it's breath and wondering if the team can hang on for a win and a playoff berth.

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 6:32 PM in Ravens | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

And in this corner, at 235 pounds, wearing the purple and black trunks and representing the Baltimore Ravens . . . Willis McGahee!

Let's face it: that wasn't just your run-of-the-mill stiff-arm Willis McGahee threw at Raiders free safety Hiram Eugene to cap a thrilling 77-yard TD and give the Ravens a 14-3 lead late in the second quarter.

That looked like a left cross thrown with bad intentions, like something Mike Tyson used to throw when he was actually scarier in the ring than out of it.

 Sure it helped that Eugene was already back-pedaling like he'd seen the ghost of Jim Brown. And  his momentum probably had as much to do with his sprawling helplessly to the turf as McGahee's stiff-arm.

But that was one beautiful play by McGahee. And Ben Grubbs and Michael Oher opened huge holes for McGahee to cap a 95-yard drive in two plays that started at the Ravens own 5-yard line.

The Raiders pulled to within 14-10 with a Charlie Frye TD pass to Zach Miller before Billy Cundiff blew a 37-yard field goal attempt (wide right) with two seconds left.

But the McGahee TD run might just have been the Ravens most exciting play of the year.

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 5:01 PM in Ravens | Permalink | Comments (15)
        

In front of thousands of empty seats at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, the Ravens have a 7-3 lead over the Oakland Raiders early in the second quarter, their touchdown coming courtesy of what CBS announcer Phil Simms called "an overpowering drive by the Ravens offense."

Willis McGahee scored his 10th TD of the season, the Ravens effectively mixed the running of Ray Rice and the passing game on the drive and used the no-huddle offense to good effect, too.

 Frank Walker picked up a dumb illegal contact penalty, but Dwan Landry broke up a Charlie Frye pass in the end zone, so give the secondary a mixed review so far.

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 4:24 PM in Ravens | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Shakespeare wrote: "A smile cures the wounding of a frown." But what did he know? He was this soft, namby-pamby playwright. He never dropped a sure touchdown pass in the NFL and flashed the pearly whites and heard an entire city howl in protest, the way Derrick Mason did.

C'mon, aren't we making too much of Smilegate, the newest conspiracy swirling around the Ravens?

Mason, the normally sure-handed wide receiver, drops that TD pass against the Steelers last Sunday and TV cameras show him smiling and laughing. Linebacker Terrell Suggs blows an interception at the goal line that would've been another easy TD and he's spotted laughing. Defensive tackle Haloti Ngata wipes out two Steelers on the sideline after the whistle blows and he's seen smiling on TV, too.

Big deal. All three of those guys are seasoned veterans who play their hearts out. They're not smiling 'cause they enjoy blowing plays and getting penalties.

They're smiling because . . . well, let Ngata explain it:

 "I was thinking that it was a stupid penalty, and I was just basically laughing at myself that I could do something that dumb.

"That's pretty much why I was laughing, because that was the only thing I could do."

What do you want these guys to do in that situation, cry? How would that look, a big, tough football player sobbing and dabbing his eyes with a hankie? Vince Lombardi would roll over in his grave.

In the heat of an NFL game, when they blow an easy play or commit a dumb penalty, players smile because they're embarrassed, because they're angry, because they're dumb-founded over the stupid move they just made.

They're sure not smiling 'cause they're happy.

So let's put Smilegate to bed and move on.

Please.

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 1:04 PM in Ravens | Permalink | Comments (7)
        

And you thought the Cleveland Browns were a mess? With the over-bearing coach who fines players a thousand bucks for not paying for water bottles and the imploding quarterbacks and a roster dotted with whiners and malingerers?

 OK, fine. But did you get a load of what's happening with the Oakland Raiders, the Ravens opponent Sunday? The Raiders make the Browns look like the Von Trapps, they're so miserable.

 Forget the fact that their coach, Tom Cable, apparently slugged an assistant coach earlier in the year and broke his jaw. Forget the fact that Cable's been accused of violence toward women in his past. Forget the fact he might be fired any day now because of the Raiders dreary 5-10 record.

With one game left in the season, Cable's still making friends and influencing people all around the Raiders locker room.

