By Zach Wilt, on January 4th, 2012  Throughout the years, the Ravens have been forced to make transactions and lose fan favorite players, but they have excelled at replacing them. A strong defensive core has always been at the heart of the Baltimore organization and no matter where the guys in the Ravens system seem to go, they are never as success on other teams as they were donning purple.
Look at Adalius Thomas’ career in New England, Jamie Sharper’s career in Houston or Duane Starks career in Arizona. All of those guys were on Baltimore’s defense in 2000, one that is looked at as the best in the franchise and among the top in NFL history.
Over recent years, Baltimore has lost a few key players from their roster to the New York Jets. After the Ravens second ranked defense took them to the AFC Championship in 2008, they lost their defensive coordinator Rex Ryan as he accepted the Jets head coaching vacancy to replace the recently fired Eric Mangini. Ryan took with him a talented and beloved Baltimore linebacker Bart Scott and a safety that helped keep together Baltimore’s shaky secondary, Jim Leonhard.
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By BSR Staff, on September 30th, 2011  Guest Post by Patrick Guthrie
Considering Maryland took a week off last week, I think I’ll take a week off from writing about them. See if they can slay the giant that is Towson and then I’ll try and piece the Maryland bandwagon back together.
First and foremost I’m a New York Jets fan, and they’ll be playing about two blocks from my house on Sunday. So let’s get to breaking down a game between two of the top contenders in the AFC behind the standard of excellence, the Buffalo Bills.
Why the Ravens should win this game:
In their two wins, the Ravens have been dominant, outscoring Pittsburgh and St. Louis by a combined 72-14. Obviously, the Steelers win is going to continue to look better as Pittsburgh continues to round into form, while the Rams win could depreciate for the opposite reason.
They’ve looked like a better team in the first three weeks than the Jets. Even their lone loss doesn’t look as bad, with the Titans playing like a legitimate contender until Kenny Britt’s leg exploded last week. If I had to break it down position by position, the only spots that I could definitively give to the Jets would be defensive backs, and offensive line if Nick Mangold is healthy this week.
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By Dave Gilmore, on September 2nd, 2011  When fans and analyst refer to the NFL’s “parity,” they are usually talking about a balance of competition among the league’s 32 teams. One of the things I appreciate about the NFL so much is actually its parity in the most basic sense. 32 divided by two, divided by four, divided by four – a perfect equation for a mathematically balanced grouping of teams. With this harmonious balance, you begin to see patterns develop. The divisions, while different in the details, fall into similar dynamics. Each one is kind of a bizarro version of the next, like on “Seinfeld” when Elaine found the other group of guys to hang out with. So, who are the Ravens’ “Feldman” in the other divisions? READ MORE >>>
By Zach Wilt, on January 18th, 2010 Unfortunately the Ravens season has come to an end. Here are my thoughts on Baltimore’s 20-3 loss to Indianapolis in the divisional round of the AFC playoffs.
- Don’t ask what went wrong in Indy – Instead ask what went right in New England. At the end of the day Baltimore performed like an average team against a far better team. Their weaknesses were exposed and they were defeated head on. With that said, fans shouldn’t wonder why the Ravens played so poorly against the Colts. Instead they should be impressed with the punishment they put on the Patriots the previous week.
- Good game plan, bad game plan - Indianapolis knew that Baltimore was going to stop the big play, so they beat Baltimore in the middle of the field. Domonique Foxworth looked like the Domonique Foxworth from earlier in the season. He got torched left and right. Worst of all their offensive game plan (run, run, run) was nothing short of poor.
- I was wrong about Bart, Jim, and Rex – I guess this bullet point has more to do with the Jets 17-14 defeat over San Diego than Baltimore’s loss on Saturday, but I’ll run with it. Maybe the Ravens should have given Bart Scott Ray Lewis‘ deal, given Jim Leonhard some of Domonique Foxworth’s money, or maybe even given Rex Ryan the head coaching job. Maybe the last one is a stretch. But I think Baltimore misses these three guys more than we imagined.
- This team will look fundamentally different in 2010 – Ed Reed announced he’s 50-50 on returning next season, Derrick Mason is 60-40, and Baltimore has a whole slew of free agents including every wide receiver, Le’Ron McClain, and vital parts of the defense.
