Wow, what a firestorm the Baltimore Ravens created up in Philly with the Donovan McNabb benching. I also thought Reid pulled him too early, as they were only down by three despite his wretched passing stats (13.2 QB rating). I would have waited until the game was pretty much out of reach, although that wasn't until mid-fourth quarter. Then he could have pulled him and inserted Kevin Kolb without any lingering controversy this week. Kolb had no time the prior week to practice with the first team and to throw him to the wolves right off the bat at the start of the second half was a recipe for disaster that the Ravens totally took advantage of. I can certainly think of a bunch of other teams that would make a much better shot for a QB to come in cold against than the multi-scheming Ravens. He had no shot and Reid looked like an idiot for the move. McNabb is a class guy and looked real calm on the sideline and in all those subsequent interviews on television. Tomorrow, he starts at home against the Arizona Cardinals and don't be surprised if he bounces back with a huge game. He's a professional and if the Philly brass and fans want to run him out of town, I'm sure he'd love to put on the pads and colors of his hometown Chicago Bears, who would welcome him home as their next Messiah!

Waaa, I have a broken pinky finger and can't play the rest of the year. Yes, that's the next great thing out in Clevelnad, Mr. Brady Quinn. So much for the introduction of the replacement for the ineffective Derek Anderson. Now Brown's coach Romeo Crennel doesn't need to flip a coin to see who's playing each week (or even each half) and can just stick with DA the rest of the season. Maybe they should even sign Anderson to another contract extension and give him more signing bonus dollars just to be sure Brady's little fingers gets better so he can do some more commercials and maybe even play some football. As a Ravens fans, the more pain the Browns fans suffer, the more happiness I gleam from their ineptitude in the front office, on the sidelines and on the playing field.

It looks like the Pittsburgh Steelers' DT Brad Keisel has not recovered from his previous injury, as he is now reportedly out for Sunday's game in New England and may be out a few more weeks beyond that. This only helps the Ravens and will hamper the Steelers run to the playoffs. Both of their cornerbacks are injured and may not play as well. Does that sound familiar? The Ravens tanked last year without both of their starting corners, although there's probably no way the Steelers' reserves are as bad as the Ravens were last year. They always find a way to stay in contention, so don't count them out just yet. However, I can't wait to see the Patriots' Matt Cassel go for 400 yards against them this week! Yes, he's on my fantasy team, not that it will matter for the last place Wonder Dogs, who are out of playoff contention due to my wonderfully poor draft. Dammit all to hell Matt Hasselbeck and Jamal Lewis!

In between the week that the Steelers face the Patriots this Sunday and the Ravens in two weeks, they host the high flying Dallas Cowboys. Even though that game is at Heinz Field, the Cowboys are desperately fighting for a playoff spot and will not be a pushover, even at home. That will be a real tough three game stretch for Pittsburgh and will absolutely define their season. Winning two of three will be considered success, but I'm looking at one of three at best, with the definite possibility that they go o-fer, and perhaps even drop out of contention for a playoff spot, as they still will have to go to Tennessee the week after playing us, which could be the fourth game in a row against top playoff teams. While they should be able to beat the Cleveland Browns in the season's final game, they could conceivably finish the last five games as bad as 1-4, which would give them a 9-7 record and a seat on the couch watching the playoffs on TV in January. Yes, that would be so sweet for us Ravens fans!

The Cincinnati Bengals hve turned from the soap opera team of the summer into the forgotten ugly sister in the AFC North. Yeah, there's still all the talk about letting head coach Marvin Lewis go after the season, as well as the normal get rid of Chad Johnson and even TJ Houshmandzadeh. However, based on their stellar 1-9-1 record, there isn't much to talk about. It would be different if they were tied with the winless Detroit Lions and winless themselves, but a win and a tie put them well above the hapless Lions, who have a great chance of running the table and joining the 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers as the only winless teams in NFL history. At least the Bungels have an excuse and that's the loss of QB Carson Palmer to an arm injury that for some unknown reason, he's still trying to come back from and play this season. However, something tells me that their record might not be much different even if he was still lining up under center. Current Bengals QB Ryan Fitzpatrick is running for his life behind an awful offensive line and might just get his head knocked off this week against the Ravens. Hopefully, we'll take this game as seriously as the ones coming up and not overlook Cincinnati as the Bengals destroyed us in their crib last season and even though we beat them opening day this year, we still owe them big time for sweeping us last year.

Let's take them one at a time and take care of business this Sunday at Cincy and then come home to prepare to show the entire league why this team is one to be reckoned with as we've gotten literally zero respect from the so-called "experts" who rank us the lowest of any team with a 7-4 record in their Power Rankings. We will get that chance when we play on national TV next Sunday night at home against our hated neighbors to the south, the Washington Redskins. First the Redskins need to get their second beating of this season from the New York Giants. Then they can come here for us to start their bruising all over again on December 7th.

Bring it on!

...the Ravens victory over the Cleveland Browns was as much a victory for our offense as any game has been over the past few years- at least!

...the Browns certainly helped us with their inept defense when it counted and poor playcalling when they tried to get the running game going after they had us on the ropes with their passing game.

...their second half meltdown for the second game in four days, this time against the Broncos, was extremely similar to the Ravens win.