At his news conference Monday after the Raiders 23-9 loss to Cleveland a day earlier, Cable was asked if the team would have made the playoffs if quarterback JaMarcus Russell had turned in an average or better performance this year.

 "Without even asking that question, you know that we would have," he answered, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

 Sure, Cable went on to call Russell "a really, really classy kid" and later added "I'm convinced he has the tools" to become a great quarterback.

 But the damage was already done. JaMarcus Russell was thrown under the bus. Then Cable backed the bus up and ran over him again.

Charlie Frye will probably start at quarterback for the Raiders against the Ravens.

JaMarcus Russell will probably be dialing a shrink.

The Raiders motto used to be: Just win, baby.

Now it's apparently: "Just point fingers."

What a team.

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 2:50 PM in Ravens | Permalink | Comments (11)
        

Remember the creepy kid in the movie, The Sixth Sense, who goes around saying, "I see dead people?"

I know how he feels. Except with me, it's "I see penalty flags."

Everywhere.

Right, I'm watching too much Ravens football. And on my new-ish Vizio high-def TV (he said modestly), you can really pick up all those yellow flags floating gently through the cold December air, which leads to the kind of terror around my house that even a few Sam Adams can't calm.

The Ravens were penalized 11 times for 113 yards in their 23-20 loss to the Steelers. They now rank first in total penalty yardage (1,057) -- yep, crank up the "We're No. 1!" chants -- and third in total penalties (110). And with two of those penalties in the Pittsburgh game negating touchdowns, that was a performance that'll give Ravens fans nightmares for a long time.

Do the penalties indicate a lack of discipline on this team? Oh, you betcha. Coach John Harbaugh can deny that all he wants. But disciplined teams aren't serial penalty-drawers. It's that simple.

The Ravens like to tell you the penalties come from their aggressive style of play, which is true to a certain extent. But if that's the case, it might be time to dial it back a little and play smarter.

They need a win next week in Oakland to make the playoffs. Another big penalty day will kill their postseason chances.

 And it'll lead to too much screaming from their fans, who've been under enough stress throughout this up-and-down season.

 They don't make enough Sam Adams to help with that.

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 8:19 AM in Ravens | Permalink | Comments (14)
        

I’ve heard head coaches and managers talk about team wins before.

Sunday’s Ravens’ deflating defeat to the Steelers was a team loss. Just how many Ravens’ made individual mistakes that contributed to the downfall? Once I got to 10, I think I lost count (it was too cold to pull off my shoes and keep counting).

If you are a true Ravens’ fan, you should have at least three welts on your head Monday morning -- from banging your head against the wall (bar, coffee table, etc.) with each Ravens’ potential turning point that wasn’t. Some of you probably look like you ran into a bee hive with a honey-flavored ski cap.

For the record, I am giving the free bar tab to Sizemo, who predicted a 30-27 Steelers win. Most who predicted Steelers had them in a blowout.

Frank gets a free drink chip for having the right score, 23-20; he just flipped the outcome.

Here’s my question: Which part of Sunday’s frustrating contest frustrated you the most?

My answer: Derrick Mason’s dropped catch in the end zone. Yes, that stuff happens. But it normally doesn’t happen to Mason. And it shouldn’t happen for a team’s go-to veteran -- a guy who makes that catch 99 times out of 100.

That 100th time was a killer, though.

You have plenty to choose from in a such a head-shaking loss: Terrell Suggs’ boneheaded block, Frank Walker’s mugging at the end of the game. You name it. Literally. I want you to name it.

Daily Think Special: What was the most frustrating moment of Sunday’s Ravens’ choke job?

Posted by Dan Connolly at 5:16 PM in Connolly's Corner Sports Bar, Ravens, Today's Special | Permalink | Comments (50)
        

I was hoping for the holiday spirit from you people. Or at least some understanding that it is a down economy.

But you guys are too good.

The Ravens beat the Bears 31-7 on Sunday in impressive fashion.

And we had one guy (Dave) predict a 31-6 victory and another (Jeff O.) predict 30-7. Since neither predicted Joe Flacco would be the star of the game with four TDs, this one sits at a tie.

