Right Off Russell

January 10, 2010: Right Off Russell is embarking on a new adventure, and we are hoping that you come along for the ride.

Starting today, the staff of Right Off Russell (Jeff, Matt and Mark) will join forces with our friends at Baltimore Sports Report (http://baltimoresportsreport.com). Around the Harbor (http://aroundtheharbor.blogspot.com/) will also make the same transition. The goal is for the collective team of authors to provide an even more robust Baltimore Sports blog.

The new Baltimore Sports Report will be a mix of professional and amateur journalists. The hope is to offer you, the reader, feature length articles everyday with a variety of perspectives. We also see the extended communities of all the respective blogs joining together for some wonderful and knowledgeable interaction on Baltimore Sports Report’s new commenting system.

We will continue the Birds on the Wire podcast and The Right Off Russell site will remain intact for a couple months. Please reset your bookmarks, favorites, and rss feeds to our new content.

Back in August when we were all making our predictions there seemed to a consensus that the Ravens were a playoff team. Of course, many people (myself included) didn’t think the team would take the path it did in advancing to the postseason.  Anyone else feel, at certain points this season, that watching this team was almost like going to work on a Monday morning?  I know I did. But the regular season is over and now every team is 0-0.

So what do the Ravens need to do on defense vs. the Patriots to go 1-0?

Defensive Line: Haloti Ngata, Kelly Gregg and Co. just need to keep plugging along. The Patriots have a bunch of different running backs that they will use at some point.  None of them are game breakers but they all possess different skills that can be effective for the New England offense.  What would be a huge bonus is if guys like Trevor Pryce and Terrell Suggs can generate pressure on their own.  Unfortunately they haven’t been able to create consistent pressure this season and the Patriots offensive line will probably be able to handle them.  As a whole, the Ravens defensive line should be able to hold their own and make some plays. It’s not a huge area of concern for me in this game. Read more »

In their week 4match-up with the Patriots, Joe Flacco threw the ball 47 times, and while he did amass 264 yards and 2 touchdowns, the Ravens did not move the ball consistently that day putting up only 14 offensive points.  I remember being surprised how much the Ravens looked to throw the ball against the Pats, and disappointed that Ray Rice was not utilized more.  Rice did average 9.4 yards per carry, but only ran it 11 times.  The Ravens have been run heavy as the weather has turned colder and as Flacco has struggled with inconsistency and injury.  The Ravens will need to be more effective moving the ball this time around as the defense would benefit greatly from an offense that keeps them off the field.

Passing Game:  The Pats will again try to keep the ball from Derrick Mason.  In week 4 Mason lit them up on the Raven’s opening drive that culminated in his 20 yard TD reception.  From that point forward Mason was relatively quiet and Flacco struggled with inconsistent Raven’s receivers.  The Ravens need to find other receivers to make plays against the Pats.  Kelley Washington is a good possession receiver and makes plays on 3rd down.  I am not sure what Mark Clayton brings to the table right now, but at least he is motivated to make up for his drop in the last game.  That leaves Demetrius Williams.  Williams was showing signs of opening up the Ravens passing game with his ability to make plays down field.  He was a missing man in week 17.  Some have speculated that the Ravens did not feel the need to use Williams against the Raiders.  Others think that with Clayton able to play, that Williams is back in the dog house.  I am hopeful the former explanation is correct.  The Ravens need him to open up the passing game and stretch the field against New England.  He creates match-up problems that no other Ravens receiver can create.  Look for Todd Heap to be a favorite target for Flacco in the red zone. Read more »

It’s Wild Card Week! In preparation for this week’s game, we reached out once again to Bruce Allen over at Patriots Daily.

Welker is the big news item this week. Give us your take on the impact to the team’s strategy. And is there any fallout directed at Belichick for playing Welker and other starters in what was a meaningless game?
Second part first…no, there hasn’t been any fallout on Belichick for playing Welker, but there was a lot of whining in the Boston media because they couldn’t understand why he alternated Tom Brady and Brian Hoyer during the game. As for what to do now that Welker is on IR…they need to turn back the clock and go to the pre-2007 offense. Randy Moss is going to see double-coverage all game long, so they need to get other guys involved. It used to be that Brady might throw to 6 or 7 different guys in the course of a game, with Moss and Welker, he’s really gotten away from that. I think you’ll see more spreading out of the passing game, and an increased focus on the running game, especially now that Fred Taylor is back.

