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 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 Lindsey, on January 21st, 2012  Here’s what I’ve gathered in the past week from the national media: Baltimore is a terrible place to live, Joe Flacco completely sucks at playing quarterback in the NFL, and the Ravens have no chance to beat the Patriots. For one thing, I love living in Baltimore and, contrary to popular belief, I don’t have to duck to avoid being hit by stray bullets every five minutes. Another thing – Joe Flacco doesn’t have the stats of Drew Brees or the arm of Aaron Rodgers. But where are Drew Brees’ stats? Closed until next season. And Aaron Rodgers’ arm is resting on the armrest of his sofa while he watches the championship games on his plasma tv (sorry, Aaron). As for the Ravens having no chance of beating the Patriots… let’s just take a break from the Ravens-hate field day and look at a few facts, shall we? :
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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 Zach Wilt, on January 16th, 2012 
It wasn’t pretty, but a win is a win and the Ravens are headed to New England for the AFC Championship. Though road games haven’t been their area of expertise this season (see Jacksonville) and they looked sloppy against T.J. (frickin) Yates, you have to be impressed with these 53 mighty mighty men.
Sunday’s 20-13 win against the Texans was a hard fought struggle that at one point looked like it was in complete control by the Ravens. But it ended up coming down to a Hail Mary at the end of the game that allowed Baltimore to make the trek to Foxboro to face Bill Belichick and the Pats.
Suggs versus Uggs.
Here are my thoughts on the Ravens victory of the Texans in the AFC Divisional Round.
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By Lindsey, on January 14th, 2012 In 2000, the Ravens were a team of strictly defense. With a weak offense, they managed to win a Super Bowl with Trent Dilfer. Eleven years later, the Ravens still have a strong defense, and an equally strong offense. With an explosive running game, a Fu Manchu-wearing quarterback, a sack king with his own university slogan, and the same legendary linebacker as in 2000, this Ravens team has virtually all of the elements it needs to take home another trophy. But aside from the big names, what about the players who are making just as influential moves? After the jump, I’ll count down the Top 5 Breakout Ravens from this regular season…
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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 Matt Lund, on December 19th, 2011 The Baltimore Ravens packed up their playoff hopes and dreams and headed west to a not-so-warm San Diego to face the Chargers on Sunday night. Before the start of the game, because of losses by the Tennessee Titans and Oakland Raiders, the Ravens locked in their 4th-straight appearance in the NFL playoffs; a franchise record. But after that news, little went right for a team with so much on the line and destiny laying in the palm of their collective hands.
A win over San Diego would have kept the Ravens one step ahead of divisional rival, the Pittsburgh Steelers for the AFC North division as well as the potential of having the top seed in the AFC Playoffs with home field advantage. But those dreams, at least after Week 15, came crashing down in the Ravens 34-14 loss to the Chargers at Snapdragon Stadium.
The Ravens were thoroughly out-worked by the Chargers in all facets of this game: Offensively, defensively and coaching. San Diego didn’t roll over and play dead just because their opponent had stamped a ticket to the playoffs before this game even started. In fact, that may have given the Chargers some extra pep in their step because they themselves were not out of the AFC Playoff picture with a 6-7 record.
Road games in December are extremely important to a team aspiring to be champions and now may be the only way this team gets to the Super Bowl. There’s enough talent on both sides of the ball to still get there, but simply put, the Ravens must take care of business the rest of the way and hope for a slip-up by the Steelers on Monday night against the San Francisco 49ers.
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By Zach Wilt, on December 16th, 2011 
All indications are the Ravens cornerback Lardarius Webb will be out on Sunday night against the Chargers. Webb suffered a turf toe injury against the Colts and has been sidelined during this week’s practices and seen in a protective boot.
The Ravens will get some help on defense as it appears that Ray Lewis will return from the same injury. Lewis has been out for three weeks with an ailing toe, but returned to practice after the Colts game.
