By Derek Arnold 

This Sunday, the Ravens travel to Charlotte for the second of three consecutive clashes with the NFC South.  They managed a 3-1 record against the AFC East this season, and after last week’s heartbreaking loss to Atlanta, that’s the best they can hope for against the other conference this year.  The Carolina Panthers offer a great opportunity to put the Falcons’ loss firmly in the rear view, and get back on the winning side of things.

Carolina has been bitten by the injury bug in an extreme fashion in 2010.  They are down to their third string running back, having lost both members of their very potent two-headed rushing attack.  DeAngleo Williams was just this week placed on season-ending IR with a foot arch injury, and Jonathan Stewart is dealing with a concussion.  Third stringer Mike Goodson put up 100 yards against Tampa last week, but is nowhere near the dynamic talent that Williams and Stewart are.  On top of that, the Ravens looked to have gotten their run defense shored up, holding Michael Turner to just 39 yards last Thursday.

Rookie defensive lineman Terrence Cody had his best game to date, racking up five tackles and doing a great job of clogging up the middle of the line.  Brandon McKinney has been a healthy scratch for the last two games, but many Ravens fans would much rather see Kelly Gregg as the inactive DL at this point.  “Buddy Lee” is having a sub-par year, and McKinney was playing very well before sitting out against Miami and Atlanta.  With Haloti Ngata, McKinney, and now Cody playing well, running the ball against the Ravens could suddenly be, if not quite as impossible as it’s been in the past, still quite a task.  Regardless, Goodson shouldn’t find much room on Sunday.

The Panthers are also banged up at quarterback.  They lost Matt Moore for the season with a torn labrum in his throwing shoulder, and rookie Jimmy Clausen is out against the Ravens due to a concussion.  Instead of going with the other rookie signal caller already on the roster, Tony Pike from Cincinnati, Carolina head coach John Fox decided to go instead with Brian St. Pierre, signed just this week.  If St. Pierre’s name sounds familiar, that’s because he was the Ravens’ 3rd-string QB in 2005.  In his 8-year NFL career, he has thrown just 5 passes.  Needless to say, the Pierre-led Panthers present the perfect opportunity for the Ravens to rebound after being gashed through the air by Matt Ryan last week.  While shutting down St. Pierre and the Carolina passing attack won’t impress anybody, it certainly beats the alternative, which would be making him look like Johnny Unitas, as they did with Ryan Fitzpatrick back in Week 7.

On the other side of the ball, the Ravens are dealing with their continuing struggles to get on the board early in road games.  It was a popular topic of conversation around Ravens blogs and B’More talk radio all week, and at this point there is no denying their troubling tendency to come out of the gates extremely lame.  While these slow starts have been something Joe Flacco has seemingly been prone to as a whole for at least the last two seasons, the problems are even more magnified on the road, where the Ravens offense averages just 1.2 points in the first quarter over their last 11 games.  The coaching staff is obviously well aware of the problem – at this point the burden falls on them to get it fixed.  While it’s nice to see Anquan Boldin going off on his offensive teammates on the sideline when they need it – especially when it results in a touchdown on the very next possession, as it did in Atlanta – that’s not the kind of thing you want to see from a playoff-bound team.  Much more preferable would be to never see those long stretches of anemic play from the offensive unit.

Again, Carolina offers the Ravens a chance to cure what ails them.  The Panthers have trailed by a touchdown or more at halftime in five of their nine games this season.  They boast the fifth-ranked pass defense in the NFL, but let’s not kid ourselves; those numbers are a direct result of teams jumping out to a comfortable lead and then spending the majority of the second half running the ball and killing the clock.  With the #27 run defense, the Panthers offer little resistance in that area, and Ray Rice and Willis McGahee should be in for big days.

As we do every time our boys clash with a clearly inferior opponent, we have to remind our fellow Ravens fans – many of whom still have visions of Miami in 2007 dancing through their heads – that this is the kind of game John Harbaugh’s teams just don’t lose.  While they nearly wet the bed against Buffalo, that performance was much more the exception than the rule.  At this point, the Panthers are basically fielding a junior varsity NFL team.  Seriously…Brian St. Pierre.  Joe Flacco, Joe Flacco’s backup (Mark Bulger), and even Joe Flacco’s backup’s backup (emergency quarterback Anquan Boldin) would give Carolina a better chance on Sunday.  Some Panthers fans are angry because they see the St. Pierre move as John Fox basically begging for an in-season firing.

Last year, December games against Chicago and Detroit offered the Ravens a great chance to pad their record, a chance which they took full advantage of.  This December’s slate is none so kind, but these final two games in November – at Carolina and at home against the Bucs – offer a similar opportunity for the 2010 Ravens.  To solidify their position going into a grueling stretch run over the season’s final five weeks, the Ravens need to rip off wins here over the next two.

