*Special note: Analysis of the new AP Top 25 Poll will be posted this afternoon and a full analysis of the results from WWE Breaking Point will be posted on Tuesday.
Yesterday was one of the best days of the year as far as I’m concerned. The opening Sunday of the NFL season is like Christmas morning. There is so much excitement and anticipation as we get to unwrap another year of the best sport on Earth. Being in Baltimore, I am a huge Ravens fan and the excitement for a great season is high around here. I am not a fanatic by any means though, but I do have to admit that my expectations for the team have slowly risen during the preseason. The Ravens seemingly got an easy opener against the lowly Kansas City Chiefs. So let’s analyze how it all went down.
Even before the game, the Ravens got some good news when Kansas City Chiefs QB Matt Cassel was finally declared inactive and would not start. That meant QB Brodie Croyle, who doesn’t really strike fear in defenses, would be under center for the game. In the first quarter, it looked like this game would be a total blowout. The Ravens’ defense was dominant and Kansas City was only able to manage 1 first down the entire half. They got nothing against the Ravens in the passing game and they were only able to manage a few decent runs. On offense, the Ravens came out swinging with the passing game. Baltimore was criticized last year for being too predictable and running the ball too much on early downs. But yesterday, they put an emphasis on throwing the ball early and often and did it a great deal on first down, unlike their approach last season.
QB Joe Flacco looked great. He made some really nice throws down the field and also showed good accuracy. He made good decisions and was brilliant on the Ravens’ only touchdown drive of the half. On a third and goal near the end zone, Flacco was able to scramble in the pocket and extend the play until he found RB Willis McGahee for a short 3–yard touchdown pass. This gave the Ravens a 10-0 lead and it looked like they would cruise. However, the offense started to bog down as Kansas City showed some good athleticism on defense. Kansas City also mixed in some luck by blocking a punt and recovering it in the end zone for a touchdown, cutting their deficit to 10-7 at halftime. So even though Baltimore controlled the first half and gave Kansas City nothing on offense, the scoreboard did not reflect the effort and it left the game in doubt. I admit to being a little worried because a few more bad bounces and the Ravens could have been in trouble.
In the second half, the Ravens needed to come out strong and try to put Kansas City away. You don’t want to let an underdog hang around because they start to gain confidence and they start to believe. Unfortunately, this did not happen as Flacco threw an interception that was returned inside the Ravens’ 10-yard line. The Chiefs punched it into the end zone and amazingly, they led 14-10 without moving the ball worth a damn on offense. Flacco continued to sling the ball around though and Baltimore answered with a Flacco 9-yard TD pass to TE Todd Heap to retake the lead.
Kansas City was able to finally move the ball on offense and caught a break when Croyle hit a jump-ball, 50 yard completion which set up a field goal to tie the game. The Ravens answered by slowly but surely taking control with their running game. Both RB Ray Rice and McGahee started to find some holes and the Ravens retook a 24-17 lead on a 1-yard TD run by RB Le’ron McClain. It was short lived though as the Chiefs were able to produce another good drive that ended with a Croyle TD pass to tie the game at 24-24 with about 5 minutes left in the game.
But Flacco and the Ravens would not be denied. Once again, they marched down the field and Flacco completed a beautiful 31-yard TD pass to WR Mark Clayton that put the Ravens up once and for all and they went on to win 38-24.
Flacco was brilliant in this game and he put up his first 300 yard passing game of his career. He finished 26-for-43 for 307 yards with 3 TDs and 1 INT. The Ravens amassed 501 yards of total offense, which is a franchise record. The offensive line did a great job providing Flacco with protection and he was extremely crisp and looked very mature. He looked better than he did at any point last season and his decision making was vastly better. Todd Heap also looked very good and if he can stay healthy, it will be an immense help to the entire offense. I also think that WR Kelley Washington can step in as a good #3 and make some big catches during the course of the year.
With that said, I still think the Ravens threw the ball too much yesterday, but they did send a message to the rest of the league that they are not just a running team. Baltimore will have to strike a balance though and get back to ball control and trying to dominant the line of scrimmage with their running game. Kansas City got very lucky to hang in the game as long as they did. The Ravens deserved a blowout victory for how well they played. But that is what a few bad breaks will do and good teams find a way to win even when they are not playing their best. I was pleased to see the Ravens overcome the errors and play well down the stretch. I saw a bunch of other stinker scores out there, so it is clear that not every team was hitting on all cylinders. My hopes remain high after this performance. It wasn’t a perfect opening game, but I saw a ton of good things out there on the field and it was a more than solid effort all the way around.
NFL Wrap Up:
Eagles 38, Panthers 10 – The biggest story of the day happened in Carolina. Even though I expected the Eagles to win this game, I did not expect this big of a blowout. The Eagles were dominant in this game and established themselves as a clear favorite in the NFC. But that is not the big story. Eagles QB Donovan McNabb was slammed by several tacklers on a 3-yard TD run in the 3rd quarter and the hit resulted in McNabb walking off the field with cracked ribs. At this point, there is no exact word on the severity of the injury or if McNabb will miss any playing time. Coach Andy Reid said “there’s a chance” he will play next week. This is not good news for the Eagles and especially for McNabb, who seems to find an injury hitting him every year. This could be an extremely painful injury to play through and even if McNabb does, it could severely limit his effectiveness and he would be putting himself at risk of further injury. If McNabb can’t go next week, the Eagles will have to go with QB Kevin Kolb and there will be no Michael Vick to back him up. Vick is suspended for 1 more game and will not be available until week 3. I’m sure there will be more news on this to come, but if McNabb misses extended time, it could make this dominant performance a distant memory. A healthy McNabb can take the Eagles far, but now we have a huge question mark.
On the flip side, the Panthers looked absolutely horrible. Panthers QB Jake Delhomme accounted for 5 turnovers, throwing 4 interceptions and losing 1 fumble. The Eagles’ defense totally dominated them and they looked nothing like the team that was undefeated at home during the regular season last year. As I speculated in my NFL season preview, I felt that the Panthers would fall off this year. After this performance, I am convinced that is a good call and it will be a supreme struggle for Carolina to regain confidence and get things going. They need to get back to running the ball and find a way to play some better defense. The aerial attack seems to be in bad shape and who knows what Delhomme will bring to the table in subsequent weeks.
Vikings 34, Browns 20 – Vikings RB Adrian Peterson put in a dominating performance to help make QB Brett Favre’s regular season debut with the team a rousing success. Peterson carried the ball 25 times and racked up 180 yards and 3 TDs on the day as he slashed the Browns’ defense to shreds. Favre did exactly what I expect he will do all season. He managed the game well and leaned on Peterson and the Vikings’ defense to do the heavy lifting. Favre was only 14-for-21 for 110 yards and 1 TD, but he did not turn the ball over and he did what was needed to win. The Vikings will be a serious threat in the NFC if they can duplicate this formula all year long. The Browns on the other hand were exactly what you would expect…bad. QB Brady Quinn really did not do anything in the passing game and the only spark they got was Josh Cribbs’ 67-yard punt return TD. Cleveland was also bad on defense and got destroyed by Adrian Peterson. Considering that the Browns will have to deal with the Steelers and Ravens 2 times each this season, it will be a long and mediocre year for the Browns.
Broncos 12, Bengals 7 – The Browns/Bengals game was downright ugly. It only gets a mention this high due to the bizarre ending that occurred. Both teams did squat on offense the entire game and with under a minute to play in the game, the score was 6-0 Broncos. However, the Bengals finally put together a drive on offense that was capped by RB Cedric Benson scoring on a 1-yard TD run to give Cincy a 7-6 lead. The game seemed to be over until a Kyle Orton pass was tipped by the Bengals’ defense and it fell right into the hands of Broncos WR Brandon Stokley. He then proceeded to run down the sideline 87 yards to score and give the Broncos a 12-7 victory. This is definitely one of the craziest finishes I have ever seen. But without question, this game proves that neither the Bengals nor the Broncos are a good team. I heard some so-called “experts” say that the Bengals will finish second in the AFC North and make the playoffs instead of the Ravens. The thought just makes me laugh. QB Carson Palmer was supposed to bring back some punch to the Bengals’ offense and that amounted to a whole bunch of nothing, at least in this game. I see an up and down year for both of these teams and neither will be a contender.
Jets 24, Texans 7 – The hype will probably hit a new level as Jets QB Mark Sanchez looked very good in his debut and he was able to guide New York to an easy 24-7 win over the Texans. Sanchez went 18-for-31 for 272 yards with 1 TD and 1 INT. Coach Rex Ryan also brought a little flavor of the Ravens’ defense and the Jets totally shut down Houston on offense. The Texans only got past midfield once in the first 3 quarters and they only gained 183 yards for the entire game. I may have to reconsider how good of a season the Jets can have now. If Sanchez can play this well and limit his mistakes and Rex Ryan can bring in some magic on defense like he had in Baltimore, then the Jets could follow the exact same formula that Baltimore did last year. Ryan knows first hand how to get a rookie QB and a good defense into the playoffs, and he could possibly get it done this year. As for the playoffs, it seems like the Texans will be a tease once again. If QB Matt Schaub and WR Andre Johnson get shut down like this on numerous occasions, the Texans will disappoint again and they will only be a .500 team at best.
Saints 45, Lions 27 – Saints QB Drew Brees had a record setting day as the Saints extended the Lions’ losing streak to 18 straight games. Brees threw for 358 yards and 6 TDs in the huge 45-27 win. The 6 TD passes was a Saints’ record and it was the first time a QB threw 6 TDs on opening day since 1959. Detroit rookie QB Matthew Stafford had a very tough day as he completed less than 50% of his passes and threw 3 INTs with only 1 TD. The Lions’ defense is still as bad as advertised and it will be another long year in Detroit. I still believe QB Daunte Culpepper should be starting for the Lions and I have no idea when they will get a win. The Saints’ performance was impressive today, but it was against the lowly Lions, so it might not mean that much. Brees will be a beast all season long, but it remains to be seen what happens when New Orleans faces stiffer competition. I still think New Orleans will miss the playoffs, but maybe this could be a magical season for Brees and he will just carry the whole team on his back and win enough shootouts to get the job done.
Cowboys 34, Buccaneers 21 – Dallas Cowboys QB Tony Romo had a career-best 353 yards passing and threw 3 TDs to guide Dallas to a 34-21 victory over the Bucs. It appears that Dallas may actually be fine without Terrell Owens and they may have enough weapons to score points and win games. Romo showed good chemistry with his receivers and the offense was just on a roll. The Buccaneers are going nowhere this season, so we will have to wait and see what happens when the Cowboys get into the meat of their NFC East schedule. Dallas was able to get a good pass rush going in this game and more performances like this will be needed for success. I think Dallas has a shot to battle for a Wild Card spot and this was a good start on the year. As expected, the Buccaneers will struggle this year and the defense is no longer dominant enough to win games for them. In fact, the defense may be starting to turn into a downright bad unit. They will struggle to win games all year.
Colts 14, Jaguars 12 – The Colts and Jaguars had a surprisingly defensive battle and Indianapolis needed two stops in the 4th quarter to escape with a 14-12 win. Colts QB Peyton Manning was able come up with a 300-yard passing game, but the lack of a running game hurt the Colts as RB Joseph Addai only had 42 yards rushing. The star of the game for the Colts was their defense. They did just enough to hold Jaguars RB Maurice Jones-Drew in check and the pass defense limited QB David Garrard to only 122 yards. The Colts lost WR Anthony Gonzalez to a knee injury and it was reported he strained ligaments in his right knee and could miss a few weeks. If the defense plays this well for Indianapolis, it will be a huge bonus and allow them to make another solid run at the playoffs. I have to think Manning will round into superior form like he always does and he will steal some victories for the Colts. I would have expected a more dominant performance at home in the opener, so I will remain a little weary as to how good they will be this season. The Jags will most likely struggle to put up points unless Jones-Drew runs wild. I just don’t see them staying consistent enough to be a real threat all year.