While the Chargers have had quiet a roller coaster season, they’re a team that can stretch the field with their speedy and tall wide receivers. ”It’s like when we went there in ’09 and they trotted out their receivers and TEs, it was like the Lakers,” Ravens defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano said.
With Webb likely sidelined, rookie Jimmy Smith is the next man up. ”We’ve done a great job of preparing him up to now,” Webb said.
“He knows what he has to do.”
By Zach Wilt, on December 14th, 2011  Turf toe? We don’t need no stinkin’ turf toe.
Lardarius Webb is one confident dude. He’s so confident that he told Ravens fans on his radio show that the turf toe injury he suffered against the Colts won’t keep him out this week against the Chargers.
“Yes, I’m playing Sunday,” Webb told listeners on 105.7 The Fan. “If I don’t play Sunday, it’s going to be something that is holding me back. As of now, I’m planning on playing.”
Turf toe is serious stuff. I’ve mentioned before and I’ll mention again that it ended Jonathan Ogden and Deion Sander’s careers and Ray Lewis has been plagued with it for three straight weeks. I’m happy to see that Webb is confident that he’ll shake it like a cold or a case of the Mondays, but I’m not so sure he’s right.
As Jeff Zrebiec points out, John Harbaugh told the media on Monday that he anticipates that everyone who was on the field against the Colts will play against the Chargers, I guess that even means Sergio Kindle. We’ll see if this isn’t some Harbaugh trickery or if he means it.
By Matt Lund, on December 12th, 2011 
When the National Football League released its 2011-12 schedule in early April, the 13th game of the season was marked on the calendar for both the Ravens and the fans in a number of ways.
The game gave Ravens fans another opportunity to voice their disapproval of that team from Indianapolis who left Baltimore for good on a snowy night in March of 1984. Another reason being the potential magnitude of the game itself and also the star power each team boasts. The Ravens heart and soul at LB Ray Lewis and Colts QB Peyton Manning on the opposite side. A late season, cold-weather, road-test in a noisy M&T Bank Stadium had both teams dreaming of playoff implications.
But going into this game, those things did not come to fruition. Both Lewis and Manning sat out the game because of their respective injuries. It was safe to say network TV execs weren’t exactly salivating about a Jameel McClain vs. Dan Orlovsky match-up. READ MORE >>>
By Edgar Walker, on December 6th, 2011 I posted earlier about Pernell McPhee and his stellar rookie campaign thus far, and I briefly touched on the Ravens’ “youth movement” on defense that seems to be coming to fruition this season. While it was just a passing thought at the time, the notion has really grown on me that the team has brought in several young pieces to lessen the inevitable eventual departures of Ray Lewis and Ed Reed.
McPhee has been but one of the young guns for the defense this season. READ MORE >>>
By Matt Lund, on December 5th, 2011 
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
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By Zach Wilt, on December 5th, 2011 
The Ravens are a team on a mission and on Sunday they proved that anyone standing in their way will be eliminated, embarrassingly. Baltimore steam rolled through Cleveland with an impressive 24-10 win against the Browns in a game that they dominated on both sides of the ball. With Ray Lewis on the sideline, Baltimore got the monkey off their back and beat a lowly opponent coming off a big win in the Harbowl on Thanksgiving.
Here are my thoughts on the game:
- Run Ray Run - I think we’re going on three straight weeks without a complaint about Cam Cameron’s play calling. On a dreary day in Cleveland (I think they’re all like that) the Ravens stuck with the ground game and it paid off. Ray Rice rushed for a career high 204 yards in a game in which the Ravens called more running plays, 52, than ever before in their history. The Ravens totaled 293 yards on the ground, the third most in a single game in their team history. Seeing Rice slash through the Browns defense was liking watching the Jamal Lewis days of old.
- O-line stays strong - Part of the success that Rice and Ricky Williams had on the ground can be credited to another fantastic game by the big guys up front. I sung their praises a week ago and I stand by it. The offensive line has gelled during the second half of the season, the left side looked particularly strong against the Browns and Vonta Leach paved the way for Rice to do his thing and out run the linebackers and safeties. It’s a blast to watch.
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