Mon., Nov. 9: Baltimore Ravens First-Half Report Card
MID-TERM GRADES REVEAL '09 RAVENS AS AVERAGE TEAM
COMMENTARY
By Joe Platania
PressBox Staff
Monday, November 9, 2009
OWINGS MILLS -- Here is PressBox's assessment of the Baltimore Ravens at the season's halfway point:
QUARTERBACK: In his second year, Joe Flacco has combined the smarts of a game manager with the physical tools of a dominant signal-caller. His passer rating has been consistently over 90 all season, a good barometer of an elite quarterback. However, he still doesn't have the experience or the talent around him to throw 40 times per game while running it less than 20. But he does take the checkdowns when necessary and is not afraid to get in someone's face when the situation calls for it. The entertaining "Suggs" package has seemingly disappeared, what with Troy Smith having played in only two games; he has not seen the field since Week Three against Cleveland. John Beck has been inactive for 25 consecutive regular- and postseason games.
GRADE: A-.
RUNNING BACK: If it weren't for Ray Rice, this position unit -- in fact, the whole offense -- might very well be in dire straits despite Flacco's talent. Rice is one of the league's most versatile backs and seems headed for a Pro Bowl berth in only his second year. He leads all running backs in catches and is one of the NFL's best in yards from scrimmage. Willis McGahee scored seven touchdowns before disappearing and fullback Le'Ron McClain got a few more touches as the season neared the halfway point.
GRADE: B-.
RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS: Quantity is a concern, but not quality. Derrick Mason returned from an abbreviated retirement to run smooth routes, catch passes and look like the Mason of old, rather than an old Mason. Kelley Washington is another chain-mover who can also run deep and intermediate patterns and Mark Clayton has survived a hamstring scare to occasionally contribute. At tight end, Todd Heap is back to being his tough, steady self, but LJ Smith's invisibility and Quinn Sypniewski's absence are being felt.
GRADE: B-.
OFFENSIVE LINE: While the unit has been a solid, reliable one, it has been called for a few more false-start and holding penalties this year. The running game has slipped to 14th in the league and time of possession figures have suffered despite a good third-down conversion percentage. They are on a pace to allow a respectable 32 sacks this year, but the overall quality of play has dipped a bit. That being said, rookie tackle Michael Oher has shown a nasty streak and Marshal Yanda did well when Jared Gaither was out. The interior is still solid, with newcomer Matt Birk and right-guard surprise Chris Chester playing better than expected.
GRADE: B-.
DEFENSIVE LINE: One of the Ravens' deepest and most talented units is also one of its oldest, what with Kelly Gregg now in his tenth year, Justin Bannan in his eighth and Trevor Pryce in his 13th NFL season. The sprained ankle injury to Haloti Ngata isn't solely responsible for the defense's allowing three 100-yard rushers in four weeks after three seasons without one, but there is no one plugging up cutback lanes. Bannan has been good in his usual fill-in duty and Dwan Edwards is seeing more time, but rookie second-round pick Paul Kruger has lacked a special-teams role and has been on the bench for most of his rookie season so far.
GRADE: C.
LINEBACKERS: This unit still leads the team in sacks, but there have only been 10.5 of them because they are being put more into coverage mode. It seems that the farther away from the line of scrimmage they are, the more mistakes are being made when it comes to overpursuing on run plays and simply not getting to the quarterback in time on pass plays. Three different players have taken turns at "Jack" -- the inside position next to Ray Lewis -- and the best of them was Brendan Ayanbadejo, who is now out for the season. Strong-side 'backer Jarret Johnson and weak-side man Terrell Suggs have gotten sacks, but not enough of them.
GRADE: B-.