- It hurts seeing Stover in blue and white - Matt drained a 44 yarder and was 2 for 2. It hurts watching Stover win with Indy.
By Zach Wilt, on March 5th, 2009 The Ravens have had quite an eventful off season this year. But should we be worried about their future? In my mind there are a lot of question marks the Ravens face going into 2009. In Ozzie we trust though, right.
Here’s a brief summary of what has gone on:
Looking to the list above I can tell you two losses that I’m not worried about. Both of them went to the Jets. Bart Scott was way over paid in New York and Jim Leonhard was a good fill in for Dawan Landry, but is nothing more than that. Don’t worry about these two Baltimore. Players like this come and go in this town, they get their big deals (and good for them) but you won’t hear their names again.
They are the Jamie Sharpers, the Duane Starks, the Ed Hartwells, and Adalius Thomases. Highly paid, but they’re system guys. You take them out of the Ravens’ system and you’ll see the kind of puzzle piece players that that they really are.
What I am worried about is Domonique Foxworth, a cornerback that Atlanta and Denver seemed to give up on and a guy the Ravens lovingly tossed 27 million dollars to. How is this guy going to do matched up one-on-one with Hines Ward twice a year? Because he certainly doesn’t seem to be the second coming of C-Mac.
The Ravens have also run Samari Rolle out of town. “Honestly, I don’t want to play in Baltimore anymore because I feel I’m not wanted,” Rolle said. The 32 year old cornerback has caught a lot of heat from some fans because he’s been burned a few times. I’ve always challenged that by wondering whether Ed Reed left him high and dry trying to make the play of the week. Though you’d never hear him say that. Last year he thought Fabian Washington came to replace him, now its Foxworth.
And what about Matt Birk? The Ravens obviously couldn’t afford to give a center $37.5 million dollars. But they were able to give a 32 year old 12 million over 3 years. I’m not saying that signing a 6 time Pro Bowler is a bad idea, but I’m just a little skeptical.
Finally, Mr. Baltimore, Ray Lewis, is back. Unfortunately for him, no star on his helmet. The length and terms of the deal have not been released yet, but Ozzie told the press that Ray can “retire as a Raven.” We’ve heard all kinds of rumors about the deal. Despite his history here, I just hope the Ravens didn’t break the bank on a 34 year old tattered linebacker.
So what do you think? Are you still following Ozzie blindly, or are you starting to feel a little uncomfortable like me?
By Zach Wilt, on March 4th, 2009
By Zach Wilt, on February 26th, 2009 Free agency is just hours away! Yahoo! posted a list of the Top 100 Free Agents of 2009. Which Ravens made the list?
Check out the full list here.
By Zach Wilt, on February 24th, 2009 The Baltimore Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome had some interesting comments on an NFL.com blog about free agent Safety Jim Leonhard.
“He has to look at if he comes back, he’s competing for a starting job. If he goes to one of these 31 other teams, then he will probably go in and be a starter and everyone wants to play,” Newsome said.
“I understand Jimmy probably wants to go somewhere else.”
By Zach Wilt, on January 23rd, 2009 The Ravens have a number of free agents in the 2009 season and with the salary cap they aren’t going to be able to keep all of them. What do they do?
Offense
Kyle Boller [QB] – The Kyle Boller era in Baltimore has long since passed in Baltimore. Time to cut our losses.
Daniel Wilcox [TE] – The tightend position is interested because with Todd Heap’s season who knows what to expect for anyone else. If the price is right keeping Wilcox around, if not not a big deal.
Jason Brown [C] – This fourth year center is no doubt a leader on the offensive line. if its affordable for the Ravens they need to bring him back, but there are a lot of rumors that Brown is going to get big offers from other teams.
Lorenzo Neal [FB] – Despite only playing a few snaps early in the season, Lorenzo Neal, a 16 year seasoned veteran full back, proved to be quite a difference maker for Le’Ron McClain and Willis McGahee. Neal is old, 38, but he was quite a blocker and if the price is right I say bring him back.
Defense
Dwan Edwards [DT] – Edwards filled in when Kelly Gregg went down so he probably will not be needed when buddy lee returns. Cut him.
