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Ed Reed Leads List of NFL Network's Top 5 Safeties
by Bruce Raffel
on Jul 3, 2009 4:10 PM EDT
8 comments
Who better at looking at and coming up with the Top 5 Safeties in the NFL than former safety (and cornerback), as well as former Baltimore Raven (and Pittsburgh Steelers) Rod Woodson? Woodson, now with the NFL Network, disected the position as well as the transition from corner to safety, the differences therein, and lays out his opinions of the best in the league. While he leaves out a couple of really good ones, the top two are not in question, as the Steelers' Troy Polamalu and the Ravens' Ed Reed have a stranglehold on the position.
Technically, both play different positions in their teams' respective defensive backfields, with Polamalu playing strong safety and Reed as the Ravens' free safety. However, when ranking them, Reed deserves the top spot for his incredible playmaking abilities every time he touches the ball.
Check out the video from the NFL Network by clicking here.
8 comments
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Baltimore Ravens - Greatest Rookie Seasons
by Bruce Raffel
on Jul 2, 2009 11:55 AM EDT
12 comments
Going into the Baltimore Ravens' 14th season, I did some research on the best rookie seasons since their inception in the 1996 season. For statistical purposes, I based the definition of the rookie season on the first year in the NFL for the player. Obviously, there have been many players whose first year with the Ravens was not their first year in the league, so those players are not part of my statistical profile. I looked at passing, rushing, receiving, sacks, interceptions and punting. I also looked at placekicking, but since the only full time placekicker on the Ravens' roster since their inception was Matt Stover, it wouldn't fit into my story, as Stover;'s rookie season was 1991 when he was a Cleveland Brown, and that takes him and the category out of the equation (FYI - In Stover's rookie season in Cleveland, he was 16-22 in FG attempts with two kicks over 50 yards for a total of 81 points. His first season as a Raven was 1996 and he hit on 19-25 with one over 50 yards for 91 points).
Click to the "Jump" for the rest of the Baltimore Ravens best rookie seasons.
12 comments
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The Beatdown's Reasons Why The Ravens' Defense Will Be Better In 2009 Than 2008
by DT711
on Jul 1, 2009 9:14 AM EDT
45 comments
We have all heard it time and time again.... "The Ravens D will fall off. They lost Rex Ryan. They lost key players in Bart Scott and Jim Leonhard who can't be replaced. They are an aging defense. Ray Lewis is done."
Of course, us knowledgeable guys at the Beatdown know the average fan just has no clue. We have to disprove these falsities over and over and I think we are all getting tired of it. So I have an idea....
45 comments
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Ravens Head Coach John Harbaugh To Tour Persian Gulf
by Bruce Raffel
on Jun 30, 2009 9:02 AM EDT
2 comments
Baltimore Ravens second year head coach John Harbaugh is going to experience the "real" war in July, as he joins a group of NFL head coaches who have been invited to tour the Persian Gulf to meet and greet the men and women of this country who are putting their lives on the line each and every day. While we may consider the battles waged between the white lines of the gridiron each Sunday in the fall a "war" it is no comparison to what is happening on a daily basis halfway around the world from us. Men and women, including kids who are old enough to vote but not even able to legally drink, spend the better part of each day wondering if they will make it through the day unscathed by enemy fire, roadside bombs, all while fighting an unseen enemy in desert conditions.
2 comments
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Ravens Seem To Agree With Baltimore Beatdown About WR Marcus Smith
by Bruce Raffel
on Jun 29, 2009 10:39 AM EDT
10 comments
Back on June 19th, I posted an interview I had with Baltimore Ravens second year wide receiver Marcus Smith. We spoke about his level of confidence comparison between last year, his rookie season, and where he stands today entering his second year as a Raven. Just in case you live under a rock and didn't read and/or listen to it here on Baltimore Beatdown, click here to check it out.
Mike Duffy, content writer for BaltimoreRavens.com, wrote a short article on what appears to be Smith's increasing role in the team's plans for 2009. You can read it by clicking here. While Smith looks to be taking the next step in the Ravens' gameplan, he already told me basically the same thing when I interviewed him after the Ravens final OTA/Passing Camp back on June 9th. It's good to know that Marcus is in the Ravens' thoughts for this coming season, which to me is oneof the primary reasons they felt they didn't need to add that big name wideout in the NFL Draft nor though free agency this past off season.
Look for big things out of Marcus Smith in 2009, making me a pretty good predictor in adding to the list of good things happening to the Baltimore Ravens this year!
