You could argue that it was inconsistent offense that ultimately did the Ravens in against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday Night, but you’d lose that argument.
Surprisingly, it was the defense.
Ben Roethelisberger escaped more sacks than he actually took. The Ravens took out the Steelers’ back-up running back, but ultimately lost on a long pass-and-run to Mewelde Moore.
And for all of the blitzes and well defended drives, the Ravens didn’t force the turnovers that led to touchdowns or field goals.
Yes. It’s blasephemy to blame the defense for anything in Charm City. But the bottom line is that rookie Joe Flacco exceeded [...]

(Jarrett Carter writes for The Ebony Bird, which is FSB’s Ravens blog. Representing the rest of the AFC North are Dawg Pound Daily, Nice Pick Cowher and Stripe Hype.)
Week 4 of the 2008 NFL regular season was an all divisional match-up. The JV warm-up game was the Cleveland Browns facing off against the Cincinnati Bengals, while the varsity main event was a Monday Night match-up between the Ravens and the Steelers.
In true JV fashion, somebody had to win between two sorry teams, and while the Ravens-Steelers game was a much closer affair, defense ultimately was the flavor that elevated the [...]

An incredulous Joe Flacco stands next to Steely McBeam. Write the caption, win a copy of Iron Man on DVD. It’s that’s simple.
Now, put your thinking caps on to come up with the best ambiguously gay caption you can think of.

Samari Rolle will miss the Ravens’ Monday Night Football showdown with the Pittsburgh Steelers with shoulder and neck injuries. In his place, Fabian Washington could get the start, but he will be playing with a bulging disc in his neck that forced him to miss last week’s contest against the Cleveland Browns.
Corey Ivy and Frank Walker could also see time at corner.

There’s a tendency to get spoiled when you are witness to greatness. And not just short-term excitability and stardom, but sustained talent.
That’s what is going on right now in Baltimore with kicker Matt Stover.
You have to understand the sensibilities involved when discussing the potential loss of accuracy by Matt Stover. This is a guy who basically carried the Ravens to a Super Bowl. When this team couldn’t score touchdowns, he was often the sole source of offense.
He’s 40 years old, and is a fan favorite in Charm City. He’s been here when so many others have come and gone.
And he’s [...]

Bart Scott is a pretty intense dude. So intense, that if his own mother was on the opposing team, she’d likely catch a wicked one at the line of scrimmage. Upon clearing up his feud with Hines Ward, here’s what the Mad Backer had to say about his mother catching the heat.
Like I said, I don’t care if my mother was out there. I’d smack her around, too. That’s just football. It doesn’t matter. If she’s got a different jersey on, she’s got to get dealt with.”
Got to get dealt with? Dang, Bart. Can you bring a little more anger [...]

If you were looking for all of the stars to come out in the Monday Night showdown between the Ravens and the Steelers next week, you’ll have to look further down the schedule. Running back Willie Parker and defensive tackle Casey Hampton will miss the game with a sprained knee and strained groin, respectively.
So if the Ravens when, does it really count as a full-fledged victory?
Without their best offensive weapon, and their second-best defensive weapon, the Steelers at less than full-power may not provide the test the Ravens are looking for as they attempt to sweep the AFC North. I [...]

(Jarrett Carter writes for The Ebony Bird, which is FSB’s Ravens blog. Representing the rest of the AFC North are Dawg Pound Daily, Nice Pick Cowher and Stripe Hype.)
Week 3 of the 2008 NFL regular season was unkind to the citizens of the AFC North. Two teams, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens, went into games undefeated on the season, while the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals were still searching for their first tastes of victory.
But only one team exhibited enough swag to find its way to a convincing victory over a bitter rival, while the others fell in [...]