Hamilton Johns

Relax Baltimore 9/2005
I know that the Ravens’ did not look very good in their first 2 games but the negativity towards this team is a bunch of garbage. This team has been competitive for the last six years with a Super Bowl victory and 2 other playoff appearances. An NFL team that can do this without being eliminated before week 16 deserves a certain amount of immunity from mass criticism. Thankfully, this is not everyone but it is becoming clear that Baltimore has fair weather fans that hopped on the gravy train in 2000 but will ease their way off whenever the team has some adversity.

Many people complain about the Ravens as if they are the Orioles. This may sound silly but you can’t compare 0-2 to 8 straight losing seasons (with more on the way). It’s starting to look like some supposed Ravens fans get more pleasure out of the losses than the victories. Would the city rather have a team like the Arizona Cardinals that never wins and is always pushing one of those cliché "Building for the Future" campaigns?

Every year, the rest of the league picks the Ravens’ coaching staff and front office apart. The fact that the team is still good enough to win 9 or 10 games every year is admirable. The current format of the league places higher importance on talent evaluation and coaching because with a salary cap a team can’t have but so much talent at every position. Constantly having new people in positions of leadership can be chaotic in any business, especially football.
Frankly, some of the fans have gotten bigger heads than the players and coaches. People around here act as if this team should never lose a game. For some reason, fans are in denial and can never admit when the Ravens have lost to a better team. The truth is that the Ravens are still good enough to make the playoffs but anymore than that is a bonus.

It is obvious that the offense is having trouble even moving the ball. There is no excuse for a team to go an entire half without a first down. Fortunately, the pass protection can’t get any worse and Jamal Lewis is going to get more than a yard per carry. The only problem with the wide receivers is that Randy Hymes and Mark Clayton should be getting more time. Hymes is a productive player and Clayton has shown some potential. Perhaps, they are not the best practice players but they perform in games. If they have to be told what route to run on certain plays, then that’s just a necessary burden because the team needs guys that will catch the ball.

The defense has not been dominant but they still do a good job of keeping the team in the game. They’ve only allowed 33 points in two games. If they are holding opponents to that, it’s up to the offense to figure out how to score 21 to 24 points. The Ravens are usually slow starters but they always get it together and start winning.

This week, the Ravens have a home game against the New York Jets. The Jets have a bigger mess than the Ravens. They lost two quarterbacks last week and are so desperate that they had to sign Vinny Testaverde. They still have a good defense and this will not be an easy victory but the Ravens should win this game.
Next week, I know that the local public will give limited praise for a victory and endless negativity for a loss. Let it be known that for fans to jump off the cliff after 2 or 3 games is ridiculous. Ten games is a different story, if the Ravens have a losing record that late in the season (in a hard conference) I will be happy to jump with everyone else. Until then, RELAX!
9/30/05

A disappointing season over and the Ravens went home early this year. It was good to see the Ravens finish the season with a win against Miami but that doesn’t make up for this team’s underachievement. The team finished 9-7 and did not receive the miracle that would have put them in the playoffs. However, the Ravens clearly were not as good as their hype and earned every bit of their mediocre record. Considering the team’s 3 inexcusable losses against Cleveland, Kansas City, and Cincinnati it is hard to say that they deserved better.

The Ravens only beat three winning teams and that is skewed by the fact that they caught the Steelers and Bills at the right time. The last six weeks have confirmed once and for all that the Ravens are good enough to beat bad teams but can’t beat a credible opponent. It is also worth noting that Ed Reed made plays that directly impacted 4 games and kept the Ravens from being a disgrace.

The Ravens have taken a major step back this season and there is enough blame to go around. The team is still too dependent on the defense, the special teams have been average the last 10 games, and the defense has been better than most but they’ve been exposed a lot more often than usual this season.

On offense, Kyle Boller has actually gotten better this season but it is obvious that he does not have much with which to work. Against Indianapolis and Pittsburgh, he was forced to break the pocket too often and looked like he was more pre-occupied with survival than completing passes. Also, tight end Todd Heap is still his best wide receiver and he missed most of the season. Randy Hymes has played well this year but for some reason his playing time disappeared when Travis Taylor returned from an injury. Travis Taylor is the Ravens’ only first round pick that has non-delivered and he probably needs to be in an offense where there are one or two receivers much better than him.

The Ravens’ running game was not as strong this year. This is because Jamal Lewis missed 4games and it was very unrealistic to expect him to have another 2,000-yard season. The coaching staff is certainly accountable for the ongoing problems of the offense but they cannot block or catch the ball for these players.

The defense is having a very good season but they have had more low moments than other years. They have allowed four 100-yard rushers, which almost never happened in recent years. Last year’s playoff game against Tennessee appeared to be a fluke but after this year’s games against Kansas City, New England, Pittsburgh, and the New York Jets a weakness has been exposed. Clearly, big and athletic offensive lines overmatch the Ravens’ defense. Thankfully, only few teams can take advantage of this.

Of course, the 4th quarter chokejob against Cincinnati was the game that cost the Ravens dearly. It was surreal to watch the defense have a 17-point lead and just lay down, but that was evidence that this year’s Ravens were not as good as advertised. The secondary was embarrassed in that quarter and looked like they had better things to do. After this game, reality started to set in and for the first time this season it was painfully obvious that the Ravens weren’t going to make it because they were in a tough conference with a 7-5 record and two guaranteed losses on the way.

