We saw Baltimore QB  Joe Flacco redeem himself in a very impressive way last week marching the Ravens to a 24-17 win over Cleveland.  If he can turn in another strong performance and Ray Rice is able to play(currently listed is questionable with a bruised knee).  It would be tremendous if he played on Sunday to get into a chess type match against the Steelers defense. Rumor has it that he will play but won’t announce it until the last possible moment.  Both of  these 2 division rivals have top ranked defenses that can change the momentum of a game on a dime.  Statistically speaking the Ravens have the better defense although the Steelers have racked up an impressive number of QB sacks already this season.  Added to this mix is the news that Baltimore waived Trevor Pryce and just re-signed safety Ken Hamlin.  Although the Raven’s defense gave up a surprising amount of rushing yards last week, here is hoping they make the necessary adjustments.  The Steeler’s offense on the other hand, will give the Raven’s a few fits.  Charlie Batch is proving to be the best  4^th string quarterback in NFL history, getting the job done and connecting well with Rashard Mendenhall and Mike Wallace.

I really think the Ravens will create some turnovers and force QB Charlie Batch into mistakes.  If the Ravens can stop the run which they usually do, I see Baltimore walking out of Pittsburgh with a win, ending the Steelers unbeaten season and sending them to Week 5 at 3-1.  Like most games do, this one will most likely come down to a battle in the trenches.  Baltimore needs to give Flacco time to get his steller receiving core the ball.   If Anquan Boldin can have another huge day, the Ravens should come way from Pittsburgh with a 24-17 win.

Ian Anderson

The Baltimore Ravens finally host their home opener in Week 3 after splitting their first two road games.  The Ravens host the Cleveland Browns in what should translate into a Ravens win and will be a little easier than their first two opponents.  Joe Flacco was disappointing last weekend, throwing four INT’s and looking sloppy throughout the game.  But I am looking for him to rebound  this Sunday and continue to progress like many  Ravens fans hope for. 

The Raven’s defense has performed quite well to date and here’s hoping the special teams can light up the turf.  While penalties really hurt Baltimore last week, some of them were really bad calls. Yet questionable calls happen frequently these days in the NFL and Harbaugh needs to keep his emotions in check unless he wants to get fined another $15, 000 for improperly addressing the ref. 

 The Browns on the other hand could give the Ravens a hard time if QB Seneca Wallace uses his legs to buy himself some time and if Joshua Cribbs continues to perform at a high level, you just never know these days in the NFL who is going to win week to week.  Strong Safety T.J. Ward could also give the Ravens trouble with his ability to make the big plays. 

When all is said and done, I predict a close game at the halftime with Baltimore pulling away in the 2nd half for a 24-10 win.

Ian Anderson

This was a frustrating game to watch if you are a Ravens fan.  Joe Flacco couldn’t settle down in the pocket and as a result threw 4 interceptions this afternoon en route to a 15-10 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.  Flacco did throw  for one touchdown which is more than we can say for Bengals QB Carson Palmer, but it was Palmer who threw for more yards and got his team the win. 

Bengal’s kicker Mike Nugent earned his salary today connecting on 5 field goals, ranging from 25 to 46 yards which basically won the game for them.  Special teams were key today as the punters for both teams were certainly busy as third down conversions were hard to come by. The third and long situation was commonplace for both sides.  Yet it was the penalties that hurt the Ravens the most.  At the end of the third quarter a surprising tripping penalty was called against Baltimore  and the Bengals had the lead at 9-7. 

This game was truly another sleeper for Ravens fans as it was yet another defensive battle,  until the 4^th quarter with less than 6 minutes left.  Although it was just a one point game at this time the Bengal’s caught a break on a terrific punt return and the Ravens were handed another penalty as Suggs was called for roughing the passer.  This was truly a ridiculous call, even the game announcers were baffled and coach Harbaugh about came unglued as he tried to plead his case to the refs.  Despite the setback the Ravens had one more chance with 2:42 left in the fourth quarter.  Flacco could not rise to the occasion as the Bengal’s defensive line put on the adequate pressure. Just as the 2 minute warning was upon them, Flacco threw the final interception.  The Bengal’s defense and their special teams probably won the game for them.  Flacco clearly contributed here as well as he never seemed to get his feet set in time.  Oh well, lets hope Baltimore gets it together for their home opener next week against the Browns.

Ian

Last night the Baltimore Ravens squeaked by the NY Jets with a 10-9 win.  Although the score might suggest an even match-up, in reality the Ravens defense outduelled the Jets offense.  New York was held to only 6 first downs and Mark Sanchez passed for a disappointing 74 yards.  This was a typical defensive struggle that came down to the final minute, but it was the Jets inconsistency in the passing that did them in.  The Jets have a ton of work to do offensively if they plan on playing in any Super Bowl as their Head Coach so aptly points out all the time.  Enough is enough.  Start walking the walk Rex Ryan!

