Congratulations, Brett Favre

Today Brett Favre, who has the most QB wins in NFL history, connected for his 421st career touchdown, passing Dan Marino for top billing on the all-time list.

Two more interceptions and he'll have the record in that department, too. George Blanda, get ready to celebrate.

In the process, Favre earned for himself a 50th career 300-yard game, and he took the Packers to 4-0, which no one outside of the Favre family would have thought possible.

Brian Billick should be fired

Billick's poor play calling
By the time Willis McGahee got his third carry during today's 27-13 loss to the Browns, Cleveland had already scored two touchdowns. Brian Billick refused again to call McGahee's number early and often, instead relying on an injured Steve McNair and a suspect air attack.

Billick has never been good with clock management, and ever since he found Willis McGahee in his offseason stocking, he has lost his ability to call a good game, too. The Ravens need to run the ball and play defense.

Today, McNair had 53 pass attempts. Fifty-three!

Billick couldn't even challenge a play without screwing up. The Ravens kept Jamal out of the end zone but unfortunately Billick kept the red flag in his pocket too long. Touchdown, Jamal.

McNair or Boller?
Some say Kyle Boller should be the full-time starter, and I'm not sure I would disagree. I definitely think he should have played today. McNair looked uncomfortable. But for Billick to put Boller in the lineup at halftime or later would be to admit that he was wrong, something that Billick is not capable of doing.

Yeah, McNair engineered a nice touchdown drive midway through the fourth quarter, but you can't wait until the end of the game to make things happen, especially when you're down by three touchdowns. Even if it is the Browns.

Short-term issues
As suspected, the Ravens' secondary today was Swiss cheese. Fortunately, the problems with the secondary will be alleviated with the return of Trevor Pryce, who will strengthen the pass rush and take some pressure off the defensive backs.

Long-term issues
The bad news is, though, that the Ravens' biggest problem almost certainly won't be addressed until the off-season, and even then there is no guarantee. I'm talking about Brian Billick, who has an ego that wouldn't fit inside of an NFL helmet (or "hat" if you're a sucker for this year's trendy network language).

Not everything is Billick's fault -- the defense is aging; injuries, blah blah blah -- but Billick runs the ship, and he is running it into the ground.

Billick takes too many chances when he shouldn't (throwing the ball early and often) and not enough when he should (4th and short in the red zone). As a result, the Baltimore Ravens are 2-2 after what should have been the team's easiest four-game stretch.

All of which brings me to my point...

Fire Brian Billick
It has been a great nine years, but the time has come for Billick to go.

Give defensive coordinator Rex Ryan the job instead of letting another talented assistant walk (Marvin Lewis, Jack Del Rio, Mike Nolan, Mike Singletary).

Might I be overacting? Sure. Am I in denial about Baltimore's aging defense? Probably. Should I sleep on it before calling for Billick's head? Maybe.

But that's the beauty of the blogosphere: Half of you will agree and the other half will disagree, but three weeks from now 90 percent of you will forget.

Ravens-Browns preview and prediction

I watched The Departed for the third time last night, and it gets better each time you watch it. Anyway, today is my last day of vacation, and what better way to spend it than watching the Ravens square off against the Cleveland Clowns. Tomorrow it is back to California.

Jamal Lewis said that he knows and will exploit the weaknesses in Baltimore's defense. Terrell Suggs and Ray Lewis have invited him to bring it on, be my guest, we have no weaknesses, yada yada yada.

Both sides are wrong.

Jamal: You won't be able to exploit Baltimore's weaknesses. The Ravens are nasty against the run, and you know this. Baltimore's run D is the best in the biz. That won't change today.

Ray Ray and Sizzles: Sorry, guys, but the defense does have weaknesses. It's called the secondary. And without Trevor Pryce there to provide a pass rush -- Dwan Edwards in relief ain't going to cut it -- the shaky secondary is further exposed.

Also, Samari Rolle is out with an undisclosed illness but I'm not sure whether that's a good or bad thing. Rolle's play has been spotty over the past two seasons, and Corey Ivy has played well in his absence.

The Internets are ablaze with rumors as to what Rolle's illness is (STD? vertigo?) but does it really matter? The only thing that matters is that he's not going to play. Get well soon, Samari.

So will Baltimore pull off the road win today?

To quote Mark Wahlberg's character in The Departed: "maybe, maybe no, maybe f*ck yourself." Cleveland is a tough place to play, and the Browns always play the Ravens close.

Baltimore's defense may once again bend, but Cleveland should be easier to break. Willis McGahee gets at least 125 yards on the ground.

Baltimore 31, Cleveland 16

Ray Lewis on Yardbarker!