Falcons 19, Dolphins 7 – Like the Colts, the Falcons did not have that dominant of a home opener, but they did enough to get a win over the Dolphins. Atlanta QB Matt Ryan had a very solid day, as he went 22-for-36 for 229 yards and 2 TDs. TE Tony Gonzalez had a great debut, catching 5 passes for 73 yards and 1 TD. It is clear that Gonzalez will help the Falcons’ offense immensely. RB Michael Turner was held in check by the Dolphins, but I expect the Falcons to get cranked up as the season goes along. The defense was pretty sharp today and if they play this well all season, the Falcons could turn into a serious contender in the NFC. As I said in my season preview, the Dolphins will not do enough on offense this year and it showed today. The Dolphins were almost shut out and they got little production in the run game and QB Chad Pennington only managed 176 yards with 1 TD and 1 INT. Miami’s defense will be good enough to hold them in many games, but I believe the offense will let them down and I still think they miss the playoffs this year.
Giants 23, Redskins 17 – The Giants’ defense turned in a stout effort that was highlighted by a 37-yard fumble return TD by a healthy Osi Umenyiora, who played in his first game since the 2007 season after missing all of last year due to injury. The Giants were in control the entire game and they clearly showed that they are a step above the Redskins. New York did not have a great game on offense and there was no indication of who will become the go-to, game breaking receiver. Still, QB Eli Manning did enough to get the job done, while Redskins’ QB Jason Campbell did not. It is well documented that the Redskins tried to replace Campbell and it remains to be seen if he can drive the Redskins to victories. Washington has a soft schedule, but I just don’t see how they will become a playoff team, even with the money owner Daniel Snyder continues to spend. The Giants will wage a fierce battle with the Eagles for the division title, and those games between the two should be great.
49ers 20, Cardinals 16 – The big upset of the late afternoon games came in Arizona as the Cardinals got off to a bad start in defense of their NFC Championship. As I mentioned in my season preview, the loser of the Super Bowl has had trouble making the playoffs the next year and this performance from Arizona does not inspire confidence. This was a fairly sloppy game all around that was dominated by the defenses. The Cardinals had problems on offense in the preseason and they continued into this game. QB Kurt Warner and the rest of his offensive unit are just not meshing well and they look nothing like the NFC Champions. The defense was very good however, limiting 49ers RB Frank Gore on the ground and harassing QB Shaun Hill. The 49ers did absolutely nothing in the 2nd half, but on the one drive that mattered, Hill was great in directing an 80-yard march that he culminated with a game-winning 3-yard TD pass to Gore. I still think that Arizona can right the ship here, but they need to figure out what is wrong with their offense or they are going to miss the playoffs like so many other Super Bowl losers. Make no mistake, the 49ers will play hard in each and every game and they will probably pull off a few more upsets before the year is over.
Seahawks 28, Rams 0 – There is not much to be said about this one. QB Matt Hasselbeck got off to a shaky start by throwing 2 INTs in his first 3 throws, but then settled down to throw 3 TDs and lead the Seahawks to an easy win. The Rams looked like the same old Rams from last season. They got little on offense and poor play on defense. It will be another long year in St. Louis. It remains to be seen how good Seattle can be until they face tougher competition, but with the way Arizona looked today, I am starting to think that the NFC West title race could be closer than I thought.
Packers 21, Bears 15 – The Sunday night game was a typical slugfest that you would expect from the Packers and Bears. Both defenses showed up and gave the opposing quarterback a hard time, but it was Packers QB Aaron Rodgers who stepped up, while Bears QB Jay Culter faltered. Cutler had an extremely tough game and ended up throwing 4 interceptions. The Bears also made a costly mistake late in the game when they were up 12-10. They tried a fake punt in their own half of the field that failed and allowed Green Bay to hit a field goal and grab the lead. Cutler did manage to drive the Bears down for a field goal to take the lead back, but Rodgers fired a 50-yard TD to WR Greg Jennings with 1:11 left in the game to seal the victory. Green Bay lost a ton of close games last year, so it is a real confidence booster that they pulled this one out. It will be a hell of a battle in the NFC North, and if the Packers and Bears bring this type of defense to the Vikings, it will be something to see. Bears LB Brian Urlacher did not play in the 2nd half due to a dislocated wrist, so it remains to be seen how that could affect Chicago.
The Game’s Quick Hits
Quick results from WWE Breaking Point:
Jericho/Show defeat MVP/Henry to retain Tag Titles
Kingston defeats Miz to retain U.S. Title
Legacy defeats DX
Kane defeats The Great Khali
Christian defeats Regal to retain ECW Title
Cena defeats Orton to win WWE Title
Punk defeats Undertaker to retain W.H.C. (screwjob ending)
-Other NFL tidbits from the day: It was reported that signs are pointing toward 49ers’ unsigned 1st round draft pick Michael Crabtree electing to sit out the entire season and re-enter the NFL draft. Seriously, I can not believe this guy. As evidenced by San Francisco’s win over the Cardinals today, the 49ers under Mike Singletary are heading in the right direction and getting better. Crabtree could come in there and help the cause and be a part of the legacy of pulling San Francisco back up to an elite level. But no, this guy only wants to think about himself. He doesn’t think he is getting enough money and obviously has no concept of a sliding rookie wage scale. He also doesn’t think that the 49ers have a quarterback who can help him make Pro Bowls and making him a star. I say this is bullcrap and very selfish. I thought football was a team game and a wide receiver is supposed to try and make his quarterback better. I seriously have no patience for athletes like this. I hope that if Crabtree re-enters the draft, he is drafted by a team with quarterback issues and he falls flat on his face during his rookie season.
Speaking of “diva” wide receivers, it was also reported that former Denver coach Mike Shanahan was planning to cut WR Brandon Marshall before he was fired. Shanahan felt that Marshall was really not that good and was too much of a headache. Without question, Mike Shanahan knows talent and knows how to coach, so this is a pretty telling statement. Marshall did not have a particularly good game today and the jury is still out on whether he will come close to matching his production from the past 2 seasons. I don’t know if Coach Josh McDaniels’ system is going to allow Marshall to thrive, so maybe they should continue to try and get rid of him. I still think he will try to play for money this season, so they might as well try to milk him.
- Seattle Mariners OF Ichiro Suzuki collected his 200th hit of the season last night. This was the 9th consecutive season that Ichiro has had 200 or more hits and that breaks the 108-year old record held by Willie Keeler, who had 8 straight seasons of 200 or more hits from 1894-1901. I don’t have much else to say here and I marvel at an accomplishment like this. Ichiro is one of the best pure hitters of our time and he is a surefire Hall of Famer.
- BMW Championship: Tiger Woods took the drama out of final round Sunday after his blistering course record 9-under par 62 that he shot on Saturday. He opened up a 7 shot lead and was expected to cruise home to victory. Tiger did just that as he shot a 3-under par 68 to finish at 19-under par, a full eight shots better than Jim Furyk and Marc Leishman. Tiger’s 6th win of the PGA Tour season was the 71st of his career, putting him just 2 behind Jack Nicklaus for 2nd most all-time. The win also gave Woods the #1 ranking in the FedEx Cup point standings heading into the last playoff event, the Tour Championship. He is followed by Steve Stricker, Jim Furyk, Zach Johnson, and Heath “If ya got ‘em” Slocum. If any of these five win the Tour Championship, they will win the FedEx Cup. Obviously, Tiger will go in as the favorite in 2 weeks and if I had to bet, I sure would not bet against him. Considering that Woods came up empty in the majors this year, I am sure he will treat the Tour Championship like a major and he will go out to win it.
- U.S. Open Update: After a long bout of rain delays, the sun finally came out and the men’s semifinals were able to take place. In the first semifinal, #3 seed Rafael Nadal looked totally out of it and was a step slow. He was blown off the court by #6 seed Juan Martin del Potro in straight sets, 6-2, 6-2, 6-2. Nadal admitted that his strained abdominals played a factor, but del Potro blistered him with serves and forehands and was clearly better on this day. In the final, del Potro will have to face…who else, but #1 seed Roger Federer. The #4 seed Novak Djokovic tried his best to hang with Federer, but like he has done so many times before, Roger just turned up his game another notch and he dispatched of Djokovic in straight sets. Federer will now go for his 6th straight U.S. Open title and 16th Grand Slam title overall in today’s final.
The women finished up play in the nightcap of Sunday’s action and Kim Clijsters was able to complete her amazing comeback to the game after being away for 2 years due to having a baby. She took care of #9 seed Caroline Wozniacki to capture her 2nd U.S. Open Championship and become the first unseeded player to win the title. She is the first mother to win a Grand Slam title since 1980, so this is a pretty big accomplishment.
And in a related note, Serena Williams was fined $10,000 for her profanity-laced tirade directed at a linesperson who called a foot fault on her at a critical time in the match and eventually led to her defeat. The incident is still under investigation however, and more penalties could be levied against Williams. The $10,000 is less than 3% of her prize winnings at the Open, so I hope they hit her with more. There really is no excuse for what she did and an athlete should never abuse, whether verbally or physically, an official the way Serena did. It is possible she could be fined the entire amount of her winnings ($350,000) and I say she more than deserves it. If you want to make a statement that what she did will not be tolerated, then that is how you do it.
Showing posts with label baltimore ravens. Show all posts
Showing posts with label baltimore ravens. Show all posts
Monday, September 14, 2009
Friday, September 4, 2009
A Mysterious Suspension...Or Not?
The big story in WWE land this week occurred outside of the ring as Intercontinental Champion Rey Mysterio was suspended for 30 days by the company for a Wellness Policy violation. The suspension became effective on Wednesday, which allowed Mysterio to participate in the Smackdown tapings. I will not reveal what happened at this point, but it definitely will be worth watching tonight based on reports I have read. The ‘net was clamoring for details as to what happened and speculation was running rampant. After watching “The Rise and Fall of WCW” DVD, I actually thought that they might have caught Rey on the juice. If you look at Mysterio back in his WCW days, he looked extremely small and not very muscular. Looking at Rey now, my opinion is that he has bulked up very noticeably. Now I am not trying to accuse Mysterio of juicing and hey, it could be possible that he has worked out like a mad man over the years and legitimately put on the muscle, but it is my opinion that he is carrying more on his small frame than he should be. It turns out though that the WWE did not bust Rey for steroids, but rather painkillers.
Reports started to surface that Mysterio gave an interview with Spanish language newspaper The Record and he claimed in the interview that he was not at fault for this; it was the WWE’s fault. Wow, big mistake there Rey. Mysterio told the newspaper that he had a legal prescription for the substance that triggered a positive result. Now under the WWE’s Wellness Policy, a wrestler has up to 72 hours after a positive test result to produce proof that the substance in question has been taken for a legitimate medical purpose and they have a prescription for it. Mysterio claims that his doctor failed to clarify one of the discovered substances and that when the WWE asked for the proof, Rey was out of the country promoting Summerslam. When he returned to the states, he was informed of the suspension and was also told his doctor would “take care of it”, but that did not occur.