So both of you get the free bar tab this week -- and I take out a second mortgage (you should see the receipts from the last time Jeff O. won).

OK, the Ravens did what they had to do the past two weeks, pummeling teams they absolutely had to beat. Now, if they win their next two, they are in the playoffs, guaranteed.

The big one comes up this weekend, of course. In Pittsburgh against the Steelers, and the Steelers still have something to play for besides pure hatred of the Ravens. We’ll talk about that one as the week progresses.

Still. if the Ravens win, they’ll have to earn it.

I listened to several national TV types after the Bears game and they were praising the Ravens, saying, in full TV cliché, that they are “clicking on all cylinders.” That the defense, running game and Flacco are “peaking at the right time.”

I am sure some of you believe that. By nature, I am skeptical. And the Ravens’ so-called peak came against the Lions and Bears. That previous loss to the Packers was anything but a “peak” show. So I am more inclined to believe that the competition is what has led the Ravens to look like they are playing their best football, and not reality.

To me, the test comes in Pittsburgh. I’ll change my mind if they win by 20 there. I could be wrong here. I’ve never claimed to be Mr. Football. So are the TV talking heads right?

Daily Think Special: Are the Ravens peaking right now?

Posted by Dan Connolly at 9:17 AM in Connolly's Corner Sports Bar, Ravens, Today's Special | Permalink | Comments (10)
        

Standing alone on the sideline Sunday in the waning minutes of his team's 48-3 butt-whipping at the hands of the Ravens, with M&T Bank Stadium nearly empty and rain still falling from the dishwater-gray skies, Lions coach Jim Schwartz was as forlorn-looking as I've ever seen a man.

 The Baltimore guy, a Mount St. Joe's grad, looked like he'd aged 10 years since the opening kickoff.

 You know how President Barack Obama's hair is now flecked with gray after just a year of dealing with the awesome responsibilities of his office? Well, Schwartz's hair will be as white as Santa Claus if the Lions keep losing like this.

 It didn't get any easier for the likeable Schwartz when the game was over and he had to face the Detroit media.

 Asked what he would say to the people back in Detroit who felt the Lions had quit, he replied: "First of all, I'd applaud them if they watched to the very end."

Ouch.

Schwartz was then asked to assess how prepared his team was to play, and again he was brutally honest.

"I thought they were. It wasn't like our guys didn't want to show up today. We got our butts kicked on the field. It was what happened after the first whistle blew. It wasn't what happened before."

 The guy sounded beaten and drained.

You talk about what a year in the Oval Office can do to a man.

Apparently a year coaching the Lions can do pretty much the same thing. 

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 7:27 AM in Ravens | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

What time did the Ravens-Packers game finally end -- about 2 in the morning?

Or maybe it just felt that way. We were almost out of beer, I remember that much.

Both teams threw the ball a lot and racked up over 300 yards in penalties, making the contest the second-most penalty-marred game in NFL history.

The 27-14 defeat dealt another serious blow to the Ravens' playoff chances -- I know, I know, what else is new? But if the Ravens run the table and get to 10 wins, maybe they can yadda yadda yadda, you know the rest.

And the Ravens offense took a beating from the Monday Night Football announcing crew, too.

Ron Jaworski called the Ravens offense "pathetic."

Mike Tirico advised a the huge national audience they were looking at "a Baltimore offense that has checked out."

Jon Gruden took Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco to task for making poor decisions.

Not a good night at chilly Lambeau Field for the purple-and-black.

At least it didn't snow.

Although the next blizzard was scheduled to roll into Green Bay today.

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 7:53 AM in Ravens | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

All honest Ravens fans -- and is there any other type? -- have to admit that if QB Ben Roethlisberger and S Troy Polamalu were in the Steelers' lineup, Pittsburgh probably would have beaten the Ravens Sunday night.

 But with reports of finger-pointing and back-stabbing among the Steelers, it could make the rematch in Pittsburgh Dec. 27 that much more intriguing.

 The main source of contention, according to a column by Ron Cook of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, has to do with WR Hines Ward saying on national TV that the team was split almost "50-50" about whether Roethlisberger should have played against the Ravens, even with his concussion-related symptoms.

 So obviously some Steelers are questioning Big Ben's toughness.