10 comments
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Terrell Suggs: New Contract "Close"
by BAL_Hawk
on Jun 28, 2009 12:39 PM EDT
17 comments
Over the last six seasons, Terrell "T-Sizzle" Suggs has made a name for himself on Baltimore's aggressive defense. During that span, he has more sacks than any other player on the Ravens roster. He has 53 sacks over his entire career, including an astounding 12 sacks in his rookie season. However, Suggs abilities go beyond rushing the passer. Last season, he intercepted two passes and returned both of them for touchdowns. He has perfected his game and become a complete linebacker. He can rush the passer, drop into coverage and stop the run. He has become an essential piece in the Ravens' defense and one of the elite outside linebackers in the NFL.
There is no doubting Suggs' abilities, and the Ravens have kept a tight grip on him. They placed the franchise tag on Terrell Suggs last off-season and hoped to sign a long term deal. They were ultimately unable to reach a deal and were forced to use the franchise tag on Suggs again this off-season. In fact, they had a disagreement because Suggs believed that he needed to be paid like a defensive end, a position that he often plays on the Ravens' hybrid defense and happens to pay more money, but the Ravens insisted that Suggs was still a linebacker and should be paid as such. In the end, they reached a compromise. The NFL created a special franchise tag for hybrid linebackers that splits the difference between a linebacker's pay and a defensive end's pay, and Suggs was the first recipient of the unique tag.
In recent interviews with BaltimoreRavens.com and the Baltimore Sun, Suggs said that a new contract is being discussed.
"I feel like we’re getting close," Suggs told BaltimoreRavens.com. "Negotiations are going on with the Ravens. Fans can be optimistic that I’ll be [at training camp]."
"We’ve talked," Suggs explained when asked about talks with Ozzie Newsome. "There are some minor things we’re working out."
"We are close to an agreement. We just have a few little things to work out," Suggs told The Baltimore Sun. "I don't want to go into great detail, but it's things like the years of the agreement and incentives, but the basic framework has been done."
17 comments
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Baltimore Raven Jared Gaither Blogs
by Bruce Raffel
on Jun 27, 2009 9:39 AM EDT
5 comments
The Baltimore Ravens mamoth left tackle, Jared Gaither has his own blog and has invited me to join his "community." Now I am extending that same invitation to all readers of The Beatdown to join as well by clicking here.
Once you register, you can set up a profile, add photos or even blog your own comments. It's a well done site, designed by Todd Schmerler and Player Press, LLC.
Check it out and also take a gander at Baltimore Beatdown's section by clicking on "Fans" then "Memebers" to find us, or click here to go straight to "my" page on his site.
5 comments
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Lardarius Webb Signs Three-Year Contract
by BAL_Hawk
on Jun 26, 2009 6:30 PM EDT
16 comments
When the Ravens were scouting Lardarius Webb, they sent their secondary coach, Chuck Pagano, out to Nicholls State to watch him play. Pagano returned to Baltimore and raved about the 5'10" corner. At the combine, Webb put on an excellent showing and ran the fastest time in the forty yard dash at his position. The Ravens were impressed with Webb's combine performance and invited him to their Owings Mills headquarters to talk to him in person. They debated whether to take Webb in the third round. They believed that he would be available later, but in the end, they drafted Webb because they believed that he was the best player available and didn't want to risk him being taken before them.
Fast and explosive, Webb is the type of player that Ozzie Newsome loves to bring onto his defense. It goes without saying that Webb has excellent speed, but he also shows excellent ball skills. He is the only college player ever to win offensive, defensive and special teams awards in a single season. In coverage, Webb shows good hip transition. This allows him to play closer to the receiver and turn up field or drive inside if needed. As a player, he boasts excellent upside. DraftGuys.com did an interesting special on Lardarius Webb that shows off his talent.
In an interview before the draft, Lardarius said that he wanted to play for the Ravens. He also said that his favorite player was Ed Reed and that he dreamed of playing with Reed. I cannot blame him, but Webb is the only player that I've seen who has shown preference to a certain team before the draft. The Ravens must have told Webb that they wanted to draft him. Otherwise, I cannot imagine Webb going out on a limb like that. In the end, Webb recieved his wish and is now wearing purple and black. He did another interview with Coleman after the draft and was extremely happy to have been drafted by the Ravens. Ironically, Webb was interviewed by Jerry Coleman with Jason La Canforna, who now works for NFL.com and used Lardarius Webb's signing as his first blog entry. I provided the link to La Canfora's blog entry below.
Finally, I believe that Webb has tons of potential and may turn out to be the best corner on the Raven's roster in the long run. That's saying alot since the Ravens have one of the deepest secondaries in the league right now. Furthermore, Webb has experience at safety, a position that he play in college. That experience will add versatility to our secondary and help Webb perform multiple roles.
“[Lardarius Webb] showed a lot of quickness and has a good understanding of the defense for a rookie," said head coach John Harbaugh during Baltimore’s rookie camp. "The fact that he plays safety and corner is going to be helpful throughout his career. But it’s going to help us in camp, too.”
16 comments
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