Category Archives: Baltimore Ravens
Rookie Upshaw must produce for Ravens without Suggs
When the Baltimore Ravens drafted Courtney Upshaw in the second round no one expected the team to rely on him the way they now do. After an unfortunate injury to Terrell Suggs the pressure is now on Upshaw to produce says NFL columnist Clark Judge.
NFL Top 100: Will Joe Flacco be respected around the league?
The NFL Network last year started a new countdown list which was pretty popular among fans. The Top 100 list, a list of the best players currently in the NFL, as voted on by other players. Like any countdown list on NFL Network, there will always be a debate among what was ranked too high, too low and how a player or play didn’t make the list when it should have. I find the Top 100 very interesting, and I look at the list and can’t help but think that Joe Flacco will never earn the respect of his peers.
Terrell Suggs to miss 4-6 months of 2012 NFL season
Terrell Suggs, the Baltimore Ravens linebacker, will have to undergo a surgery to a partial tear of his Achilles and hence will have to sit out of four to six months of the 2012 National Football League season.
Ravens add Upshaw in round 2: Is he the steal of the draft?
The Baltimore Ravens didn’t have a pick in the first round of the 2012 NFL draft but thanks to all the teams that passed on former Alabama defensive end, Courtney Upshaw, the Ravens scored first round talent, early in the second round. In fact, Upshaw may very well turn out to be the steal of the draft.
2012 NFL Draft: Will the Ravens find the next Ray Lewis?
The Baltimore Ravens know a thing or two about the position of linebacker.
Ray Lewis is one of the greatest to ever play the game, but there comes a time when a team must start to search for a younger player that can eventually fill the roll.
Coming into the 2011 season North Carolina linebacker, Zach Brown, was a third-round pick in the 2012 NFL Draft. After the dominant season Brown had for the Tar Heels its likely he may have just played his way into a first-round pick.
3 NFL teams guarenteed to miss the 2012 playoffs
The ‘win now’ philosophy is not at all new, and with teams like the Houston Texans and Detroit Lions seemingly getting things together, there has to be room made towards the top of the list of championship contenders. There may be a changing of the guard as soon as the upcoming season. While the championship hopes of some teams are just beginning to bloom, there are a few windows that are most certainly closing.
2012 NFL draft: Possible selections for the Baltimore Ravens
Almost doesn’t count for the Baltimore Ravens as they came only a few plays away from the Super Bowl.
If the Ravens plan on making 2011 count for something the organization, players and fans must place their faith in Joe Flacco and continue to build towards their goal.
The Ravens have always remained a dominant defensive force to be reckoned with and they have done it with key players such as; Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Terrell Suggs and Haloti Ngata.
Players and coaches have come and gone but the Ravens continue to put a top ranked defense on the field year in and year out.
Mohamed Sanu
The Ravens have done a great job building depth to support their star players through the draft and 2012 should be no different.
The Penalty Flag’s Mike Presley believes the Ravens will go offense with their first round pick;
Round 1, Pick 29: Mohamed Sanu WR Rutgers: This may shock some people but Sanu isn’t mocked to the Ravens due to Lee Evans dropping the touchdown pass in the AFC Title game. This has more to do with giving Joe Flacco another weapon along side Torrey Smith in the long haul. Anquan Boldin is 32 and it’s unsure how many more years he has left in him so drafting another receiver makes sense. Sanu has a combination of size, quickness, and speed, and he has good hands. He caught 115 passes for 1,206 yards and seven touchdowns. This will give Joe Flacco a good 1-2 punch at receiver with Smith and Sanu.
- 2012 NFL draft: Mohamed Sanu WR Rutgers (college-sports-university.com)
WalterFootball.com and Football’s Future has the Ravens selecting ILB, Vontaze Burfict from Arizona State;
Ozzie Newsome indicated that he’ll be looking for Ray Lewis’ successor this upcoming April. Well, Vontaze Burfict makes sense for a number of reasons. He’s one of the best players available and fits the attitude of Baltimore’s defense. He can play next to Lewis right away, and Ozzie Newsome has taken chances on talented head-cases before.
Burfict would be considered a top ten talent without questions about his attitude. He is a true game changer when he is focused, but he is a bit of a loose cannon. There’s no better place for a youngster to have his head screwed on right than playing alongside Ray Lewis and Ed Reed as a rookie.