 Which is insane, given that he's led them to two Super Bowl wins and taken so many hits over the years he's lucky to still be in one piece.

 Ward back-tracked a little by saying that only Roethlisberger could make the decision on whether or not to play, given how he felt. But Big Ben has to be super ticked off at his wide-out's comments.

 But the point is: a locker-room divide at this time of the year, with the Steelers battered and bruised and desperately chasing a playoff berth, can really hurt Pittsburgh.

 And if Ward and Big Ben don't hash out the matter and resentment between the two lingers until the next Ravens-Steelers game, it can only help the Ravens.

 They'll have a hard enough time winning in the Steel City with a healthy Roethlisberger -- and maybe a healthy Polamalu, too -- as it is. 

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 1:01 PM in Ravens | Permalink | Comments (10)
        

OK, raise your hand if you had Paul Kruger as the hero of Sunday night’s Ravens-Steelers game. Yeah, that’s what I thought.

In the abbreviated version of Prediction Friday, our free drink tab for the week goes to Sean Quinn, who nailed the final score, a 20-17 Ravens win. Sean didn’t have it going into overtime, but when you get the exact score, you also get some slack.

One of our regulars, Kevin In Iraq, had the Ravens winning with an OT field goal, 23-20, so a handful of drink chips his way. And our old buddy Jack was just one point off, predicting a 19-17 Ravens win. So a drink chip his way as well (seems like I could send my kid to college for all the drink tabs I give Jack).

I’ll be honest, I am not sure what to think about Sunday’s win.

On the one hand, the Ravens have beaten Pittsburgh once, are now 6-5 and are in a three-way tie for the final AFC playoff spot. And they are just one game behind the Broncos, who have lost a head-to-head against the Ravens.

So your purple-and-black squad basically controls its own destiny – and that’s all you can ask in the last five weeks of the season.

Now, let’s look at that other, not-so-pretty hand. The Ravens were pushed into overtime at home by a team that didn’t have its best defensive playmaker (Troy Polamalu) or its best offensive playmaker (Ben Roethlisberger).

I don’t want to take anything away from Dennis Dixon, but the kid was making his first NFL start and he threw for a TD, ran for one and wasn’t sacked once. There was a day when the Ravens’ D would have feasted on such a neophyte, and this year it took until overtime to take advantage of Dixon’s inexperience.

Of course, if you are a believer in positive thinking (and no one has ever accused me of that), you can be excited that Kruger and Mark Clayton made significant contributions and Chris Carr and Lardarius Webb both played well. And Ray Rice is becoming a force (maybe already is one) before our eyes. So maybe things are starting to click.

Honestly, I am not sure what to think about this team and its immediate future. Is it a playoff team? Will it play to a record (9-7, 8-8) that is indicative of the mediocrity it has shown much of the season? Are the Ravens good enough to beat bad or struggling teams but not good enough to win against the elite ones?

The latter is probably my take.

Now, it’s time for you to jump onto the lawn of optimism or pessimism. I want no fence riders in this place, unless, of course you are a big tipper.

Daily Think Special: Is the Ravens’ 2009 cup half-full or half-empty?

Posted by Dan Connolly at 12:58 PM in Connolly's Corner Sports Bar, Ravens, Today's Special | Permalink | Comments (32)
        

An 8:30 p.m. start, tailgaters sucking down beers in the parking lots hours earlier, Baltimore fans and Pittsburgh fans wearing their colors and jawing at each other . . . the Ravens-Steelers game Sunday night definitely had the potential for mayhem.

Alcohol was flowing and IQ's were lowering everywhere you looked.

But the strangest sight of the whole evening was Ravens fans and Steelers fans trying to out-do each other in the towel-waving department once the game started.

Steelers fans waved their Terrible Towels and Ravens fans waved their, um . . . well, whatever you want to call those purple and white towels the Ravens handed out to their fans.

Unlike Steelers fans, Ravens fans aren't notorious towel-wavers. Which is a good thing, since a lot of the ones I observed didn't have the whole towel-waving thing down pat.

Maybe it was the lateness of the hour, maybe it was the effect of all that beer.