There are 30 other teams who wish they were playing the Panthers this weekend.  There is absolutely no excuse for this game to even be close.

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Offensive Tackle

The Ravens signed Bryant McKinnie right before the season and he did a solid job at left tackle this year, though he declined down the stretch. However, McKinnie will be 33 this offseason and has a history of weight problems, hence why he was available right before the season. Michael Oher has proven to be so much better on the right side in his career (ironically for the star of the Blindside novel), so the Ravens should start looking for a new left tackle. Unfortunately, this is a weak class for left tackles and they don’t pick until 29, so they may have to settle for a developmental prospect. They drafted Jah Reid in the 3^rd round last year, but his long term future may be guard.

Middle Linebacker

Ray Lewis will return for the 2012 season, but there are no guarantees about 2013 for him. Remember, he’ll be 38 heading into that season. Even if he can stay play at a high level (wouldn’t doubt it), he just might not want to. Meanwhile, they lack a solid starter inside next to him when they go to a 3-4. Expect them to target a young linebacker, groom him next to Lewis and have him eventually take over in 2013 or 2014. Dont’a Hightower makes a lot of sense if he’s available at 29.

Rush Linebacker

It may sound weird because their 48 sacks was one of the highest totals in the league, but only Terrell Suggs had more than 5.5 sacks this season. When Suggs struggled in the playoffs, they couldn’t get to the quarterback. They need to find someone else capable for doing so. Jarrett Johnson is great in coverage and against the run, but isn’t much of a threat rushing the passer. He might not even be back anyway as he’s a free agent and may leave to join Chuck Pagano in Indianapolis. They need a capable pass rusher opposite Suggs.

 

Safety

It might sound unbelievable, but Ed Reed turns 34 in September. He’s had some injuries in his past so he might not be someone you can count on for 3-4 more years. They should look for a successor for him. In the meantime, they could use someone to play next to him. They missed Dawan Landry this season. Bernard Pollard was only good for injuring Rob Gronkowski and he’s a free agent anyway.

Center

Matt Birk is another aging player the Ravens have. The NFL’s Man of the Year, Birk turns 36 this offseason and, always a class act, has offered to train his eventual successor. They should try to find one through the draft.

Running Back

Ricky Williams is retired. However, they need someone to spell Ray Rice for a few carries per game, assuming Rice is resigned, but it sounds like he’ll be franchised so he should be back next season.

Guard

Ben Grubbs is another prominent free agent of the Ravens. They shelled out big bucks to Marshal Yanda opposite him last year and they might not be able to give Grubbs what he wants. If he leaves, 2011 3^rd round pick Jah Reid could be an internal replacement. If not, they may have to go external.

 

() FA Rank

QB Marc Bulger

RB Jalen Parmele

RB Matt Lawrence (exclusive rights)

FB Le’Ron McClain 

WR TJ Houshmanzadeh

OT Jared Gaither

OT Oniel Cousins

OT Tony Moll

G Marshal Yanda

G Chris Chester

G Bryan Mattison

NT Lamar Divens- resigned

NT Kelly Talavou

3-4 DE Haloti Ngata (#4)- franchised

Haloti Ngata is one bad dude. He’s 355 pounds and moves like a linebacker. He’s one of the best defensive linemen in the league and should be paid as such.

RLB Prescott Burgess

MLB Jameel McClain (exclusive rights)

MLB Dannell Ellerbe (exclusive rights)

MLB Tavares Gooden

CB Chris Carr (#49)

Carr broke out this season, just in time for a new contract. The Ravens front 7 play may have helped him out big time.

CB Josh Wilson

CB Fabian Washington

CB Cary Williams

S Dawan Landry

S Tom Zbikowski

S Haruki Nakamura

P Sam Koch- resigned 5 years

Offseason moves:

Resigned Lamar Divens

Franchised Haloti Ngata

Resigned Sam Koch

Draft

 

By Derek Arnold 

Well, if the Atlanta Falcons weren’t the worst team ever in the history of teams, the Ravens could be sitting in first place in the AFC North this morning without having yet even played a down in 2010. The Bengals came out looking like the Bungles of old against the Patriots before getting things together in the second half and making the final score a respectable 38-24, and the Browns were undone by two Jake Delhomme interceptions (raise your hands if you’re surprised…anyone? anyone?) down in Tampa. Pittsburgh, however, pulled another one out of their rear ends, winning despite going four full quarters without scoring a touchdown.

So the Ravens miss out on the ridiculously meaningless chance to enter their Monday Night showdown with the Jets with an early 0.5 game lead in the AFC North. No matter. At this point its all about results on the field anyway.

