By Zach Wilt, on February 2nd, 2012  The Ravens were one play away from playing this Sunday in Indianapolis. All Lee Evans has to do is fall down with the ball and it’s a Super Bowl 35 not a Super Bowl 42 rematch.
But Evans dropped the ball and Billy Cundiff missed a 32-yard field goal that killed the Ravens chances of sending the AFC Championship to overtime. It still stings just typing it.
Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti met with the media for his annual State of the Ravens press conference and even he acknowledged the painful loss. ”I’m not over it,” he said. ”Hold onto a ball. I mean that’s where it was this year.”
After reading the quotes and watching the press conference I’ve come to the conclusion that Bisciotti and the Ravens front office really believe that this is a championship caliber team. Bisciotti is content with this coaching staff and the talent on the field. He believes in Cam Cameron and thinks Joe Flacco will win multiple rings.
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By Zach Wilt, on January 27th, 2012  Sergio Kindle might be the exception to the saying “In Ozzie We Trust.”
The second year linebacker was the Ravens first pick in the 2009 draft, but he didn’t see the field until 2011 after he missed an entire season recovering from a fractured skull that he suffered falling down two flights of stairs.
The Ravens kept Kindle on their roster and worked with him this season. John Harbaugh answered few questions about Kindle in his Monday press conferences as he was inactive 14 weeks of the regular season.
Ryan Mink of BaltimoreRavens.com gave an update on Kindle for the fans that wondered what happened this season.
In short, the Ravens report that Kindle struggled learning the playbook and he worked closely with outside linebackers coach Ted Monachino to learn the team’s scheme.
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By BSR Staff, on January 26th, 2012  What do Heidi Klum and the Ravens have in common? What a crappy week. The Ravens gets bounced from the AFC Championship, then lose Chuck Pagano, the Orioles miss on Prince Fielder and Maryland loses to Duke.
If you need something to brighten your day, the BSR Podcast is the best we can do.
It’s not necessarily a positive spin on all the terrible news, but it should have you laughing and ignoring a terrible week in Baltimore.
You can get in touch with the BSR Podcast by sending your emails to podcast@baltimoresportsreport.com or leaving a voicemail at 443-379-4BSR (4377).
Here are some of topics discussed in this week’s show:
Breaking Down The AFC Championship
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By Zach Wilt, on January 26th, 2012  This awkward handshake says it all... Chuck Pagano may have been the only Ravens coach that I was impressed with this season. Pagano returned the Ravens defense to their roots by getting back to an aggressive style and did a fantastic job masking a weak secondary.
The special teams and offensive coordinators as well as head coach John Harbaugh could all be questioned this season, but not Pagano and his third ranked defense.
Mike Preston of The Baltimore Sun reports that Pagano’s relationship with Harbaugh was “slightly strained.” A source told Preston that that Pagano got into “a heated argument with Harbaugh in the closing minutes of the playoff game against Houston when the Ravens offense failed to run out the clock.”
The source said it would have been interesting to see how the two would have worked things out if Pagano returned to Baltimore. ”Their exchange was very heated.”
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By Zach Wilt, on January 25th, 2012  Bill Belichick is a cheater. Plain and simple. Whatever you think of the genius head coach of the New England Patriots or how much video taping run through practices had to do with his three championships doesn’t matter. He broke the rules, he’s a cheater.
For the record, I think Bill Belichick is only as smart as Tom Brady is good. I’m not a numbers expert like Ross Gore but here’s an advanced stat for you: Bill Belichick – Tom Brady = slightly above average coach.
When I read about the “scoreboard malfunction” during the Ravens final drive that resulted in Billy Cundiff’s sideline distraction and eventually a shanked game tying 32 yard field goal, I immediately thought that The Hoodie was at work. In that conniving monotone voice of his, Belichick told his minions upstairs to keep the incorrect down on the scoreboard and watched chaos ensue on the Ravens sideline.
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By Matt Lund, on January 22nd, 2012  In a match-up of two teams with very contrasting styles of play, the AFC’s #2 seeded Baltimore Ravens traveled north to take on the #1 seed New England Patriots for the AFC Championship.
The Ravens played the role of spoiler before, handing the Patriots a 33-14 loss at Gillette Stadium in the 2009 wild card playoffs, but that particular match-up was different than this one.