But whatever it was, the Ravens fans I watched seemed to wave the damned things half-heartedly, as if they felt slightly embarrassed by the whole exercise.

I kind of felt embarrassed for them, if you want to know the truth.

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 10:07 PM in Ravens | Permalink | Comments (13)
        

No question, Mark Clayton is invisible no more in the Ravens offense.

A 54-yard bomb from Flacco to Clayton down the left sideline in the waning minutes of the second half helped set up Flacco's 10-yard scoring toss to Derrick Mason for a 14-7 Ravens lead over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Clayton timed his catch perfectly, getting a hip on Steelers cornerback William Gay and some separation, then elevating to make the catch.

 It was an 89-yard drive in 6 plays, with a hot Joe Flacco completing 3-of-3 passes and the offense looking rejuvenated.

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 9:13 PM in Ravens | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Guess who just killed the Ravens again? Ol' Smiley himself, Hines Ward.

Steelers QB Dennis Dixon hit him with a 19-yard strike, and Ward wasted no time flashing that infuriating and ever-present smile of his.

It was a 33-yard scoring pass from Dixon to WR Santonio Holmes that did the major damage, tying the score at 7-7, but it was Hines Ward who stuck the dagger into the Ravens defense first.

With a catch . . . and a smile. 

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 8:49 PM in Ravens | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Remember Kelley Washington? And Mark Clayton? And Willis McGahee? Yeah, they're still part of the Ravens offense. You just haven't heard from them in ages.

Well, guess what? The Ravens just took a 7-0 lead over the Pittsburgh Steelers and all three of those guys played a major role in the 9-play, 73-yard scoring drive.

Washington caught a 15-yard pass from Joe Flacco. Clayton caught a 12-yard pass. McGahee ran tough up the middle for two yards and a touchdown.

Who would have thought it?

The Lost Patrol is back in action.

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 8:39 PM in Ravens | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Pittsburgh Steelers fans wave their Terrible Towels. Baltimore fans wave their ... Ravens Rags? Um, maybe we can come up with a better name.

By now you know the Ravens will be handing out purple-and-white rally towels, more than 71,000 of them, at Sunday night's game against the Steelers at M&T Bank Stadium.

Why is this being done? Out of the goodness of the team's heart? Because internal polling reveals Ravens fans have clamored for years to wave small pieces of brightly-colored cloth at football games?

Not exactly. It's because the game is being nationally-televised.

"We want there to be a sea of purple and white, so the national audience can witness Baltimore's excitement and dedication to its team," said Mark Brudett, the team's vice-president of corporate sales and partnerships.

Continue reading "Ravens Rags? OK, we'll work on the name ... " »

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 7:50 AM in Ravens | Permalink | Comments (55)
        

Go ahead if you want. Smack around Ravens safety Ed Reed -- the sports-talk shows are doing it -- for fielding a punt and trying to lateral in the final seconds of the Ravens 17-15 loss to the Indy Colts.

It didn't work. The ball bounced like an errant grape and was recovered by the Colts Freddy Keiaho at the Ravens 40. Indy then ran out the clock. But you'll get no griping about Reed's play from this corner of the Toy Dept.

  The guy was trying to make a play. He's made a ton of them in his brilliant career here. That's the way the guy plays, with reckless abandon. And most of the time, his plays turn into something good for the Ravens.

 Besides, the way the offense was playing, I have absolutely no faith that Joe Flacco and Co. would have been able to move the ball into field goal range with just 28 seconds remaining.

 Desperate times call for desperate measures. When you're fielding a punt with 28 seconds left and your team trailing on the scoreboard, things are pretty desperate.

You do what you can to make a play.

That's what Ed Reed tried to do. This time it didn't work.

But you don't kill a guy for trying.

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 12:48 PM in Ravens | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Let's come right out and say it: in the final seconds of the Ravens' 17-15 loss to the Indianapolis Colts Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium was as quiet as I've ever heard it.

Ever.

Even the drunks seemed to have the life sucked out of them. They guzzled the last of their Budweisers and shuffled forlornly to the exits like everybody else.

Continue reading ""The Bank" turns into a chapel" »

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 8:13 AM in Ravens, Today's Special | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

I was a little late getting going this week, sort of like the Ravens in Cleveland on Monday night.