Great news, Ravens fans: The one and only Ray Lewis has joined Yardbarker as an official athlete blogger. Bart Scott and Mark Clayton have been blogging on Yardbarker for a while, but for Ravens fans nothing is as exciting as Ray Lewis.

And Ray Ray's blog doesn't disappoint, either.

Excerpts from Ray Lewis' first post on his Yardbarker blog:

On the team's early struggles: "...if you're a true fan of the Baltimore Ravens, go look at our record when we play in November and December. They're talking about all these hard teams that we've got. But the bottom line is no matter who lines up and plays football against us – if you're a Ravens fan, your bet is good."

On this weekend's Browns game: "That's a division game, not a Jamal rivalry."

On life: "...off the field, when you're dealing with everyday issues – understand that everyday issues are supposed to be there… but at least seventy-percent of them we create ourselves. But when we're able to slow life down, we'll really appreciate chasing our purposes."

Against the spread: NFL picks (week 4)

Each week Jeff and I will be offering our picks against the spread.

Jeff's resume: He is familiar with Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and Larry Johnson, but he's never heard of Frank Gore or Lance Briggs, and he thinks Steven Jackson plays for the Seahawks.

On the season
Jeff: 24-19-5 (26)
Blogimore Ravens: 19-24-5 (20)

Last week
I picked up one game and two points (thanks, Vince Young). Slowly I'm creeping back toward the glorious town of .500-ville, where the guy who thinks Steven Jackson plays for the Seahawks has been all along.

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Jeff's picks (week 4)
Ravens at Browns (+4.5): Browns
Bears at Lions (+3.0): Bears
Texans at Falcons (+2.5): Texans
Raiders at Dolphins (-4.0): Raiders
Jets at Bills (+3.5): Bills
Rams at Cowboys (-11.5): Cowboys
Packers at Vikings (+1.5): Packers
Steelers at Cardinals (+5.5): Steelers
Buccaneers at Panthers (-3.0): Buccaneers
Seahawks at 49ers (+2.0): Seahawks
Chiefs at Chargers (-12.0): Chargers
Broncos at Colts (-9.5): Colts
Eagles at Giants (+2.5): Eagles

Monday Night (two-point game)
Patriots at Bengals (+7): Bengals

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Blogimore Ravens' picks (week 4)
Ravens at Browns (+4.5): Ravens
Bears at Lions (+3.0): Lions
Texans at Falcons (+2.5): Texans
Raiders at Dolphins (-4.0): Dolphins
Jets at Bills (+3.5): Jets
Rams at Cowboys (-11.5): Cowboys
Packers at Vikings (+1.5): Packers
Steelers at Cardinals (+5.5): Steelers
Buccaneers at Panthers (-3.0): Panthers
Seahawks at 49ers (+2.0): Seahawks
Chiefs at Chargers (-12.0): Chargers
Broncos at Colts (-9.5): Broncos
Eagles at Giants (+2.5): Eagles

Monday Night (two-point game)
Patriots at Bengals (+7): Patriots

Thanks, Polish D & S'booty!

Polish D: Thanks again for letting me stay at your place here and there for the past two weeks (and thanks to Tom and Nick for their D.C. hospitality, too).

Each year, Polish D lets me invade his Federal Hill home for whatever Ravens home games I can attend. This year it was the Jets and Cardinals.

We drink beer, knock on wood constantly (neither of us are superstitious except when it comes to the Ravens) and, lately, we complain a lot about Billick's questionable play calling and horrible clock management. Occasionally we grill food and watch either NASCAR or English Premier League soccer football.

Polish D also introduced me to No Way Jose, which is my favorite spot to celebrate Ravens victories and lament the rare (knock on wood) losses. It is also a great place to take unnecessary tequila shots... as if tequila shots are ever really necessary.

You're the man, D. Thanks.

S'booty: S'booty and I almost got matching Orioles tattoos in 1997. All that stopped us was the fact that the Orioles didn't win the World Series. Today Baltimore winning it all is a laughable thought, but that was the year the O's went wire-to-wire and won the AL East. Our agreement was clear: If the Orioles win the World Series, we get inked.

Maybe the Indians upsetting the O's in the playoffs wasn't so bad after all?

Thanks for hanging out post-game yesterday, S'booty. You were right; the Purple Patio at Mother's is a great place to drink tall boys and get down to Ludacris. San Francisco doesn't have anything quite like it, but when you make it out west I'll be sure to show you a good time.

And in response to your email: Yeah, I think the penalties on Devard Darling (for jumping into the stands along with Yamon Figurs to celebrate Yamon's punt-return TD) and Demetrius Williams (for spin-dropping the ball after a catch) were both ridiculous. It's not like they're stealing signs or drowning dogs. Let the kids have some fun, Roger Goodell. Of course, when the Steelers do it they should be penalized harshly.

