'Baltimore Ravens Fans Fully Participating in Overreaction Monday'

A really good critical but optimistic piece about what the Ravens are capable of accomplishing this season despite this weekend's bump in the road. 

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"The loud thud you heard outside this past Sunday wasn't another earthquake in the mid Atlantic region, it was the sound of Ravens fans crashing back to earth after Baltimore's 26-13 loss to the Tennessee Titans.

However, there is no need to panic in the Charm City. The Ravens are exactly where most thought they would be after games. They just won the game we thought they would lose, and lost the game we thought they would win. They are not the team we saw dominate their hated rivals, the Pittsburgh Steelers last Sunday, and they are not the team we saw fail to show up and play in the Music City yesterday.

They are somewhere in between, and because of the talent on the roster and their weak strength of schedule, they are still a threat to win the AFC."

Harbaugh's Take on Sunday's Game

Today is not as fun as last Monday was...

Any other Ravens fans rolling out of bed this morning with a slightly less exciting start to their Monday morning than last week? My Monday morning routine usually includes scouting Twitter for the latest Ravens news to report and let's just say that today's headlines are not at all what I had hoped I'd been reading. That being said, Ray Lewis summed it up best yesterday saying that the team has no choice but to accept the loss, learn from defeat and press onward as they are faced with another game on the road this weekend. 

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They certainly aren't the same types of news stories we were reading last week but if you happen to be interested in the media buzz surrounding yesterday's game, here are a few of this morning's headlines:

One of my favorite sportswriters, Aaron Wilson (aka Ravens Insider), dishes out his Ravens report card and a corresponding post containing the three keys to why the Ravens lost to the Titans. Let's just say that this week, the Ravens GPA was most definitely not a 4.0.

I am excited to see former Baltimore Sun writer Jamison Hensley thriving on ESPN.com as the new AFC North blogger. Check out his latest, 'Wake-up call: Week 2 in review' to see how he believes the Ravens fared in comparison to their AFC North foes. For those following the Ravens long-term deal with Haloti Ngata; also worth reading is Hensley's recent post 'Ngata deal unlikely before deadline'.

Finally, check out B-more Birds' Nest's latest post on yesterday's 'Titanic Letdown Game'. Did the Sports Illustrated cover this week jinx us? Regardless, they best sum up sentiments regarding yesterday's game... 

"The early returns indicate that we could be in for yet another season of maddening inconsistency from a team that has the talent to be much better."

Ray Lewis talks about loss to Titans

Post Game Thoughts

Jarret Johnson on Hasselbeck and Titans

Flacco talks about frustrating day in Tennessee

Will the real Baltimore Ravens please stand up?

Instant analysis from today's disappointing showing on behalf of the Ravens in Tennessee, go ahead a pick your poison...

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'Hasselbeck Steers Titans' Surprise of Ravens' - NFL.com (includes video)
'Ravens: Ravens fall 26-13 to Titans' - Aaron Wilson, Ravens insider
'Ravens fall flat in 26-13 loss to Titans' - Baltimore Sun
'At First Glance: Ravens at Titans' - BaltimoreRavens.com
'Game Recap - Ravens at Titans' - BaltimoreRavens.com
'Ravens-Titans: Instant analysis' - Comcast Sports Network
'Ravens Fall Flat to Titans: 26-13' - Baltimore Beatdown
'Titans Stun Ravens 26-13' - Ravens Gab

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WHAT TIME IS IT?!

An old favorite... enjoy!

Terrell Suggs: AFC Defensive Player of the Week and Ravens' New Sack King

It has been an exciting week for Terrell Suggs who earned the title of AFC Defensive player of the week, announced yesterday. 

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He also broke franchise records for the Ravens, earning himself the title of 'Sack King'.

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In the win over the Steelers, Suggs became the Ravens all-time leading sacker with 71.5 for his career. 

According to Baltimoreravens.com, Harbaugh notices the ways his leadership has evolved both on and off the field. 

“You’re talking about some great sack artists that have been here,” Ravens Head Coach John Harbaugh said after the game. “This has been a high pressure type of a deal. Terrell Suggs is a premier player. He’s one of the best players in the National Football League. He’s one of the premier defensive players that everybody game plans around.”

“He’s one of the best leaders I’ve been around,” said Harbaugh. “This guy is one of the hardest working guys I’ve ever been around. He’s part of the heart and soul of our team and our defense.”

Ravens Make It Into 3 of NFL.COM's '10 Best Shots from Week 1'

All photos from the original post at NFL.com

#8 

#5

#2

Congrats to Jamison Hensley

Ever since I started following Ravens news on a daily basis for my blog, I have enjoyed reading the work of Baltimore Sun's Jamison Hensley. I wanted to take a moment as a Ravens fan to congratulate him on his move to ESPN.com as the new ESPN AFC North blogger! Most of my readers know that I link to the ESPN AFC North blog very frequently so I look forward to enjoying the work of one of my favorite sportswriters at his new home!

Check out his introductory post!

2011 NFL Power Rankings Week 2

The numbers are in, the Ravens moved up on both the NFL and ESPN rankings this week following this weekend's big performance!