...it certainly proves that the Browns are just a bad team this year, regardless of whomever lines up under center.

...the Browns would have lost even if Derek Anderson was the starter, as it's the defense that is the problem, not the offense.

...I agree with the national media who seem to think Romeo Crennel was influenced by the fans to start Quinn, when Anderson played good enough to win, with the one huge mistake that T-Sizzle returned for six.

...they all seem to forget that if Braylon Edwards had caught that long, perfect throw from Anderson, the Browns probably would have put that game away.

...I had a huge smile on my face as the Broncos drove in for that winning score last night, imagining how pissed off the Browns fans were feeling.

...I'm guessing they still think they're better than the Broncos, they lost the game instead of giving Denver any credit, just like they did for the Ravens game.

...did I say I'm loving life watching the hated Browns sink deeper into nothingness?

...if the Ravens lose Sunday to the Texans, I may know how the Browns fans feel.

...if the Ravens can win Sunday at Houston, lose at the Giants but come back to Baltimore to defeat the Eagles, we'll be sitting at 7-4, which will be in serious playoff territory.

...after that, our last five games include home contests vs. Washington, Pittsburgh and Jacksonville and road games at Cincinnati and Dallas.

...we can definitely hold our own at home and split on the road at the least, which would give us a regular season record of 11-5, which would be an incredible turnaround.

...11-5 might actually win the AFC North, as the Steelers still have some tough games, including this weekend's game vs. Indy, although at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, which I expect them to win.

...if the Steelers somehow hang on to win the division, then 11-5 should get us a Wild Card spot, which would still be a huge accomplishment for a team with a rookie QB.

...it will be great to see us in the hunt and refreshing after last years 5-11 embarassing season.

...playing games that actually mean something makes a huge difference every Sunday, and doing the same in December will be even more exciting.

...can't say the same thing for the Browns' fans! Ouch, that was mean.

Isn't it a heck of a lot easier to wake up on Monday mornings after a Ravens' win? It sure makes looking forward to posting on this blog a lot more positive, thinking on what good to write about, instead of just complaining. Can you imagine what the die-hard Browns fans are posting? From what I saw when I peaked in on their site after yesterday's game, it was anger and hostility. Funny though, the anger and hostility was not aimed at the Ravens, or even us fans, but at the Browns, specifically Romeo Crennel and Derek Anderson. Not surprisingly, there was little or no credit given to the Ravens for their 37-27 comeback victory yesterday. Rather, they continued to mock our team, saying how bad we were and we had ONLY beaten a terrible team (their Browns) twice and until we beat the Steelers, they still think we stink. I guess they just think they stink more than us, so beating them is no big deal!

However, this is the NFL. Now sitting at 5-3, the Ravens are smack dab in the middle of the playoff hunt with half the season completed. While we should not even mention the "p" word until after week ten at the earliest, you can't help but feel a certain level of confidence after sweeping the season series of a tough divisional opponent. Our five wins have all come at the expense of teams with losing records, but that can be deceiving if you look at who those teams beat. The Dolphins beat New England, San Diego, Buffalo and now Denver. Yet, we went into their crib and punked them. The Browns crushed the defending Super Bowl Champs NY Giants while handing them their only loss of this season so far. They also went on the road to Jacksonville and upset them, yet we put up 37 on them on their field. If you look at those angles, then the parity in this league should only make our 5-3 record look even better and more legitimate. With the Ravens fifth win in eight games, we have now won as many games this season as we did all of 2007, when we finished 5-11. Something tells me we will be drastically improving on that embarassing season.

What went right yesterday? Well, to be honest, I just don't have the time to list everything that pleased me. However, to fall behind by two touchdowns usually meant "implosion time" for the Ravens. Yesterday, I saw a focused team calmly go about getting back the first TD, then rely on the defense to get them the ball back. Their confidence soared behind their rookie QB, who never seemed to panic as he continued his incredibly quick growth as a NFL starter and candidate for Rookie-of-the-Year. Zero turnovers in three straight games while throwing sharp passes that we only dreamed of in Baltimore, as it is apparent that we have our QB of the future in the present. To me, one of the biggest signs of his poise and confdence came in the third quarter when we were inside our 20 yard line with a third down and 16 yards to go, now down by two TD's. Normally, you'd expect a short pass, draw play or worse, and then a punt out of the end zone as our downward spiral continued. Instead, Flacco rifled a bullet over the middle to his favorite target, Derrick Mason, for a 20 yard gain and a first down on our way to a TD to get back into the game. If Mason isn't one of the best possession receivers in the NFL, then pray tell me, who is better? Another long drive, capped by a 28 yard catch and run by Mason for the tying TD and we were back to even. A fourth straight three-and-out by our defense, assisted by some very questionable, conservative playcalling, not to mention a dropped pass by Braylon Edwards, and we got the lead on Matt Stover's third FG of the game. The nail in the coffin was the interception return for TD by T-Sizzle in a virtual replay of the exact same thing he did in Miami two weeks ago. Something tells me Suggs is going to get a hefty pay raise for next year by the Ravens, who have no intention of letting him test the free agent market.

