My expectations of the Ravens schedule- 2010

So I decided to look at the Ravens' 2010 schedule game by game and see what realistically we as fans can expect the team to do. Now I am no expert by any means so I will base my decisions on what I have seen from the team in preseason, opponents' last year record, match up problems and whether the game is played at home or away.

So here goes.

Week 1 At Jets

This to feels like a trap game. The game is on a Monday night in the brand new Jets stadium. You better believe that the Ravens will face a very hostile crowd. Not only that, the Ravens will also face the guy who helped build our unstoppable defense, Rex Ryan. Emotions are going to be very high in this game. My concern is that sometimes when the emotions are really high we see a surge of penalties with the Ravens. The Jets defense is predicted to be top 5 this year, even without Revis in the line up. This is a good first test for Flacco and our revamped offense. I will give a slight edge to the Ravens in this match up, only because I feel that the Jets will primarily focus on the run game and the Ravens have a very strong run defense this year. My score prediction is a low one, Ravens 13 Jets 9.

Week 2 At Bengals

This one scares me as a Ravens fan. The Bengals have made a lot of the right moves this offseason. With the addition of Terrel Owens and the revamping of an already strong defense, the Bengals can win the division again this year. I do not like the matchup of the Bengals' wide receivers against our secondary. Also, Cedric Benson chewed and spit us out last year. I don't think that he will be able to post those numbers against us again but he is still a weapon for them. I predict the Ravens will lose this matchup because it is on the road against a division rival. Bengals 27 Ravens 20.

Week 3 vs Browns

The browns are still a new team after a rebuilding year, this past year. They have some weapons in Joshua Cribbs and Jerome Harrison. By adding Delhomme, they have only strenghtened their QB spot. However, I do not expect the browns to compete at the same level as the Ravens just yet. I think the Ravens win this matchup, Ravens 30 Browns 10.

Week 4 at Steelers

This is the game that I think is a real opportunity for the Ravens. Big Ben will be out because of his suspensions and the Ravens need to capitalize on that. This is not to say that this game will be an easy one. If we remember last year week 12 we played a Steelers team which was without Big Ben. The steelers led by Dixon took us all the way to overtime at M&T Bank Stadium. Their defense is still strong with Polamalu coming back. They have a good running game with Mendenhall in the back field and they still have Hines Ward (ugh). This should be a close game because of the Steelers' defense and the fact that they play at home. Ravens win 24-20.

Week 5 vs Broncos

The broncos are having a tough preseason because of all the injuries that have plagued them. They lost pro bowler Elvis Dumervil and backup Running back Lendale White. I expect the Ravens' strong running game to take over this game. It will be hard for them to pass against Champ Bailey to I think that the Ravens will utilize the run game along with play action. I think the Ravens will win this matchup 28-17.

Week 6 at Patriots

This is a revenge game for Brady and the Patriots. Last season the Ravens left a bad taste in the mouths of the Patriots after dismantling them in the wildcard game at Foxboro. I look for Brady to exploit our secondary and Randy Moss to have a big game. However, the Patriots defense is weak this year and the Ravens offense will also have a field day with this one. This is going to be a high scoring, dream game for fantasy teams. I expect the Ravens to make the Patriots completely one dimensional by taking away their running game. I also expect a very well balanced Ravens offense to beat the Patriots 42-38.

Week 7 vs Bills

The bills, much like the browns are in a rebuilding phase right now. I think by far their strength lies in their running game with Spiller. I think the Ravens can neutralize that with their defense and I do not expect the Bills' defense to contain all the weapons the Ravens now have in their offense. I think the Ravens win this one handedly 30-12.

Week 8- Bye Week

Week 9 vs Miami

This is a dangerous opponent in my book. They have a good defense and a great running attack. They also like to use the wildcat packages with Ronnie Brown taking the snaps. This is a good matchup of the Ravens, because the Dolphins have a weak passing game, especially with Henne struggling in the preseason. I think that the dolphins combined with Brown and Williams can run over 100 yards against the Ravens. They also might be able to utilize some trick plays to score a touchdown here or there. I still think the Ravens should be able to beat them in a head to head matchup, especially at home. Ravens 27 Dolphins 14.