Ravens, Cardinals, etc.

I haven't been posting much in the past 10 days because I've been on vacation, which is where I'll be this week, too. I'll return to daily posts after next weekend's games. Until then, enjoy my lazy analysis of yesterday's game.

I turned to my brother in the fourth quarter of yesterday's Ravens/Cardinals game and said, "Somehow the Ravens will find a way to keep this game closer than it needs to be." What I didn't know is that they would find a way to nearly lose the game.

After the Cardinals, led by backup QB Kurt Warner, rattled off 17 straight points, the refs saved the day by calling a personal foul that pushed the Ravens into field goal range late in the fourth. Matt Stover lined it up and knocked it down: 46 yards as the clock expired.

Baltimore 26, Arizona 23

Bad defense in Baltimore
Unlike last week's game against the Jets, yesterday's close call had less to do with Billick's questionable clock management and play calling, and more to do with sloppy defense and poor tackling.

The good news
Kyle Boller played well in relief of Steve McNair, who also played well. Willis McGahee looked great. The Bengals lost.

Against the spread: NFL picks (week 3)

Each week Jeff and I will be offering our picks against the spread.

Jeff's resume: He is familiar with Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and Larry Johnson, but he's never heard of Frank Gore or Lance Briggs, and he thinks Steven Jackson plays for the Seahawks.

The score
Jeff: 16-13-3 (18)
Blogimore Ravens: 10-19-3 (10)

Last week
My second straight losing week confirmed what I have long suspected: I am not good at picking against the spread. Unfortunately, the guy who thinks Steven Jackson plays for the Seahawks is doing pretty well so far. Somehow I'm not surprised.

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Jeff's picks (week 3)
Dolphins at Jets (-3): Jets
Cardinals at Ravens (-7.5): Cardinals
Chargers at Packers (+4): Chargers
Bills at Patriots (-15): Bills
Colts at Texans (+5): Colts
Rams at Buccaneers (-3.5): Rams
49ers at Steelers (-8.5): 49ers
Vikings at Chiefs (-2.5): Chiefs
Lions at Eagles (-6.5): Eagles
Browns at Raiders (-3.0): Browns
Jaguars at Broncos (-3.0): Broncos
Bengals at Seahawks (-3.0): Bengals
Giants at Redskins (-4.0): Giants
Panthers at Falcons (+4.0): Panthers
Cowboys at Bears (-3.0): Cowboys

Monday Night (two-point game)
Titans at Saints (-5.0): Saints

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Blogimore Ravens' picks (week 3)

Dolphins at Jets (-3): Jets
Cardinals at Ravens (-7.5): Ravens
Chargers at Packers (+4): Chargers
Bills at Patriots (-15): Patriots
Colts at Texans (+5): Colts
Rams at Buccaneers (-3.5): Buccaneers
49ers at Steelers (-8.5): Steelers
Vikings at Chiefs (-2.5): Chiefs
Lions at Eagles (-6.5): Eagles
Browns at Raiders (-3.0): Raiders
Jaguars at Broncos (-3.0): Broncos
Bengals at Seahawks (-3.0): Seahawks
Giants at Redskins (-4.0): Redskins
Panthers at Falcons (+4.0): Panthers
Cowboys at Bears (-3.0): Cowboys

Monday Night (two-point game)
Titans at Saints (-5.0): Titans

Angry Eagles fans (plus Ravens/Cardinals prediction)

I'm a Villanova alum. One of the things I miss most about Philadelphia is sports-talk radio. I can listen to it for hours. The fans are loud, angry, often ignorant and subsequently nearly always hilarious.

And that's when they win.

After last night's Eagles/Redskins game, which the Eagles lost at home by more than a touchdown, Philly fans will be going berserk, even more so considering that Donovan McNabb missed a wide-open receiver on the second-to-last play of the game.

It could have been, should have been, an easy touchdown. McNabb read the blitz perfectly but the pass sailed wide right. If he connects on that pass and the Eagles get a two-point conversion, the game goes into overtime. If that happens...

What sports fan doesn't love a great what-if conversation?

Today I'll be driving up to Newport, Pennsylvania (population: 1,500) to spend some time with a friend who works at a farm. Even though I suspect it is Steelers country, I'm hoping en route I'll be able to catch some Philly sports talk.

I want to hear what the City of Brotherly Blood has to say about McNabb. My guess is that after losing nine of 12 starts since starting the Super Bowl, including six of his past seven, Eagles fans will be screaming for backup Kevin Kolb.