And those results will come after a week of jabber-jawing between these two teams, smack talk which is sure to continue well after the opening kickoff. The Ravens and Jets would be wise to keep the extracurriculars to a minimum, however, as the officiating crew set to watch over this one is the same group that was on the field for the FLAGSFLAGSFLAGSFLAGS Game, which saw an incredible 310 collective penalty yards. I think about 270 of those were Frank Walker’s though, so maybe we’ll be ok.

As long as the zebras let them play, this game could easily be the most smash-mouth, hard-hitting contest of Week 1. They say familiarity breeds contempt, and if that holds true, the hate will be palpable on the field in East Rutherford Monday Night. The Jets’ roster and coaching staff are, as has been well documented, littered with former Ravens.

However, some important things have changed since guys like Rex Ryan, Bart Scott, and Jim Leonhard left B’More. Most notably are the emergence of Ray Rice as a budding superstar, and the addition of some other quality weapons to Joe Flacco’s arsenal, including wide receivers Anquan Boldin and T.J. Houshmandzadeh, and tight end Ed Dickson. The threat of the 3-headed monster Ravens’ backfield still exists as it did when Rex was still going up against the Ravens’ O in practice every day, but the Ravens have since obviously put much more effort into becoming a team that can more efficiently move the football through the air.

Moving the ball in general Monday night, whether through the air or on the ground, will prove difficult against Rex’s Jets.

New York had the #1 defense in the NFL in 2009, #1 against the pass and #8 against the run. That scary-good pass defense has the potential to be even better in 2010, having been bolstered by the offseason acquisitions of cornerbacks Antonio Cromartie and Kyle Wilson, a rookie out of Boise State. As everyone has heard 10,000 times by now, they will also be with Darrelle Revis, thought by many to be the best CB in the league. Flacco and all his fancy new weapons will have their work cut out for them.

Surprisingly, even with Rex’s complex blitz schemes, the Jets had only 32 sacks in 2009, the same number as the Ravens (tied for 18th in the NFL). While the numbers don’t really back up the reputation of the Jets as a get-after-the-passer type team, the Ravens have some questions on the offensive line that make us uneasy regardless. Jared Gaither’s back issues will keep him out, and Oniel Cousins is still dealing with some headaches after suffering a concussion in the preseason, but is expected to start at right tackle. If his noggin starts to hurt, or if his play is poor, the Ravens will likely move right guard Marshal Yanda to right tackle, and insert Chris Chester at right guard. This may be the safest course of action anyway, but the Ravens seem willing to start with Yanda in his more natural spot. If Cousins is effective, this is easily the Ravens’ strongest offensive line alignment in Gaither’s absence.

The Ravens have shown a fair amount of the “slow-hurry” no-huddle offense during the preseason, and Flacco looked very comfortable doing so, especially against the New York Giants. This is something that Ravens fans can attest Rex Ryan’s defenses always struggle to defend against. The issue will be whether or not Flacco can run this offense in what is sure to be an extremely loud New Meadowlands Stadium. He has used a silent snap count in the past, and while it will be a challenge, it could still be the best kryptonite to counter the Jets’ defense.

On the other side of the ball, its surprising how everyone is still talking up the Jets’ rushing attack, which was also #1 in the league last year, despite leading rusher Thomas Jones departing for Kansas City. Sure, Shonn Green may be able to step in and seamlessly continue Gang Green’s dominant ground attack, but let’s make him prove it before we go ahead and just assume they will be as effective this season as last. I’d feel much better about the Ravens defense against this Jets rushing attack were rookie Terrence “Mount” Cody playing. Cody will miss the game with knee issues, and Kelly Gregg will have to play like the Buddy Lee of old to make up for the giant rookie’s absence. Stopping the Jets running game, especially if the offense can jump out and put some points up early, will put the game squarely on the shoulders of second-year quarterback Mark Sanchez, which, conventional wisdom suggests, plays right into B’More’s hands.

Sanchez was just good enough as a rookie, getting his team to the AFC Championship despite throwing 20 picks to just 12 touchdowns, with a QB rating of 63.0. This preseason he hasn’t looked any better, throwing 2 scores and 2 interceptions. Much ado has been made of the Ravens’ issues in the secondary, but it hasn’t looked all that bad so far in the “fake” games. With the potential return of Lardarius Webb, a game-time decision, the chance is there for the Ravens to lock down the Jets’ passing game, which will be missing perennial Raven-killer (while he was in Pittsburgh) Santonio Holmes, who is suspended for the first four games.