NFL's top 5:
1. Packers
2. Patriots
3. RAVENS! 
4. Eagles
5. Texans


ESPN's top 5:
1. Packers
2. Patriots
3. Eagles
4. RAVENS! 
5. Jets 

AFC North's Stock Watch

Looks like fans are safe buying stock in the Baltimore Ravens according to  ESPN's AFC North Blogger James Walker. In his weekly post 'AFC North's Stock Watch' Walker says that the Ravens defense and Joe Flacco are both in the 'rising' category:

1. Ravens' defense: Baltimore tied a team record with seven turnovers against Pittsburgh. I thought about breaking down the accolades individually in this "Stock Watch," but there were too many good performances. Defensive end Terrell Suggs had three sacks and became Baltimore's all-time sack leader with 70.5. Pro Bowl defensive tackle Haloti Ngata had four tackles, caused a fumble and tipped the ball at the line for a Ray Lewisinterception. And Ed Reed had two picks off Roethlisberger for another multi-interception game.

2. Joe Flacco, Ravens quarterback: Flacco finally got over the hump of beating Pittsburgh with Roethlisberger under center. Now, he can move on with the rest of his season. Few quarterbacks have faced more offseason scrutiny that Flacco. He responded with 224 yards and three touchdowns against Pittsburgh. The pass protection was good and Flacco took advantage. He looks ready to make a jump in Year 4. 

Falling stock? You guessed it, the Steelers defense and Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger!

Flacco and Rice Earn Their Spot On This Week's Sports Illustrated Cover!

A Look Ahead

I am in no rush to put this weekend's football excitement behind me but it is getting to be that time that we start to look ahead to the coming weekend and what is in store for us as we travel to Tennessee. 


Bleacher Report released their picks for Week 2 of the NFL and here are some of the highlights of what they had to say about the Ravens versus the Titans:


"If last week's win over the Pittsburgh Steelers taught us anything, it's that the Ravens will be able to do whatever they damn well please against Tennessee. The Ravens executed well in every aspect of the game in a dominating performance over Pittsburgh.

If Baltimore can beat up on the defending AFC champions, what will they do to one of the worst teams in the NFL?

Tennessee can hope to play solid base football, but even that is a stretch. The Ravens are too big, too strong and too well coached right now."

The prediction for the outcome of this game is that the Ravens will beat the Titans 48 to 3. That seems like an awfully large win, what do you think? Can the Ravens deliver another pounding this weekend?

AFC North Power Rankings

According to ESPN's AFC North Blogger James Walker, after the Week 1 games, we can expect some significant changes in the new NFL power rankings out Tuesday. 

Here are some of the big changes to look for in the rankings with particular attention to our AFC North competition:

The Ravens were ranked No. 8 going into the opening weekend, and Walker personally ranked them No. 5 (the highest rating he recieved.) Following yesterday's game, Walker had this to say:

"Analysis: I voted the Ravens the highest last week at No. 5. I believe they're the best team in the AFC North this season. Baltimore thoroughly outplayed the Steelers to add confirmation to that prediction. If the offensive line continues to protect the way it did against Pittsburgh, Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco could make major strides this year. "

Ravens projected position in tomorrow's NFL Power Rankings: 4-7

The Steelers were ranked No. 3 going into the opening weekend. Following yesterday's game Walker had this to say:

"Analysis: The Steelers were one of the NFL's most surprising teams in Week 1 -- and not in a good way. Pittsburgh was dominated by Baltimore and looked like a shell of last year's team. Most likely Sunday's showing was just a horrible outing. But you wonder if Pittsburgh is getting old fast. I expect the Steelers to get back on track. But they could have one of the biggest drops this week."

Steelers projected position in tomorrow's NFL Power Rankings: 8-11

Check out the original post to see what he had to say about the other two AFC North competitors, the Browns and the Bengals!

Still Riding the High From Yesterday's Win

Waking up on a rainy, muggy Monday morning certainly wasn't as bad as it could have been as I found myself reflecting on the events of the Ravens performance yesterday. It certainly is a good feeling to be on a college campus full of Steelers fans and know how that they aren't waking up today with the similar excitement.

I thought I'd share some of the post-game coverage that I've most enjoyed reading with any other fans who may want to continue to relive yesterday's epic moments!

Possibly one of the most exciting headlines in my opinion, was that of this AFC North ESPN blog post written by James Walker in which he boldly states; "Confirmed: Ravens AFC North Favorites." This is exciting because Walker seems to favor the Steelers in most of his AFC North coverage. He has been particularly hard on Flacco at times and enjoys doting on the Steelers when making comparisons between the two teams. Check out his full post to see just how impressed he was with the Ravens play yesterday!

The Baltimore Ravens website's post-game article reminds us all the significance of this win for Joe Flacco and his career history. This was his first defeat of Big Ben and an impressive one to say the least. For all the insider coverage from locker room video to quotes from Flacco and teammates, check out the full post from Ryan Mink.

A favorite sportswriter of mine, Aaron Wilson, covers the Ravens win in this article from the Carroll County Times Online. He doles out grades to the various team components with his Ravens report card and offers some great analysis on things that didn't sway in their favor yesterday.

In his post game report, MASN's Dan Kolko poses the question, is this win more significant than any other? To most fans the answer would be a resounding YES but players seemed to express opposite sentiments claiming that it's a new season and the past is the past. Check out his full article to see what he thinks and to hear from some of the players.

I will leave you all with this video that will probably leave me smiling for days! Maybe Hines Ward should have focused a little less on his dancing career in the off-season...