From the beginning, it was very wishful thinking for anyone to expect this team to get to the Super Bowl but their failure to reach the postseason is unacceptable. The Ravens would have easily been a factor in the terrible NFC, but were outplayed and out-coached too many times to contend in a real conference. Injuries were a problem this season but every team has injuries. The Ravens were held back because they just didn’t get the job done this season when they had their chances.
Perhaps, this will end up being a positive because neither the organization nor the fans can kid themselves about this team any longer. The defense is still one of the best in the league but comparing them to the 2000 defense is absolutely ridiculous. They simply do not measure up in terms of personnel or execution and they are not good enough to carry the team to a Super Bowl by themselves. The offense needs to improve and become more capable of functioning when the defense isn’t outstanding. In other words, making up a 10 or 14-point deficit should not always require game-changing plays from the defense and special teams, like the games against the Redskins and Jets.

It is one year later and the Ravens still need to make the same improvements at the wide receiver position, the offensive line, and add size on their defensive line. I guess we’ll wait until April to see what the Ravens do about this in the draft. Hopefully, Phil Savage’s departure will not kill the organization’s ability to evaluate talent, because if it turns out that he has been the brain behind the operation, the worst is yet to come.

The Ravens and Redskins gave us a very strange game on Sunday night. The halves of this game were complete opposites. In the first half, the Ravens had an edge in field position but never took advantage of it and tried to gift-wrap a victory for the Redskins by committing 3 turnovers on their side of the field. The Ravens defense and special teams made timely plays in the second half. This was the only way that the Ravens were going to win this game because the offense was nearly hopeless.
At halftime, the Redskins had a 10-0 lead due to 3 interceptions thrown by Kyle Boller. Two of the interceptions bounced off of receivers’ hands and another one was thrown right at the defender on a play where either Boller threw the wrong route or Randy Hymes cut his route too short. Undoubtedly, the Ravens’ passing game took a major step back this week regardless of who’s to blame for these turnovers. In the first half, the Ravens had chances to make some big plays because rookie receiver Clarence Moore beat coverage twice but two inaccurate passes (one under thrown, one overthrown) bailed the Redskins out. As it turned out, the Ravens’ offense kept the Redskins from being shutout.

In the third quarter, everything that could have happened for the Ravens did happen. Early in the period, Ed Reed forced Mark Brunell to fumble and returned it 22 yards to make the score 10-7. After Washington’s next offensive series, B.J. Sams faked a reverse to Deion Sanders and returned a punt 78 yards to give the Ravens a 14-10 lead. This play was called at the perfect time and well executed. I saw 4 Redskins freeze on the fake and that moment of hesitation was all Sams needed to go down the sideline for the touchdown. Sams has been a pleasant surprise for the Ravens and he is giving them a distinct advantage on special teams.

Once the Ravens had the lead, they were able to use their running game to run down the clock in the fourth quarter. In the final period, the Ravens time of possession was 12:33 (out of 15 minutes) and Jamal Lewis finished the game with 28 carries for 116 yards.

Frankly, the Ravens were rather fortunate to come out of this game with a victory. Three turnovers on their side of the field would have buried them against a better team. They are now 3-2 and going into their bye week one game behind the Pittsburgh Steelers. Jamal Lewis will be suspended for the next two games (against Buffalo and Philadelphia), but the Ravens should be able to maintain their winning record while he is out.

As for the Redskins, they couldn’t take advantage of the Ravens’ generosity and they have now lost 4 straight games. The notion that Washington has a playoff team was very wishful thinking by fans that are starving for a winner. Reality is setting in for the Redskins and it looks like they will have a 4th straight losing season. However, there may be some temporary relief in sight. The Redskins’ next game is in Chicago against the Bears. The Bears are just bad enough to make the Redskins look good. The losing streak will be broken. Week 6 Prediction (Redskins): Redskins 16, Bears 13.

Sunday’s game was rather uneventful and proved why the Redskins and Bears are last place teams. Neither team displayed much of a passing game and the Redskins did their best to help the Bears stay in the game. Washington running back Clinton Portis had 36 carries for 171 yards but the fact that the Redskins only got 13 points says much about their continuing inability to score. This week they were playing a team that has injuries throughout the secondary, yet everyone has exploited that except the Redskins. Through 6 games, the Redskins still have not scored 20 points in a game. As with many teams, the defense is ahead of the offense early in the season but this is unacceptable.

This week’s game was everything I expected it to be, AWFUL! I know that a 13-10 game can be exciting but not when the two teams are just trying to see who can lose the game and get a higher draft pick. The two teams that the Redskins have beaten (Chicago and Tampa Bay) have won a combined 2 games and they play each other this upcoming week in a game that shouldn’t even air in their own markets. The Redskins have a bye this week and will resume their home schedule on October 31 against the Green Bay Packers. The Packers have the same 2-4 record as the Redskins and their defense has been as bad as the Redskins’ offense. However, the Redskins probably won’t take advantage of that.

The Redskins can definitely beat this team but they’ll snatch
defeat from the jaws of victory. At least Washington will
score 20 points.
10/20/04

Last night's game looked more like a practice session for the Kansas City Chiefs' offense than a competitive football game. One team came to play a football game and the other team came to put on their uniforms and get paid. Quite honestly, a flea flicker and a punt return touchdown; two plays that seldom occur skewed the final score. Aside from these two plays, the Chiefs systematically destroyed the Ravens.

Uncharacteristically, the defense had a putrid performance by allowing 398 total yards, 25 first downs, and 40 minutes of possession. It seemed unreal to watch Kansas City's offense have its way with the Ravens' defense. The Chiefs converted 8 of 16 third down opportunities and had 5 series, which were at least 10 plays and 60 yards. For one night, the Ravens' defense looked like the 1996 group that would have gotten scorched by most college teams.

