Steve Smith Quitting Twitter, Ravens vs. Falcons Preview
By Brett Foote
Oct 12, 2014; Tampa, FL, USA; Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Steve Smith (89) walks on the sidelines in the second quarter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Manning-USA TODAY Sports
Welcome to Lunchtime Links, where we round up all the latest Ravens news from around the web for your convenient consumption. Today we find out that Steve Smith is quitting Twitter, have some Ravens vs. Falcons previews, a profile on Brandon Williams, an injury update, and why the Ravens are focused on containing Devin Hester.
Steve Smith is Quitting Twitter
"Ravens wide receiver Steve Smith said Thursday that Twitter would no longer be blessed with his remarks. Smith said he was done sending personal tweets, and that not being active would keep him from writing something he would regret.“I’m done with it,” Smith said Thursday in the Ravens’ locker room. “I think technology can help you, and it can hurt you. Sometimes we focus more on what’s going on social media, and less (on) what’s actually really going on. The only reason I actually started Twitter is somebody made a fake profile of me. So I had to actually do a real profile. They were (direct messaging) people inappropriate things.”Smith is one of the NFL’s best trash talkers, but he wants to stay out of Twitter wars."
"“I’ll kill you on Twitter, so I had to stop,” Smith said. “Somebody say something inappropriate to me? I wasn’t being a very good example for my kids. I still have it, I just don’t use it. If I do use it, it will only be for marketing. My agent, we make sure it stays stagnant. I deleted the app off my phone.”"
"The Baltimore Ravens are riding high and looking to win their fifth win of the year when they host the Atlanta Falcons in Week 7. Coming off a 48-17 demolition of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Baltimore is looking significantly better than last year’s 8-8 team did.Baltimore finished 29th in total offense in 2013, but rank 6th through six games this season. If they can keep up that pace, they’ll easily surpass last year’s eight wins, and may even get back to the postseason.As for Atlanta, they’ve fallen on hard times since going to the NFC Championship game in the 2012 season. Since that game, the Falcons have gone 6-16, including this year’s 2-4 start."
The Disruptive Brandon Williams is Making His Mark
"Depth concerns along the Ravens defensive front certainly seemed like an issue when Kapron Lewis-Moore and rookie Brent Urban sustained season ending injuries during training camp.It didn’t get much better as the season got underway when rookie Timmy Jernigan went down with a knee injury against Pittsburgh, while veteran Chris Canty has missed time after having hand surgery last week.The piece-mealed unit consisting of Haloti Ngata, DeAngelo Tyson, Lawrence Guy, Christo Bilukidi and Brandon Williams, through six games has done an admirable job on opposing offensive lines, pressuring quarterbacks and stalling the run game."
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Ravens vs. Falcons Battle Plans
"Running back Matt Forte had a field day against the Falcons last week – but he did most of his damage through the air. The leading pass-catching back in the NFL caught 10 passes against Atlanta, and was a constant bailout option underneath for Jay Cutler. Back in Week 2, Giovani Bernard victimized the Falcons, snagging five catches for 79 yards, with a long of 45 yards. Pierre Thomas also had his way against the Falcons with six catches for 58 yards in Week One.If you dig beneath the numbers, you’ll find a running theme – these runners are dangerous pass catchers against a defense that is slow to react. In particular, ILB Paul Worrilow has graded in the red as a pass defender (according to Pro Football Focus), and struggles to keep up with quicker backs.This game is perfectly set up for Justin Forsett and Kyle Juszczyk to attack the Atlanta linebackers. In particular, Forsett should be used early and often on iso pass patterns – whether that means having him run wheel routes or option routes over the middle (an area that Forte gobbled up in his matchup)."
Ravens focused on containing Devin Hester
"For the Ravens, facing the Falcons on Sunday means dealing with Devin Hester, the NFL’s all-time leader in kick return touchdowns. The Ravens hope to contain Hester, but it does not sound like they will use drastic measures to kick away from him.“When we play Pittsburgh and Cincinnati, we face very good punt returners of that caliber and that type,” said Ravens special teams coordinator Jerry Rosburg. “We have a lot of confidence in our punt game. We have good gunners, we have a good punter (Sam Koch), and we have good inside core guys, so we are going to do all we can to try to contain him with what we do. On kickoff coverage, there’s only so much you can do. You have to kick the ball in bounds. You kick the ball out of bounds that doesn’t help you. The fact Justin (Tucker) has a very high touchback ratio helps us. I don’t know how many we’re going to have to cover, but we’re going to have to cover kicks. It’s up to our guys; they relish a challenge.”"