More concerning has been the play of the linebackers against the pass. Jets’ tight end Dustin Keller caught 45 passes in 2008, and could cause the Ravens problems. The best defense against Keller may be to crank up the pass rush on Sanchez, so that they are forced to keep their tight ends in to block, much as the Ravens have been forced to do with Todd Heap in the past.

The build-up to this game has been a bit extreme, and admittedly probably tiresome for fans that don’t quite care for these two teams (which, if we’re honest, is MOST NFL fans). Like Ray, we’re all just ready to see them “strap up their chinstraps” at this point.

The Jets seem all too willing to take the torch from the Ravens as the league’s most brash, heaviest trash-talking, and generally universally despised team. What better way to officially pass said torch than to treat the Nation to a very public shutting-up of Rex and his yet-to-win-anything squad?

http://www.bmorebirdsnest.com/ 

 

By Derek Arnold 

Just four days after dispatching of “the other” other quarterback taken in the first two rounds of the 2008 Draft, Chad Henne (to the point that he was benched), Joe Flacco has the chance to take on the guy with which his fortunes will be forever linked and compared, fellow 2008 first round draft pick Matt Ryan.

While Ryan is in no danger of suffering a Henne-like benching no matter how bad the Ravens may (hopefully) make him look Thursday night, it would no doubt mean a lot to Joe to take a 1-0 series lead over the Atlanta franchise savior.

Like Flacco, Ryan has started since day one, making those formerly sad-sack Falcons fans forget all about Mike Vick and his endless string of “Bad Newz.” Those old stories about the Ravens wanting Ryan, and nearly trading up to take him, in the 2008 draft have resurfaced again this week. Regardless of how much truth there is in these “war room legends,” the fact remains that both Baltimore and Atlanta are extremely satisfied with their young signal callers.

The two have nearly identical stats through their first two-plus years in the league…eerily similar, some would say:

Flacco: 8501 yards, 47 TD, 30 INT, 85.8 QB Rating, 26-14 Regular Season, 3-2 Playoffs
Ryan: 8305, 51, 30, 85.7, 26-12, 0-1

Ridiculously similar production, both in stats and in wins. The two also both became the first rookie quarterbacks to start all 16 games for their teams during a season in which they qualified for the post-season.

Enough history, though.

While “Flacco vs. Ryan” is the main event headliner that the NFL is using to drum up interest in this game, I’ve got a sneaking suspicion that the guys who are truly going to decide the outcome of this match up are the guys on the undercard. Namely….

Ray Rice/Willis McGahee vs. Michael Turner/Jason Snelling

While both quarterbacks are taking greater control of their respective offenses here in their third years, the ground games are still the straws that stir the drink in both B’More and Hotlanta.

For the Ravens, Ray Rice and Willis McGahee have combined for 1121 yards from scrimmage (837 rushing, 284 receiving) and seven touchdowns (6 rushing, 1 receiving.) Throw in Le’Ron “Spit Train” McClain and you can tack on another 146 total yards.

For the Falcons, Michael Turner and Jason Snelling have put up 1172 yards from scrimmage (974 rushing, 198 receiving) and eight touchdowns (7 rushing, 1 receiving.)

That’s some impressive productions out of the backfields for both squads.

While the Ravens inched back into the upper half of the NFL in run defense on the heels of holding the Miami Dolphins to just 73 yards, we’re not quite convinced that they’ve gotten things totally straightened out. Perhaps the Dolphins’ opening drive, during which Ronnie Brown completely gashed the Ravens’ defense, was really just a result of them knocking the rust off after the bye week, but there’s no way to really know, since Miami inexplicably had abandoned the running game by the second quarter.

Turner stands 5’10” and weighs in at 244 lbs. Think Peyton Hillis of the Browns…but faster. I’ll wait while you go get a drink…

Back with me? Alright then.

Coming out of the bye, the Ravens paid lip service to the fact that they addressed their run gap coverage and tackling issues during the extra week. Then they came out and were immediately dressed in a clown suit by Ronnie Brown. They’ll have to prove that they really did patch up those gaping holes in the ground game on Thursday, because the Falcons won’t be nearly as quick to stop feeding Turner the rock as Miami was with Brown.

Not that things get any easier once Turner is slowed down. The Falcons have one of the best wide receivers in the NFL in Roddy White. Even though he was banged up last week against Tampa and missed practice this week, White is expected to play. White at even 70 or 80% is a formidable challenge for this Ravens secondary. Josh Wilson is expected to start in place of Fabian Washington, who has found his way to the bench in each of the last two games. Wilson played strongly against Buffalo and Miami. Lardarius Webb has been uneven so far in 2010, getting beat for a long pass along the sideline by Brian Hartline last week.