Chiefs' quarterback Trent Green completed 21 of 31 passes for 223 yards and a touchdown and his uniform was as clean as a whistle. Running back Priest Holmes was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week with 33 carries for 125 yards and 2 touchdowns. He should buy his offensive linemen cars for that performance because they blew the Ravens’ front seven away the whole night. It was so bad that the Ravens’ cornerbacks Chris McAlister and Gary Baxter made 8 tackles each. When defensive backs have more tackles than linebackers do, the defense has officially been annihilated.
The pass defense was so inept that they made some receiver named Chris Horn look like Randy Moss times 10. Even 3rd & 18 was a piece of cake for Kansas City in the 2nd quarter when tight end Tony Gonzalez had a 20-yard reception in the middle of the field. Generally, the Chiefs’ offense didn’t do anything special other than breaking their foot off in a very special place. In fairness, the Ravens’ defense almost never has games like this and hopefully this was more of a fluke than the beginning of a trend. The defense has carried this team for years but they'll lay an occasional egg and Monday was a big one.

On offense, the Ravens had a rather average performance considering the amount of time they were on the field (20 minutes). They did produce 17 points on their own without the benefit of the defense and special teams giving them great field position. In the second quarter, the Ravens tied the game at 10 by using a flea flicker for the second time in three weeks. This time, there was no penalty and Randy Hymes had a 57-yard touchdown reception.

Kansas City scored a touchdown after an 8-minute drive to take a 17-10 lead. Later in the quarter, the Chiefs' had a 3rd & long situation where Priest Holmes ran freely through the defense and was given a 1st down before a replay booth review ruled him to be out of bounds before reaching the first down mark. This was a major break for the Ravens because Kansas City probably would have scored again and B.J. Sams returned a punt for a touchdown on the next play to tie the game before halftime.

The third quarter was a blur because Kansas City's offense continued to control the game and the Chiefs went into the final quarter with a 20-17 lead and had the ball deep in Ravens territory (Surprise, Surprise!). At the beginning of the 4th quarter, the Chiefs were close to scoring another touchdown and I knew that a touchdown would probably be enough to finish the Ravens. The drive ended with Priest Holmes' second touchdown of the game and the Ravens were down 27-17.

On the Ravens' next offensive series, they moved the ball well and then received some unexpected assistance from the officials. On a 3rd down, Kyle Boller threw a pass in the endzone for Randy Hymes that was uncatchable but the Chiefs' were called for pass interference. I didn't see any contact on the replay but call was welcome and the Ravens were given a first down on the Kansas City 1-yard line.

On the next play, the Ravens got away with poor playcalling and worse execution when on a rollout pass Kyle Boller threw across his body into double coverage and was intercepted by Chiefs cornerback Eric Warfield. You can't even get away with that type of play on a video game -- but Warfield was called for holding and the Ravens were given another chance. Jamal Lewis held the ball over goal line on the next play and made the score 27-24.

The Ravens would get no closer in spite of the defense waking up on their last two series. Sloppy offensive play (i.e. sacks, penalties, fumbling) would cost the Ravens in their last two possessions and the game was lost. The Ravens offense played a decent game until the last 6 minutes, when they just couldn't do anything right.

As usual, the Ravens' coaching staff will be criticized for not giving Jamal Lewis enough carries. It's important to remember that Jamal can't run the ball if the offense doesn't have it. His 15 carries (for 73 yards and a touchdown) are probably about average for 20 minutes of possession.

The Ravens are now 2-2 and 1 game behind the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC North. This Sunday night, I’ll be in D.C. to watch the Ravens play the Washington Redskins. The Redskins have lost 3 straight games and their offensive line has not looked anywhere near the level of what the Ravens just saw. Also, Clinton Portis has already fumbled 4 times this season, which is one more than last season. The Redskins have the top run defense in the league right now but the best run offense they've seen is the New York Giants' and they didn't need a running game that day with Washington committing 7 turnovers. This team is tailor made for the Ravens but don’t expect a blowout.
Week 5 Prediction: Ravens 24, Redskins 10.

The Ravens will have more limited practice time this week but they
should still do enough to win this game.
10/6/04

On Monday night, the combination of time mismanagement and tough breaks led to the Redskins’ downfall. For most of the first quarter, the game was scoreless. Late in the quarter the Redskins were jobbed on a 40-yard pass interference call in the end zone against cornerback Walt Harris. Honestly, there should have been no penalty because the Cowboys’ wide receiver Terry Glenn made the initial (and more forceful) contact before Harris pushed back and the referee made the call. This call put Dallas on the Washington 1-yard line and led to a touchdown run by Eddie George and a 7-0 lead for the Cowboys.

The Redskins misused their timeouts throughout the game and it cost them on their last possession of the 1st half. The Redskins moved the ball deep into Dallas territory but their running game was unable to get them a touchdown and because they used all of their timeouts, they were predictable on 3rd & goal with less than 30 seconds remaining. The entire world knew that they had to pass or risk running out of time and after an incompletion, Washington kicked a field goal and went into halftime trailing 7-3.

The teams traded touchdowns in the 3rd quarter and Dallas had a 14-10 lead when the final quarter began. Early in the 4th quarter, the Cowboys completed a 5-play, 72-yard drive when Dallas running back Richie Anderson threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to Terry Glenn on a halfback option to give Dallas a 21-10 lead. The Redskins challenged the touchdown because it appeared that Glenn may not have been in bounds and had control of the ball. However, the Redskins lost the challenge and their last timeout along with it.

A football team should never go into the 4th quarter of a game with only one timeout, especially in a close game. It is better to have a 5-yard penalty in the 3rd quarter than to go through the final quarter unable to stop the clock. This was definitely a contributing factor to this loss but it should easily be corrected.

Overall, the Redskins’ defense kept the game close by limiting Dallas to 50 rushing yards, but allowing 80 and 72-yard touchdown drives did not help them. It is obvious that the Redskins' defense has to do more to impact games like they did against Tampa Bay when they forced turnovers and gave the offense a short field. The offense had trouble sustaining drives for most of the game partly because of the 5 sacks they allowed.

