Right Off Russell

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 »

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 »

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?

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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.

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 »

We said at the beginning of the season that it would be possible for the Ravens to improve on last year and still have a worse record this year. Let’s face it, last years version of the Ravens was flawed much like this one. The Ravens were able to take some steps toward becoming a more complete offensive team, but surprisingly the defense has taken a major step backwards despite playing better at the end of this season. The Ravens have played a tougher schedule this season and have not caught near the number of breaks they as they did last season, that being said they did what they needed to do to get into the playoffs.

This game turned out to be what I expected. Oakland is a tougher opponent than it’s record indicates. They are strong against the pass, weak against the run, and inconsistent on offense. Well, that’s exactly what we saw on Sunday.

Joe Flacco had a miserable day. He was 11 for 19 for a whopping 102 yards passing and 0 TDs. While some say he avoided the big mistake, he did get sacked 4 times. This wasn’t exactly all Flacco’s fault. The pass blocking was weak at times and the receivers failed to create separation. Read more »

The Ravens will be playing at Foxboro versus the Pats at 1 PM on Sunday. Woo Hoo! That means we get another dose of Phil Simms and Jim Nantz.

Hopefully, this time the refs won’t coddle Tom Brady!

After wrapping up an 0-4 road trip record in Pittsburgh last week, I am thankful that Mark Brennan will not be accompanying the Ravens in Oakland this week. Although, Sunday represents the perfect opportunity to break the “Brennan Curse, ” I am glad fate is not being put to the test. In all seriousness the Ravens should have little trouble handling the Raiders in Oakland on Sunday. The Ravens have every reason to put forth max effort, while the Raiders have little to play for except for trying to knock the Ravens out of the play-offs. That was apparently enough motivation for the Raiders last season, but they Ravens are not the Tampa Bay Bucs and they outclass the Raiders in most phases and match-ups. Read more »

Zach, Weston, and Jeff Wolfson discuss Ravens, Ravens, and more Ravens. From their 23-20 loss to the Steelers, to the Pro Bowlers, and playoff picture. We hit it all this week on BOTW.

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