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.