So, as I was on my way to BWI Airport to to windmill Flacco for his horrible ass play, I ran across this video on Black Sports Online, courtesy of WNST, from Ravens LB Ray Lewis about yesterday's game:


Now, by any means did the Ravens lose because of the penalties. But I agree with Lewis 100%. There were 2 BAD calls that accredited to 6 points the Bengals received because of it. The tripping call on Lewis was bull, because he was blocked to the ground and he was trying to get up. The Suggs call was bull hockey, particularly because Palmer had the ball still in his hand as Suggs was taking him to the ground.

More and more, the NFL is becoming too technical and too Charmin-esque when it comes to the way they protect their QBs. We get it- the league is a QB-driven league. But by any means, let these guys play!

But let's not get ahead of ourselves Ray, Joe Flacco is why you lost, my friend. 4 INTs cannot happen for a team w Super Bowl aspirations.

P.S.- If I see Flacco anywhere around town this week, I'm still gonna windmill him.

Dear Arizona Cardinals- Call Kurt Warner and offer him $100 million NOW! Maybe he'll reconsider. Without him you suck!

Did anyone see the Cowboys going 0-2?? Did anyone see Jay Cutler throwing ZERO INTs in a game??? What is the NFL world coming to?


Last April after Jason Campbell was traded to the Raiders, I suggested that Bruce Gradkowski should at least be able to compete for the starting job. I was told how dumb that was and how Campbell is better.. blah, blah, wonk wonk... but after yesterday's game, Tom Cable got my memo and finally got it right. He benched Campbell, put in Gradkowski and he helped lead the Raiders to a victory over the Rams. In the words of Shaquille O'Neal, "Tell me how my ass tastes".

Dear Mark Sanchez: Thanks for showing up at the party this week!

Dear Darrelle Revis: We saw you grab your hamstring after that Moss 1-hand TD. All I have to say is,


THAT'S the San Diego Chargers squad I know!

Aaron Rodgers, you are doing the damn thing, but your Lambeau Leap SUCKS! Work on that, mmmmmkay?!

The Kansas City Chiefs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are 2-0?????


The Texans-Redskins game is reason number 1, why I love the game of football. Just when you think you can count someone out, they find ways to come back and win games. That game was by far the best game of the week. And it paralleled last year's Saints-Redskins game. Down 10 points in the 4th Qtr, Matt Schaub hit Andre Johnson with the tying TD with 2 minutes left in the game. A blocked FG that would have given Washington a nice cushion was the leading factor into the game going into OT. I thought the Texans would lose for SURE after Gary Kubiak decided to punt opposed to kicking a 52-yard FG to try and win the game. But the Texans were given new life after Graham Gano missed his 52-yarder.

That game was exciting, full of offense and nail biting. This is why I love football.

PS- Is it crazy that I am (quietly) rooting for the Texans, week after week?!


Giants looked bad, real bad, Michael Jackson

Vince Young gets benched- again! Hey look, the sky is blue!

Michael Vick is balling.... and not looking back. And if Andy Reid brings in Kevin Kolb next week, he might have to say goodbye to his head coaching job. If it ain't broke, don't fix it!

Maybe Favre should've stayed retired after all.................................

This week, the Ravens head to Cincinnati to play the Bengals. This is a BIG divisional matchup against the 2 teams that made it to the playoffs last year. While both teams look to repeat last year's success, none of this would be interesting if it weren't for Twitter's greatest sports tweeter- Chad Ochocinco.

Ocho has started with his trash talking to Ravens players already. Tweets from 85 started yesterday evening with his good friend, Ray Lewis:


But it didn't stop there. Chad then went after Ravens RB Willis McGahee:











In the midst of this "Tweet War", Ravens FB LeRon McClain jumped in to defend his teammate. Chad wasted no time to turn his attention to #33:









Although I'm sure these guys are friends in real life, this is great entertainment for tweeters like myself. How can you NOT love Twitter. Hopefully Sunday's game is as good as the Twitter trash talk!

Go Ravens!

