Baltimore Ravens

The Baltimore Ravens have made a habit of overhauling their team in the off season to manage the salary cap and keep themselves competitive, not just for this season, but for the foreseeable future as well. This year they let go many old faces that were fan favorites but they also brought in some very exciting veterans to add in with their incoming draft class. Baltimore, for the first time in over a decade, struggled against the run last season. So, the Ravens chose to bolster their defensive line via free agency and the draft. The team brought in former first round pick Marcus Spears from the Dallas Cowboys, veteran defensive end/lineman Chis Canty from the New York Giants and drafted defensive lineman Brandon Williams as well. All three of these players could potentially crack the starting lineup for the Ravens and will undoubtedly see plenty of playing time this season. Canty and Spears are both proven NFL players and Williams has shown impressive so far. The Ravens made their biggest free agent signing in pass rush specialist Elvis Dumervil however. Dumervil has been a perennial Pro Bowler through out his career in Denver but will be playing a new position in a new defensive scheme here in Baltimore. the former Bronco defensive captain was brought in to bolster the Ravens pass rush after the loss of up-and-comer Paul Kruger to the Cleveland Browns. The Ravens also traded up in the second round to snag inside linebacker Arthur Brown out of Kansas State. Brown is a favorite to start right in the middle of the Ravens revamped defense. He excels in pass coverage and, although a bit undersized, has the sideline to sideline speed to be a factor vs. the run as well. The team also brought in former Ohio state team captain, linebacker John Simon, in the draft. Simon could potentially see time on defense or special teams this season as well. On offense the Ravens only huge loss was Anquan Boldin to the 49ers for a sixth round draft pick. the team will look to replace him with receivers already on the roster but they did draft wide receiver Aaron Mellette late in the draft and fullback Kyle Juszczyk out of Harvard could also end up becoming a viable receiving threat. So, which new Raven are you most excited to see?

Just last week Marc Sessler from NFL.com posted his NFL rankings on how the QB's across the NFL will perform this upcoming season. Now let me say I usually don't take ratings seriously because I always feel that they tend to be biased and don't take the full picture into account to me. Generally when they rank players they do it from a fantasy football stand point which is completely different from a normal football standpoint. Fantasy football doesn't take into account the fact that some guys just flat out win, whether it's ugly or not. Joe may not have the prettiest stats but he has the most wins of any QB over the past few seasons. He has playoff appearances and wins in the past five seasons and one Super Bowl victory and is a dropped pass away from two Super Bowl appearances. The rankings can be seen here: http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000200131/article/ranking-the-nfl-quarterbacks To me one of the problems is that it seems that these rankings were made with preconceived template of groups like the 5 Young Guns he has listed above Joe. To me it's a little insulting to have Joe in the same category as Tony Romo and Jay Cutler. Romo is good and puts up great numbers but he flat out does NOT get it done when it counts and Jay Cutler just doesn't perform well. Joe puts up average numbers but he wins and to me that is the most important thing that you can have in a QB.