Week 10 at Falcons

This is a trap game. Atlanta had problems last year but Turner is healthy this year and Matt Ryan has another year under his belt. Their defense has looked good this preseason. However, I think that the Falcons will find it hard defending our running and passing attack. Also, if we can contain Turner then we can give ourselves a very good chance of winning this tough road game. Ravens win this one 28-14.

Week 11 At Panthers

We played the panthers in preseason this year. However, a number of their players including Steve Smith were not playing that game. The Ravens took advantage of the Carolina defense and Matt Moore looked like he was lost for much of the game. I expect a lot more of the same in this matchup as well. Ravens win 21-7.

Week 12 Vs Buccaneers

The Bucs are another team which has recently gone through a rebuilding phase. They have a second year QB in Josh Freeman who has looked good this year in preseason. They also have a frequently injured Cadillac Williams and Kellen Winslow. Lets face it, this team is a weak opponent and I expect the Ravens to completely run over their defense. Ravens win this one 21-6.

Week 13 Vs Steelers

This is when the difficult stretch of the season begins for the Ravens. The Steelers are back and this time with Big Ben. Same strong defense and same obnoxious Hines Ward. The Ravens do have a much improved pass rush so far this season, however, Big Ben makes that Steelers team much better. We should be able to score on their defense but its not going to be easy. I think Mike Wallace can have a big impact on this game with his speed and separation ability. Unfortunately I think the Steelers take this one 17-12.

Week 14 at Texans

The Texans have become a team to be reckoned with in the last couple of years. Matt Shaub and Andre Johnson have become the Manning-Harrison or the Brady-Moss type combination. Their new running back Foster is also looking very good this preseason. They have many weapons on offense but their defense is surprisingly good. Ever since they added Mario Williams, they have been improving their defense every year. Since this game is at the Texans, I believe the Ravens will lose this one 24-18.

Week 15 vs Saints

Uh oh here come the defending Superbowl champions. This is strong team, which is like saying that the sky is blue. Drew Brees, year after year puts up gaudy numbers. They have a good running game with Thomas and Bush. However, I believe it was because of their defense they won the big game last year. This is a tough game i hate to see the matchup of our DB's against the Saints receivers. I think we can score on them but the question remains, can Flacco outscore Brees? I don't think so which is why I have the Ravens losing their third consecutive 24-32.

Week 16 At Browns

The browns will not get much better from the last time the Ravens saw them which will be in week 3. The same reasons still apply and the Ravens win this one 32-9.

Week 17 vs Bengals

Standing at 11-4 with the last game of the season, I'm not sure of the game is going to matter. However, judging from the AFC this year, it could be an important game to win that coveted bye week. I think the Ravens try hard this game and will not bench anyone. Head to head at home I think that the Ravens can overcome the Ochocinco and Owens combo. I think Flacco has a pretty good game in this one and the Ravens go on to win their 12th game of the season 21-20.

So there you go, I could be completely off here but I truly believe that this is a very realistic possibility. Obviously there will be games won or lost because of last minute plays or lack thereof, but overall I am comfortable with this record. We play against some very good teams this year and our record could very easily be 9-7 this year too. But I think that with our revamped offense we can pull of some of the games we would have lost last year. Go Ravens!

I knew it, the D.C.- Baltimore area has the worst drivers.

So I found this article on http://www.msnbc.msn.com/, written by P.J. Orvetti, titled get this, D.C., Baltimore have the Nations Worst Drivers. Now if this is a surprise to you, then you probably do not live in this area. I am just happy that someone did research and proved it to us. I wonder though why are drivers in this area so bad. Is it the traffic? Well L.A. and NYC both have worse traffic but were edged out by us on this list. Is it the fact that we have bad weather? Oh please, try living in Buffalo, NY or those Midwest states where they get tornado's. Maybe its because we have a lot of elderly drivers. Well if that's the case then Florida should be way ahead of us. I mean the article states that D.C. drivers have a 95% higher chance of getting into an accident than the national average. That's ridiculous!! I mean its no China where people cant get out of traffic for months but its unimaginable for a country with one third the population of China.

