Ravens beat writer for PressBox, former BaltSun desk editor, Bucknell SID. Past winner CoSIDA National Story of the Year. Above all else, husband and father
What's it like to take a train from Baltimore to Montana? Here's my experience, and I'll say this: Four days riding trains with your 15-year-old daughter on that bridge between childhood and independence? Sign me up every time. ...
#Amtrak
#RideTheRails
#Ravens
QB Lamar Jackson has four straight games with 100+ passer rating. List of
#NFL
QBs with current streak of at least four games with 100+ passer rating:
Lamar Jackson
That's the list
Justin Tucker:”I’m kind of a transplant, but I’ve spent more than a third of my life out here…and for the city, you can tell the energy is high, it’s exciting around town. Folks are fired up for the Ravens and they should be..We’ve worked our tails off to be in (this) position.”
Lamar Jackson said before the final touchdown, Nelson Agholor told him in the huddle that Agholor thought the safety would stick with Agholor and the window would be open for Flowers. Jackson: "That's exactly what happened."
One of the more amazing
#NFL
statistics you will see:
Total points in each of the past four years for
#Ravens
K Justin Tucker:
2016: 141
2017: 141
2018: 141
2019: 141
Imagine in July being told that in December showdown for division lead,
#Ravens
depth chart would include:
QB: Josh Johnson, Kenji Bahar
RB: Devonta Freeman, Latavius Murray, Ty'Son Williams
CB: Anthony Averett, Tavon Young, Kevon Seymour, Robert Jackson, Daryl Worley
Jacoby Jones played for four teams, but he signed a one-day deal so he could retire as a
#Ravens
. Here's what he said on the day he officially retired:
If the
#Orioles
lose the division by a game or two, think back to the day they had nine guys at Norfolk with OPS of 1.000 or better but trotted out Tony Kemp and his .000 average as a pinch hitter in a tie game.
At some point, they really should try using their 26 best
Per
#Ravens
PR, Kyle Hamilton at age 22 is tied with TE Todd Heap as the youngest Pro Bowl selection in team history. Turns out both were both on March 16.
The Bengals alleged the Ravens had some dirty, late plays Sunday. John Harbaugh refuted that. But would love the Bengals explanation for Eli Apple grabbing Ben Powers’ leg here
A couple of months after the
#Ravens
signed Lamar Jackson to his extension, the Chargers signed Justin Herbert to an extension that topped Jackson’s.
Career reg-season records:
Lamar Jackson: 54-19
Justin Herbert: 29-31
Mike Macdonald is usually stoic, calm, methodical in public. Not sure I've ever seen him this fired up. It's clear how badly he wanted this one. The Ravens are at times accused of playing down to the competition, but they play up to it too, especially on the road.
Lamar Jackson finished 17-for-26 for 183 yards, with 2 TDs and 0 INTs. His passer rating was 111.5, his fourth straight 100+ passer rating since returning from the reserve/COVID-19 list.
I still find it curious that Gus Edwards had two carries on the
#Ravens
opening drive (gained 19 yards, then 0 yards) and had one carry the rest of the game. Ingram was banged up, making this even more curious. The Ravens just seemed to deviate completely from what got them here.
By the end of news conferences,
#Ravens
locker room was pretty much cleared out. Two still around were Patrick Queen and Odell Beckham.
I will say this: win or lose, good games or bad, throughout his time here, Queen as been approachable and honest. Much respect for that
Undrafted
#Ravens
WR Dontay Demus from Maryland had a nice catch from Lamar Jackson, extending his arms completely to haul in the pass deep down the left sideline
Fun fact: Josh Bynes joined the
#Ravens
after Week 4 in 2019, when they were 2-2, and they won 12 in a row.
He has played three games this year and they have won all three
He has won 15 straight regular-season games that he's played in as a Raven.
#Ravens
QB Lamar Jackson turns 24 today. He has his team in the playoffs for a third time. Age of notable QBs when they reached the playoffs for a third season:
Peyton Manning - 26
Brett Favre - 26
John Elway - 26
Tom Brady - 27
Joe Montana - 28
Drew Brees - 30
Calais Campbell said talk of frustration with Lamar Jackson was "a lot of outside noise. We’re here. We get to talk to him. We get to communicate with him and stuff. You can see him rehab. I was rehabbing with him. I know he put the work in, just didn’t get back in time. ...(1/2)
Chuck Clark ended up leading the
#Ravens
in tackles with 67, by far the fewest for any team leader in Ravens history. One reason for that: The Ravens opponents ran 921 offensive plays, the fewest in Ravens history. The other team just didn't have the ball that often.
