Late Night Ravens Stream of Consciousness

So, it's 12:30 at night, and I'm home because of some blood tests I had to have done. All of my friends are at college, so what else do I have to think about besides Ravens football? And when I think of something sports-related, I generally write it down on here. So, here are my thoughts on the Baltimore Ravens' offseason. 

I don't think Ray Lewis is going to be a Baltimore Raven next year, but I also don't believe he will be a New York Jet. In terms of salary cap money, this should tell you all you need to know. The Jets are dead last in the league in terms of cap space. The Cowboys don't fare much better, but I still think he's going to end up there. All they've lacked (or so they think) the past few years has been a leader in the locker room, and Ray Lewis provides that instantly. They will make a few cuts, and then break the bank for Lewis. After they choke their way out of the playoffs the next two years anyway, Tony Romo will rightfully be looking elsewhere for a job. 

Speaking of departures, I don't think Rex Ryan is going to be a very good head coach in the NFL. Rex is all about the buddy system. He loves his guys. This isn't college, though, where a bunch of young guys are going to follow every word you say because you recruited them. He's in a locker room with a bunch of 30 year old men teaching them a completely new way of playing. His way worked in Baltimore, but he also had Ed Reed, the best free safety in the NFL. He had one of the best linebackers in the NFL behind one of the best defensive tackles in the NFL. His scheme worked because he had the personnel to make it work. I think the Jets will be better on offense because he will run Thomas Jones into the ground, but I have my doubts whether the defense get much reward out of his risk-reward system. 

Now, as far as people staying, Terrell Suggs (pictured, right) is number one, and he will become the new leader of the Ravens next year. Harbaugh is very practice-oriented, and Suggs is energetic and doesn't mind practice. Ed Reed is getting up there in years, and the his nerve impingement in his neck isn't helping matters. Rumors have it him and Lewis smiled for the cameras, but neither was a big fan of Harbaugh. Suggs will be the man for the next five seasons or so, and expect Bart Scott to do everything he can to fill in Lewis's shoes at middle linebacker. Also, expect Jim Leonhard to be back, Dawan Landry to go elsewhere and succeed, and the Ravens will get a complementary pick for it somewhere in the draft. Jason Brown will also be back to anchor the offensive line. 

This is why I'm not buying into the now commonplace theory that the Ravens are due for a down year next year. Any defense with Trevor Pryce, Haloti Ngata, Kelly Gregg, Terrell Suggs, Bart Scott, Ed Reed and Fabian Washington playing for it will not be worse than a top 10 defense, and I don't care who the other four guys you line up are. (By the way, the other four will likely be very solid players in Jim Leonhard and Jarret Johnson, a potential star in middle linebacker tavares gooden, and a first round cornerback picked up in this year's draft.) Ngata and Gregg are both top 10 defensive tackles in the NFL, and if you don't believe me, look up Kelly Gregg's stats and compare them with other defensive tackles from 2003-07. You will find that Kelly Gregg has more tackles than any of them. Terrell Suggs is considered by all to be a top 5 outside linebacker. Already said is how dominant Reed is. The talent on defense will still be there. What will be missed is Ray's leadership, but leaders leave teams. New guys step in. John Harbaugh is a natural leader, and I believe in him.

To be continued in an immediate post following this; I don't have too much space left in this post. 

(Photo Credits: allposters.com)

Thoughts from the Ravens-Cowboys Game

It's been 24 hours, and I still can't get over that game last night. There was so much to say about it, and I wanted to write about it immediately, but I just couldn't stop relishing in the victory for the Ravens. Looking back on the day, here's what I have to say about it. 

1. Derrick Mason made me proud to be a fan of the Baltimore Ravens. He is, inarguably in my mind (Rod Woodson and Shannon Sharpe supporters may disagree), the greatest free agent pickup in Baltimore Ravens history. We all saw what he did, between the adjustment he made to the ball going across the middle, getting the fumble recovery, and how he completely lost Terrence Newman while running with one arm to get open for the touchdown reception. 

He did all that after needing to helped off the field three times for re-aggravating a dislocated left shoulder, and not being able to lift his left arm up in the air at all. You could see the pain in his face with every step he took, but he persevered like none other. 

As Mason (pictured) went into the locker room with about four minutes left in the second half, the announcers said that his return was doubtful. To who? Every Ravens' fan I know knew exactly what was going to happen. He was going to go in, get a couple shots of cortisone right in the left shoulder, and be back for the second half. 