Ravens LB Ray Lewis is a passionate player and an even better motivator. As a Ravens fan, I love me some Ray Ray. He's the face of the organization and one of my favorite all-time players. But this right here..... Ray, the actor.......... is NOT what's hot in the streets.

Old Spice has a new commercial with the future hall-of-famer, and I must admit, this is one of the worst commercials I've seen in a LONG time.

Note to Ray Ray: Just because it's an opportunity doesn't mean it's a good one. The second you saw this corny plot, you should have headed for the hills. I can't be the only person to look at this commercial like this


Next time, read the script first, Ray!

ESPN The Magazine has come up with a nice photo montage of, "Faces Of The Game", a collection of people that make the NFL the great sport that it is today. From agents, to owners and even to flag football leagues in China, the magazine gives us a pictorial view of all the different people that are a part of the NFL structure.

If you haven't seen/heard about it yet, here are a few pics from the magazine:


Dubbed, "The Legend" in the mag, my man Ray Ray has his own street name, and hasn't even retired yet! Kudos to him, who will go down as a legend when it's all said and done.



From administrative intern to commissioner of the NFL, Goodell's pic should be called, "The Disciplinarian". Instead, they make it simple and call him, "The Commish".



"The Reps", of the league, sports agents Tom Condon and Ben Dogra are featured in the article. What.... No Drew Rosenhaus?? Maybe he was busy. "No Comment...."



ESPN has Walt Coleman dubbed as, "The Law" and that's about right. Coleman calls any and every damn penalty on the field! I would have preferred to see Ed Hochuli, because I heart him. They should have changed his name to, "The Hard Ass".


Gay Culverhouse was the Bucs former president, but was diagnosed to be terminally ill with myelofibrosis. Named, "The Crusader", Culverhouse is on a crusade to help retired NFL players with health care. Good for her!

To see the entire collection of photos, check it out here. Very nice, ESPN The Mag!

Pro Bowl week has arrived a week early and is in full swing. Players from the AFC and NFC conferences are down in Miami getting their practice on for Sunday's showdown over bragging rights on who's the best (we all know it's the AFC, so let's get that out of the way LOL). While a lot of players have declined their invitation to participate, there is a lot of star power still playing. Here's a look at a few pics of this week's practices:


Big Ray (Lewis), Little Ray (Rice) and Brandon Marshall getting off of the bus to practice



Cowboys WR Miles Austin getting practice in



Bengals Chad Ocho Cinco and Eagles DeSean Jackson, hamming up for the camera




Eagles QB Donovan McNabb says he wants to stay in Philly, warms up



AFC Head Coach Norv Turner. I hope he doesn't coach like it's a playoff game, or the AFC is going down!



Ocho Cinco and Michael Irvin (minus the lines in his haircut), on set



Packers QB Aaron Rodgers taking some reps. I'm still feeling for him after such a controversial loss, Wild Card Weekend



BFFs Sugar Ray and Primetime Deion Sanders, yucking it up. I wonder if Deion, Irvin and Ray Ray will have a Suit Off, on who has the loudest suits. Shannon Sharpe has to be a judge!

In case you missed, there was a segment on Ray Lewis during ESPN's NFL Countdown yesterday. It shows Lewis, along with his trainer, working out with the Baltimore City Police Dept, going through the roughest parts of Baltimore, and helping homeless people and former drug addicts through workout sessions.

It's a very good segment. Say what you will about Lewis, but I think he has matured into a great human being. He acknowledges that his murder trial helped him realize he needed to do this work. Kudos to Ray.

Week Two is in the bag. And as the weeks go on, it tends to get better and better. There is never a dull moment in the NFL, so let's recap what happened yesterday:

- Another Sunday, another reason why I'm gonna have hypertension in a few years. The Ravens are gonna be the death of me. Two close games back-to-back and it was killing me to watch. My boo, Philip Rivers, made the Ravens D earn their paycheck yesterday. Rivers had a career high 436 yards passing against the Ravens' defense, but it was the lack of TD's in the redzone that allowed Baltimore to hang around and win the game. Shout out to Ray Lewis for finding the Fountain of Youth and not sharing. Dude is hella old in football years, but still got it!