Personally, I think it's way too early to put McNabb out to pasture.

Back to the Ravens: I'm not sure when I'll be posting again so I'll give you my Ravens/Cardinals prediction now, just in case: Ravens 23, Cardinals 17.

Hopefully at some point later this week I'll have a chance to offer more detailed thoughts on the game. At the very least, I'll be offering my week 3 picks against the spread. With a little luck, I'll be able to have a losing record for the third straight week. That would be great.

Which is worse: Trevor Pryce's injury or Brian Billick's coaching?

After week one, the Ravens had to worry about injuries to Steve McNair, Ray Lewis, Jonathan Ogden and B.J. Sams. After week two, questions about half of those players have been answered: Ray Lewis quieted doubts with a game-ending interception of Jets QB Kellen Clemens, and the Ravens confirmed concerns with B.J. Sams by placing him on injured reserve. Season over.

But questions remain about Jonathan Ogden and Steve McNair, the former of whom may need another week off, and the latter of whom will probably start next week. And new questions are raised about Trevor Pryce, who yesterday broke his wrist against the Jets.

When Pryce left the game, the Ravens' pass rush effectively ended, though this may have been because the Jets went to max-protect defense late in the third quarter.

Today's news confirmed what yesterday's rumors suggested. Pryce underwent surgery on his broken wrist, and he is expected to miss between three and four weeks.

Targeted return date for Trevor Pryce: Sunday, October 21, at home against the Buffalo Bills.

Fortunately the Ravens have a soft schedule for the next month. Granted, three of those games are on the road, but they're against the Browns, Niners and Bills. By the time they go on the road against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Pryce should be ready to go.

So while injuries are an early concern for the Ravens, the truth is they'll probably be able to muscle through those with a decent enough record to not raise any season-ending concerns (i.e., they're going to make the playoffs). What may be more of a concern, though, is Brian Billick's coaching.

Billick's ego has gotten ahead of itself. He wants to win with a balanced offense. He wants to win with a passing game that matches the ground game. He wants the Ravens' offensive reputation to match its defensive reputation. What he doesn't want is to stick with what works: running the ball and playing great defense.

Bottom line: If Brian Billick doesn't start running the ball more than he throws it, Baltimore might be in for a long season.

Jamal and the Browns: Congrats (and thank you)

When Jamal Lewis left Baltimore this offseason, most Ravens fans were happy to see him go. Not necessarily because they didn't like the guy, though many by that point didn't, but because they knew it was time for a change.

He was always my favorite Raven not named Ray, so even though I thought it was a good move for the franchise, I was disappointed to watch Jamal pack his bags, and I didn't particularly enjoy the anti-Jamal vitriol coming out of Charm City.

Fans called Jamal twinkle-toes for his tendency to stutter-step at the line. Some called him a lot worse. He was taken to task for smoking cigarettes (Newport), which may or may not be true. All former allegiances crumbled when Jamal, after joining Cleveland, criticized the front office and coaching staff in Baltimore.

I was mad for a few hours when I read his words, but eventually decided that Jamal's speaking out was his way of earning goodwill with new fans in a new city. He almost certainly was sincere in his criticism, but an off-the-cuff interview does not erase an otherwise great run in Baltimore.

He helped bring a Lombardi Trophy to Baltimore following the 2000 season. In 2003 he set the single-game rushing record of 295 yards, and he racked up more than 2,000 on the year.

Despite no longer playing in Baltimore, he continues to contribute.

Yeah, it's only been two games, but Jamal Lewis has been Baltimore's most valuable running back this year. Without Jamal, the Browns don't beat the Bengals yesterday. And without the Browns beating the Bengals, Cincinnati is sitting pretty at 2-0. But as it stands, Cincinnati, like Baltimore, is 1-1.

Thanks, Jamal, for yesterday and the years before. I'll be cheering for you 14 games a year.

Great, good, bad and ugly (Jets/Ravens)

Let's start with ugly.

Brian Billick's play calling. Again. When the Ravens were up by two touchdowns at the start of the fourth, he should have chewed up the clock with Willis McGahee. Instead he kept rolling the dice and airing it out.

BAD
Rex Ryan's prevent defense. Baltimore gave up 107 yards and a field goal through three quarters. The Ravens gave up 10 points and nearly 200 yards (197) in the fourth alone.

GOOD
Kyle Boller's play. A first-quarter pass sailed wide, but it was not an erratic sign of things to come. Zero turnovers, two touchdown passes, and an overall strong performance from the guy half of Baltimore would love to see fail.

GREAT
20-13, Ravens. It was not a blowout like I expected, but like Ed Reed said after the game: "Bottom line, we won."