The Falcons also have All-World tight end Tony Gonzalez. Although he’s getting a bit long in the tooth, Gonzalez is still a big part of what the Falcons do offensively, especially if White isn’t playing at full strength. The hope here is that Ryan is unprepared for the master ballhawk that is Ed Reed, and that Reed is able to bait him into a bad throw or two.

Just in case I have to completely spell it out for you after all that – I’m not at all convinced that the Ravens can stifle the Atlanta attack. I think holding them in the lower 20s for the game should be considered a minor victory. Now, whether or not that minor victory can translate into a true victory in the standings will rest on the shoulders of the offense.

We’ve heard since summer that this was supposed to be the year that the Ravens’ offense can step up and bail the defense out. Thursday night in Atlanta should be a prime opportunity for the O to put up or shut up.

The Falcons defense is tough to figure out. They’re small and fast on the defensive line and in the linebacking corps, leading Sun columnist Mike Preston to predict that the Ravens will have no problem pushing them around and controlling the ball, clock, and game. However, as fellow Sun writer Jamison Hensley points out, the Falcons have gone from the 26th ranked defense against the run to the 6th over their past six games. Unlike the Ravens, who so far just SAY they’ve figured out this run defense thing, with the Falcons, the numbers back up that claim.

The secondary is equally schizophrenic. They are ranked 26th, giving up over 250 yards per game. Despite that, they are tied for 3rd in the NFL with 13 interceptions. Flacco hasn’t thrown a pick in 129 passes, the longest streak of his career; however, those who watched the Bills and Dolphins games know that there were certainly a few during those 129 that could have easily been picked off. The Falcons don’t drop interceptions, so Flacco will have to earn it if he wishes that streak to continue.

This was a game that, at the start of the season, many Ravens fans had circled as a loss.  Nothing that either team has done through the first eight games can justifiably alter that prediction.  A short week, going on the road, playing against a fellow Super Bowl hopeful, with a quarterback who is 17-1 all-time in his home stadium, in an environment (dome) where they are historically dismal (2-9 all time).  If the Ravens are to win this game, they’ll have to overcome a lot of things that aren’t working in their favor.

Which will make it all the sweeter when they do.

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OT Levy Adcock (Oklahoma State)

G Brandon Brooks (Miami-OH)

CB Ron Brooks (LSU)

MLB Zach Brown (North Carolina)

G Gino Gradkowski (Delaware)

S Brandon Hardin (Oregon State)

WR Stephen Hill (Georgia Tech)

CB Buddy Jackson (Pittsburgh)

WR A.J. Jenkins (Illinois)

RLB Cam Johnson (Virginia)

C Ben Jones (Georgia)

MLB Mychal Kendricks (California)

CB Dre Kirkpatrick (Alabama)

C Peter Konz (Wisconsin)

RB Isaiah Pead (Cincinnati)

CB Josh Robinson (UCF)

WR Nelson Rosario (UCLA)

S Phillip Thomas (Syracuse)

MLB Bobby Wagner (Utah State)

 

 

27. CB Jimmy Smith A-

The Ravens made this pick at 27 instead of 26 because a botched trade with Eugene Levy…er Jerry Angelo and the Bears forced them to go over their time on the clock. However, I’m not holding that against them because they still got their guy and it wasn’t even their fault. Smith fits the range well, but I had Brandon Harris rated higher as a cornerback. I also didn’t have cornerback rated that highly as a need. They may only have two under contract, but they’re either going to resign Chris Carr or sign Nnamdi Asomugha so they’d really only need a 4^th cornerback. Yes, you can never have enough corners and a trio of Lardarius Webb (assuming he’s healthy), Carr/Asomugha, and Smith is pretty nice, but I think their pass rush was the bigger problem with their pass defense. Outside of Terrell Suggs and Haloti Ngata, they managed just 11.5 sacks. That’s not very many. They desperately needed a 3^rd pass rusher.

58. WR Torrey Smith B

I think Smith was a reach by about a round here, though people obviously disagree with me. I don’t like his inconsistent production and small hands. However, there’s no denying he fills a need for them as a speedy receiver to stretch the field.

85. OT Jah Reid C-

Right tackle was definitely a need, as was right guard and Reid can play either of those positions. I just don’t get using a 3^rd rounder on him. I had a 5^th round grade on him. Also, I don’t like that they traded up for him.

123. WR Tandon Doss A-

Two receivers? Well I don’t hate it. Their receiving corps are pretty thin, but they had other needs. They need to get a 3^rd pass rusher. Doss is a good value at this point though.

164. CB Chykie Brown B-

More cornerback depth here. They had other needs, but given that they technically only have 2 cornerbacks signed for next year, adding 2 cornerbacks in one draft isn’t a terrible idea. Also, Brown fits the range.