With key starters on both sides of the ball injured and out for the game, the reserves stepped up and played huge roles in this victory. None was bigger than the rookie from Rutgers, Ray Rice, who ripped through and around the tough Browns run defense for 154 yards, easily a career high. He is surprisingly strong and hard to bring down for a relatively small RB, and showed the speed that transformed the Rutgers football program from a joke into a legitmate contender for  the Big East crown during his time there. Combined with the bruising of backfield mate Le'Ron McClain, they made the absence of Willis McGahee virtually negligent. Wide receiver Mark Clayton seriously showed up for the first time this season since his opening day TD run on a reverse to help defeat the Bengals. He had 80 yards, but none more important than his first TD reception this season on a great diving catch in the first quarter. It's great to see how he can complement Derrick Mason when he's open. Unfortunately, Todd Heap again returned to invisible status, although his blocking seemed greatly improved on a couple of key runs by Rice. The offensive line opened huge holes for the RB's and provided enough protection for Flacco to find his open receivers. The Ravens heavy packages, which included overloading one side of the line with two tackles, seemed to overwhelm and flatten Cleveland's front line of defense, anchored by Shaun Rogers. Rogers is spoken of in NFL cirlces as one of the best DT's in the game, but I still wouldn't even consider trading Haloti Ngata or perhaps even Justin Bannan for him, the way they're playing.

Notice how the only Ray I've mentioned has been Rice, not Lewis? The defense gave up two TD's and two FG's, and it certainly could have been worse, if the Browns had stuck to the success they were having passing the ball. Instead, they stubbornly kept trying to run the ball rather than move it through the air, where they seemed to be widely successful, throwing to both Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow. Our secondary was depleted by injuries and both corners were having trouble keeping these guys covered. For whatever reason, the Browns played a lot like the Ravens in our losses, trying not to lose, rather than put us away by continuing to attack. As bad as the corners were, you've still got to understand that these guys are nickel or dime-backs, not NFL starters. We need our front line guys to get healthy or other teams won't be as cooperative as Cleveland was yesterday.

Special Teams deserves a special mention and not from a complementary angle. Their tackling was abysmal on both the kickoffs and punt returns. While Brendon Ayanbadejo had a couple of loud hits, the rest of the guys couldn't stay in their lanes and keep Cleveland's Joshua Cribbs from ripping off huge returns to set up the Browns' offense in great field position. The first return for TD after the Ravens went up 10-0 put them right back into the game after we were beginning to make this game look like a rout in the first quarter.

Overall, you've got to be stoked after this one. Going to Houston next week to make up the game postponed due to Hurricane Ike won't be an easy one either, if there are such things in the NFL. The Texans lost in Minnesota yesterday but had previously won three in a row. They'll look to get back on track and have one of the best big receivers in the game in Andre' Johnson. Unless the Ravens corners get healthy quickly, we're going to need another great performance like yesterday's if we expect to continue this streak, which then heads to the Meadowlands to face the Giants in two weeks before finally coming home to host the Philadelphia Eagles.

It's a long streak, but we're on our way after a crushing blow to the Browns' season and a series sweep of Cleveland. Now, we have to do the unthinkable, and that is to actually root for the hated Washington Redskins to beat the equally hated Pittsburgh Steelers tonight on MNF and put us in a first place tie in the AFC North, even though the Steelers hold virtually every tie-breaker at this point of the season.

Hard to say it, but "GO 'SKINS!!!

Wow, I'm finding out that not only do the Browns fans think I'm a homer, but now also an Orioles' fan (there are any?) thinks so as well. He says on the Browns site that all Ravens fans aren't like me, as I use my blog to predict the Ravens will beat everybody and try to start fights. I thanked him for throwing me under the bus and said he probably thinks the O's are only one good player away from competing, just like the Rays, huh?

Anyway, this is a blog on the Baltimore Ravens and certainly not on the Orioles. For that , feel free to check out Camden Chat, which has great thoughts and comments and a heck of a strong, loyal following as well. If you visit Baltimore Beatdown, be advised that I am absolutely a homer and hope that the Ravens win every game. The ones I think we'll win are the ones I will predict we will, and vice versa. Go back to this summer's predictions of our entire schedule. I predicted a 9-7 season, which is not looking too outlandish at this point. Of course, today will mark the halfway point and with the entire NFC East coming up in the second half, it sure would help to finish the first half with a victory and a 5-3 record.

And that's exactly what you're going to see in the paragraphs below. Earlier this summer, I predicted a split in the season series with the Browns, with the Ravens taking their home game and losing the road one, 27-17 in Cleveland. The Baltimore Sunpapers' Jamison Hensley predicts a 27-13 Browns victory, but I can't condone that. So far, I've predicted Ravens losses in all three of their road games (homer, huh?), but got burned as the Ravens ran over and around an overmatched Dolphins team that has beaten the likes of New England, San Diego and Buffalo. They have had it tough on the road, losing in Pittsburgh on MNF and in Indy against a team that we have rarely matched up well against. While I still don't view us a Road Warriors,  I see us being able to compete with most teams, be it at home or on the road. For many reasons, I just don't see today's opponent, Cleveland, in the same way that I see the tougher teams that have beaten us so far. The Browns have indeed won three of four and should have a ton of confidence with revenge on their minds as we enter today's contest. But their season, while improving, has still been viewed as disappointing, while the Ravens have been seen as making huge strides from last year's embarassing 5-11 season. A win today and the Ravens will have won as many games in the first half of 2008 as they did the entire 2007 season.