Will Chad Pennington play?

The four-letter network's John Clayton today reported that Chad Pennington is 50/50 for this afternoon's match-up between the New York Jets and the Baltimore Ravens.

His ankle is feeling better, and he has lobbied the coaching staff for a chance to give it a go. For the past few days it was all but certain that backup QB Kellen Clemens would make his first NFL start.

Just in case you missed it the first 108 times that I mentioned it, regardless of whether or not Pennington plays, the Ravens will win big.

Things I like about the Jets

I've spent the better part of a week now trashing the New York Jets. It's nothing personal. Like Ray Lewis said, "The bottom line is the Jets pulled a bad draw. It's just the way it comes down."

But I'm feeling generous, probably because en route to the couch on which I sit is a sausage, egg & cheese bagel and some coffee.

So here is a list of five things I like about the New York Jets.

1) J-E-T-S... Jets, Jets, Jets! It's the best chant in the NFL. Simple, original and not effectively copied. If you disagree, listen to Eagles fans try to pull off E-A-G-L-E-S... Eagles!

2) Draft Day presence: If the league decides to move the draft out of New York, one of the things I'll miss is watching hordes of angry Jets fans complain about the team's selections.

3) They're not New England: I don't want to get much into Bill Belichick's spying, but the short version is that "Belicheat" should have been suspended.

4) Chad Pennington: His shoulder is made of butter and his arm strength negligible, but Pennington knows how to play quarterback, and while at Marshall he helped put Randy Moss on the map.

5) The fans: Never in a million years would they do something crass like boo an injured player.

Ravens/Jets preview: player quotes

Today Jets QB Kellen Clemens makes his first-ever NFL start, and unfortunately for him it's against the league's best defense.

Clemens: There's not a lot of weak points in that chain. They're very talented. They'll be a challenge for us."

Baltimore's take:

Trevor Pryce: "If you let one of those random, unknown guys to build some confidence, they can hurt you badly. Some young guys don't really have enough sense to be afraid. They don't think about the consequences, so they just wing it. Sometimes you'll see a young cocky kid out there, and he'll say to himself, 'This is like high school. I'm the man!' That's when you know you're in big trouble. Trust me, you want to crush their confidence right away."

Jarret Johnson: "We definitely try to rattle young guys. With an older guy you know that getting hit probably doesn't bother him. That's not always true with a new quarterback, so you hit him to find out if he can take it or not. You want to be aggressive and try to intimidate him."

Ed Reed: "We're not a typical defense that you can pick up. It's something that takes time for a quarterback that's coming in for the first time. I'm sure he's excited, but at the same time somewhere in the back of his mind he's a little shaken up."

Ray Lewis: "I don't know one person in this organization, as well as our city, that's thought about 0-2. The bottom line is the Jets pulled a bad draw. It's just the way it comes down."

Source: Ravens beat reporter Aaron Wilson.

Waiting for the Jets game

I've been in Baltimore for less than 24 hours, with a little more than 24 hours to go before kickoff, and so far I've done nothing but immerse myself in south Baltimore. I love San Francisco, but Baltimore is a city that flies under the radar with a lot to offer. Or maybe I'm just biased because I grew up in Charm City.

This morning it was Federal Hill, Mother's specifically, where "Polish D" and I wet the whistle and made plans to smoke a pork shoulder for tomorrow's pre-game festivities. It was a return to the scene of the crime, where last night in Federal Hill unnecessary tequila shots encored free Ravens koozies, or maybe it was the other way around?


Fact: Beer tastes better in a Ravens koozie.

It has been a long eight months since I've been to M&T Bank Stadium, where last January the Ravens defense shut down Peyton Manning and the high-powered Colts offense, only to watch Steve McNair & Co. get shut down completely by the typically weak Colts defense.

It looks as though Steve McNair will start tomorrow, but honestly I think you could line up Troy Smith under center tomorrow and the Ravens beat the Jets. Tomorrow will be all about Willis McGahee.

Brian Billick last week was so desperate to prove that he can field a balance offense that he got away from what works and instead found himself calling upon Kyle Boller to get it done in the red zone with the clock ticking. If he pulls that sort of lame-brained play calling this week, Ravens fans will be calling for his head, and many of them are already.

Prediction:
Ravens 27, Jets 0.

Ravens - Jets: post-game podcast planned

The previously mentioned podcast-preview of Sunday's Jets/Ravens game will now instead be a post-game podcast, taped Monday evening and hopefully made available that same night. Our schedules didn't allow for a pre-game podcast, so post-game it will be.