165. 3-4 DE Pernell McPhee C+

Well this is a pass rusher and McPhee fits the range, I just don’t think he fits the 3-4 scheme at all.

180. QB Tyrod Taylor B-

A backup quarterback shouldn’t have been high on their list, but Marc Bulger is probably gone as a free agent so this makes some sense even though he’s a minor reach.

225. RB Anthony Allen A

Willis McGahee probably will be gone this offseason so they need another power back to spell Ray Rice.

Overall:

This was a pretty solid draft. Only the Jah Reid selection was a major reach and at least they filled a need with that one. I would have liked to have seen them grab a 3^rd pass rusher along with Terrell Suggs and Haloti Ngata rather than taking two cornerbacks, but Jimmy Smith in the first round was an above average pick. Torrey Smith was a reach in the 2^nd round, but he fits their needs like a glove. There was nothing amazing about this draft, but it wasn’t bad either.

Grade: B

 

By Derek Arnold

This week, the Ravens play their third straight game against an NFC South opponent, taking on the upstart Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Many Ravens fans had circled this game as a win coming into the season, as the Bucs were coming off a 3-13 2009 season, and have the youngest roster in the NFL. Tampa, however, has surprised so far in 2010, matching the Ravens’ 7-3 record, and look to be no walkovers on Sunday. The Ravens should still be able to pick up their eighth win of the year, but this game will be much tougher than we had hoped for when looking ahead to it back in September.

On paper, the Bucs’ offense doesn’t look too intimidating, as they are just 23rd in the NFL in yards per game. Second year quarterback Josh Freeman, though, has been deceivingly efficient, throwing 14 touchdowns to go with only 5 interceptions and 1 lost fumble, good for a QB rating of 92.0 – just 0.1 behind Joe Flacco. Rookie wide receiver Mike Williams leads the team in receiving, with 43 catches for 681 yards and 6 touchdowns. The Ravens secondary, after basically a week off in Carolina last week, will have to be on top of their game, and prove that they can at least stop a good — if not elite — quarterback.

Where Freeman and the rest of the Tampa offense should really give the Ravens and their fans a case of post-Thanksgiving indigestion, though, is on the ground. Freeman is a horse at 6’6″ 250, and can really hurt opposing defenses with his feet. He has 236 rushing yards this season, and averages over 6 every time he decides to take off. Even more dangerous is rookie running back LeGarrette Blount. Blount, the former Oregon Duck (you remember him, right?), is a 6’0 247 lb. battering ram, and is averaging 4.4 yards per carry since the Bucs started really working him into the offense about five weeks ago. Throw in Carnell “Cadillac” Williams, a big threat catching passes out of the backfield, and the Ravens front seven will have their hands full this week.

Blount is like a more athletic Peyton Hillis, who torched the Ravens in Week 3 for Cleveland. The Ravens looked like they had gotten their run defense fixed two weeks ago in Atlanta, completely shutting down Michael Turner. Last week, though, Mike Goodson of the Carolina Panthers went for 120 yards against them. The outcome of this one will depend heavily on the Ravens’ run defense, and they’ll need to perform much better than they did in Charlotte to contain the Bucs’ much more potent attack.

I had hoped to devote an entire post this week to thoughts on fixing the run defense, but I found some other things to write about instead. So I’ll have to just spitball a bit here in the preview…

First off, Brandon McKinney should be back on the field. McKinney played in seven games earlier this year, and started four, but has been a healthy scratch the last three contests. He played very well when he was in there, and could be an asset for this team down the stretch.

Who does McKinney replace?

It may be sacrilege to Ravens fans, but I’d nominate Kelly Gregg. “Buddy Lee” is having his worst season, and at this point is a liability to this defense. He’s a fan favorite, but it may be time to give #97 a game or two off.

The next guy who could help bottle up Blount is Dannell Ellerbe. Ellerbe, whose specialty is being a run stuffer at the linebacker position, has apparently made his way into the infamous John Harbaugh “doghouse,” after some special teams penalties. Ellerbe, like McKinney, hasn’t been active since the Buffalo game. Not only are these two very good at helping shut down opposing running backs, but they should also both have very fresh legs. Keep an eye on the inactive list Sunday morning – if these two are on it, I’d be very disappointed, and that much more worried.

Regardless who is active on the defense, the entire unit needs to tackle better. Freeman and Blount will be licking their chops in film study this week seeing the Ravens’ dismal tackling of late. Keeping the yards after contact down will be especially crucial on Sunday against the physical runners the Bucs showcase.