After the Cowboys' last touchdown, the Redskins had a 2-play, 64-yard drive that ended in a 15-yard touchdown pass from Mark Brunell to Rod Gardner and a 2-point conversion that made the score 21-18. However, the Cowboys offense was able to kill a lot of time on their last offensive series due to the combination of Vinny Testaverde's first down pass to tight end Dan Campbell (on 3rd & 8) and Washington only having the 2-minute warning to stop the clock.

Washington got the ball back with less than 30 seconds remaining. Rod Gardner caught his 10th pass of the night for 46 yards deep in Dallas territory but was tackled before he could get out of bounds and the game ended with another Redskins loss to the Cowboys.

This loss was no surprise because the Cowboys have owned the Redskins for 7 years (winning 13 of the last 14 games), but Washington could have won this game with better pass protection and an ounce of time management. The Redskins are now 1-2 and have a road game this week against the Cleveland Browns. This is not quite the game of the week, I've watched both teams play and they're so mediocre that this game has to be close.

Week 4 Prediction: I guess somebody has to win this game so I'll take the Redskins
20-13.

On Sunday, the Ravens gave the crowd a complete show. They had a +3 turnover ratio, some impressive offensive series, and a very good defensive performance, which included a touchdown. The Ravens started the game with a 90-yard drive that ended with a 3-yard touchdown run by Jamal Lewis. Jonathan Ogden’s presence was immediately felt because the offensive line played a much better game this week, helping the Ravens total 172 rushing yards. This is enhanced by the fact that Pittsburgh is usually one of the top run defenses in the NFL.

The Ravens’ passing game had its moments in the first half. In the first quarter, Kyle Boller threw a 39-yard touchdown pass to Randy Hymes on a "flea flicker." However, this was negated by an illegal motion penalty against Kevin Johnson. Other than personal fouls, this penalty was the flavor of the day. Obviously, the NFL wants its officials to have more of an impact because if the Ravens get a 14-0 lead that early in a game, GAME OVER!

I’ll give the Ravens’ coaching staff credit for being more creative. Unfortunately, the reward was taken away and they probably can’t call that play for 3 years. Altogether, the Ravens were penalized 10 times for 123 yards. It looks like the referees’ preseason habits have carried over into the regular season. The Ravens were called for six personal fouls. The fact that nobody was ejected just tells me that these penalties were ridiculous and the league and its officials have become very full of themselves. The Steelers were called for 9 penalties, so in a quantitative sense the officiating was a 2-way disgrace.

Thankfully, the Ravens played well and were able to overcome both of their opponents. In the second quarter, the referees put the Ravens in a lovely 2nd & 30 situation. But Kyle Boller completed a 14-yard pass to Todd Heap and a 24–yard pass to Kevin Johnson for a first down and eventually Matt Stover made his first of three field goals to give the Ravens a 10-0 lead. A 33-yard punt return by B.J. Sams put the Ravens in position for another field goal before halftime and the score was 13-0. The Ravens’ defense was dominating the game and finished the day with 4 sacks, 2 interceptions, a forced fumble and a touchdown.

The second half couldn’t have started any better. Ravens cornerback Gary Baxter forced the Steelers’ quarterback Tommy Maddox to fumble and linebacker Terrell Suggs returned the ball to the Steelers’ 1-yard line. Jamal Lewis scored easily on the next play and the Ravens led 20-0. Like other people in the crowd, I knew at this point that the Ravens would win but I wanted to see a shutout.

Unfortunately, this did not happen. Early in the 4th quarter, Ravens safety Ed Reed made a great play on a Ben Roethlisberger pass but it went through his hands and into Hines Ward’s hands for a 60-yard reception down to the Ravens’ 3-yard line. The Steelers scored two plays later on a touchdown pass to Antwaan Randle-El and the score was 20-7. The Ravens got an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty enforced on the ensuing kickoff when Ed Reed removed his helmet after the play.

Suddenly, the Ravens were only up by 13 points with more than 12 minutes left in the game. The offense was able to move far enough into Steelers territory to set up a field goal and increase the lead to 23-7. The Steelers scored on their next series on a touchdown reception by Hines Ward to make the score 23-13. The Steelers were able to get the ball back with under 4 minutes remaining but a 51-yard touchdown return by Chris McAlister (after an interception) ended the Steelers’ chances of victory and gave the Ravens a 30-13 victory.

The biggest loss of the day occurred in the 2nd quarter when tight end Todd Heap sprained his ankle on a running play. Being shoved to the ground on a spike play by Steelers linebacker Joey Porter probably didn’t help things. If it weren’t for that play, I wouldn’t have known that Porter was playing on Sunday because he and his defense got handled. Heap is due to miss at least 2 games with this injury but Terry Jones and Daniel Wilcox should be able to do the job while he is out.

This week, the Ravens will have an away game against the Cincinnati Bengals. On Sunday night, the Bengals tried to choke one away against the Miami Dolphins but they had the ball last and won 16-13. The Ravens’ offense did a good job of sustaining drives and avoiding turnovers against Pittsburgh. Hopefully, that can continue in Cincinnati.

Week 3 Prediction: Ravens 23, Bengals 17.
The Ravens have a lot of early season injuries but they will do just enough to beat Cincinnati.

Thursday night was one of those rare times when the Ravens’ offense plays as well as their defense. The first half was the most important part of the game and was dominated by the Ravens. The Ravens led 24-3 at halftime and were playing very well. In the 1st half, Kyle Boller and Kordell Stewart combined to complete 14 of 15 passes for 188 yards and one touchdown. Obviously, the Ravens’ receivers had a good game as well. Kevin Johnson had a 34-yard reception and caught a 3-yard touchdown in the first quarter. Also, Randy Hymes made the play of the night with a 32-yard reception on a jump ball in the second quarter. If the Ravens’ receivers can make a fair amount of these kinds of plays during the season, the team will be almost unstoppable. I wish the Ravens could have gotten this kind of offensive performance in a game that counted but it was nice to see anyway and hopefully won’t be the last time.