The only difference will be that instead of discussing with NY Green Machine a hypothetical a$$-whooping of the Jets, I'll be talking about what by that time will be yesterday's a$$-whooping of the Jets.

I guarantee the Ravens will win big.

Side note: Word is that Steve McNair practiced today, which increases the likelihood that he'll play on Sunday.

Side note, deux: I just arrived in Baltimore for Sunday's game. I'll also be here for next week's game against the Arizona Cardinals.

Go Ravens.

Ravens - Jets preview (podcast in the works)

Sports Cartel Blog Network has invited me to do a podcast-preview of Sunday's Ravens/Jets game. Also participating will be NY Green Machine, a Jets blogger.

Worth noting: The president of Sports Cartel Blog Network is a Ravens fan, and can be found online at Ravens TD.

There's a lesson to be learned here, kids: Cheer for the Ravens and someday you will be president. Of something. Currently I'm president of the imaginary Stevie Thompson fan club. Growing up, Thompson was my favorite college hoops player.

Stevie Thompson yucks it up with his former coach, Jimmy B.

I'm not sure what to expect, but I imagine it will involve me discussing all of the reasons why the Jets stand no chance of winning in Baltimore. I'm game for that.

As soon as we figure out the details, I'll post them here.

Against the spread: NFL picks (week 2)

Each week Jeff and I will be offering our picks against the spread.

Jeff's resume: He is familiar with Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and Larry Johnson, but he's never heard of Frank Gore or Lance Briggs, and he thinks Steven Jackson plays for the Seahawks.

The rules
Each game is worth one point except Monday-night games, which are worth two points. The games in which we choose different teams will be highlighted in red.

The score
Jeff: 7-7-2 (8)
Blogimore Ravens: 3-11-2 (3)

Last week
Thanks to Alex Smith's last-minute heroics, I'm down by only five points instead of seven. As it stands, five points is a lot. Fortunately it's a long season.

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Jeff's picks (week 2)
Texans at Panthers (-6.5): Panthers
Bills at Steelers (-9.5): Bills
Colts at Titans (+7.5): Colts
Packers at Giants (-1): Giants
Saints at Buccaneers (+3.0): Saints
Falcons at Jaguars (-10.5): Falcons
49ers at Rams (-3.0): 49ers
Bengals at Browns (+6.5): Bengals
Seahawks at Cardinals (+2.5): Cardinals
Vikings at Lions (-3.0): Vikings
Cowboys at Dolphins (+3.5): Cowboys
Jets at Ravens (-3.0): Ravens
Raiders at Broncos (-9.5): Raiders
Chiefs at Bears (-12): Chiefs
Chargers at Patriots (-3): Patriots

Monday Night (two-point game)
Redskins at Eagles (-7): Redskins

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Blogimore Ravens' picks (week 2)

Texans at Panthers (-6.5): Panthers
Bills at Steelers (-9.5): Steelers
Colts at Titans (+7.5): Colts
Packers at Giants (-1): Giants
Saints at Buccaneers (+3.0): Saints
Falcons at Jaguars (-10.5): Falcons
49ers at Rams (-3.0): 49ers
Bengals at Browns (+6.5): Bengals
Seahawks at Cardinals (+2.5): Seahawks
Vikings at Lions (-3.0): Vikings
Cowboys at Dolphins (+3.5): Cowboys
Jets at Ravens (-3.0): Ravens
Raiders at Broncos (-9.5): Raiders
Chiefs at Bears (-12): Bears
Chargers at Patriots (-3): Patriots

Monday Night (two-point game)
Redskins at Eagles (-7): Eagles

Ray Lewis: injury update

Great news, Ravens fans.

Ray Lewis' tricep is injured but not torn. He remains a game-time decision for Sunday's match-up against the Jets, but my guess is that he'll play.

Billick: "It's my understanding that it's not torn, but that may be a technical nuance. I'm certainly not going to contradict the athlete."

Of course you wouldn't want to contradict Ray, because not only is he a great linebacker, he's also a doctor in his spare time and his hobbies include reading MRIs, right?

I'm not going to contradict the athlete.

Ridiculous.

Why can't Billick just say, "Ray thought it was torn but it's not. That's why Ray plays football instead of working at Johns Hopkins."

Here is what Ray had to say about his injury:

“I'm great, my arm feels so much better. It's just a bad strain. I don't see nothing changing with my status. Is the pain there? Of course, but it is what it is. There's nothing torn, that's always a blessing."

"To go through a day of letting it heal and I’m like, 'Wow, I'm actually fine.' When something freakish like that happens and you lose control of your arm, you get kind of nervous. I looked in my teammates' eyes, and I knew there was no way I was going to let one arm keep me from fighting."