The fact that these details have emerged and that Rey vehemently denies he is at fault could be the least of his worries. The interview that Mysterio gave to The Record was not authorized by the WWE, so you can just imagine how Vince McMahon felt about that. All interviews that WWE performers give need to be cleared by management and Rey did not get clearance for this one. As you could expect, McMahon was extremely mad and reports indicate that there was a conference call held to determine what they could possibly do to “send a message” to Mysterio and other talent. Consideration was given to unmasking Mysterio on Smackdown. This did not occur and I feel that was the right move. If they did not pull the trigger on that during Rey’s hot feud with Chris Jericho, then it would make absolutely no sense to do it over this. Mysterio’s unmasking could still make the company money at some point in the future, so that was a smart decision. There was also talk of making Rey’s exit a “blink and you’ll miss it” type of thing, but that did not happen either. It seems like the one thing that was decided on was to publicize the incident instead of burying it. On WWE.com on Wednesday, Mysterio’s suspension was the top headline. Usually in the past, suspensions did not make the front page and could only be found in WWE’s corporate section. So this could have been part of the punishment. No other word has come out in regards to additional penalties, but I would not be surprised to see Mysterio buried down the card and losing matches when he comes back.
So with all this said, the big question is: who is really at fault in this situation? After giving it some thought, I think I side with the WWE on this one. First of all, they have a clear Wellness Policy that the talent should be well aware of by now. You can make jokes about how effective this policy really is, but the fact remains that it does exist and performers have been suspended in the past. Because of this, Rey Mysterio can not claim any sort of ignorance on the matter. Second, why did Mysterio not inform the WWE when he first got the prescription? Correct me if I am wrong, but shouldn’t a wrestler (or any athlete in any sport for that matter) let the company know about what drugs they will be putting in their body right away, especially when drug testing is in place? I say the answer is yes and either Mysterio or his doctor dropped the ball. If this was a legitimate prescription in the first place, then why not be upfront about it?
But let’s say fine, Mysterio did not have to report this right away and he felt he was doing nothing wrong. That’s all well and good, but what happened to the 72 hour period to produce proof then? I think Mysterio is just making his international trip into an excuse. Don’t we have phones? Don’t we have fax machines? If Mysterio was alerted to his positive test, why wasn’t he on the phone right away with his doctor and telling him to send the WWE proof of the prescription? It seems to me that Mysterio was too lazy or too cocky and he dropped the ball. Or maybe there is more to this story. Maybe the prescription that Mysterio received was something he should not have gotten in the first place. I don’t know and I am not going to try and crucify the man, but it seems clear that he messed up on this, not the WWE. All the WWE was doing was trying to abide by their policy and not make it into a joke by letting a popular performer slide.
Reports also indicated that Mysterio was expected to talk to management at the Smackdown tapings in an effort to explain his side of things and try to get the suspension overturned. Obviously, that did not occur and I believe it would have been very foolish if the WWE even entertained the idea of overturning it. If they were to do that, it would open up a bad can of worms, so to speak. It would allow for other wrestlers to try and skirt the system and take whatever drugs they want and then come back later and say “my doctor forgot to send you the prescription” or some other excuse. Rey got caught being dumb or lazy and even if this wasn’t totally his fault, he now has to pay the consequences.
I have to wonder if all of this could have been avoided. If Mysterio had injuries still nagging him, then he should have asked for time off. I am a little sick and tired of hearing the notion that a guy will “lose his spot” if he takes time off. Rey must realize how popular he is and how much the WWE wants him to connect to their Latino audience. I think it would be highly unlikely that he would “lose his spot” if he took some time off to heal up a little. Look at what Chris Jericho did. He took 2 years off and came back to a pretty good spot. People are also speculating that Jeff Hardy is now going to do the same. I think it is foolish to believe you will become a nobody if you need to take some time off to rest your body, especially when you are the top Latino star in the company. And maybe if the WWE just allowed Rey to lose the IC Title to Dolph Ziggler and not drag it out so long, then Mysterio could have done that and then took a few weeks off.
All in all, this is just seems like a sad situation that probably did not need to happen. It is my belief though that the responsibility ultimately fell on Rey Mysterio and he messed something up. Even if he did not intend to “cheat”, I think he would have had proper time and opportunity to fix the situation before he got a suspension. I hope that Rey uses the time off to rest his body and hopefully he can come back and not be made a joke of. It would benefit both parties to fix the situation and be professional about it from this point on.
The Game’s Quick Hits
Ravens Notes: The Ravens had their final preseason game last night and defeated the Atlanta Falcons 20-3 to finish the preseason 4-0. As everyone knows, the last preseason game does not feature significant playing time for the starters and coaches mainly use the game to figure out which players will make the cut and be on the 53 man roster. So there is not much to report from last night, although I did like what I saw in the 1st quarter. The Ravens mostly sent out the second unit defense, but LB Terrell Suggs did see his first action of the preseason after recovering from injury. Suggs looked pretty good and was able to record a sack. This definitely bodes well for the defense and it looks like all systems are a go for week 1. QB John Beck also did a nice job driving the offense to a touchdown on their first series. I was encouraged by the play of WR Demetrius Williams. He looked pretty good and caught some nice balls, so maybe he will be able to step up and be the productive #3 WR that the team needs behind Derrick Mason and Mark Clayton. Another consistent target for QB Joe Flacco will only help get the Ravens where they want to go.
Boise State/Oregon Recap: The college football season kicked off with a marquee matchup between #14 Boise State and #16 Oregon. Many said that Boise State had to win the game to have any hopes of a BCS bowl game and if they did win, they would have a shot at going undefeated. Well it seems that Boise State was ready for the challenge as they beat Oregon 19-8. The first half was dominated by Boise State as they took a 13-0 lead into the half. Boise had no trouble moving the ball on offense and actually should have been up by 20+ points. Trouble in the red zone prevented this however. Oregon looked absolutely horrible in the first half, recording no 1st downs and developing no rhythm on offense. In the second half, it was more of the same as Boise State drove right down the field to score and make it 19-0. Oregon finally made a 1st down midway through the 3rd quarter and they were able to get some momentum and scored to make it 19-8. The game got very sloppy after that though and both teams traded turnovers and missed opportunities as the clock ticked down to zero. Boise dominated the game in terms of time of possession and ball control while Oregon looked completely overmatched and not prepared for the game and that is surprising to see from a highly ranked Pac 10 team. I am not sure that Boise can beat the elite level teams this year, but they got the win they needed to start the season. And on a final note, that idiot Oregon RB LeGarrette Blount should be suspended for at least one game for that cheap sucker punch he pulled on a Boise State player. There is no place for that crap and his ass wrote a check with his mouth that his ability could not cash on the field.
- The Tampa Bay Buccaneers fired offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski Thursday morning and replaced him with quarterbacks coach Greg Olson. Jagodzinski turned down the Bucs offer to take over as the quarterbacks coach. If you remember, Jagodzinski was formerly the head coach of Boston College and was fired when he went against the university’s wishes and interviewed for the New York Jets head coaching vacancy that ultimately went to Rex Ryan. Sources are saying that conflict has been brewing since early in training camp and Jagodzinski was not suited to be an offensive coordinator and his style of teaching and general coaching philosophy was made for head coaching. Well gee, that shouldn’t take a genius to figure out. It seems like Jagodzinski really screwed up in this situation. He had a great job at Boston College, but he obviously let ambition get in the way. He reached for an NFL head coaching job too early in his career and he had to move down to a coordinator position that now seems like he was not suited for. This will not reflect well on him and I don’t know if he can expect to get another good head coaching position like he had at Boston College. I think he has now set his career back a few years and it was a dumb move for him to make.
- Back to the Michael Vick watch around here…Vick was expected to see extensive action and start the 2nd half at QB for Philadelphia in their final preseason game Thursday night. Sources reported that Vick did in fact meet with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to talk about his possible full re-instatement to the league for the regular season and it was announced in the afternoon that Goodell would allow Vick to be eligible again in week 3, effectively suspending him for 2 games. So it looks like the speculation was true on this and I think the decision is a fair one. Vick seems to be adjusting well and I have heard no reports of Vick taking any missteps. On the field Thursday night, Vick scored his first touchdown since returning to the field. He was able to score on a 2-yard run after faking a handoff early in the second quarter which gave the Eagles a 14-7 lead at the time. But that was as good as it got for Vick. He looked rusty and was sacked 4 times, threw an interception and lost a fumble. He was 7 for 11 for 26 yards and ran the ball 7 times for 35 yards. Obviously, you could not expect a magnificent performance after so long away, but it is clear that Vick is far from being dynamic right now. He will not be able to get back on the playing field for three weeks, so the Eagles had better hope Vick is able to shake off the cobwebs and perfect a few gadget plays in practice because he won’t help Philly if he plays the way he did tonight.
- Other NFL News and Notes: In an interview with USA Today, Bengals WR Chris Henry says that the suspensions he has received from the NFL have helped him to focus and try to improve himself to be a better professional. Henry has been arrested 5 times and has missed 14 games due to his conduct since being drafted in 2005. QB Carson Palmer says he has seen the changes in Henry and Henry has been Cincinnati’s best WR in the preseason. This is good to hear and I hope Henry stays on the right path. Under normal circumstances, I would say that this guy doesn’t deserve any more opportunities, but he has “done his time” with the suspensions and if he has truly learned his lessons and has grown up, more power to him…In shocking news, Vikings QB Brett Favre will not play in the team’s preseason finale against Dallas on Friday. Wow, who could have predicted that? Feel the sarcasm people! There were also reports coming out that said the Vikings were gauging interest in the trade market for QB Tarvaris Jackson. I’m not sure if this is such a wise move. Jackson has shown slow improvement and potential and he may inherit the starting job next year if Favre moves on. However, it seems unwise to keep 4 QBs on the roster, so maybe dealing T-Jack is the best move. Time will tell…
- One of the NBA’s great defensive players retired on Thursday as Bruce Bowen called it a career at the age of 38. Bowen helped the Spurs win three NBA championships this decade and was named to the NBA all-defensive 1st or 2nd team every year from 2000-2008. Bowen decided to step away to pursue off-court business and community projects and is also considering a career in broadcasting. I wish Bowen well in whatever he decides to pursue. He was one of the classy guys in the NBA and one hell of a defender on the perimeter. Bowen is the kind of player that every team needs to be successful and his legacy will be cemented with the great Spurs teams of this decade. Congratulations to him on a fine career.
- In order to spice up the world of golf, it seems like Tiger Woods wants to create a little verbal sparring and cause some controversy…well, maybe. On the eve of the Deutsche Bank Championship, Tiger said that Ernie Els did not work hard enough after undergoing major knee surgery back in 2005. He said that Ernie is not a really big worker physically and that you need to work hard to come back from an ACL injury. I am not sure what prompted those comments or what Els might think of them, but Tiger is probably right. Since 2006, when Els announced he had a 3 year plan to challenge Tiger for the #1 world ranking, Ernie has only gone backwards in the rankings and is now just starting to show signs of regaining his form. No one works harder at his craft than Tiger Woods, but that seems like a pretty good shot he is taking at Els. I think it is the truth though because Ernie Els was great in the first half of the decade and he has been slowly sliding downward since then.
- Reports are saying that the New York Mets will not change the dimensions of Citi Field for the 2010 season despite the lack of home runs being hit. Injuries are hurting the cause of course, but the Mets have hit only 77 home runs and Citi Field is averaging 1.67 HRs per game compared to 2.15 in Shea Stadium last year. I’m wondering why this is even being debated and talked about. I realize that fans want to see the excitement of home runs, but no one ever said that hitting homers is a guarantee. The ballpark is how it is and people should stop complaining. There is a great deal more to the game than jacking out home runs and if they bring the dimensions in, then the opposing teams will have a better shot at hitting them just like the Mets will. The Mets should focus on building a better team that doesn’t choke every year instead of worrying about the ballpark. Be happy you have a brand new facility and play the damn game.