Rob Rang of CBSSportsline.com has the Ravens beefing up their offensive line;
Peter Konz, C, Wisconsin: Veteran Matt Birk has played reasonably well for the Ravens but is weighing retirement rather than returning for his 15th NFL season. Guard Ben Grubbs, a former first-round pick and arguably Baltimore’s most consistent offensive lineman when healthy, is scheduled for free agency. General manager Ozzie Newsome won’t go through the 2012 draft without addressing the interior of his offensive line. Should Konz, a career center with enough size and athleticism to play guard if needed, still be on the board, the former Badger would make a great deal of sense.
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Possible Destinations For Mike Wallace
Mike Wallace has emerged as a rising star for the Pittsburgh Steelers ever since being drafted in the third round of the 2009 NFL Draft. It seems that he would be the new receiver for Ben Roethlisberger to grow with but things aren’t exactly going the way Pittsburgh wants it to. As if the playoff loss to the Denver Broncos seemed bad, it will only get worse in a couple weeks when there is a real possibility that Pittsburgh could lose Mike Wallace. The Steelers are $11 million over the cap currently and are working hard in trying to get under the cap for the 2012 Season. They do not have cap room to slap the Franchise Tag on Wallace while tendering him will leave him vulnerable to a team willing to give up their first round pick to take Mike Wallace away. Now who would be willing to part with their first round pick to take Mike Wallace away, here are some possible destinations for Mike Wallace.
New England Patriots: If there was any team wanting to give up a first round pick it would be a team with two first round picks at their disposal. The Patriots are one of the few teams who do have two picks in the first round. Wes Welker is a Free Agent and even if they put the Franchise Tag on him, it would only be a one year deal. Mike Wallace meanwhile is young and fast who can contribute to helping the Patriots get back to the Super Bowl.
San Francisco 49ers: The 49ers want to upgrade at receiver in free agency and the draft. Why not essentially use the 30th pick in the 2012 Draft on a proven Mike Wallace rather take a chance on a late round receiver. Not only would they have the pick to give up, but the money to give Wallace a long term deal, something the cap tight Steelers can not do. They are $35-40 million under the cap, plenty of room to not only re-sign Alex Smith but give Mike Wallace the money he would be looking for.
Houston Texans: The Texans desperately need to upgrade across from Andre Johnson. Why not use it on speedy Mike Wallace? The Texans offense would be even better than it has ever been with teams having to decide between double covering Andre or Wallace. They would instantly become Super Bowl favorites and once again be a top contender in the AFC.
Denver Broncos: If the Broncos ever want to take my advice on how to build around Tim Tebow, using their first round pick on Mike Wallace would be a good start. With the exception of Demaryius Thomas, the Broncos have nothing at receiver. Tim Tebow, whether you want to admit it or not, is improving as a quarterback and if he is to improve even more, he’ll need the receivers to do so. The Broncos know first hand what Wallace can do when they played the Steelers in the wild card round and would do wonders for Tebow.
Baltimore Ravens: In my AFC North mock, I gave the Ravens Rutgers Wide Receiver Mohamed Sanu with the 29th pick in the 2012 Draft. Like other receiver needy teams in this article, why not use a late round pick on a proven player. Baltimore is probably already enjoying the fact Pittsburgh is over the cap and they will have little room to improve on while Baltimore will have cap room to make improvements. So why not one up Pittsburgh by taking their young star receiver away from them. I know Ray Rice is a free agent but he is likely to be Franchised and Anquan Boldin is 32 and isn’t getting any younger. The combination of Torrey Smith and Mike Wallace would help Joe Flacco out tremendously and since they got over the hump of Pittsburgh last season, adding Mike Wallace may be the ingredient needed to get them over the most important hump and into the Super Bowl.
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Mike Presley is a NFL Featured Journalist for The Penalty Flag. He is a graduate of the Carolina School of Broadcasting and hosts a weekly NFL show on the schools radio station 89.3 The Storm entitled “The Front Seven.” Mike also writes for the racing website www.hardcoreracefans.com. Follow him on Twitter @mikepresley64.
