Twenty-nine other players, via searches using the play finder at pro football reference, have been a first team all-pro on defense since the merger, and then missed ten or more of their team’s games the following season. A handful retired, and of course there was Jerome Brown’s tragic car accident, while the rest suffered injuries.
Lisk concluded that based on the information in this group, the average points allowed per game rose from 17.3 to 20.8 and the average wins per season dropped from 9.8 to 7.9. READ MORE >>>
I used to dog on Rex Ryan for scooping up the Ravens scraps and attempting to build a quality team around them. I guess Bart Scott really taught him a lesson.
This offseason it seems as though the San Diego (Super) Chargers have followed Ryan’s plan. They’ve signed three ex-Ravens just days into free agency.
Those three former Ravens will join former Baltimore linebacker Antwan Barnes. Sarah Ellison of BaltimoreRavens.com points out that Barnes was drafted by the Ravens in the fourth round of the 2007 NFL draft.
The Ravens dealt Barnes to Philadelphia in 2010 after he was stuck on John Harbaugh’s doghouse (that part wasn’t on BR.com). He later signed with the Chargers after being released by the Eagles.
As Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com points out, the (Super) Chargers visit the Steelers at Heinz Field this season. I’m sure JJ’s comments will be revisited upon his arrival to the yellow towel waving capital of the world.
This is how I will always remember JJ.
Best of luck in San Diego. Never forget, the Steelers are a horrible, horrible organization.
Johnson spent all nine of his professional seasons with the Ravens and was often the unsung hero of some strong defenses. The Ravens selected him in the fourth round of the 2003 draft from Alabama.
As Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun points out, Johnson spent more time on the sidelines in 2011 during pass situations as the Ravens used Paul Kruger on the rush.
He was a valuable run stopper in the Ravens defense and was well respected in the locker room. Johnson signed a four year deal with the Chargers and the Ravens will likely look to replace him through the draft.
His current replacements are Kruger and Sergio Kindle (who I have no faith in at this point).
Hearing about the New Orleans Saints bounty pool scandal has me cracking up. It wasn’t that long ago that Terrell Suggs spoke openly to an Atlanta radio station about a “bounty” that the Ravens had on Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward and running back Rashard Mendenhall.
After Suggs received a letter from the NFL that threatened “significant disciplinary action” if he had any further comments or involvement in a bounty.
Suggs later backed away from those earlier comments. ”There wasn’t any bounty,” he said. He [Ward] broke some guy’s jaw last week, and he tried to cheap-shot JJ [Jarret Johnson]. He has also cheap-shotted Ed Reed. We’re just going to be on alert the next time we play him.”
I don’t know how serious the Saints scandal is, but I would think that hearing a player use the word “bounty” would be worse than anything that’s be uncovered in New Orleans.
The Baltimore Ravens returned to the friendly confines of M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday afternoon, fresh off a much-needed bye week, taking on a hungry and determined Houston Texans squad primed to make it to their first ever AFC Championship Game.
The Ravens held off a Texans rushing attack, led by RB Arian Foster who carried the ball 27 times for 132 yards and a touchdown. The name of the game however was turnovers and the Ravens had four takeaways total – two in the final eight minutes of regulation- to secure the 20-13 victory over Houston in front of a loud crowd of 71,547 at “The Bank” (the largest crowd in Ravens history) and advancing to their second trip to the AFC Championship game in four years under head coach John Harbaugh.
Winning the turnover battle and time of possession were keys to victory in the game, but important because the first two turnovers, all in the 1st quarter, led to both of the Ravens touchdowns on the day. Using the bye week to prepare, the Ravens appeared focused, not committing a single penalty in the game – a first in Baltimore Ravens history – and not turning the ball over once themselves.
The Ravens will travel to Foxboro to take on the New England Patriots for the AFC Championship on Sunday, January 22nd at 3:00 pm. The last time the Ravens traveled to Gillette Stadium, they trounced the Patriots 33-14 in the 2009 AFC Wildcard Playoffs. READ MORE >>>
The Baltimore Ravens wrapped up their 16th regular season NFL campaign yesterday. On paper and on the turf, this season was a complete success. Perhaps it’s an indication that we’re a little spoiled, given that such a campaign might not even be in the top three seasons in the team’s brief history.
This felt like an amazing season, but of course it’s easy to say that when it’s fresh in our hearts and minds. Still, I think it stacks up nicely among the best ever played by the franchise. READ MORE >>>
Sure you heard all about the Harbowl, John Harbaugh’s Thanksgiving matchup between his Ravens and his brother Jim’s 49ers, but have you heard of the Pagano Bowl? Probably not.
This week in San Diego, Ravens defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano will face off against his brother John, the Chargers linebackers coach, for the ninth time in NFL history. Unfortunately for the Ravens, Chuck has only won two of the previous eight meetings with his younger brother.
“We’ve got to improve that record,” Jarrett Johnson said according to CBSSports.com. Indeed they do.
The Baltimore Ravens have had their share of head-scratching defeats on the road this season, but leading up to the match-up in Cleveland, all week the theme was not letting those prior losses creep into the collective psyche of the team. The thought of another trap game weighed heavily on the minds of fans as well, but the Ravens were determined to distance themselves from those ugly losses and prove their worth as one of the top teams in the AFC.
On a rainy and cold afternoon in Cleveland, the Ravens needed to take care of business against a team they had defeated six straight times, including three straight on the road. They did exactly that with a tough, ground and pound style that Cleveland had absolutely no answer for. The 24-10 victory for Baltimore is their third straight victory and also their third road victory of the season, critical wins to have at this point of the season.
Grading the Ravens 24-10 victory over Cleveland READ MORE >>>
It’s nice that the Ravens biggest obstacle is beating bad teams. That sets up perfectly for the postseason.