*bonus* Philip Rivers, I still love you, boo!

-The Browns are sad... really sad.. I kinda feel bad for everyone involved. You know it's bad when the head coach fines a player $1700 for a bottle of water. Every body's fed up.

-If you're a Redskins fan, you CANNOT be happy that you squeaked out a win against the Rams. And don't give me that, "A win is a win" mess.. it was the RAMS!!!! That was a painful game to watch. I just thank the football gods for allowing me to see the Pats-Jets game during the same time.

*bonus* Twitter will be the death of Redskins LB Robert Henson in DC. What a dummy!

-If you are a Rams fan, you have to be even more mad that you coughed up the ball inside the Redskins' 5 yard line for the possible go ahead score and the win. If it wasn't for bad luck, you guys wouldn't have any.

- I'm so glad Sexy Rexy and the Jets walked the walk. The old adage is, don't have your mouth write checks that your azz can't cash. Well, the Jets cashed in their checks, stocks, bonds, everything with that win. Congrats to Sanchez and Co. for the big win against the Pats. We know what team came to play yesterday, and it wasn't the team Brady was on.



*bonus* Bill Belichick has to be the sorest loser in the NFL. They guy has had 3 Super Bowls and a perfect regular season. But when he loses, he has the phoniest handshake ever. I'm convinced he woulda pulled a "LeBron" had Sanchez not ran him down to be a good sport.

- If you are a Packers fan, you're mad about how the game ended. But you can't be mad at Chad Ochocinco. The guy is hard to dislike, and he said that he was gonna do the Lambeau Leap in the crowd. I'm real mad that he chose a "soft" spot and found 3 Bengals fans to jump into (I'm convinced that Bengals fans don't travel, so I think those were actors that were paid to sit there in case he scored). The craziest part of the leap, is the guy in the white shirt that seems to be punching him on the back. Dude... simma down, Chad means no harm





- Can we just give Drew Brees the NFL MVP Award now??? Dude is a beast.

- Jeff Reed, there is no crying in football.

- I wrote that the Jags should move to LA during the summer, and more and more this suggestion seems to be coming true. They don't have the support from the fans and don't have a need to show up on Sundays to give them a reason to come. It's sad, really, because Maurice Jones-Drew is a great player and his talent is going to waist right now

- Michael Vick can play next week, YEAY!!!!!

- Raiders/Chiefs game.... Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

- HELLOOOOOOOOOOO Houston, and thank you for coming out to play with us this week. Great game from the Texans.

- I think I'm gonna pick the Lions to win next Sunday... I wonder who they play??? *looks at schedule* Washington Redskins... Yup.... I think I will.


- Is it me, or are the Cowboys always "Tardy For The Party"? You know.. their own... Jerry Jones handpicked the Ravens to close out Texas Stadium, had this great post game ceremony lined up, but then allowed two of the longest run plays in stadium history, along with a loss. Then they open up that empire of a stadium with all of the trimmings (cage dancers included), and lose to the Giants in the final seconds of the game. When will America's Team keep up with JJ's extravagant activities in his stadiums??? I'm just saying...........


*bonus* If I see Jordin Sparks performs one more National Anthem at a football game, I'm gonna pull my hair out. I know work is hard to find these days, but damn... isn't there an Idol Reunion Tour you you need to be on?? Jordin Sparks, sitcho irrelevant azz down!

Baltimore's beloved Ray Lewis was recently featured on ESPN's Sunday Conversation with Sal Paolantonio. Ray was questioned about his defensive coordinator changes, whether he REALLY thought about leaving Baltimore (he says, "Heck no" and laughs), Joe Flacco, and the death of Steve McNair.

Two petty things I noticed in this interview. The first thing I noticed, was that ugly silver bullet looking vest he has on. The second, is Ray when says, "Child Please", the term used often by Chad Ochocinco, which I can't stand. That's Ocho's saying, find your own, Ray. But other than that, as usual, Ray gives a great interview. This is a must see for Ravens and Ray Lewis fans alike.