As we know, a win is a win. But that one was not particularly inspiring. At least the Ravens don’t have to face an undefeated team on a short week this Sunday.

As for our free tab of the week based on the prediction for Sunday’s game, you’re all paying. Because the house won. Or at least I came the closest on both sides to predicting the 16-0 win. I had 24-6, and so did Frederick McMurray (a drink chip your way).

We all assumed a Ravens’ beating for the Browns, but most of us overestimated the Raven’s offense. There were three customers who predicted shutouts; the closest was 27-0.

So, yeah, the Ravens won, but there were plenty of red flags from that game. Most alarming was the continuing number of yellow flags. There’s a fine line between aggressive and stupid.

Monday also marked the end of Steve Hauschka’s Ravens career. Missing a 36-yarder and having an extra point blocked was not the way he needed to rebound.

Now the Ravens are kicker shopping with a more than a week to go before Black Friday. Not a good sign for a team that still has playoff hopes.

Forget Monday-morning quarterbacking, the Hauschka decision should create some Wednesday-morning placekicking. It’s pretty obvious the Ravens should have stuck with fan favorite Matt Stover this season. His accuracy is definitely missed.

But how much? What I mean is how much different would this Ravens’ team be with Stover, who is now with Sunday’s opponent, the Indianapolis Colts? Would it still be in “long playoff run, Super Bowl talk” discussion?

One school of thought is that Stover would have given them a win against Minnesota and possibly one against Cincinnati. The other way of thinking: Stover is a kicker. If your team is lamenting the loss of its kicker, it’s got bigger problems than missed field goals.

My opinion: Stover would help, for sure. But unless he can cover 6-foot-4 receivers, provide a pass rush and get to the line of scrimmage without a false start, I am not convinced Matt Stover is the difference between a playoff Ravens’ team and an also-ran.

Then again, I am a baseball guy by trade. School me, people. Learn me, football gurus.

Daily Think Special: How much has Matt Stover’s absence hurt the Ravens?

Posted by Dan Connolly at 5:47 PM in Connolly's Corner Sports Bar, Ravens, Today's Special | Permalink | Comments (33)
        

Hey, Ravens fans, feeling better about your team this morning? No, I didn't think so.

Sure, a win is a win in the NFL. But this ugly 16-0 victory over the Browns on "Monday Night Football" didn't exactly allay any fears that the Ravens are nothing more than a .500 football team right now.

 The team got off to another slow start. The offense continued to look listless. Kicker Steve Hauschka looked very shaky, hooking a 36-yard field goal attempt and having an extra-point try blocked.

 He's a basket case right now. Don't be surprised if the Ravens give him his walking papers and sign another kicker, pronto, especially with the undefeated Indy Colts coming into town this weekend.

 The Ravens also suffered a couple of key injuries to Terrell Suggs (knee sprain) and Haruki Nakamura (broken ankle.)

 Hoo, boy.

 But for all the Ravens' problems right now, the one good thing you can say is: at least they're not the Browns.

Is that team a mess or what? The offense is a joke. Poor Brady Quinn was terrible at quarterback all night. He seemed WAY too amped up, throwing fastballs at his receivers from 10 yards away -- and inaccurate fastballs at that. If he's listed as the starter again next week, the Browns might as well not even show up for the game.

 No wonder Cleveland Browns Stadium was emptying by the middle of the third quarter and practically deserted by the time the game ended.

How much ugly football can Browns fans take?

 No wonder there's so much heavy-drinking in the Dawg Pound. You'd HAVE to be loaded to watch that team.

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 7:52 AM in Ravens | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

It's not often that you see Ray Lewis in a wistful mood.

But the Ravens All-World middle linebacker seemed that way yesterday at the Castle when talking about Cleveland Browns running back Jamal Lewis, who announced this week that he'll be retiring at the end of the season.

"You don't like to hear that," Ray Lewis said, "and hopefully he gets a different spark and changes his mind."

"I think he has plenty of football left. I think he should ride it out."

Ray and Jamal Lewis were Ravens teammates and good friends for six seasons, and both players played huge roles on the 2000 Super Bowl-winning team.