CINCINATTI BENGALS – Week 10 – Sunday, November 10th – M&T Bank Stadium In Week 10, the final division rival comes to town. The Bengals are in a very new situation: they are coming off two playoff appearances. They will look to improve on their back to back wild card losses at the hands of the Houston Texans. The Bengals and their fans seem to be very excited about the coming season and some think they are the favorites to win the AFC North. As I have said before, this a very important year for the Bengals’ franchise. This is a quarterback league and they need to figure out if they have one. Sure, Andy Dalton has made the playoffs twice, but so has Mark Sanchez. Dalton has thrown for a combined 4 interceptions in those two games. The Bengals need to figure out if this is the guy for them to move forward with. They cannot win in the NFL with a mediocre quarterback. This is the year to figure out exactly what Dalton is to the franchise. Biggest Addition: James Harrison could provide a great boost to an already outstanding line. The Bengals had one of the best pass rushes in the league last year and having a healthy James Harrison will only improve this. This unit could be scary. Biggest Loss: None. The Bengals had 4 top 100 free agents according to CBSSports.com and they were able to keep them all. They will need to work out a long term deal with Michael Johnson if they hope to keep him beyond this year. Rookie To Watch For: Tyler Eifert was a player that slipped a little in the first round and the Bengals were able to nab him. Great pick for Cincy, as they got best player on the board and more weapons for Andy Dalton. CHICAGO BEARS – Week 11 – Sunday, November 17rd – Solider Field In Week 11, the Ravens make the trip to the Windy City to play the Bears. There is truly nothing like a game on the banks of Lake Michigan. The Bears are a team in transition as they have fired their long term head coach, Lovie Smith. They have brought in Canadian Football’s Tom Landry in Marc Trestman. The Bears are hoping that Trestman will be the Jay Cutler whisperer to get their franchise quarterback on track. The Bears will only go as far as their offensive line takes them this year. Cutler struggled to stay on his feet last year, which led to another year without playoffs. The Bears are also entering their first season in over a decade without Brian Urlacher who announced his retirement Wednesday. We shall see how the Bears are able to respond to this change. Biggest Addition: Jerome Bushrod has spent his previous seasons protecting Drew Brees. In the off-season, the Bears were able to sign him via free agency to a five-year deal in hopes of keeping Jay Cutler off the ground. Biggest Loss: D.J. Moore was blossoming into a solid defensive back in the Bears’ system. He has 10 interceptions in his short career, but due to cap constraints has moved on to the Carolina Panthers. Rookie To Watch For: Kyle Long has not played all that much football in his career, but has impressed when in the game. The Bears drafted him 20th overall and Mike Mayock believes that he will be able to start right away. He will start as a guard, but in the future the Bears could have designs on him becoming a franchise left tackle. In the next installment, we will take a look at the Ravens’ Week 12 and 13 opponents – the New York Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports It really comes down to whether Joe Flacco plays like he did down the stretch, doesn’t it? That will be the key difference between whether the Baltimore Ravens can ultimately defend their Super Bowl title in 2014, along with how their young contributors on defense continue gelling and help Baltimore get hot at the right time. However, during the regular season this defense was rather underwhelming — ranking 25th in the league according to Pro Football Focus’ overall grade — as was Flacco in grading out as the 20th-ranked quarterback during the 2012 NFL season by PFF, tying with now-former-Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kevin Kolb. So, imagine if Flacco plays somewhere between his pedestrian regular season output and his all-time great postseason production. The Ravens could easily clear the 8.5 season win total line Vegas is hovering around. Each time I see this figure, the only tough decision for me is weather the offense or defense alone would get them above the .500 mark. It’s safe to expect 2011 Defensive Player of the Year Terrell Suggs to return to old form after a tough 2012 campaign that saw him struggle to find the field for a long period of time after an offseason injury. With another offseason to recover, it’s safe to say Baltimore’s best defensive player could hit his ceiling once again. It is sensible to assume that Suggs, age 30, still has at least a year or two in his prime. This combined with replacing over-the-hill ex-greats in Ed Reed and Ray Lewis, with Michael Huff and the many young pieces on defense, should make their defensive unit even better in 2013. This makes the Ravens +180 for the AFC North title and 50-to-1 Super Bowl odds all the more intriguing with the lack of respect heading the defending champs’ way. Thomas Emerick is a Senior Writer for RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @ThomasEmerick, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google

Dumervil ‘emerging as a leader’ for Ravens - Carroll County Times: Baltimore RavensOutside linebacker Elvis Dumervil is still a little more than three months away from playing in his first regular season game as a Baltimore Raven, but, if what coach John Harbaugh said Wednesday is any indication, Dumervil is already establishing himself as a primary team leader for the Ravens in the post-Ray Lewis and Ed Reed-era. Ravens sign second-round pick Brown | Fox NewsThe Baltimore Ravens signed linebacker Arthur Brown to a four-year contract on Thursday. Baltimore Ravens: 5 Players Facing Make-or-Break Seasons in 2013The Baltimore Ravens were Super Bowl champs in 2012. They had solid play from almost everyone, but who needs to do well in 2013? Doss, Ravens' other young receivers 'hit the ground running' - Carroll County Times: Baltimore RavensOWINGS MILLS — The wide receiver position is arguably the Baltimore Ravens’ top remaining question mark, but, for what it’s worth, coach John Harbaugh and quarterback Joe Flacco both voiced confidence Wednesday in the group Baltimore has in place. Qadry Ismail joins 'NFL AM'; Latest news on RG3, Garcon - NFL.comFormer Baltimore Ravens wide receiver and Super Bowl champion Qadry "The Missile" Ismail joins the "NFL AM" crew. Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco on average released the football after just 2.5 seconds in 2012 - baltimoresun.com It came down to a matter of split seconds, but Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco got the football out of his hands a little faster last season.

Throughout the first years of this NFL career, Joe Flacco was heavily criticized for his "lack of pocket awareness". Many critics cited his inability to make quick decisions and said that he took too long to let plays develop. Well it appears as if those critics have been put to rest this season, according to an article I read on Pro Football Focus: He got rid of the ball in less than 2.5 seconds on 54.5 percent of 310 passing plays in 2012. That was better than 2011, when he released the ball in less than 2.5 seconds on 52.6 percent of 303 passing plays. Only two sacks were Flacco’s “fault” by not getting rid of the ball fast enough. The majority of Flacco's success came in the period after the Baltimore Ravens fired Cam Cameron and put the reigns in the hands of Jim Caldwell. It is extremely exciting to see Joe Flacco progressing into the type of elite quarterback we all hoped he would be whenever we drafted him back in 2008.