- U.S. Open Update: American Melanie Oudin pulled off the biggest upset of the U.S. Open so far by beating #4 seed Elena Dementieva 5-7, 6-4, 6-3. This was then followed by #5 seed Jelena Jankovic being ousted in a 3rd set tiebreaker by Yaroslava Shvedova. Women’s #1 seed Dinara Safina again needed 3 sets to survive and advance past the 2nd round. Seems like it is only a matter of time before she gets bounced and I would pretty much guarantee she will not win the tournament. At this point, who knows who will win on the women’s side with all these upsets happening? One the men’s side of the draw, it was business as usual once again with no major upsets occurring and #5 seed Andy Roddick moving on.
Reports started to surface that Mysterio gave an interview with Spanish language newspaper The Record and he claimed in the interview that he was not at fault for this; it was the WWE’s fault. Wow, big mistake there Rey. Mysterio told the newspaper that he had a legal prescription for the substance that triggered a positive result. Now under the WWE’s Wellness Policy, a wrestler has up to 72 hours after a positive test result to produce proof that the substance in question has been taken for a legitimate medical purpose and they have a prescription for it. Mysterio claims that his doctor failed to clarify one of the discovered substances and that when the WWE asked for the proof, Rey was out of the country promoting Summerslam. When he returned to the states, he was informed of the suspension and was also told his doctor would “take care of it”, but that did not occur.
The fact that these details have emerged and that Rey vehemently denies he is at fault could be the least of his worries. The interview that Mysterio gave to The Record was not authorized by the WWE, so you can just imagine how Vince McMahon felt about that. All interviews that WWE performers give need to be cleared by management and Rey did not get clearance for this one. As you could expect, McMahon was extremely mad and reports indicate that there was a conference call held to determine what they could possibly do to “send a message” to Mysterio and other talent. Consideration was given to unmasking Mysterio on Smackdown. This did not occur and I feel that was the right move. If they did not pull the trigger on that during Rey’s hot feud with Chris Jericho, then it would make absolutely no sense to do it over this. Mysterio’s unmasking could still make the company money at some point in the future, so that was a smart decision. There was also talk of making Rey’s exit a “blink and you’ll miss it” type of thing, but that did not happen either. It seems like the one thing that was decided on was to publicize the incident instead of burying it. On WWE.com on Wednesday, Mysterio’s suspension was the top headline. Usually in the past, suspensions did not make the front page and could only be found in WWE’s corporate section. So this could have been part of the punishment. No other word has come out in regards to additional penalties, but I would not be surprised to see Mysterio buried down the card and losing matches when he comes back.
So with all this said, the big question is: who is really at fault in this situation? After giving it some thought, I think I side with the WWE on this one. First of all, they have a clear Wellness Policy that the talent should be well aware of by now. You can make jokes about how effective this policy really is, but the fact remains that it does exist and performers have been suspended in the past. Because of this, Rey Mysterio can not claim any sort of ignorance on the matter. Second, why did Mysterio not inform the WWE when he first got the prescription? Correct me if I am wrong, but shouldn’t a wrestler (or any athlete in any sport for that matter) let the company know about what drugs they will be putting in their body right away, especially when drug testing is in place? I say the answer is yes and either Mysterio or his doctor dropped the ball. If this was a legitimate prescription in the first place, then why not be upfront about it?
But let’s say fine, Mysterio did not have to report this right away and he felt he was doing nothing wrong. That’s all well and good, but what happened to the 72 hour period to produce proof then? I think Mysterio is just making his international trip into an excuse. Don’t we have phones? Don’t we have fax machines? If Mysterio was alerted to his positive test, why wasn’t he on the phone right away with his doctor and telling him to send the WWE proof of the prescription? It seems to me that Mysterio was too lazy or too cocky and he dropped the ball. Or maybe there is more to this story. Maybe the prescription that Mysterio received was something he should not have gotten in the first place. I don’t know and I am not going to try and crucify the man, but it seems clear that he messed up on this, not the WWE. All the WWE was doing was trying to abide by their policy and not make it into a joke by letting a popular performer slide.
Reports also indicated that Mysterio was expected to talk to management at the Smackdown tapings in an effort to explain his side of things and try to get the suspension overturned. Obviously, that did not occur and I believe it would have been very foolish if the WWE even entertained the idea of overturning it. If they were to do that, it would open up a bad can of worms, so to speak. It would allow for other wrestlers to try and skirt the system and take whatever drugs they want and then come back later and say “my doctor forgot to send you the prescription” or some other excuse. Rey got caught being dumb or lazy and even if this wasn’t totally his fault, he now has to pay the consequences.
I have to wonder if all of this could have been avoided. If Mysterio had injuries still nagging him, then he should have asked for time off. I am a little sick and tired of hearing the notion that a guy will “lose his spot” if he takes time off. Rey must realize how popular he is and how much the WWE wants him to connect to their Latino audience. I think it would be highly unlikely that he would “lose his spot” if he took some time off to heal up a little. Look at what Chris Jericho did. He took 2 years off and came back to a pretty good spot. People are also speculating that Jeff Hardy is now going to do the same. I think it is foolish to believe you will become a nobody if you need to take some time off to rest your body, especially when you are the top Latino star in the company. And maybe if the WWE just allowed Rey to lose the IC Title to Dolph Ziggler and not drag it out so long, then Mysterio could have done that and then took a few weeks off.
All in all, this is just seems like a sad situation that probably did not need to happen. It is my belief though that the responsibility ultimately fell on Rey Mysterio and he messed something up. Even if he did not intend to “cheat”, I think he would have had proper time and opportunity to fix the situation before he got a suspension. I hope that Rey uses the time off to rest his body and hopefully he can come back and not be made a joke of. It would benefit both parties to fix the situation and be professional about it from this point on.
The Game’s Quick Hits
Ravens Notes: The Ravens had their final preseason game last night and defeated the Atlanta Falcons 20-3 to finish the preseason 4-0. As everyone knows, the last preseason game does not feature significant playing time for the starters and coaches mainly use the game to figure out which players will make the cut and be on the 53 man roster. So there is not much to report from last night, although I did like what I saw in the 1st quarter. The Ravens mostly sent out the second unit defense, but LB Terrell Suggs did see his first action of the preseason after recovering from injury. Suggs looked pretty good and was able to record a sack. This definitely bodes well for the defense and it looks like all systems are a go for week 1. QB John Beck also did a nice job driving the offense to a touchdown on their first series. I was encouraged by the play of WR Demetrius Williams. He looked pretty good and caught some nice balls, so maybe he will be able to step up and be the productive #3 WR that the team needs behind Derrick Mason and Mark Clayton. Another consistent target for QB Joe Flacco will only help get the Ravens where they want to go.
Boise State/Oregon Recap: The college football season kicked off with a marquee matchup between #14 Boise State and #16 Oregon. Many said that Boise State had to win the game to have any hopes of a BCS bowl game and if they did win, they would have a shot at going undefeated. Well it seems that Boise State was ready for the challenge as they beat Oregon 19-8. The first half was dominated by Boise State as they took a 13-0 lead into the half. Boise had no trouble moving the ball on offense and actually should have been up by 20+ points. Trouble in the red zone prevented this however. Oregon looked absolutely horrible in the first half, recording no 1st downs and developing no rhythm on offense. In the second half, it was more of the same as Boise State drove right down the field to score and make it 19-0. Oregon finally made a 1st down midway through the 3rd quarter and they were able to get some momentum and scored to make it 19-8. The game got very sloppy after that though and both teams traded turnovers and missed opportunities as the clock ticked down to zero. Boise dominated the game in terms of time of possession and ball control while Oregon looked completely overmatched and not prepared for the game and that is surprising to see from a highly ranked Pac 10 team. I am not sure that Boise can beat the elite level teams this year, but they got the win they needed to start the season. And on a final note, that idiot Oregon RB LeGarrette Blount should be suspended for at least one game for that cheap sucker punch he pulled on a Boise State player. There is no place for that crap and his ass wrote a check with his mouth that his ability could not cash on the field.
- The Tampa Bay Buccaneers fired offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski Thursday morning and replaced him with quarterbacks coach Greg Olson. Jagodzinski turned down the Bucs offer to take over as the quarterbacks coach. If you remember, Jagodzinski was formerly the head coach of Boston College and was fired when he went against the university’s wishes and interviewed for the New York Jets head coaching vacancy that ultimately went to Rex Ryan. Sources are saying that conflict has been brewing since early in training camp and Jagodzinski was not suited to be an offensive coordinator and his style of teaching and general coaching philosophy was made for head coaching. Well gee, that shouldn’t take a genius to figure out. It seems like Jagodzinski really screwed up in this situation. He had a great job at Boston College, but he obviously let ambition get in the way. He reached for an NFL head coaching job too early in his career and he had to move down to a coordinator position that now seems like he was not suited for. This will not reflect well on him and I don’t know if he can expect to get another good head coaching position like he had at Boston College. I think he has now set his career back a few years and it was a dumb move for him to make.
- Back to the Michael Vick watch around here…Vick was expected to see extensive action and start the 2nd half at QB for Philadelphia in their final preseason game Thursday night. Sources reported that Vick did in fact meet with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to talk about his possible full re-instatement to the league for the regular season and it was announced in the afternoon that Goodell would allow Vick to be eligible again in week 3, effectively suspending him for 2 games. So it looks like the speculation was true on this and I think the decision is a fair one. Vick seems to be adjusting well and I have heard no reports of Vick taking any missteps. On the field Thursday night, Vick scored his first touchdown since returning to the field. He was able to score on a 2-yard run after faking a handoff early in the second quarter which gave the Eagles a 14-7 lead at the time. But that was as good as it got for Vick. He looked rusty and was sacked 4 times, threw an interception and lost a fumble. He was 7 for 11 for 26 yards and ran the ball 7 times for 35 yards. Obviously, you could not expect a magnificent performance after so long away, but it is clear that Vick is far from being dynamic right now. He will not be able to get back on the playing field for three weeks, so the Eagles had better hope Vick is able to shake off the cobwebs and perfect a few gadget plays in practice because he won’t help Philly if he plays the way he did tonight.
- Other NFL News and Notes: In an interview with USA Today, Bengals WR Chris Henry says that the suspensions he has received from the NFL have helped him to focus and try to improve himself to be a better professional. Henry has been arrested 5 times and has missed 14 games due to his conduct since being drafted in 2005. QB Carson Palmer says he has seen the changes in Henry and Henry has been Cincinnati’s best WR in the preseason. This is good to hear and I hope Henry stays on the right path. Under normal circumstances, I would say that this guy doesn’t deserve any more opportunities, but he has “done his time” with the suspensions and if he has truly learned his lessons and has grown up, more power to him…In shocking news, Vikings QB Brett Favre will not play in the team’s preseason finale against Dallas on Friday. Wow, who could have predicted that? Feel the sarcasm people! There were also reports coming out that said the Vikings were gauging interest in the trade market for QB Tarvaris Jackson. I’m not sure if this is such a wise move. Jackson has shown slow improvement and potential and he may inherit the starting job next year if Favre moves on. However, it seems unwise to keep 4 QBs on the roster, so maybe dealing T-Jack is the best move. Time will tell…
- One of the NBA’s great defensive players retired on Thursday as Bruce Bowen called it a career at the age of 38. Bowen helped the Spurs win three NBA championships this decade and was named to the NBA all-defensive 1st or 2nd team every year from 2000-2008. Bowen decided to step away to pursue off-court business and community projects and is also considering a career in broadcasting. I wish Bowen well in whatever he decides to pursue. He was one of the classy guys in the NBA and one hell of a defender on the perimeter. Bowen is the kind of player that every team needs to be successful and his legacy will be cemented with the great Spurs teams of this decade. Congratulations to him on a fine career.
