Quarterback: B

Joe Flacco had a fine game. His first half was shaky and he looked a step behind, but so did both offenses. By the second half, Flacco was making his reads and finding his targets. His pass to Wilcox in the endzone was a beaut, but it was the pass to Clayton, burning a slant, that really finished the game for the Ravens.

Runningbacks: B

Le’Ron McClain bullied the Eagles. He ran over their line and linebackers, and made moves to run around them when he had to. Ray Rice had moments, but a fairly disappointing day overall. Willis McGahee is starting to look like Jamal Lewis in 2004 and 2005 - something is missing. As a unit, however, the backs did their job: They kept the Eagles offense and eventually created passing lanes for Joe and his receivers. Read the rest of this entry »

Well, that went from one of the most dreadfully boring games of football to an entertaining home team blowout in no time. Here’s a few thoughts running across my head as the game winds down…

• Talk about rebounding. The Ravens defense had perhaps its most dominating effort in recent years. They totaled five turnovers (four interceptions and a fumble), a defensive touchdown, a safety, and several sacks. Not only did the Ravens completely shut down Brian Westbrook and the Eagles running game, but they beat up on both Donovan McNabb and replacement Kevin Kolb.
• The Ed Reed antics with the football get old fast - there is no need to pitch the ball at the 5 or 6 yardline - but it is hard to deny that Reed is the game’s most exciting and explosive defensive player. His two interceptions, one for a touchdown and another close, illustrated that.
• A note to Andy Reid: I really do not believe that Donovan McNabb is your problem. The problem is your play-calling. Last week against the Bengals, in a 13-13 tie, the Eagles ran 58 passes to just 18 rushes. 18 rushes against one of the league’s worst defenses and with one of the league’s best running threats. Even John Runyan on your offensive line said that if the run is not established quickly, then Reid abandons it altogether. That is not West Coast. That is stupid. You might not be able to run on the Ravens, but you cannot let them drop seven and read your quarterback every down either.
• It has been a long time since the Ravens defensive backs have performed as well as they did today. Credit Rex Ryan with a great game plan, but also credit the entire unit. Ed Reed, as mentioned, was certainly on his game. So were Fabian Washington and Samari Rolle, who both had interceptions, and Jim Leonhard who was strong in run protection. It was nice to see our defensive backs jumping routes for once. Not one of the Ravens’ interceptions was the result of a bobble or a tip, they were all clean and pretty.
• For Joe Flacco it was the tale of two halves. The first half was rough for the Ravens offense all-around, but especially for Flacco. In the second half we finally saw Joe Flacco break out a bit. The late touchdown to Mark Clayton was the perfect example of what the Ravens should have done in the passing game all game: wait for the safeties to blitz and then expose the weakness over the middle.
• The offensive line for the Ravens gets mixed reviews for its play. Penalties and confusion still hurt the unit in the first half. But for how beat up they were, and for how strong the Eagles pass rush is, it is hard to hold much against them. Flacco did a lot of the work himself in avoiding the pass rushes, but the line deserves some credit.
• Extra credit to the McClains (Le’Ron and Jameel, no relation). Le’Ron led the Ravens in rushing and finally found the endzone on the team’s last drive. He was strong all game long and really kept the Eagles honest. He exploited their small, fast, pass-oriented line and the threat of the run gave Flacco a little bit of room to work. Jameel recorded his second safety of the season, this time on a blocked punt.
• Special teams again proved to be this team’s biggest weakness. No shame in Steven Hauschka’s missed kick, but sloppy play on kick offs, punts and all returns kept the Eagles closer than they should have been.
• Almost forgot to mention Jarrett Johnson. In case anyone is wondering why Bart Scott is the odd-man-out at linebacker come season’s end, Jarrett Johnson is the answer. Scott’s had a fine year, but he is a product of the system. Jarrett Johnson is a part of the system, along side Lewis, Suggs and others,  that is going to make any interior linebacker look solid.
• Game Balls: Le’Ron McClain and Ed Reed.

What’s your take?

The loss was bad, how’s the report card?

Quarterback: B-

Joe Flacco avoided the pass rush all day, made a few impressive runs, and even made a few nice passes. His arm wasn’t quite as sharp was it could have been, though, with many of this throws landing behind their intended targets. The windy conditions seemed to limit Flacco and the entire offensive scheme; the Ravens never even tried to stretch the field. Flacco had two interceptions on the day, though he only deserves credit for one.

