Ravens:
With all the success of the Ravens, and human interest stories of how we got there, what does the media hone in on? Ray Lewis and the double murder charges of 2000 in Atlanta, and a publicity stunt by SWATS to claim that he used banned PEDs to recover and take the field. First of all, the double murder is 12 years ago. He did his time for obstruction of justice, and paid off the family of the so-called victims (true victims wouldn’t have found themselves in an alley fight). ’nuff said there. Now, with regards to the Deer Antler Velvet Spray, here is what I have summarized from the whole stink: There are small amounts of IGF-1 in the live antlers, but by the time the antlers get processed, little to no amount of the hormone can be passed on in pill or spray format (confirmed by JHU professor); There is no reliable test for the substance because it is so similar to a comparable human hormone; the players have not approved any test that might produce a positive result in this area. Long story short, this story came out of Boston after the Pats lost the AFC championship game, in what appears to me as a publicity stunt to get alternative natural medicines on the radar. I’m done with it. Move on.
Now that this “distraction” has taken over, Ray Lewis has been the center of attention (his preferred location), allowing everyone else to stay relatively low and focus on what they are in New Orleans for in the first place: prepare for the biggest game of their lives. Going by the Stats, the Niners have a better Defense, and the Ravens have a better offense. Flacco is currently on a post-season tear that ranks among the top 6 performance all time by any quarterback in the post season. If he can continue that progression for one more game, he will not only have back up his claim as being an elitest quarterback, but he will probably have the Super Bowl Ring to back it up. The Ravens have guaranteed that Flacco will be back with Baltimore next season, and the only question at this point is if it will be as a franchised player, estimated to be worth about $14.6M, or signed to a long term deal. I’ll discuss this more in the coming weeks.
Two weeks off is a long time to wait, but it does allow both teams to get healthy before the big game. Unfortunately, it can also destroy momentum. Current Vegas odds are still favoring the Niners by 3+ points, which suits the Ravens well, still carrying the “No Respect” card. Raven players have presented themselves more relaxed and comfortable in their surroundings then the Forty Niners, which could mean… just about anything. I predict a good game. Look for the Ravens to present a balance attack with runs and passes, with Flacco periodically testing the cornerbacks and stretching the field. On Defense, they need to be wary of the versatility of Kaepernick, and shut down gore. The real x-factor in the game will be special teams: The Ravens are certainly built to break one loose with Jacoby Jones… but the coverage team is almost as apt to give it right back. Anything goes, but GO RAVENS!
Orioles:
Orioles have signed several minor players with invitations to the Major League Training Camp… Mike Flacco (Joe’s brother) refuted USA Today reports that he plans to give up on baseball and switch to playing football.
Alouettes
The Montreal Alouettes have interviewed KC Chiefs Quarterback coach Jim Zorn, and have plans to meet with BC Lions Secondary Coach Mark Washington regarding their vacancy at Head Coach, created when the Chicago Bears hired Mark Trestman as their new Head Coach.
Blast:
The Blast (15-5) split their games last weekend, beating Rochester 20-9 on Friday night, but then losing to Missouri 14-11 on Saturday. They will play a home and away series against Syracuse this weekend, with a road game on Friday, and a home game on Saturday. The Blast are 1 of only 2 teams with a winning record presently, as they sit 1.5 games behind Milwaukee for the league lead, but 3 games back in the loss column.
Chesapeake Bayhawks: (Home games at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium)
Seeking a pulse on Florida’s interest level for lacrosse, the Rochester Rattlers will host the Bayhawks on April 27 at
Al Lang Stadium in St. Petersburg, Florida. The 2013 schedule has been released.
Charm:
The Charm will open the 2013 season at Jacksonville on May 25.
Capitals (See website for more details):
The Caps have been dreadful to start the season with a 1-5-1 record, tied for 2nd worst in the NHL with Calgary (1-2-1). Only Florida has a worse record (1-5-0).
Wizards (See website for more details):
The Wizards have slide backwards a little bit with back to back losses to the Kings and Sixers. They are 1 game ahead of
Charlotte in the loss column right now.
Mystics (See website for more details):
Nothing to report.
D.C.United (See website for more details):
The 2013 Schedule has been released.
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 | L 23-20 |
| Sunday, December 9, 2012 | @Washington Redskins | 3-1 Overall, 2-1 Away | 1:00 PM | L 31-28 OT |
| Sunday, December 16, 2012 | Denver Broncos | 6-3 Overall, 5-0 Home | 1:00 PM | L 34-17 |
| Sunday, December 23, 2012 | New York Giants | 3-1 Overall, 1-0 Home | 4:25 PM | W 33-14 |
| Sunday, January 30, 2012 | @Cincinnati Bengals | 18-14 Overall, 7-9 Away | 1:00 PM | L 23-17 |
| 2012 Post Season | ||||
| Date | Opponent | Record | Time | Result |
| Sunday, January 6 | Indianapolis Colts | 3-9 Overall, 3-4 Home | 1:00 PM | W 24-9 |
| Saturday, January 12 | @Denver Broncos | 6-4 Overall, 1-3 Away | 4:30 PM | W 38-35 (2 OT) |
| Sunday, January 20 | @New England Patriots | 2-7 Overall, 1-5 Away | 4:30 PM | W 28-13 |
| Sunday, February 3 | San Francisco 49ers at New Orleans |
3-1 Overall | 6:20 PM | – |
Relevant Football Links
- NFL: Tie Breaking Procedures
- Johnny Road Trip NFL Schedules 2010-2017
- PrintYourBrackets.com Good source of printable team schedules
- NFL Rule Book
- Spotrac.com Awesome source of player contracts and impact on salary cap
Iggy’s Predictions
- Super Bowl
- BALTIMORE (+3.5) over San Francisco. All things being equal, the Ravens are a slight bit better, and more experienced than the 49ers.
- Season:: 173-93 Straight Up, and 137-129 Against the Spread
Please send comments to Iggy at tealdragon.net