Iggy’s Ravens Report – November 27, 2012

Iggy’s Ravens Report – November 27, 2012


News & Commentary


News and Personal Thoughts:
Regarding Maryland’s move to the Big Ten, I consulted a few local experts, and after the initial shock wore off, they think it is a good move, and actually wish it was happening sooner. They are already tired of hearing “ACC” chants from opposing fans.


Ravens:
After floundering the first half, as we are used to seeing the Ravens virtually dead on the road, the offense came alive in the 2nd half, thanks to a tired(?) Charger Defense, gutsy pass plays by Flacco, creative running by Ray Rice, and possible a little help from the officials. After in depth analysis, I think the refs got the 4th and 29 conversion right, although the ball placement is very suspect both on the previous first down marking and the readjusted location. The defense has improved as young guys are maturing quickly, and having Suggs back on the front line adds a significant element for opposing O-lines to prepare for. Special teams may be subject to some turmoil in coming weeks as David Reed has been activated off the PUP. Ray Lewis is expediting his return and could be back as early as week 15. With a win on Sunday, and a Bengal loss, the Ravens would clinch the division title, but Cincinnati is playing at San Diego, and we know what they have to offer. Roethlisberger says it’s killing him to watch from the sidelines, and he claims he will try to play on Sunday against the Ravens, but we’ll have to see what the medical and coaching staffs have to say about that. 1 game is not more important than the man’s life if that dislocated rib is not completely healed. The stealers still hold the distinction of the number defense in the NFL, and the Ravens still need to get more creative and consistent on offense, otherwise this will be another close slug-fest. Running the rookie up the middle on 4th and 1 will not get the job done when the entire universe knows what’s coming. Fake the hand-off and send Joe on a naked bootleg to the left, with a TE emergency valve cutting across the middle. They would have gotten the 1 yard, and possibly a TD. No one was covering that for SD.

Orioles:
O’s are still looking for a heavy bat to add, with Josh Hamilton’s name still in the mix. But all has been quiet at the warehouse lately.

Alouettes
Toronto defeats Calgary 35-22 for the 100th Grey Cup.

Blast:
The Blast defeated Wichita and previously unbeaten Missouri to take sole possession of first place with a 7-0 record. The Blast are off this weekend, and will face Wichita at home on December 7.

Chesapeake Bayhawks: (Home games at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium)
MLL draft set for January 11 in Philadelphia at the US Lacrosse National Convention. Admission is free, and the keynote speaker before the draft is Dick Vermeil.

Charm:
The Charm will open the 2013 season at Jacksonville on May 25.

Capitals (See website for more details):
Frustrations are rising among players as it is becoming evident that not all players want the same thing. Mediators are being brought in to help the negotiations, but without direction, it will be meaningless. Meanwhile, NHL advertisers are pulling out (or not signing up), and more players are defecting to alternative leagues.

Wizards (See website for more details):
The Wizards are now 0-12, shooting for inverse perfection.

Mystics (See website for more details):
Nothing to report.

D.C.United (See website for more details):
Houston plays LA for the MLS Cup on Saturday.


What do you want to see in the Ravens report? What should be scrapped? Actually, never mind. No one is reading this anyway so you probably won’t know the difference. Send an email to iggy at tealdragon.net. Thanks!

Schedule

2012 Preseason
Date Opponent Time Result
Thursday, August 9, 2012 @Atlanta Falcons 7:30 PM W 31-17
Friday, August 17, 2012 Detroit Lions 8:00 PM L 27-12
Thursday, August 23, 2012 Jacksonville Jaguars 7:30 PM W 48-17
Thursday, August 30, 2012 @Saint Louis Rams 8:00 PM L 31-17
2012 Regular Season
Date Opponent Record Time Result
Monday, September 10, 2012 Cincinnati Bengals 18-14 Overall, 11-6 Home 7:00 PM W 44-13
Sunday, September 16, 2012 @Philadelphia Eagles 1-1-1 Overall, 1-0-1 Away 1:00 PM L 24-23
Sunday, September 23, 2012 New England Patriots 1-7 Overall, 0-2 Home 8:20 PM W 31-30
Thursday, September 27, 2012 Cleveland Browns 19-7 Overall, 10-3 Home 8:20 PM W 23-16
Sunday, October 7, 2012 @Kansas City Chiefs 3-3 Overall, 2-0 Away 1:00 PM W 9-6
Sunday, October 14, 2012 Dallas Cowboys 3-0 Overall, 2-0 Home 1:00 PM W 31-29
Sunday, October 21, 2012 @Houston Texans 6-0 Overall, 3-0 Away 1:00 PM L 43-13
Sunday, November 4, 2012 @Cleveland Browns 19-7 Overall, 9-4 Away 1:00 PM W 25-15
Sunday, November 11, 2012 Oakland Raiders 6-1 Overall, 4-0 Home 1:00 PM W 55-20
Sunday, November 18, 2012 @pittsburgh steelers 14-21 Overall, 6-12 Away 8:20 PM W 13-10
Sunday, November 25, 2012 @San Diego Chargers 4-4 Overall, 2-4 Away 4:05 PM W 16-13 OT
Sunday, December 2, 2012 pittsburgh steelers 15-21 Overall, 8-9 Home 4:25 PM
Sunday, December 9, 2012 @Washington Redskins 3-1 Overall, 2-1 Away 1:00 PM
Sunday, December 16, 2012 Denver Broncos 6-3 Overall, 5-0 Home 1:00 PM
Sunday, December 23, 2012 New York Giants 3-1 Overall, 1-0 Home 1:00 PM
Sunday, January 30, 2012 @Cincinnati Bengals 18-14 Overall, 7-9 Away 1:00 PM