It all starts up front, in the trenches, on both sides of the ball. I've heard a ton a comments about the play of our secondary, how Derek Anderson needs to hit his targets, how important Special Teams are, etc. Those are all important issues, but none more so than what happens along the line of scrimmage. Just like the first game, I said if we pressure DA, then our CB's will manage just fine, as DA will have to release the ball early or look for shorter, less risky patterns. If that happens, sooner than later we will jump a pattern and it's off to the house. That's exactly what happened in that first game. Conversely, if his very good offensive line performs like they did last year or have at times in their three victories this season, then he might just pick us apart as easily as Peyton Manning did a few weeks ago. Braylon Edwards is a top ten receiver in the league, as is Kellen Winslow in ranking tight ends (the best TE? no.). Dante Stallworth has never regained his reputation since he was paired with Joe Horn in New Orleans, although he is a solid possession receiver. They have options out of the backfield, but you might have noticed that up to now I have not mentioned Jamal Lewis. It's not for any resentment reasons, as he was a pleasure to watch up until the last year or so in a Baltimore uniform. It's just that the Ravens haven't allowed a 100 yard rusher in now something like 26 games, and is not going to end today. Therefore, there is no reason to continue to discuss the opponents running attack, as there will not be one- again. A final word on our defensive game plan. The rush needs to be there as I said, and the coverage from the safeties, namely Ed Reed, needs to be quicker to help out our depleted secondary, now manned by our 3rd and 4th stringers, much less our nickel and dime backs literally coming off of our Practice Squad.

Offensively, I am much more confident in this offense's ability to move the football than I have in a long time. While I realize that the teams we've beaten all have losing records, they have beaten some good teams and that should count for something. However, while this is certainly not going to be the same Browns team we crushed in week three, this is also not the same boring Ravens offense they saw back then as well. QB Joe Flacko has gone "wacko" the past couple of weeks. While he's not exactly rolling up the stats, he's not turning the ball over either, a Ravens QB rarity. Combined with a brutal rushing game, the passing attack has been efficient and solid, even if vanilla compared to the Browns. The "Suggs" package (I hate that name), has opened up doors with the possibilities it offers Troy Smith as a triple threat, and creates havoc for defenses to figure out. The entire team has had seven games to mesh their chemistry and the leader of the offense is unquestionably the rookie from Delaware taking snaps under center. The NFL's most recent Rookie-of-the-Week has shown that he is poised and confident, while not cocky, and ready to start in the NFL. If he continues to play smart and not turn the ball over, then he will put us in the position to win the game with our ball control offense.

Combined with our stifling defense, I am reversing the prediction of a Ravens loss back in the summer and going with a small upset on the road, as the Browns are a 1.5 point favorite when I last checked the lines. I don't see the complete reversal to my earlier prediction of a Browns 27-17 victory, because not only do I not see us scoring 27 points, I don't see the Browns scoring 17 either.

Ravens:  16-13 (Call me a homer!)

NOTE:  Post your comments here throughout the game. However, to reiterate what the Game Thread post on the Browns' site says, same goes for Cleveland fans.

NOTE: Any Ravens fans who come over with the sole intention of slamming the Browns, its fans, or the city will be banned from the site. Even if you're a Baltimore fan who "thinks" you need to retaliate to something a Browns' fan says, this is our day to discuss the game. Likewise, any pure bragging topics following the game will result in the same consequences.

This topic has become a weekly staple on Baltimore Beatdown. This is where we post our comments on what the Baltimore Ravens will need to do in order to win this weekend's game. Sunday afternoon we visit Cleveland and the 3-4 Browns, who lost to the Ravens in week three 28-10. In that game, the Ravens defense was classic, as they turned and interception into a pick six and limited Browns QB Derek Anderson to 14 of 37 passing and a QB rating of 22.9!!!

However, that was in our home crib and was a long time ago. Cleveland stood at 0-3 at that point and have won three of four since then, including a very impressive home victory over the previously undefeated and Super Bowl Champion NY Giants on MNF. Now only one game behind the Ravens and coming off another impressive defensive effort in a 23-17 road victory in Jacksonville, this game reeks of revenge in the minds of Browns' fans.

What can the Ravens do on both sides of the ball to get out of Ohio and head on out again on the road to Houston and then New York on what will be a three game road trip before the come home to the cozy confines of M&T Bank Stadium and their loyal fans? Let's take a look at the offense:

In the NFL, the QB touches the ball on almost every play. I say almost instead of every because the Ravens unveiled their version of the Wildcat offense last week in the win over Oakland. The Wildcat formation, popularized in Miami with Ronnie Brown taking the snaps, is actually even better suited with the Ravens Troy Smith taking the snaps. Smith is a QB, and has the ability to run or throw the ball. While he may not be the runner that Miami's Ronnie Brown is, he certainly is better at either handing off or throwing the ball, which is the biggest threat in the Wildcat formation. We showed that last week in a 43 yard completion from Smith to QB Joe Flacco. Smith will most likely reprise his role this weekend and the possibilities are endless. However, Smith's major role is probably still on the sidelines, serving as the backup for starter Flacco. If Flacco handles the ball 99% of the time, he will affect the outcome of the game as equally as Cleveland's Derek Anderson does for the Browns. Flacco has been solid if unspectacular the past two games, completing a high percentage of his passes with zero interceptions and a QB rating well over 100. If this is the progression he will continue to show, everyone in the league, including Ravens brass and fans, will continue to be thrilled and even surprised, as he was not ever expected to be the man this season when he was drafted in the first round in April. However, it is what it is and he has matured into this role way better than anyone could have ever expected. Not being the focal point of the offense certainly helps and it needs to continue in that focus for his solid performances to continue.