DEFENSIVE BACKS: The cornerbacks have gone from being big and physical to small and speedy. However, Domonique Foxworth and Fabian Washington have not been able to make their speed translate into pass breakups, as taller receivers have simply jumped over them all season. Frank Walker and Chris Carr have performed so poorly on nickel duty that they have been switched constantly, but Lardarius Webb shows plenty of promise. Safeties Ed Reed and Dawan Landry have been average at best, with Reed seemingly hesitant to lay the lumber anymore due to his shoulder impingement. A half-dozen pass-interference calls haven't helped this unit, either, and shoddy tackling has permeated the entire defense.
GRADE: D.
SPECIAL TEAMS: The good news is that punter Sam Koch is having another solid year and the Ravens' kick and punt coverage teams have been much better, with several players boasting double figures in tackles. New placekicker Steven Hauschka has made eight of 11 field-goal tries, but the bad news is that two of his three misses cost the Ravens one win (at Minnesota) and a chance at another (at Cincinnati). Chris Carr has shown little on punt returns after being acquired for that purpose, but rookie Lardarius Webb has injected life into the kick-return unit.
GRADE: B-.
COACHING: The single-minded focus that John Harbaugh and his staff put into the team is admirable, and the players that will buy into it are now in place. Everyone around the Palace At Owings Mills is so accountable, even secondary coach Chuck Pagano went on-record to take responsibility for the leaky pass defense. Highly-scrutinized defensive coordinator Greg Mattison has the players' trust and confidence, but he can no longer rely only on front-four or -three blitzes. Offensive coordinator Cam Cameron's unpredictability has been praised, but not all the team's weapons are being used enough. Special teams coordinator Jerry Rosburg's unit is vastly improved, but the rest of the team isn't taking advantage of better field position.
GRADE: B-.
OVERALL: There's no getting around it: the win-loss record firmly determines whether a team is good, bad or merely average. The Ravens are a solidly average team for the moment. It's not enough to discuss what would have happened if a certain pass had been caught or a kick had been made. The fact is that even with four losses by a total of 21 points, the Ravens haven't made the plays they've had to make to be considered part of the NFL's elite. Super Bowl contenders get off to fast starts, take control and then put the hammer down in the second half. The Ravens have done none of these things, but by beating bad teams and at least showing fight against good ones, they have shown enough raw talent on both sides of the ball to give the fans hope.
GRADE: C.
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JOEY P'S TRIVIA TIME: While there may be no prizes in it for you, Trivia Time is just another way we at PressBox have fun whetting your appetite (and ours) for the game to come.
Today's question:
Recently, when Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Will Witherspoon had a sack and interception return for a touchdown in his first game with the team, he became the second player in NFL history to accomplish this feat in a debut with a new employer.
Which former Raven was the first to accomplish this feat? (Hint: he was the answer to one of last week's Joey P's Trivia Time questions.)
The answer appears towards the end of this column.
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TEAM REPORT: Long snapper Matt Katula probably received more scrutiny than the rest of the small group of players limited or absent from practice last week.
That's because the Wisconsin alum has no backup listed for him on the depth chart. However, Katula recovered from a sore elbow in time to snap flawlessly on five Sam Koch punts -- on which he posted a net average of almost 41 yards per punt -- and kicker Steven Hauschka's 38-yard field goal try that went wide left.
Defensive tackle Haloti Ngata (ankle) couldn't push off on the sprained area when working against practice-squadder Bryan Mattison in pregame warmups, so he was deactivated for the first time in his career after 55 straight starts.
Fullback Le'Ron McClain battled a shoulder problem all week, but he caught two passes for 24 yards and rushed twice for two yards.
Tight end Todd Heap (ankle) caught three of the four passes targeted for him and contributed 28 yards in the Ravens' limited possession time.
Safety Tom Zbikowski (illness) contributed one special teams tackle and safety Haruki Nakamura (abdomen) played but did not record a tackle.
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SLOW STARTS: The Ravens have scored a total of just three first-quarter points in the last four games, contributing to the team's 1-4 slide after a 3-0 start.