The talent pool extends beyond the draft: Keaton Mitchell is one of 7 players on the
#Ravens
53-man roster signed by the team as undrafted rookies:
RB Gus Edwards
QB Tyler Huntley
OL Patrick Mekari
RB Keaton Mitchell
DL Michael Pierce
FB Patrick Ricard
K Justin Tucker
""The City of Baltimore accepted me. They took me in. I walk around here downtown, and people slam on their brakes and blow their horn. I’m like, ‘What’s up?!’ It is love, and I love it. I appreciate it. Everything has to come to an end, but at least it is here, and I thank you.”
#Ravens
K Justin Tucker didn’t want to revisit the pregame dustup with Travis Kelce before the AFC championship last year, simply said he will prepare for this game as he does for any other.
The
#49ers
entered yesterday's game with league-best 44 sacks. They had one sack of Lamar Jackson on 24 pass plays. Nick Bosa and Arik Armstead came into the game with combined 18 sacks, 29 QB hits and totaled 0 and 0. What a job by Orlando Brown, Ronnie Stanley and whole O-line
John Harbaugh said that right after the
#Ravens
returned from Los Angeles, there were 15 to 20 players in the weight room lifting. "Right off the plane ... I thought that was really cool. Guys were thinking recovery and getting right on the task at hand."
Per
@pfref
,
#Ravens
CB Anthony Averett targeted a season-high 16 times against the
#Bengals
, gave up 8 completions, Burrow's quarterback rating on passes targeting him was 65.1.
He finished with 7 tackles, team-best 3 PDs. Bengals hammered away at him and Averett held up well.
Shemar Bridges said the Ravens aggressively pursued him as an undrafted free agent, said they liked his size. He said he saw a good opportunity here. Bridges was holding an Orioles hat during an interview. “I’m becoming a fan,” he said with a smile
Of Justin Tucker's last 111 field goals from 57 yards or less, 0 have been wide or short; his only four misses of those 111 kicks have all been blocked.
Seeing some people blaming Harbaugh for playing Dobbins to extend preseason win streak. Just stop. Dobbins has hardly played this preseason, nor have many other starters.
#Ravens
simply trying to get No. 1 offense one series in preseason. Injuries happen. Just awful timing
Mark Andrews is irate and screaming at the official after no defensive pass interference called. Andrews, who was called for a ticky-tack pass interference call earlier, walked 10 yards down the sideline screaming at field judge Alonzo Ramsey.
Among Ravens defensive snap counts yesterday:
CB Marcus Peters: all 61
DE Jihad Ward 34
ILB L.J. Fort 29
ILB Josh Bynes 24
DL Domata Peko 22
DL Justin Ellis 21.
None of the six players had set foot in the Ravens facility as of Oct. 1.
Here is the play I referenced a few days ago. Watch Lamar Jackson at the end of this long run by Gus Edwards. Jackson isn’t even in the game at this point. His energy and enthusiasm is infectious and genuine. So easy to see why
#Ravens
players line up behind him.
Ravens top draft pick CB Nate Wiggins during DB drills. Kyle Hamilton, Marlon Humphrey, Brandon Stephens, Arthur Maulet among those on the field for
#Ravens
voluntary OTA workout
#Ravens
LB Roquan Smith said he recognizes he could have probably got more $$ if he hit free agency, but loves being with Ravens and sees it as an organization that will consistently contend for Super Bowl. Landing w/a team like that would be primary goal, and he's already here
The
#Ravens
announced attendance as 63,000 last night which is of course absurd. There were at least 30,000 empty seats. So I will continue to preach that the Ravens should go to every
#Baltimore
City rec center and just give each one 100 passes for these games …
So close: Kevin Zeitler has played in the NFL for 12 years, Morgan Moses for 10, Brent Urban for 10. Until last week, none had won a playoff game. Now each is one game from the Super Bowl.
Rashod Bateman finished his rookie year with 46 catches for 515 yards and 1 TD in 12 games, missed first five games after groin surgery in training camp.