 In spite of some sloppy turnovers, Joe Flacco had 248 yards passing and  Boldin had 110 yards with 7 receptions.  The addition of Boldin paid off in the 2nd half when he made a few nice catches.  I think the  next time you put these 2 teams together you could see a much higher scoring game as both teams will no doubt clean up their offensive game plans.  The future for the Baltimore Ravens is a bright one this season if Ray Rice, Joe Flacco and Anquan Boldin can let their impressive talents fly and avoid any injuries.   Having Mason the consumate pro and vet to go alongside Boldin and TJ Houshmanzadeh, the 3 receivers will cause any secondary fits.  The balance the Ravens offense demonstrated last night was super for it only being Week 1.

The Ravens travel to Cincinnati in Week 2 of the schedule to face a much improved Bengals team.  Division games like this one are always closely contested affairs.  Here is hoping another good one comes our way this Sunday.

Ian

The meaning of the word impact means one thing and one thing only, change the complexion of what your team does on offense or defense.   This is why the NFL has their scouting staffs, they want to find that diamond in the rough or a player that can raise their level of play from college to the NFL.   Many Ravens fans thought they had a versatile player when they drafted Troy Smith in the 5th round of the 2007 draft.  Unfortunately Smith never had a package put together for him like many NFL teams are doing these days for their wildcat offense.

But sometimes there is a talent on the high school football field, or such a talent that all these scouts and reporters are touting who the next talented All American football star will be.  This type of athlete will continuously get asked where he is going to sign his National Letter of Intent and then when he will be declare himself eligible for the draft and all that drama.  On this day of cutdowns, the Ravens decided to cut All American Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith.  It just goes to show you that if you make the NFL you can be an All American talent and you can have all the credentials in the world but your lack of experience may finally do you in and in Smith’s case it probably did.  It becomes a case of what have you done for me lately. 

It’s wild how ESPN can hype you up, look no further than Tim Tebow.  Some players succumb to the presure, others thrive on it.  Smith had some nice games as a starter a few years ago but now he is looking for work.  How quickly you can fall from grace in this sport.  Sometimes players who have conflicts with the organization or maybe other off the field situations do you in, this wasn’t the case with Smith but a QB like Matt Leinhart probably didn’t help his cause with how he handled himself with both the media and the coaching staff, not to mention some of his off the field antics too.  I wish nothing but the best for Troy Smith, he handled himself with grace and now gets a chance to prove himself in San Francisco as the 49ers have signed him.

Quick injury update on Donte Stallworth, he is out with an knee injury and maybe out for the majority of this season.  Here is hoping he can suit up and make an already lethal receiving core that much better. 

Ian

The KC Royals have been decent in the past, even won some world series. But they may become a talent if this team makes good decisions with the free agents, though there were  some   rumors, that may have  been forgotten, as we all know Jose Guillen has been officially been traded to the SF giants.

The Kansas City Royals organization in 2009 (which for this situation it makes it look like the Royals at the time were  a decreasing team.)  They made the decision to either trade, or release many players for whatever reason including,

Mark Teahan ( gone)

Mike Olivo (gone)

Mike Jacobs ( most definetly gone)

Coco Crisp (gone hardly lasted even a entire month)

Noticeable Royals that may have been traded but in some ways may be  are still around

SS Mike Aviles (barley around, not the hugest factor for his position due to the bench)

Alex Gorden (was gone but in some ways cases is playing with the royals at left field)

RF David Dejesus (in some cases was going to be gone but it didnt go threw)

DH Billy butler (still with the royals to this day)

Notes on the active roster:

Only Billy Butler, Mike Aviles and Alex Gordon are officially on the active roster.  The Royals organization believes Gordon will be a huge talent.   All  3 of these players have rotated positions.  So there may be some trade rumors and also some free agents that  they can get if the Royals make that decision.   Here is some info for the Royals traded, released or added players for their roster:

If the Royals had decided to trade Scott Posednik to the Los Angeles Dodgers for 2 of the dodgers minor league players including, Catcher Lucas May, and right handed Pitcher Elisaul Pimentel for the Royals, Lucas May is going to do part time the starting  job at Catcher. Also for an injury update David Dejesus has required to go to Cleveland to converse on what he could do about his injured thumb. David has a right thumb sprain after delivering a huge smack to the wall, and hopfully could not miss that much, but could miss a majority of time.

A  Player I believe could become part of this Kansas City Royals organization, (0r so to speak A  player I believe they could get) Is:

Garret Anderson, yes you may have heard that Garret has been in destructively bad performance on offensive hitting wise, but Garret in the past has made the progress to be an actual hitter he may be in a hitting slump, but Garret has an exellent swing. This including pitches he likes the hit including the high fastball, he can really hit well on that pitch when he’s on the hot spot, and if he will sign with the Royals, (though it may take a while for him to get signed) but if he decides to sign with the Royals, I believe he could make the 300 home run club.

Phil Mickelson is talented, laid-back, self confident and one of the greatest lefthanded golfers.  In the short game for sure he is one  of  the best top 5 golfers in the PGA.  He has been a pro since around 1991, he is  probably one of the greatest top 10 leftys of all time. Not only do I believe that he is great in the short game, but he is  also a very talented putter (which he already is). But please everyday golfers and pga bloggers, watch how well Phil does with with his putter all through this year and next spring and summer, he could become an absolute talented putter. I believe Phil could also win a major this year or next year, maybe even  the 2011 masters.

