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Baltimore Banter

By SunBlaze22
9/04/2018 2:19 pm
Preseason is now here. Training camp has just been finished and now it's time to see the teams actually play for the first time in this league. In Baltimore, things are just heating up. There are many things to be looking for when you see them play for the first time on Sunday.

On offense, there is going to be a major battle for the starting QB spot between Robert Robinson and Mark Parker. The advantage will be in Robinson's favor as he is older and the more experienced of the two. Both are expected to play Sunday.

Another anticipated battle will be between the running backs. With William Marriott expected to be the starting RB, the rest of the backs will be expected to fight it out for the remaining spots.

Defensively, nothing is set in stone either. Although many players have been already selected to be starters, that could easily change in the course of a few games. It really is anybody's game.

Head Coach Quincy Brown is working hard to get his team into shape for their first preseason game. We'll see how it all works out this Sunday August 4th as Baltimore will be hosting Seattle in M&T Bank Stadium.

Re: Baltimore Banter

By SunBlaze22
9/13/2018 3:40 pm
Preseason is over, and it’s now finally the time everybody has been waiting for. In Baltimore, fans are excited to see their team play their very first regular season game. But before we get to that, an update on how the quarterback battle during the preseason had went.

First of all, Robert Robinson easily won the starting quarterback position over Mark Parker. After the first game, the competition was still close, with Robinson having the slightly better game. But after the third preseason game, Robinson was officially given the starting spot. With him sitting out the next game, it was the battle for the second string quarterback position. That’s right, Parker played so mediocre, that not only didn’t he get the starting spot, he was questionable to even get the backup spot. And after the last preseason game, the winner of that position wasn’t even clear, because BOTH backups played horrendous. They combined for 6 interceptions and a passer rating of 15.84. Needless to say, the QB Coach was not too happy.

But despite all that negativity, Baltimore fans are still hopeful for a good season. Player Jerseys and Game Tickets have already been bought.
One might even believe that there is magic in the air.

We’ll have to wait to see how that all turns out.
Baltimore will host the first game of the season at home, as they take on New York (N).

Re: Baltimore Banter

By SunBlaze22
9/21/2018 9:37 pm
The first four weeks sure were a doozy. Let's Recap:

Week 1: Baltimore won their home opener against New York with a win of 23-10. This was probably Quarterback Robert Robinson's best game yet, passing for 302 yards and one TD coupled with one interception. The defense held their own.

Week 2: This was the first game against a division rival, the lucky winner being Cincinnati. RB William Marriott ran 23 times for 122 yards, averaging a nice 5.3 yards per carry. This game also included the first ever punt block that the GM has ever witnessed in this type of league. LB Joe Borges both blocked and recovered the punt, and the Baltimore offense got to start at the opponent's 20 yard line. https://ros127.myfootballnow.com/watch/85#14697.
With a final score of 30-16, Baltimore emerged victorious.

Week 3: The team traveled to Cleveland for their first away game of the season. To be honest, this game wasn't really that interesting for either side. And the only scores were field goals.
It was an ugly win, but it's still a win. 9-6 Baltimore.

Week 4: Baltimore hosted Washington this time. The offense couldn't really get much yardage on the ground, but they did manage to run it in the endzone for two rushing TDs. The defense was able to come up with three turnovers, one interception and two fumble recoveries.
Final score: 20-10 Baltimore.

At the end of Week 4, Baltimore is one of four teams in the league without a loss yet. But despite their record, they haven't exactly been playing spectacularly. The passing game is still a bit dysfunctional and the running game has been hot and cold.

"We haven't been playing great. Not by a longshot, we have a lot of work to do before we get to that point. But what we have done is play well enough to win. And that's at least something," said Head Coach Quincy Brown.

Next week, Baltimore will travel to sunny Miami in another away game. Miami is currently leading their division, so this will not be an easy battle.

Re: Baltimore Banter

By SunBlaze22
10/08/2018 3:25 pm
It's Week 11 and Baltimore Kicker Nelson Drinnon still can't make a kick to save his life. He currently has a 68.8% field goal percentage, completing only 22 of 32 total kick attempts.
The problem hasn't been super worrisome until this week at Pittsburgh when he missed an extra point. Get a load of this guy.
There may have also been some yelling from the Head Coach in the sidelines.

In other team news, the Ravens are now 8-3, and tied leading the division.
Their last two games have been losses, the last one being from division rival Pittsburgh. A strong sense of rivalry has seemed to erupt between the two teams. They are now both 1-1 against each other.