Fantasy Football Formulas to determine the best team.

So turns out that almost everyone who's teams I wrote about earlier was pissed, go figure. So my friend TB came up with a new, more mathematical way to determine which team can expect to take the big prize. The following are all pictures so feel free to click the images to expand.

QB's

RB 1

RB 2

WR 1

WR 2

TE

WR/RB

Kickers

Defenses

Bench

Conclusion





So if you guys are not happy with this one, then buzz off.

Fantasy Football League Review

I am so freaking excited that Fantasy football is here. I wanted to give a review of one of my leagues so that everyone gets an idea of what type of team can be successful. This league is a yahoo league called CCB2. There are 10 teams in the league and the roster spots are 1 QB, 2 WR's, 2 RB's, 1 TE, 1 WR/RB, 1 Kicker, 1 team defense and 7 bench spots. This is an average league, not a PPR league. The managers did live drafts for this, no one was on auto draft. The top 6 teams after the regular season which is 13 weeks, makes the playoffs with the top 2 teams getting a bye week.

So here goes....My impressions about each team in the league.

1) Nutcrackers-

Strengths- Colston, Ray Rice, Witten and Philedelphia Defense. This team also has Tony Romo who is great during the beginning of the season but often sucks ASS during the fantasy playoffs.

My impressions- This team is very well balanced with good receivers and running backs. The problem is that there is not enough depth in the team. If one starting player gets injured, then the bench players are not strong enough to support a playoff run. If healthy this team can be dangerous. I predict a 7 wins 6 losses season for this team.

2) CHILD PLEASE!!!-

Strengths- Schaub, Roddy White and Finley. This team also has Baltimore defense which has the potential to be very strong fantasy wise this season.

My impressions- This is a team with great potential. AP and Shaub should make up for the majority of the points every week. The bench is strong so that any major injuries or bye weeks can be filled well by the bench. This team will be successful during the season and I predict will win around 8 games this season with about 5 losses.

3)Orange Balls-

Strengths- Andre Johnson and Antonio Gates. This team also has Shiancoe which is unnecessary since there is only one TE spot. I would recommend trying to trade this player.

My impressions- This is a below average team with a potential to surprise the league. There are a few questions about some players like Crabtree, Shonn Greene, Kolb and Foster. However, if these players pan out this team can be a dangerous underdog. The bench is average. I predict a losing season with 3 wins and 10 losses.

4) Rugmuncher-

Strengths- Peyton Manning, Fitzgerald, Brandon Marshall, Michael Turner and Tony Gonzalez.

My Impressions- This is a very strong team with pro bowlers like the ones mentioned above. I like this team a lot. The only problem with this team is the lack of a decent bench. The manager chose to draft two kickers and two defenses, (which makes no sense to me) rather than more WR's. However, if healthy this team is a definite playoff team. 9 wins and 4 losses.

5) Go Fuck Yourself-

Strengths- Brees, Boldin and Frank Gore.

My Impressions- This is another really good team with a very strong bench. The team has a total of 8 WR's who are all starters. The team has good depth at the RB position as well. The problem with this team is that even though there is a lot of depth, apart from the players mentioned above, there are not a lot of consistent fantasy scorers. I predict a 9 wins and 4 loss season.

6) P.I.M.P.-

Strengths- Aaron Rodgers, Jennings and Austin.

My impressions- This team has a weak bench, but the starters are very good. Jamaal Charles has huge potential and Dallas def is always good. During bye weeks this team will not be able to recover the losses from its bench players. This is also a problem because too many of the players are from the same team which means same bye weeks. I predict 7 wins and 6 losses.