- In order to spice up the world of golf, it seems like Tiger Woods wants to create a little verbal sparring and cause some controversy…well, maybe. On the eve of the Deutsche Bank Championship, Tiger said that Ernie Els did not work hard enough after undergoing major knee surgery back in 2005. He said that Ernie is not a really big worker physically and that you need to work hard to come back from an ACL injury. I am not sure what prompted those comments or what Els might think of them, but Tiger is probably right. Since 2006, when Els announced he had a 3 year plan to challenge Tiger for the #1 world ranking, Ernie has only gone backwards in the rankings and is now just starting to show signs of regaining his form. No one works harder at his craft than Tiger Woods, but that seems like a pretty good shot he is taking at Els. I think it is the truth though because Ernie Els was great in the first half of the decade and he has been slowly sliding downward since then.
- Reports are saying that the New York Mets will not change the dimensions of Citi Field for the 2010 season despite the lack of home runs being hit. Injuries are hurting the cause of course, but the Mets have hit only 77 home runs and Citi Field is averaging 1.67 HRs per game compared to 2.15 in Shea Stadium last year. I’m wondering why this is even being debated and talked about. I realize that fans want to see the excitement of home runs, but no one ever said that hitting homers is a guarantee. The ballpark is how it is and people should stop complaining. There is a great deal more to the game than jacking out home runs and if they bring the dimensions in, then the opposing teams will have a better shot at hitting them just like the Mets will. The Mets should focus on building a better team that doesn’t choke every year instead of worrying about the ballpark. Be happy you have a brand new facility and play the damn game.
- U.S. Open Update: American Melanie Oudin pulled off the biggest upset of the U.S. Open so far by beating #4 seed Elena Dementieva 5-7, 6-4, 6-3. This was then followed by #5 seed Jelena Jankovic being ousted in a 3rd set tiebreaker by Yaroslava Shvedova. Women’s #1 seed Dinara Safina again needed 3 sets to survive and advance past the 2nd round. Seems like it is only a matter of time before she gets bounced and I would pretty much guarantee she will not win the tournament. At this point, who knows who will win on the women’s side with all these upsets happening? One the men’s side of the draw, it was business as usual once again with no major upsets occurring and #5 seed Andy Roddick moving on.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Ready to Rave N Roll?
Well we’ve reached the third week of the preseason and that means things are getting serious for every NFL team. Typically, the 3rd preseason game is treated as a “dress rehearsal” for the regular season and each team takes it seriously as if the game counted. The starters usually play the first half and a series or two into the second half and the coaches are trying to make the final determinations as to who will be making the final 53 man roster. With that said, the Ravens had their 3rd preseason game last night against the Carolina Panthers, so what is the verdict after seeing their performance?
I have to say that I really liked what I saw in the Ravens 17-13 victory over the Panthers last night. On the defensive side of the ball, the Ravens continued to look in midseason form. During the first half, they only gave up 3 points and very few big plays down the field. The defensive prevented QB Jake Delhomme and the rest of the Panthers offense from getting into any type of rhythm. The Panthers first unit could not get anything going until the Ravens entire defense had the second unit in at the end of the third quarter. I do worry some if the injury bug starts to bite, but that is true of every team and the Ravens do have good depth to stand up to a few injuries. I was impressed with the play of new Ravens QB Dominique Foxworth. Foxworth was brought in to make the secondary a bit younger and faster, and he was able to make some good plays last night and seems to be picking up the defensive schemes. This bodes well heading into the regular season.
On the offensive side of things, I continued to be very impressed and encouraged in what I saw. Joe Flacco was extremely good in the first half as he completed 17 of 22 passes and threw his first touchdown of the preseason. What impresses me most is the development of his decision making. He is making smart plays and picking up when he needs to check down to his other receivers and also dump the ball off. Flacco also made some good down the field throws and I am hopeful that the downfield passing game will continue to improve. If it does, the Ravens will get more and more dangerous with the aerial attack. As an extra note, I noticed on Twitter that ESPN’s Chris Mortensen and CBS’s Pete Prisco both see the improvements in Flacco and are predicting good things ahead for him. I can dig that.
I was also impressed with the play of RB Ray Rice. Last season, everyone could see the speed and quickness of Rice and knew at the very least, he would be a good third down back and also a back that could give your starter a good rest every now and then. But now, Rice is starting to prove himself as capable of being a starter and carrying the offensive load when it comes to the run game. He continues to make strides when it comes to patience and he is getting better at picking his running lanes and openings and not trying to do too much. I also saw him make some good plays in the passing game, taking a few short passes from Flacco and turning them into good gains. This is a very good sign for Baltimore and again, CBS’s Prisco made mention on Twitter that he believes Rice will be a steal in fantasy football drafts this year. If Rice can handle the load and Willis McGahee stays healthy and can come in and continue pounding the ball, the Ravens offense may finally start to turn the corner.
It also seems as if Todd Heap is rounding back to form after dealing with injuries last season. He made a few nice catches and caught the TD pass from Flacco. Heap still has the ability to be extremely effective if he can stay on the field. A healthy year will give Flacco another weapon and allow him to work the middle of the field. WR Derrick Mason is also showing no signs of slowing down. He made a few nice grabs on deeper passes and the guy just knows how to get the job done.
So after seeing this performance tonight and watching all three preseason games, I have to say that the Ravens are looking more and more like legitimate contenders this season. I will still not get overly optimistic, but I will say that it will be a hell of a battle in the AFC North this year. The games against Pittsburgh should be off the hook and I will be glued to the TV for them. The Ravens don’t have a cupcake schedule by any means, but I think they can seriously challenge for the division title and if the offense keeps developing and the defense plays to its usual standard, the Ravens will have a shot this season.
And a final tidbit for Ravens fans out there…the last time the team started 3-0 in the preseason was in the 2000 campaign, the year in which Baltimore won the Super Bowl. Just some food for thought…
The Game’s Quick Hits
- I would be remiss if I did not mention the funeral for Ted Kennedy which took place on Saturday. I watched the proceedings and thought that it was a great service. The eulogies delivered by his sons Ted Jr. and Patrick were very poignant and offered a glimpse at the type of man Ted Kennedy was and what he stood for and tried to instill in others. As always, President Obama eloquently delivered a tribute to a friend and mentor and spoke about trying to honor Kennedy’s memory by always moving forward and trying to do what we can to persevere and make the world a better place. It was cool to see the funeral procession and final ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery as it was the first time I really witnessed and sat down to watch a burial like that for a prominent national political figure. The scene on the steps of the Capitol was pretty remarkable and the spontaneous singing of “God Bless America” was touching. Truly Ted Kennedy left his mark on America and whether you agreed with his politics or not, he was a man to be respected for what he endured and tried to accomplish.
- In an attempt to bolster their roster and hold off the Texas Rangers in the AL West, the Los Angeles Angels acquired P Scott Kazmir from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for 2 minor leaguers. I definitely have to give credit to the Angels for getting this done and trying to do what they can to make their team stronger for the playoffs. Kazmir has been pretty effective when he has not been slowed by injuries and the guy also has playoff experience, having started Games 1 and 5 of the World Series last year. I think the Angels need all the help they can get when it comes to pitching because it seems like the Yankees, who won a 1 hit, 10-0 shutout over the White Sox yesterday for their league leading 81st win, are still pressing full speed ahead and they look like the team to beat come playoff time.
- Tiger Woods tried to make a move on Saturday at The Barclays, but his 4-under par round of 67 only was able to bring him to within 5 strokes of co-leaders Steve Marino and Paul Goydos. Again, Tiger was able to leapfrog higher up the leaderboard into a tie for seventh place, but he still has a daunting task in trying to win on Sunday. I watched a good bit of the 3rd round and Tiger finally got some putts to drop and he kept grinding away. Only because of what Tiger Woods is capable of will I be tuned into the final round tomorrow. I do not expect Tiger to win, but he has made comebacks before, so you just never know. Final round Sundays are always a good watch when he is on the front page of the leaderboard.
- Sources indicate Golden State Warriors forward Stephen Jackson is seeking to be traded to a contender. The 31 year old made statements saying that he only has about 4 or 5 years left and he wants to be traded to a team that consistently makes the playoffs and is in position to win a championship. I can’t recall hearing about this guy being a trouble maker or anything, so I can respect his position and where he is coming from. Golden State is one of those franchises in sports that just seem like they always will be mediocre and have nothing going for them. Constantly losing takes its toll, so I have no problem with a veteran player wanting to try and win a title. Jackson averaged a career high 20.7 points per game last season and is a career 15.4 ppg scorer over 9 NBA seasons. Obviously Jackson could help a contending team, but his production would also come with a decent price tag that I am not sure a contender is willing to pay.
- Back to more Michael Vick news…as if it was any surprise, head coach Andy Reid stated that Vick will play in the Eagles final preseason game against the New York Jets. Reid said that he felt Vick looked good and he could see a more extended period playing QB in the final preseason game. I really feel that the Eagles need to let him play at least a series or two and let him stay in at QB to see what he can do since this might be the last time they will see Vick for a few weeks. Roger Goodell will make a decision by week 6 on whether Vick will be fully reinstated, so the Eagles might as well get a good look in the last preseason game. My guess is that Vick will sit 2 to 4 more games before being reinstated and then the fun can begin.
- Another QB battle was settled on Saturday when Tampa Bay announced that QB Byron Leftwich would be the team’s starter come week 1. Coach Raheem Morris said that Leftwich had the edge on QB Luke McCown heading into camp and held it with steady play in the preseason. In my estimation, it really didn’t matter who the Bucs picked to be their started because I don’t think they will be a big contender this year and probably will struggle to have a shot at the playoffs. I don’t think Leftwich or McCown are that consistent or dynamic, so the Bucs will really have to rely on running the ball and defense this year if they hope to compete.
- Other football notes: Patriots coach Bill Belichick insisted that Tom Brady was pulled from Friday night’s preseason game because the plan was to evaluate the other QBs. Speculation is already running wild as to whether or not Brady has any sort of serious injury. We will be playing the waiting game on this because you know Belichick will not say a word…Kansas City Chiefs QB Matt Cassel left in the first quarter of the Chiefs preseason game against the Seahawks with an apparent leg injury. Reports indicated that the injury was not believed to be that serious, but one has to wonder why Cassel did not try to return then. That is definitely something Kansas City doesn’t need. They need all the help they can get, especially with a week 1 game against the Ravens…Starting USC WR Ronald Johnson broke his collarbone in a mock game on Saturday and will be out for 6-8 weeks. Coach Pete Carroll described the loss of Johnson as “just a crusher”. I would say it is. You don’t want to lose your #1 WR when you are starting a true freshman at QB. I am on record saying that USC will not be in the hunt for the National Championship and I still believe that because this injury does not help them at all…Alabama head coach Nick Saban signed a contract extension which will keep at the school until 2017. Good to see that he actually might want to stay put this time. He can dream of trying to become the next Bear Bryant, but don’t count on it.
