What was the key to the Ravens convincing win on Sunday?  To break it down in simplest terms I think it was their ability to get Denver’s offense off the field on third down coupled with the Ravens’ ability to convert their own third down opportunities.  The Ravens were able to convert 61% of their third down chances against the Broncos 23% conversion rate.  Furthermore, the Ravens third down success came against the NFL’s fourth best defense who had given up just two second half conversions coming into the game.  

I watched the game with my brother in section 518 and pre-kickoff I was bending his ear about how poor our special teams had been.  I went on and on about how terrible our kick and punt coverage was and how nervous I was about our ability to stop Eddie Royal as a returner.  It figures that after the opening kickoff, which Royal returned to the 31 yard line, the Ravens turned in their best special teams performance of the year.  Their kick and punt coverage was outstanding.  Prescott Burgess especially has stepped up his game to fill the void left by special teams ace Brendon Ayanbadejo.  I’d be remised if I didn’t mention the Lardarius Webb 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to open the second half.  After a first half that saw the Ravens come up with only six points after two trips to the redzone that return was huge.  I think it’s safe to say that we’ve found our kick return guy.  Now why do we still have Chris Carr returning punts?  He’s like a fair catch machine.  To be fair Carr showed great hands when fielding some of those kicks in heavy traffic and he turned in a good performance playing nickelback. 

Speaking of the secondary…how was that for a bounce back performance?  I thought Fabian Washington did a tremendous job going up against Brandon Marshall.  Denver’s offensive play calling was a bit suspect, but the Ravens secondary completely shut down the their passing game.  Domonique Foxworth had himself a game as well.  Despite the big plays I’ve seen fundamentally sound defense from Foxworth all year, but on Sunday he elevated his game a couple notches and made plays at the point of impact. 

The defense as a whole played very well.  After the last three games I kept waiting for the Broncos to string together a couple long scoring drives (aided by penalty flags), but that didn’t happen.  Take out the Broncos first offensive possession of the second half and they were pretty much a non-factor.  I think the tone was set on the first play from scrimmage when Jarret Johnson came free and planted Kyle Orton on his back.  The Ravens only generated two sacks, but the pressure was much improved.  I think part of it was Orton’s indecision, but credit should also go to the Greg Mattison’s defense. 

This is not the complex Rex Ryan defense of years past that would often times confuse and terrorize opposing offenses, but that doesn’t mean that they can’t be effective.  The Ravens defense can be dominant, but it will require sound play from top to bottom. 

We also saw a bit more from LeRon McClain this game.  McClain rushed the ball only three times, but at a 10 yard per rush rate.  The Ravens have become a pass-to-setup-the-run team with Ray Rice as the lead back, but with McClain they can actually establish the run early.  I love the way Ray Rice plays and I’m not advocating a switch at tailback, but it would be nice to see McClain as the featured back when the Ravens play smashmouth teams on the road.  I’m thinking the Pittsburgh Steelers here.  When we go into Heinz Field on December 27^th I hope we are battling for an AFC North Championship and I hope McClain gets 25 carries for 115 yards and two touchdowns. 

~ Pat Cary

I hope Brandon Marshall’s most recent antics during Broncos’ practice will quiet down the cries from those who think the Ravens need to trade for the disgruntled wide receiver.  An overwhelming amount of time has been spent this offseason discussing the Ravens perceived lack of a game-breaking wideout.  Some members of the Baltimore media and a contingency of Ravens fans seem to be obsessed with bringing in a marquee name.  Little consideration has been given to how signing a prima donna will affect team chemistry, the salary cap, or the future wellbeing of the squad. 

Windows of opportunity in the NFL are slim, but at some point a player’s attitude outweighs his contributions on the field.  Football is the ultimate team game, so all the clichés are true…there’s no ‘I’ in team, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, practice makes perfect, blah blah blah.  Give me a less talented, hard working team player like D. Mason over a guy like Marshall any day.

Josh McDaniels suspended Marshall for the two remaining preseason games for “detrimental conduct”.  Way to lay down the letter of the law Josh…Vince Lombardi is probably turning over in his grave.  I’m not a big disciplinarian type, but I would have at least slapped him with a two game (regular season) suspension.  The Broncos are going to suck with or without Marshall, so you might as well send a message.  As a coach you can’t let a guy disrespect you like that, especially if you’re a 33 year old rookie head coach.  “Can’t do it”, in the words of Mike Singletary. 

