Ravens' Clubhouse

Late Round Sleepers In This Year’s Draft

admin — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Every year the NFL draft contains a lot of late round sleepers. A sleeper is a player who was not valued too highly by teams but is poised by have an immediate impact on the league.

One of the NFL sleepers this year is Colin McCarthy. McCarthy is a linebacker drafted by the Tennessee Titans to fill their linebacker hole. This player is a steal as a late round sleeper as he adds versatility to a defense desperately in need of it. His pursuit of the football is unmatched by any other linebacker taken late in the draft. Due to this, the Titans got themselves a steal with a late round sleeper pick.

Another sleeper pick is Kendall Hunter. Hunter played collegiate football at Oklahoma State University. This versatile running back was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers to backup Frank Gore. Hunter’s ability to hit the hole as quick as most running backs coupled with great elusiveness makes Hunter a player to watch for years to come. The 49ers really stole Hunter by drafting him in the late rounds.

Be sure to check out these sleepers next year. They are incredible talents that slipped to a later round and could have immediate impact.

Who The Ravens Will Draft And Why

admin — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Many people are wondering, who the Ravens will draft and why? Jimmy Smith was drafted as CB, Jimmy was chosen, because of his height, as well as his speed, which landed him the the draft, as corner back. Torrey Smith, was drafted as WR; Torrey was chosen because of his size, speed, as well as being a hard worker. Jah Reid was drafted as OT, Jah was chosen because he uses his size well, he also has a good work ethic. Tandon Doss has also been drafted as a WR, Tandon was chosen because of his polished route running, quickness as well as being very mature. Next up is Chykie Brown, also drafted as CB; Chykie was chosen because, he can quickly close when the football is in air. Pernell Mcphee has been drafted as DE, Pernell was chosen because he is hard working, he can also fit in the 4-3 or the 3-4 defensive fronts. Up next is Tyrod Taylor drafted as QB, Tyrod was chosen because, of his quick release and strong arm. Last but, not least is Anthony Allen as RB, Anthony was chosen because, of his power and toughness. Very good picks if you ask me!Still bored? Click to continue: Jimmy Smith suffers groin injury at Ravens practice

Three Position Needs To Fill In Free Agency

admin — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Free agency has opened for the season, and the Baltimore Ravens are looking to fill some holes in their roster.

The team needs to improve its pass-rush. Haloti Ngata and Terrell Suggs can both generate significant pressure, but the defense needs more variety. Teams can scheme to stop Ngata and Suggs. A new pass-rusher doesn’t need to be a superstar, but they should be able to collect six to eight sacks.

The right side of the offensive line needs at least one starter and some quality backups. Right tackle does not have a clear starter, but the Ravens did manage to resign Marshal Yanda for right guard. Although Yanda can play right tackle, he is a better fit at guard.

The secondary needs to replace Josh Wilson at cornerback, and Dawan Landry may leave at safety. The depth at cornerback could also be improved. The division tends to be run-heavy, but the Ravens have faced potent passing attacks in the playoffs.

Baltimore is relatively close to the salary cap, and the team rarely spends big in free agency. Ozzie Newsome should continue to focus on the team’s own free agents and possibly pick up some second-tier players from other teams.

An Ode to Baltimore: Best Films and TV Shows

admin — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0000

You love the Ravens, that’s a given, but odds are you love Baltimore just as much. It’s the offseason now and there’s little to watch in the way of football so how about you keep an eye out on your direct satellite programming for one of these great shows and movies shot in Charm City?
The Wire – The now defunct HBO masterpiece, The Wire is possibly the best ode to Baltimore yet on film. If you like to know more about the gritty underbelly of the city, this is your show – keep an eye out for old episodes.
Enemy of the State – Who doesn’t love a good military crime drama? This film stars Will Smith as a literal enemy of the state and with looks like his, you’d be running too.
Ace of Cakes – In for something lighter? Duff Goldman and crew work on cake masterpieces in their shop right in the heart of Baltimore and drive them all over town. Catch it on the Food Network.
Ladder 49 – Not John Travolta’s best work but a decent movie, nonetheless. Firefighters, Baltimore and drama? Why not spend an afternoon checking this one out?

Time To Be Concerned?

www.ravensclubhouse.com — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Not to say the Ravens have had a rough season by conventional standards, after all, any time an NFL team qualifies for the playoffs it’s tough to look a gift horse in the mouth. Not to mention, the Ravens only Super Bowl in 2000 came on a wildcard bid, actually faring worse in postseason history when winning the AFC North outright. Still, while the total wins and losses might not be cause for concern among the Baltimore faithful, who those wins and losses came against, under a closer microscope, may temper optimism in regards to the probability of a deep playoff run.The Ravens are one of the better teams in the league, of this we can be certain, but better teams don’t walk away with the end of the season hardware. No, the Lombardi Trophy is reserved for the best of the best, and thus far this season, the Ravens have not demonstrated the ability to beat the best teams. Perhaps as close to an elite squad as you can find, when matched up against the true top teams in the NFL, the Falcons, Patriots and Steelers (the toughest divisional competition, for argument’s sake), the Ravens posted a dubious 1-3 record, the sole win coming in week 4 against a Steelers squad with Charlie Batch under center.Yet all 4 games were painfully close, losing to New England in overtime, giving up a go-ahead TD to the Atlanta with :20 left and another to Pittsburgh in the final 3 minutes. This would lead one to believe to the talent is there to compete with anybody in either conference, rather a question of grit and resolve as the time ticks of the clock. The 2009 New Orleans Saints found a way to win close games (eerily reminiscent of the 2010 Falcons actually), as it’s NFL tradition for the funny shaped ball to bounce favorably towards all soon-to-be champions. So far, the Ravens luck has been something of out of an Edgar Allen Poe story. Then again, perhaps luck only has so much to do with it. Ultimately, it comes down to clutch coaching decisions and player execution, two areas the Ravens will need to show marked improvement if they hope to turn a good season into a great one.