Well, looky looky here!!!!


So Snoop Dogg, AKA Snoop Doggy Dogg, AKA Snoop D-O-double-Gizzle was in Westminster for the Ravens morning practice, by a special invitation from Ray Lewis.

Snoop was in town for his Blazed and Confused Tour which was nearby in Columbia. He came to check out Ravens practice, cheering on players and even the Ravens offense, who played well today against the defense.

Mr. Doggy Dogg, a well known Steelers fan, was having fun with the players and coaches, joining in their huddle and chanting Ray's known moniker, "Any dogs in the house" "woof, woof, woof"

But the most noticeable thing about today's appearance was..... he had on a Ravens floppy hat and no black and gold was anywhere in site. Could Snoop be walking to the the other side???

I doubt it!

But Snoop was enjoying his time at Ravens training camp today, doing interviews with Ray, doing ladder drills with Frank Walker (although if I could be quite frank,I wonder if he was C walking instead) and just hanging out.



I'm a huge fan of Snoop. I've always loved his music and he reminds me of when hip hop was at it prime (another topic for another day LOL), but I love my squad far more than Mr. Gizzle. He's coming to unfamiliar territory, and one has to ponder if he's taking notes to send to his friends over there in Latrobe. Oh, c'mon, I know I'm not the only one who thought about this.


The good thing is, Snoop loves more players in purple and black than just Ray Ray. When asked who his second fave player was, he said the following:

"Ed Rizzle does the crazy fah-shizzle on the football fizzle, ya dizzle."

Every year I head out to McDaniel College in Westminster, MD to the Ravens Training Camp. This year was no different... except usually I go to the afternoon session. This year I decided to mix it up a bit.

So, I get myself, my son and his football buddy up at 6am Saturday morning to get dressed and ready to take the 35 min drive. The 1st session doesn't start until 8:45, but we get there at 7:55. It's early, to say the least.

As we are pulling into the parking lot, right in front of us is this vintage looking car that was decked in Raven Purple with Ravens decals throughout the car. It was a beauty.


The middle aged guy hopped of his classic, straightened his Ravens clad outfit, and moved to the side so that people, like myself, can take pics of his awesome looking car. My son and his friend were in awe for about 3 seconds before they were ready to move to their next venture.

So as we head near the field, we are welcomed by the "Training Camp" sign... ahhhh...

I was getting excited just by seeing it. Just a reminder that football is officially on its way and my Sundays will go back to normal again.

As soon as we realize that the morning session hadn't started yet, my son (who I will affectionately call "the boy" from here, on out) and his buddy wants to head back to the Ravenstown Fan Zone, where kids can participate in the interactive games, such as the Football Skills Instruction, QB Armchair Challenge and practice kicking field goals. Needless to say, the boy and his buddy where there the ENTIRE time. Not once did they come out of that area to watch practice, at least not until the end.

So I head over and sat in the VIP section to watch the practice (shout out to Ravens Security, I love my guys!). The area is on the 50 yard line and while it's not velvet rope treatment, it's never crowded and is a sitting area for friends and family of players and staff. Of course you know I'm totally awesome and the Ravens realize that too, so they looked out for me on Saturday.

So on the field my eyes go. I watched the morning practice minus the kids. A few things I learned while watching the practice:

1. Ray Rice is gonna be a BEAST this season. He was a force the entire time during practice. I don't remember him having much of a spin move last season, but he did it a few times yesterday and I was extremely impressed by how quick and strong he is. Fantasy players, I think you will be very pleased if you pick him up in your draft. He's a gem to this team. McGahee who??

2. The long ball seemed to be the focus for all 3 QB's in yesterday's practice. It seemed like every time the deep ball was thrown, the defense was ready and the receiver was double covered. At one point, Flacco threw an INT to S Dawan Landry and seemed to be pretty pissed off at himself afterward. But Flacco did have some good passes, like a 44-yard completion to Demetrius Williams. Overall, he was just okay. Troy Smith was alright well. Both QB's made throws that would make you go, "Hmmmm...." but I'm not tripping, it's training camp. Mess up now, but when Sept. 13th gets here, it needs to be fixed.

