Tag: Joe Flacco (Page 10 of 18)

      Troy Smith a Brown?

      January 30, 2010 /

      Profootballtalk.com reports that Ravens’ QB Troy Smith would love to play for the Browns next season.

      “There is no doubt about it,” Smith said regarding his desire to play for the Browns. “It has always been a childhood dream of mine. It’s funny how we always talk about Cleveland. That’s the first thing that comes to mind with anything I do whether I get a chance to come home and be a part of that organization or not. You know, I would love to get that chance if that opportunity comes up, but the political and right thing to say in this situation is that I would love to be anywhere that would give me a chance. But, without a doubt, there would be no second guessing in my mind if I could come back home and be a part of something that I love.”

      The Ravens already have their franchise quarterback in Joe Flacco, so it would make sense that Ozzie Newsome would be open to trading Smith. The question is whether or not Mike Holmgren views Smith as a fit for the West Coast Offense, assuming that system is installed in Cleveland.

      Of course, Holmgren has to figure out what he’s going to do with Brady Quinn and Derek Anderson before he looks at players outside the franchise.


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      Colts can finally put Jets’ saga behind them

      January 17, 2010 /

      It’s over with – done, finished, finite. What Jim Caldwell did in the second half of the Colts’ loss to the Jets in Week 16 is now moot after Indy soundly defeated the Ravens 20-3 on Saturday night.

      Given the reaction of some folks, you could have sworn that Caldwell not only killed the Colts’ quest for a perfect season when he pulled his starters in the second half against the Jets, but he unleashed the spawn of Hades as well. He took a ton of criticism for the decision to rest his starters in the final two weeks of the season, as plenty of people boastfully claimed that the Colts would lose in the first round because of it.

      But they didn’t. The defense looked well rested and energized, as it forced four turnovers and held Baltimore to 270 total yards. Peyton Manning and the offense wasn’t as crisp as it has looked throughout the season, but they still racked up 275 total yards and converted in two of three trips inside the red zone.

      Granted, the Ravens shot themselves in the foot all night and had they taken better care of the ball, the final score would have been closer. But give credit to Caldwell and his coaching staff for having the Colts well prepared. The Ravens could do very little offensively and when there was a big play to be made, Indianapolis made it – not Baltimore.

      Had the Colts lost, the criticism that ensued following Caldwell’s decision to pull his starters against the Jets would have been just. And in some ways, the criticism is still warranted because he pulled the plug on a perfect season.

      But the bottom line is that the Colts are moving on thanks in part to Caldwell’s decision to keep everyone healthy and rested during those final two weeks. Ask Bill Belichick if he would have given up part of his salary to go back and sit Wes Welker the week before the playoffs. (Not that it would have made too much of a difference with the way the Pats played that way – but you get the point.)


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      Ravens self-destruct in loss to Colts

      January 16, 2010 /

      If the Ravens wanted to resemble the exact opposite of the team that took the field last week in New England, then they accomplished their mission on Saturday night in Indianapolis.

      Baltimore turned the ball over four times in its 20-3 Divisional Round playoff loss to the Colts. If you count Ed Reed’s fumble (what a tremendous play by Pierre Garcon, by the way) following an interception of Peyton Manning, then the Ravens fumbled the ball three times tonight. Ray Rice was a small disaster, while Joe Flacco threw two interceptions and averaged just 5.4 yards per passing attempt.

      The Colts deserve a ton of credit for playing fundamentally sound for most of the night. But this game should have been closer then the final score indicates and there’s little doubt that head coach John Harbaugh will lose some sleep tonight thinking about how many opportunities his team coughed up. What happened to the Raven team that marched into Foxboro last week and gave the Patriots the beating of a lifetime? What happened to the team that was so focused, so mentally prepared to play that many people thought they would pull off the upset in Indy?

      The Colts once again proved that they match up extremely well with Baltimore. The Ravens beat themselves throughout the night, but it’s not like their offense was moving the ball at will either. They had a couple of nice drives that ended in turnovers, but for the most part the Ravens looked completely out of sync offensively.

      Baltimore reminded everyone tonight why it finished 9-7 this season. They were too inconsistent throughout the year to make a deep run in the postseason and maybe we should have seen this outcome coming.


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      Joe Flacco not 100 percent healthy?

      January 16, 2010 /

      ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter is reporting that Ravens’ quarterback Joe Flacco was hurt enough to sit out against the Patriots last week and isn’t at 100%.

      The hip injury that Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco suffered against the Raiders in Baltimore’s regular-season finale was so bad that he could not sit during any of the flight back from Oakland, according to a league source.

      The hip caused Flacco so many problems the next week that, in the days leading up to the wild-card game against the Patriots, there were some Ravens who wondered if their quarterback would be able to play at New England.

      Flacco did, but his leg filled with fluid and had three inches of swelling.

      Flacco was better this week before Saturday night’s divisional playoff game at Indianapolis, but he still was not fully recovered.

      This could explain why he only attempted 10 passes last week. The Ravens were running the ball so well that they could have taken more shots down field with play action passes, but Cam Cameron kept it on the ground the entire game.

      It’ll be interesting to see what will happen today if the Ravens get into a shootout and Flacco has to throw to win.


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      2010 NFL Divisional Round Prediction: Ravens vs. Colts

      January 15, 2010 /

      Baltimore Ravens (9-7, 3-5 away) at Indianapolis Colts (14-2, 7-1 home)
      Kickoff: 8:15PM ET
      Odds: Colts –6.5

      Prediction:
      There are a lot of people that are hopping onto the Ravens bandwagon – and for good reason. They absolutely took the Patriots behind the woodshed last week and beat them in all phases of the game. Ray Rice is a legitimate star in the making and the defense is playing quality football.

      But have we forgotten how good the Colts are? I get it – momentum can be very important in sports and the Colts don’t have any right now after dropping their final two regular season games. But this is Peyton Manning’s show and simply put, Baltimore’s secondary isn’t good enough to stop Indy’s offense for four quarters on the road.

      If Baltimore runs the ball effectively with Rice and keeps Manning on the sidelines, then I’ll be eating my words come late Saturday night. But the strength of Indy’s defense is its speed and I think they match up very well with the Ravens’ rushing attack. Plus, Flacco got away with only attempting 10 passes last week – that’s not going to be the case this Saturday. It’s going to be a much different game and I don’t see him out-gunning Manning.

      I like the Ravens, I really do. They’ve already proven that they can go into a hostile environment and win on the road. There’s also no doubt that they’re going to be well prepared thanks to John Harbaugh and they’ll be fired up to prove themselves once again. But in the end, I don’t think Baltimore has the talent in the secondary to slow Manning and the Colts’ offense down.

      Prediction: Colts 27, Ravens 17.


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