The Ravens running game needs to continue to drive this offense, and that starts with the success and health of Willis McGahee. While Willis has not rolled up the stats, he has run very well behind a revamped offensive line. The combination of McGahee and Le'Ron McClain running behind behemoth fullback Lorenzo Neal, provides the Ravens with a variety of option to keep their RB's fresh and make it even more difficult to prepare for their opposition. Add in a little dose of rookie Ray Rice, who is a lot faster and stronger than he appears, and you have enough options to confuse and change the face of the offense on every play. The passing game will never be confused with Indy or New Orleans, or even Cleveland, but it will get the job done when needed. Derrick Mason is one of the best possession receivers in the league, well on his way to another 100 reception season. The other wideouts have been virtually non-existent, and tight end Todd Heap has made a recent appearance or two, but is far from his early career form. At the same time, this offense does not need that feature receiver, as Flacco likes to get the ball to his main squeeze, Mason, and then spread the love around to the others, including the RB's out of the backfield.

I saved the best for last and that is the Ravens' defense. The Ravens have the second best overall defense in the NFL and the league's #1 rated run defense. The Ravens are just behind the Steelers overall and are third in the league in passing defense, only behind the Colts and Steelers. The only reason the Colts are ranked second against the pass is because everyone runs on them and don't need to pass as you have seen (other than the Ravens!). Therefore, it is obvious that the Ravens do not have a glaring weakness on defense from a team perspective, even with the individual concerns due to injuries. The corners are hurting and need to get healthy and on the field as soon as possible, since the Browns passing attack has great potential. The pass rush has not resulted in enough sacks, but as long as they harass and hit Derek Anderson, that will make life easier for the Ravens secondary. Braylon Edwards is always a deep threat and Kellen Winslow looks to return from a very nasty staph infection. Great for him, he gets to see Ray Lewis again! Remeber this Kellen?

Ray greets K2

However, this is a home game for Cleveland and this is more than likely not the same team the Ravens overwhelmed in week three. At the same time, this is also not the same Ravens team, as the rookie QB out of Delaware has more than doubled his NFL game epxerience in the meantime. He has experienced both ends of the QB spectrum, looking every bit the rookie in the losses and like a seasoned veteran in some of the victories. He has remained poised and confident, yet not cocky, and looks to continue the same in Cleveland. A lot of that success will come from the offensive line's ability to protect him in passing situations. If they open big holes for the running game, then it sets up the pass and keeps the pass rush from taking aim at Flacco and causing him to throw on the run and fumble when hit. Therefore, as opposed to the QB issues on both teams, the game will once again in my mind, be won or lost in the trenches. If we win the trench war, then the game will turn in our favor. If not, then Cleveland will get their just revenge.

Which will it be? What do you think?

After winning their past two games in a row by an average margin of over 16 points, the Baltimore Ravens set their sights on Cleveland and a Browns team fresh off a rare road upset victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Ravens are in second place in the AFC North with a 4-3 record, one game behind the division leading Steelers, who sit there at 5-2. The Browns, are one game behind the Ravens at 3-4 and a win at home will put them at .500 for the first time all season. However, the Ravens have already defeated the Browns 28-10 in game three earlier this season and are out to prove that was not a fluke. At the same time, despite their impressive 10-6 2007 season, the Browns are facing the same thoughts that last year was a fluke for them and a winning streak would go a long way to showing that they are fighting back to prove the pundits wrong.

The Browns last two games have been on the road, where they lost a close one to the Redskins 14-11, and won another close one in Jacksonville 23-17. Keeping both games close by playing tough defense should give them a boost of confidence as they now head home to the cozy (?) confines of their home field and their loyal, yet misguided fans, the Dawg Pound. The Browns' fans are trash talking, foul mouthed blind loyalists, who never miss an opportunity to not only trash their opponents, but their fans as well.

Hopefuly, for the Browns fans' sake, the players can back up their fans with a victory over the Ravens. If not, the Ravens fans wil have every right to make sure the Browns' fans call them, "Daddy," as that would be a series sweep this season. A split in the season series would only extend the arguments another year. It would be great to punk them in their crib and send them further down in the standings towards their Ohio brethren in the basement of the AFC North.