So what do you do if you’re Josh McDaniels?  Do trade Marshall knowing you won’t get equal value?  Do you stay pat and hope that he tries when the regular season begins?  If McDaniels ever wants to win his locker room he’s going to have to man up and take control of the situation in Denver.  I’m just glad this guy isn’t a Raven.

The start of NFL training camp is like Thanksgiving for hardcore football junkies like myself. It’s not quite Christmas yet, but the holiday season is upon us and you know what’s right around the corner. Finally we have a tangible product before us. I know it’s not nearly as scintillating as regular season football, but this is the time of year when teams are made, where they come together to cut their teeth. The reps you take in camp are the foundation for your performances in late December. That being said, here are my early impressions of this year’s Ravens squad.

It’s funny how situations can parallel from year to year. This year’s wide receiver fiasco reminds me a lot of last season’s quarterback situation. Untimely circumstances, I guess you could call them, have forced young unproven talent into the forefront. There’s no one the caliber of Flacco in this stable of wide receivers, but there could be a diamond in the rough…relatively speaking. Demetrius Williams and Justin Harper got out of the gate and off to a good start. Offensive Coordinator Cam Cameron has explained to Williams, in no uncertain terms, that he needs to produce to his ability level. Reports are that Williams is motivated, health and stronger, so let’s hope this ankle situation isn’t chronic.

After Drew Bennett’s sudden retirement the Ravens seemed to have bagged the idea of bringing in Joe Horn and/or other aging names in favor of unknown youngsters. Biren Ealy and Jayson Foster…who? I don’t know these guys from Adam, but Ealy has impressive measurables (6’3”, 207). This could be a Casey Bramlet situation where they are just signing bodies to help them get through the preseason? Or just throwing stuff against the wall to see what sticks. One thing’s for sure we are all waiting on Mason’s final final decision with bated breath.

Jason Cole of Yahoo! Sports cites two unnamed NFL sources who claim the Ravens have renewed interest Brandon Marshall. This report seems to be 99.99% speculation to me. A quote from one of the sources was a bit off-putting.

“They got by last season with Mason and [Mark] Clayton because the running game was good and the defense was awesome. It was the usual formula.”

What’s wrong with running the ball and playing good defense? It may not be exciting to the lay person, but that style of football (smashmouth) is the foundation of winning. Flashy wide receivers get you highlights on Sports Center and an early exit from the playoffs. To me there’s not thing more exciting than seeing a dominating defensive performance in tandem with an offense running the ball down your opponent’s throat. If you can do those things it’s not called ‘getting by’, it’s called dominating.

Some other notables as camp begins include multiple redemption stories, primarily Willis McGahee and Todd Heap. Like last year McGahee is reporting to camp after offseason surgery, unlike last year he is reporting to camp in shape and with a better attitude. Early reports are that second year back Ray Rice will start the summer as the number one, but Willis is poised to get his spot back. An intense competition for said spot can only be good for the Ravens running game. Heap is also trying to find his place in this Cam Cameron offense. Heap’s not a deficient blocker, but asking him to make that the primary aspect of his game is like asking a Corvette to drive the kids to soccer practice. Hopefully with the addition of Oher the tight ends won’t have to stay in and block or chip quite as much. Cam and Harbaugh want to expand Heap’s role in the passing game, but with Heap (hangnail Heap) health is always a concern.

Another major storyline for this camp is the replacement of Bart Scott. Offseason reports out of Owings Mills have second year University of Miami product Tavares Gooden as the heir apparent. Converted OLB and the only unsigned rookie free agent to make last year’s team, Jameel McClain, has been mentioned in the mix to replace Scott as well, but Gooden is the clear favorite. Aaron Wilson of ProFootballTalk.com told me on air last Sunday that we shouldn’t sleep on McClain…he might not have the workout stats of Gooden, but when it comes to putting on the pads and playing football he can get the job done. I love Jameel McClain’s grit and work ethic, I also love the potential of Gooden…competition is a good thing.

First full team practice is scheduled for this Friday. Camp has just begun, there are a lot of ups and downs to come (hopefully more ups than downs). Time to get excited!

~ Pat Cary

Marshall arrested for DUI

~ Pat Cary