One last note on Mason. He does not have near the physical tools that Terrell Owens has. Owens is bigger, faster and stronger. Owens also cries after games, whines when the ball doesn't come to him enough, and quits on routes. Mason has had to put up with Kyle Boller, Steve McNair, and the rookie season of Joe Flacco during his four seasons in Baltimore. He hasn't complained once. He is the soul of this offense, and I can't wait to be there next week when the offense comes out of the tunnel and he is last. 

2. We knew this one was going to happen: the Cowboys lost the game, the Ravens didn't win it. At least watching NFL Network's post-game coverage would tell you that. I recognize that the Cowboys have a larger fan base than the Ravens, but come on. At least pretend that the Ravens should get equal media coverage. Instead, we got to watch Tony Romo and Owens talk for about ten minutes apiece, then watch Roger Staubach talk about a play that happened over 30 years ago. 

3. Think before you start criticizing Madden and Michaels again. Papa was decent as the play-by-play guy, but did Deion Sanders say anything productive during that entire game? Don't get me wrong, either. I love Prime Time. I have a number 37 Deion Sanders Baltimore Ravens jersey, in fact. He needs to stick to highlight shows, though, and not serve as the color guy. Marshall Faulk started off terrible and got better. He at least knew what he was talking about. Neither Faulk nor Sanders, though, can stay in one octave for an entire sentence. 

4. I thought the Ravens were going to win last night for the same reason they did win. That reason is that Tony Romo is one of the worst big-game quarterbacks in NFL history. Let's not be too quick to glorify the Ravens' defense last night. Tashard Choice has 90 yards and would have had a lot more if the Cowboys stuck the run. Owens, Witten and Austin were all open several times throughout the night; Tony Romo just couldn't hit them. 

Just to clarify, this would normally make my second point null and void, were it not for Baltimore's offense. They stepped it up in a huge way and are the reason the Ravens won this game.

 

5. If you tell me that Sam Koch is the team's MVP, I won't argue with you. How many weeks in a row is it now that Koch has been absurdly good punting the ball? He is better at putting the ball inside of the 10-yard line than anyone I've ever seen. The fake field goal sprint was amazing, too. He has played a huge role on this team, and fans should never overlook just how crucial he has been in helping the Ravens win the all-important battle of field position. 

Quick hits now ...

6. Perhaps the best part of the entire game was McGahee looking like he finally got back on track. Without Ray Rice, that could be huge. 

7. In the past 5 games, Ed Reed has six interceptions. And two fumble recoveries. And one fumble forced. And a sack. And touchdowns.

8. As bad as Matt Stover is outside of 4o yards, is there anyone better than him within 40? No.

9. I liked the volume of the "O" during the national anthem and the "HEEEEAP" during the game. I've always thought that Ravens' fans were underrated travelers. 

10. Flacco played a man's game last night. His first fumble was inexcusable. You have to know that guy's there. Nonetheless, he took a beating the entire night, and kept getting up and making clutch throws. He did hit the rookie wall a few weeks ago against Washington, ran back into it last week, and finally crashed through it this week.  

(Photo Credits: AP)

5 Things to Keep an Eye on

Sure, you have the NFL playoff races, but there's other things to keep an eye on this weekend. Here's five things I'll be paying attention to.

1. The Mark Teixeira sweepstakes. C.C. already went to the Yankees; everyone expected that. Teixeira, on the other hand, is a local boy. Both the Orioles and Nationals have expressed interest, and Teixeira has reciprocated with both. It will be interesting to see where Texeira ends up, and whether the local teams will be filling to fork over enough money to get him.

2. Maryland basketball: taking care of business. More on this later, but it's the worst time of the year for Maryland basketball. It's no longer the beginning of the season, so we're not really learning anything about the team. They no longer play anyone that will help their resume at the end of the year. It's full of Elons, Bryants, and Delaware States from here on out. None of these wins will help, but losses will devastate.

3. Pittsburgh-Baltimore: Will the emotions finally boil over? Both teams have been good all week. No players or coaches have expressed anything but mutual respect for the other team. You know it's just because they feel the eyes of Czar Goodell looking over them, though. I mean, after all, this is the same Ravens team with Bart Scott (pictured), who openly threatened to kill Hines Ward last year. It will be interesting to see whether all this emotion they're keeping inside will spill out onto the football field in terms of some 15-yard penalties.

