Right Off Russell

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 »

As I type, snow is falling heavily across the the Baltimore metro area, as it is much of the mid-Atlantic states. I am curious what effect that will have on the offensive game plan and how it is executed. I expect the snow to be cleared out of the area by Sunday, but conditions may still be harsh and this could be a perfect opportunity to feature a hard nosed rushing attack against a Bears defense that struggles to defend the ground game. The Bears are going to have an even tougher time stopping the run in Baltimore considering they cannot get to Baltimore due to the weather. This could end up being a Sunday or Monday night game.

Passing Game: As mentioned, cold and slippery conditions could limit the amount of times Joe Flacco drops back to throw and that may not be a bad thing. Flacco has had some troubles int eh passing game over the last 5 weeks. Some related to various injuries and some just the growing pains of being a 2nd year QB facing defenses that are geared more toward confusing him and limiting his opportunities to make plays. Flacco has also looked off with his timing and limited in his movement within the pocket, which can also be attributed to his injuries. The Ravens are also limited by the number of healthy wide receivers they will have come game time. Mark Clayton is out and Kelley Washington could be as well. That would leave just Derrick Mason, Demetrius Williams, Justin Harper and David Tyree available to play, the last two of the group have not caught a pass this year. Todd Heap and LJ Smith are banged up as well, which could mean that Ray Rice will be featured heavily in the Ravens passing attack. Because of RIce’s skill as a receiver using him as much as possible is a good thing, but if I were the Bears I would do all I could to limit his catches and keep him out of 1 on 1 match-ups with linebackers. Read more »

by BaltimoreRavens.com

Head Coach John Harbaugh
On if he thinks QB Joe Flacco’s performance problems of late are caused by injuries or other defenses getting to know him better or anything at all in particular: “I think there are a lot of explanations. There are a lot of little things that go play by play. The bottom line is Joe can play better; we can play better around Joe in the passing game. And turnovers are what we’re talking about – specifically in the red zone. Those are decision-making errors. I’m going to say in the big picture, it’s part of his process. We talked about it after the game, we talked about it today again. Let’s get through this right now. Let’s make the improvement right now. We try to do that as we go. Read more »

photo courtesy UPI

The offense that the Baltimore Ravens will see on Sunday is a stark contrast to the group that the Cincinnati Bengals suffered under last season. It is not that the Bengals have undergone a makeover on offense, more like a rejuvenation. The main difference is that Carson Palmer is back and healthy. Some question whether or not he has regained his past form, but Palmer has been very good in late game situations this year. Cedric Benson and the Bengals o-line are also making life easier on Palmer as both are playing with greater toughness. And the most important piece of the Bengals early season turn around may be Chad 8-5. 8-5 seems to have refocused himself and is actually putting forward the effort needed to succedd in the NFL. Palmer and 8-5 are on the same page and happy for now. So how can the Ravens attack the Cicny offense on Sunday? Read more »

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Photo by Matt Sadler/Right Off Russell

As I was sitting at the game on Sunday, I was baffled at the presence of Troy Smith on the field. I distinctly remember him in certain passing sets. And as for D-Will, I had a difficult time finding himanywhere. I was convinced he didn’t play. I was wrong because he did play a little bit, but I definitely knew that troy was out there. I’m going to go ahead and attribute it to the number thing- a #10 stands out compared to #87.

As i watched the replay last night, I was very cognisant of the the number of times each player was in the game. As it turned out, they seemed to have about the same amount of reps. What I found interesting was that Smith was in on the empty backfield, 4 receiver sets. D-Will was only in on a 2 RB, 2 WR set with K. Washington AND it seemed like they were in there giving the other receivers a break.

Obviously, Cam Cameron has something up his sleeve with Smith. And it will be interesting to see if Smith preforms a similar role in upcoming weeks. I am just wondering with the Ravens depth issues at WR, would it make more sense to give D-Will some real game experience?

What are your throughts? Do you like Troy running routes?

Coming off the weekend series in Chicago the Orioles have to feel as if things could have gone better, and there are things they can build on as they head into the series with the Yankees in New York.  The Orioles could have won 2 of 3 in Chicago if not for a rough 5th inning on Saturday.  While it was good to see Jeremy Guthrie pitch well on Sunday and for the O’s to score 21 runs in the series I still get the feeling that the O’s need more from their offense, especially if they are going to keep pace with the Yanks.

The Orioles did have some nice offensive rallies over the weekend, but they had a lot of help from the Sox pitching and many runs were scored with the outcome of the game not really in doubt.  The Orioles were a very good offensive club in April getting contributions from many guys at the top of the line-up.  Since then slumps have led to inconsistency and the O’s have not been able to hit on all cylinders.  Let’s hope the bats continue to warm in homer friendly Yankee Stadium.  The Orioles will need to outscore the Yanks to win some of these games. Read more »

….For the technical difficulties that have wiped out all our blog entries dating back to Saturday the 4th.  We are working to restore the material that was lost and will be of course writing new entries.  In the meantime enjoy the O’s night off and this video:

Truly tragic news about former Tennessee Titans and Baltimore Ravens QB Steve McNair.  McNair and a woman, whose identity has yet to be released, were found shot to death in a Nashville condominium.  Words cannot express how shocking this news is.  I can only hope that the circumstances involving his murder do not tarnish the legacy of one of the NFL’s toughest players and fiercest competitors.  McNair was highly regarded among his peers and our thoughts and prayers go out to his family friends and former teammates and coaches.

McNair was only a Raven for a short time, but I enjoyed watching him throughout his career despite the rivalry between the Titans and the Ravens.  While in Baltimore, McNair seemed to legitimize the Ravens offense for a time, but the 2006 Ravens run was cut short in the playoffs after an AFC North championship.  McNair’s 2007 campaign was marred by injury and poor play by the Ravens.  Retrospectively, McNair chose to retire at the right time.  A move that ultimately helped pave the way for Joe Flacco to take the Ravens reigns as a rookie.

Some of my favorite McNair moments in Baltimore include him torching the Steelers twice in 2006.  I also enjoyed seeing the excitement that surrounded the offense from the first drive that McNair led against the Giants for a TD in the pre-season.  Feel free to share some of your favorite McNair moments from his time in Baltimore, or the rest of his career.

Hard to believe it has been 23 years since Len Bias died of a drug overdose.  In someways it seems like a distant memory as I was only 10 when he passed and not a huge sports fan at that point.  Yet in other ways, with each passing year it seems to hurt more when considering Lenny’s tragic death.  Bias’ death hurt on many levels.  For his family to lose a 22 year old son about to ascend to NBA stardom, for the University of Maryland and all the heartache and subsequent years of questions and trouble, and for basketball fans who selfishly want to know if Len’s skills in the NBA would have rivaled Michael Jordan’s like they did in college.

All we can do is remember Lenny fondly for who he was as a person and player and be thankful that both his family and the university have moved on in positives ways after such a trial.  Below is a Len Bias tribute clip that was shared on the insidemdsports.com message board.  It is bittersweet to watch these highlights, but I hope that it brings back fond memories for those who saw him play, and for those who have not take advantage of the opportunity to see him in action.