By Dave Gilmore, on March 20th, 2012  The NFL is benevolent socialism in a vacuum. Most people understand this, but few fans encourage their teams to act on it. Perhaps the fact that our country fought a 50-year Cold War against socialism that many fans still remember makes it hard to embrace this reality. It’s a shame really, because exploiting the cheapest labor possible at every position under the salary cap is exactly how you weather a system that knocks everybody down to the middle eventually.
As the first wave of free agency transactions have come and gone, the Ravens find themselves poached of some of their (previously) most efficient talent. Fans are upset, naturally, at the loss of integral pieces to the puzzle such as Jarret Johnson and Cory Redding. But the way the NFL is structured, losing players to the free market can often help a team more than it hurts.
I appreciate Johnson, Redding, Ben Grubbs, Tom Zbikowski, and the other players lost and leaving for their contributions. As newly signed free agents, they are all likely overpaid. Good for them, and good for the Ravens for not entering bidding wars to maintain the status quo.
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By Weston Bruner, on March 17th, 2012  Earlier this week, Cory Redding signed on with the Indianapolis Colts and he caught a lot of grief from Ravens fans for making the switch. The same fans who rooted for him through his years in Baltimore now found themselves railing against him for making the same kind of decision that brought him to the team in the first place. We as fans view our teams as an emotional investments, but for players they are a financial investment, trying to make as much money as they can in the 10-15 years that they have to earn income as professional athletes.
Now, I have heard all the excuses about players “deserving” whatever they receive from fans because they aren’t properly loyal, but frankly that argument doesn’t hold any water, no matter how much money these athletes make. READ MORE >>>
By Dave Gilmore, on January 30th, 2012  Time to wipe the board clean. The wounds of the 2011 Ravens may still be fresh, but the seconds are already ticking away until the 2012 Ravens break training camp. While the number of free agent decisions the team needs to make might be minimal in quantity, the re-signing or lack thereof by some key pieces may affect the puzzle greatly. Matt Lund and I broke down every potential new deal and decision not to renew.
If you need to brush up on unrestricted vs. restricted free agency, please feel free to do so and then leave your calls in the comments. (Player ages are in parentheses.)
Skill Positions
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RB Ray Rice (25)
D: If a long-term deal is inevitable for Rice, I’d be happy if the Ravens took care of it now rather than franchising him and waiting a year. I don’t love long-term deals for backs as it obviously exposes the team to much more risk than most positions. Whatever you gotta do, Keep.
M: Absolute no-brainer. It would be in the Ravens best interest to sign Rice to a long-term deal to avoid the hassle of franchising him and also having both he and Joe Flacco as impending free agents in 2013. The guy is your workhorse, and led the NFL in yards from scrimmage this season. He’s worth every penny. Keep.
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By Zach Wilt, on May 13th, 2011 Despite the lockout, the Ravens players have organized workouts at Towson University, led by quarterback Joe Flacco and wice receiver Derrick Mason.
Aaron Wilson of the Carroll County Times writes about Flacco and Mason’s efforts at TU.
Flacco has already reached out to rookie wide receivers Torrey Smith and Tandon Doss to participate in the informal sessions, which are set for May 24, May 25 and May 26.
Middle linebacker Ray Lewis, outside linebacker Jarret Johnson and Mason have been combining to get the players together.
Flacco has already conducted throwing sessions with wide receivers in Arizona. Being a Towson alum, I’m wondering if any students have seen the Ravens working out at campus facilities.