Not that it will come easy for the Ravens. Their 28-10 victory came as a surprise to the NFL, as the Browns were actually favored to win this game by the so-called experts. However, Browns QB Derek anderson looked nothing like the Pro Bowl caliber player of last year, and while the Browns have rallied for three victories, including impressive wins over the defending Super Bowl Champions NY Giants on MNF, he has still not regained his form from last year. The Ravens will again attempt to exploit this as they plan to continue their defensive dominance in stopping the run as they have done all season while not allowing a 100 yard rusher since the 2006 season, a span of well over 20 games. If they can put pressure on Anderson when he drops back to pass, hit and harass him throughout the game, they will be able to force the turnovers that this defense has feasted upon. If Cleveland's well respected offensive line is able to protect him, then he will have the time to pick apart the Ravens once again depleted secondary. Losing Samari Rolle to injury hurt the team, but the recent absence of Chris McAlister has been devastating, as it brings the nickel and dime backs into starting roles. While the loss of safety Dawan Landry has not hurt due to the impressive play of safety Jim Leonhard, who has performed very good on defense as well as Special Teams. However, it has seemed that the deep coverage has not been able to rotate to the weak side when needed to stop the big plays. This will need to improve to stop the connection between Anderson, Braylon Edwards and the other Cleveland threats.

As the week progresses, we will see more of a gameplan taking shape, based on the health of both teams as they prepare for what will be another battle in this great rivalry, in which the players as well as the fans seem to really despise each other.

Keep in touch here.

The Baltimore Ravens defeated the Cleveland Browns 28-10 and slid into first place in the AFC North, setting up a battle for the division lead next week in Pittsburgh on Monday Night Football.

The game went almost exactly as I had predicted it, although the Browns didn't score as many points as I thought they might. The Ravens defense dominated the game just as I had thought and the offense ran the ball down the defense's throats, especially at the end of the game as I had said they would in Sunday morning's posting just below this one.

Ravens rookie QB Joe Flacco made his first mistakes of the young season, throwing two first half interceptions. The first was an overthrown ball but the second was on a flea-flicker trick play and the pass was intercepted in the end zone, for which I give him a pass on that one. However, he managed the offense with the same calm manner that he did in week one, leading me to believe we can expect the same from him in the future. At the same time, next week's game will not only be his first taste of a hostile enemy crowd, but on national TV as well. That performance will go a long way in determining his as well as the entire team's future success in 2008. An upset victory over the Steelers, who lost yesterday in Philadelphia to fall to 2-1, would put the Ravens firmly in first place, which would be a huge surprise based on last season's debacle.

But back to the game. It was great to see how RB Willis McGahee came back without seeming to even miss a beat, as he ran for 64 yards on 15 carries with one TD, and didn't look like a guy who missed all of the preseason and the first game of the regular season. Shows what a true professional and star can do when he knows his position is up for grabs, eh? Le'Ron McClain continued his upward path of success, adding 66 yards on 17 carrries, including two touchdowns. Rookie Ray Rice, who played great in McGahee's absence in game one, only had five carries for 21 yards but thaat was enough to keep McGahee fresh. Having the 260 pound fullback Lorenzo Neal blasting open huge holes with the young, yet effective offensive line had to help as well. Imagine taking on the Ravens' o-line, Neal and then having to try to tackle the 260 pound McClain!? I can understand why this could wear down a defense by the fourth quarter, which is what happened, as the Ravens wound down the clock behind a running attack that might not have been great for individual stats, but certainly was effective when it mattered.

Flacco did his job, hitting some short and sharply thrown passes, exhibiting the arm strength that intrigued the Ravens and luckily did not scare them away from the lesser college competition star out of the University of Delaware. He was 13 of 19 for 129 yards and the two aforementioned interceptions. The offensive line gave up only one sack and it appeared to be more of a coverage sack than a breakdown in protection. I'm extremely impressed with the o-line's effectiveness and maturity, considering the old man of the starting group (center Jason Brown) is only 25 years old (not including veran backup Willie Anderson). Flacco spread his 13 completions around the receiving corps, with the always reliable Derrick Masson leading the group with four receptions. Even Todd Heap caught a couple passes and incredibly, didn't fumble even once! Sorry, Todd. It was also nice to see Demetrius Williams (three catches) and Mark Clayton (two catches) contribute to the offensive output, after being either hurt or invisible last season. Spreading the ball around and having an overpowering running game will certainly only add to the success of the passing game, specifically Joe Flacco, and I'm sure this has been the philosophy of offensive coordinator Cam Cameron since Flacco was selected by the Ravens with the 18th pick of the 2008 NFL draft. For some reason, I wonder what effect Cameron would have had if Kyle Boller had that type of education and mentorship way back when.

Defensively, where can we start and who should we single out for playing defense the way the Ravens did in 2000 on their way to victory in SB35? Did you see the vicious lick the "aging" Ray Lewis put on Kellen Winslow that popped the ball into the air for Chris McAlister to grab and return to put the Ravens into position for what was then the game tying touchdown? I hope that shut up a lot of experts and Cleveland fans who constantly rag me about the old Ray Lewis and aging defense! Something tells me any team in the league would love to have this rag-tag group of veterans, right!? A couple of weeks ago, the Ravens and their fans were worried that All Pro safety Ed Reed would miss part or even all of the season with a nerve impingement in his neck. Well, he certainly struck a nerve in Derek Anderson and the Browns when he read the Cleveland QB's eyes and never broke stride when he intercepted him and took it to the house to put the Ravens firmly in front and deflate the Browns fans' hope in the third quarter. The pass rush did exactly as I hoped and predicted when they harrassed Anderson all day long and sacked him five times to go along with their three interceptions, all the while holding Cleveland to 125 passing yards on 14 completions in 37 attempts. So now after two games, albeit against winless teams, the Ravens have held two All Pro QB's to a grand total of 224 passing yards.