Give Us More Flacc’

admin — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 17:35:15 +0000

Joe Flacco has by all expectations exceeded his billing when plucked as the Ravens‘ heir apparent at starting quarterback. A relative unknown to mainstream fans when selected out of the University of Delaware with the 18^th pick in the 2008 Draft, the Ravens thrust Flacco into the starting role, as incumbent starter Kyle Boller suffered a season ending injury. To the surprise of pundits across the country, Flacco, along with Matt Ryan of the Falcons accomplished the improbably by leading their respective squads to post season berths as rookie quarterbacks, with first year head coaches to boot. Though not putting up mind-blowing numbers in his first NFL year under center, Flacco maximized the team’s efficiency by committing few turnovers and relying on a run heavy offense mixed with dominant defensive play. Overall, Flacco connected on 60 of his passes for 2,971 yards as rookie, striking for 14 scores next to just 12 picks. Flacco surprised the league with his mobility at 6’6”, scrambling for another 180 yards, including a 38-yard rushing TD in his professional debut. Season 2 saw more of the same, with Flacco needing to only post competent totals to ensure the Raven’s success. In his sophomore season, Flacco improved his numbers noticeably, increasing his completion percentage to 63 despite throwing 70 more passes in an increasingly airborne offense. His yardage total rose to 3,613, while tagging on an extra 7 passing TDs and mirroring his low interception total, bringing his 2009 TD:INT ration to 21:12.Year 3 however, should see Flacco climb the mantle as one of the elite passers in the NFL. Already blessed with the natural skill and decision making, as evidenced by his early success, Flacco has thus far only been limited by a conservative offensive scheme and lack of depth at WR. The signing of Anquan Boldin, who’s spent his entire career making catches for the Arizona Cardinals, gives Flacco his first ever legitimate 1 wideout, with the top receiver of the last two years, Derrick Mason, sliding over to a more appropriate number 2 position. With QB-friendly Ray Rice coming out of the backfield, Flacco should have plenty of options choose from as the Ravens take advantage of their new toy and air it out a whole lot more this coming season.

AFC North Division Preview (Part II)

admin — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 17:29:15 +0000

3. Pittsburgh Steelers (2009: 9-7) With Big Ben suspended, the Steelers look to get off to a rocky start. Still, it’s never wise to count the Steelers out, proven to be the division’s most reliable winners over the past decade. This simply may not be the Steelers’ year however as Hines Ward turned 34 this off-season and Santonio Holmes has landed in ‘green’-er pastures with the Jets. Rookie receiver out of Ole Miss, Mike Wallace, showed some signs of promise but with a QB transition midseason inevitable, it may prove difficult to get the offense clicking until it’ too late. Perhaps the true fate of the Steelers upcoming season lies out of their hands entirely. Commissioner Roger Goodell has hinted in recent weeks that he may be willing to reduce Roethlisberger’s suspension from its current 6 game span to begin the season, pending good behavior of course. The quarterback who has now matched his Super Bowl rings with sexually charged scandals (currently sitting at 2 apiece), has “been doing what he’s been asked to do and frankly more,” according to Goodell, with many speculating the suspension could be cut to 4 games. With Byron Leftwich at the helm, a speedy return is essential to maintain any reasonable shot at post season aspirations. Some Pittsburgh faithful cling to tempered hope based on Leftwich’s solid back-up performance spelling Roethlisberger in the 2008 season. Such foolish optimists need only ask Atlanta, Jacksonville and Tampa fans how a Leftwich-led team turns out. 4. Cleveland Browns (2009: 5-11) Not-so-bold prediction of the season: The Browns will lose the AFC North. Though Colt McCoy might provide some long term hope for Browns fans (depending on who you ask of course, as the Browns didn’t seem to sold on him themselves, passing on him multiple times before their 85^th selection), this season looks to be a long one in Cleveland. Rookie Montario Hardesty should form a nice tandem with Jerome Harrison, who closed out last season nicely. WR Mohommed Massaquoi also had some fine moments in his rookie season, though none of this should matter in the big picture for 2010.

AFC North Division Preview (Part I)

admin — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 17:20:19 +0000

Looking ahead to what should be an interesting season for the Ravens and their AFC North rivals, 2010 finds new faces in some cities and familiar foes noticeably absent from others. Here is a look at how the year could play out as we enter preseason play.