Dustin Johnson

Dustin today made at one moment  5^th place for the PGA championship. He definetly could be a huge major talent probably for the Ryder cup. He Is very talented in driving distance, putting short game but may struggle in the short game a bit but not bad. He could in my opinion become  another one of those money leaders that I  think will get close to the top 10 in the future. He has made a huge impact I think in the future for the majors especially for the masters for next year. I predict Dustin Johnson will do very well for these categories.

Brad Dalke 12 year old golfer for  OU

A 5 foot 8 170lb beast for his age,  is a huge talent in the sports world, golf in general, and a golfer who is going to be a talented enough golfer  to make on to the PGA tour one day and maybe win some  majors. He will be a talent your gonna see some articles about  him in  ESPN magazine and is on the college golf front page in the media. Please watch this kid as a major talented golfer in the golf world.

Peter Gullickson:

He is officially going to Gonzaga University this fall to play college golf. Peter is an exellant golfer who has a solid short game but can drive the golf ball like a rope like when you throw the football, only not exactly as if you were thinking of something an NFL commentator would say. But its almost just  about that same speed. His last round was a 73 and he is  very talented also at tennis, but best known for his golf. His is very gifted at what he does. He is out of   high school and he is quite a talented guy, if so watch this guy in the future.

Info on the Baltimore Ravens:

As a person of mind I was remembering how the NBA team the Memphis Grizzlies had not very many fans a year or 2 ago and were not even at the basketball arena. So I thought to myself about their fans as if  there was going to be a few empty seats and the majority of seats or a lot of fans in their seats, but I thought of it as a positive way going  forward… the Baltimore Ravens are starting the way forward in the 2010-2011 season.  In some ways new with some new faces such as, Anquan Boldin #81, Donte Stallworth #18, and new defensive lineman Cory Redding #93.  Anquan Boldin has the power to be huge in the passing game, very good hands, speed, might even become a talented blocking receiver and has the right ability, toughness, and very much a talented wide receiver to become the #1 spot wide receiver in the NFL. On the other hand , the other wide receiver Donte Stallworth, his skills in my opinion  are speed, agility (such as footwork), toughness, and could and just might well become a #2 target for Joe Flacco #5, Marc Bulger #9, and Troy Smith #10. On the defensive side, Cory Redding is a new part of this Ravens defense.  I  believe he will become a big time threat of attention, such as in the pass rush, stopping the run and predicting on how to help this defense stop the #1 threat on the other side of the team.  This is how I think Cory Redding and this Baltimore defense will succeed and do very well.

What I believe is  that there are many players that are young but may become or are already great talents to watch and see grow as a player. I think the player you need to look out for would be Troy Smith #10 the 3^rd string QB. This guy  if you knew or didn’t know, was a Heisman Trophy award winner in 2006. He was an all-American college football player and played for Ohio State, and is in my opinion a huge threat in this Ravens offense.  A strong diverse player, with a very strong arm, and accurate enough to throw the football like a rope.  It is quite a golden arm and I believe could hopefully help get this Baltimore Ravens team to be close enough to the playoffs.  As if to also do very well in the run and pass blocking and passing game would be their running backs Willis McGahee, and Ray Rice from Rutgers University.  Willis McGahee is a fast versatile player for his size and talent, who could make a huge threat to the Baltimore offense and also in the past I have seen him pass block well so in my opinion I believe could make a pretty good fullback in the running game, or in the pass/pass blocking game. Maybe even blocking for Ray Rice?  Another very talented hard core running back would be Ray Rice #27, he is one of the starters in the backfield, is a speedy athletic, explosive running back  who could be a major talented part of this offense and maybe even get over 110 rushing yards in a game or even more, he is that much of a talent. I believe these are all huge ticket holders from start to finish but there are three more  I would like to encourage you fans and every day football writers, and bloggers, to really watch this year that would be, middle linebacker #52 Ray Lewis, #74 right tackle  Michael Oher, and Roscoe Parrish #11, this guy will in my opinion become a very talented punt returner and maybe even average over 10 yards punt returning, and may get a couple of punt return TDs, he also could really help the  special teams, and the special teams could become a very big improvement in the future. Michael Oher on the offensive hand (who was switched from left tackle to right tackle),  I predict is going to be a huge pass rush stopper with the defensive ends, a big time talented person to use for running through the gaps, and a very talented run and pass blocker. The last (but not least) thing I will say for these 3 is that I believe that a very talented impact for this year will be, Ray Lewis, who is a huge gut blowing force to this defense and at 35 years old I believe Ray is still to this day in great shape, and he will I believe be a huge fear to the opposing teams offense,  and a huge force with blitzing, cover 2,  strong side and weak side blitzes down the middle, and he and the rest of the Baltimore Ravens defense could  help make huge turnovers to this talented big strong gut blowing explosive hard core defense. This is my blog and to be honest with you I really hope you liked my blog.

written by Ian Anderson