Baltimore received it's first loss in Week 5 against Miami, who scored with a 68 yard TD pass with 53 seconds left in the game to win it. Young offensive lineman Frederick Holmes played terribly in the fourth quarter, allowing his defender to pressure the QB on almost every single play. He has been moved to second string ever since.

Another interesting game was in Week 6 against Philadelphia. The score was tied for the majority of the fourth quarter at 10-10. It was looking like it was going to go into overtime.
With 21 seconds left to go in the game, Baltimore attempts a field goal for the win and…he misses the 53 yarder. Big surprise there. It’s still tied. Turnover on downs. Two plays later, Baltimore safety Gary Smoak intercepts the ball from Philly to give them one more possession. The offense is quickly able to complete a 26 yard pass to get them in FG range again. With 2 seconds left now, Drinnon nails the last field goal before the buzzer. A 51 yard field goal kick to win the game.

Offensive woes have continued to be their biggest issue, and we will have to see if those will still persist in future games. If they don't shape up soon and fix their problems, they might lose their shot at getting into the playoffs.

Next week, Baltimore will host Cleveland for a super big game. Both teams have records of 8-3 and they are tied in first place for the AC North division.
The winner of this game will be winning their division for the time being. It's a tight race and anything can happen.

Re: Baltimore Banter

By SunBlaze22
10/19/2018 10:01 pm
It’s the beginning of the postseason and Baltimore fans have a reason to be excited about it.
That’s right, Baltimore has made it into the playoffs.
How?
Well…
Nobody is really sure how, but ******* it they did it and that’s all that matters now.

They played a couple great games in their final stretch.

In Week 12, they were able to beat out rival Cleveland to win the crown of the AC North division. This also might have been the first game where Nelson Drinnon hadn’t missed a single kick attempt.

The Week 15 game against Dallas was super competitive and really fun to watch for both teams. Despite losing the game, Baltimore played great. Particularly the passing game. QB Robert Robinson had his best game of the season, completing 24 passes for 468 yards with 4 TD’s and only 1 interception. He had a passer rating of 137.50. TE Armando Patterson also had the game of his life, with 6 receptions for 267 yards and 2 TD’s. Dallas won the game by completing a FG with 3 seconds left in the game.

Week 16 was a battle in NYC. A few starters sat out to not risk injuries so they can be healthy for the playoffs. Robert Robinson also had a questionable neck injury and the coaches wanted him to rest and heal for the playoffs. Backup QB Randy Wallace started and played a fairly good game. He had 1 rushing TD for 18 yards. CB Julius Smith had 8 tackles and 1 interception. RB Jeffrey Walters had a great game with 138 rushing yards, 1 TD, and a 6 average yard per carry.
Also Head Coach Quincy Brown may have bought the whole team Coney Island hotdogs afterward.

They are finishing the regular season with a record of 12-4 and have won their division, though the division was quite competitive this year (for the most part). They have clinched a first round bye week, so that should give the team more time to heal up and prepare. Fans are excited and readily anticipating to see their team in the postseason.
Will the Ravens play up to their fans’ expectations, or will they choke and lose any chance at advancing further?

Re: Baltimore Banter

By SunBlaze22
10/27/2018 8:31 pm
And it’s all over now.
Earlier than fans would’ve liked.

The Ravens have been defeated in the playoffs in the conference championship game. They played two playoff games and both were solved in overtime.

In the first playoff game, Baltimore battled Miami at home. Miami had previously beat them in the regular season and Baltimore was out for revenge. In a very defensive game, the score was tied at 3-3 at the end of the 4th quarter. With 17 seconds left in OT, Nelson Drinnon made a 52 yard field goal to seal the win in Baltimore’s favor. He had previously missed a 42 yard field goal on the previous drive. Safety Gary Smoak had 7 tackles, 1 forced fumble, and 1 recovered fumble in the game.

In their second playoff game, the Ravens flew to Tennessee. This time, Tennessee was the one looking for revenge as Baltimore had beaten them in the regular season. This game also a very defensive one, but this one was a bit more interesting. In the second quarter, from their own 11 yard line, Robert Robinson threw a 89 yard TD pass to Armando Patterson to give them the first points on the board. Later, each team completed a field goal. Baltimore also attempted a 24 yard field goal in the final minutes of the game, but missed it. On the next drive, Tennessee scored a TD to tie the game and bring it into overtime. From there, a lot of back and forth punting took place, but the game ultimately ended when Robert Robinson was intercepted while on their own 15. It was an easy 34 yard field goal for Tennessee to win the game after that.
Despite the loss, many Ravens players played great games. TE Armando Patterson had 4 receptions for 131 yards and a TD. WLB Joe Borges had 14 tackles. MLB Andrew Knight had 11 tackles and 1 forced fumble.

