Archive for August, 2008

A local columnist compared Ravens’ saftey Ed Reed to a would-be Baltimore Orioles-great, Glen Davis in a blog post this morning. And while you would hope that the neck and shoulder nerve problems that have sidelined Reed for the entire preseason are not serious enough to end his career, you have to wonder in the face of several factors. Well, really only two. Tom Zbikowski and Haruki Nakamura. The drafting of two college standout safeties, at the very least, conveys the Ravens trying to protect the interest of defensive continuity. In the preseason, both Zbikowski and Nakamura made their share [...]

There were some surprises in the Ravens final round of cuts, but the most surprising were on the defensive side of the ball, and several preseason standouts at cornerback and linebacker were released yesterday. Among the surprises were linebacker and special teams standout Gary Stills and cornerback Ronnie Prude, who both made plays in the Ravens four preseason contests. All the more interesting, they would have been standout players for a special teams unit that should be among the bright spots of the Ravens’ play this year under special teams’ guru and first-year head coach, John Harbaugh. Several rookies were [...]

We join the action with 9:58 in the second quarter, and Casey Bramlet at quarterback? Casey who? Bramlet, a 2004 seventh-round draft pick of the Cincinatti Bengals has touchdown in Baltimore, after a potentially season-ending injury to Kyle Boller left quarterbacking duties to rookie Joe Flacco and Troy Smith, who will miss the game due to tonsilitis. Bramlet promptly comes in, and learns the way of Ravens passing. His first pass is a 21-yard strike to tight end Daniel Wilcox, and his second pass got picked off in the red zone. But Bramlet gets a pass on a number of [...]

Marques Douglas is back in B-More. Signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a four-year, $10 million deal earlier this summer, the former Howard Bison was scooped up by the Ravens for a 2009 draft pick and a conditional pick in 2010. Douglas was signed by the Ravens in 2001 as a free agent, and played in Charm City for three seasons before signing with the San Fransisco 49ers. Douglas’ best seasons were in Baltimore, where he posted 113 total tackles and 10 sacks in 2003 and 2004. His signing will fill the loss of Dwan Edwards, whom the Ravens [...]

There is a strong possibility that maligned Ravens quarterback Kyle Boller will be out for the season with a shoulder injury. Boller injured the shoulder in the second preseason game against the Minnesota Vikings, as has not played since. Boller has a one-year deal with the Ravens, and should he be out for the season, it all but guarantees his tenure with the franchise. Quiet as it is kept, Boller is the team’s all time leader in passing yardage, and second all-time in passing touchdowns. It will be a shame that an obvious talent like Boller’s will likely be overshadowed [...]

What began this summer as a hope and a prayer for Ravens fans, may turn into a harsh reality. With Troy Smith nursing some kind of wicked illness, and Kyle Boller nursing a sore shoulder, Joe Flacco will likely get the start this Thursday against the Atlanta Falcons. And there’s a distinct possibility that Flacco may have the role longer than that. There’s also a possibility that the Ravens could add a free agent, which would enhance Flacco’s chances of readiness, but wouldn’t remedy the situation long term solution for the 2008 season. I’ve long contended that Flacco would be [...]

Apparently, pretty good according to a new BetUS.com listing of NFL players most likely to run afoul of the law. Ray Lewis is pretty low under names like Chris Henry, Pacman Jones and Tank Johnson. This is pretty weird, because save for that one nasty incident, Lewis hasn’t been in trouble. Of any kind. Maybe people can’t let it go, especially when you stand to get 5 to 1 odds on the deal. Only in America.

If you ever wanted to know about the trials and tribulations of training camp facial hair growth, then allow the Baltimore Ravens to take you on an emotional journey through this growing phenomenon. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll cringe in disgust. But you will also come away a better person for your experience of this video.

The Baltimore Ravens made their first round of cuts today, dismissing local product and R&B star Darnerien McCants and tight end Aaron Walker. McCants, who had been out of the league for two seasons prior to camp, caught one pass for 30 yards in the first game of the preseason. Both McCants and Walker were signed in July. The Ravens also ended the season of three others by placing them on injured reserve. The most notable of the IR crew was Dwan Edwards, a second-round pick in 2004 who had six tackles and a sack this preseason, and was a [...]

…maybe the whole problem would just go away. The Birds lost their second straight preseason game on Saturday night, and not coincidentally, it was the second straight game that family commitments have blocked me from conducting the locally-famous Ravens live chat. But I apparently didn’t miss much. The St. Louis Rams looked effective against the Ravens on both sides of the ball, and gave some Ram rookies time to shine in the 24-10 defeat of the Ravens. We knew that the quarterback question in Baltimore was one that wouldn’t be likely answered until opening day, and Flacco’s performance just made [...]