3. The little bit I saw from newly signed rookie Michael Oher, I liked a lot. He is definitely a talent and if he gets better, then the Ravens O-Line can very well become one of the best in the league, without question. He is very elusive. I love the upside he comes with.

4. Though he had on a red mesh jersey, Ed Reed still participated in full practice. His body language did look out-of-sync to me. But then again, I have no idea what it's like playing with a nerve impingement. I just hope nothing happens to him in training camp. Y'all know how I feel about Reed. Let something happen to him and see how I react.


5. Little kids are just as excited about football than grown ups. The cutest group of young kids sat in front of us on the ground, watching practice. All were no older than 5, and they were so excited it put a smile on everyone's face. One child said, "Hi Flacco!! Go Flacco, Go!", while another child screamed, "LOOK! There's Ray Lewis!!! That's Ray-Ray!!" It was so adorable

On my way back to the Fan Zone to check on the boys, I ran into the legendary "Fan Man".

This guy is very known around the area. He is always shown on camera during Ravens games. In addition to his "face" being known, so is his Purple Bus, one that he rides and tailgates during football season.

The guy is super nice, and his ride is too cool.... or corny, depending on how you look at it.

I get the boys up and we get ready to get in the Ravens Rookies line, an area where they let children go to get players autographs, away from the adults. It's a great idea really, some of these grown folks will straight up run you over to get a souvenir signed. They go over with their items and pens and were ready to.

Overall, they were pretty pleased with their autographs. Anytime you can get Ray Lewis' autograph, it's a good day.

The boy got mad when Flacco missed him and didn't sign his helmet, but all of that was a distant memory 5 mins later when WR Mark Clayton came over and gave the boy his towel (why he would want it, is beyond me. I think it's really gross to have a stinky, sweaty towel. But he was happy so I was happy).

The boy was so ecstatic, in fact, that he tried to bring the towel with him inside Bob Evans Restaurant after we left. Ummm... excuse me... but put that sweaty azz towel down!

Overall, it was a great day. The sun was shining, the fans were cheering and, as usual, I fully enjoyed myself. I suggest every fan to go to a training camp of their favorite team, especially if you have children. It's an experience to remember. It's the most intimate way to see your favorite players for free and get autographs and up-close pics in the process.

I'm sure I'll be back next week. The boy is on a mission for that Flacco autograph.


Flacco and Co:


Matt Birk in the "other" purple uni. Welcome to Baltimore!

I've made it no secret that I'm a Ravens fan. I love my team and will always support my team. Although some folks in my blog family has called me a homer ( *cough* Ed The Sports Fan *cough*), I'm far from it. When the Ravens do bad, I ream them a new one on what they did wrong. When they do things right, I praise them. But no matter what they do, I'll always love the purple and black.

This off season, I've heard a lot of doubt from the naysayers about the 2009 Ravens defense. How they will drop off from last year, how certain pieces to the puzzle are gone and an inexperienced coach will have us slump out of the Top 5 in total defense. Even NFL.com has the Ravens declining in some areas in 2009.

It is my duty to prove you guys wrong and give you reasons why folks shouldn't be so soon to write the Ravens defense off just yet.


1) Ngata, Ray Ray and REEEEEEEEEEEEEDDD-


There are 3 good reasons why the Ravens will not fall in 2009. NT Haloti Ngata, LB Ray Lewis and S Ed Reed. While most folks know all about Lewis and Reed, not many fans outside of Baltimore have heard about Ngata. The former 1st round pick out of Oregon hasn't done anything flashy. But he plugs holes and makes plays. Ngata is very well respected around the league by his opposition. Steelers NT Casey Hampton once told Ngata that he selected him for the Pro Bowl and that he's snubbed every year he doesn't get in. If that's not respect, then I don't know what is. Ngata is a hell of an athlete. Don't let his 6'4", 335 lb frame fool you. Ask Houston's QB Sage Rosenfels about Ngata's athleticism.