When Jamal Lewis landed with the Cleveland Browns, both men relished their fierce head-to-head confrontations over the next three seasons, smacking helmets for 60 minutes and exchanging hugs when it was all over. 

Now they match up again Monday night at Cleveland Browns Stadium for what could be the last time.

Lewis vs. Lewis. The express train vs. the immovable object.

"When it comes to football, it don't get more classic than that," said Ray Lewis of the rivalry.

Jamal Lewis also seemed to appreciate the significance of their final meeting, which came through loud and clear in Mike Preston's column in today's Baltimore Sun.

"Being able to go out playing my old team on "Monday Night Football," that will be a great one," he told Preston. "Being that I will be playing these guys for the last time, being able to suit up against Ray for the last time, it's a good thing.

"It will be a memorable moment."

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 10:57 AM in Ravens | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Let's say you're a young NFL kicker. And in the past few weeks you've missed two critical field goal attempts: one that cost your team one game and one that took all the momentum out of a possible fourth-quarter comeback in another game.

You feel horrible about it. You know your teammates don't have a lot of confidence in you. And now you hear the team is trying out other kickers.

Is this going to be the confidence-builder you need to get back in the groove?

Uh, probably not.

Why not just hold a gun to the guy's head the next time he lines up for a game-winner?

But that's life for young Steve Hauschka, who stood in front of his locker yesterday and said all the right things to the media.

 He said he knows he has to earn back the organization's confidence. He said he completely understood the decision to try out other kickers.

But left unspoken was this: if he misses another pressure kick, he's gone. That's life in the NFL.

 Some teams would cut you the minute you miss a second big field goal. Miss three and you'll be cleaning out your locker the next day.

I wouldn't want to be Steve Hauschka the next time the Ravens call on him to win a game or finish off a critical drive.

But I'm rooting for him, big-time.

He's a classy guy. He doesn't whine. He knows he's on the hot seat. And he knows that's the life of an NFL kicker.

There's always -- at least figuratively -- a gun at your head.

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 7:34 AM in Ravens | Permalink | Comments (10)
        

OK, I think we can all admit this now.

The Bengals are a lot better than we thought. Even better than they looked last time around. There were only five bar patrons this weekend that predicted a Bengals win.

CB, Mike B., Steven and Rich all get a free drink chip for picking the right winner. And T.J. gets a free drink tab all week for his guess: 24-13 Bengals. It was the closest to the 17-7 outcome.

Here comes the tough part. I’m not really sure what to say here about Sunday’s loss. They simply looked like an overmatched team.

The Ravens have dropped to 4-4 and don’t have an easy road ahead. They have to play the Pittsburgh Steelers twice, as well as the Indianapolis Colts, Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears.

They do face a trifecta of bad teams – and must wins – against Cleveland, Detroit and Oakland.

So they need to win those, at least split with the Steelers and then win two of three against the Colts, Bears and Packers to get to 10-6.

It can be done. But the Bengals are in the driver’s seat and the Steelers are riding shotgun. So the Ravens have to excel in the second half to make it to the playoffs.

There’s definitely a lot of season left. But even the most optimistic Ravens fans have to be disappointed in the first half. The question is can they do enough to make the playoffs?

Or maybe the real question is what must they do on the field to make the playoffs?

Daily Think Special: What must the Ravens do to have a successful second half?

Posted by Dan Connolly at 5:07 PM in Connolly's Corner Sports Bar, Ravens, Today's Special | Permalink | Comments (59)
        

Was that wild or what, seeing John Harbaugh wind-milling his arms and screaming for the crowd to make noise in the fourth quarter of the Ravens' 30-7 win over the Broncos Sunday?

I write about it in today's column in the Baltimore Sun. He's a pretty intense guy and it was wonderful to see. But the fact is, that was uncharacteristic behavior for the Ravens coach, whose laser-like focus is usually riveted on the game and little else.

On the other hand, Harbaugh's predecessor, Brian Billick, was a wild man when it came to cheerleading at Ravens home games. He did it all the time. And, brother, you haven't lived until you've seen a 6-foot-5, 50-something guy with thinning hair, dark shades and a black Ravens trench coat punching the heavens with his fists and imploring the M&T Bank Stadium crowd to get fired up.

