The Ravens, like the Jets, are favorites to reach the Super Bowl this year. However, in the case of the Ravens, they actually have something that is a bona-fide threat. Anquan Boldin joins an already solid tandem of wide outs featuring Derrick Mason and Mark Clayton. And oh yeah, Todd Heap is still hanging around to catch some balls when these three guys get double teamed. Joe Flacco has more weapons on offense this year than perhaps any team in the league. Ray Rice is an emerging back that is sure to get more carries this year with nagging injuries to Willis McGahee.
The Ravens were one of the best teams on defense last year, and it looks like that trend will continue this year. The always intimidating Ray Lewis will be a force until the day he retires. Couple him with Terrell Suggs and you’ve got a pretty fierce linebacker core. Ed Reed, another mainstay on the team, can still crank out some nasty hits and plays the corner position as good as anyone out there.
Flacco has been great for this team. Everything rides on his shoulders. Having a top notch target such as Boldin will do wonders for Flacco, who had 21 touchdowns last year. That number should grow this year.
The Ravens have an excellent chance to win it all. In fact, I believe they will be there at the end of this year representing the AFC. They will also win the AFC North with a 13-3 record.
By Josh Delp of the Sports Fan Blog Network
The AFC North is going to be a tough division this season. The Bengals and Ravens are both expected to have great teams. The Steelers are kind of up in the air and the Browns have improved a little as well. Who will finish at the top of the division? Read on to find out.
1. Baltimore Ravens: After going 9-7 last season and making it to the divisional round of the playoffs, the Ravens should improve this season and win their division. The biggest reason why the Ravens will win the division this season is because of one man and his name is Anquan Boldin. The Ravens finally have a big name wide receiver, which they have been lacking for the last few seasons. Joe Flacco is now in his third year in the NFL, after improving last season over his rookie season, Flacco now has the weapons to be a premier quarterback in the NFL. Along with Boldin is the never aging Derek Mason, after almost retiring last season, mason is sticking around again sensing that this year the Ravens have a chance to make it to the Super Bowl. At the running back position is Ray Rice who proved last season that he is not a force to be reckoned with. Rice rushed for 1,339 yards and averaged 5.2 yard per carry last season while sharing the carries with Willis McGahee. This season Rice should get the ball more often to make things harder on opponents. If opponents guess wrong on a play and go to a pass coverage instead of going after Rice, he will burn them and vice-versa. For once the Ravens have a volatile offense to go along with their volatile defense.
When you think of the Ravens the first name that comes to mind is Ray Lewis. Lewis is now 35-years-old, but he’s showing no signs of slowing down. Lewis is still one of the most feared players in the league. The other mainstay on the Ravens defense is free safety Ed Reed, who is still the best at his position in the league. Then there is outside linebacker Terell Suggs who has also been on the Ravens his whole career. These three players are the face of the franchise’s defense. Other than the core three on defense, the rest of them look a little shaky. This may be the first season since the Ravens have been in Baltimore that their offense may be better than their defense and because of that I think the Ravens will flourish finishing 11-5 atop their division this season.
Click here to read the full article – By Eric Heyer of Sports Fan Blog Network
Joe Flacco’s sprained ankle is “not a major injury,” coach John Harbaugh said Monday.
Flacco, who first injured his ankle Oct. 18 at Minnesota, said he “re-rolled” the ankle in the beginning of the second half of the 20-17 overtime win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. He noticeably limped through the remainder of the game.
In the second half, Flacco was 14-for-23 for 153 yards and was sacked five times.
Harbaugh said it’s hard to quantify how much the injury is affecting Flacco.
“I’m sure it’s bothersome for a quarterback to have that foot a little bit sore,” Harbaugh said. “Joe is a courageous guy. You see him standing in there and throwing in the face of some pressure and taking some hits. He’s not shy about that. That speaks to the kind of player he is.”
Click here to read the full article – By Baltimore Sun
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