The only bright spot (there was one?) for the Browns was the 19 TD yard pass from Anderson to reserve RB Jerome Harrison early in the second quarter. Interestingly, the Browns fans said en mass that the team should utilize Harrison more in the passing game and get him to the outside with some screen or swing passes. The team does it once with great success and never repeats it again?

Now the Ravens sit at the top of the division, with the primetime showdown next Monday night. Ravens fans remember the embarrassment of last year's demoralizing defeat in Pittsburgh on MNF, but that was with an aging and inefficient QB and a depleted and lost secondary, as that game was over by the end of the ifrst quarter. Next week is shaping up to be a completely different contest and after getting battered and beaten by the Philadelphia Eagles yesterday, I'm pretty confident that Ben Roethlisberger is not looking forward to the physical play of the Ravens with any excitement.

However, all Ravens fans, including this writer, certainly can't wait!

The Baltimore Ravens will host the Cleveland Browns in what may end up being a defining game for both teams very early in the 2008 season. The Ravens have only played one game so far, thanks for Hurricane Ike cancelling the game in Houston originally scheduled for week 2, and stand 1-0 due to their 17-10 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on opening weekend. The Browns limp into M&T Bank Stadium with an 0-2 record, albeit both losses to two of the top teams in the entire NFL.

However, scoring only one touchdown and not looking like the playoff contender that they were expected to be heading into the 2008 season, has many Cleveland fans worried and wondering how long before changes in key positions begin. Head coach Romeo Crennel and QB Derek Anderson are both on the hot seat and rumored to be holding onto their jobs by a thread, especially Crennel, who has long been under fire, even before last year's successful 10-6 season. The Browns just missed making the postseason and two losses to arch-rival Pittsburgh dulled the season, much less another loss at home to the hated Steelers last weekend. While Derek Anderson isn't quite hanging onto his job as gingerly as Crennel, he is coming under fire for not looking like the million dollar bonus payday he earned after last season's surprising success. Another poor showing, however, and the rabid Dawg Pound will begin the annual chant for Brady Quinn. Quinn has been patiently awaiting his opportunity on the sidelines, biding his time learning the game and making more commercials and showing off his buff body than most other teams' starters. At some point, the Browns will not want to delay the inevitable any longer.

A loss today in Baltimore to start the season 0-3 will go a long way towards the beginning of the Brady Quinn era. The Ravens plan to do whatever they can to help Brady get an early start to his future. They plan to harass Anderson through a variety of stunts and blitzes and now have a healthy defense to send the extra pass rusher that they were unable to afford last season, when their secondary was chock full of reserves. Injuries to Samari Rolle, Chris McAlister and Ed Reed, along with the offseason loss of Adalius Thomas to the Patriots via free agency and injury to Trevor Pryce made the Ravens pass rush in 2007 almost non-existent. Now, with all those guys back and not even listed on the injury report, the Ravens will be basically at full strength (other than DT Kelly Gregg) for the second game this season. Week one they shut down Cincinnati's Carson Palmer, Chad Johnson and TJ Houshmandzadeh and now plan to repeat the effort this week to Anderson and his favorite targets, Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow. Edwards led the league in dropped balls last year and seems to be on pace to do so again in 2008. To top it off, he is injured and his status will be a game time decision, although expect him to play as he has enjoyed good success against the Ravens in the past. Winslow looks to be a major force in today's game and could very well end up Anderson's favorite target. The Browns would love to get their running game unleashed behind former Raven Jamal Lewis, who had a 92 yard rushing game last season against the Ravens in one of the Browns two victories over Baltimore. The Ravens have not allowed a 100 yard rusher in 20 straight games, the NFL's longest such streak, and it doesn't expect to stop today, especially if the Browns fall behind early. Perhaps the Browns biggest threat to the Ravens comes from special teams return man, Joshua Cribbs, who is one of the best in the league in his role. Cribbs has been a force and has had success against the Ravens as well as the rest of the league and will be a marked man today. If the Ravens can limit his damage, it will only help to pin the Browns back deep in their own territory. This could lead to turnovers and a short field to help the Ravens offense put points on the board without having to rely on long drives.

However, long, time consuming drives have worked out just fine for the Ravens in their lone game this season. The Ravens will continue their plan of running the ball and now have the benefit of Willis McGahee in the backfield for the first time this season. McGahee gained over 1,200 yards last season but missed the entire preseason and first game of the season, but is now not even listed on the Ravens injury report. How many carries he gets is another story, but I expect it to be at least a dozen and could be more depending on the tone of the game. Rookie Ray Rice had a great debut, other than his fumble which led to Cincinnati's lone touchdown last game. The biggest surprise has been the success of fullback Le'Ron McClain, who had over 80 yards in week one, and had primarily been utilized as a blocking back previous to that. However, the absence of McGahee made his carrying the ball more necessary and is now thought to be making a repeat performance this week against the Browns. The combination of McGahee, Rice and McClain will keep the Ravens backfield fresh and don't forget that they also have the luxury of having bruising fullback and former San Diego Charger Lorenzo Neal leading the charge. Imagine the pounding the defense will absorb by having the 260 pound Neal leading the way for the 250 pound McClain, paving the way for McGahee and Rice to dart in and around the holes opened by the young, healthy and rapidly improving offensive line.