Think "The Matrix" meets "The Replacements" and you have some idea of what it looked like.

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 7:35 AM in Ravens | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

Now that Ravens fans are a bit on the disgruntled side, there has been a whole lot of remorse getting tossed around the bar.

Usually we save that kind of second-guessing for old flames at 1 a.m. But I’ll indulge you all today.

The Ravens broke up their long-term relationships with several players/personnel last offseason.

The list of those hitting the road included linebacker Bart Scott, kicker Matt Stover, defensive back Jim Leonhard and defensive coordinator Rex Ryan, among others.

Each name has been brought up in the last few days, with that “I never should have dumped him” tone.

You could argue the Ravens could use all of them back here. But which one do they miss the most? Is there someone else from the 2008 team that they need right now?

Sure, some left on their own accord, others the Ravens chose not to re-up. Point is, they aren’t here anymore.

It’s time to cry in your beer over spilled milk.

Daily Think Special: Which 2008 Raven does this year's team miss the most?

Posted by Dan Connolly at 10:44 PM in Connolly's Corner Sports Bar, Ravens, Today's Special | Permalink | Comments (48)
        

Let’s get the obvious out of the way first.

That was one heck of a game at the Metrodome Sunday. I know it didn’t end the way most of you wanted, but it couldn’t have been much more entertaining.

And Joe Flacco couldn’t have looked more like vintage Brett Favre if he had worn Wranglers and retired in the fourth quarter.

Still, the Ravens lost and have dropped three straight. What was a season of immense possibilities (3-0) is now one of confounding mediocrity (3-3).

Several of you picked the Vikings to win this one, but no one was real close to the 33-31 score. So I am giving the free bar tab this week to Space, who predicted a 24-23 Ravens’ loss. He wins because he knew this would be a nail-biter that would end poorly.

Steve Hauschka missed the game-winner, but he didn’t lose this game. The secondary did. It was a concern before the season started and it’s absolutely alarming now.

Sure, there are plenty of positives with this team. It has heart, and Joe Flacco, despite his inexperience and inconsistency, is often a pleasure to watch. That said, it may not matter if other teams can slice apart the Ravens’ pass defense.

That’s what I take from Sunday’s Ravens’ loss. Great game, but if the secondary doesn’t improve, the Ravens won’t get far in the postseason, if they make it at all.

Daily Think Special: What do you take away from Sunday’s Ravens loss?

Posted by Dan Connolly at 7:42 PM in Connolly's Corner Sports Bar, Ravens, Today's Special | Permalink | Comments (58)
        

You’ve made it to another Prediction Friday.

We are serving double shots of Purple Moose (or Purple Jesus in some parts) in honor of the Ravens-Vikings game in Minnesota. So line up.

I am no longer predicting blowouts. I have learned my lesson.

I think the Ravens win, because I don’t think they’ll lose three in a row heading into the bye week. Pretty scientific, huh? And some of you thought I was just a baseball guy.

I look at it like this: If the Vikings defensive front can keep up its impressive season, get past the young offensive line and pressure Joe Flacco, there could be some serious trouble for the Ravens. It Flacco can get some time, though, the Ravens should put up points, especially if they can add a balanced running attack as well.

Adrian Peterson is going to get his, as will old man Favre. But I still like the Ravens in this one, 27-24, on a late touchdown pass to Derrick Mason (remember him?)

I’ll give Flacco the hero of the game tiebreaker for three TDs, including a Favre-esque, game-winning drive.

Daily Think Special: Predict the score and hero of Sunday’s Ravens-Vikings match-up.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 8:00 PM in Connolly's Corner Sports Bar, Ravens, Today's Special | Permalink | Comments (25)
        

My guess is you are stunned.

I definitely was stunned by the Cincinnati Bengals’ last-minute upset of the Ravens Sunday. Part of that was because I wholly underestimated the Bengals, especially their defense.

I also didn’t see the Ravens’ defense folding during crunch time. OK, I’ll be honest. I didn’t even expect a crunch time on Sunday.

That folding, of course, had plenty to do with the Ravens committing penalties. You can blame the officiating all you want, but the bottom line is the Ravens have lost two straight, and