The Patriots didn’t have a young duo of TE’s in Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez. They also didn’t have Wes Welker, who was injured during the Patriots playoff run that year.
Still that did not faze the Ravens as they confused and frustrated Patriots QB Tom Brady in the game, much like they did in 2009. The Ravens defense picked off Brady twice and sacked him once.
The Ravens had an offensive and defensive game plan that on most afternoons contributes to a Ravens victory. Despite that however, it came down to the right foot of kicker Billy Cundiff to tie the game and send it to overtime when Cundiff missed a 32-yard field goal wide left giving the Patriots the 23-20 victory and an AFC Championship in front of the home crowd. READ MORE >>>
By Dave Gilmore, on January 20th, 2012  Everyone heard about Joe Flacco and Ed Reed “fight” that took place after practice yesterday. Sadly, it seems nobody else but us was willing to provide a detailed visual depiction of the altercation. We debated making a Taiwanese news-style CGI reenactment, but unfortunately we lack that technology. So, here’s a comic book I made. I hope this puts the issue to rest. Click through to see the action unfold! READ MORE >>>
By Zach Wilt, on January 19th, 2012  By now you’ve already heard Ed Reed’s comments about Joe Flacco and the Ravens offense against the Texans. He wasn’t impressed with the Ravens QB or the guys up front that allowed Flacco to get tossed to the turf five times.
Obviously, Reed’s comments were the topic of conversation at the Ravens facility on Wednesday. Ray Lewis, John Harbaugh and Joe Flacco all weighed in and had similar thoughts on the topic as they collectively downplayed their severity.
“I talked to Ed about it,” Flacco said according to Aaron Wilson of the Carroll Country Times. ”It’s not really that big a deal. I don’t take things that bad. It’s Ed.”
“It’s not an issue,” Lewis said. ”I understand where Ed’s heart is at,” Harbaugh added.
A locker room issue is the last thing that the Ravens need heading to New England for the AFC Championship, so they took a nice politically correct approach and did a great job of ending the story right there.
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By Zach Wilt, on January 17th, 2012  You know it would be cool if John Harbaugh faced Jim Harbaugh in the Super Bowl.
Be honest. You’d love it.
In a league that loves a good story, having the two head coach brothers square off again after their Thanksgiving matchup earlier this season would be a fantastic story.
Vegas thinks it’s a tough combination though as the Ravens are 7.5 point under dogs this week in the AFC Championship.
San Francisco finds themselves at 2.5 point favorites at home against the Giants.
Chances of the Ravens defeating the 49ers in Super Bowl 46? 8% according to Vegas.
By Matt Lund, on January 16th, 2012 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 >>>
By Ross Gore, on January 5th, 2012  Week 17 WPA Graph The annotated WPA Graph for Week 17 is shown above. The graph is taken from NFL Advanced Stats, while the annotations are ours. If you are new to WPA graphs please see our WPA Reader’s Guide. The game was bookended by Ray Rice run’s that made the Ravens heavy favorites in the first quarter and effectively sealed the game in the 4th quarter. Rice will receive the majority of the credit for this win and most of it is well deserved. However, he should share it with the offensive line. On both Rice’s 70 and 51 yard runs Marshal Yanda made a phenomenal blocks on Bengals LB Ray Maualuga. Effectively, the Ravens offensive line was the difference in the game. They were outstanding and decisive in a slugfest up front.
More from the game after the jump.
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By Zach Wilt, on January 3rd, 2012  First and foremost, congratulations to the mighty men of the Baltimore Ravens for not only winning the AFC North in 2011, but sweeping it with a perfect 6-0 record. That’s no easy task. The AFC North must be considered the NFL’s best division because it is the only one with three teams still playing as the postseason begins this weekend.
Throughout this long season I have been critical of the Ravens both on and off the field. I have made it no secret that I believe the team on the field is capable of winning of Super Bowl and that off the field they no longer care about building their fan base. In my opinion, the fans have bought into everything that the organization does, for better or for worse. They have accepted more losses of their benefits in replace of wins on the field. I’ve said since August that this philosophy is okay, but only if the Ravens hoist the Lombardi Trophy in February. Just don’t expect them share that experience with you.
There’s no longer any need to go on about my opinions of the Ravens taking training camp away from their fans. I’ve babbled on about that slap in the face for far too long and I’ll let it rest until the summer.