The Ravens starting defense was very good and scored in the first quarter when Chris McAllister returned an interception 23 yards for a touchdown. The first unit finished the preseason with two touchdowns while only allowing one. I can’t wait to see this unit in the regular season, especially if Deion Sanders can help the secondary as a nickelback.

The only low moment of the night was in the second quarter when All-Pro offensive tackle Jonathan Ogden left the game with a knee injury. Reportedly, it was a ligament sprain and not a tear. The Ravens’ offense would definitely be in trouble if he had a serious injury because he protects the quarterback’s blind side and he is necessary for the Ravens’ running game. He will probably play next Sunday in Cleveland but if sitting him for one game will help his recovery, then it’s worth it.

Next Sunday will be the real thing and the Ravens will be ready. I expect the Ravens to at least win the AFC North but it remains to be seen if their offense can do enough to get them far in the playoffs. It will be interesting to watch for the next 4 months. Next week’s prediction: The Ravens will have a winning start 31-10 over the Browns. Jamal Lewis will take it easy on them and run for 145 yards.

Generally, this was not the most artistic game but a win is a win. The first half of the game was mostly characterized by penalties on every other play. It seemed that on every special teams play there was a flag and it made the game slower and harder to watch. I hope that games will not be called that way in the regular season because it takes away from fan’s enjoyment. I understand the notion that "there’s a penalty on every play," but that should not be taken too far. While the officials shouldn’t be negligent, they should use better discretion because a game with 23 penalties is just painful to watch.

One positive for the Ravens in this game came from their punt return specialist, B.J. Sams. Although they were negated by penalties, Sams had an 89-yard touchdown and a 22-yard return in the first quarter. Hopefully, he can continue to perform well because the Ravens have not been able to replace Jermaine Lewis in this area.

On offense, the Ravens did not have much success in the first half and were down 6-3 at halftime. Kyle Boller completed 9 of 14 passes for 93 yards but Jamal Lewis only had 4 carries for 4 yards and the Ravens’ inability to run the ball in the first half made it difficult for them to sustain drives. However, the Ravens got important contributions in the second half from their reserve running backs, Chester Taylor and Musa Smith. On the first offensive play of the second half, Taylor ran 84 yards for his first of two touchdowns and finished the game with 117 yards on just 10 carries. Musa Smith made a big play early in the 4th quarter with a 58-yard reception. However, Kordell Stewart committed his second red zone turnover of the half when he fumbled a snap on the goal line (the other was an interception in the endzone).

Defensively, the Ravens did their usual by forcing 3 turnovers and not allowing a touchdown for the second time in the preseason. Reserve safety, Gerome Sapp stood out in the 2nd half by recovering a fumble and intercepting a pass. As expected, the defense is performing well in the preseason and is still the strength of the team.

On Thursday night, the Ravens will finish the preseason in New Jersey against the New York Giants. The starters probably will not play after the first quarter. Hopefully, the offense will be able to produce two good drives in the first quarter. The other area of emphasis for the Ravens will be special teams. It is most likely that B.J. Sams has the upper hand in the competition for the punt returner position. Otherwise, this should be an uneventful preseason finale.

You could just see from the beginning that the Ravens weren’t going to have a good night. Honestly, Terrell Owens’ 81-yard touchdown reception on the first play from scrimmage was more painful than the loss itself. Thankfully, it didn’t happen in a game that counted but it was still a very nauseating moment. After that, the starting defense actually played a good first half, in spite of allowing Freddie Mitchell a 62-yard reception later in the first quarter, which set up a field goal for Philadelphia.

In the second quarter, the Ravens’ defense made a big play when Ed Reed intercepted a Donovan McNabb pass and lateraled the ball to Will Demps for a touchdown. However, this moment was ruined by a rather stupid 15-yard excessive celebration penalty against the Ravens. The only thing I saw was Ed Reed mocking Terrell Owens’ previous celebration. Logic tells me that if the Ravens got penalized, the Eagles should have been penalized earlier. It was the second straight week that the Ravens were flagged for excessive celebration.

From what I’m seeing, it is an infraction for teammates to stand in the end zone after a touchdown and for a player to jump in the direction of a teammate after a touchdown (I’d hate to see the penalty for a handshake or a high five). Maybe, the NFL’s Competition Committee should publish a 200-page manuscript called "Guidelines for Celebrating Touchdowns" so that the players know how much joy they are allowed on the field of play.

Anyway, Will Demps’ touchdown tied the game 10-10. But on the ensuing kickoff, the Eagles’ J.R. Reed had an 88-yard touchdown return. The Ravens’ special teams are an area of concern because allowing touchdown returns is unacceptable and they still are not getting much from their return game. This is going to be very important this season because the offense will have trouble sustaining long drives and will need better field position.

Offensively, the Ravens’ running game was much better this week, totaling 196 yards and averaging almost six yards per carry. Jamal Lewis had 39 yards on eight carries and Musa Smith led all rushers with 80 yards on fourteen carries. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same for the passing game. I believe part of the Ravens’ problem is that they can be predictable. I distinctly remember a sequence early in the 2nd quarter where the Ravens had a 3rd &1 in the red zone and the Eagles reacted as if someone told them the play. Kyle Boller ran a bootleg to the left and threw to Kevin Johnson, who was tackled before he could get 1 yard for a first down. When you can’t even get one yard off of a pass, your play has been sniffed out. On 4th down, the Ravens ran a dive up the middle and got stuffed. I hope this series of events was just a case of the Ravens’ coaching staff refusing to show their playbook in a preseason game.