4. Which team will get back on track: Dallas or New York? I have a feeling New York is going to destroy Dallas in this game, but that's just me. Everything I've ever said negative about Tony Romo (pictured) I will reverse if he managed to get the huge win this week. If not, I don't see Dallas winning another game. Conversely, New York has to show the league that they just ran into a Philadelphia team at the wrong time, and that the Giants are still the team to beat in this league, with or without Brandon Jacobs. We're going to learn something about both of these teams after this game.

5. We will immediately start to see the effects of the first big trade in the NBA. Forgive me, but I don't think the Wizards getting rid of Antonio Daniels for two guys who combine to average about 5 ppg is going to make that big of a difference. There was a trade that went down last night between the Bobcats and the Suns, though, that caught a lot of people's interest. Boris Diaw (pictured, left) and Raja Bell (two staples of Suns for the past few years) and Sean Singletary (whom Maryland fans know quite well) left for the Bobcats. In return, the Suns received Jason Richardson and Jared Dudley (also well known by Maryland fans). Steve Nash was visibly upset during last night's Suns-Lakers game. 

And yea, I just wrote about the NBA. 

(Photo Credits: AP)

Looking Back

With so many sports going on at once, how can you keep track of them all? You don't have to, but I will. Every Monday* I will look back and hit briefly upon the five story lines that stuck out from the previous weekend. *Editor's note: I know it's Tuesday, and this happened twice in a row. Forgive me. 

1. It's a shame that Texas Tech-Texas was on Saturday night, because I was not able to watch it. College students go out on Saturday nights. I was at a Halloween party. If this game was on a Saturday afternoon, I would have watched and most certainly enjoyed. But I digress.

What a terrific game with such enormous implications. In one amazing catch and run by Michael Crabtree (pictured), so many things happened at once that it is hard to believe. Instantly, all my gushing about Colt McCoy goes for naught; Graham Harrell one-upped him. Texas is now no longer a lock for the national championship; Texas Tech is now slated for the game with Alabama. If Texas Tech loses any more games, the Big 12 - by far the best conference in America - will probably be devoid of a team. 

2. The NBA season tipped off, and then people realized that they don't care about the NBA until March at least. Although one blockbuster deal already happened - Allen Iverson to the Pistons and Chauncey Billups and Antonio McDyess to the Nuggets - you can tell by looking around arenas everywhere that even die-hard NBA fans don't care about their teams yet. Nonetheless, listen for a preview tomorrow.

3. Did baseball happen? I don't remember a season that was so quickly forgotten about before this one. The Phillies had their glory for two days, highlighted by Chase Utley's "World ____ing Champions" (warning: explicit content), and since then we haven't seen any "season in review" or anything like that. I suppose it was such an odd season that people didn't know how to revisit it, so they just didn't. Can't say I'm really upset.

4. These NFL happenings get me excited for the rest of the season:

- The AFC East race: Is Miami the best team that just happens to have the worst record?

- The NFC South race: Will either the Bucs or Falcons have enough to hang with the Panthers?

- The AFC North race: Can Baltimore continue to make Pittsburgh nervous?

- The NFC East race: Will the Giants lose enough to give the Eagles and Redskins a chance?

5. These NFL 

happenings I have already heard too much about it and will continue to:

- Rex Grossman has to play a few games because Kyle Orton is hurt.

- Derek Anderson (pictured) is terrible and Cleveland made a decision they should have made in Week 4.

- The Colts and the Jags are playing below expectations. They've been playing that way for 8 weeks and probably will continue to.

- Anything about the Cowboys

(Photo Credits: AP)

Looking Back

With so many sports going on at once, how can you keep track of them all? You don't have to, but I will. Every Monday* I will look back and hit briefly upon the five story lines that stuck out from the previous weekend.

* Editor's note: I know it's Tuesday, and there are a few things in here for which I will say "look for it later." Look, I'm a student like you. I get busy. It will come.

1. The Philadelphia Phillies can pitch. Just look at the stat of the week. They've been absolutely abysmal with runners in scoring position, but it just goes to show that baseball can be traced back down to one golden rule: If you have pitching and defense, you can win almost every game. The Phillies have had a tremendous amount of both.

Look Tuesday and Wednesday for my World Series update and my thoughts on the rain situation.

2. Terps' ACC chances: Why not? They, like so many others, control their own destiny. I know they have a brutal schedule coming up: At VT, home for FSU and UNC, and on the road against always tough BC. This is a team that's a bit of a head case, though, and that's why I think they will win the ACC. Let me explain that.

