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The Ravens Nest: Michael Pierce is ready to take the next step

Ravens news for 7/9/17

Cleveland Browns v Baltimore Ravens Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images

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Former Daphne Star Michael Pierce Looking To Build Off Impressive Rookie Season In The NFL - WKRG News

“I’m feeling great. I have some confidence now, I played pretty well as a rookie so I’m looking forward to everything this year,” said Pierce.

The defensive lineman was an undrafted free agent, making the most of his opportunity with the Ravens.

He was a sponge all year, learning as much as he could through each snap.

“Just the technicality and physicality of the game,” said Pierce. “I wasn’t really physical in college being a D-1 AA player, I was always the biggest guy, but now you are going against guys that are much bigger than you and who’ve been working on their craft longer than you. I’m just picking up a lot things from the vets, learning from Terrell Suggs and those guys has been amazing.”

CollegeFootballNews.com’s Ted McGovern weighs in on Baltimore Ravens Rookie Guard Nico Siragusa - Baltimore Beatdown

The two positions with the biggest question marks surrounding them are right tackle and center. The interesting dilemma: what to do with Alex Lewis.

Last season, Lewis showed versatility as he played both left guard and left tackle prior to his injury. If the Ravens elect Lewis for right tackle, it opens the door for rookie guard, Nico Siragusa, to start this season.

Baltimore Beatdown writer Logan Levy had the opportunity to interview San Diego State alumni and CollegeFootballNews.com writer, Ted McGovern, about the former Aztec guard and current Baltimore Raven. McGovern covers San Diego State football for CollegeFootballNews.com. Check out the story for the full interview.

Ravens feel lucky to get help from run-game doctor Greg Roman - ESPN.com

In 2011, in Roman's first season as San Francisco's offensive coordinator, the 49ers went from 19th in NFL rushing to eighth. In 2015, the Bills' run offense jumped from 25th to first in Roman's first year as the play caller, improving by a whopping 59.4 yards per game.

Roman takes over a Ravens rushing attack that in 2015 and 2016 averaged 91.9 yards per game in those two seasons combined. Only the Chargers and Lions have averaged fewer yards the past two seasons.

Five for Friday: Stats the Ravens need to improve next season - The Baltimore Sun

Flacco threw for a career-high 4,317 yards, a Ravens single-season record, but did so on 672 attempts as the team often abandoned its running game. That’s 58 more attempts than his previous high, and it played a part in his throwing 15 interceptions. In Flacco’s two best statistical seasons, 2010 and 2014, he threw 15 more touchdowns than interceptions (25 to 10 and 27 to 12, respectively). But in his other six full NFL seasons (excluding his injury-shortened 2015), he averaged only five more interceptions than touchdowns.

Flacco by no means has been an interception machine -- he has only been among the NFL’s top 10 in passes intercepted once, when he threw 22 in 2013, tied for second with Carson Palmer behind Eli Manning’s 27 -- but how well he takes care of the football has affected team performance. When Flacco has thrown at least 20 touchdown passes and 12 or fewer interceptions, the Ravens have averaged 10.6 wins. A slight improvement from last season’s 20-to-15 ratio could be a big lift.

Orioles should take a lesson from Ravens' accountability - Ravens Wire

If the Baltimore Ravens front office had a weakness this bad on their roster, they wouldn’t let it reach the wrong side of history the way the Orioles are content on doing. The Ravens would have done something, whether it is cutting players and/or firing coaches. And the Ravens likely wouldn’t wait for the season to end to do it either.

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