2012 Mock Draft: AFC North edition
As I continue my way around each division in this mock draft, we land in the AFC North where the winds of change certainly blew within the division. The Pittsburgh Steelers who have owned the North for quite some time, fell to the Baltimore Ravens, not once but twice. They also were a victim of Tim Tebow as the Denver Broncos were able to knock the Steelers right out of the playoffs in the wild card round. As for the Ravens, they struggled at times during the season with devastating losses to the Seattle Seahawks and Jacksonville Jaguars on the way to winning the AFC North. Yet they were able to pull through, make it all the way to the AFC Championship game and was a Lee Evans touchdown away from the Super Bowl.
While the Ravens and Steelers may own the AFC North, they should be worried about the young and upcoming Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals helped the AFC North get three teams into the playoffs for the first time, and that was in part thanks to the success of second round rookie quarterback Andy Dalton. They have two first round picks in the upcoming draft and look to close the gap on the Ravens and Steelers. The Cleveland Browns also have two first round picks and are in prime position for a Franchise Quarterback, or are they?
Cleveland Browns:
Round 1, Pick 4: Trent Richardson RB Alabama: With Robert Griffin off to Washington, the Browns look elsewhere. Peyton Hillis is a Free Agent and there seemed to be issues with the team last year that makes me think he won’t be re-signed. Some say Trent is a better prospect than Mark Ingram and his numbers show why. He had 21 rushing touchdowns and ran for 1,679 yards last season. Richardson is the explosive player the Browns need to get their offense going.
Round 1, Pick 22: Ryan Tannehill QB Texas A & M: It quite didn’t work out with Brady Quinn, and it seems things aren’t working out with Colt McCoy so let’s try this again. At first you don’t succeed, try, try, try, try and well eventually you have to get it right. This has been the main problem for the Browns, and just maybe Ryan Tannehill can be the guy. He threw for 3,744 yards and 29 touchdowns and also ran for 355 yards and four touchdowns. So not only can he make plays with his arm but also his feet.
Cincinnati Bengals:
Round 1, Pick 17: Janoris Jenkins CB North Alabama: I was looking for a place to put him and I didn’t put him here because of the history of the Bengals taking troubled players. I put him here because the Bengals could use another corner after losing Jonathon Joseph last year in Free Agency. He doesn’t have good size at 5’9 but he has great speed to stay with receivers. He also is a threat in the return game with 390 return yards on the season with three touchdowns.
Round 1, Pick 21: Cordy Glenn Guard Georgia: He may be one of the most flexible offensive lineman in this draft. Not only can he play guard but he can play Tackle as well which will be a benefit for the Bengals if they ever decide to move on from Andre Smith. Glenn’s strength is run blocking and whether it’s Cedric Benson or some other running back, they will be thankful for Glenn’s presence on the Bengals’ offensive line.
Pittsburgh Steelers:
Round 1, Pick 24: Dontari Poe NT Memphis: Father time seems to have caught up to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Casey Hampton will be 35 a week before Week 1 of the 2012 season and will be coming off ACL surgery. Poe’s size at 6’5 makes him a massive lineman that will make it hard for any center to block. He totaled 33 tackles, eight tackles for loss, one sack and one forced fumble last season. Poe will play good in either a 3-4 or 4-3 system.
Baltimore Ravens:
Round 1, Pick 29: Mohamed Sanu WR Rutgers: This may shock some people but Sanu isn’t mocked to the Ravens due to Lee Evans dropping the touchdown pass in the AFC Title game. This has more to do with giving Joe Flacco another weapon along side Torrey Smith in the long haul. Anquan Boldin is 32 and it’s unsure how many more years he has left in him so drafting another receiver makes sense. Sanu has a combination of size, quickness, and speed, and he has good hands. He caught 115 passes for 1,206 yards and seven touchdowns. This will give Joe Flacco a good 1-2 punch at receiver with Smith and Sanu.
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Mike Presley is a NFL Featured Journalist for The Penalty Flag. He is a graduate of the Carolina School of Broadcasting and hosts a weekly NFL show on the schools radio station 89.3 The Storm entitled “The Front Seven.” Mike also writes for the racing website www.hardcoreracefans.com. Follow him on Twitter @mikepresley64.
Related articles
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- 2012 Mock Draft: NFC East edition (thepenaltyflagblog.com)
With Pagano Off to Indianapolis, What’s Next For Ravens?