7) L8_7ha8lun7 a.k.a Lashaunda-

Strengths- Calvin Johnson, Chris Johnson, D. Williams and Jets Def.

My Impressions- This is another strong team with a very strong bench. The manager has Flacco as a back up to Cutler which is good since Cutler last year was a bust. The starting line up is great but the quality of the bench is suspect. Even though there are a number of good players there, a lot of them have questions. Like Dez Brayant, Leon Washington and Steve Slaton. This team cannot afford a long term injury. I predict this team winning the top two spots and securing the bye week. 10 wins and 3 losses.

8) Panda-

Strengths- Ochocinco, Jones-Drew and San Fran Def.

My Impressions- This team has huge questions at QB. This is weird but he has Mcnabb and Farve, who were both fantasy studs last year. This year however, Mcnabb is in a new place with a new offense and a new injury. Farve is a year older with an injury himself. Another weakness is WR spot. This team has DeSean Jackson and Ochocinco who are both good but the bench has a suspended Vincent Jackson and Austin Collie. The RB spot is the strongest on this team with good depth. My prediction is a losing season with 5 wins and 8 losses.

9) Redbull-

Strengths- Brady, Randy Moss and Green Bay Def.

My Impressions- I love the Brady and Moss tandem. Having the top receiver and QB from the same team can be a huge bonus in fantasy. It can also be a negative if the team sucks, but that is never the case with the Pats. This team has an average bench with Marion barber, Ronnie Brown, Ricky Williams and Felix Jones. I don't get this strategy, why have four players out of which two of the players back up the other two? That just means that each player will get half the carries of a regular back. This team also has a weak TE spot and Carson Palmer on its bench which should be used as trade bait. I predict 7 wins and 6 losses for this team (mostly because of the Brady-Moss tandem).

10) Eastside-

Strengths- Phillip Rivers, Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark.

My Impressions- I like this team, mostly for the players mentioned above. There are a few players on this team with questions like rookies CJ Spiller and Ryan Mathews (who are both looking great in preseason). Other than Welker and Wayne, this team lacks WR depth as well. The bench is very weak. I predict 8 Wins and 5 Losses, only if the two rookies play as well as they have been playing.

This league is going to have a last week playoff spot fight. Where at least 3 teams will be fighting for a playoff spot. It should be fun.

My prediction on the winner is Go Fuck yourself (my team of course), Lashaunda second place and a surprise upset with P.I.M.P. third.

Stallworth breaks foot

Damn it, Stallworth is out for two months at least. Even though this is not the worst case scenario for the Ravens, I was kind of rooting for Stallworth. He genuinely looked as though he wanted to reinvent his image by playing the best he could. From a team perspective, I think without Stallworth we lose one of the guys who could get real separation from the DB's with pure speed.

As for the Ravens vs. Giants match up, I liked it. The offense was really pass happy but made it work. The no huddle offense almost reminded me of some Peyton Manning stuff. The Giants defense was not expecting that. We do need to protect the QB a bit more, those early sacks were scary. I did not like to see Ray Lewis on the sideline with ice around his knee, or Mark Clayton with the concussion. Hopefully we can get past the last preseason game without injuries and move on to the regular season.

Here's hoping that our teams heals well. Go Ravens!

The weekly cheerleader matchup

So I watched the Ravens vs. the Skins last week and after the first half finished, I thought to myself, whats the point of watching the second half of any preseason matchup. Well as I found myself flipping through the channels I kept coming back to football because lets face it, its my team. However, I have to say that by far the most interesting part about the second half was the shots of the Skins cheerleaders. So this gave me an idea, why not have a weekly matchup of Ravens cheerleaders vs. their opponents. This is what I mean.

Here are the Ravens cheerleaders.

And here is the Redskins Cheerleader

So next week we play the NY Giants and I thought well let me do the same thing for them. Obviously, the skins thing was a joke but I will post some selective pics of both teams' actual cheerleaders and let you know which one's I prefer.

So here goes.

