Baltimore Sports Then and Now

The Ravens acquired the receiver they needed in three-time Pro Bowler Anquan Boldin.

The Baltimore Ravens made a big move during the first day of the free agent period by trading two draft picks (a third and fourth rounder) for three-time Pro Bowl receiver Anquan Boldin. The seven-year veteran immediately fills a major need for the Ravens and provides third-year quarterback Joe Flacco with a much-needed target.

During his seven years with the Arizona Cardinals, Boldin eclipsed the 80 reception mark five times and also had five seasons with 1,000 or more yards receiving. His best season was in 2005 when he caught 102 passes for 1,402 yards and seven touchdowns.

In recent years, he has posted big receiving numbers despite being regularly hampered by injuries. He has played a full 16 games only twice in his career with the last time coming in 2006.

Boldin was entering the final year of his contract with the Arizona Cardinals and immediately agreed to a three-year, $25 million extension with $10 million guaranteed. Read the rest of this entry →

Baltimore could get some revenge for the late night move of the Colts in 1984 with a victory in Indianapolis in the AFC Playoffs.

It has been more than 25 years since the Baltimore Colts snuck out of town in the middle of the night on their way to Indianapolis.

Since Baltimore regained an NFL franchise in 1996 the Baltimore Ravens have faced the Indianapolis Colts on ten occasions with the Colts holding a dominating 8-2 advantage. That includes a 15-6 win during their only playoff meeting in 2006.

The Ravens could wipe away all that disappointment with one broad stroke on Saturday if they are able to knock off the heavily favored Colts.

Indianapolis gave up on a chance to make NFL history by finishing undefeated in favor of focusing on winning their second Super Bowl title since moving from Baltimore.

If the Ravens are able to pull off the upset and keep the Colts from continuing their run toward the Lombardi Trophy, it would likely rank as one of the sweetest victories in Ravens history.

Even though Indianapolis would seem to have the upper hand and has defeated Baltimore each of the four times they have met in Indianapolis, you can’t count the Ravens completely out. Read the rest of this entry →

Ray Rice and the Ravens flexed their muscles versus the Patriots in the AFC Wild Card Playoff round.

This game was over before it really ever began. Ray Rice gashed the Patriots for an 83 yard touchdown on the first play from scrimmage.

And before you finished your first beer, New England was down 24-0.

The Patriots knew the Ravens were going to run and couldn’t do a thing to stop them. Ray Rice put on a pro bowl performance with 159 yards and two touchdowns. Willis McGahee chipped in with 62 yards and a td of his own.

Baltimore rushed for 234 yards, but they only passed for 34 yards!

Why pass if you can run at will? Harbaugh had a great game plan and his team executed it to perfection.

The New England defense couldn’t stop anyone and their offense couldn’t do anything.

Brady had his worst game of the season. He only had 154 yards on 42 attempts. Brady connected with Julian Edelman for two scores but also had three interceptions. He was also strip sacked by Terrell Suggs and sacked two other times. The Patriots’ quarterback had no time to get comfortable in the pocket and it showed.

The running game was non existent and the Patriots could only muster 196 total yards.

If you can’t stop the opposition and you turnover the ball, you don’t win. Simple as that. All these factors contributed to the Patriots first home playoff loss since 1978.

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With the loss of Wes Welker, Kevin Faulk will have to be a big contributor in the passing game.

Overview: The Patriots (#3 seed) and Ravens (#6 seed) will meet for the second time this season, but this time it’s for all the marbles in the Wild Card playoffs.

The Patriots are going to try to overcome the devastating injury to their offensive MVP, Wes Welker. Welker tore his ACL and MCL on a routine cut last week in Houston. He will be sidelined for at least six months.

The Ravens are trying to exceed their road success in the playoffs. Last year as the sixth seed, Baltimore beat Miami and Tennessee before succumbing to Pittsburgh, 23-14 in the AFC Championship.

The Ravens will try to pull the upset yet again on the road. They have their work cut out for them, however. New England is 8-0 at home this year and 10-0 in the playoffs since 1978.

Last Week: The Patriots (10-6) fell to the Texans 34-27 in Houston. In a meaningless game, Wes Welker was injured and lost for the year. To add insult to injury, the Patriots blew a 14 point fourth quarter lead to fall to 2-6 on the road.

The Ravens in essence played a playoff game last week versus Oakland. If they win, they are in and they did just that. Baltimore held off a pesky Raiders team, 21-13. The Ravens were led by the rushing attack of Willis McGahee (167 yards and 3 td’s) and Ray Rice (70 yards).

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Ray Rice had a big game on the ground, as he helps the Ravens devour the Lions 48-3.

It was a cold and miserable rainy day in the Charm City, as thousands of fans packed M & T Bank Stadium, to watch the resilient Baltimore Ravens take on the underdog in the Detroit Lions. Even though the Ravens were taking on a deprived Lions team, they still have to watch out for the upset, which would all but ruin the Ravens playoff dreams. The Ravens came into this game with the mentality to not take the Lions lightly, as anything could happen any given Sunday. Lardarius Webb stated it perfectly after the game “It was just hard work all week. We did not take this team lightly. They’re a great team. They play so hard. The way they play doesn’t show in their record.”