Running Backs: D+

How bad was the Ravens rushing attack? Joe Flacco’s 57 yard performance led the team. Similar to in Indianapolis, the Ravens running backs tried to run around the defense, instead of through it.  Willis McGahee was limited by injury again. Ray Rice stepped in and did a fair job, but even he looked scattered. The Ravens couldn’t get anything started on the ground - not that they could be expected to match the Giants 200+ yard performance.

Wide Receivers: D

Derrick Mason had 7 catches and 80 yards, but attempt at impersonating David Tyree may have cost the Ravens the game. Mark Clayton and Yamon Figurs were non-factors. Todd Heap made three catches for a total of 17 yards. This group continues to take the life out of the Ravens offense with dropped passes and poor routes.

Offensive Line: C-

The front five of the Ravens had their ups and downs, as did most units. In the passing game, they kept the rush off of Flacco for most of the game, allowing only one sack. That’s not to say Flacco never felt the pressure, but the line helped him manage it well. In the running game, the offensive line looked lost. No sealed corners. No running lanes. And worse? The unit was charged with five false starts.

Defensive Line: D+

The Ravens defensive line was handled all day by the Giants fron-five. They occasionally got pressure on Manning, but were pushed aside and pancaked time and time again in the running game.

Linebackers: D

Outside of Ray Lewis’ interception, the unit failed miserably. Lewis was mentioned more for missing tackles and overpursuing than he was for making tackles. Terrell Suggs and Bart Scott were never mentioed. Jarrett Johnson’s off-sides penalty negated an interception by Fabian Washington. The unit was out of position and looked out of place.

Defensive Backs: C

The Ravens secondary normally takes the brunt of the criticism in bad losses, but not today. The Ravens secondary was far from stellar, but at least they showed up. Eli Manning and his receiving corps didn’t  beat the Ravens today. Jim Leonhard deserves some credit for a game well-played and being the only Raven man enough to take on Brandon Jacobs face-to-face.

Special Teams: D+

Kick returns by Yamon Figurs were surprisingly strong, but hardly enough to save face for a bad season. Matt Stover had a kick blocked. Sam Koch was bothered by the wind. The unit didn’t necessarily hurt the Ravens effort, but they sure didn’t help either.

Coaching: C-

The coaching in this one is hard to read. To start with, the Ravens looked outmatched. That simply shouldn’t happen. The Giants knew every scheme Rex Ryan had and they came prepared. Offensively, Cam Cameron shut the Ravens down himself. At the same time, however, adjustments were clearly made at halftime and the Ravens looked like a new team. If not for a few mistakes specific to the players, not the coaches, I believe this team would have made things far more interesting. The biggest questions, though, have to be for John Harbaugh, who conceded defeat and truly shut the offense down in the 4th quarter. Running the ball is for eating clock, not saving it.

Fans saw a new look from the Ravens offense yesterday, dubbed the Wild Bird. Is this an offense that is here to stay, or will it be migrating south for the winter?

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If there’s one positive about playing on Monday Night Football, it’s that the next game comes that much sooner. It’s Thursday already? Sweet. I’m sure the Ravens, however, are feeling slightly less excited. The team could probably use the extra day - or two or three - of rest.

Like it or not, however, the Ravens have to be ready as the unbeaten Titans find their way to M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday for a clash of former rivals. Fisher-Billick was just as much to watch as Belichick-Mangini, but with the Billick era gone in Baltimore, it’s a new page in this rivalry. A win for the Ravens would be huge, helping them maintain their solid standing in the conference and establishing them as a serious contender. A loss for the Titans may not be as costly as it could be for the Ravens, but the Titans are looking to maintain their strong start and continue to hold off the Colts and Jags.

Here are two key match-ups that we should watch in Sunday’s game… Read the rest of this entry »

The Baltimore Sun today published two articles, oddly similar to one another, about scrutiny of John Harbaugh’s conservative decision-making in the Ravens 23-20 loss to the Steelers on Monday. The first piece, from Jamison Hensley, seems a bit more like reporting the mood around town following the loss. The second piece, from Mike Preston, is simply picking for the sake of picking.

My question: why is Harbaugh taking any heat for the loss on Monday?

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What a doozy of a game for the Ravens and Steelers tonight. I’m still wound up and still emotional about it all… it’s been just minutes since the final kick crossed over… So here’s what I see… Read the rest of this entry »

It was, oh, 8 months ago that we made a post here called “Fill in the Blank.” The task: who are the team’s missing links? So let’s see what we’ve got here now…

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