Offensively, Joe Flacco and the rest of the Ravens will look to continue the kind of performance they put up in the first half of the Carolina game, and put the second half of that contest behind them. Remember, despite the 37 points put up by the team, the Ravens managed only two offensive touchdowns against the Panthers. Fortunately, they’re generally better at home, having put up 31, 37, and 26 points in their last three at The Big Crabcake. Flacco has eight touchdowns and no interceptions at home this season (although defenders have dropped should-be interceptions on at least three occasions), and will look to continue that trend against a Tampa squad that is tied for second in the NFL with 15 picks.

The Bucs’ ability to force turnovers helps mask their deficiencies in run defense, where they rank 29th, giving up over 136 yards per game. Ray Rice and Willis McGahee should be in for big games, though at this point I’m not still delusional enough to think that Cam Cameron will come into the game with a plan of anything but something along the lines of “we’re going to pass the ball because they THINK we’re going to run it!” I can’t help but think back to the Buffalo game – the Bills came into B’More with the league’s worst run defense, and the Ravens’ first possession went: pass, pass, pass, punt. Tampa can’t stop the run, has very strong cornerbacks in Ronde Barber and Aqib Talib, and thrives on interceptions, so needless to say I expect a similar ass-backwards attack from Cam as the one we saw against Buffalo (at least prior to the Bills playing “light up the scoreboard.”) Hopefully the Ravens have enough talent running routes and throwing the football to move the ball and get into the end zone in spite of the guy calling in the plays.

With this game getting “flexed” by the NFL and moved to a 4:15 start from it’s original 1:00 slot, game time temperatures will drop significantly. Currently, the forecast calls for a high temperature of about 47 degrees on Sunday, which will likely have the mercury dipping near 40 by the time the second half rolls around. Historically, Tampa is awful in the cold; the franchise didn’t win their first game that featured sub-40 degree temperatures at kickoff until their Super Bowl season of 2002. As a Ravens fan who will be sitting at M&T Bank Stadium shivering, I’ll gladly plan on piling on an extra layer if it means the Ravens have even a slightly better chance of emerging victorious. If Mother Nature is on our side Sunday, all the better.

We’ll likely know by game time whether or not Pittsburgh pushes their record to 8-3, as they play at 1 PM. They are in Buffalo, so most likely the Ravens will need this win to keep pace in the division. Moreover, the Ravens need to win this game regardless of what the Steelers do, as the rest of the schedule doesn’t get any easier. If they can’t defeat this feisty but inexperienced (and, truthfully, overachieving) Bucs squad on their own turf, what chance do we really give them against the likes of Pittsburgh and New Orleans here, and Houston and Cleveland teams on the road?

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By Derek Arnold 

If I told you that Todd Heap caught a 65-yard touchdown pass, what would you immediately imagine?

Most likely a 2003 vintage Brian Billick “jump ball” type play where Heap simply out leaps about four defenders in the end zone and comes down with the score, right?

Certainly, you wouldn’t picture Heap catching a 25-yard pass and then turning on his “jets” and outrunning an entire secondary for the next 40 yards to paydirt.  Well, that’s exactly what happened in the second quarter on Sunday.  The Bucs forgot to cover Heap, Joe Flacco’s eyes lit up, and he hit “The Stormin’ Mormon” at about the Bucs’ 40 yard line.  From there, instead of what we’re used to seeing from (goes down in a ) HEEEEEEEEEEEAP, Todd made a beeline for the goalline and the longest play of his career put the Ravens up for good.

It was 10-3 at that point, and the Ravens would never look back.  Joe Flacco would find Derrick Mason from 10 yards out on the very next possession, and the 17-3 halftime lead was all B’More would need on this day.

Mason’s touchdown came at the end of half during which he was targeted a ridiculous 14 times by Flacco.  The obvious reaction to this from fans and media alike is that Mason’s tantrum during the fourth quarter of last week’s Carolina game (when he reportedly grabbed Joe’s facemask before teammates separated the two) paid immediate dividends.  John Harbaugh and the Ravens’ official stance was, and will be, simply that the Bucs’ were doubling Anquan Boldin, leaving Mason singled up on his side of the field.

On the surface, this explanation makes some sense.  The FOX broadcast team repeatedly pointed out how Bucs’ CB Aqib Talib was giving Mason a very large cushion, one that the cagey veteran was all too happy to exploit on comeback route after sideline route after hook route in front of Talib, who is extremely talented, but only in his third professional season.

The extent of Talib’s talent was on full display earlier in the second quarter. He jumped in front of T.J. Houshmandzadeh, had Joe Flacco’s pass bounce off his chest initially, then proceeded to cradle the ball between his calves while falling to the ground before pulling it to his chest for the interception and returning it to the Ravens’ 36-yard line.  It was Flacco’s first interception at M&T Bank Stadium since the heartbreaking pick he threw at the end of the Indianapolis game in Week 11 of 2009.