"Hopefully, the pain doesn't get any worse. I can't hurt my team any, so let's just go. I'm going to go through what I got to go through, pain-wise. I told my mom, 'It's just one arm. I've got a whole other body left.'"

Guarantee: Ravens crush the Jets

Ravens fans are still recovering from Monday's embarrassing performance on national television against the Bengals. The play calling was terrible, the execution sloppy, and the result fitting: Chalk one up in the loss column.

Fortunately the Ravens won't have to worry about Jets QB Kellen Clemens raising his arms in triumph on Sunday.

Yes, four key Ravens are injured (Ray Lewis, Jonathan Ogden, Steve McNair, B.J. Sams), but the Jets' projected starter is a 2006 second-round draft pick out of Oregon with a total of four career pass attempts.

I'll take four injured players over four career pass attempts any day. The Ravens have enough muscle on the defensive side of the ball to make do without Ray Lewis, who regardless says he will play on Sunday, torn triceps or not. How that is even possible is beyond me. The man is a beast.

B.J. Sams is out for the year, so of course he won't play, and I'd be shocked if Ogden played even a down. Frankly, I think his career is over. Next stop: Canton. Thanks for a great career, J.O. My guess is that McNair won't play, either, which means it will be up to Super-Boller to get the job done.

Injuries won't matter because when Clemens gets a glimpse of the greatest defense in the world, he'll wet his pants. The NFL is worlds apart from the Pac-10. I expect the Ravens to win big... double-digits big.

I don't care what the spread is: Take Baltimore.
Even if Kyle Boller is the starter: Take Baltimore.
But what if Chad Pennington plays? Doesn't matter: Take Baltimore.

The Jets could put Tom Brady at quarterback and Baltimore would still win big. Here are five reasons why:

1) Willis McGahee loves the Jets. He has a history of walking all over their defense, and he did it behind an offensive line in Buffalo that was much weaker than Baltimore's offensive line, with or without J.O.

2) Things can't get any worse. The Ravens went on the road against a great offense in Cincinnati, turned the ball over six times, fell victim to terrible play calling and questionable officiating, and despite all of that they lost by only a touchdown.

3) Baltimore is embarrassed. Not only are they embarrassed, they're angry. That is not good news for the J-E-T-S... Jets, Jets, Jets!

4) The Ravens' run defense is incredible. Good luck, Thomas Jones. This is not the NFC North. It's not even the AFC East. This is the AFC North, and in Baltimore chumps like you don't sniff 100 yards on the ground. You'll be lucky to get 80. Unfortunately for the Jets, it's going to take double that for New York to have a chance to pull off the upset.


Thomas Jones: Please don't make me run the ball against Baltimore!

5) It's back to basics. The Ravens will run the football and control the clock. If the Ravens throw the ball 40 times, like they did against the Bengals, I'll donate $100 to the charity or player foundation of whomever on the Jets has the best game on Sunday. Seriously.

###

Prediction: Ravens 27, Jets 0

Ravens injury update: Who missed practice today?

Defense:
1) Ray Lewis (LB)
2) Samari Rolle (CB)
3) Gary Stills (LB)

Offense:
1) Jonathan Ogden (LT)
2) Steve McNair (QB)
3) Daniel Wilcox (TE)

Four big-time names on that list, two each on offense and defense. Fortunately the Ravens have time to heal; they don't have a quote-unquote tough game (knock on wood) until November 5, when they play the Steelers on Monday night.

Also today: The Ravens moved RB Cory Ross to the active roster, signed WR Romby Bryant to the practice squad, and officially placed KR/PR B.J. Sams on injured reserve.

Source: WNST.net and AM 1570 (Baltimore)

Going out on a limb: I think Jonathan Ogden's career is over. If after an entire offseason he can't make it even halfway through a game, how is he going to heal up in a few weeks and keep playing?

He elected not to have surgery on his toe this offseason, and he won't have surgery now. Football isn't that important to him. He was close to retiring this offseason, and I think the time has come for the other shoe to drop. It was a great run, a Hall of Fame career, but I suspect Ogden is done.

Baltimore Ravens: KR B.J. Sams' season is over

A few minutes ago I received a text message from WNST.net/AM 1570 (Baltimore) that KR B.J. Sams is out for the season because of an injury. I'm not exactly sure what he injured. There were so many injuries last night that it was tough to keep track. And really, at this point, it doesn't matter. His season is finished because of injury for the second straight season.

Last year it was somewhat of a death blow, but this year the Ravens have rookie F-16 (a.k.a Yamon Figurs, #16), who now will probably handle kick returns. He may even handle punt returns, though based on Ed Reed's 63-yard punt return for a TD last night and the fact that Figurs was skittish about fielding punts during the preseason, perhaps Reed will handle a few of the team's punt returns.

