The New York Jets have a Ravens flavor, one that impresses Baltimore general manager Eric DeCosta but does not concern him. During this offseason, the Jets have made former Ravens national scout Joe Douglas their general manager and recently added two more former Ravens front office assistants...More
The Ravens are a team in transition, and one of the toughest jobs this season belongs to the franchise’s marketing department. That group has to sell this football team. It doesn’t sound difficult because the NFL is the No. 1 sport in America and several major networks broadcast games every weekend...
The gradual improvements made by Lamar Jackson were noticeable during his second year of organized team activities and minicamp practices, but there is still much to do before he will be considered a top quarterback in the NFL. He’s still inconsistent, but has made strides since his rookie season,...
The success of the Ravens offense in 2019 will not only depend on the arm of second-year quarterback Lamar Jackson but the input of new passing game coordinator and receivers coach David Culley. When talking with any of the Ravens top team officials they think they got one of the best assistant...
The Ravens advanced to the NFL playoffs for the first time in four years, and maybe that is an indicator of things to come. The Ravens are ushering in a new general manager as longtime assistant Eric DeCosta replaces Ozzie Newsome, who has basically run the team’s on-the-field operations since...
Quarterback: Rookie Lamar Jackson still has to prove he can run a pro-style passing offense, and his weaknesses were on display against the Chargers. He struggles with poor mechanics, gripping the ball and the proper follow-through in his throwing motion. It’s hard for a running quarterback to...
Quarterback: Every week it’s easy to say rookie Lamar Jackson needs to improve as a passer, but he is the player who stirs this offense. His running ability adds a dimension either as a scrambler when the pass protection breaks down or on designed runs anywhere on the field. If he is to become...
Quarterback: Ravens rookie Lamar Jackson is so unpredictable. It’s not only from quarter to quarter, but play to play. He is exciting as a runner and makes plays because of his elusiveness, but fumbles too often. When he passes, you never know where the ball is going to go. But the kid shows patience...
The biggest play of the Ravens’ 20-12 win over the Buccaneers on Sunday might have occurred with 12:03 left in the second quarter and Tampa Bay ahead by six points. On the Ravens’ first play after a Buccaneers touchdown, running back Kenneth Dixon ran over right guard, bounced outside, and stiff-armed...
Quarterback: Lamar Jackson started off slowly but got better as the game went on. He is limited in the types of throws he can make and usually has to throw in the middle of the field because he doesn’t have the arm strength to go outside. But his athletic ability to make plays outside the pocket...
There are moral victories in the NFL, just not in December. A young team losing a close playoff game or falling to a high-quality opponent would be a confidence-builder. And the Ravens’ loss to the New Orleans Saints in October was a tone-setter. But the Ravens’ loss Sunday was nothing of the sort....
The Ravens proved in a 27-24 overtime loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday that they are serious playoff contenders, but they continue to be haunted by a problem that has recurred the past couple of years. The Ravens don’t have playmakers. They don’t have players on both defense and offense...
Quarterback: Lamar Jackson was effective as a runner and had 71 yards on 13 carries. He also threw two touchdown passes, but his passing motion is poor and so are his mechanics. He has given the running game an added dimension but does little for the passing game, often throwing behind or low to...
Defensive line: Few teams run against the Ravens anymore. It’s nearly impossible to run in the middle because tackles Brandon Williams and Michael Pierce dominate inside. Both are fully capable of taking on double teams but also penetrating into gaps and making tackles. Ends Brent Urban and Chris...
Ravens cornerback Jimmy Smith was being asked Tuesday about getting older — 31 next month, his ninth NFL season this fall, likely his 100th career game this September — when he started to chuckle. He’d noticed a theme to the questioning. "God, this old talk!" he blurted out to no one in particular...
A few weeks ago, the Ravens’ season was on the brink of collapse, but they have strung together three straight victories to climb back into the playoff picture. A tough, hard-nosed running game and a dominant defense has led the resurgent Ravens, who play one of the top teams in the NFL Sunday...
Quarterback: It looked as if both Lamar Jackson and the Ravens were out to prove that he could win the game from the pocket, especially in the opening half. The Ravens finally decided to allow Jackson do what he does best in the second half, when he rushed nine times for 60 yards and finished with...
Only a couple of weeks ago some critics were suggesting the Ravens clean house and begin to rebuild. That phrase is used often, but few understand the pain involved. Just look at the Oakland Raiders (2-8), the Ravens’ opponent Sunday. The Raiders are still one of the NFL’s most storied franchises,...
No one in Baltimore should be breaking out the champagne glasses or drinking purple bubbly or Kool-Aid. That might not happen at all this year. But the Ravens beat the Cincinnati Bengals, 24-21, on Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium and they are a .500 team again. It’s not a big deal, but imagine if they...
Quarterback: There were no surprises to rookie Lamar Jackson’s game. He had problems reading the entire field and showed little pocket presence, except for the ability to just run. The good dual-threat quarterbacks run with a purpose, not just to take off. The Ravens catered to his talents and...