That’s right, it had been over a full calendar year since Joe Flacco threw an interception at home.  Keep hating, haters.

Anyway, back to Mason.  While the company line seems to check out on the surface, one has to wonder if Mason’s demanding of the ball directly impacted the team’s – and more importantly Joe’s – plans going into the game.

The fact is, Cam Cameron is still trying to figure out how to get the ball in the hands of all of the Ravens’ offensive weapons.  Mason wants the rock.  Housh wants the rock.  We saw what a finally healthy Todd Heap can still provide.  And we’ve yet to even mention the team’s big offseason signing, Anquan Boldin.  Boldin was the forgotten man in the first half, but then the very first play of the second was a quick pass to him – so you wonder if #81 may have had some words for his quarterback and/or offensive coordinator during the intermission.

The most frustrating thing for we fans is that, despite all of those aforementioned weapons, the offense continues to bog down time after time.  They only managed two offensive touchdowns in Carolina, and matched that number yesterday.  In fact, the Ravens managed points in only the second quarter Sunday, going scoreless in the first, third, and final periods.  Let’s not take anything away from Tampa’s defense, who were coming off a shutout on the road in San Francisco, but many had hoped that this would be the “epiphany” game that Ravens fans have been waiting for – and had really hoped to see materialize prior to the Pittsburgh contest.

Well, it obviously wasn’t.

In the first quarter, the Ravens squandered some great field position, going scoreless despite starting their second drive on the Tampa 47-yard line.  After starting on the Bucs’ 41, they managed only a 45-yard Billy Cundiff field goal.  On Mason’s touchdown – the team’s second and final of the day – the team would have again been forced to settle for a field goal were it not for an extremely questionable pass interference call that set them up with 1st-and-goal from the 10.

In the second half, they had a 76-yard touchdown on a screen pass to Ray Rice nullified by an illegal block penalty (also highly questionable) on Boldin.  Other than that, they never – NOT ONCE IN THE ENTIRE SECOND HALF – moved the ball even as far as Tampa territory until their final possession, when they were simply trying to run out the clock.  There was absolutely no sense of urgency, and certainly no indications that they were trying to put the game away with another score or two.  The final seven-point margin of victory was the result.

And so, this is the point where we put on our purple glasses, cross our fingers, and hope that the Ravens’ offense is simply “playing possum” going into the critical match up with the Steelers, at which point Cam will UNLEASH THE FURY!

Right?

Ugh…

Anyway, let’s talk defense for a minute.  As worried as we were about LeGarrette Blount running roughshod over the Ravens, they held him largely in check.  The big rookie managed only 55 yards on 13 carries, with a long of 16.  And as nervous as big Josh Freeman had us, the Ravens did a great job of rattling the second-year quarterback, flushing him out of the pocket and making him throw on the run all night long.  Fortunately, he was off the mark far more often than not.  Although they were unable to register a sack, the constant pressure was very encouraging.  This week, they face old nemesis Ben Roethlisberger, who isn’t as fleet-of-foot as Freeman, but who is much more accurate throwing on the move.  They’ll have to do a better job of getting him on the ground than they did with the Bucs’ QB.

On the whole though, it was a strong showing from the defense.  Despite another poor tackling effort (something it appears we’re just going to have to live – and cringe – along with in 2010), the Ravens, for all intents and purposes, held the Bucs to just three points until “junk time.”  Even those three points were set up by the Talib interception, which gave them a short field to work with.

Unfortunately, the win did not come at no cost to the team.  Starters Le’Ron McClain, Dawan Landry, and Michael Oher all left the game with injuries.  Landry sustained a concussion on a vicious hit on Tampa running back Cadillac Williams.  As long as he can pass his concussion tests later in the week, he’ll be good to go Sunday.  Though it looked to be much worse initially, Oher’s injury is being reported – to this point – as simply a sprained knee.  McClain’s injury may be the most serious.  “Pain Train” was blocking on the kick return after the Tampa field goal in the second quarter, when his ankle was rolled up on.  On the play, David Reed brought the ball out from 6 yards deep in the end zone; if he just does as he is most likely taught there – down it for a touchback – McClain’s injury never happens.  Annoying, but that’s the game, and the injury did occur.  With any luck, it’s a run-of-the-mill ankle sprain, and Le’Ron will be back very soon.  With no luck, we’ll be referring to #33 as not “Pain Train” but as Le’Ron “High Ankle Sprain” McClain for who knows how many more weeks.

Let’s hope for a speedy recovery for all three, as a loss of key players couldn’t come at a worse time.

Once again, a Ravens win came with very few style points.  The substance though, of 8-3, cannot be understated.  If they manage another win next Sunday exactly like this one, I’ll be absolutely ecstatic, won’t you?

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