Thursday, September 13, 2012

Thought for Thursday: Can the Ravens Demonstrate Consistency?

Hey Ravens fans!

It's Thursday... which means that tomorrow is PURPLE FRIDAY! There is nothing I love more than sporting my Ravens jersey here at school in Pennsylvania, but this week it's even better. Lehigh University is situated right about an hour outside of Philly so I will be proudly rocking my black and purple here in Eagle nation!



My "Thought for Thursday" this week is one that I have definitely had before when it comes to our beloved Ravens. We have seen the situation play out far too many times before, have a killer game one week only to follow with a... less than stellar performance the next. The media has been incredibly complimentary of Flacco's performance in Monday night's game and I'll admit, he kind of surprised me too. One of the biggest questions going into this weekends matchup is whether or not this is the season that the Ravens can finally maintain consistency and play lights out football for 60 minutes, every week. After watching Monday's game, I have a lot of faith in this team. It seemed that they really made some fundamental changes on offense and the defense looked stronger than I thought they would minus T-Sizzle. This weekend, against Vick and the Eagles, Joe Flacco has an opportunity to prove to naysayers that he is an elite QB and is worthy of the praise he has been given this week. He also has the opportunity to do what he has done in the past... I won't go there.

I'm really excited to see what happens and can't wait to see the sad faces of all the Eagles fans showing up for class on Monday morning after we beat them on their own turf!

Feel like you might have missed some of the Ravens news today? Here are some interesting reads I stumbled across:

ESPN AFC North Blog: Consistency is Joe Flacco's next hurdle
NFL.com's Week 2 Predictions (Ravens 24, Eagles 20)
Ravens Focused On Keeping Momentum
Ravens Offense Dialing Up Deceptive Play Calling

And just because it's been a while... here is a newer Ray Lewis pump up video! My favorite line... "It's better to be respected than liked!"

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Wednesday Wrap-Up and a Look Ahead to the Eagles

Good morning Ravens fans!

Just as I am, I'm sure most of you are still reveling in Monday night's win. However, it's officially midweek and time for the Ravens to start looking ahead towards their trip to Philly this weekend!

Here are a few more articles you might find interesting about Monday night's big win as well as what to look forward to in this weekend's matchup:

ESPN's AFC North Blog: Harbaugh, Flacco Shine
ESPN's NFL Quarterback Ratings (Flacco is #3 - Total QBR is 95.1)
BaltimoreRavens.com News: 'Critically Important' To Solidify Ravens Run Defense

And here are a few of my favorite shots from the Ravens vs. the Bengals:
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Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Weekly Power Rankings: We Have Arrived

Anyone else still riding the high from last night's game? Feels so good to be a Ravens fan today!

It's Tuesday which means only one thing around here... time for NFL and ESPN's weekly power rankings! The consensus...? We are officially on everyone's radar!

NFL.com
This week: #4
Last week: #8
"The top three scoring teams in Week 1: New York Jets (48), Baltimore Ravens (44) and Chicago Bears (41). Those clubs, in theory, could all finish in the top five in defense this season. On that note, how does Ed Reed still have that explosion in his 11th season?"




ESPN.com
This week: #3
Last week: #6

"Maybe Joe Flacco wasn't as far off as many thought when he said he was the best quarterback in the NFL."


Overwhelmed With Pride


There are really no words to describe just how proud I am of not only how the Ravens performed last night. The pride that I felt for my city and this incredible football team was greater than ever before as the Monday Night Football cameras scanned our beautiful harbor skyline and zoomed in on Ray Lewis's face full of emotion during the National Anthem.

I will admit, following the preseason games, I had my doubts. It was frustrating at times to watch what looked like the same tired football that we grew accustomed to last season. I wanted to see Joe get the ball in the air and down the field and I wanted to see our defense play with that "lights out" mentality that Baltimore is known for. Maybe they didn't deliver this for me in the preseason, but last night... the Ravens showed up BIG TIME!

Looks like everyone else around the league was just as impressed as Ravens fans were! Check out what people are saying this morning about our beloved black and purple beasts:

NFL.com
Joe Flacco Week 1 Highlight Video 
Quick Take: Ravens Look Like Contenders In Rout
Ed Reed Takes Interception to the House, Record Books
Joe Flacco Makes Big Statement for Baltimore Ravens

ESPN.com
Ravens No Huddle Offense Is Sharp
Joe Flacco, Ray Rice Lead Ravens in Season-opening Rout of Bengals
AFC North Blog - Rapid Reaction: Baltimore 44, Cincinnati 13

Baltimore Ravens Homepage
The Breakdown: It's A New Day For Ravens
Ed Reed Greatest INT Returner Ever
Offensive Line Has Some Surprises

WNST (Post-game Press Coverage)