The last thing fans of the Baltimore Ravens need is even more bad news following another heartbreaking loss in the playoffs. If you’re a Ravens fan reading this, your most likely not going to like this. It was just announced that Ravens’ Defensive Coordinator Chuck Pagano has agreed to become the next Head Coach of the Indianapolis Colts for the 2012 season. Pagano had joined the Ravens as part of John Harbaugh’s coaching staff in 2008 as a secondary coach. After Greg Mattison left the Ravens to be the defensive coordinator at the University of Michigan, Chuck was promoted to defensive coordinator last season.
For years we have seen the Ravens lose their defensive coordinators and for years they constantly replaced them and have never lost a step. Marvin Lewis, Mike Nolan, and Rex Ryan have all become Head Coaches after being defensive coordinators for the Ravens. Now Chuck Pagano will add his name to this list and is the quickest coordinator to leave Baltimore as he only served as defensive coordinator for one season. The question now is what is next for the Ravens as they now replace both Cam Cameron & Chuck Pagano.
Cam Cameron’s contract expired and all signs point to him leaving, and I’m sure the Ravens didn’t think they would have to replace both of their coordinators. The Ravens can just promote from within looking to fill both positions or they can look outside of the organization. Someone like a Eric Mangini, or Mike Nolan a former Ravens coordinator. As for the offensive coordinator, Hue Jackson makes the most sense as he is familiar with the Ravens offense and Joe Flacco. Regardless what happens next, this off-season has just become even bigger for the Baltimore Ravens as they prepare for another run at the Super Bowl in 2012.
Mike Presley is a NFL Featured Journalist for The Penalty Flag. He is a graduate of the Carolina School of Broadcasting and hosts a weekly NFL show on the schools radio station 89.3 The Storm entitled “The Front Seven.” Mike also writes for the racing website www.hardcoreracefans.com. Follow him on Twitter @mikepresley64.
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After Further Review: Referees Send Patriots to Super Bowl
Every season, it seems fans finger point at a particular play where they say that is why they loss. As the Baltimore Ravens get ready to head back to Baltimore to prepare for the off-season, it seems their fans can point at many different plays where things could have turned out differently. If the Ravens had just beat one of the teams they loss to, this game could have been played in Baltimore, not New England. Of course when you look at how this game turned out, it seemed you could pin point several times where the Ravens could have won this game. The one play in particular is the 3rd & 6 where they hand it off to Rice on a draw and it went nowhere. After that, the Ravens battled back and with under a minute left, the Ravens were in field goal range.
They moved closer and it seemed we were once again about to try out the new overtime rules, but Billy Cundiff missed the kick and the Patriots won. After examining the final couple plays of the game again, it seemed the Refs decided to choose the outcome by missing two huge plays, including one where we should be talking about the Baltimore Ravens going to the Super Bowl, not the New England Patriots.
Game saving hero Sterling Moore, had committed a illegal touching penalty which normally the officials are quick to throw the flag on that. This time, the refs decided to keep the flag in their pockets. Now I’m all for letting the players play since there are already too many rules that limit defenses as it is, but I wouldn’t be surprised that the flag would have been thrown for PI if this was the Patriots driving trying to win the game. Now remember, earlier in the game Brady threw a interception and wouldn’t you know it, a flag. They called Cornerback Lardarius Webb for illegal contact on a Benard Pollard interception. Now again, would the flag been thrown if say it wasn’t intercepted? Would the flag been thrown if it was incomplete, probably not.
Now let’s go to the end of the game. Back to the play of Sterling Moore, now before I get to the Lee Evans touchdown call, before that play, Moore had both of his hands on the tight end’s waist which should have been called for illegal touching since the ball hadn’t even been thrown yet. This should have gave the Ravens a new set of downs, now to get to what should have sent the Ravens to Indianapolis. It was similar to Pittsburgh except Lee Evans is playing the part of Torrey Smith. Evans had caught the ball in the end zone and seemed to be the game winner. Yet the officials did not call it a touchdown as Moore knocked it loose, but after further review, Evans took two steps in the end zone with full control, which should have been a touchdown.