They were so close, yet so far.

And the same issue that has been plaguing them in the regular season is what ultimately was the thorn in their side, and cost them the game.
Kicking woes have tormented them since preseason and still have yet to be resolved. If Nelson Drinnon could just have made that simple 24 yard kick, they could have won the game. And the offense did such a good job of getting into the red zone on that drive too. That is definitely something they are going to have to work on if they want to do any better next year.

All in all though, it was still a great season for Ravens fans. The team played some pretty good games. Head Coach Quincy Brown thanks all of the fans for supporting them throughout the season.

Re: Baltimore Banter

By SunBlaze22
11/16/2018 8:47 pm
Draft Day Recap:

John Keaton (MLB) - With the 30th overall pick in the 2019 draft, the Ravens chose linebacker John Keaton from South Carolina. Coaches like him because of his good speed and high intelligence. He also currently has really good pass coverage skills already. His low volatility was another plus, but he still went (+8/-2) in training camp. He could definitely be a solid starter for the Baltimore defense, especially as some of their older linebackers continue to age.

Thomas Shumate (WLB) - In the second round, Baltimore took another linebacker. This was really just a Best Player Available situation, but it really did pay off. With 94 volatility, they really did take a risk with this pick. But it was a good gamble, and Shumate boomed in training camp (+15/+9). He’s got amazing potential in tackle ability, pass rush, strip ball, zone coverage, man coverage, and punish receiver. Plus he’s got 86 strength and 96 discipline. He could potentially be a star level player if he continues to improve. However, his biggest weakness is his speed and run defense.

Allan Brooks (FB) - For their third pick, Baltimore chose Allan Brooks from Washington State. Robert Wiseman retired in the offseason, and the Ravens were looking for another fullback to rotate in and share the load with John Martin. As another high volatility player that payed off, Brooks did quite well in training camp (+11/+7). He’s got good strength, high intelligence, and discipline. As far as attributes go, his avoid fumble, break tackle, and pass blocking skills are solid already. He’s also got great potential in run blocking, pass catching, and ball carrying. His biggest weakness however is his really low speed and acceleration.

In their following picks, the Ravens drafted WR Nicholas Patrick, FB Curtis Carpio, DT Antonio Vincent, and QB Raymond Reed respectively.

Patrick has great speed and acceleration, along with great pass catching and intelligence. However, his weaknesses lie in his low blocking and ball carrying skills. He also has some poor route running. Nevertheless, he should be able to speed up some of the Baltimore offense.

Reed has already been cut from the roster.

Re: Baltimore Banter

By SunBlaze22
12/02/2018 4:54 pm
It’s a new season, and things aren’t starting off too hot for Baltimore.

After the first three games, they find themselves standing 0-3.

In game 1, they played division rival Pittsburgh. The offense could not get any momentum going at all. Robert Robinson had 2 interceptions and 53.15 QB rating. The running game contributed 36 total yards. They did not score a single touchdown all game. The defense could not hold back the Pittsburgh offense, allowing them to score 36 points and win the game.

In week 2, it was another road game, this time against Tampa Bay. They did play better in this game, but still could not come up with the win. They did score one touchdown when Robert Robinson threw a 10 yard pass in the end zone to Damian Smith. Not much else interesting happened.

In week 3, they battled Indianapolis. Baltimore held the lead for most of the game, but in the final seconds of the game Indy’s offense marched down the field and scored a touchdown to win the game. Running back William Marriott sat out this game due to a concussion injury, but his presence was not greatly missed. Jeffrey Walters ran for 79 yards in 19 attempts,, averaged 4.16 yards per carry. Safety Gary Smoak had 10 tackles.

It is only three games so far, but if they continue to lose more this could be a lot more concerning. Especially given how well they played last season.
Nothing significantly changed in the offseason, so this definitely has a lot of fans and coaches scratching their heads.

However, one thing to note is that all of these games so far have been road games. Last season the Ravens played much better in their home games than in their road games, so maybe next week when they play their home opener against Cincinnati they will have more luck.

We can only hope things go up from here.