May 22, 2013; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco (5) is interviewed after organized team activities at the Under Armour Training Facility. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports Here is a bit of news that everyone else seems to have either not noticed, or isn’t interested in. I find it fascinating. Joe Flacco is adding on some poundage. Flacco has added about 7 lbs. of muscle to his frame. He now weighs in at a healthy 252 lbs(standing 6’6″) that is up almost 20 lbs from the stringy kid that came out of Delaware in 2008. I have heard several analysts brush this aside like it is nothing, but I disagree. I have one one question for anyone writing this off….Did you watch the playoffs? Did you watch the Superbowl? Because anyone who saw Flacco utilizing the best footwork of his career and looking like a cross between Big Ben and Tom Brady stepping up in the pocket and brushing off would be tacklers for more time to throw can’t seriously say that adding a few pounds to his frame is meaningless. This is big(literally, Flacco is one of the biggest QBs in the league, he has Big Ben by an inch and 11 lbs.) One of the unspoken stories of the playoffs was that Flacco finally found his feet. He figured out pocket presence and how to buy time with small movements and utilize his big body to shrug off defenders like he never has before. Once that clicked, it was a no brainer for him to add bulk, especially with a new center and the incredibly inconsistant Bryant McKinnie on his blind side. throw in an inexperienced WR corp and you have a recipe for Flacco to get torn apart if he cant buy extra time in the pocket. I love the move. Good job Joe, keep up the good choices.

One the biggest challenges that great athletes face upon retirement is finding ways to keep busy and help fill the void that was once occupied by the game they love. Apparently, Ray Lewis plans on adding another feat of greatness to his already storied legacy. Lewis tweeted on Thursday that he plans to take on the challenge of climbing Mt. Kilamanjaro, which stands at 19,000 feet above sea level and has been the bane of numerous climbers throughout history. Lewis' goal is to reach the top in an effort to raise money as well as awareness for an African clean water project. "I am so fired up for this adventure" Lewis told the Baltimore Sun on Thursday, "But until then, I need your help to bring clean water wells to thousands of children and families." If he should succeed in this endeavor, there is no doubt that Lewis would further cement himself as one of the greatest athletes we have ever seen.

Ray Lewis climbed the proverbial “mountain top” twice in his illustrious career with the Baltimore Ravens, winning two Super Bowl rings during his 17-year career. In a month or so from now, he’ll literally climb the mountain top for a project that is near and dear to his heart. Yesterday, via his Twitter account, Ray Lewis announced that he will climb Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, raising money and awareness for clean water projects in East Africa. The project entitled “TackleKili”, will allow fans to follow Lewis’ trek up Kilimanjaro where they’ll also be able to donate to the TackleKili mission. Each action completed by fans following his journey will earn more entries into winning an autographed helmet by #52 himself. Lewis added via his website: I am so FIRED UP for this adventure, but until then, I need your help to bring clean water wells to thousands of children and families. Mt. Kilimanjaro, measuring at over 19,000 feet above sea level, is the highest free-standing mountain in the world. If anyone has the will and determination to scale this giant, its Ray Lewis. When he is finished with this project, the former Baltimore Ravens linebacker and future Hall-of Famer will report to ESPN as their new NFL football analyst, beginning this Fall. The post Former Ravens Linebacker Ray Lewis To Climb A New Mountain Top appeared first on Baltimore Sports Report.

Bob Stanton-USA TODAY Sports The San Francisco 49ers offense took a tremendous blow with the news that wide receiver Michael Crabtree had tore his Achilles tendon. There is never a convenient time for an injury in the NFL, especially for the 49ers who were finally starting to see a return on their 2009 first round investment in Crabtree. If there is a silver lining to this dark looming cloud over the Bay Area it is the offseason acquisition of former Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Anquan Boldin and the team spending a fourth round pick in the 2013 NFL Draft on Louisiana Tech wide receiver Quinton Patton.  Boldin’s stock as a Fantasy Football receiver certainly skyrocketed with the Crabtree injury and if you didn’t have him on your fantasy radar prior to the 49ers losing Crabtree, he most certainly needs to be now. And Patton becomes an intriguing sleeper that you could draft late in all fantasy formats. Here’s what we know about Patton – he’s eager. So much so that he has already made the national spotlight when he purchased a plane ticket out of his own pocket so he could get to work in San Francisco. Because of this enthusiasm we know Patton has immediately won over 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh. Thankfully for the 49ers, Patton phoned Harbaugh before arriving at the team headquarters, which is against league rules. Statistically, we know Patton played at the NCAA Division I level for two years in which he accumulated 2,600 yards and 24 TDs. And finally we know that A.J. Jenkins was a non-factor in his first season as a 49er and Mario Manningham has struggled with injury opening the door for the rookie to slide in to the starting lineup. The impacts of preseason injuries are very unfortunate, and that is certainly the case in San Francisco. However, once in awhile those injuries open the door to a fantasy football talent we may have otherwise never heard of, like Kurt Warner for example. Patton has tremendous upside and he now has the opportunity. This is a WR that you can draft very late, or pick up post draft on waiver wires, begging the question – what do you have to lose? Jim Heath is a Fantasy Football writer for RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @jim_heath, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google