By Weston Bruner, on February 17th, 2011 The Ravens linebackers have always been “Ray Lewis & Friends” and that isn’t just because of Lewis’ commercials or NFL pregame hype. Lewis improves the players around him, and most seasons had followed the same script: Ray Lewis attracts the attention of the offense and otherwise mediocre linebackers are able to make advantageous plays around him. 2010 was different for a couple of reasons: Lewis’ diminishing range leading to slightly less attention from opposing blockers, and Terrell Suggs’ (re-)emergence as one of the premier pass-rushing linebackers in the NFL. Even so, Baltimore has a long way to go before they can put together a group close to what would be needed to replace Lewis’ leadership, energy, and intelligence. First and foremost, a truly complementary linebacker will have to be found either among the clustered group currently vying for the spot alongside Lewis or from outside the organization. READ MORE >>>
By Matt Sadler, on February 9th, 2010 It can be argued that the Ravens linebackers are the strongest part of the team. This isn’t a new phenomenon. They have been solid for years. What this year brought was another opportunity for a new guy to step and take the place of a solid starter. Pro Bowler Bart Scott had defected to the Jets and it was up to a few young, unproven guys to seize the moment. READ MORE >>>
By Steve Giles, on September 16th, 2009 This is the first inscription in a series of articles called the Purple and Black Awards. The awards will be given out to the Ravens’ players and coaches and will contain certain moments that changed the course of the game, for better or for worse. The awards will vary from week-to-week but they will all be sure to capture the essence of the game in one way or another.
Week 1 Award Winners
The POG (aka the Player of the Game, for the acronymically challenged)
This award goes to none other than Joe “Cool” Flacco. Not only did Flacco go 26-for-43 for 307 yards and three touchdowns, but he also came up big when the game was on the line. He connected with Mark Clayton on a 31-yard strike to seal the deal and finally put the Chiefs were they should’ve been the whole game, on the wrong end of a Ravens beat down. It may seem strange that Flacco threw the ball 43 times considering the Ravens’ usual run-first philosophy, but it didn’t seem to bother him one bit. What it did do was prove to John Harbaugh and Cam Cameron that he doesn’t mind putting the team on his back and making the big plays when it matter most, which is a very good sign for Ravens fans. He did make one mistake on the interception by Derrick Johnson, but he bounced back nicely to get the Ravens off to a fast 1-0 start.
The “Oh, S***” Moment(s)
Yes, there are two and I’m sure we all know what they are. First up is the blocked punt that resulted in a Chiefs touchdown. This simply cannot happen, especially that deep in your own territory. The Ravens are usually solid when it comes to special teams and should be even better with Coach Harbaugh, who is supposed to be a guru when it comes to that part of the game. I know it’s just one play, but it gave life to a Chiefs team that was struggling to find any rhythm at all up to that point. The other moment that made us squirm in our seats was when Johnson turned a Flacco mistake into a 1st-and-goal from the 6-yard line, which ended with a Croyle to Bowe touchdown pass. Granted, it is the first game of the season and you expect teams to make some mistakes. The Ravens, however, made two costly mistakes that resulted in touchdowns and are lucky they were playing the Chiefs or else they would be 0-1 going into San Diego next week.
The “Man, I’m Glad That Happened” Moment
Flacco to Clayton, 31 yards, game over. Well, not quite but that score put the Ravens up 31-24 with just over two minutes to go, and we all know the defense would keep the Chiefs from inching any closer to a victory. A perfect throw from Flacco off his back foot made Raven’s fans rest a little easier after the Chiefs just wouldn’t seem to go away. Then Willis McGahee really sealed the deal with a 1-yard touchdown run with just 31 seconds to go after Jarret Johnson forced Croyle to fumble on the Chiefs’ last chance drive.
“Let’s Work on that for Next Week…”
Mental errors. If the Ravens keep the Chargers in the game with costly mistakes like they did with the Chiefs, the result may be a bit different than it was last week. The special teams unit needs to be more aware of rushers coming through on punts and the kickoff coverage needs to be almost perfect considering the Chargers have the small but speedy Darren Sproles to try and stop. He’s liable to break one for a touchdown at any moment, and I’m sure the Ravens are aware of that. Also, Flacco needs to be careful with the ball and not make ill-advised throws. The Chargers secondary was ranked almost last in the league in 2008 mostly because they had no pass rush. Well, Shawne Merriman is back and healthy so you better believe they will put Flacco under some pressure and force him to make quick decisions with the football.
I hope everyone liked this week’s winners. And for those of you who didn’t, you’ll just have to wait until next week to see if I do any better!
Submitted by Steve Giles
By Zach Wilt, on September 14th, 2009
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