Billy Cundiff should have never been sent out and in position to miss a Kick, the game should have been won. The new rule for this season states all scoring plays are reviewed, but for something this close, something so close where you can easily miss things like Evans taking two steps. Why didn’t they review the play to get the call correct? Why didn’t they, they already determined that the Patriots were going to win the game regardless and the Ravens are going to be left wondering how things could have turned out if the officials just reviewed it and saw Evans with complete control and that he had took two steps.
Mike Presley is a NFL Featured Journalist for The Penalty Flag. He is a graduate of the Carolina School of Broadcasting and hosts a weekly NFL show on the schools radio station 89.3 The Storm entitled “The Front Seven.” Mike also writes for the racing website www.hardcoreracefans.com. Follow him on Twitter @mikepresley64.
Checks and Balances: You Need More Than Just Defense to Win This Year
The very obvious theme that defense wins championships has once again helped root out the NFL’s top four teams… or has it? Defense is more than just lining up eleven guys against the opposing offense; it is an entire game plan where the offense sets a tone that enables the defense – and subsequently, the team – to have success. Gradually, we have witnessed teams that rely too heavily on defense (Steelers, Broncos, Texans) or offense (Saints, Packers, Lions) fall out of the playoffs, leaving us with the teams that most efficiently cater to their strengths.In the AFC, two teams with polar opposite identities have risen to the top. The New England Patriots are team with a pass-happy offense that features the accurate arm of quarterback Tom Brady and numerous reliable weapons. Much like a lot of modern college teams, the Patriots have their defense cater to their offense. Instead of shutting teams down and ball control, they look to win the turnover advantage and bank on their offense outscoring the opposing team. For a majority of the season their defense has been sub par, but they seem to be coming to form in the playoffs. Last week, they completely shut down the red-hot Tim Tebow led Broncos offense that torched the Pittsburgh Steelers the week before.
Unlike the Patriots, the Baltimore Ravens have a run-first offense that features running back Ray Rice, and play action passing. The main purpose for this style of play is to enable the defense to play effectively by limiting the opponent’s chances with the ball and slowing down the game. Since the offense operates in this fashion, the defense is able to pride itself on stopping the run and forcing opponents to throw the ball against pass rushers like Terrell Suggs and ball hawks like Ed Reed. However, the Ravens have had difficulty when they were required, or decided…, to pass the ball numerous times in a game. This was particularly evident when they lost games to the Seahawks, Titans, Jaguars, and the Chargers.
Without a doubt, the NFC has the two most complete teams left in the playoffs in the New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers. The Giants feature a balanced attack with the passing of quarterback Eli Manning complimented by the effective running of backs Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs. Lately, this mixture has been very potent and it is reflected on the scoreboard, thus helping out their defense. Their defense features very athletic defensive lineman like Justin Tuck, Jason Pierre-Paul, Chris Canty, and Osi Umenyiora. With a scheme like this it can be difficult to stop the run, but when teams are playing catch up they aren’t running the ball. The other side of the coin is that their pass rush is merciless and feeds on top-notch quarterbacks this time of year, just ask Tom Brady or Aaron Rodgers.
Finally we get to the Cinderella of the season, the San Francisco 49ers. With their resurgence under Coach Jim Harbaugh, they finally have an identity! Their offense is similar to the Ravens’ considering they feature possession football behind the running of back Frank Gore and high-efficiency passes from quarterback Alex Smith to targets like former first round picks Michael Crabtree and Vernon Davis. Also, the defense is similar too in that they try to make teams one-dimensional by stopping the run and forcing teams to pass. However, the 49ers still don’t have a ball hawking defensive back so they rely heavily on their pass rush, and while it is moderately effective teams still have found success throwing the ball. So, the less chances an opposing offense can get the better. Furthermore, the 49ers have a quarterback that proved that he can carry the team in the playoffs if it is necessary. Alex Smith went unconscious against the high-powered Saints last week and would not be denied. Any defense plays better when they have faith that their quarterback to keep them in the game.
As you can see, the team with the best defense doesn’t win anything unless they have an offense that can help them out. It’s called a game plan, and in today’s NFL you need a good one because offenses are becoming more powerful. Surely, the team that can help its defense out the most through offense, and even special teams, will win the Super Bowl this year.
Steve Gross is a Featured Journalist for The Penalty Flag and can be contacted at SGross@ThePenaltyFlagBlog.com
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