Baltimore Ravens (2009 season: 9-7) Having leaned heavily on the run game over the course of Flacco’s first 2 years, the Ravens look ready to expand their playbook, and with the acquisition of Anquan Boldin certainly have the personnel in place to do so. Running back Ray Rice is a major contributor to the passing game out of the backfield and should help to take some stress of Flacco as he is called to throw the ball much more in his 3^rd year. The defense may take a step back this year as the secondary has been decimated by injury in recent weeks. Still, the North as a whole doesn’t have a team to match up with the Ravens at this juncture.
Cincinnatti Bengals (2009: 10-6) Last season’s surprise team looks to repeat their divisional crown, and has added some artillery to help towards that effort. Adding veteran WRs Antonio Bryant and Terrell Owens, the Bengals give Carson Palmer at least a few more options to choose from. How well those options will hold up and co-exist remains to be seen. Owens is 36 and was likely only signed because of concerns about Bryant’s lingering knee trouble. When healthy, Bryant would probably be the most talented (and ironically least heralded) of the Bengals’ wideouts, with Chad Johnson now 32 years old and having not caught more than 72 balls since 2007. Cedric Benson proved to be reliable running the ball when healthy; hopefully the head-cases split wide won’t shift the Bengals offensive focus away from the running game moving forward.

Meet Anquan Boldin

admin — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 15:58:48 +0000

Who is the fastest NFL receiver ever to 300 receptions? How about 500? For too many years now, Anquan Boldin has simply been the other guy. Lost in Larry Fitzgerald‘s monstrous shadow, both in terms of on field performance and physical stature, Boldin has enjoyed both the perks and frustrations of serving as the 2 receiver in one of the NFL’s most feared passing attacks. In the season before Fitzgerald’s arrival, Boldin entered as a rookie with a chip on his shoulder, passed over for the first 53 picks due to concerns regarding his lackluster 4.71 40 time. It took all of a week to send 30 teams into instant regret, setting a rookie-debut receiving record with 217 yards in the opener. Boldin would go on to tally 101 receptions for 1377 yards and 8 TDs on his way to earning a spot on the Pro Bowl roster, the only rookie to make the trip to Hawaii. The following year, Boldin went down with injury and was limited to just 10 games, while Larry Fitzgerald made his professional debut. Even while healthy Boldin would see his endzone targets rapidly decrease in favor of the 6’3” Fitzgerald, who hauled in 8 scores his rookie season, compared to just 1 for Boldin. Though 2005 saw both receivers eclipse 100 receptions and 1,400 yards (only the 3^rd duo in NFL history to eclipse the receptions century mark), the season marked arguably the last time in which Boldin and Fitz were shown equal favor by the organization.The defining moment in his relationship with the Cardinals, however, came when management allegedly refused to offer him the new contract he claims Cardinal’s brass promised him. Fitzgerald, by contrast was rewarded with a 40 million contract following the 2007 season, including 30 million guaranteed. Though the on-field relationship between Boldin and the Cardinals flourished until the end, contract disputes mired even the successful Super Bowl run in 2009.Boldin’s effort, toughness and work ethic have never come into question. Though he has been plagued by a number of injury riddled seasons, the tenacious WR goes over the middle with no fear and toughs out every yard. The Ravens signed Boldin to 3-year 25 million deal this summer, with the Ravens finally getting a true 1 target for Flacco and Boldin finally finding fair compensation for his on-field performance.

Third Year’s the Charm for Rice in Charm City

mrice — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 15:40:17 +0000

It could be argued Ray Rice took his biggest step forward already. After all, the 2009-2010 season saw the second year back out of Rutgers carry the ball an additional 147 times, while increasing his yards per carry by over a full yard (from 4.2 to 5.3) and registering 7 scores on the ground, the first 7 of his career. Through the air, Rice also made quantum leaps, hauling in an additional 45 passes, 78 in total, on his way to an impressive 702 yards receiving out of the backfield. So why then, would any level headed football analyst call for more out of the Ravens’ young running back?Looking at his numbers last year, Rice merely scratched the surface of what could’ve been an even more monstrous year. Over the course of the season’s first three weeks, veteran running back Willis McGahee scored a total of 6 touchdowns (one receiving), all coming in short yardage situations. Though the early weeks saw his heaviest vulturing, McGahee accrued a deceptive 12 rushing touchdowns, while serving as only a marginal contributor to the offense. Bear in mind, this is the same back who floundered to a 3.9 YPC mark as the lead back in the season prior.With McGahee aging another season closer to 30, and considering his longstanding injury history dating back to the 2002 National Championship Game, it can only be assumed Rice will take an even larger share of the workload this coming season. To make a comparison, last season saw Chris Johnson enter the year as the lead back in a two back system, with LenDale White serving as the Titans’ hammer inside the 5. Today, Chris Johnson is coming off the NFL’s 5^th highest all-time single season rushing performance, while LenDale was recently cut by the Seahawks and signed to backup role with the Denver Broncos. Ray Rice may very well be this year’s Chris Johnson, as McGahee could take a deep back seat as Rice drives Ravens to victory in 2010-2011.