I have to say that I really liked what I saw in the Ravens 17-13 victory over the Panthers last night. On the defensive side of the ball, the Ravens continued to look in midseason form. During the first half, they only gave up 3 points and very few big plays down the field. The defensive prevented QB Jake Delhomme and the rest of the Panthers offense from getting into any type of rhythm. The Panthers first unit could not get anything going until the Ravens entire defense had the second unit in at the end of the third quarter. I do worry some if the injury bug starts to bite, but that is true of every team and the Ravens do have good depth to stand up to a few injuries. I was impressed with the play of new Ravens QB Dominique Foxworth. Foxworth was brought in to make the secondary a bit younger and faster, and he was able to make some good plays last night and seems to be picking up the defensive schemes. This bodes well heading into the regular season.
On the offensive side of things, I continued to be very impressed and encouraged in what I saw. Joe Flacco was extremely good in the first half as he completed 17 of 22 passes and threw his first touchdown of the preseason. What impresses me most is the development of his decision making. He is making smart plays and picking up when he needs to check down to his other receivers and also dump the ball off. Flacco also made some good down the field throws and I am hopeful that the downfield passing game will continue to improve. If it does, the Ravens will get more and more dangerous with the aerial attack. As an extra note, I noticed on Twitter that ESPN’s Chris Mortensen and CBS’s Pete Prisco both see the improvements in Flacco and are predicting good things ahead for him. I can dig that.
I was also impressed with the play of RB Ray Rice. Last season, everyone could see the speed and quickness of Rice and knew at the very least, he would be a good third down back and also a back that could give your starter a good rest every now and then. But now, Rice is starting to prove himself as capable of being a starter and carrying the offensive load when it comes to the run game. He continues to make strides when it comes to patience and he is getting better at picking his running lanes and openings and not trying to do too much. I also saw him make some good plays in the passing game, taking a few short passes from Flacco and turning them into good gains. This is a very good sign for Baltimore and again, CBS’s Prisco made mention on Twitter that he believes Rice will be a steal in fantasy football drafts this year. If Rice can handle the load and Willis McGahee stays healthy and can come in and continue pounding the ball, the Ravens offense may finally start to turn the corner.
It also seems as if Todd Heap is rounding back to form after dealing with injuries last season. He made a few nice catches and caught the TD pass from Flacco. Heap still has the ability to be extremely effective if he can stay on the field. A healthy year will give Flacco another weapon and allow him to work the middle of the field. WR Derrick Mason is also showing no signs of slowing down. He made a few nice grabs on deeper passes and the guy just knows how to get the job done.
So after seeing this performance tonight and watching all three preseason games, I have to say that the Ravens are looking more and more like legitimate contenders this season. I will still not get overly optimistic, but I will say that it will be a hell of a battle in the AFC North this year. The games against Pittsburgh should be off the hook and I will be glued to the TV for them. The Ravens don’t have a cupcake schedule by any means, but I think they can seriously challenge for the division title and if the offense keeps developing and the defense plays to its usual standard, the Ravens will have a shot this season.
And a final tidbit for Ravens fans out there…the last time the team started 3-0 in the preseason was in the 2000 campaign, the year in which Baltimore won the Super Bowl. Just some food for thought…
The Game’s Quick Hits
- I would be remiss if I did not mention the funeral for Ted Kennedy which took place on Saturday. I watched the proceedings and thought that it was a great service. The eulogies delivered by his sons Ted Jr. and Patrick were very poignant and offered a glimpse at the type of man Ted Kennedy was and what he stood for and tried to instill in others. As always, President Obama eloquently delivered a tribute to a friend and mentor and spoke about trying to honor Kennedy’s memory by always moving forward and trying to do what we can to persevere and make the world a better place. It was cool to see the funeral procession and final ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery as it was the first time I really witnessed and sat down to watch a burial like that for a prominent national political figure. The scene on the steps of the Capitol was pretty remarkable and the spontaneous singing of “God Bless America” was touching. Truly Ted Kennedy left his mark on America and whether you agreed with his politics or not, he was a man to be respected for what he endured and tried to accomplish.
- In an attempt to bolster their roster and hold off the Texas Rangers in the AL West, the Los Angeles Angels acquired P Scott Kazmir from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for 2 minor leaguers. I definitely have to give credit to the Angels for getting this done and trying to do what they can to make their team stronger for the playoffs. Kazmir has been pretty effective when he has not been slowed by injuries and the guy also has playoff experience, having started Games 1 and 5 of the World Series last year. I think the Angels need all the help they can get when it comes to pitching because it seems like the Yankees, who won a 1 hit, 10-0 shutout over the White Sox yesterday for their league leading 81st win, are still pressing full speed ahead and they look like the team to beat come playoff time.
- Tiger Woods tried to make a move on Saturday at The Barclays, but his 4-under par round of 67 only was able to bring him to within 5 strokes of co-leaders Steve Marino and Paul Goydos. Again, Tiger was able to leapfrog higher up the leaderboard into a tie for seventh place, but he still has a daunting task in trying to win on Sunday. I watched a good bit of the 3rd round and Tiger finally got some putts to drop and he kept grinding away. Only because of what Tiger Woods is capable of will I be tuned into the final round tomorrow. I do not expect Tiger to win, but he has made comebacks before, so you just never know. Final round Sundays are always a good watch when he is on the front page of the leaderboard.
- Sources indicate Golden State Warriors forward Stephen Jackson is seeking to be traded to a contender. The 31 year old made statements saying that he only has about 4 or 5 years left and he wants to be traded to a team that consistently makes the playoffs and is in position to win a championship. I can’t recall hearing about this guy being a trouble maker or anything, so I can respect his position and where he is coming from. Golden State is one of those franchises in sports that just seem like they always will be mediocre and have nothing going for them. Constantly losing takes its toll, so I have no problem with a veteran player wanting to try and win a title. Jackson averaged a career high 20.7 points per game last season and is a career 15.4 ppg scorer over 9 NBA seasons. Obviously Jackson could help a contending team, but his production would also come with a decent price tag that I am not sure a contender is willing to pay.
- Back to more Michael Vick news…as if it was any surprise, head coach Andy Reid stated that Vick will play in the Eagles final preseason game against the New York Jets. Reid said that he felt Vick looked good and he could see a more extended period playing QB in the final preseason game. I really feel that the Eagles need to let him play at least a series or two and let him stay in at QB to see what he can do since this might be the last time they will see Vick for a few weeks. Roger Goodell will make a decision by week 6 on whether Vick will be fully reinstated, so the Eagles might as well get a good look in the last preseason game. My guess is that Vick will sit 2 to 4 more games before being reinstated and then the fun can begin.
- Another QB battle was settled on Saturday when Tampa Bay announced that QB Byron Leftwich would be the team’s starter come week 1. Coach Raheem Morris said that Leftwich had the edge on QB Luke McCown heading into camp and held it with steady play in the preseason. In my estimation, it really didn’t matter who the Bucs picked to be their started because I don’t think they will be a big contender this year and probably will struggle to have a shot at the playoffs. I don’t think Leftwich or McCown are that consistent or dynamic, so the Bucs will really have to rely on running the ball and defense this year if they hope to compete.
- Other football notes: Patriots coach Bill Belichick insisted that Tom Brady was pulled from Friday night’s preseason game because the plan was to evaluate the other QBs. Speculation is already running wild as to whether or not Brady has any sort of serious injury. We will be playing the waiting game on this because you know Belichick will not say a word…Kansas City Chiefs QB Matt Cassel left in the first quarter of the Chiefs preseason game against the Seahawks with an apparent leg injury. Reports indicated that the injury was not believed to be that serious, but one has to wonder why Cassel did not try to return then. That is definitely something Kansas City doesn’t need. They need all the help they can get, especially with a week 1 game against the Ravens…Starting USC WR Ronald Johnson broke his collarbone in a mock game on Saturday and will be out for 6-8 weeks. Coach Pete Carroll described the loss of Johnson as “just a crusher”. I would say it is. You don’t want to lose your #1 WR when you are starting a true freshman at QB. I am on record saying that USC will not be in the hunt for the National Championship and I still believe that because this injury does not help them at all…Alabama head coach Nick Saban signed a contract extension which will keep at the school until 2017. Good to see that he actually might want to stay put this time. He can dream of trying to become the next Bear Bryant, but don’t count on it.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Raven Mad and Ready for Football!
Football is a big passion of mine. I love the game and I enjoy kicking back on the weekend and watching as many college and pro games as I possibly can. I am from the Baltimore area so naturally, the Baltimore Ravens are my favorite NFL team. I was way too young to feel the hurt that people in Baltimore felt when the Colts rode out of town in those Mayflower vans in the winter of 1984. However, by the time Art Modell moved the Browns to Baltimore in 1995, I was ready to embrace them as the hometown team.
For the most part, it has been good to be a Baltimore Ravens fan for the past decade. The team was able to build itself into a winner by the 2000 season and won Super Bowl XXXV 34-7 over the New York Giants. That team featured quite possibly the greatest defense in the history of the game and throughout the years, the Ravens have been built on a strong defensive foundation. In the seasons following the Super Bowl win, Baltimore was able to stay competitive and make the playoffs, but they could not recapture the glory of that year. The defense stayed tough and stifling, but for the most part, the offensive side of things dropped the ball.
Now Brian Billick was supposed to be an “offensive guru”, but that never really materialized. Granted, the Ravens go by the philosophy that defense wins championships and the bigger bulk of salary cap space has been dedicated to the defense. But Billick and the team had no luck it seemed trying to build a better offense through the draft or find pieces that could work in free agency. The Ravens became very stagnant under Billick and the team was no longer buying his “brand”. A change needed to be made…enter John Harbaugh.
At the time, not many people knew if it was a good move bringing in the defensive backs coach from the Philadelphia Eagles and installing him as the head coach. The guy was young and had no head coaching experience at any level. But the Ravens’ front office was impressed enough to make the hire and it quickly paid off. Along with the drafting of Delaware QB Joe Flacco, the Ravens quickly jumped back into the elite level of the NFL last year. Unfortunately, the Ravens could not figure out how to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers last season and they fell 1 game short of making it to the Super Bowl. So now the question becomes, what is in store for the Ravens on the road to Super Bowl XLIV?
In my opinion, there is reason to be optimistic this year, but I am not willing to take a full plunge and say that I expect the Ravens to make the Super Bowl and possibly win it. I have never been a blind homer who touts his team as the best and expects them to go out and have an amazing season every year. I think that the Ravens can make a run again and if they are able to figure out how to beat Pittsburgh, then maybe something special could happen. I fully expect a trip to the playoffs and it should be very fun to watch.
On the defensive side of the ball, there are some questions this year. How will the team cope with the departure of defensive coordinator Rex Ryan, who is now the head coach of the New York Jets? Can someone step up and effectively replace Bart Scott, who also followed Ryan to New York and who was developing into an elite level linebacker? How much does Ray Lewis still have in the tank? I am fairly confident that the Ravens will indeed have answers to these questions and the defensive will still remain as one of the top units in the NFL.
The defensive does have some good depth even with the departures from last year and the Ravens have developed a system that works and they have proven over the years that they know how to develop players into stars on the defensive side of the ball. I believe that Ray Lewis still has enough in the tank to get the job done for the next 3 years that he signed for. His passion, dedication, work ethic, and leadership are unquestioned. He knows what it takes to win and he can will his teammates to victory. He also will be able to guide younger players and make them better. The defensive core of Lewis, Terrell Suggs, Ed Reed, and Haloti Ngata will keep the defensive ship sailing smoothly and will continue to give opposing offenses headaches this season.