Marquise Brown rookie year: 46-584-7
Show this kind of thing from
#Ravens
practice in Owings Mills, and John Harbaugh might have Justin Madubuike pound you into the ground like Tom and Jerry…. Team formation stuff is strictly strictly forbidden
Remember the reports that “some Yankees people” had issues with Orioles pitching, even though the Yankees hit way more batters than the Orioles do.
Good for Hyde.
Defense has taken its shots (with reason), but Lamar Jackson simply has to play better late in games.
Jackson 4th quarter this year, per
@pfref
: 29-45, 1 TD, 4 INT, rating of 56.3. Jackson QB rating by quarter this year:
1st -- 97.8
2nd -- 114.8
3rd -- 100.6
4th -- 56.3
Ravens S Earl Thomas was asked how the Ravens can contain the Chiefs and their high-octane offense: "Luckily the Ravens have me playing free safety. .... I plan on eliminating all the big plays.”
All
#Ravens
WRs in this game: 5 catches, 45 yards.
Robinson 3-27
Duvernay 1-14
Wallace 1-4
Eric DeCosta has liked to express confidence in this supporting cast of WRs. Other than Duvernay, it simply doesn't translate onto the field.
Geno Stone sat glumly in Anthony Levine’s apartment late one night in December 2020. Stone had just been cut by the
#Ravens
and claimed by the Texans. He told Levine he didn’t want to go. Levine told him to keep grinding and it will all work out. …
For the love of the game: Flacco: "I don't even know if I've gotten a check yet."
This is the guy that, upon signing his nine-figure contract with the Ravens, stopped at a McDonalds drive-thru
#Ravens
Rookie WR Zay Flowers always looks like there is no place he'd rather be than on the football field. Smiles constantly. Though he did have one drop when he ran before he had the ball, and as it happened right in front of the defensive sideline, they let him hear about it
Seeing Marcus Peters named First-Team All-Pro, recall that
#Ravens
GM Eric DeCosta traded a fifth-round pick and ILB Kenny Young to the
#Rams
for him. Peters was in final year of his deal, has since had his contract extended by the Ravens
Don't tell Ben Mason this game doesn't mean anything: After three years on various practice squads, he will play in his first regular-season NFL game tomorrow. Good for him.
The
#Ravens
announce that DB Daryl Worley has been placed on IR, and his roster spot taken by LB Jeremiah Moon. Also, they elevate S Andrew Adams and TE Ben Mason for the game tomorrow.
This was taken in the first quarter of the game today. This is every preseason game every year. Explain why
#Ravens
shouldn’t let a bus with 20 kids + chaperones from Greenmount West Community Center or other city rec centers squeeze in here. Yes, even if seats are sold.
Is Steve Bisciotti going to pony up and make him the de facto coach in waiting, as he did with DeCosta/Newsome? Bisciotti loves organizational continuity
"My big takeaway from last night's game is that
@Ravens
DC Mike MacDonald is the real deal. In a world of young hot shot offensive coaches, he's got 2024 head coach written all over him."
-
@PSchrags
A few
#Ravens
jersey numbers you might need to be familiar with today.
QB Josh Johnson is 15
CB Robert Jackson is 17
S Tony Jefferson is 31
CB Mazzi Wilkins is 39
C Adam Redmond is 53
T Jaryd Jones-Smith is 61
T David Sharpe is 62
RIP to Baltimore freelance sportswriter Jeff Seidel, who had been battling cancer for some time. Jeff was a kind and gracious presence in any press box, willing to grind away on preps coverage and able to take on any story with grace and skill. Prayers to his family.
The
#Ravens
honored retiring WJZ sportscaster Mark Viviano for 26 years of service. Really nice gesture for one of the classiest guys in the biz. Will miss you
@MarkWJZ
!!
According to the
#Ravens
roster, James Proche has switched from No. 3 to No. 10 with Odell Beckham Jr. taking No. 3. I imagine Proche might have earned a little something for the switch...
Greg Roman has said running the play clock down to zero essentially shortens the game and steals minutes from the other team. So I am trying to figure the logic of two incompletions that stop the clock with an 11-point lead, essentially handing the Falcons an extra minute or more
Lamar Jackson was asked if this is his team now: "It's our team. All of us together. This is our team. I don't go out there and block. I don't go out there and catch the ball, I don't make tackles. I just do my part."