The question is, should the team run the risk of having Reed fielding punts? The Ravens can't afford too many more injuries. Already they have to worry about Jonathan Ogden, Ray Lewis and Steve McNair, three of the team's best players, two of whom are the unquestioned leaders on their side of the ball. Still, I think it is worth the risk. Put Ed Reed in the open field and let him touch the ball.

Rookie KR/PR "F-16," a.k.a Yamon Figurs:

Watching sports on TV: east vs. west?

The good folks over at East Coast Bias, one of my favorite sports blogs, had a guest post the other day from a west-coast blogger, who argued that watching sports on the west coast is better than watching sports on the east coast. I didn't actually read the entire post because a) it was about 8,000 words long (not really but it looked that way), and b) I don't need to be convinced.

I lived on the east coast for 22 years and have lived on the west coast since 2000: Watching sports on the west coast is much better. Earlier starts, earlier finishes.

If you live on the east coast and don't agree, ask yourself, "Did I catch the end of the 49ers/Cardinals game last night?" If you were asleep, then I rest my case. If you're excuse is, "Who cares about the Niners and Cards?" then that may be a fair point. But keep in mind that it very easily could have been two heavyweights, and you still probably would have been asleep drooling on the pillow.

Great comeback last night for Alex Smith and the 49ers.

Game-winning TD by Arnaz Battle with less than 30 seconds to play

Baltimore Ravens: injury update

Ray Lewis will have an MRI tomorrow (Tuesday) to determine just how badly his triceps is injured.

He says that he tore it on the first play of the game (previously it was reported to be the third play of the game). The Ravens are saying that it's not torn. The truth is neither of them will really know much of anything until after the MRI.

Jonathan Ogden "probably" will have an MRI on his toe.

"I knew I was hurt when [Justin Smith] bull-rushed me," Ogden said after the game. "It just gave out, and I knew I couldn't go on it."

I was surprised Ogden even suited up tonight. I expected him to be on the sideline. His toe injury, which had him considering retirement this offseason, was hardly a secret. It's going to bother him all year no matter what, so whether it's in week 2 or week 12, supplement draft pick Jared Gaither better get himself ready to play. Adam Terry will play left tackle for the time being, but Gaither is the long-term successor to J.O.

As far as I can tell, no word yet on Steve McNair's groin injury. But the fact that he didn't play when it was 1st and goal with the game on the line tells you all you need to know: Steve McNair is not doing well. Kyle Boller signed a one-year contract extension a few days ago, and next Sunday against the New York Jets he very well might get the chance to prove he deserves it.

New England Cheaters (oops, Patriots)

It has been reported that the New England Patriots are being investigated by the NFL for using a video camera to steal signals from the New York Jets.

From the four-letter network: NFL security confiscated a video camera and its tape from a New England Patriots employee on the team's sideline during Sunday's game against the Jets in a suspected spying incident, sources said.

This same spy "employee" was removed from the Patriots/Green Bay Packers game last year after security officials suspected him of similarly shady video-camera behavior.

The Packers' president had this to say about last year's incident: "From what I can remember, he had quite a fit when we took him out. We had gotten word before the game that they [the Patriots] did this sort of thing, so we were looking for it."

I like Tom Brady. He's a great competitor, humble and clearly one of the best quarterbacks in the league, and arguably one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play in the NFL. But with regard to what I like about the Patriots, that's about it.

In what is pure schadenfreude, I hope the recent allegations are true.

Remember last season when Belichick refused to shake hands with New York Jets head coach Eric Mangini after Mangini's Jets beat the Patriots, 17-14?

Sour grapes.

Head coach Bill Belichick is smug, and the team's fans are more obnoxious than most, though in all fairness the latter may just be guilt by association with Red Sox fans.

Baltimore Ravens - Cincinnati Bengals: game recap

What I liked about tonight's game is a very short list:

1) A rejuvenated run game (sort of). The run game looked improved, which will be good news when the Ravens find themselves with a lead, but tonight Brian Billick was allergic to running the ball when it mattered most: 1st and goal at the 5-yard line with less than two minutes to play and the Ravens down by a touchdown.

Here is what I did not like about the Baltimore Ravens' 27-20 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals:

1) The play-calling. Because of a penalty, Brian Billick had seven plays inside of the 5-yard line to score a game-tying touchdown, but he could not get it done. Instead of handing the ball to his 40-million-dollar man, Willis McGahee, Billick chose instead to ask backup quarterback Kyle Boller to win the game with his arm, which even without hindsight I would have