Baltimore travels to Cleveland for what some are calling a trap game for the red hot Ravens. After beating the 49ers on Thanksgiving, some think that Baltimore will be looking past the Browns and could be due for an upset against their AFC North foe. I’m not buying it.
There’s too much at stake for the Ravens as they maintain a tight lead over the Pittsburgh Steelers and even the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC North. The Ravens know how important it is to stay on top as the Pittsburgh Steelers continue to be a threat.
The Ravens are well aware of the Browns strengths and won’t underestimate them like they did the Jaguars and Seahawks earlier this season. ”The thing that stood out was their defense, big physical guys running around,” linebacker Jarrett Johnson said this week. “They run the ball downhill offensively.”
Historically the Ravens have played well against Cleveland. As Aaron Wilson points out, Joe Flacco is a perfect 6-0 against them with eight touchdowns and three interceptions. READ MORE >>>
I think of the future quite a bit. Especially when it comes to sports. If you play Madden long enough or daydream far enough, you see the Baltimore Ravens existing without Ray Lewis.
It’s odd to watch the Ravens play without number 52. It’s not glaring if you miss the pre-game introductions, and sometimes you don’t notice it immediately. In late 2005, you could flip on a game and conveniently forget Ray was out for the season for a couple plays. Then something feels off. The rhythm of the defense changes. The run-stopping happens deeper and deeper in the secondary. The intensity drops a few degrees. Tight ends get a little more brazen coming across the middle and quarterbacks start to relax their eyes downfield. For the first time in 57 games, it’s doubtful we’ll see Lewis on the field for Baltimore’s pivotal division game against Cincinnati. It’s going to happen eventually. Let’s use Sunday to mentally prepare, and think about who could possibly dream of stepping into Ray’s shoes one day. READ MORE >>>
During last night’s Ravens/Jets game, Mark Sanchez took a beating all night from the Ravens defense. Here’s video from the 2nd quarter shot that Haloti Ngata put on Sanchez that forced a fumble and a touchdown for the Ravens.
I’ll give Hines Ward credit. Usually he’s the guy with the nasty blocks in the YouTube videos. Not today.
Jarrett Johnson put a nasty block on the Steelers wide receiver in Baltimore’s 35-7 win over Pittsburgh. It was a hit that threw Ward’s feet out from under him and into the air. There’s a Dancing with the Stars joke there, I’ll let you make it.
The Baltimore Ravens have a strong linebacker corps, but perhaps the biggest surprise in the 2009 season was Jarret Johnson. Johnson was a fourth-round pick in the 2003 draft out of Alabama, who continues to add versatility to his improving game. Despite being limited by shoulder problems in 2009, Johnson did not miss a game, and was a force in both defending the run and rushing the passer. He ended 2009 with 50 tackles, including six sacks. However, he also had two interceptions, one forced fumble and four passes defensed.
2010 Outlook: The hope is that Johnson will be fully recovered from off-season labrum surgery and further excel in his role as a do-it-all linebacker. At 6’3″ and 270 lbs, Johnson’s size is ideal in aiding a stout run defense and what he lacks in speed he more than makes up for with toughness and smarts. While Johnson’s roles is not likely to change in 2010, it will be interesting to see how the Ravens coaching staff mixes in other young linebackers like Dannell Ellerbe, Tavares Gooden and Sergio Kindle. It is possible that Kindle or Ellerbe could take some of Johnson’s snaps on 3rd down.
With a tough stretch of games glaring at the Ravens over the next couple weeks, Sunday’s game against the Broncos was virtually a must-win. And if the first snap of the game was any indication of how the game was going to play out, the Ravens had to like their chances of handing the Broncos their first loss. Jarrett Johnson blasted through the line untouched and absolutely leveled Kyle Orton, reminding fans of the similar hit Bart Scott put on Big Ben a couple seasons ago. That hit started a day of the most dominant and inspired defense the Ravens have played all season. They held Orton and the Broncos to just 200 yards of total offense, but most importantly kept standout wide receiver Brandon Marshall from hurting them down the field. The Ravens came out hungry and ready to play, and as a result, improved their record to 4-3 heading into Cincinnati next week.
The POG
The entire team dominated every facet of the game from start to finish, so there’s no possible way I could just pick one player for this award. The offensive balance was remarkable and the defensive pressure was suffocating, but the stats tell the real story. The Ravens offense was an eye-popping 11-for-18 on third downs against the league’s top-ranked defense, and they didn’t turn the ball over despite the Broncos owning a plus-7 turnover differential. In their previous six games, the Broncos had outscored their opponents 76-10 in the second half. The Ravens changed that fortune rather quickly by taking the second half kickoff to the house and continued the 24-7 outscoring onslaught to end the game. The defense only allowed the Broncos to cross into their territory three times the entire game and they only stepped foot in the red zone once.
The “Oh, S***” Moment
To be continued next week…
The “Way to Step up, Young Man” Award
Lardarius Webb may have made one of the biggest plays of the season, but it wasn’t without a little motivation from a seasoned veteran. Ray Lewis pulled Webb aside in the locker room at halftime and told him that he was going to run back the second-half kickoff for a touchdown. It was an unlikely prediction at the time considering the Broncos had only given up 10 points in the second half all season. But Mr. Motivator did what he does best and Webb responded with a 95-yard run back, the first touchdown of his career. Not only did Webb’s touchdown put the Ravens up 13-0, but it ended the second half invincibility that the Broncos seemingly had up to that point. You picked a good time to step up, Mr. Webb.
By now you know and have had hours to cope with the fact that Terrell Suggs will miss at least a good chunk of the 2012 season with an Achilles tear.
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