Local news is reporting that Brady is beat up himself, but Brady is saying that he feels good.What do you think? And can Brady take a few hard shots this week? Read more »

If there has ever been a better 2nd baseman int he modern era than Robbie Alomar, I have not heard of or seen him play.  To me, during his prime stretching from the beginning of the ’90’s until 2001, Alomar was a top 5 player in the game.  I put him right up there with Bonds, Griffey, Manny Ramirez and Frank Thomas as the dominant players of their decade.  Alomar did not put up some of the gaudy offensive numbers of his contemporaries that attracted more attention, but Alomar could beat you in so many ways and he did it consistently.  He was the best defensive player I have seen not named Ozzie Smith and he could do it all with the bat.  Here is what former teammate BJ Surhoff had to say about Alomar: Read more »

This week Jeff and Zach break down the Ravens 21-13 victory over the Oakland Raiders that sends them to the playoffs. They preview the game against New England and discuss the match up. Can the Ravens get the job done up in Foxborough?

Check it out! And don’t forget to subscribe on iTunes!

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I have not heard a lot of chatter about this, but I think that Demetrius Williams should be getting more time than Mark Clayton. The coaching staff is making a mistake by giving Clayton back his starting role when it is clear he cannot get open consistently right now. When healthy, Clayton may be the better all around receiver and tougher player than Williams. The problem is that Clayton is slowed by injury and his abilities are too similar to Derrick Mason’s to give the Ravens a diverse passing attack.

Williams, for all his ability, has been in the dog house for most of the year. Whether it is lack of toughness, work ethic, or that he has burned bridges with the coaching staff he has been relegated to the bench when Clayton has been healthy enough to play. The Ravens need Williams’ ability to get down field and his size to go up and get balls. Williams can open up the field in ways that Clayton cannot and Joe Flacco had a greater comfort level giving him opportunities to make plays. And Williams did make plays, albeit against lesser competition.

I hope the coaching staff is flexible enough to use Williams against the Pats, especially since they are going to try and take away Derrick Mason and stuff the run. The Ravens will need other play makers in the passing game. Right now Williams is more capable than Clayton.

Around 4 PM yesterday, Matt Holliday announced his signing with the Cardinals. It was a 7 year, 120 million dollar deal. Good for him. Good for the Cards. Some disappointment for the O’s.

It’s hard to say that the O’s really had a chance or were ever in the game. McPhail denies doing anything other showing some initial interest. Other reports had the O’s making a huge offer. Scott Boras would not comment on the MLB Radio Network about the Orioles interest. As a fan, I feel played and it helps make this off season seem very lackluster.

It was hilarious last night to see our buddy Daniel Moroz (@CamdenCrazies) get in an online argument over Twitter with @WNST about How to Fix the Orioles.

If you want to see what the McPhail plan will look like in 2011, check out this summary by Heath over at Dempsey’s Army. It really isn’t that bleak.

In other news, former Oriole Ross Grimsley has been named the pitching coach for the AA Richmond Flying Squirrels.

Also, the Red Sox have settled in on a deal for Adrian Beltre. It was being the reported that the O’s were interested in him despite signing Garrett Atkins.

by BaltimoreRavens.com
Jan 5, 2010, 9:48AM

Head Coach John Harbaugh

Opening Statement: “OK, good to see everybody. And again, congratulations to our coaches and our players for the opportunity to compete in the playoffs. And obviously, we have a big challenge against the New England Patriots coming up, and we’re looking forward to it. We had a chance to go through the game and make the corrections like we always do, but the players will not be in here officially, or formally, until Wednesday. They’ve already been in for treatment. Guys are watching tape on their own – that process kind of continues. They’ll come in here fully armed with information on the Patriots starting Wednesday morning, but we don’t have anything formal for them today or tomorrow.”

What were your impressions of S Ed Reed and LT Jared Gaither in their returns to the lineup?
“I think that they both looked pretty good, Read more »