As always, it seems that the offensive could still be what holds Baltimore back this year from true greatness. The 2000 defensive unit was a true once in a lifetime group and this year’s version will need more help from Flacco and company. Flacco had a great year last season by rookie QB standards. He was able to effectively manage the game, make a few good plays each time out, and not kill the team with costly turnovers. Of course that finally caught up to him in the AFC Championship game, but none the less, he played well enough to give the Ravens a shot in that game. The reports out of training camp this season have been promising. Flacco seems to be more comfortable with the offense and he has been doing a better job of spreading the ball around and not locking onto one or two receivers. This was evident in the first preseason game against the Redskins as Flacco hit 6 different receivers in very limited action. Truly, it seems as if Flacco will be the franchise QB the Ravens have been searching for.
But even if Flacco takes some steps forward, he is still inexperienced and the Ravens did not get him any help in the offseason at the receiver position. Thankfully, Derrick Mason decided to end his short retirement and return to the team. If Mason left, then the Ravens’ task of even making it back to the AFC Title game would have become much tougher. Mason is not an elite game breaking WR, but he knows how to get the job done and will be a dependable security blanket for Flacco. The other receivers are young and they will have to step up and contribute for the Ravens to go further this year.
The running game should hopefully help out Flacco. The Ravens have three dependable runners in Ron Rice, Willis McGahee, and Le’Ron McClain. McClain will be playing more fullback this year and hopefully will be opening up those running lanes for Rice and McGahee. Talk in camp is that Rice has shown great improvement and his pass catching ability has helped him move past McGahee for the starting job. Willis is responding with a good effort though and showing that he still has gas left in the tank. If all three can stay healthy this season, then that greatly helps and will set Baltimore up to make a serious run.
So in my final analysis, I think the Ravens will be very good this season but most likely will fall short of being super. My prediction is that they will fall one game short of winning the division and have to settle for a wild card spot again. In 2000 they won the Super Bowl as a wild card and that doesn’t seem to be a daunting task anymore. Will history repeat itself? Only time will tell, but my feeling is that the Ravens are still a year or two away from a possible Super Bowl win. If the defense remains strong and they can somehow add more offense for a developing Flacco, then Baltimore might have reason to celebrate within the next 3 years.
The Game’s Quick Hits
Monday Night Football Thoughts: As you can guess, my main thoughts for today were about the Ravens since they battled the Jets on Monday Night Football. The Ravens came away with a 24-23 victory and I have to say that once again, the first string defense and offense looked great. The Ravens’ D looked to be in midseason form and they made Jets rookie QB Mark Sanchez look like a rookie. Flacco looked good again, displaying his rocket arm and hitting some nice deep throws. If they are able to stretch the field, good things will be ahead for the Ravens. The second unit and beyond did look a bit shaky tonight, but that is what you get in the preseason. Troy Smith made a few mistakes, but all in all, another solid effort for Baltimore as we inch toward the regular season.
Monday Night RAWind: I will also try to give some quick thoughts in this section about the events of Monday Night Raw every week. This will not be a long recap, just some comments on what stood out to me. And unfortunately, not much did stand out last night and the show seemed like it fell flat and did not carry a great deal of momentum out of Summerslam. The 25 minute opening segment with DX ran too long. It was standard and classic DX shenanigans and the live crowd enjoyed it, but that doesn’t always transfer to TV land. Legacy crashed the party to set up the main event, which seems to kill the idea that some people had of DX moving on to challenge Jericho and Show for the Tag Titles. As predicted, Vince McMahon announced an “I Quit” match between Cena and Orton at Breaking Point for the WWE Championship. And since John Cena always says he never gives up and he never quits, it seems like Orton’s title reign has about 3 weeks left. I was happy to see The Miz continue on his quest to get a shot at Kofi Kingston for the United States Title. Miz has done some great stuff recently and I feel he should win that title and hopefully keep moving up the ladder. Floyd Mayweather’s involvement tonight was minimal and that was a good thing. He played a part in helping to shape a Unified Tag Team Title match at Breaking Point between JeriShow and MVP/Mark Henry. Nothing else stood out to me that is worth mentioning except for a Smackdown commercial which advertised CM Punk vs. Jeff Hardy for the World Heavyweight Championship inside a steel cage this Friday. So there is your answer to the Matt Hardy Twitter mystery…yes, Jeff will be around after Summerslam, but it will just be 1 more show it seems. Let’s hope the match is a great one on Friday.
- News broke late Sunday night after Summerslam that ROH star “American Dragon” Bryan Danielson has agreed to a contract with the WWE. Now I have to say that I really don’t know much about ROH or Danielson due to the fact that I do not get HD Net and I also do not have the finances to buy ROH DVDs religiously and follow the promotion. However, I do know that Danielson is one of the best in-ring performers in the world (and nicknamed “Best in the World” by ROH faithful) and he could be a great addition to the WWE. But the WWE does have a tendency to ruin performers, so it remains to be seen if they will try to stick Danielson with a stupid gimmick and not allow him to showcase his skills. Without question, he has the ability to get over with his in-ring work, but will the WWE try to hold him down from that and not let him just be himself? I will be extremely interested in seeing what happens and I hope Danielson will bring some great wresting to my TV screen. For more thoughts on this, check out my friend’s blog at http://pureathlete89.blogspot.com. He is a huge ROH and Danielson fan and offers more insights than I can.
- Another day, more Michael Vick news. The New York Post ran a photo this weekend of Vick drinking vodka and pineapple juice at a Philadelphia airport bar. This prompted Vick’s mentor Tony Dungy to tell Vick “you can’t do that.” There is speculation that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell stated that alcohol was prohibited for Vick, but an Eagles spokesman said that was not the case. In my opinion, as long as Goodell did not specifically put any restrictions on Vick, then the guy should be able to enjoy a drink if he wants. But I guess after what Vick has done, he is going to get this type of scrutiny. I say let the guy drink because it is his funeral if he screws up after drinking too much alcohol. On the field, reports indicate that Vick’s teammates say he looks ready to participate in game action. I am still looking forward to seeing what happens this Thursday night.
-Reports indicate that San Diego Chargers QB Philip Rivers has signed a 6-year, $92 million contract extension. I have to give credit to the Chargers for this move. Rivers has improved every year and he is starting to move up into the elite levels of NFL QBs. This signing will ensure continuity with the leader of the offense, prevent Rivers from testing the free agent waters next offseason, and allow the club to save its franchise tag. With the nucleus of the team in place, San Diego should remain a contender for the foreseeable future and they have a shot to be in the mix come January for a chance to make the Super Bowl. Also in other signing news, the Seahawks signed RB Edgerrin James to a 1 year contract. I suppose he will help a little bit, but I don’t expect him making a huge impact for Seattle.
- Miami Heat PF and #2 pick in the 2008 NBA Draft Michael Beasley has reportedly entered a rehab center in Houston. Details at this point aren’t that clear and no one knows the full story. Reports indicate that he is being treated for various issues, including depression. I don’t have too much to comment on here and I just hope that Beasley is able to get help. Depression is not understood by many people, but I know first hand that it really is a terrible condition that can have very bad consequences.
- A federal appeals court ruled that sports gambling in Delaware would violate a previous ban on wagering, so this seems to halt the state’s plan to allow it next month. This seems pretty bogus to me and I say if people want to gamble, let them gamble! I don’t buy into the notion that gambling would destroy the neighborhood around where the action is taking place or that young people would just get corrupted by it. No one wants to take responsibility for their own actions and I guess people don’t have enough self control. If someone is willing to take risks to ruin their life, then that is their choice. There is way too much that goes on in society where the actions of a few ruin things for the majority. Let people gamble away the money that they earned and let freedom ring…this is still America right?
For the most part, it has been good to be a Baltimore Ravens fan for the past decade. The team was able to build itself into a winner by the 2000 season and won Super Bowl XXXV 34-7 over the New York Giants. That team featured quite possibly the greatest defense in the history of the game and throughout the years, the Ravens have been built on a strong defensive foundation. In the seasons following the Super Bowl win, Baltimore was able to stay competitive and make the playoffs, but they could not recapture the glory of that year. The defense stayed tough and stifling, but for the most part, the offensive side of things dropped the ball.
Now Brian Billick was supposed to be an “offensive guru”, but that never really materialized. Granted, the Ravens go by the philosophy that defense wins championships and the bigger bulk of salary cap space has been dedicated to the defense. But Billick and the team had no luck it seemed trying to build a better offense through the draft or find pieces that could work in free agency. The Ravens became very stagnant under Billick and the team was no longer buying his “brand”. A change needed to be made…enter John Harbaugh.
At the time, not many people knew if it was a good move bringing in the defensive backs coach from the Philadelphia Eagles and installing him as the head coach. The guy was young and had no head coaching experience at any level. But the Ravens’ front office was impressed enough to make the hire and it quickly paid off. Along with the drafting of Delaware QB Joe Flacco, the Ravens quickly jumped back into the elite level of the NFL last year. Unfortunately, the Ravens could not figure out how to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers last season and they fell 1 game short of making it to the Super Bowl. So now the question becomes, what is in store for the Ravens on the road to Super Bowl XLIV?
In my opinion, there is reason to be optimistic this year, but I am not willing to take a full plunge and say that I expect the Ravens to make the Super Bowl and possibly win it. I have never been a blind homer who touts his team as the best and expects them to go out and have an amazing season every year. I think that the Ravens can make a run again and if they are able to figure out how to beat Pittsburgh, then maybe something special could happen. I fully expect a trip to the playoffs and it should be very fun to watch.
On the defensive side of the ball, there are some questions this year. How will the team cope with the departure of defensive coordinator Rex Ryan, who is now the head coach of the New York Jets? Can someone step up and effectively replace Bart Scott, who also followed Ryan to New York and who was developing into an elite level linebacker? How much does Ray Lewis still have in the tank? I am fairly confident that the Ravens will indeed have answers to these questions and the defensive will still remain as one of the top units in the NFL.
The defensive does have some good depth even with the departures from last year and the Ravens have developed a system that works and they have proven over the years that they know how to develop players into stars on the defensive side of the ball. I believe that Ray Lewis still has enough in the tank to get the job done for the next 3 years that he signed for. His passion, dedication, work ethic, and leadership are unquestioned. He knows what it takes to win and he can will his teammates to victory. He also will be able to guide younger players and make them better. The defensive core of Lewis, Terrell Suggs, Ed Reed, and Haloti Ngata will keep the defensive ship sailing smoothly and will continue to give opposing offenses headaches this season.
As always, it seems that the offensive could still be what holds Baltimore back this year from true greatness. The 2000 defensive unit was a true once in a lifetime group and this year’s version will need more help from Flacco and company. Flacco had a great year last season by rookie QB standards. He was able to effectively manage the game, make a few good plays each time out, and not kill the team with costly turnovers. Of course that finally caught up to him in the AFC Championship game, but none the less, he played well enough to give the Ravens a shot in that game. The reports out of training camp this season have been promising. Flacco seems to be more comfortable with the offense and he has been doing a better job of spreading the ball around and not locking onto one or two receivers. This was evident in the first preseason game against the Redskins as Flacco hit 6 different receivers in very limited action. Truly, it seems as if Flacco will be the franchise QB the Ravens have been searching for.