Terrell Suggs [OLB] – The best pass rusher the Ravens have and a very young talent at just 26. The Ravens franchised Suggs last year which resulted in him showing up for camp late, they might have no choice again this year, but Suggs has to be a Raven again next season.
Ray Lewis [MLB] – When you think Baltimore Ravens you think Ray Lewis. No matter his age, Ray he seems to get himself in better shape and motivates everyone around him. Bring him back.
Bart Scott [MLB] – Unfortunately the Ravens are in quite a situation with their three big-namelinebackers. All three are free agents and all three are going to want big contracts. Scott fits well in this defense but I’m not sure his role will be nearly as big some where else. Cut him.
Jameel McClain [LB] – The salary cap is probably going to play a role in brining McClain back. Obviously the Ravens are going to be hurting at linebacker and McClain did an adequete job, if they loss him though not a big loss.
Corey Ivy [CB] -Ivy has come along as a cornerback later in the year, but his coverage has always lacked. He seems to have most success as a nickelback, but can easily be replaced. Cut him.
Jim Leonhard [SS] -Leonhard was a fan favorite of this tattered defense. He was brought in for very little money but proved to be a great safety and probably the Ravens best return man. Bring him back.
Special Teams
Matt Stover [K] – The last original Raven, Stover has been in Baltimore since the beginning. He’s a veteran kicking, but the Ravens might be thinking he’s done since they brought in Steve Hauschka. You have to be loyal to Stover though. Keep him.
Sam Koch [P] -While punters are always over looked, Koch’s talents can not be replaced. He pins offenses deep in their territory. Bring him back.
By Zach Wilt, on January 21st, 2009 We’ve given you two days to mourn the AFC Championship loss, now it is time to recap the Ravens 2008 season. We want to hear from you Baltimore! Who is the Ravens biggest surprise player from 2008?
[poll=6]
If you voted other leave us a comment of who specifically you mean.
By Zach Wilt, on January 12th, 2009 Let’s start this post with a little list:
- Terrell Suggs (shoulder sprain)
- Samari Rolle (groin)
- Jim Leonhard (head concussion)
- Fabian Washington (shoulder stinger)
17 straight weeks of football is starting to show and even in the interviews after the game you could tell that the Ravens are exhausted from a long season. While they do have a “bye-day” this week, meaning that they have 8 days before the AFC Championship game in Pittsburgh, they still travel to face their well rested divisional rival Steelers who steam rolled over the Chargers last night.
Let’s hope that this game is more about momentum and less about who is more well rested.
By Zach Wilt, on January 11th, 2009 If you’re a Ravens fan who sat on the edge of your seat during their victory over the Titans yesterday evening you have to like the little things that the Ravens did to defeat the top seeded Titans.
The Ravens discipline through rookie Head Coach John Harbaugh has shined through all year long. It really showed up against the Titans yesterday. With only 8 penalties for 40 yards the Ravens out matched the Titans with their 12 penalties for 89 yards. It should be noted that the Ravens had zero personal foul penalties while Tennessee recorded a couple.
John Harbaugh’s challenge of the completed pass to Bo Scaife backed up a Titans field goal chance from Baltimore’s 28 yard line to their 33. While it was simply 5 yards, this made the difference as Rob Bironas missed the 51 yard field goal early in the 3rd quarter. Smart challenge coach.
The controversial delay of game that was not called against the Ravens allowed for a deep pass from Joe Flacco to Todd Heap that would set up Matt Stover’s 43 yard game winning field goal. The call was very close, but went in the Ravens favor.
Finally, the Ravens really won this game because they won (yet again) the turnover battle. Jarrett Johnson forced a fumble on Lendale White on the Ravens 22 yard line which was recovered by Jim Leonhard. Then in the 4th quarter Alge Crumpler fumbled on the Ravens 13 yard line and turned the ball over again. The Titans fumbled 5 times and lost 2 of them. Kerry Collins also threw an inteception to Samari Rolle.
If the Ravens continue to do the little things right a trip to Tampa is in the works.
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Throughout the years, the Ravens have been forced to make transactions and lose fan favorite players, but they have excelled at replacing them. A strong defensive core has always been at the heart of the Baltimore organization and no matter where the guys in the Ravens system seem to go, they are never as success on other teams as they were donning purple.
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