Kyle Boller completed half of his 20 passes for 97 yards and one interception that could have been caught by one of three defenders. Other than that one play, he had a solid performance and showed that he’s a capable scrambler. However, if he doesn’t start taking advantage of the rules, which are designed to protect him (ex: quarterback slide), he will have another short season.

The Ravens’ quarterback depth may actually be worse this year because Kordell Stewart has not been impressive. He had a 9-yard touchdown run but only completed 2 of 8 passes for 18 yards and 2 interceptions. Whenever a quarterback has as many completions as interceptions, he has laid a colossal egg. I wouldn’t mind seeing Josh Harris get more time in these preseason games. Even as a rookie, he can’t be any worse than Stewart has been.

Next Saturday night, the Ravens will host the Detroit Lions. So far, the wide receivers have earned a grade of "Incomplete" because we haven’t seen much from which to evaluate them. Hopefully, they will be a bigger part of the game. Also, the Ravens will use a rookie named B.J. Sams as their punt returner. The word is that he’s recently been getting more time in practice than Lamont Brightful and will have a chance at the position. Go Ravens!

Yesterday, I attended the Orioles-Blue Jays game expecting to see the Orioles avoid another 3-game sweep at home. Instead, I watched them lose an almost 3 1/2-hour game that would have put me to sleep if I hadn’t been sitting under the sun in right-centerfield baking like a loaf of bread. The game was prolonged from the beginning by starter Erik Bedard’s inability to throw strikes. He gave up 7 earned runs and 6 hits in 2.2 innings and threw 61 of his 72 pitches after the 1st inning. Anyone who follows baseball knows that’s too many pitches for such a short amount of time.

I’m willing to say that roughly half of the batters Bedard faced had 3-ball counts. As a fan, my most exciting moment in this game happened in the 2nd inning when the Orioles had a 1-0 lead and the Blue Jays’ Eric Hinske hit a moon shot over the very high right field wall. I remember jumping up and yelling "PLEASE GO FOUL," of course that did not happen; the score became 3-1 in favor of the Blue Jays and it got worse after that. In the 3rd inning, the Orioles fell behind 7-1 and slowly but surely, many of the supposed 44,882 people in attendance (half of whom must have been invisible) began leaving.

However, a couple of positives did come out of this game. The Orioles bullpen combination of Eddy Rodriguez, John Parrish, Dave Borkowski, and Todd Williams held Toronto to 1 earned run in 6.1 innings and enabled the offense to cut into the deficit. Also, Miguel Tejada had a great game at the plate. He was 4 for 5 and had all five of the team’s rbi’s. Tejada has been great this season, he is batting .317 and still leads the Majors with 113 rbi’s and now has 24 home runs. Hopefully, he will continue his high performance level with some better Oriole teams in the next five years.

Unfortunately, the Orioles have lost six straight games and now have a 13-game road trip, 10 of which against playoff contenders (Oakland, Texas, and the New York Yankees). It is amazing how quickly the Orioles’ fortunes have changed. One week ago, the Orioles came back from a 7-1 deficit in Toronto to win 11-7 and had improved their record to 57-59. Now, they have a 6-game losing streak and an upcoming road trip where things could get even uglier.

On Sunday, the U.S. Olympic Basketball Team had an awful performance in a preliminary game with Puerto Rico. There is a lot of talk about the athleticism of the U.S. team but Puerto Rico looked quicker most of the game. America’s biggest advantage was in rebounding (46 to 27). Unfortunately, their inadequate shooting negated this advantage. The Utah Jazz’ Carlos Arroyo scored 24 points and was one of several Puerto Rican players who just couldn’t miss. Overall, Puerto Rico shot 56% from the field and made 50% of their 3-point shots while Team USA shot 35% from the field and made 13% of their 3-point shots.

I thought that basketball analysts had been exaggerating about Team USA’s shooting until I finally saw it myself. One would think that NBA players would be more effective perimeter shooters in Olympic competition, with a 3-point line that is 39 inches closer than in the NBA but maybe that’s giving this group too much credit. It is obvious that America sent a B-team to the Olympics, but no opponent should blow out this team.

It would insult the intelligence of people who know anything about basketball to call this a surprise. After the 1992 "Dream Team", U.S. Basketball had nowhere to go but down and it appears that this year’s team will continue the trend. Also, the fact that the better NBA players no longer want to participate only adds to the problem. I find it hard to believe that a U.S. team with players like Kevin Garnett, Tracy McGrady, Ben Wallace, Mike Bibby, and Richard Hamilton would get destroyed by Italy and Puerto Rico.

In fairness, America will win some games and probably contend for a medal but it would be very wishful thinking to say that they will win the Gold Medal.

It’s time for training camp and there is reason for optimism. The Ravens won their first division title last season and almost have the same team this year.

As usual, many supposed football experts refuse to mention the Ravens as a Super Bowl contender. If you seriously look at the league, the Ravens are easily in the top ten. I find it almost laughable that teams like the Dallas Cowboys, New York Jets, and even the Cincinnati Bengals have better Super Bowl odds. Maybe I’m just being a "homer", but I would not dare to say that any of those teams are superior to the Baltimore Ravens.

In the AFC, the only teams which may be better than the Ravens are the New England Patriots, Indianapolis Colts, and maybe the Kansas City Chiefs. The Patriots don't have a lot of star players but they've won two of the last three Super Bowls, which in a parity-based league is even more impressive. The Colts (20th scoring defense) and Chiefs (29th overall defense) have been too dependent on offense and that will always be their downfall until their defenses are more reliable.

Scoring 30 points per game can only carry them so far because in the postseason they'll play a team that will hold them below 20 points and they will need to rely on defense to win.