Giants

Ravens

Yes, Stacey Keibler was a Baltimore Raven cheerleader. So because of her I will have to give the edge to the Ravens. Although, lets face it, there are no losers here.

As for the game, i'm hoping to see a lot more of Ray Rice this weekend. I also want to see both our pass offense and pass defense improve. Go Ravens!

Ravens vs. Redskins: A fan's perspective.

The second preseason game of the 2010 season is here. It's our Baltimore Ravens vs. our "beltway rivals" The Washington Redskins. Now as a Ravens fan living in Redskins country, obviously I do not like that team. I hate the fans who come off of a 4-12 season and still think that their team is better than everyone else. I do however respect the passion that the fans have for their struggling team. Honestly, after watching their preseason and listening to 106.7 The Fan, I think that the Skins are looking pretty good this season. I liked their defense even last year and I believe that the majority of that defense still remains. Their offense has taken a huge leap forward with the addition of Donovan Mcnabb and a couple of old running backs (Larry Johnson, Willie Parker).

The redskins put aside, we all know that this is preseason and we want to see certain things from our beloved Ravens. Here are some of things that I will be looking for tomorrow.

1) The Offensive Line- The line was a bit shaky last week against the Panthers where Michael Oher allowed two sacks. Also, Gaither is out for the next couple of weeks and god only knows how his health will be once the season starts. We need an insurance policy at right tackle especially with Cousins also injured. The skins have a good pass rush and our line will be tested frequently. The third stringers need to step up because lets face it, Flacco is our hope for this season. WE MUST PROTECT HIM!

2) Wide Receivers- I saw some flashes of brilliance from Stallworth last week, I want to see more of that. Also, I want to see that the extra time Boldin put in with Flacco has created good chemistry. I want to continue to see Mason perform and be able to create some separation from the D-backs. The skins have good corners in Hall and Rodgers and they will try to push our receivers around. This is a good test for our new offense.

3) Secondary- We all know that this aspect of our defense is banged up. I think our safeties are playing exceptionally well (Nakamora, Zbikowski). I want to see the young corners show up and prove themselves worthy. Also, I want to see Fabian Washington show me that he is healthy and at 100%. Mcnabb and company will try to throw it quite often to try and get a rhythm going.

4) Cody- I was very impressed by this dude. All that talk about him being overweight is garbage. The man can flat out play, I want to see more of that.

5) Zorn- Listening to Redskins radio in the D.C. area, all you hear is about is the return of Jim Zorn back to D.C. I want to see Zorn standing proud, he is now with a team and a fan base which respects him for the knowledge and coaching he provides to Flacco. Stand proud Zorn, we got your back!

I will post another blog about my thoughts on the game. Also, let me know if you like this blog, please leave your comments and check out the Ads to the right and the bottom of the page, they pay my bills.

Above image courtesy of Baltimore Ravens.

Coach Harbaugh too tough?

Well it seems that yet another player for your Baltimore Ravens has been injured. Oniel Cousins was carted off of the field with headaches after he was filling in for the already injured Jared Gaither. We lost Dominique Foxworth to a season ending injury. Ever since Brian Billick left the Ravens franchise and was replaced by John Harbaugh, players have complained about the harshness of the practices. The veterans were now being pushed harder than ever, even the great Ray Lewis. Full contact practices became a norm and this resulted in some injuries. While coach Billick was a nice loving father-type, coach Harbaugh is the drill Sargent type.

Well Raven fans, I am here to tell you that I love this new regime. This is a physical sport and only the tough, prepared players survive. Training camp is meant to weed out the weak and unprepared. Brian Billick's idea of training camp was butterflies and bunnies, well that's not football. Coach Harbaugh, I applaud you for sticking to your guns and making training camp what its meant to be; a preparation for war. Just look at what Coach Harbaugh regiment has done to Terrance Cody, shaped a 400 pound guy into a tackle and sack machine. And as for the veterans, well the quote "play like a Raven" should mean going 100% all the time.