As for Ray and Reed, they are natural born leaders and great athletes in their own right. While Lewis isn't the spring chicken he one was, he's still one of the best emotional leaders and teachers of the game. Whatever skills have diminished on the field, he's made up for in teaching young LBs how to study film and learn their opponent. Lewis is known to have one of the best football instincts around. With newcomers like Tavares Gooden, Jameel McClain and Antwan Barnes, Ray has a lot to show these young LBs how they can excel. Reed is a beast, even with a nerve impingement injury. His career shows why he continues to make this defense better



2) The Ozzie Factor


Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome has always been great at picking up defensive pieces of the Ravens' puzzle. The Wizard Of Oz has drafted the likes of Lewis, Reed and Terrell Suggs and signed free agents such as Tony Siragusa, Rod Woodson and Trevor Pryce. The best knack that Newsome has, is the signing of undrafted rookie free agents. Players such as Bart Scott, Maake Kemoeatu and Will Demps, all have contributed heavily to the Ravens defense.

When good players left the Ravens for big contracts, Ozzie brought in new players who fit the system. The former players became a distant memory, thanks to Newsome's specialty of getting defensive players who fits the Ravens style of playing defense.

If Ed Hartwell doesn't leave for the Atlanta Falcons, whose to say that Bart Scott would've become a starter? If Dawan Landry doesn't get hurt, whose to say you would know who Jim Leonhard is??? There is a reason why Oz is regarded as one of the Top 5 GMs in the NFL.



3) History Says So


People love to bring up the fact that the Ravens lost so many key components on defense. Rex Ryan, Bart Scott and Jim Leonard have all gone to NY to coach/play for the Jets. But history shows that the Ravens won't miss a beat. Ryan's predecessors, Marvin Lewis and Mike Nolan, weren't too shabby as coordinators either.

The 2000 Ravens are regarded as one of the best defenses of all time. I think some forget, that Ravens fans heard the same thing when Lewis left for the Redskins after the 2001 season. Media outlets and others thought that the Ravens would fall off. The 2002 season did show decline, but that was due the departure of Siragusa, Woodson, Rob Burnett and the injury of Ray Lewis early in the season. The new scheme of Mike Nolan was also a factor (they swtich from a 4-3 to a 3-4 defense), but the team went from 22nd in total defense in 2002 to 3rd in 2003.

Nolan accepted a head coaching job with the 49ers in 2005, and the naysayers came right back with the same accusations. That we would struggle and decline. But once Ryan stepped in, the Ravens D accelerated, having the #1 overall defense in 2006. Since 2000, there was only one season in which the Ravens defense ranked lower than 6th (2002 salary purged season), which says a lot for Lewis, Nolan and Ryan as defensive coordinators.


4) Mattison Factor


If any coach is up for the job, it's Greg Mattison. The former defensive coordinator for the Florida Gators has been coaching football for over 35 years. Mattison has already said that there won't be many major changes from Ryan's defense.

Mattison is known best as a pressure lover, and likes to blitz the QB at any chance given. He is also used to working with a lot of speed players, which work well in his system. With the off season acquisitions of Dominique Foxworth and Chris Carr, and the promotion of Tavares Gooden to replace Bart Scott, the Ravens are looking to be faster on defense, which is right up Mattison's alley.

Folks like to remind us that Mattison only has one year of NFL experience under his belt. But during his inaugural season, he was able to learn from one of the best. Mattison got to see first hand how Ryan ran his defenses and can now emulate a similar game plan and turn it into his own. The players have so far said they really like his defensive schemes and have always had a good relationship with Mattison.


I'm not going to go out on a limb and say they will be #2 like 2008 or better. But in my mind they are still a Top 5 defense all the way around. With Kelly Gregg coming back from being on IR last year and the new addition of Gooden at LB, this team can be just as good as last year, if not better. Only time will tell. But when September 13th arrives, we'll find out soon enough