In the NFC, the Philadelphia Eagles figure to be at or near the top throughout the season. Unfortunately for them, their story is getting old and they have been "next year's champion" for three years. Frankly, at the very least they need to win the NFC Championship Game to be relevant. Some people are looking at the Minnesota Vikings and Seattle Seahawks as serious contenders. Because of the fact that they are the Vikings and Seahawks, noone should believe it until they see it.

Therefore, the NFC is the more wide-open conference. Arizona it could be you! SIKE! On a more serious note, our Ravens have at least seven of their eight Pro Bowl players returning. As usual, the strength of the team will be the defense. Last season, they were ranked third overall in the NFL and sixth in scoring defense, holding 11 opponents to 17 points or less. The defensive line was much better than anyone could have expected, with Kelly Gregg (a nose tackle) leading all NFL defensive linemen in tackles with 63. Even with Peter Boulware currently injured, the Ravens still have the best group of linebackers in the league including a two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, Ray Lewis.

However, the Ravens are hurting at the cornerback position right now because Chris McAllister isn’t in training camp and there have already been injuries. Dale Carter is out for the year because of a blood clot in his lung and Gary Baxter is still recovering from an abdominal hernia surgery he had in the off-season. Hopefully, the Ravens will be more solidified at this position within the next month, but if the defense does have an area of concern it is cornerback.

The Ravens' offense is highly criticized, but last season definitely had some positives. The Ravens were eighth in the league in scoring offense (24.4 ppg), first in rushing (167 ypg), and Jamal Lewis was the NFL Offensive Player of the Year with 2,066 yards. It goes without saying that Jamal Lewis is an outstanding player who had a great season last year, but in professional football, it is almost unrealistic to expect a running back to have consecutive seasons like that. Therefore, the Ravens cannot be so one-dimensional on offense. The Ravens' passing offense was ranked last in the NFL last season. A large part of this is the fact that the Ravens had quarterbacks with limited experience and their best wide receiver was their tight end, Todd Heap. Also, the Ravens' success on defense and in the running game allowed them to have the fewest pass attempts in the league and still win 10 games.

During the off-season, the Ravens made an honest effort to upgrade their wide receiver group through a trade. Unfortunately, Terrell Owens decided that the Ravens were not good enough for him and whined his way into some bogus hearing where the NFL gave him his way and allowed him to be traded to Philadelphia. He is a player who needs to worry more about his agent doing his job and less about being an annoyance. Honestly, the Ravens are better off without him because they have proven that they can win a Super Bowl without the services of a wide receiver, who behaves like an attention-craving child. Instead, the Ravens' projected wide receiving group will include Kevin Johnson, Travis Taylor, Ron Johnson, Randy Hymes, and rookies Devard Darling (Washington State) and Clarence Moore (N. Arizona). This group will not have to be spectacular, but hopefully they'll help the offense to sustain drives and occasionally make long receptions.

When the Ravens won the Super Bowl in 2000, the receivers Weren’t outstanding but they could be depended upon for one or two plays that ended up impacting games.

This year’s group will need to do the same thing. As long as the Ravens avoid major injuries, they should be a solid Super Bowl contender. Although the Ravens have a very strong defense and running game, they will need at least an average performance from Kyle Boller and the wide receivers to have success in the playoffs. If the Ravens continue to have a weak passing game this season, their regular season and postseason results will be similar to last year’s.

Redskins win the Hall of Fame Game against Denver 20-17

Last night, the Washington Redskins had a "so-so" performance but won their first preseason game against the Denver Broncos on a last second field goal. Quite honestly, the game had its moments but lacked excitement until the last quarter. This is typical of many preseason games because starters usually play up to three series before sitting down for the night. Sometimes the more exciting plays occur when the backup players are used in the second half. This happened in the fourth quarter last night when Tim Hasselbeck threw a 33-yard touchdown pass (the Redskins only offensive touchdown) to Gary Scott and a 35-yard pass to Jafar Williams (rookie from U. of Maryland) which set up the game-winning field goal.

In reference to the Redskins' first units, the offense and defense looked rather average. The starting offense scored its only three points after a Shawn Springs’ interception near the Broncos' 40-yard line. Generally, they did not move the ball very well with Mark Brunell completing four of eight passes for 18 yards and Clinton Portis gaining 11 yards on four carries. However, over the next two weeks the first unit will play more and probably be more productive -- Brunell and especially Portis are definite improvements for the Redskins' offense.

The worst occurrence in last night's game was the injury to the Redskins' right tackle, Jon Jansen. He was diagnosed with a ruptured left Achilles tendon and will probably miss the entire season. This will hurt the Redskins because an offensive line that allowed 43 sacks last season just lost its blind side tackle, which could mean a short season for Mark Brunell.

On defense, the Redskins' run defense, which was a weakness last year, was not very impressive. They allowed Denver's Quentin Griffin to gain 46 yards on just six carries. It's hard to evaluate the starting defense on just one quarter, but yielding almost eight yards per carry is not a good start. The pass defense was clearly better and rookie safety Sean Taylor (fifth overall pick from the University of Miami) stole the show. Taylor had two interceptions and a touchdown. In recent years, the University of Miami has delivered top-level NFL prospects (e.g., Ed Reed, Bryant McKinnie, and Clinton Portis) and he appears to be as good as advertised.

On Saturday night, the Redskins will have a home game against the NFC Champion Carolina Panthers. Other than their run defense, the Redskins' biggest concern will be the right tackle position. It is obvious that the Redskins' offense will be primarily based on the run. If Clinton Portis cannot run off tackle to both sides, the Redskins will have one of the worst offenses in the league and their record will not improve.

(August 10, 2004)

The NBA is having a great offseason. It's been so much more than just the Draft and a few trades. One of the highlights was Carlos Boozer's "good faith" agreement to remain with the Cleveland Cavaliers until the Utah Jazz made him an offer he couldn't refuse. It is rather comical if you ignore every ethical instinct you've ever had in your life and if you're not from Cleveland. This just proves that the word "loyalty" should only apply to domestic animals -- because in our world, money talks. Honestly, if you had your choice between $40 million and $68 million, would there be much to think about?