Those points came in the form of a field goal against the Denver Broncos. The second quarter of that game was no better, but at least the Ravens broke open a 6-0 halftime lead on their way to a win.
Last year, the Ravens were either tied or winning at the end of one quarter in 12 of their 16 regular-season games. They were losing to the New York Giants, Indianapolis, Dallas and Jacksonville, but won the latter two games.
But this year's question remains: why no sense of urgency at the start? Not even the on-field leader, calm-and-cool Joe Flacco, seemed to know after the loss at Cincinnati.
“I agree," he said. "I don’t think we had the urgency we needed to be successful, and we realized that we needed to get it going. We came out in the second half with some urgency, but weren’t able to get it done.”
Running back Ray Rice agreed.
“Nothing can account for it. That’s just us," Rice said. "The coaches can’t do anything about that. We as players — this is what we get paid to do. We get paid to come out and play fast.
"... When we were able to move the ball, we moved the ball up and down the field, (but at) a point when it was too late.”
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BROWNS BITS: With the Cleveland Browns entertaining the Ravens under the bright prime-time lights next week (Monday, 8:30 p.m., ESPN, WIYY-FM), it's a good time to examine which celebrities support the team and how they're dealing with its 1-7 start.
The Cleveland Plain Dealer talked to several of them.
Country music star Brad Paisley, through a spokesman: "Absolutely, no comment."
Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice: "I'm an optimist. I just keep hoping. Hey, things have to get better. We've just got to find a way to score points. Obviously, we've got to settle down the quarterback position... I'm a Notre Dame alumnae ... but I was a Derek Anderson fan two years ago."
(Head coach Eric Mangini will announce his starting quarterback on Wednesday).
Actor/comedian Drew Carey: "I don't watch the Browns play. That's how I deal with it. At least, I don't watch a whole game from start to finish. My suggestion to any suffering Browns fan is to do what I've done and take up an interest in soccer."
Actor/comedian Martin Mull: "It doesn't dent me. I've been an Indians fan, too. I have not given up at all. I still believe that in my lifetime I'll see the Browns win a Super Bowl. But I'm 66, so they'd better get going."
Actress/comedian Kym Whitley: "You tell (owner) Randy (Lerner) to call me. I would say, 'Randy, this is the deal. Get your players the Madden (video football) game so they can see how the game works.'"
But our favorite quote of all is this one from an assistant to baseball Hall of Famer Hank Aaron, who once said that he "lives and dies with the Browns every year":
"I will be glad to pass along your (interview) request, but Mr. Aaron has started supporting the Ravens."
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ALUMNI REPORT: As angry as John Harbaugh looked after the Ravens' loss in Cincinnati on Sunday, that's probably how happy Jim Harbaugh is right now.
Jim Harbaugh, the Ravens' starting quarterback in 1998 and brother of the current Ravens head coach, is now the Stanford University head coach. The Cardinal (the color, not the bird) recently made a breakthrough it hadn't made in quite some time.
By virtue of its upset win over Oregon last weekend, Stanford (6-3) is now the nation's 25th-ranked team in the latest Associated Press poll. It is the first time in eight seasons the Cardinal has been ranked.
Former University of Maryland linebacker Moise Fokou, as we reported late last week, did indeed start at one of the Philadelphia Eagles' positions in Sunday night's home loss to Dallas.
However, Fokou committed two penalties that hurt the Eagles' cause in the 20-16 loss. One of them, a holding call, negated a 95-yard kickoff-return touchdown that could have helped in a close game.
Also, another former Maryland linebacker, William Kershaw, was cut by the Miami Dolphins over the weekend.
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IN THE COMMUNITY: One of the NFL's most popular programs is its "Take A Player To School" event.
The Ravens' version of it will take place Tuesday when tight end Todd Heap arrives at the home of Elkridge Elementary School fifth-grader Travis Justice, takes him to school, visits with the principal and leads the children in exercises to mark the NFL's observance of its "Play 60" program.