Tylan Wallace said he sat in his car in the Ravens facility parking lot as 4 p.m. approached on cutdown day last year, and only knew he made the team when his phone didn't ring. Shouldn't ring this year, either
Marcus Peters played 65 of the Ravens 72 defensive snaps yesterday. L.J. Fort played 56, Josh Bynes played 54, Jihad Ward played 39. None were in the organization three weeks ago. Amazing rebuild-it-on-the-fly being undertaken by Eric DeCosta, John Harbaugh, Wink Martindale
Mark Ingram: "I think this might be one of the best teams I ever played on. 2011 Saints was a great team, the past two teams I've been on were great, but there's something special about this group of guys."
#Ravens
off coordinator Greg Roman said Lamar Jackson had run/pass options on failed fourth-and-3 late in the Steelers game. (Jackson ran up the middle and was stopped a yard short).
Roman: "When plays don't work, I blame myself," adds that execution "could have been tighter."
Lamar Jackson is trending every day, but there is never any news. He wants a fully guaranteed deal.
#Ravens
have shown no interest in going there. Here we are, same place we have been for a year.
As the players left the field, Lamar Jackson went and found Dolphins DL Zach Sieler. They were drafted together by the Ravens in Ozzie Newsome's last draft class in 2018. Sieler was officially Newsome's last pick ever.
#Ravens
QB Lamar Jackson on injury danger: "... especially when I'm inside the pocket ... When I'm out on the edge, I kind of avoid it all the time, but when I'm in the pocket trying to complete a throw, that's when nine times out of 10 they're going for my legs. ...
I was told the Ravens had a third-round grade on Vorhees before the injury. Because of his NFI year, his four-year rookie contract begins now. So if, after the injury, he is the player the Ravens hoped he would be, Vorhees could be a real bargain with that Day 3 draft move
Andrew Vorhees is one of the more intriguing stories of
#Ravens
camp. The Ravens traded back into the 2023 draft to grab him last year after he tore his ACL at the Combine, knowing 2023 would be a lost year. They love his work ethic and he is right in the mix for open LG spot
Andrew Vorhees is one of the more intriguing stories of
#Ravens
camp. The Ravens traded back into the 2023 draft to grab him last year after he tore his ACL at the Combine, knowing 2023 would be a lost year. They love his work ethic and he is right in the mix for open LG spot
One of the most impressive things you can say about John Harbaugh as
#Ravens
coach is that in 11 seasons, other than the Flacco-Suggs-everyone-else injury year of 2015, the Ravens under Harbaugh have played ONE regular-season game while eliminated from playoff contention
Mark Andrews: “I’m excited. This is what I love to do. I love to play football. I love the Ravens. I love this city. I am going to give ‘em everything I got.”
Should the Browns not be allowed to wear brown jerseys since the ball is brown? And what about when Eric Weddle said the Rams had no idea where the ball was .. and the Ravens were wearing all purple? Another possibility: Jackson is really good at selling a fake.
Richard Sherman among those backing Tim Ryan: "If you’re saying, ‘Hey, this is a brown ball, they are wearing dark colors and he has brown arms,’ honestly, we were having trouble seeing it on film."
Kyle Hamilton said he felt pretty good today and will know more later this week whether he can go Sunday. He said he was getting ready to go back in a third time on Sunday when trainers told him he should sit out and the risk wasn’t worth it. The guy clearly wants to play.
A smiling Eric DeCosta on reaction of Ozzie Newsome, Alabama legend, to the
#Ravens
picking an LSU guy for the first time:
"He kept saying something, but we muted him. Then, he kept waving his hands, and then the video went out. ... I think it was the Russians "
Players in
#Ravens
locker room seemed relaxed and loose today despite the huge media throng and playoff week. Having fun, laughing, going about their business. No outward sense of added pressure. It's been a loose, close locker room all season.
OK,
@NFL
, your move.... At least be honest and say the quiet part out loud: It's not about the safety of the teams, or the stadium employees, or the flight crews. It's all about the $$$
And I'm still hearing there will a few more players added to this list based on today's testing. Ravens scheduled to fly to Pittsburgh late tomorrow. They've had positive tests 3 straight days.
@MileHighReport
The Ravens game had already been postponed before Lamar Jackson tested positive. It was postponed because there was a clear outbreak that had not been contained. It is certainly fair to question why the NFL insists on going forward this way when the owners approved contingencies
Per
#Ravens
PR, Kyle Hamilton has 9 tackles for loss this season, the most by a Ravens DB in a single season in franchise history. Ed Reed had 8 in 2003. Hamilton's 9 TFL also lead all NFL DBs this season