On the other side of the country, the Los Angeles Lakers continue to be the NBA's version of "The Real World." For those of you who aren't familiar with that show, it's an MTV program where people get put into a house, fight, and occasionally somebody gets kicked out. In the Lakers' case, Phil Jackson and Shaquille O'Neal have been thrown out of the house and Kobe Bryant is the star of the show.

Now that Shaq is with the Miami Heat, following the Lakers' dysfunction will not be the same for fans or media. While I'm sure that Kobe will still have conflicts with his teammates, it will not be a juicy story because none of the other Lakers is relevant. Whether you care for the Lakers or not, you must admit that they never disappoint and always feed America's appetite for drama.

However, with respect to the NBA, our local reality is not as eventful. The Washington Wizards' off-season certainly has not aroused optimism and excitement among fans. The Wizards' main transaction was trading Jerry Stackhouse, Christian Laettner, and the 5th overall pick to the Dallas Mavericks for Antawn Jamison. I don't understand what the Wizards were trying to accomplish with this trade, but we'll just have to wait and see. I know that Jamison is a good player who will put up some nice numbers, but unproven players will surround him and the fact that he has been traded three times in six years may indicate that he should be used as a complementary player.

Perhaps they are trying to give themselves more room under the salary cap to maintain players like Etan Thomas and Kwame Brown. I hope they are not trying to make cap room to sign free agents next summer because that approach would be very unsuccessful for a team that can be penciled in for 50 losses every year.

This past season, the Wizards finished with a record of 25-57. These are the Wizards we know, a team getting younger but not necessarily better. It is remarkable that two teams with losing records made the Eastern Conference Playoffs and the Wizards weren't even within 10 games of them. This is a prime example of how far behind the curve the Washington Wizards are, even in such a weak conference.

Last season, the Wizards were ranked 22nd in scoring defense (97.4 ppg), 26th in field goal percentage (42.1%), 26th in opponents' field goal percentage (45.4%), 27th in free throw percentage (71.4%), and last in the NBA in assists (18 apg). Based on these facts, it is very difficult to find anything at which the Wizards excel. Many people would say that the Washington Wizards have nowhere to go but up, but those people don't know our Wizards very well. I know that this organization had some good teams in the 1970's, but any fan that is 25 or younger will swear that Michael Jordan's two years as a player (37-45 both years) were the Golden Age of Washington basketball. Can you blame us? My generation thought that the Wizards had graduated to mediocrity, but we know better now.

It's the all star break and that means it's only 60 days until the Ravens' season opener (YAYYYYYYY!). Meanwhile, our Orioles are in last place; however, we must see the glass as half-full. Are they 17.5 games behind the Yankees or 6 games better than Kansas City? I know that sounds pitiful but until September, Baltimore fans must create positives to keep their minds off of reality. I remember when you had to know someone who knew someone who had Oriole tickets. Now, you can go to an Orioles’ game whenever you feel like.

The main reason for this change is the fact that the Ravens have been the NFL standard for how to evaluate talent and build a competitive team while the Orioles have been the exact opposite in Major League Baseball. The fans of Baltimore have never been overly demanding. We have the intelligence and maturity to understand that our team isn't going to win the World Series every year. However, a team with a realistic chance to win would be a start.

When a team is on pace for a 7th straight losing season, management is definitely at fault. The organization's failure to produce solid major league talent in their minor league system eventually caught up with the team, and an American League East doormat was born. I am certainly not the Yankees #1 fan, but they do have some homegrown talent around the players that they bought. Their minor league system delivered players like Derek Jeter, Bernie Williams, Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada, and Andy Pettitte. Other than Mike Mussina (a current Yankee), the Orioles farm system hasn't produced a player worth mentioning in the last twenty years.

To throw even more salt in the wound, we have watched other teams improve significantly while the Orioles have continued to flounder. The Florida Marlins have gone from winning the World Series to last place and back to winning the World Series. The Oakland Athletics and Minnesota Twins have both won division titles. Even the one team we could always depend on to keep the Orioles out of last place, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, are 4 games ahead of the Orioles.

As a fan, I know that the Orioles' futility has gotten old, but there is some reason for optimism. This season, the Orioles have made a commitment to putting new talent on the field and seeing what they can do. Daniel Cabrera (6-3, 2.90 ERA) and Erik Bedard (3-3, 4.01 ERA) have been the team's two best starting pitchers this year and are showing some real potential. Without these two pitchers, the Orioles would have the worst record in the American League. Also, B.J Ryan (3-2, 1.75 ERA), who is primarily used to pitch to left-handed hitters has them batting below .100 and would be one of the many Yankees on this year's All-Star team if he played in New York.

Offensively, the Orioles have definitely improved. They are batting .280 as a team, which is 4th in the American League and would be 1st in the National League. The signings of Miguel Tejada, Javy Lopez, and Rafael Palmeiro were good for the team because they have all played well and none of them have missed time because of injuries. Also, Melvin Mora is 2nd in the American League in hitting (.347) and over the last 4 years, he has generally been one of the few players about whom fans cannot complain, he can play multiple positions and his offense has been very good. The rest of the Orioles lineup is not as established but players like Jerry Hairston, Larry Bigbie, Brian Roberts, and David Newhan are showing that they can contribute to a major league team. However, it remains to be seen how good these players can become.

In conclusion, the Orioles are 3 to 5 years away from being a real contender. The problem with this is the fact that we were saying the same line 3 years ago when this rebuilding process supposedly started. Perhaps, the Orioles will be able to attract quality free agents and develop their younger talent. However, until that happens they will continue to be just another baseball team.