If the Terps win the ACC Atlantic, they will win the ACC championship. In my opinion, UVA is going to fall off. They've done enough to establish that Maryland's loss to them was not a terrible loss by any means, but I think they will start to lose again. The next two contenders for the Coastal will be VT and UNC. If Maryland wins the Atlantic, it will be because they beat both of those teams. Maryland is the type of team that you can just tell says to itself, "Well I beat you once, I can do it again." Just my thoughts.

I'm not sure Maryland will win at VT next Thursday, but I do think they will win out at home. If they do, they will make it to the championship game. The FSU game is the important one.

3. BCS trouble is brewing. The BCS right now is absolutely praying that Penn State does not win out. If they do, there may be a fiasco.

The best case scenario is that Texas wins out, Penn State wins out, and Alabama loses bad to somebody they shouldn't.

After that, it gets scary. If UT, Bama, and PSU all win out, PSU is the third man there and doesn't play in the national championship. 

If Texas loses, for example to Texas Tech this week, assuming that Texas Tech doesn't win out, the only two BCS teams undefeated would be Alabama and PSU. However, if Texas loses in close fashion and beats the snot out of everyone else they play, there's a strong chance Texas plays in the national championship ahead of Penn State anyway.

If Alabama loses, but USC starts beating everyone by 50 again, there's a chance they could move ahead of PSU as well.

Of course, this not to mention the fact that Utah, Ball State, and Tulsa are all undefeated as well.

4. Predict for me right now who will be in the playoffs in the AFC, because you can only choose 6 out of 13 teams that are still very much in the hunt. Plus, there is only one guarantee. (It's the 7-0 team.)

What about Pittsburgh, you say? Let's say they lose at Washington on Monday night, which is certainly very plausible. And let's say the Ravens win at Cleveland this week, which is certainly very plausible. All of a sudden, the Steelers are only a game up on the Ravens, and have yet to play in Baltimore. (Pitt hasn't swept the season series since 2002.)

New England actually looks in the best position out of everyone else. At least they're finding a rhythm. Buffalo just lost to Miami. Nobody in the AFC West can play defense. It's kinda crazy.

Last note here: there are only 7 teams in the conference with a winning record right now. If the playoffs ended today, either the Jets or the Ravens would get in at 4-3 (please don't ask me to do tiebreakers.) That means that the Dolphins, Browns, Colts, Jags, Texans, and Chargers are only one game out with three wins. It's anybody's race.

Except for the Bengals, Chiefs, and Raiders.

5. The NFC BEast is back. Dallas beats a good Tampa team on the road. Philadelphia beats a good Atlanta team, and shows how good their offense can be with Brian Westbrook. The Skins didn't make it look pretty, but got the job done against the Lions. All the Giants did was waltz into Heinz Field and 

thoroughly outplay the Steelers. 

Because they might beat themselves up, the NFC South could still sneak in a wild card team. The NFC East removed all doubt this weekend, though, as to whether they were slipping. 

Big Weekend

On a weekend in college park that is officially signaling the arrival of autumn - it's supposed to rain all three days - you couldn't ask for too much more from the sporting community to entertain you as you're stuck indoors. Aforementioned playoff races are heating up in baseball, both in the AL Central and NL East/Wild Card, so look for that all weekend long.

If you're in College Park tonight, suck it up and get to Ludwig Field. The game between Number 1 Wake Forest and Number 2 Maryland Terrapins starts at 8 tonight. I know a few friends and I are getting there at 6:30 and are still concerned we might not get prime seating. Tyler will be in the press box for this one; look for his blog later tonight about it.

Saturday marks Maryland's first marquee matchup of the year: a dreaded trip to Death Valley to take on Clemson. Heather Dinich, who I had the pleasure of meeting last year for a pre-game broadcast about Terrapins football, is the full-time ACC football blogger for ESPN.com. She is predicting a Maryland upset. Let's hope. Kickoff is scheduled for noon. Around the rest of the country, you have three prime time match-ups of ranked teams playing each other. All four of Maryland's other ACC Atlantic opponents have non-conference games. 

Outside of the big game of the day in Washington at Dallas, Sunday looks pretty dull by comparison to how it has been the past few weeks. When SI.com's most watchable games of the weekend features a Gus Frerotte vs. Kerry Collins showdown at number 3, you know it's time to start looking forward to MNF.

And what a game it will be. But more on that later. I will be doing some live game commentary during the Clemson game tomorrow, so if you have any questions or anything of the sort during the game, leave a comment. Have a good weekend guys.