NEWS
By Mike Preston | October 12, 2009
Quarterback C- Joe Flacco has become a slow starter. He threw mostly short and underneath passes, and seldom challenged the Bengals deep. Flacco had chances, and he missed Mark Clayton for a possible late touchdown that would have sealed a win. Running backs C The three-headed monster has become a one-headed monster. Ray Rice played well, and that 48-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter was sensational. But Willis McGahee and Le'Ron McClain were nonfactors. Receivers C- Did they play in this game?
NEWS
By MIKE PRESTON | September 21, 2009
SAN DIEGO - - The win was satisfying, but the number of big plays allowed by the Ravens was disturbing. The Ravens (2-0) celebrated a hard-fought 31-26 victory over the San Diego Chargers on Sunday, but there will not be a lot of joy this morning on the defensive side when the coaches break out the videotape. Stellar defense has been the trademark of this franchise since the Ravens won the Super Bowl in 2000, but that wasn't the case against the Chargers. The Ravens allowed Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers to pass for 436 yards.
NEWS
By Jamison Hensley | August 30, 2009
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - -Steve Hauschka failed to finish off the Ravens' kicking battle. The favorite after two preseason games, Hauschka missed wide right on a 27-yard field goal on the Ravens' first drive Saturday night. It marked his first miss after making his first three attempts of the preseason. Ravens coach John Harbaugh said the Ravens were ready to announce the winner after the game, but he now will wait until Thursday's preseason finale at Atlanta. "It was a little bit disappointing," said Harbaugh, who noted that he was displeased with Hauschka's kickoffs as well.
NEWS
By BILL ORDINE | March 13, 2009
Free agency has broken up that old purple gang of ours. A handful of heroes from the Ravens' surprising run up to the AFC championship game - center Jason Brown, linebacker Bart Scott and safety Jim Leonhard - all hopped the Payday Express and are in other NFL cities. Even so, the Ravens will be better when they line up for Game 1 than when they trudged off Heinz Field after losing the title game. Linebacker Ray Lewis, after doing his best Hamlet rumination of whether "to be or not to be" a Raven, decided to stay.
NEWS
January 19, 2009
QB D Joe Flacco played well to get the Ravens this far, but last night was not one of his better games. He stared down receivers and was intercepted three times. In the first half, he looked and played like a rookie. OL D This group got no push on the Steelers, and the Ravens had trouble running the ball. Pittsburgh was a lot faster than the Ravens, and the middle of the defensive line had problems trying to contain the pressure. WR C- Whenever the Ravens play good teams, the lack of a top receiver to complement Derrick Mason is there for everyone to see. Mark Clayton wasn't a factor, and neither was tight end Todd Heap.
NEWS
By MIKE PRESTON | December 8, 2008
QB C Joe Flacco had trouble getting in sync with his receivers. Sometimes he threw high, and other times they dropped a couple on him. Flacco needed to work short instead of going downfield as much, but the young man keeps delivering week after week. OL B Ravens guards Ben Grubbs and Chris Chester did a nice job of pulling and there were some holes in the running game, but Willis McGahee didn't hit them. The pass protection was good, but the Redskins did a nice job in coverage. Solid effort overall.
NEWS
By Edward Lee | November 27, 2008
Marvin Lewis' primary concern is motivating his 1-9-1 Bengals to finish the season on a positive note, beginning with Sunday's contest against the Ravens at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati. How much longer Lewis, the Cincinnati coach, will be entrusted with that responsibility is another issue. The Bengals are in the midst of one of their poorest seasons in recent memory and are in danger of having a worse record than the 2002 squad's 2-14, which stands as the worst mark in franchise history.
NEWS
By MIKE PRESTON | October 27, 2008
QB C Joe Flacco threw for one touchdown and ran for another but was inaccurate on several intermediate- to long-range passes. He'll have to play much better if the Ravens are to beat good teams. OL B+ The Ravens punished Oakland up front, and they didn't allow a sack. But left tackle Jared Gaither had four penalties and right guard Chris Chester was called twice for holding. The penalties negated some big plays. WR C The Ravens averaged 14.1 yards a catch, but a lot of those yards came after short passes.
NEWS
By Ken Murray | September 26, 2008
They can change defensive coordinators and not miss a beat. They can even change head coaches and not lose their way. The brand of defense the Ravens have played for almost a decade - organized mayhem - has rarely been better, and perhaps never more dominant, than it has been in the first two games this season. It's a stifling, unremitting kind of defense that cuts opposing teams off at the quarterback. Exhibit A: Carson Palmer of the Cincinnati Bengals produced the worst passer rating of his six-year Pro Bowl career in Week 1. Exhibit B: Derek Anderson produced the second-worst passer rating of his four-year career with the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, and it almost cost him his starting job. Up next is the Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger on Monday night in Pittsburgh.
NEWS
By PETER SCHMUCK | September 27, 2007
If Jamal Lewis really knows where to find the weak spot in the Ravens' defense, he'll stop for a nice brunch on the way to Sunday's game at Cleveland Browns Stadium and just show up for the fourth quarter. Surely, he doesn't think he's going to run through the Ravens' defensive line the way he did against the Cincinnati Bengals a couple of weeks ago, especially when he followed up that 216-yard performance with 56 yards against an Oakland Raiders team that might give up 3.7 yards per rush to Appalachian State.