The success of the running game will make the transition smoother for rookie QB Joe Flacco from third string in the preseason to starter in the regular season. Flacco looked surprisingly calm and collected and while he didn't put great stats on the board, he did manage the offense without any mistakes and even contributed a 38 yard lumbering touchdown run on a busted play. While we shouldn't expect him to repeat his rushing efforts, he should feel more comfortable with the extra week off to continue to learn the team's offense and take control of the huddle. If he continues his progress and keeps his mistakes to a minimum, the Ravens will have found their quarterback of the future a lot earlier than originally planned.

If today's game goes as planned, the Ravens will stuff Cleveland's Jamal Lewis, forcing Derek Anderson to rely on the passing game too much. By this, I mean if the pass is so obvious, the Ravens pass rushers can pin their ears back and put a target on Anderson's chest, causing him to hurry his passes and throw the interceptions that the Ravens can turn into quick points and put the Ravens into position to win this game. Offensively, they will pound the ball with their three pronged rushing attack, with the requisite number of passes to keep the defense honest. Wide receiver Derrick Mason and tight end Todd Heap, along with short tosses to the backfield will move the ball outside the hashmarks while the RB's pound it inside. Expect the Browns to stack the box with eight or nine defenders, daring the Ravens to beat them through the air. However, the Browns secondary has not been very good and the loss of their best defender, safety Sean Jones, will make it difficult to stop the passing attack, even of the Ravens. Big defensive tackle Shaun Rogers will clog the middle and rush the passer, but expect him to get a lot of attention from the middle of the Ravens offensive line.

Overall, if both teams play to my expectations, the Ravens will go into a week four showdown on Monday Night in Pittsburgh in first place with a 2-0 record, while the Browns will join their Ohio brothers from Cincinnati in the AFC North basement. The Steelers have a tough battle of Pennsylvania at Philadelphia, where I am predicting they lose, so there is my reasoning on the first place Ravens.

I expect the teams to put more points on the board than either has done up to this point in the season, although the game will not be as close as the final score. I expect the Browns to get a late, meaningless score to keep the Ravens defense honest until the end, but the Ravens defense leads the way to victory and Flacco continues his orientation with another solid, mistake-free outing as the Ravens win.

Ravens:  26-20

The Cleveland Browns put a hurting on my Ravens last year, and to only make it worse, did so with a QB that the Ravens deemed uninterested enough in so as to let the Browns snatch him away off of their practice squad without nary a complaint. Derek Anderson went on to have a Pro Bowl season and was richly rewarded with a $27 million contract extension. Meanwhile the Ravens are still at a loss to determine who will be their QB when the 2008 season kicks off in September.

However, it really doesn't matter to me when determining the winner in each of these games. While the QB position may be the single most important individual position on the field, this is a team game and it's rare that one specific player is the reason a team either wins or loses, unless of course, your name is Steve McNair (or former coach Brian Billick). In my opinion, the key to an offense's success starts and stops with the offensive line. The retirement of All-World left tackle Jon Ogden is a great loss to the team, but it allows the team to finally set guys into place where they could easily remain for years, and consistency in those positions will ultimately equal success.

Therefore, by game three, I believe we will be seeing an improved pass protection as they get comfortable with whomever the QB ends up being (I still want to see Troy Smith in there). The run blocking should be very good, with both Willis McGahee and rookie Ray Rice blasting through holes. At the same time, regardless of who the QB is, I expect opposing defenses to stack the box with eight or even nine guys, just daring the Ravens to beat them through the air. With the multi-facet abilities of Troy Smith at the helm, he should be able to confuse and tire out defenses with his rolling out and scrambling abilities. This should tire out the Browns defenders, as they've totally revamped their defensive front with big plodding tackles who take up space but don't move too well. The Ravens will trap the Browns interior defense and Smith will roll out and move around until his receivers get open against what is still a very poor Browns secondary and their weak link.

On the defensive side of the ball, I am not yet convinced that Derek Anderson will replicate his 2007 season. That is probably why second string QB Brady Quinn is biting his tongue and being patient, as he also knows his time is coming and it could end up being sooner rather than later. The Ravens defense should be healthy and ready to make opposing teams pay for what happened last year. Browns running back and former Raven Jamal Lewis will be bottled up at the line of scrimmage, as he stutter steps to his huge three yards per carry average. The pass rush against a relatively immobile Anderson will pressure him and cause him to lose his cool and that won't bode well in enemy territory, where the Ravens' fans will make a lot of noise in support of Ray Lewis and friends.

If the Ravens players all remain healthy, they have a much better chance of looking like 2006's 13-3 team as opposed to 2007's 5-11 trainwreck. Game 3 should be similar to game 1 and the Ravens win a close game at home.

Ravens: 26  Browns: 20

Season Record:  2-1