Relevant Football Links

Iggy’s Predictions

  • Week 12:
    • Houston over Detroit (+3.5). Eat early. The turkey will be better than this game. …Boy was I wrong. Best game of the day! Houston wins, but Detroit covers.
    • Skins (+3.5) over Dallas. Dallas is in Chaos while RG3 is bucking for some kind of rookie award (which he won’t get) A few mercy scores made this game look close. Skins win and cover.
    • Pats over Jets (+6.5). Patriots are on a war path. Belichick is on a rampage, running up the score. Pats win and cover.
    • Jax (+2.5) over Tennessee. Both teams are struggling for an identity, but Jax has covered the spread 4 time this season. Blieve me now? Didn’t think so. Jags win and cover.
    • Colts over Bills (+3.5). Colts have Luck on their side. Colts win by 7 thanks to 2 TDs by Hilton (receiving and kick return). Colts win and cover.
    • Cleveland over stealers (+0.5). Virtual toss up, but Cleveland will find a way to win at home against Charlie Batch. 8 turnovers will do ANYONE in, but since it was against Cleveland, the game stayed close. Browns win and cover.
    • Denver over KC (+10.5). Blow out of the week. KC proves to have a decent Defense yet again. Broncs win, but don’t cover.
    • Miami (+2.5) over Seattle. Fins at home. Last second field goal puts Fins ahead for good as they win and cover.
    • Tampa (+0.5) over Atlanta. Atlanta is looking very shaky lately. 1 points game. Falcons win and cover…. barely.
    • Chicago over Minnesota (+0.5). Bear D to dominate at home against Vikings. … and they did as Bears win and cover.
    • Cincinnati over Oakland (+7.5). Bengals are peeking in the playoff picture while Oakland is looking at college draft options already. Bengals are a tie-breaker away from the 6 spot in the AFC as they win and cover against Oakland.
    • San Diego (+0.5) over Baltimore. We suck on trips to the West Coast… and the East Coast… and… With 7:51 left, I thought I was going to be right. Glad to be wrong as Ravens win and cover.
    • Rams (+2.5) over Zona. Cards to start a backup QB while St. Louis is 6-3 as the underdog, and 2-0-1 in the division. Rams finish strong to win and cover, and stay unbeaten in division.
    • Saints (+1.5) over SF. Saints are creeping back in to the playoff picture, while Harbs has lit his own QB controversy. 2 Pick-6’s are the difference in the game as San Fran wins and covers.
    • Packers (+2.5) over Giants. Giants are lost right now. Eli’s back… but for how long. Giants win and cover.
    • Panthers (+2.5) over Philly. Philly is in worse shape than the Panthers right now. Eat left over turkey, it will help you sleep through this game. Philly flounders again. Panthers win and cover in this battle of cellar dwellers.
    • This Week:: 11-5 Straight Up, and 10-6 Against the Spread
    • Season:: 114-62 Straight Up, and 93-83 Against the Spread
  • Week 13
    • Saints (+3.5) over Falcons. This may be in Atlanta, but I still say they are living on borrowed time.
    • Bears over Seattle (+4.5). Bears D to dominate again as Seattle’s road woes continue.
    • Houston over Tennessee (+5.5). 10 days off should be enough to recover from back-to-back OT games only 4 days apart.
    • Pats over Miami (+7.5), but take the points. Pats won’t run up the score this week.
    • Buffalo over Jags (+6.5), but take the points. Two teams going nowhere should prove to be a close game.
    • Indy (+4.5) over Detroit. Still haven’t figured out why they are favoring Detroit. Must be the Suh factor.
    • KC (+2.5) over Carolina. KC D to show itself, and maybe even produce some offense.
    • Packers over Minnesota (+8.5), but take the points. GB is sub-.500 against the spread this season.
    • Niners over Rams (+7.5), but take the points. These 2 tied only a few weeks ago, and this game is in StL.
    • Jets over Zona (+4.5) but take the points. Would the real Arizona please stand up? Anyone? Beuller?
    • Denver over Tampa (+6.5). This could actually be a very good game. It was one of my hardest calls of the week. Heads Denver, Tails Tampa… and once again for the points.
    • Baltimore over stealers (+4.5), but take the points. It’s been a long time that these 2 teams haven’t finished a game with more than a score separating them regardless of whether or not Roethlisberger plays.
    • Bengals over Chargers (+1.5). I’ve seen what SD has to offer, and Cincy should be able to handle them.
    • Cleveland (+0.5) over Oakland. Raiders are 0-3 as the favorite, and the Browns are 6-4 as the dog.
    • Dallas over Philly (+8.5), but take the points. Too many points to give up in an NFC divisional matchup.
    • Skins (+2.5) over Giants. Look for a shoot out as neither team is particularly strong on D.
  • MLS
    • Knockout Round (1-1)
    • Conference Semifinals (1-3)
    • Conference Finals (1-1)
    • MLS Cup
      • Houston over LA. Houston won the regular season matchup 2-1, and they are the hottest team in the playoffs, after sneaking in with the last seed.

Please send comments to Iggy at tealdragon.net