This game was a great game for the Ravens in all phases of the game.  The Ravens showed that they can rebound from a tough loss, which they suffered last Monday night against the Green Bay Packers. The Ravens finally brought out the three headed monster anchored by second year running back Ray Rice, who had a huge game with 219 total yards from scrimmage and a touchdown. The other two parts of the three headed monster Willis McGahee and Le’Ron McClain both had big games, with McGahee running for two touchdowns on 76 total yards and McClain rushing for 32 yards with a touchdown. All together the Ravens three headed monster totaled 327 yards with 4 touchdowns.

The Ravens passing offense looked good in this game also, with big games from Joe Flacco and Derrick Mason. Flacco was barely touched and had plenty of time to throw the ball to the open receiver, in this game he threw for 230 yards with one touchdown. Mason made one of the most sensational play’s I have seen in a while, when he caught the ball and got struck by two Lions players but managed to stay on his feet and run for 62 yards for the touchdown. The Ravens would not of had this much success on offense if it was not for the magnificent play of the offensive line.

The Ravens defense had a great impact to the ending score, as they held the Lions to only a field goal. In this game the Ravens defense showed a lot of toughness. All in all this was a team effort, as each player had their own role to take care of and they did just that.

Even though the Ravens had key injuries entering this game, with the absence of Ed Reed, Mark Clayton, and Jared Gaither, they still found a way to win the game. The weather was a big factor in the game, as in the first quarter of the game Ray Rice fumbled the ball into the end zone that would be a touchback for the Lions, but the Ravens and Rice would rebound from that and have a record breaking day.

As I was in attendance I show in person the impact of the weather and the success the Ravens had on all sides of the football. If the Ravens can play like what I seen in this game, than the Ravens should soar into the playoffs. The Ravens performance in this game, showed that they still have a lot of pride and fight left in them, so that should go a long way for the rest of the Ravens season.

Joe Flacco was on the run the whole game, as the Ravens fell to the Packers.

This game was disappointing in many different ways for the Baltimore Ravens, it seems like the Ravens did not bring their a-game, as they were taken down by the Green Bay Packers. The first disappointing aspect of this game is that this was a must win game and the Ravens did not play like they can and needed too in order to get the win. The second is the Ravens did not play hard or with a sense of urgency. The third is the Ravens could not seem to get their running game going, as it was a non factor versus the Packers. The fourth is the Ravens did not play as physical on defense as they can, which is what the Ravens are known for. The fifth and final is that the Ravens let down a lot of people, mainly including the fans from the charm city, who are so passionate about their Ravens.

Let’s take a look at the defining moments of this game; the Ravens were shut out in the first half of the game. The Ravens did not get on the scoreboard in till late in the third quarter. The Ravens scored a touchdown when Kelly Washington caught a pass from Joe Flacco, the Ravens would score another touchdown in a matter of thirty seconds, when Willis McGahee ran the ball into the end zone. Both of these touchdowns were aided by penalties from the Packers, the Ravens would not score for the rest of the game. The Ravens would get in the red zone, but could not seem to get any points, as Flacco would throw an interception.

In this game the Ravens looked like they were not even trying. The Ravens could not seem to get a good rhythm on offense, as they were slow to get out the huddle and slow to get the play started. Another thing I noticed about the Ravens in this game is that they were playing like a team that does not want to make it too the playoffs. Some of the good things about this game are the Ravens defense was playing better as the game went on, but it was some mental issues that kept the Ravens from putting the ball into the end zone. This game was played as a team, so the Ravens lost as a team.

After watching this game, the Ravens showed me that they are not ready to make a playoff push. If they don’t start playing hard and wanting to win, than they will not get a taste of the playoffs this season. The upcoming schedule has a couple of lenient games, as the Ravens play a home game versus the Detroit Lions next week, the Chicago Bears  at home the following week, and  the Oakland Raiders on the road in the final game of the season. The Ravens still have a very meaningful divisional game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on the road in the game before the last game of the season; the Ravens already got the best of the Steelers in the last game they played together. The Ravens still have a legit chance of making the playoffs.

If the Ravens cannot start winning in these last couple of games, than they will be watching the playoffs from home. Personally I know that the Ravens can turn things around, if they can just play with more intensity and a type of urgency to win, than they should be able to get the job done. I know the talent is there for the Ravens, they just need to act like every game is a must win and stop taking teams lightly. I am the first person to tell you that the Ravens are not playing the best that they are capable of, but it’s nothing that cannot be fixed. Being a passionate fan of the Ravens, it hurts to see them lose these heartbreaking games week after week. So for the last four weeks of the season, the Ravens look to string together a couple of wins, if they can accomplish that, than they should be in good shape to make it into the playoffs.

Just like me, there are many fans that want to see the Ravens make it into the playoffs.