After Baltimore’s 24-16 win, the team squashed another tradition that brought their fans close to the team. Typically after big wins, fans rush out to the Ravens complex at Owings Mills with banners and signs and cheer the team bus at it arrives from BWI and the players as they individually leave the Castle to return to their homes. It’s a fun fan moment that I’ve experienced a few times and a way for fans to show their appreciation and get up close and personal with the team. But this week the Ravens snuck past their fans and told them to stay at home after they came back from Cincinnati with the AFC North crown.
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By Matt Lund, on January 2nd, 2012 Looking to secure their first AFC North Division Championship since 2006 with a victory, the Baltimore Ravens traveled to Cincinnati to take on the Bengals in front of a mostly-Bengal crowd that had trouble selling out the game earlier in the week. Not to mention, a loyal legion of Ravens fans making the trip to the Queen City for the New Year’s Day tilt, but also by Pittsburgh Steelers fans who made the trip to Cincinnati - buying up a number of tickets the Bengals could not sell to their own fans – hell bent on seeing the possibility of the Ravens choking away their grasp of the division lead.
But it was never to be.
The Ravens went to their strength, running the football effectively and the defense made stops when called upon, leading to a 24-16 victory at  Paul Brown Stadium in front of 63,439 fans. The game felt like a playoff game and the Ravens treated it as such, clinching their third AFC North title in team history. The Ravens secured the much-needed first-round bye and a home playoff game - a first in the John Harbaugh era - something that both he and Ravens players stated before the season was important to them. READ MORE >>>
By Matt Lund, on December 25th, 2011 The Baltimore Ravens entered their final home game of the 2011 season looking to make franchise history against their divisional opponent, the Cleveland Browns. The chance to wrap up the home schedule with an 8-0 record hung in the balance, giving them the distinction of becoming the first team in the 16-year history of the franchise to finish with a perfect home record. The Ravens wanted to deliver not only an early Christmas present to the fans on Christmas Eve, but also to send a message to not be counted out after the loss to the San Diego Chargers.
 The Ravens breezed through the first half leading 17-0 as the Cleveland Browns showcased some of the worst coaching and mis-managing of the game clock in NFL history. The Ravens were aided by the Browns having exactly zero timeouts when they received the ball back for the final time of the 1st half. Driving the distance of the field, Browns RB Peyton Hillis was stopped for no gain at the 3-yard line and without a timeout, the Browns and their head coach Pat Shurmur could only watch in disbelief as time expired in the half.
With the way the Browns had played in the 1st half, one would think the airplane taking the team back to Cleveland would be fired up and on stand-by at BWI-Thurgood Marshall Airport, but they actually made a game out of it and the Ravens at times, seemed to almost want the Browns to get back into the game.
Very questionable play-calling and lack of execution by the Ravens in the 2nd half and a couple of long drives by Cleveland brought the Browns to within six points after TE Evan Moore caught a six-yard TD from QB Seneca Wallace to cut the Ravens lead to 20-14. The Ravens bent all game, but didn’t break as they looked at a 4th and 2 at the Cleveland 37-yard line. True to form, the Browns promptly shot themselves in the foot that held open the door of opportunity in this game.
After Joe Flacco barked out a few hard counts, somehow he lured Browns’ defensive tackle Phil Taylor off-sides on a play the Ravens were never actually going to get off. The penalty gave the Ravens a first down and after running out the clock on the next three plays, gave them a 20-14 victory, their eighth straight win against Cleveland in front of 71,083 fans at M&T Bank Stadium.
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By Ross Gore, on December 23rd, 2011  Ray Rice and company look to stay undefeated in the AFC North this Saturday. The Ravens face off against the Cleveland Browns in their final home regular season game of the 2011 Season. The Browns are currently ravaged by injuries, the Ravens need to win to maintain their #2 seed in the AFC playoffs and the Ravens are 7-0 at home this year. Its really hard to make any case for the Ravens losing this game but then again the Indianapolis Colts (2-13) beat the Houston Texans (10-5) putting in jeopardy their chance at the #1 overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft. Its referred to as the coin flip league for a reason, no single game outcome is improbable. Without further ado, lets jump into the bullets after the jump:
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The Ravens were one play away from playing this Sunday in Indianapolis. All Lee Evans has to do is fall down with the ball and it’s a Super Bowl 35 not a Super Bowl 42 rematch.
Exclusive: The Joe Flacco-Ed Reed “Fight”