But even if Flacco takes some steps forward, he is still inexperienced and the Ravens did not get him any help in the offseason at the receiver position. Thankfully, Derrick Mason decided to end his short retirement and return to the team. If Mason left, then the Ravens’ task of even making it back to the AFC Title game would have become much tougher. Mason is not an elite game breaking WR, but he knows how to get the job done and will be a dependable security blanket for Flacco. The other receivers are young and they will have to step up and contribute for the Ravens to go further this year.
The running game should hopefully help out Flacco. The Ravens have three dependable runners in Ron Rice, Willis McGahee, and Le’Ron McClain. McClain will be playing more fullback this year and hopefully will be opening up those running lanes for Rice and McGahee. Talk in camp is that Rice has shown great improvement and his pass catching ability has helped him move past McGahee for the starting job. Willis is responding with a good effort though and showing that he still has gas left in the tank. If all three can stay healthy this season, then that greatly helps and will set Baltimore up to make a serious run.
So in my final analysis, I think the Ravens will be very good this season but most likely will fall short of being super. My prediction is that they will fall one game short of winning the division and have to settle for a wild card spot again. In 2000 they won the Super Bowl as a wild card and that doesn’t seem to be a daunting task anymore. Will history repeat itself? Only time will tell, but my feeling is that the Ravens are still a year or two away from a possible Super Bowl win. If the defense remains strong and they can somehow add more offense for a developing Flacco, then Baltimore might have reason to celebrate within the next 3 years.
The Game’s Quick Hits
Monday Night Football Thoughts: As you can guess, my main thoughts for today were about the Ravens since they battled the Jets on Monday Night Football. The Ravens came away with a 24-23 victory and I have to say that once again, the first string defense and offense looked great. The Ravens’ D looked to be in midseason form and they made Jets rookie QB Mark Sanchez look like a rookie. Flacco looked good again, displaying his rocket arm and hitting some nice deep throws. If they are able to stretch the field, good things will be ahead for the Ravens. The second unit and beyond did look a bit shaky tonight, but that is what you get in the preseason. Troy Smith made a few mistakes, but all in all, another solid effort for Baltimore as we inch toward the regular season.
Monday Night RAWind: I will also try to give some quick thoughts in this section about the events of Monday Night Raw every week. This will not be a long recap, just some comments on what stood out to me. And unfortunately, not much did stand out last night and the show seemed like it fell flat and did not carry a great deal of momentum out of Summerslam. The 25 minute opening segment with DX ran too long. It was standard and classic DX shenanigans and the live crowd enjoyed it, but that doesn’t always transfer to TV land. Legacy crashed the party to set up the main event, which seems to kill the idea that some people had of DX moving on to challenge Jericho and Show for the Tag Titles. As predicted, Vince McMahon announced an “I Quit” match between Cena and Orton at Breaking Point for the WWE Championship. And since John Cena always says he never gives up and he never quits, it seems like Orton’s title reign has about 3 weeks left. I was happy to see The Miz continue on his quest to get a shot at Kofi Kingston for the United States Title. Miz has done some great stuff recently and I feel he should win that title and hopefully keep moving up the ladder. Floyd Mayweather’s involvement tonight was minimal and that was a good thing. He played a part in helping to shape a Unified Tag Team Title match at Breaking Point between JeriShow and MVP/Mark Henry. Nothing else stood out to me that is worth mentioning except for a Smackdown commercial which advertised CM Punk vs. Jeff Hardy for the World Heavyweight Championship inside a steel cage this Friday. So there is your answer to the Matt Hardy Twitter mystery…yes, Jeff will be around after Summerslam, but it will just be 1 more show it seems. Let’s hope the match is a great one on Friday.
- News broke late Sunday night after Summerslam that ROH star “American Dragon” Bryan Danielson has agreed to a contract with the WWE. Now I have to say that I really don’t know much about ROH or Danielson due to the fact that I do not get HD Net and I also do not have the finances to buy ROH DVDs religiously and follow the promotion. However, I do know that Danielson is one of the best in-ring performers in the world (and nicknamed “Best in the World” by ROH faithful) and he could be a great addition to the WWE. But the WWE does have a tendency to ruin performers, so it remains to be seen if they will try to stick Danielson with a stupid gimmick and not allow him to showcase his skills. Without question, he has the ability to get over with his in-ring work, but will the WWE try to hold him down from that and not let him just be himself? I will be extremely interested in seeing what happens and I hope Danielson will bring some great wresting to my TV screen. For more thoughts on this, check out my friend’s blog at http://pureathlete89.blogspot.com. He is a huge ROH and Danielson fan and offers more insights than I can.
- Another day, more Michael Vick news. The New York Post ran a photo this weekend of Vick drinking vodka and pineapple juice at a Philadelphia airport bar. This prompted Vick’s mentor Tony Dungy to tell Vick “you can’t do that.” There is speculation that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell stated that alcohol was prohibited for Vick, but an Eagles spokesman said that was not the case. In my opinion, as long as Goodell did not specifically put any restrictions on Vick, then the guy should be able to enjoy a drink if he wants. But I guess after what Vick has done, he is going to get this type of scrutiny. I say let the guy drink because it is his funeral if he screws up after drinking too much alcohol. On the field, reports indicate that Vick’s teammates say he looks ready to participate in game action. I am still looking forward to seeing what happens this Thursday night.
-Reports indicate that San Diego Chargers QB Philip Rivers has signed a 6-year, $92 million contract extension. I have to give credit to the Chargers for this move. Rivers has improved every year and he is starting to move up into the elite levels of NFL QBs. This signing will ensure continuity with the leader of the offense, prevent Rivers from testing the free agent waters next offseason, and allow the club to save its franchise tag. With the nucleus of the team in place, San Diego should remain a contender for the foreseeable future and they have a shot to be in the mix come January for a chance to make the Super Bowl. Also in other signing news, the Seahawks signed RB Edgerrin James to a 1 year contract. I suppose he will help a little bit, but I don’t expect him making a huge impact for Seattle.
- Miami Heat PF and #2 pick in the 2008 NBA Draft Michael Beasley has reportedly entered a rehab center in Houston. Details at this point aren’t that clear and no one knows the full story. Reports indicate that he is being treated for various issues, including depression. I don’t have too much to comment on here and I just hope that Beasley is able to get help. Depression is not understood by many people, but I know first hand that it really is a terrible condition that can have very bad consequences.
- A federal appeals court ruled that sports gambling in Delaware would violate a previous ban on wagering, so this seems to halt the state’s plan to allow it next month. This seems pretty bogus to me and I say if people want to gamble, let them gamble! I don’t buy into the notion that gambling would destroy the neighborhood around where the action is taking place or that young people would just get corrupted by it. No one wants to take responsibility for their own actions and I guess people don’t have enough self control. If someone is willing to take risks to ruin their life, then that is their choice. There is way too much that goes on in society where the actions of a few ruin things for the majority. Let people gamble away the money that they earned and let freedom ring…this is still America right?
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
The Cheese Has Gone Bad!
So the drama is finally over and Brett Favre is back once again and he has signed with the Vikings. I can't say that I am surprised. In fact, I was surprised when he said no to Minnesota 3 weeks ago. I sensed that when he had the surgery to repair his biceps tendon that it was a lock he was coming back and going to the Vikings. Love him or hate him, I still think the guy deserves respect. Obviously this "drama queen" stuff is not that fun to follow, but the guy has a burning passion to play the game still and he is still better than half the QBs in the NFL even at 40 years old. Let's face it, Tavarus Jackson and Sage Rosenfels are NOT an answer at QB...even when the question becomes are they better than Favre in the last twilight of his career. Favre knows Minnesota's system and if his arm can remain healthy, then the Vikings are headed toward a good season.
For those people who want to criticize Favre and are sick of him, then just don't watch a Vikings game or tune into the coverage. So the guy just can't pull himself away from something that he loves and still feels he can do at a high level. We should all be so lucky. I will still enjoy seeing one of the greatest QBs of all time play for one more season (at least) and I am pretty thrilled that the Vikings are on the schedule this year for my hometown Ravens. That should be a really fun game to watch and we know the Vikings/Packers games this year will be crazy.
So bottom line the question becomes: how good will the Vikings be this year with Favre? To say that they are Super Bowl bound is a little too much I think. I would say at this point, a healthy and productive Favre should deliver Minnesota an NFC North title and a top 4 seed in the playoffs. I do think the NFC is more wide open than the AFC and the Vikings do have a shot at making the Super Bowl if Favre holds up. My gut feeling though is that a "story book ending" will not happen and the Vikings will fall short to someone in the Divisional or Conference Championship round of the playoffs. But whatever happens, it should be fun to watch.
The Game's Quick Hits:
- Still shocked that Tiger Woods blew the PGA Championship and his 15th major this weekend. Just goes to show you that nothing in life is a guarantee
- John Smoltz has signed with the St. Louis Cardinals. Unlike Favre, I think Smoltz should have hung them up and waited for that Hall of Fame call. I suppose if they only ask him to pitch an inning of relief at a time though, he could still hang in there.
- What in the hell is up with Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks? He was indicted on misdemeanors today, so I guess that means he did at least rough up that cabbie. A multi-millionaire beefing over 20 cents...damn LOL
- Looking forward to WWE Summerslam this weekend. Hopefully the matches will deliver and it will be a good show. I am not looking forward to Superman Cena beating Randy Orton for the WWE Championship though. Please WWE Creative, can you give us something different for a change?
- Usain Bolt is a damn freak of nature...9.58 in the 100? That is beastly...but this talk of him making an impact in the NFL potentially is a little absurd.
- I need a good smack upside the head...looks like I am losing a 9 game winning streak on ESPN's Streak for the Cash on a soccer game. When will I learn? LOL
For those people who want to criticize Favre and are sick of him, then just don't watch a Vikings game or tune into the coverage. So the guy just can't pull himself away from something that he loves and still feels he can do at a high level. We should all be so lucky. I will still enjoy seeing one of the greatest QBs of all time play for one more season (at least) and I am pretty thrilled that the Vikings are on the schedule this year for my hometown Ravens. That should be a really fun game to watch and we know the Vikings/Packers games this year will be crazy.
So bottom line the question becomes: how good will the Vikings be this year with Favre? To say that they are Super Bowl bound is a little too much I think. I would say at this point, a healthy and productive Favre should deliver Minnesota an NFC North title and a top 4 seed in the playoffs. I do think the NFC is more wide open than the AFC and the Vikings do have a shot at making the Super Bowl if Favre holds up. My gut feeling though is that a "story book ending" will not happen and the Vikings will fall short to someone in the Divisional or Conference Championship round of the playoffs. But whatever happens, it should be fun to watch.
The Game's Quick Hits:
- Still shocked that Tiger Woods blew the PGA Championship and his 15th major this weekend. Just goes to show you that nothing in life is a guarantee
- John Smoltz has signed with the St. Louis Cardinals. Unlike Favre, I think Smoltz should have hung them up and waited for that Hall of Fame call. I suppose if they only ask him to pitch an inning of relief at a time though, he could still hang in there.
- What in the hell is up with Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks? He was indicted on misdemeanors today, so I guess that means he did at least rough up that cabbie. A multi-millionaire beefing over 20 cents...damn LOL
- Looking forward to WWE Summerslam this weekend. Hopefully the matches will deliver and it will be a good show. I am not looking forward to Superman Cena beating Randy Orton for the WWE Championship though. Please WWE Creative, can you give us something different for a change?
- Usain Bolt is a damn freak of nature...9.58 in the 100? That is beastly...but this talk of him making an impact in the NFL potentially is a little absurd.
- I need a good smack upside the head...looks like I am losing a 9 game winning streak on ESPN's Streak for the Cash on a soccer game. When will I learn? LOL
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