Justice and Heap have also taken time to plan an "Ultimate PE Class" for Elkridge. The NFL has donated the equipment that will be used for this class as well as for all future Elkridge physical education classes.
Other equipment is being donated by Wilson, the company that makes "The Duke", the official football used in the NFL.
The "Play 60" initiative dictates that children get at least 60 minutes of physical activity per day in order to combat childhood obesity.
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QUOTE OF THE DAY: The issue of the Ravens' slow starts in games -- they have scored a total of three first-quarter points the last four weeks -- has been well-documented.
It should be well-defined, too, but defensive lineman Trevor Pryce doesn't agree.
“That’s a loaded question," Pryce said. "I don’t know what you mean by ‘starting slow.’ I don’t think we played well. None of us played well.
"But it’s not how you start. It’s how you finish.”
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LET US KNOW: What do you think of the daily Ravens Report, or, for that matter, the Ravens material in the PressBox monthly print edition?
Is there stuff in there you like, don't like or would like to see more of?
Let us know what you think by either leaving a comment in the space provided below or e-mailing us at joeyp@pressboxonline.com, and we'll occasionally list and answer the best and most compelling questions and comments right here.
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TRIVIA TIME ANSWER: When the Buffalo Bills took the field for the 2003 season opener against the New England Patriots, it was supposed to be a close game between two bitter AFC East Division rivals.
But thanks to a sack and a 37-yard interception return score by former Ravens defensive lineman Sam Adams, it turned into a 31-0 romp for the Bills.
New England shook off that loss and went on to win Super Bowl XXXVIII in Houston, but Adams and the Bills fell to 6-10, tying the New York Jets for last place.
Adams was part of a now-legendary defensive unit that allowed the fewest points in a 16-game season (165) -- not to mention the fewest rushing yards (970) -- when the Ravens won the Super Bowl following the 2000 season.
On the first play of Super Bowl XXXV, Adams jumped offsides against the New York Giants. CBS-TV cameras then cut to Giants quarterback Kerry Collins, who had a concerned look on his face, to say the least.
That's because few anticipated the 6-foot-3, 350-pound Adams to be as quick as he was off the line of scrimmage. It was a trait that translated into 44 career sacks and three interceptions from the defensive tackle position over a 14-year career.
Adams entered the league out of Texas A&M and played six seasons with the Seattle Seahawks before his two seasons in Baltimore. Those seasons -- 2000 and 2001 -- marked the only time to date the Ravens have made back-to-back postseason appearances.
Following his time here, Adams spent one year in Oakland, three in Buffalo and one each in Cincinnati and Denver before retiring after the 2007 season.
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ABOUT JOE PLATANIA
Ravens beat writer Joe Platania, 45, is a Baltimore native and has been a multi-award-winning sports journalist for over 30 years, covering many different sports at all levels with insight, humor, a near-photographic memory and a keen, prescient eye.
A longtime member of the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association and the Pro Football Writers Association of America, Platania (pluh-TAN-ee-uh) will in 2009 enter his 16th season covering pro football, having manned the CFL Stallions beat for The Avenue Newspaper Group of Essex and the Ravens beat for The Avenue as well as several other publications and radio stations.
On top of many years’worth of appearances on several local sports television networks and radio stations, Platania can be seen this fall on WMAR-TV (Channel 2) on Monday mornings with Jamie Costello on “Good Morning Maryland.”
Also, Platania makes occasional appearances with PresssBox publisher/founder Stan “The Fan” Charles on Channel 2’s”Inside PressBox”, which airs Saturday nights at 11 p.m. and Sunday mornings at 11:30 a.m.
He is one of only three Baltimore-based print reporters to have covered the Ravens during their entire history.
Platania is a four-time Maryland-Delaware-District of Columbia Press Association award winner and was named Maryland Sportscaster of the Year in 1998 for his work on WCBM-AM (680).
